Hello there everyone! It's me, Soul's Release. So this is a new story I am starting, it is a sequel to the events of chapter 12 of my other story, The Ranger And The Rose. If you haven't read it yet, go take a look, because otherwise a lot of the things in this story tie directly to events that happened in that. This story takes place 2 years after the events of the 12th chapter in that, so the characters in this are older. Also, this story DOESN'T follow the events in the RWBY timeline, instead it splits off and goes its own direction. So, anyways, without any further delay, please enjoy my newest work: The Red Reaper.
3rd Person POV
A lone woman stood on the docks of Mistral City Harbor. She wore a black blouse, a black waist cincher with red lacing and a skirt with red trimmings, completed by a red, hooded cloak. On her right hand was a black glove with a small tube sticking out of the top, while her left hand was covered by a red glove; the red glove had a silver metal symbol that resembled a rose. Her head was covered by her hood and she stood with the demeanor of one who was determined to find answers.
A ringing noise sounded of, and the figure reached into a pocket and pulled out a scroll.
"What?" she said calmly.
"Are you there yet?"
"Yes, I'm here. Are you sure this is where the trail leads?"
"Yeah. Are you sure about this? There's no going back, if we do this."
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm going to find her and make her pay for his death."
"Okay. Be careful, sis. We'll be there soon."
The figure ended the call and placed the scroll back into her pocket. She then pushed on the tube that extended from the glove and caught a metal pole that flew out. The object began to transform into a large red and black scythe. The main portion of the blade shimmered in the moonlight as a metal insignia of a thornbush was exposed to the air. She waited for the parts to stop moving and then began walking into the city.
"Okay, Bastion. Let's go find Salem."
Roman Torchwick's POV
As I sat atop one of the stools in one of the may bars in Mistral City, I sighed as I thought about the things I had done that had brought me to this point. Ever since I had met Cinder Fall, my life had been full of stealing, cheating, and killing. Not that I hadn't already been doing that, I just did it more after I met her. And the only thing I had gotten in return was disrespect. It was like I didn't do anything, I was never told about the big picture.
I took a drink from the glass of alcohol and looked up at one of the TV screens that hung on the wall. There was a news report on. It was talking about the infamous 'Red Reaper,' a vigilante of sorts. There had been reports about the guy popping up all over Vale for the last year, but now there were reports about him in Mistral. It didn't worry me though, after all, I had Neo. Besides, the only things that the Reaper did so far, was attack the White Fang. So as long as they stayed away from me, I would be okay with them doing their thing.
I took another drink and then looked at the barman. "Hey, top me off would ya," I said as I raised my glass.
The man walked over to me and took my glass, and walked towards the other end of the bar. As he refilled my glass, I looked back at the TV. As I watched, I noticed the picture get distorted and then cut to black.
"Hey, what's with that thing?" I asked, pointing at the TV.
I didn't get a response. I looked over and saw the barman was gone. "Ookaay..." I stood up and grabbed Melodic Cudgel. Then the power went out. "Neo! We're leaving. Looks like the owner forgot to pay for the power."
I didn't get a response then either. I looked around the bar, it was hard to see, but I was still unable to find Neo. She wasn't where I had left her. "Neo! Come on this isn't funny!"
As I finished speaking, an explosion blew a portion of the wall in front of me to pieces. I covered my face, shielding it from any debris. "Alright, then. Looks like someone had some fun with some Burn Dust..." I said as I dusted my coat off.
I looked up at the hole in the wall, and my blood went cold. There standing amidst the debris was a figure clothed in red and black. They were holding a large, red and black scythe.
It was the Red Reaper.
I started backing up. "H-hey there. What are you doing here?" I asked nervously.
The figure started walking slowly into the room. "I'm looking for someone. I've been told you can help me," The person said in a woman's voice.
I was shocked. The one responsible for almost 100 White Fang kills was a woman. But the part that shocked me the most was that I mildly recognized the voice, although I couldn't quite place it. I decided it would be best to play along.
