RWBY is owned by Roosterteeth and created by the wonderful Monty Oum.

Foreword: So here it is, my first ever RWBY Fanfic which I hope would interest some readers and also hopefully provide some backstory on the legendary order of The Remnant Knights, whose characters would be featured in UGX7's RWBY: Destiny of Remnant Fanfiction.

Please take note that changes may be made to RWBY Crucible in future to adhere to the overarching story that takes place in Destiny of Remnant whenever necessary.

Once again, I welcome all who read this story for the first time, and hopefully you would enjoy this story as much as I did writing it for everyone out there to enjoy. So, without further delays...let the legends of The Remnant Knights begin...

RWBY: Crucible

Prologue: The Dawning Darkness

"There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."

- attributed to anonymous inscription upon ancient ruins found by Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck at site designated J18 - 0213, during archeological expedition outside of Vale.

The Endless Gorge. Many, many years ago.

The Time of Legends...

Lord Emmanuel brought his gleaming sword down and cleaved the latest Grimm creature that faced him in half, watching it give out a dying roar of pain before flopping to the ground in two separate pieces, dissolving to dust in the wind and leaving no trace of its presence behind. Pulling his sword back and spinning around, the Supreme Grand Knight Master of The Remnant Knights blocked a mortal blow from an Ursa that would have decapitated his head from his pauldrons, which impacted directly onto his shield and sent shockwaves running down the length of his right arm, numbing it considerably.

The bone white claws of the Ursa gouged deep grooves in the metal of Emmanuel's shield, the screeching sound biting into his ears and adding to the deafening clamour of battle that took place around them. For a few brief moments Knight and Grimm wrestled for supremacy, and with a pained grunt the Knight leaned against the Ursa and bashed it back, temporarily stunning it for a brief moment. Before it could recover however, the Knight Master put his sword smoothly through the neck of the Grimm with a enraged shout, the head bouncing away while the body slumped sideways, both turning to dust within seconds.

He had lost count of how many Grimm he had killed since the battle for The Endless Gorge began, but there were always more to take the places of the Grimm the group of Knights had slain. Unlike the other Knights who fought alongside him those creatures were without number, and came in all shapes and forms, from those encountered before by both humans and faunus since the dawn of time to those only whispered in legends and nightmares. The Knight Master speedily withdrew his blade once more before charging deep into the fray, seeking to assist his fellow Knights as much as he could before the inevitable happened.

It would be only a matter of time, anyway. He was only delaying what would eventually happen, but the overwhelming odds never stopped him before. Nevertheless, Emmanuel was determined to make sure that if the Grimm King wanted the heads of him and his Knights for his Dark Queen, then he would do whatever he could to inconvenience them as much as possible, such as making them work a bit harder for his death.

"Brothers and Sisters, to me! We stand as one!" He roared out the order and the surviving Remnant Knights all rallied to him, doubling their efforts as they fought bravely through the swarming numbers of murderous Grimm to his side. Those who can't heed his call simply fought on, taking grievous tolls on the myriad of Grimm creatures before being overwhelmed completely, some dragged down and literally torn limb from limb, their screams of death eclipsed by the sounds of the Grimm swarms and battle.

Taking his place among them after killing his way through swarm of Taijitus and Beringels, Emmanuel mentally counted the remaining Knights and was presented with less than a hundred of them. Not one Remnant Knight was unwounded, many sporting clear wounds of varying severity despite their noteworthy skills with their signature weapons. Their individual Aegis armour suits were also dented and damaged from their horrific battles with the Grimm, some even torn away to expose the protective sheaths beneath. A few of the Knights clearly suffered mortal wounds, streams of red blood sheeting down their own armour in spite of their bodies' Aura trying to heal their wounds, but they continued to fight even as strength leaked from their wounds, intending to reap as many Grimm as possible before they surrender themselves to death.

The Supreme Grand Knight Master wasn't much better either. His own Aegis armour suit was damaged in a thousand places from countless nicks and scratches from the various Grimm creatures he fought. Some plates of armour had been torn loose when they were sheared through by the claws of Beowolfs, Sabers and Ursas. Some of the more dangerous Grimm had launched globbets of poison and acid from their many mouths, and despite the protection of his shield Lord Emmanuel had unavoidably suffered the splashes of their hazardous projectiles, which burned small holes in his Aegis armour as well as turning the ground beneath his feet into a muddy gloop which was both treacherous and movement-constricting.

