RWBY Through Worlds

175: Fumbling Confidence

[2nd finale arc commence.]

Shine's sword sent a quiver through the whole ground that was a lot stronger than it should have been from that force.

Everyone thought they saw a blinding light flash, but it wasn't the same as Shine's. It seemed--different. Both dimmer and less purely whitish gold. It was both familiar and strange at the same time.

Winter, feeling as if she'd been stung by something, suddenly formed a glyph and shot all of the Maidens out of the area.

"Get out!" she yelled at them.

Cinder, perhaps finally becoming concerned about this place, ran for it, and Raven rushed after her.

Everyone ran.

Shine pulled her sword out ,and then she dropped it. It was hot.

"Ah..." She looked at her hands.

Then she fainted.

Wally snatched her up and ran for it.

The sword disappeared a moment later.

No one stopped running till they must have put at least a mile between them and that old shrine.

Ozpin, who hadn't been nearly as willing to run, got dragged along by Ruby and Yang both before he could argue.

At some point Oscar seemed to regain control and cooperated with them.

"That was so weird," he said. "And it was scary too."

"What's worse," Vara panted, "what always follows one of those episodes is--"

Just as if she cued it, the same spasm pain gripped them again.

Ozpin didn't actually seem to them to incite this so much as him just being there at all incited it.

"Ah..." Raven fell down mid stride, clutching her chest.

Qrow inadvertently turned into a bird.

"We have to help them," Pyrrha said.

"Yeah... somehow," Wally said.

Pyrrha thought fast. She took out the last of the cakes.

"We don't have any better ideas," she said, looking at the others. "Maybe it will help stave off the effects until we can get farther away."

"Is that wise?" Jaune said. "I know..."

Oscar had tears in his eyes because it hurt so bad.

"Do it!" Ruby said, impulsively.

Pyrrha broke one of the cakes into pieces, rather than use a whole one for each person.

It was tough to get them to even swallow it, but they did.

Qrow even pecked a few crumbs of it up.

He turned back immediately.

Vara, breathing hard, seemed to relax slightly. Theo held her hand.

"I hate this curse," Vara began to say over and over. "I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! I want it to stop."

"Agreed," Raven muttered, sitting up and rubbing her head. "That was like getting hit by a truck, twice."

Winter drew some deep breaths.

"What just happened?" Cinder demanded. "I'm tired of this! What are you doing?" She glanced at Ozpin.

"He's not here right now," Oscar said, finally standing up. "And you took his power... You took his curse when you did that."

Cinder had been told that before, but hearing it like that seemed to give even her pause.