"R-really? Well, who are you looking for? I'm sure we could come up with some sort of deal..."
The Reaper continued advancing. "I'm looking for Salem." The person stopped and removed a hood that they had been wearing.
I instantly grew terrified.
"R-red? How? H-how did you find me?" I asked.
"Easily, Torchwick. I'm a Huntress. So that's what I've been doing. I've been hunting you." She paused as she raised a foot and rested it upon a chair. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"
"No. I don't."
She sighed. "That was a rhetorical question. But, I can assure you, it's been a while. I chased you all over Vale, and now here... It's been a long time." She spun her scythe in her hand, which made me even more nervous, the last time I fought this girl, she had moved with such speed and deadly precision, it was scary.
"So, how have you been, Red?" I asked.
She glared at me. "I'm not here for small talk, so stop wasting my time. Where is Salem?"
"I don't know." I fingered a few buttons on the side of my cane, preparing a round of Burn Dust.
"Really? Because several members of the White Fang told me that you knew where could find her."
"Sorry, Red. I ain't got a clue." I said calmly. I then raised my cane and aimed it at the girl, I pulled the trigger and a fiery bullet erupted from the tip.
Before the bullet could hit her, she quickly raised her scythe in front of her and spun it, sending the round flying towards the ceiling. There was another explosion as the roof was blown up, and debris fell to the ground. I looked back at the girl, who was now shaking her head slowly.
"Really, Roman? After all this time, you try and kill me? All I wanted to do was talk," she said mockingly.
I stared at her. "Well, forgive me for misunderstanding. I find the lack of Neo, a little concerning."
"Oh, her?" She chuckled. "Neo won't be joining us, I'm afraid. I took the liberty of killing your little annoying friend. After all, I wouldn't want us to be interrupted."
I growled at the girl. I charged at her, swinging my cane at her, but she smiled as she dodged my attack. She swung her scythe as I stumbled past her and hit me square in the back. I fell to the floor on my stomach and groaned.
"Fine, you want to fight me, okay then. Let me just fix this little problem."
I turned around and watched as she grabbed my cane and raised it over her head. She smiled at me as she quickly brought it down across her knee and easily bent it in half. The metal groaned as it was bent out of shape, into a n almost perfect 90 angle. She tossed it to the ground in front of me and brushed her hands of.
"W-what do you want?" I shouted angrily.
"I already told you, I want to know where Salem is."
"I don't know, you're wasting your time."
The girl bent forward and stared at me closer. "I have a feeling that you know who does."
I just continued to sit on the ground and glare at the girl. "Yeah, I might. But what makes you think I will tell you?"
She raised her scythe and slammed it into the floor, the blade barely missing my body. I flinched as I saw it easily embed itself into the floor. She chuckled as I showed a hint of fear. Then she wrenched it out of the floor and smiled at me again.
"You wanna bet?" she asked me menacingly.
"F-fine, you want to find Salem? You're going to need to talk to Cinder," I said quickly.
The girl stood up again and transformed her scythe into a rifle. "Thank you, Torchwick. I appreciate the help." She turned and began walking away.
"What? That's it?" I stood up and started stomping after her. "You think you can come in here, beat me up, and interrogate me and then leave?" I yelled.
She stopped and turned around. I froze in my tracks, she was grinning. She pointed her sniper-scythe at me and pulled the trigger. Not even a second later, I felt the impact in my stomach. I looked down and saw a geyser of blood flowing from a hole in my body. I dropped to my knees and grabbed my stomach.
"No, I don't think that, Roman. In fact, I planned on making you suffer, but since you got impatient, I figured you're not worth it." She walked over to me and bent forward to look me in the eyes as I died.
"W-why are you d-doing this?" I asked as my body shuddered.
"Because, Salem took my best friend away from me. And I intend the favor by taking everything away from her." She turned and walked away, leaving me.
My vision began to get blurry and I lost the strength to stay upright. I fell forward onto my stomach and twisted my head so that I could see the girl leave.
"Goodbye, Roman. It was wonderful catching up."