A scream cut through the air as a Remnant Knight three ranks in front of Lord Emmanuel was hit by several globbets of acid, which burned through his rapidly melting shield and eating into the armour plates beneath. As his Aegis armour became dangerously compromised, the Remnant Knight fell forward on his knees as his lower legs melted away. Biting down his pain as blood flowed freely from the stumps of his legs despite the glow of his Aura, the wounded Knight brought up his sword just in time as a Death Stalker smashed aside other smaller Grimm and clasped its claws around his abdomen. He stabbed his sword into the Death Stalker's head repeatedly, each time eliciting screams of anger and pain from the scorpion Grimm before it finally killed him by severing him into three separate pieces which bounced across the floor, an armoured arm still gripping onto the sword which was lodged deeply in the Death Stalker's massive head

Emmanuel murmured a brief prayer for the recently deceased Knight and continued fighting, his sword slicing and cleaving through Grimm left and right, the long silver-coloured blade wielded in his gauntlet the dividing line between life and death as creature after creature fell before him. Like a shadow behind him, his loyal champion Bladework wielded two identical longswords with astonishing speed, watching the Supreme Grand Knight Master's back by making sure no Grimm creature would catch the Knight Master unawares. He was a constant blur of shadow, his fighting style remarkably similar to a warrior dancer as spinning silvers of blades separated limbs from numerous Grimm while reducing others to dust within seconds. The Knight Master could think of no other who he would want to be by his side at this very moment.

"Regroup!" The Knight Master roared, "Circular Shield Formation! Hold rank and engage!"

The Remnant Knights fought an ever-shrinking defense perimeter around the Endless Gorge, standing shoulder to shoulder in its perfidious confines, all the while holding the high ground and dealing precise death to the Grimm swarms that came to them from every direction imaginable. Planting their armoured boots in a circular formation with their cloaks flying in the wind, the remaining Knights fought on despite the odds alongside their Knight Master, ready to lay down their lives for him as sworn in the oaths they had taken when they joined the Knight Order to protect Remnant against all those who serve the darkness.

Piles of Grimm formed considerable mountains as they died en masse to the weapons of The Remnant Knights, and yet they still came on. Behind the packed ranks of Beowolfs and Sabers which howled and leapt, larger forms of Grimm released roars and screeches that would turn the blood of even the most bravest warriors to ice. Furthermore behind those came shadows of even more nightmarish Grimm in their multifarious forms silhouetted against the light of the shattered moon which shone down on the ranging battle below. Raucous roars from enormous Goliaths among the Grimm swarms simply added to already shaking canyons, only this time coming closer than ever and were answered by several types of Grimm creatures in return.

Bolts of Dust-enhanced hellfire rounds shot forth from Deadshot's repeater halberd, slamming into the charging swarms of Grimm and causing them to collapse just inches from the armoured shields of the Remnant Knights, blazing red fire consuming their bodies and spreading to those Grimm climbing over their forms in their frenzy to get to the lines of Knights who were still killing those Grimm who manage to break though. As the last dust cartridge in his personal weapon ran dry, Deadshot swore under his breath and hit the small catch located just in front of the trigger guard, expelling the empty Dust cartridge which clattered to the ground and joined its many still-smoking companions.

While the other Remnant Knights with projectile-based weaponry continued to empty their weapons into the charging Grimm around them, Deadshot changed his weapon configuration from its firearm primary form to its alternate melee secondary form, slicing a charging Beowolf into half with its energized blade, electricity arcing down the length as he swerved around, separating the sharp claws of another Beowolf from its arms. Beside him, Shieldwall created various holographic shields which protected the Remnant Knights from the majority of the Grimm assaults with her twin particle cannons, before switching the internal Dust Cartridge to red and incinerating a while swarm of Grimm which just managed to break through two of her blockade shields.

Despite the valiant efforts of the remaining Remnant Knights, the quantity of Grimm was gradually tipping the odds in their favour. As more Knights succumbed to their grievous wounds or were dragged screaming into the Grimm swarms to be torn apart, the circle of remaining Knights grew ever smaller and their chances of victory went from barely achievable to nigh impossible. But still the armoured warriors fought on, never thinking about their chances of defeat nor their eventual fate, only making sure that they take as many Grimm as possible with the death of each Knight. Whenever one Knight fell, another simply plugged the gap with his or her shield and continued fighting with the rest, while Dust bolts and energy balls spat from above their heads as the other Knights fired their projectile weapons without abandon since there were so many targets that each shot was a guaranteed hit.

It wasn't long before Lord Emmanuel found himself fighting back to back with Bladework against the surrounding Grimm which threatened to engulf them all, their own swords blurs of silver within their gauntleted fists while blocking death blows with their shields so as to fight on a little longer. The Supreme Grand Knight Master grunted as he blocked a blow coming from an alpha Ursa which would have speared Bladework through with its claws, and his champion repaid the favour by removing the alpha Ursa's head from its shoulders with one swift stroke.

"Remnant Knights!" Lord Emmanuel bellowed to the courageous Knights who fought beside him, holding their ground as best as they could, "We need to change to a more defensible location! The noose is tightening around our necks, and I may have a way to create a distraction for you to escape!"

