Clash of Fury and Faith
Ruby did not have to get close to the mine to be put off guard. Within a mile of the mine, she felt the ground begin to shake under her feet. The air began to have dust lingering in it. All while a great plume of ochre-orange dust began to fly on the winds. As she ran to it, she heard Balam inside pleading to her to stop.
'Lady Ruby, this one doth not believe this course of action to be wise…' Balam tried to warn her.
'By the time the others reach the mine, who knows how many people will die? I can't just leave them. This mine has to be stopped for good.' Ruby answered as she reached the incline to the mine.
'Be on your guard, young one. We know not what dangers doth lurk within…' Balam advised her.
'It's only guards. How bad can it be?' Ruby replied as she made it to the top.
Each step she took up the incline became harder as the air choked with ochre dust. The sounds of heavy work and suffering were now painful to hear on the winds. Ruby grabbed hold of her cloak to shield her face from the incoming dust. Yet when she reached the top of the incline, her jaw dropped.
She could not count how many slaves were just in the above ground plateau, working to remove the gold from the rock and dirt. Heaps of waste dirt and stone littered the ground, making movement for many difficult. Slaves were whipped and beaten constantly, working like mules for every bit of gold they could. Bodies of fallen slaves were piled up out of the way, left as towering effigies of the grim work. Entire teams of slaves hauled trains of rock from inside the ever-expanding cavern, yoked and chained like oxen. All under the stone faced, whip-carrying gazes of merciless guards.
"This… this is…" Ruby said to herself in horror. But to her shock, she got a reply.
"This will be your tomb." Came a voice from behind her.
As soon as Ruby turned to face who said that the world went dark as she crumpled to the ground. The world stayed dark and silent for what felt like an eternity. Yet when she finally began to come through, it was from the feeling of rocks scraping her legs, and the voice of Balam screaming at her.
'Lady Ruby, thou must make haste!' Balam's voice called out to her frantically.
"Urgh…" Ruby groaned, her vision blurry and shaking.
"Keep quiet!" A man's voice roared above her, before she felt another blow on her head. She felt blood spurt from her mouth as it happened.
Ruby's vision and hearing began to clear as she saw she was being carried and dragged by two plate-armored warriors. Each stood at least as tall as Azura, maybe more, and their armor was black as the night sky. As she tried to look about, she saw a thin line of whip-wielding guards and masses of slaves looking at her. She tried to struggle against the warrior's grasp but soon received another blow to the head for her troubles.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" A voice came from above her, speaking in a slow, thick, and fiery accented voice.
"We found this one on the perimeter of the mine, milord. She must be the Silver-Eyed Warrior your cousin told us about." One of the warriors spoke.
"Bring her closer. I wish to see this Silver-Eyed Cretin for myself." A posh, aristocratic, and arrogant voice demanded.
Ruby looked up as the warriors continued to drag her to see a great entourage of well-dressed aristocrats, advisors, priests, and warriors. They wore enough fine cloth, jewelry, and inlaid gold in their outfits to fund an army, if not two, alongside frilly and further ostentatious wares. Yet at their center, upon a plush hardwood chair, sat someone that put the rest to shame. He wore maroon and white across his body in the form of an exquisite cloak, tunic, and trousers, with rivers of gold woven into them. His face was that of the statue of an ideal leader, strong of jaw and brow, with eyes like a hungry lion. Blonde hair poked through a magnificent bonnet that looked less like the silken hat it was, and more like a great crown with the staggering gold and jewels it lay in it. Finally, he stood on soft, red leather shoes to inspect Ruby as the warriors dragged her nearby.
"W-who… w-who are you…" Ruby weakly asked, only to get hit this time with an iron-banded club by one of the warriors.
"Keep quiet, worm! You will speak when you are given permission!" One of the warriors roared at her.
"Kneel and bow before His Most Graceful Majesty, insect! You stand before none other than the great Lord Santiago Florence Borbon!" One of the other aristocrats barked at Ruby.
