Ch 23: Marking the Way

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Ruby's POV:

Things were going from bad to worse here. After my team cleared the Grimm in the city, we went to Jaune's team to provide backup. My team and JNPR went to hills with significant elevation so we could attack the coming hoard from the sky. The area was also close to a giant cliff overlooking a forest with several edges. If we fell down there, we'd be done for, but since that was the best place to get close enough to the Grimm, we had no choice but to risk it. Emerald, Weiss, Pyrrha, Jaune, and I were at a lower spot on the hill since our weapons did not have enough reach to hit them in the sky. Even though Weiss could use her semblance and I had my sniper rifle, we didn't have the means to hit them in the air.

Nora, Yang, and Ren were at the top since their artillery had a more extended reach. This battle was getting really strenuous for us. Even though my group had finished recovering our aura from the last fight, we were still faced with exhaustion and mental fatigue, but what else was new from these fights?

"Ruby behind you," called out Emerald.

There was a colossal Beowolf sneaking up behind me and about to knock my head off my shoulders. Oddly, the Grimm don't usually sneak behind people with such planning and quietness. But recently, I've heard stories about the Grimm showing unusual behaviors such as regeneration, merging, and forming hordes of this magnitude. 

I stabbed it with my scythe, but it dogged and lunged at me. It attempted to swipe at my face, but I threw myself back toward the ground and kicked it in the arms. My boots had been reinforced with hard light and gravity dust making my kicks stronger, so the force of my attack sent it flying toward the wall. I attempted to use my eyes, but they attacked me before I could concentrate enough to produce the light. I slashed and parried, trying to keep it back, but this thing was relentlessly trying to take me out. 

I kept avoiding it until I found myself against a big rock. The Beowulf stalked up to me and was about to smash my face when something pulled back its arm.

It was Emerald. She was using her weapons chain blades to hold back its arm, but it was stronger than her, so her hold on it was loosening.

 She was using her weapons chain blades to hold back its arm, but it was stronger than her, so her hold on it was loosening

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"Take this thing out, Ruby!" called Emerald.

So using a combination of my eyes and my weapon, I cut off the arm Emerald was holding back and activated the feature I got in volume 7 that allowed the blade to turn around and shred it to pieces.

"Thanks," I said as I caught my breath.

"Eh, no problem," scoffed Emerald, "I just didn't want to see my friend die."

"Aww, you care about me."

"Nah, I just didn't want your sister giving me the business if you got yourself killed while I was around to help you."

"Nah, you'd miss me if I died. We're friends now, and you have to accept it."

"Maybe little Red, maybe. On your right!"

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