One of the Knights closest to him turned from firing his beam cannon which sliced through a pair of charging Goliaths which toppled to the ground and crushed a number of Taijitus and a large group of Beowolfs. His Knight Name was Raystorm, as Lord Emmanuel recalled, "Knight Master, look around you...we have nowhere to go. Even if we escape, the Grimm swarms will pick us off one by one at their own leisure."

A bitter laugh came from Deadshot who was currently chopping his way through a group of large Griffons, halberd in one hand, and his knight sword in the other, "Face it, we already knew what's going to happen to us when we took our oaths to be inducted into the Knight Order. When evacuation or escape is impossible, we would just fight on until the last breath leaves our bodies."

A red ball of energy blast vaporised the head of a Death Stalker, just as Shieldwall brought up her defensive holographic shields in front of a pair of Remnant Knights who nearly got splattered by the acidic globbets coming from the insectoid Grimms, "We don't fear death, Knight Master. We followed you this far throughout the years, and what's more a few more steps until the end of our journey?"

Shearing through a charging alpha Beowolf's clawed arms, Lord Emmanuel was about to reply when Bladework turned his head and added, "We are your swords and shields, Knight Master. We will gladly lay down our lives for you, as we will be with you till the very end, no matter what happens to us. Brothers and Sisters all." He then swerved aside and killed a trio of Ursas which managed to somehow batter their way to the line of Remnant Knights.

"It has been my honour to live and fight with all of you, Remnant Knights." The leader of the Remnant Knights said as he continued to engage the incoming Grimm, alongside the Knights who had fought with him in every major and minor battle ever since he took on the mantle of Supreme Grand Knight Master of the Knight Order.

Swinging halberds, power axes, warhammers, falchions, broadswords and warding staves clenched in their gauntleted fists with lethal and practised skills, the Remnant Knights dredged up every last bit of strength from their exhausted bodies and hacked into the swarms of braying Grimm with reckless abandon, cutting them down like wheat before a group of farmers with scythes during the harvest season. Emmanuel hacked again and again, each stroke and cut ending a Grimm creature's existence until the wall of unending Grimm threatened to overwhelm them again and again, each time pushed back with the loss of a few more Knights.

Bladework blocked the rending claws of a Grimm alpha Ursa, which snapped off his blade at the hilt. The champion threw the broken blade which embedded itself deep into the Ursa's face, before pulling his revolver out of its holster and firing point blank at the Grimm, causing it to crash down at the Knight's feet even as he shifted his attention to the other Grimm creatures which were charging towards him with the intent to kill.

The Knight Master risked a glance back to make sure that Bladework still got his back, but that brief moment of diverted attention nearly cost him his head. Literally.

An alpha Beowolf, which had somehow broken through Deadshot's attentions in front of him, roared as it swung its claws in a downward arc to take his head from his shoulders. With no time to dive out of the way of its blow, Lord Emmanuel swerved and took the blow on his already damaged pauldron, grunting momentarily in pain as one of its claws punched down deep into his protective sheath beneath his Aegis armour. He brought up his sword in an upward arc, putting it through the chest of the alpha Beowolf and cut upwards, experiencing a brief moment of resistance before the silver blade erupted from the Grimm's head and the aforementioned creature fell backwards, dissolving to dust right before his eyes. But the Grimm had managed to rake his armoured helmet with its claws before its death, and the already damaged armour plates tore apart before half of the Knight Master's master-crafted helmet cracked open and clattered to the muddy ground, exposing him to the sounds and smell of battle happening all around him.

Blood, sweat, the smell of cordite and various forms of Dust rounds as well as the electrical tang of power weapons charging and firing repeatedly assaulted his senses from his broken faceplate, and Lord Emmanuel breathed it all in, coughing a little as he nearly fell onto his knees but forced himself to stand upright. As the Knight Master tried to gather his senses from the loss of half his helmet, he caught a glimpse of something shooting down from the sky, and instinctively raised his shield upwards.

A split-second later a Grimm gargoyle was upon him, its sharp jaws snapping at his face as the Knight Master held it back with his cracked shield. Crashing down with the gargoyle on top of him, Emmanuel tried to stab the foul creature with his sword only for the bat wings to batter it aside. Seeing no other choice with the clawed legs clamping onto his armoured arm, he released his grip on his sword and ejected a knife from his right gauntlet, stabbing deep into the abdomen of the gargoyle which screeched in pain and splattered his exposed helmet with globbets of saliva. It took a couple of seconds of repeated stabbing before the gargoyle's death grip slackened, and Emmanuel snatched up his revolver from its holster, jammed it into the gargoyle's open fanged mouth, and blew a clean hole out of the Grimm's skull.

Pushing himself upwards again, Lord Emmanuel forced himself to his feet and grabbed his sword once more, killing another gargoyle which tried to attack him again, before a swarm of small Nevermores descended upon the Remnant Knights like vultures, wth his brothers and sisters of the Knight Order firing indiscriminately into the flock while others continued to bunch up their shields together, killing any Grimm that threw themselves at the wall of shields and weapons. The Remnant Knights continued to fight the never-ending swarms of Grimm blade-to-claw, even as night passed and dawn began to seep in at the far end of the valley canyons.