Ruby did not get a chance to speak or react as the guards forcibly bent her down to the ground. They then held her down as the man slowly, deliberately walked forward and began to circle her. As if observing every single part of her intently. Only once he finished his walk around did he finally speak.
"So, this is the Silver-Eyed Gnat who has dared to try to challenge our divine reign? To be frank, I am unimpressed." Santiago scoffed arrogantly.
"Nice to meet you, Frank." Ruby sarcastically replied, only to get hit again even harder across the back by one of the warriors. This forced Ruby to grit her teeth from the pain.
"No backtalk, Silver-Eyed Witch! You stand before one of the Holy Greatnesses of this land!" The guard barked angrily.
"If that's what you call holy… then I'd rather be in hell!" Ruby growled in defiance and tried to fight against the guards' grip. This, however, got a far more violent response from the warriors.
Santiago raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The two warriors lifted Ruby up, only for them in unison to throw her back onto the ground. Soon other warriors of the entourage rushed over with iron banded clubs and surrounded her. With all their might they began to wail on Ruby, smashing against her Aura and leaving bruises with each strike. All while everyone watched on, filling the slaves with horror.
Fighting through the pain, Ruby went deep inside of her, soon her vision surrounded by the endless webs of Balam's power. It was then that she was confronted by a floating avatar of Balam.
"Balam. Give me your power." Ruby growled, staring daggers at the floating green jaguar.
"This one is limited by how much he can safely give thee, Lady Ruby." Balam pointed out worriedly.
"Then, if you're not going to do it, I'll do it myself!" Ruby yelled and grabbed the nearest webs, before beginning to yank on them hard.
Balam's eyes widened in shock. "Lady Ruby, no! You mustn't! That much power will-" He began to say only for Ruby to cut him off.
"I don't care! That's one of the bastards that killed my mother and enslaved my people! I WILL MAKE THEM PAY!!!" Ruby roared, tears beginning to flow from her eyes as she yanked harder and harder, drawing in more power than she had ever felt before.
Balam struggled wordlessly, trying to hold back and pull the power away from Ruby for her own safety. However, her determination and the strength of her will were too great. With a great and mighty roar, Ruby ripped the power out of Balam's grasp and away from him, taking it into herself.
Outside of Ruby's inner self, the guards soon noticed her gain a green aura around her. This caught them off guard as a pulse of raw power forced them back, as Ruby began to stand. The ground began to shake, rumbling like an earthquake emanating from Ruby herself, as great vines and tree roots burst forth. They swiftly grabbed hold of the warriors and began to crush them, their armor doing little to stop them. As this happened, the area around the mine began to grow plants, with grass and flowers instantly popping out, and dead trees regaining life. Yet Ruby herself received the most noticeable transformation.
Her veins pulsed with green energy, letting loose a shocking heat from her body that wrapped the air. Her silver eyes glowed and crackled with power as they stared down the nobles before her. Her body was covered in what looked like an aura shell, tipping her hands and feet in jaguar-human hybrid paws. Atop her hair grew a pair of green jaguar energy ears, and a long spotted green energy tail trailed behind her. Even as she opened her mouth, her canines had grown greatly. Many of the nobles quickly cowered as more warriors and guards rushed up to stop her.
"So, Frank. How do you like this Gnat now?" Ruby growled, her voice coming out less like noise, and more like a vibrating force.
Santiago simply glared. "Congratulations. You have been promoted from gnat to worm. Now die! Kill her!" He called out to the guards and warriors.
Terrified of the "worm" before them, the guards and warriors stepped back in fear for a moment. However, when they looked back at their lord, a stern glare was all it took to wordlessly warn them of the consequences of cowardice. Glaring back at Ruby, the hired blades stood their ground as Ruby slowly took a step forward. One of the guards gulped nervously as another readied a short sword.