"You're going to die if you go after her!" I yelled with what little strength I had left.
She laughed as she left the building.
It was the last thing I heard.
Ruby's POV
As I walked away from the bar, I felt happy. Angry, but at the same time happy. Torchwick was the first of many on the path to Salem. He was the first to pay. NOw I needed to find this 'Cinder.' I decided to call one of my teammates. I pulled out my scroll and tapped on one of the contacts. As I raised my scroll to my head, I could hear the other end of the call being connected.
"Hello?"
"Weiss? It's me, I need you to look for somebody for me." I said quickly.
"Who is it this time Ruby?"
"The name is Cinder. Don't ask for a last name. I didn't get one."
I heard Weiss sigh in annoyance. "Ruby, do you understand how hard it is to find people? Let alone without a last name?"
Sorry, Weiss. I may have killed the target before I could get one," I explained.
"Dammit Ruby! Fine, but it's gonna take some time. Why don't you come on back to the apartment. Yang is making food and it's getting late anyway."
"Okay, fiiine," I groaned. "I'll be there soon."
I hung up the call and placed my scroll in my pocket. I looked at my scythe and partially smiled. It had been a little over two years since Bastion had died. Since then, I had dedicated my life to hunting down anyone connected to his death, in the hopes of finding the person who had ordered the attack on him. I smiled as I thought about the time Bastion and I had spent together, I missed him, but I still had one thing to remember him by. Shortly after his funeral, I had spent two weeks modifying my scythe into a better weapon. I had spliced together his Ranger's Eye and my Crescent Rose into a much more deadly weapon. The result was a scythe with a longer blade, a larger magazine, and increased firepower. I had also taken half of each of the emblems and welded them together. The resulting emblem was half rose and half thornbush. I had named the new weapon Ranger's Rose. I sighed and put my scythe back into the glove where it belonged on my right hand. Then I pulled my hood up and began the long walk back to the apartment that my team and I were temporarily using in Mistral.
Janet Starkand's POV
"I have good news."
Salem and Cinder looked at me and smiled. "And what would that be, Janet?" Salem asked me.
"The boy's restoration is almost complete and should be ready in a few days," I said with satisfaction.
Cinder opened her eyes in surprise. "Really? Then I suppose the Revitalization was a success?"
I nodded. "Yes. In fact, it was a nearly perfect process, this time."
"Wonderful. Then you may proceed with the memory imprint process." Salem said.
"Yes ma'am, right away," I said as I bowed slightly.
I turned and left the room. As I walked down the hallway in Salem's fortress, I began adjusting some things on a tablet. On its screen were various charts full of vital signs, brainwave activities, and other medical items. I pushed a few buttons and watched as the screen flashed the words CONFIRM MEMORY IMPRINT. I pressed confirm as I stepped into a clean, white laboratory. Inside was a large tank full of water. Inside the tank was the body of a boy. He had black hair, thin arms and a black mark in the shape of a thornbush on his torso. I placed my hand on the glass and smiled.
"Soon, Bastion. Soon, you will be reunited with your dear Ruby."
YAY!
So that was the first chapter of this story. I hope you enjoyed, as I spent almost a week working on it. So, like I said, this takes place 2 years after the events of chapter 12 of my other story, The Ranger And The Rose. As such, none of the events in this are continuations of that story, except for what happened in the 12th chapter. Also, the Ruby in this story is very different from the nice, happy, and naive Ruby people may be used to. If you remember, Bastion died in chapter 12 of The Ranger and The Rose, so Ruby has suffered PTSD from him dying in her arms. So things in this are going to be a lot darker than you may expect.
Anyways, I want to thank you again for taking a look at this story. Please feel free to leave a review and let me know what you think.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and have a wonderful Holiday season.
As Always,
I'll See You Starside,
Soul's Release
AUTHORS NOTE (This is a second version of this chapter. I went back through the original and made a few changes to the end. I was rereading it and found that I didn't really like the way I worded things. So I went back and made a few small changes.)