Without warning, the Grimm swarms began to slacken. Seeking the reason but finding none, Emmanuel and the remaining Knights began to consolidate and regroup, their shields and weapons becoming a formation akin to a porcupine deploying its quills against a predator, with the Knight Master fully protected in the middle. As the last Grimm died to their blades the others retreated to a safe distance like a wave retreating from the shores, but they were still able to launch an attack at any time. Breathing hard and tightening their grip on their respective weapons, the surviving Knights eyed the Grimm swarms carefully and warily, expecting an attack to come from any direction at any time.

In front of them the Grimms slowly and obediently parted to let a hulking figure clad in black armour plates to approach the formation of Knights. Unlike the other Grimm this figure was humanoid in shape, and it stood taller than even the tallest of Remnant Knights within the Order. Sheathed completely in black plates of darkest night, it strode towards them with clear malice in every step. Sharply curved pauldrons with spikes occupied its shoulders, and thick grey greaves protected its knees. Its helmet was dark and foreboding, with sharp points curved like a crown and where the eye lenses should be red eyes filled with an infernal fire glowed brightly, and black veins erupted from those same eye holes. The figure looked like a hideous, horrible twisted parody of the loyal Remnant Knights, and it was armed with two equally black swords which were clad in a smoking miasma with black grips and circular red pommels gripped in its sharply pointed fingers. The tips of the black swords were triangular in shape, and they seem to phase in and out of reality to nearby observers.

The Grimm King, The Beast of Vengeance, Champion General of the Dark Queen had arrived.

The dark entity stopped in front of the Remnant Knights who had been arrayed in formation, and taunted, "Brave, noble, valiant Knights of Remnant! How well you have fought to reach this point, even knowing that your efforts are doomed from the beginning. Can't you see that you have already lost this battle before it has already started? The Wizard has made you many promises, but he lies and instead played you all for fools in his great schemes!" The ominous figure placed one sword on his right pauldron while gesturing with the other, "It's no shame to admit defeat, and swear allegiance to the Dark Queen instead. If you all are willing to bend your knees and bow down to same Queen I serve, she might spare your lives in return and instead give you all a place in the new world she would forge after she has done away with the imperfect one."

The dark figure brought up one of his dark swords slowly and pointed at the Remnant Knights' formation, "So...what do you have to say to such a wonderful offer from the Dark Queen, may her reign last for all eternity?"

There was a long pause, save for the constant background growling and snarling of the thousands of Grimm creatures of every species imaginable surrounding the Remnant Knights. The red eye lenses of the Grimm King narrowed slightly as the silence from the Remnant Knights continued to drag on, until suddenly he heard the sound of something being fired. Deflecting the incoming Dust bolts with his two dark swords, the Grimm King hissed in annoyance as a steel arrow shot past his guard, grazing his faceplate with a deep gouge and landed in the face of a Grimm Beowolf behind him, which exploded in a circle of flames and incinerating the whole group of Grimm behind the dark entity.

A clearly female Knight's voice spat with contempt from within the formation, smoke curling from the barrel of her own crossbow weapon, "We are the Knights of Remnant! We bow to no man or monster! If you want us to bend our knees to the Dark Queen... then you'll have to kill us first!"

"So be it!" The Grimm King roared in anger and brought his two dark swords down and shifted his posture, ready to charge, "I would kill you all and keep your heads as my latest trophies!" Arrayed about him, the swarms of Grimm let loose their deafening roars of challenge, eager to kill off the last remaining pocket of resistance in front of them and wiping the Remnant Knights off the face of Remnant itself.

"Wait." A smooth voice cut through the air, and all the Grimm instantly fell silent. The Grimm King's posture immediately changed, and he turned to regard a visibly female figure clothed in a long black robe with red designs resembling eyes who was standing atop a throne of purple crystal, her skin a deathly pallour and covered with tortuous deep red and purple veins on her arms, hands and face. A black diamond crowned her forehead and her white hair was tied into a bun with six offshoots in which ornaments are hung. The throne moved through the crowds of Grimm on its own, levitated by some kind of mystical power that suspended it above the ground. A Beowolf stood at her side like a loyal dog, one of her hands caressing its fur gently and lovingly, while the Grimm growled and purr softly to her touches.

"As you command, my Dark Queen." The Grimm Knight lowered his swords and bowed, moving aside as the throne stopped in front of the Remnant Knight formation, with the female figure removing her hand from the Beowolf which whined like a wounded puppy, and she placed her veined hands by her sides and looked down at the Remnant Knights with a somewhat serene look on her veined face. The ends of her mouth subtly curled upwards, and to the Knights themselves it looked like a hideous grimace than anything else.