Ruby then began slowly walking forward as another guard pulled out a rosary and began to pray. Ruby then broke into a fast walk that slowly progressed into a sprint.
"Here she comes!" One of the guards called.
"Forward men! For the glory of Lord Santiago!" Another barked in order.
Ruby broke into a run as the army made their move. "AAAAAAARGH!" One of the warriors roared in challenge as the entire army of hired blades roared as one while they charged Ruby with grim determination.
As both sides of the conflict approached each other, they clashed as Ruby plowed through the first set of warriors and guards, sending them flying like they were made of paper. Yet as Lord Santiago looked at the slaughter before him, his eyes went red with fury.
"Sound the alarms! Get every soldier we have in the area in there! Kill her and bring me her head!!!" Santiago roared at his retinue.
Soon flags went high and bulges sounded. As if by magic, the sound of thunderous footfalls and bugles could be heard in the hills and peaks beyond. Yet as this happened, Ruby let out a toothy grin. As the first reinforcements arrived to "relieve" their fallen and beleaguered comrades, Ruby turned to the amassing forces. Despite now hundreds of soldiers assembling and surging towards her, she felt a sick and vicious joy at what stood before her.
Ruby swatted aside one warrior before kicking him in the head to knock him to the ground. She then ducked under a slash from a polearm and kicked a guard aside, breaking his armored torso open like it was made of soda crackers. Turning, she spun around an attack from another before kicking another enemy so hard that his upper body plowed through the dirt. Kicking off the face of one combatant, she caved in his face as she used him as a springboard to launch herself high into the air. Raising her leg high for a hell drop ax kick, she slammed her foot into the ground, cratering the ground with the force and launching enemy combatants up into the air.
Kicking one aside in midair to send him flying, she grabbed another by the leg and swung him like a living weapon to smack the others aside, sending them skidding and crumpling into the dirt. Slamming him down onto the ground, she cratered the ground and accidentally severed his leg. Dropping the severed limb, she gracefully ducked under a sword slash from one enemy before caving in his armored chest with a clawed palm strike. Spinning on the ball of her foot, Ruby kicked another enemy across the face hard enough to sever his head, sending it sailing through the air as the remains of his body crumpled to the ground.
With graceful footwork worthy of a jungle cat, Ruby seemed to glide along the ground as she dodged and weaved through enemy attacks, swatting aside enemies, slashing them with her new claws, and smacking them aside with her energy tail. One of the guards threw a hail of throwing knives at her only for her to use her new power combined with her Semblance to trace the lines of fire of the throwing knives before easily dodging them by gently but swiftly sailing out of their way. As she did, she plucked each dagger out of the air before spinning them in her hands and throwing most of them at approaching enemies trying to surround her, penetrating deep into a vital spot with each pierced enemy before sending the last throwing knife back into the throat of the original owner.
Panicking, the enemy warriors rolled out a cannon. Lighting it, they fired a cannonball from it at her. However, to Ruby's eyes, the cannonball looked like it approached her in slow motion. Dodging aside, Ruby reached out beneath the cannonball to pluck it out of the air like a feather while twisting around into a spin. Spinning the cannonball in her hand, she threw it right back with full speed and strength. The momentum of the thrown cannonball made it collide with the inside of the cannon barrel with great force before the cannonball and cannon both exploded, taking out a considerable number of guards and warriors. Leaping with the shockwave from the explosion, Ruby landed on the ground on all fours and dashed into the cloud of dust and smoke.
Faster than the guards and warriors could track, Ruby dashed through them as she cut one of them down with her claws before taking his war scythe off him. Spinning the polearm weapon, she slashed and stabbed with it as she charged through five enemies, cutting them down instantaneously. Spinning on the ball of her foot to stop and change direction, she slashed one enemy in half with the war scythe.
"This is impossible! No one has this much power!!" A soldier yelled at the sight of her.
