Shorter chapters until that family emergency is over with.
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Ruby stared at the horse in confusion, finally asking, "That's a demon?"
"A wrathsteed," Rose said, "the greatest creation of Lord Hel'nurath of Xoroth. I stole it from his general, Arax'ath, and bound it to me. It was a ritual that took the entirety of the Seven to perform."
"The seven?" Ruby asked.
"The leaders and greatest Warlocks of the Council of the Black Harvest. As I said, I am the First. The others are Kanrethad Ebonlocke, Ritssyn Flamescowl, Jubeka Shadowbreaker, Shinfel Blightsworn, Kira Iresoul and Zinnin Smythe-" Blake snorted, "What?"
"Just, all these ridiculously over the top names and then "Smythe " and "Rose"."
"People on Azeroth, unless they're nobility, aren't usually born with last names. We pick them based on how we want to present ourselves, the Council are proudly Warlocks, so we use names that advertise that fact. If I wasn't attached to my last name, I could go by Ruby Neatherlord, or Ruby Felrose, or any other name I wanted."
"Doesn't change that they're ridiculous," Blake said.
"I wouldn't tell them that though. That's a good way to get cursed," Rose said.
"Cursed?" Weiss scoffed.
"To a Warlock, all manner of dark magic is open to wield, including curses," Rose said, "Curses that keep you from speaking any language other than Eredun, curses that corrupt the flesh, that wither the soul, it's all open to us if we're willing."
Wither the soul?
"That sounds like evil magic," Ruby said.
"Many people would consider anything that has to do with Fel evil," Rose agreed, "it's dark magic, I won't deny that. But the actual use of it depends on the person using it and their strength of will. A weak willed warlock will be consumed by Fel long before they become a master Warlock, but a master Warlock is just as skilled as any Archmage, just in the darker. Curses, demon binding and summoning, fire magic."
"Demon binding?" Blake asked.
"Some demons serve willingly, others have to be made to serve," Rose said .
"You enslave them?"
"You can put it that way, yes," Rose said, and Blake glowered at her, while the rest of the group jerked back, "don't give me that look, they'd be doing far worse if we didn't."
"Like what?" Blake snapped.
"Destroying worlds," Rose said, "That's what the Legion does, finds worlds and burns them to cinders, enslaving anything they don't kill and turning them into demons themselves to be used in the next conquest. That's what we were fighting, why I would do anything to stop it. I know why you're angry, Blake, but sometimes there's no choice. I would have done anything to save Azeroth, protect my loved ones from the Legion, and if that means you hate me for it, fine. They mean more to me than you."
"We have to have standards, otherwise we're no better than what we're fighting!" Blake snapped. Why was she so upset? Ruby didn't like what Rose was saying either, but she wasn't getting this angry.
"And I do have standards, the standards that all the people of Azeroth deserve the right to not be tortured, killed or worse because the ruler of the Legion wanted Azeroth for himself! The Legion is wholly evil, it isn't like what you're thinking about, Blake. There are no moderates among the Legion. If they ever existed they died hundreds of thousands of years ago."
—
Ruby loped forwards alongside the other Worgan as the demon moved through the Fel lava. Varian leapt onto her back, just for a second, before kicking off and flying the rest of the way to the demon, spinning Shalamayne into an icepick grip and driving it into the demon's face before tearing down and landing on the ground in front of it, grabbing a shield from a footman and using it to block the claw strike from the demon.
Across from them, a wind picked up as Thrall raised one hand into the air. Sylvanas and her Dark Rangers nocked their arrows, letting them fly into the demon's back in explosions of shadow magic. Ruby drove the other blade of Shalamayne into the demon's cheat, tearing the elven sword out as bolts of lightning came from the shaman on both sides of the divide between Horde and Alliance. Bolts of ice flew from the mages, striking the demon, and druids tore miniature stars from the sky as they rained beams of sunfire and moonlight on it. Blasts of Light and Shadow erupted from the Priests and, in the former's case, Paladins.
Ruby was barely solid, just enough to repeatedly stab the demon with Shalamayne as she went higher and higher, fel blood leaking out of the demon as she did until she finally reached its throat, her clawed hand digging into the flesh and tearing out the demon's throat. Landing on the ground as Jaina created a pair of bridges for the Alliance and Horde to meet up on the other side of the lava, she called, "We've almost got him! Push forwards, for Azeroth!"
"You heard the General!" Varian called as they surged across the bridge, passing Tirion to Thrall, water coating the shaman's hands as he lifted the Highlord with wind, heading back towards the wyvern waiting across the bridge, "Alliance, push forwards!"
"We'll hold the ridge," Sylvanas said, shooting down a felbat as she did, "good luck, Varian."
"Thank you, Sylvanas," Varian said.
—
Glynda watched the older Ruby Rose approach on a burning steed, flying next to the Bullhead carrying the students back to Beacon. She landed first, sliding off the horse to walk towards Ozpin and Glynda, "Professors."
"Neatherlord, was it?" Ozpin asked.
"You were listening, then?" Rose asked, "That'll keep me from having to repeat myself."
"We had to be certain you weren't a danger to our students, you understand," Ozpin said.
"Of course," Rose said, "My men tend to be old enough to take care of themselves, but I would do the same for them."
"May I ask why you've come back to Remnant?"
"Abstaining from a war the best I can. I know I'm not the only one who's doing it."
"You still believe in the principles of peace among nations, then?"
"I've fought in wars when necessary, Ozpin, I just don't think this one is a good idea for anyone. We just defeated the Burning Legion, now should be a time of peace, not war."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Rose, nobody should have to fight a war," Ozpin looked older as he said that, but Rose just shrugged.
"Sometimes, there are things worth going to war against. Deathwing, the Iron Horde, the Legion. Mindless destruction and conquest must be fought. But I've seen, time and time again, that the Alliance and Horde are most powerful when there's peace between the two, so I refuse to fight a needless war between them. Unless something happens to make me change my mind, I'll be staying on Remnant until the war ends. If you'll excuse me, I have some loved ones to summon."
"May we watch?" Ozpin said, "it is sure to be illuminating."
—
Thoughts, questions, opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?
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