"Salem." Lord Emmanuel hissed through his half-broken helmet, seeing The Wizard's greatest enemy as well as all those who lived in the world of Remnant right before his eyes, "In the flesh." He had heard of whispered tales of the Dark Queen's actions and her plan to subjugate all of Remnant, but few beings have laid eyes on the Dark Queen and lived to tell the tale, save for her loyal followers and servants.

"How nice of the Dark Queen to pay us a personal visit." Bladework murmured beside him, his own sword and revolver at the ready, "We should be honoured." The Knight Master turned his head a little and saw how much damage his second-in-command had suffered, with deep gouges in his own Aegis armour, and blood seeping from patches of torn skin and wounds. An ordinary warrior would have bled out by now, and it spoke of Bladework's near-superhuman levels of endurance to keep on fighting despite how much blood he had lost.

"I personally thought she should have been...taller." Shieldwall inclined her head as she kept her particle beam broadsword charged and ready to fire, although it's clear that she didn't have much energy left in her weapon. Beside her, Raystorm chuckled a little as he pointed his guass beam cannon in a separate direction, power humming through the internal charging coils of the aforementioned weapon, "And maybe a little less...whiter?"

"Yeah, except that she is probably here to witness our doom personally." Deadshot hefted his halberd in his gauntleted hands, his fingers clenching tighter around the haft of his personal weapon. The laser blade of the halberd was still glowing with crackling blue arcs of electricity which buzzed like a swarm of locusts, and the sharpshooter Knight was evidently preparing himself for whatever would happen in the next few minutes, "But if she really wanted to talk with us, the least she could do was bring a long table and some chairs, and maybe some food and refreshments too."

That small joke earned a couple of grim chuckles from the other surviving Remnant Knights clustered around them, but the moment passed quickly and they all switched back to having severe looks on their faces, hidden behind the impassive faceplates of their armour. Emmanuel did not see fit to reprimand Deadshot for his ill-timed joke, as the latter warrior was known for his unique form of personal black humour at times.

"What are your orders now, Knight Master?" Bladework quietly queried, his back to Emmanuel and protecting his superior as usual. Droplets of red blood dripped down his armour plates while his Aura visibly flickered showing the terrible extent of his wounds, and the Knight Master could imagine him gritting his teeth in pain behind the faceplate, never allowing anyone else to see him in a moment of weakness.

"Remnant Knights, you all know what to do. Distract the enemy while I fulfill my oath." The Supreme Grand Knight Master shifted his grip on his own sword and glared at Salem who was just a few hundred metres away, standing at the top of her purple crystal throne, "And I will see you all at the other side of the promised land."

"Protect the Innocent, Survive the Trials, Serve Remnant." The remaining Knights intoned solemnly, and gripped their weapons even more tightly, watching the swarms of Grimm surrounding them with eyes of vigilance. It wasn't easy to choose, since every single Grimm creature in the vicinity was on the verge of throwing themselves at the circular formation of Knights. The tension in the air may have ebbed for a brief moment, but it was stretched so thin that the breaking point might be just mere moments away.

Salem brought up her hands in a slow clap of mockery, and spoke with a smirk on her face, "My my, what an amazing display of defiance, Knights of Remnant. I might just cry at such bravery and heroism if it wasn't all so pointless at the end of it all." She then lowered her hands and looked down at the formation of Knights, her eyes of red irises and black scleras narrowing a little, and continued, "You fought for so hard and so long against my machinations to conquer Remnant, all because of an oath you swore to The Great Wizard. How does it feel, to be so powerless against my lovely children? To know that all of your efforts and struggles amounted to absolutely nothing?"

Silence met her words as the gathered group of Remnant Knights remained completely silent, glaring at her from behind their shields.

The Dark Queen swept her hand in front of her in a horizontal gesture, "What's wrong, brave Knights? No final heroic speech for your last stand? No last words of defiance? I can be rather...generous at times, especially when I am in a good mood, unlike The Wizard who sent you on this foolish crusade."

Again, silence reigned save for the snarls and growls coming from the variety of Grimm creatures surrounding the circle of Knights.

"And why struggle against the inevitable? You can only delay what I have in mind for this world." Salem continued as she taunted them, "I would simply kill you all and the rest of your Order, and no one would mourn your deaths. Even when at your best, you are all merely the appetizer before the main course."

She brought up one of her clawed hands as though to inspect it, and added with a slow flourish of her black robes, "Fight, and all of you will die. Or you can renounce your oaths to The Wizard and become my Dark Knights, and perhaps only most of you will die." The Dark Queen allowed a wicked chuckle to escape her thin lips, "So, what would it be...Remnant Knights?"