"It's a demon! A demon!" A priest cried out frantically.
"Keep quiet, you overstuffed vicar! Our glorious forces will kill her!" One of the lesser nobles snapped back.
Dashing forward and leaping off the ground, Ruby spun with her war scythe in hand as she mowed down enemies before her like wheat in a field. Spinning with the war scythe, she brought it down on an enemy's head to cleave him in half, armor and all. Spinning the blade, she slashed through two more enemies before throwing the war scythe like a javelin to impale through five enemies back-to-back. The thrown war scythe sailed into the wall before implanting itself into the stone, cratering the stone wall and sending debris flying everywhere into the nearby enemies. Picking up a sword, she quickly but sloppily cut down five enemies in the blink of an eye as they approached her. Then five more appeared at high speed around her, trying to corral and corner her.
"We've got you now, demon!" One of the soldiers roared as they dashed in simultaneously.
However, in an instant, the high-speed combatants were sliced apart as Ruby held her sword in a post-swing stance before slashing it down. As she slashed it down, not a drop of blood could be found on the blade from the speed she moved at.
"You're slow, scum." Ruby coldly told them as the carved-up soldiers fell to the ground in pieces.
One of the faster soldiers dashed at Ruby only for her to reach out and grab him by the throat faster than he could react. Lifting him up, she gave him a feral grin. "So, you wanna dance too, huh?" She asked with sass in her tone.
As Ruby continued to rain terror upon the soldiers, the guards used their whips and brandished weapons to keep the slaves back. The throngs of enslaved humans and Faunus grew restless, something rousing inside of them. Until finally one old rhino Faunus ripped off his chains before the guards. The nearest guard tried to whip him, but the man caught the whip in his hand, before ripping it out of his hand. And, at that moment, the dam of oppression and fear broke.
"Get them! Forward!" The old man roared at the top of his lunges.
On cue, hundreds of slaves charged the line in a human wave. The guards tried to stop it by using their weapons and cut down the first few slaves before them. Yet it soon became too much as they were lifted off their feet by raw human muscle. Soon the guards were on the ground, stomped and trampled to death as the horde surged forward. The guards' weapons were taken by a lucky few slaves as the frenzied mass slammed into the flank of the oncoming forces. Some tried to get to the Golden Nobles, but a perimeter of plate-clad warriors kept them at bay.
"Upstart ants. Have the soldiers kill them all! Show no mercy!!" Santiago roared out, and the order rapidly spread through the ranks.
Ranks of soldiers, guards, and mercenaries formed up and struck back against the horde. Blades swung and hacked apart the slaves as muskets and cannons roared, scything through them. Yet to their shock, the display of discipline, butchery and slaughter did not stop the slaves. Soon the soldiers saw from the mouth of the mine entrance a new horde approaching. Further hundreds, potentially thousands of slaves charged in wielding stolen weapons, picks, and shovels. Even Ruby noticed as the sheer mass of frenzied fighters began to force the soldiers back.
"Are you alright, milady?" One slave asked her, gripping a stump of a severed arm.
"You shouldn't worry about me. Here." Ruby replied, putting her hand on the stump of an arm.
Swiftly, the arm stopped bleeding and closed. The slave's eyes went wide as months of poor conditions melted away, making them look visibly healthier. As the poor man stood there in shock, Ruby looked on in amazement before looking at her hand. All while the battle swirled around her.
"How… How did you do that? Silver-Eyed Warriors can't do that…" The slave said in shock.
Ruby gave a gentle smile. "I'm more than just a Silver-Eyed Warrior…" She told the slave before closing her hands, placing the palms of her hands together, and concentrating.
Soon her hands glowed bright with concentrated power, before channeling it into a single fist. Then she slammed the fist down into the ground hard, sending out a green pulse that engulfed the mine. As soon as it made contact with the ranks of the slaves, the effects were instant. Bleeding stopped, wounds healed, and centuries worth of abuse, malnutrition, and exhaustion melted away in moments. Before the soldiers stood now a far different force. A force with bodies hardened by work and harsh conditions, now with the strength and fitness to fight back.
With newfound vigor and strength, the slaves charged forward. The Nobles' forces tried to dig their heels in and stand their ground, keeping their disciplined and brutal formations. Yet the tide was too much for them to stop. With the combined might of Ruby and her invigorated forces, the line began to crack. Even firing volleys of screaming lead from muskets, pistols, and the few cannons they had were simply not enough. Seeing this, the warriors began to usher Santiago and his entourage away from the frontline as the soldiers began a fighting retreat. However, Santiago then spoke to one of the few remaining commanders.
"Release the Grimm. If we cannot stop them, then let their victory be turned to ash." Santiago grimly ordered.
"Of course, sir." The Commander nodded before rushing off to comply with his order.
As the Commander made his way to the back of the camp, the soldiers fought and died on to ensure their nobles and their comrades would escape. Ruby, now properly leading from the front, pressed the advantage. Yet soon, as some of the last soldiers made it over the rope bridges to the next peak, and cutting the bridges as they went, Ruby's forces heard the sound of snapping chains and opening metal doors.
Before anyone could say anything, Beowolfs, Creeps and Ursa's attacked the horde. The Grimm swiftly began to charge in and tore into the slaves. The sudden appearance of Grimm shook the morale of the slaves, as their weapons found little purchase on the tough hides of the monsters. Seeing this forced Ruby to turn her attention away from the fleeing Golden Nobles, and to help the freed slaves.
"Everyone get back! I'll handle them!!" Ruby called out to the slaves as she cleaved a Beowolf in two with a single strike of her sword.
Nodding, the now former slaves backed off as Ruby glared at the horde of Grimm. Readying her sword, Ruby disappeared in a flurry of rose petals as she dashed into the fray. As she did, the Grimm howled and snarled as they charged in. The two sides met as the lead Creep was hacked into pieces. Dodging a claw swipe from a Beowolf, Ruby slashed upwards, slicing off its arm. When it howled in pain before bringing its other clawed hand down for another slash, Ruby sliced downwards and cut that arm off as well. Howling in pain once more, the Beowolf went to bite her only for Ruby to slice its neck, cutting off its head as its body fell to the floor.
Turning, Ruby picked up a nearby second blade and crossed her swords in front of her. Swinging them down, she glared at the Grimm. "COME AT ME!" She roared before dashing in.
Leaping over a charging Ursa, she spun in midair and brought her blades down in a cross arc across its chest as it turned around. The Ursa then fell into four pieces as Ruby turned to look and leaped to cleave a Beowolf in half from head to groin. Dashing through the Grimm at high speeds, she carved a path through them as she cut them down one by one. Trying to pursue the Golden Noble and his retreating court. However, as she took a step past the horde of Grimm, she felt a strange presence… an odd chill in the air.
Turning to the offending sensation, Ruby saw a rolling, cool mist enter the area. The mist as it touched the ground covered the ground in a deep frost. Yet meeting her through the frost were two blood red orbs glowing like dread fueled lanterns.
"Balam? Have you ever seen a Grimm that uses ice?" Ruby asked her Elemental partner.
'Only one, Lady Ruby. A most dreadful beast, it is. A demonic maiden of ice, frost, and snow the color of darkness itself. It is known as the Himeōne…' Balam explained, his voice oozing dread and concern.
Floating through the mist came a humanoid Grimm draped in eastern garb like the kind she had seen Azura and Kenshi wear. These garments, however, were far thinner and not made of any fabric, but strings of snow and frost woven like fabric. The garb flowed over the body of a beautiful, onyx-skinned maiden; skin polished to that of sheer ice. Yet Ruby saw no legs, only the ever flowing and wispy tail of its garb. With a flick of her hand, the air and mist around it condensed into a beautiful shimmering katana, before pointing it at Ruby.