This time there was no silence from the assembled warriors. They simply exploded into motion, charging straight for the Dark Queen who simply grinned at their final act of defiance. With a simple flick of her fingers, the swarms of Grimm surrounding the Knights charged in once more to finish the job. Salem narrowed her eyes a little when she saw the leader of the Remnant Knights among them all, throwing away his broken shield and grasping his sword with both fists, his lone silver eye staring her down through his half-broken helmet as he ran towards her.

All around him, Knights were fighting fiercely and dying at the same time, sacrificing themselves so that Emmanuel could do what he needed to do. Even as they fell one by one, the remaining few Knights bought precious seconds for him to sprint closer towards Salem, tying up the Grimm swarms by preventing them from obstructing his straight path towards the Dark Queen. Emmanuel slipped into a sprint, and mentally thanked Wind Walker as she conjured up a series of glyphs underneath his armoured boots, allowing him to sprint faster still and leaping higher with every running step.

As his every glyph-enhanced step brought Emmanuel closer to Salem, the Knight Master saw her dark general step into his path, charging towards him to prevent his attempt from reaching the Dark Queen. He swerved at the very last moment, the massive dark sword crashing down on his right side and mere inches from cutting him in half, and leaped upwards over the Grimm King. As he passed over the foul lord's spiked shoulders, Emmanuel saw out of the corner of his eyes Bladework running up the length of the dark sword, punching his own blade into the general's chest. Using his momentum, the other Knight leveraged himself forwards and pushed his revolver right into the Grimm King's faceplate and unloaded the entire clip of Dust rounds right into his face, every shot producing a peal of thunder and an awful cracking sound.

Without looking back to see whether his second-in-command has slain The Grimm King, Emmanuel continued sprinting up the steps of Salem's crystal throne, cutting down any Grimm who had the misfortune to bar his way. Cutting the Beowolf beside Salem which leaped to tear out his throat diagonally in half, he made the final leap and brought his sword down in an overhead downward slash to kill the Dark Queen...

...only to be impaled by two long blades which were morphed out of Salem's white veined arms, the jagged tips penetrating his chestplate and coming out of his back with a terrible ripping sound and a shower of blood. Indescribable pain flooded his body and limbs as he felt one of the blades penetrated his heart, and Emmanuel vomited a hot stream of blood into his helmet, which dripped down his exposed chin and spattered on the purple crystal between him and his target. His remaining strength slipped away from him and the Supreme Grand Knight Master of the Remnant Knights slumped downwards, only held up by the arm blades as his sword dropped from his weakened fingers and clattered uselessly on the purple crystal floor.

The Dark Queen chuckled evilly, clearly enjoying the shocked look on Emmanuel's face as she returned his glare, driving her bladed arms deeper into his chest, further tearing apart his ribcage and internal organs, "A commendable but pointless effort, Knight Master. But I cannot be killed so easily, especially by someone like you. Greater beings have tried, and they still died." She lowered her arms and brought him closer, making the Knight Master groan in pain, "...but do tell me, what chance do you think you have against me?"

With pain coursing through his entire body, Emmanuel knew he had seconds at best before death claimed him. He did not need to know that the remainder of his loyal Knights have already fallen to the swarms of Grimm, their screams long gone and their bodies torn apart underneath an orgy of violence by the creatures of the Grimm. They have done their duty selflessly, and given him a opening to face the Dark Queen personally. While he knew he would die in the attempt, the Knight Master knew he still needed to fulfill his oath before he passed into the embrace of death.

Salem laughed as she brought Emmanuel even nearer, until they were face to face and her baleful eyes met his solitary silver one, "All of your efforts are for naught, Knight Master. You have been an enjoyable source of entertainment for me, but I grow bored of your feeble attempts to stop me. You have nothing left, and you will die here, in this very place, unknown and unmourned by no one."

The Knight Master instead grinned, showing his blood-red teeth, and relished at the sight of Salem raising an eyebrow in questioning, "This isn't the end, Dark Queen. No matter how many of us you kill, the Knight Order will live on. As long as there is still a soul willing to stand against your darkness and tyranny, you will never win." He bit out the words painfully, bubbles of blood coming out of his mouth, "And The Wizard told me something else, something that he wanted me to tell you if I ever met you in the flesh."

The Dark Queen's face hardened considerably, and asked with a flicker of curiosity, "And what would that old creature want you to tell me what I didn't already know?"

Emmanuel continued to grin, his right gauntlet closing slowly into a fist, and with a small hiss the knife embedded in his gauntlet ejected outwards once more, and since Salem was probably taking a moment to gloat about her victory, she didn't notice it. He may just have one last chance after all, even as his vision began to darken slowly, death just moments away.

"He said...'You will never know the truth of the prophecy you so desire.' " And upon seeing the shock on the Dark Queen's face, Emmanuel's silver eye glowed brightly like a star, and with one last burst of effort he brought up his gauntlet knife and stabbed it into her arm, causing her to release him. Snatching up his sword on the ground in a swift motion, the Knight Master slashed Salem across the face, eliciting a lengthy and dreadful banshee-like scream from her that seemed to go on forever as the Dark Queen bled for the very first time in her two hundred years of reign.

His oath fulfilled, the last Remnant Knight slumped to his knees and pitched forward in a crash, his gaze looking at the rising dawn in the distance, the entirety of his life flashing before his eyes as a growing pool of blood oozed out around him. In the last moments of his life, Emmanuel wondered what he would have become if he had not sworn an oath to The Wizard and took on the mantle of Supreme Grand Knight Master of the Remnant Knights. Would he had be a very different person? Perhaps just a simple farmer with a loving wife and child?

He honestly didn't know the answer to that, since he had nearly reached the end of his concluding journey. He had done his duty the best he could, and he could only hope that his sacrifice would make a difference for the future of Remnant, and hopefully one day someone else would find a way to kill the Dark Queen for good.

Salem clutched her bleeding cheek and screamed out her fury to the heavens, her usually calm composure completely broken, and the creatures of the Grimm around her also roared and howled with the force of her anger. The Remnant Knights may have fallen today, but the Knight Order will live on, which means that one day the Knights will be reborn anew to take the fight to the Dark Queen and those who serve her.

At least I made her bleed. Lord Emmanuel took solace from that small victory as his vision darkened completely, and waited for his first glimpse of the promised land, finally united in death with the rest of his loyal Knights for all eternity.

Another time and place...

A pair of figures clad in armoured plates and robes walked down a torch-lit hallway, the ceilings soaring into darkness while the corridors seemed endless in front and behind them. Their armoured boots thudded on the polished stone floor in rhythm with their words, the both of them making their way towards whatever destination that awaits them within the hidden citadel.

"The Supreme Grand Knight Master has fallen in battle with the Dark Queen, along with a significant number of Knights. It's regrettable, but inevitable that this had happened." The grey-armoured Knight mentioned.

"Did we manage to recover anything from the Endless Gorge?" The other figure inquired, tilting his head a little.

"Save for scattered scraps of broken Aegis armour and weapons, we have recovered The Supreme Grand Knight's sword, Excaliburius. That was the only thing still in one piece, if not covered in dirt and mud." The first Knight replied, and continued, "The Aura lock on the sword has discharged its former owner, so the choosing ceremony for next Knight to claim the mantle of Supreme Grand Knight Master can proceed without any difficulty."

"And so nothing else remains?" The silver armour-clad figure asked slowly.

"Nothing. Their bodies must have been consumed by the Grimm once they died in battle. I am afraid we have to perform the Warrior's Final Vigil at the mountaintop with empty caskets." The grey-coloured Knight slowly shook his head, "...and find something else to scatter when the east wind blows in the early morning."

His silver-armoured companion gave a nod, "We do what we can to give the proper respect to the fallen. For one day in future, it could very well be us in their place."

"I understand that equivalence." The Knight who spoke first sighed, "It's going to take some time for the Knight Order to recover from this engagement, even though we dealt the Dark Queen a vicious blow in the process." After a few more steps, he added, "We have only bought precious time, nothing more."

"It's either that, or face complete extinction. The latter choice, however, is unfortunately not for the likes of you nor me." The second Knight lowered his head a little, "I trust the Knight Master's sword and ring of office is secured?"

"Yes. It's sealed in the main vault until the choosing ceremony." The Knight in grey armour replied as they approached a junction in the corridors, which opened up into a circular room with other passages branching off in separate direction. In the middle of the junction, there was a huge curved wall made from a giant slab of onyx, and upon it was carved with thousands upon thousands of Remnant Knight names upon its smooth surface, their chosen ones as well as their real names.

The two Knights stood at attention almost instinctively, their lenses looking up at the Wall of Valor which dominated the room they were standing in. Every Remnant Knight that has given his or her life for the Knight Order had their names carved into the wall by another Knight when they fell in battle, and it would probably be the only recognition they would get from a world which probably would not know of their existence save for in myths and legends that surrounded the Remnant Knights themselves.

"Peace to the Fallen." Both Knights intoned solemnly, before clashing their gauntleted fists to their chestplates in unison in salute to those who fought for the future of Remnant against the rising darkness.

The conflict had only just begun, with no end in sight. But nevertheless, the Remnant Knights would be ready to meet it, with their unshakable courage in their hearts and their swords in hand.

Notes:

Whew, the prologue of RWBY: Crucible is finally done. I lost count of how many hours I have spent in front of my computer, writing draft after draft before settling on the final piece. It also took quite some discussions between me and my friends to streamline the scenes, and I am immensely grateful towards them for helping a novice who had just started writing fanfiction.