"... You didn't say it could do that!" Ruby snapped at Balam as she readied her swords.
'Of course it can, child! Its domain of power is ice and cold!' Balam chided her.
"Then it's time to turn up the heat on this ice cube." Ruby said as she squinted her eyes.
With a wave of her hand, Ruby sent a wall of tree roots erupting from the ground and barreling at the demonic ice maiden. However, to her surprise, the Grimm simply raised its empty hand as a wave of ice erupted from the air in front of it. The wave of ice hit the wall of tree roots, freezing them solid as Ruby paled from the feat of power. Brittle from the bitter cold, the frozen roots shattered like glass as the Himeōne seemingly glided across the floor and through the tiny, falling ice fragments. As it made its way towards Ruby, the Grimm gave a feral smile that revealed a mouth full of knife-like teeth.
"Sorry. You're not my type." Ruby said as she cringed at the sight.
The Himeōne then dashed at Ruby, its icy katana raised. Ruby raised her own blades in a crossed x and blocked the attack, caught off guard by the surprising power behind the lithe and woman-like frame of the Grimm. Pushing back, Ruby went for a slash only for the Grimm to dodge and strike with its blade, forcing Ruby to parry aside the blow. Ruby tried another slash only for the Himeōne to deflect the strike with the flat of its blade, the icy sword breaking from the effort before swiftly reforming as an icy wakizashi manifested in the Grimm's other hand.
The two combatants, Grimm and mystically enhanced human, kept their eyes locked on each other as they circled each other like dueling lions. Waiting for one to make the first move. Soon, the Himeōne dashed in and tried to attack Ruby, the ground beneath its feet freezing with every step. Stopping short, it stomped the ground and caused spikes of ice to erupt from the ground. This forced Ruby to bring up a shield made of intertwined tree roots to block. The tree roots began to freeze before, with a gesture of her hand, Ruby made the tree roots separate and shatter the ice like glass.
With a wave of her hand, Ruby made the tree roots attack the Himeōne Grimm. The demonic ice maiden was forced to dodge and weave through tree roots as it slashed and hacked at any that got too close. However, eventually, a root wrapped around its ankle and swung it up high into the air before bringing it back down with a blow that cratered the ground with great force. A cracking sound was heard as the Himeōne slowly got to its feet. Its damaged blades began to be repaired, but Ruby noticed something off.
'That's odd. It's fixing its blades slower than before…' Ruby thought, before looking closer.
Looking at its chest, she saw a large crack in its polished exterior, and for the first time noticed a pulsing ball of energy. The ball pulsed somewhat erratically, especially around the crack.
'Balam? What is that?' Ruby thought as she steadied herself.
'The core of its being, child. In human terms, you could call it the Grimm equivalent of a heart. Only elemental Grimm such as this beast possess that trait, for it is the source of their elemental powers. Destroy that and it shall automatically be slain…' Balam explained.
Yet, as soon as Ruby readied an attack, the Grimm began to change. Drawing in vast amounts of the mist around it, its garments began to grow and thicken. Plates of ice armor, not too dissimilar to plate she had seen on Azura's one plate, began to grow from the garments. Soon it was coated in this plated robe before waving its hand over the haft of its sword. Soon the haft began to extend into a long pole, and soon she gripped it, pointing the blade in Ruby's direction.
'The beast has entered a form more suitable for battle. It hath decided to slay thee with all its might, Lady Ruby. It appears to not only be powerful, but intelligent and old…' Balam explained to his partner.
'Then it's time to respond in kind. Pour on the power, Balam!' Ruby demanded as she readied herself.