RWBY Crucible takes place many years before the events of RWBY, and focuses on the formation of the Order of Remnant Knights as well as their various battles against the forces of the Grimm and Salem's organisation. It would focus particularly on some characters within the Remnant Knights, who will also be featured in the third story arc of UGX7's RWBY: Destiny of Remnant. This story would serve as a prequel of sorts to Destiny of Remnant, as well as giving some insight into the culture, rituals, combat operations and various trials the Remnant Knights have to face in their duty to protect Remnant from threats without (and sometimes within). Some characters from RWBY would make their appearances too, but I am not giving anything away since I intend for their appearances to be surprising and pivotal to the overarching storyline of Crucible, with easter eggs and references to later characters appearing in RWBY as well as Destiny of Remnant.

Speaking of references and nods to other works...

- The battle sequence between the Remnant Knights and the Grimm in the prologue is a tribute to the many war sequences of the Space Marines from the Warhammer 40K universe, especially those in the Space Marine Battle Series. I especially took inspiration from the battles with the Tyranids for the aforementioned sequence.

- The personal weapon of Shieldwall, the female Remnant Knight, is a reference to Zarya's particle cannon from Overwatch, just with some changes.

- The final formation the Remnant Knights took is a direct reference to the last stand of the 300 Spartans, with Salem coming to see them personally like Xerxes. The entire scene was based off the epic finale of that movie, although I made some changes so as not to rip off the entire scene completely.

- The Grimm King's design is based off the amazing Grimm Knight seen in the RWBY Fanmade SLVR Linen Trailer by a remarkably talented fan named Mark on Youtube. Seriously, check his trailers out...I am very impressed by the amount of skill and detail he had put into his characters and weapons. Those trailers he made could very well pass for official RWBY trailers.

- "Protect the Innocent, Survive the Trials, Serve Remnant." The creed of the Remnant Knights bears similarity to the motto of the FUTURECOP LAPD forces, mainly with the three main words, "Serve, Protect, Survive." It has been one of my first computer games since childhood, so I decided to add in a reference to that game.

- Bladework's , Lord Emmanuel's second-in-command, way of killing(?) The Grimm King was based off Babydoll's fight with the trio of samurai statues in the movie Sucker Punch. More specifically the second samurai who wields the rocket launcher and minigun especially in the way he finishes off the Grimm King by emptying all of his revolver's dust bullets into his adversary's face at point blank range.

- Lord Emmanuel's final thought was a reference to King Leonidas's line that he would make "a god bleed". Since Salem is the Dark Queen who thinks of herself as a goddess of sorts...what better way to remind her of her mortality by making her bleed a little from a slash on her cheek?

- Excaliburius is a reference to the legendary sword of King Arthur, Excaliber.

- It seems that the Remnant Knights have a Wall of Valor, which shares the same name as the memorial wall seen in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

- "Peace to the Fallen." is a nod to the iconic quote of the Solar Associated Treaty Organisation (SATO), a coordinated military structure that defends Earth and the holdings of the United Nations Space Alliance (UNSA), as seen in Call of Duty Infinite Warfare.

- The Remnant Knights also make the same salute as the Space Marines of the Imperium of Man, by clashing their gauntlets to their chestplates.

...and I think that's all the references I have. (Please inform me if I missed anything.)

And now, to thank the many people I have consulted and discussed with on this story: (in no order)

My heartfelt thanks to Nickshepard, Smstanton and Mediaocrity4 for taking their precious time to listen to my endless questions and ramblings, as well as giving me some pointers for fleshing out some of the more important story plotlines and characters for RWBY Crucible. I can't thank you all enough for all the assistance you have all rendered to me.

Special thanks to Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov for hearing me out on some long discussions. Thanks for being there for me when I am writing this fanfiction, and I hope to repay the favour one day.

My deepest gratitude for PaulXion (author of RWBY Tomorrow and Never Again), for engaging with me in various lengthy discussions and in-depth dissection of ideas and concepts between the both of us in the message boards. You have truthfully been an invaluable source of much-needed help to me.

And of course, UGX7 for green-lighting RWBY: Crucible and accepting the Knight Order of the Remnant Knights into his RWBY Fanfiction Destiny of Remnant. You have my eternal thanks and humble gratitude for using the various Knight characters I have created, and I hope you enjoy the subsequent chapters of RWBY: Crucible as much as I do.

And while I have not met him/her, my thanks to Kraven Ergeist for inspiring me through his spectacular story of RWBY: Resurgence, which I have read and enjoyed many times, especially the action-orientated and lore info-dump chapters. You have made a wonderful fanfiction worthy of becoming a literal RWBY Volume, don't ever stop writing.

I appreciate all the feedback and critiques (no flames please, thank you.) I can get, and I will try and give you a reply if possible. So if you are reading this on , please fav, follow and leave a review. If you are on Archive of Our Own (AO3), please leave a kudos and a comment, and should this story interest you please mention it to other friends for them to know.

Thanks for reading, and until next chapter...

NEXT ON RWBY: CRUCIBLE - Knights and Maidens.