On cue, Ruby's aura glowed a bright green as it became quite visible to everyone. The humanoid Grimm sneered at the sight before letting out a baleful cry. Soon, with lithe grace and blinding speed it charged at her, readying her polearm to inflict a dreadful blow. Bringing one of her blades up, Ruby blocked the swing before trying to slash at the Himeōne. However, the beast simply swung the haft of its blade to swipe at Ruby's face. The back end of the haft slammed into Ruby's cheek as the Grimm spun its naginata to bring it back into a proper grip.
Bringing the naginata up, it swung its blade down as Ruby blocked with her blades. Straining under the new physical power of the Grimm, Ruby glared at the Grimm before spitting a bit of blood into one of its eyes. Snarling, the weight it was putting behind its naginata subsided as Ruby swung her blades to force the weapon upwards. Glaring at her, the Himeōne howled in fury as a wave of ice and cold erupted at Ruby, freezing everything in the area. Even other surviving Grimm were frozen solid and crumbled to dust before the power. However, inside a massive wall of ice stood Ruby. The ice began to crack before, with an explosion of power, the tree roots split open the ice and attacked the Himeōne.
Glaring at each other, the two combatants swung their hands as their hands glowed with elemental power. Ruby's hands glowed forest green while the Himeōne's glowed an icy white and blue. With the gestures, a jungle of tree roots erupted from Ruby's position towards the Grimm while a veritable blizzard of ice, snow, and cold blew in at Ruby from the Grimm's own position. The two massive elemental attacks collided, both trying to push against each other. Looking around, the Himeōne tried to catch sight of Ruby with one of its eyes still blinded from the blood the Silver-Eyed Warrior spat into it.
Soon, thick tree roots erupted from the ground and wrapped up the beast's limbs to restrain it. Straining, the beast tried to freeze the tree roots to get free. However, with a roar, Ruby came soaring down from above as the Grimm realized that she had launched herself upwards during their earlier elemental clash. Aided by the force of gravity, Ruby thrusted her sword into the beast's armored chest, piercing through the ice armor and stabbing deep into the core. With a smirk, Ruby glared up at her foe only for it to howl in rage and fury before giving a feral grin. Opening its mouth wide, the Grimm tried to bite down on Ruby's shoulder only for the Silver-Eyed Warrior to jump back just in time to see something beginning to happen to it.
Soon the mist around the Grimm began to be pulled into its core, as the core itself began to flash bright blue. The Himeōne let out a pain filled cry as the core crushed itself with its energy in a sickening crack. Then, in a blinding flash, it was torn apart in a massive explosion. Reacting quickly, Ruby poured Balam's energy into her fist and punched the ground. A great wall of weaving vines and trees sprung up in a line as the energy slammed into the verdant shield. Mercifully, it withstood the blast just enough to blunt it, preventing the freed slaves from being hurt, aside from a few that were thrown backwards. Ruby panted as she stared at the ice-wreathed crater before her.
"You could have told me that it exploded if you break the core, you know!!" Ruby shrieked in frustration.
'To be fair, Lady Ruby… thou didst not ask.' Balam simply replied.
Ruby snarled at his response before she began to walk back towards the mine. Soon, the freed slaves rushed over to their savior to try and help her, but Ruby stopped them and made them step aside. Then, with the last of Balam's energy, slammed her fist into the earth before her, creating a monstrous quake. The hills around them rattled, and the supports for the old mine finally gave out. With a creaking, sagging, whimpering moan, it collapsed and crushed itself under the hills' weight. Ruby weakly stood up with a groan.
"The mine is closed! Permanently!!" Ruby cried out.
The slaves cheered in unison, letting out a cacophony of pent-up relief and joy. However, all the noise and commotion soon stopped as cresting over the hill came Azura and his forces. What he saw before him however… was not what he expected.
"… By the Throne of Heaven! What happened here!?" Azura called out in disbelief.
Ruby tried to speak, but her throat clenched up. She tried to move, only for her body to collapse onto the ground. Everyone stood in shock as Ruby simply lay there, the world turning black around her. The last thought before she lost consciousness was wondering if Balam was right. Did she push things too far?