Chapter 1: Ruby Rose
Legends, stories scattered through time.
Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, by-products, of an age long forgotten.
Man, born from the dust, was strong, wise and resourceful, but he was born into a chaotic and uncertain world. Creatures of every size and shape imaginable roamed the lands and claimed it as their domain, and upon first seeing man, saw them as a nuisance.
With their sights upon man set, these beings fought to return the fledgling race to the void, cutting short man's brief existence.
However, even the smallest spark of hope is enough to ignite change and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness and ingenuity led them to the tools that would even the odds.
This power was appropriately named, Dust.
Nature's strength in hand, mankind fought back like never before, yet it still wasn't enough. While man's advancements allowed them a fighting chance, it seemed the fight was one they were destined to lose, such was the raw strength of their adversaries.
At the brink of defeat, man discovered one final chance. Using their newfound gifts they turned the power of the creatures against themselves. Combining Dust, technology and the power of their very soul man conjured the first Duel Monsters, creatures so similar to their adversaries that few could tell the difference.
Sealed away in the form of cards mankind used these monsters to light their way through the darkness that had almost consumed them. The first Duelists had been born warriors who used the power of their own soul to summon great and powerful creatures to defend themselves. With victory came strength, civilisation and most importantly, life.
However, even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone… Darkness will return.
So, you may prepare your Duelists… Build your monuments to a so-called free world, but take heed… There will be no victory in strength.
"But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten? Things that require a smaller, more honest soul."
It was yet another picturesque night in downtown Vale, the shattered moon glowed brightly in the cloudless night sky lighting up the quiet suburbs. Out of a darkened alley strode five men, each moving through the street with a purpose. At the forefront of the group walked a tall man in a white, red-lined suit, his pants were black and he wore a short, grey scarf loosely tied around his neck. Atop his head rested a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into it that covered much of his orange hair, save for his bangs that stretched down, covering his right eye.
Slowly walking towards the end of the street, the man took a long drag from his cigar as he eyed the small shop across the way. His one visible dark-green eye narrowed and a small smile crept across his face, taking note of the people slowly backing away from him. Clearly they had seen the news, Roman Torchwick, criminal mastermind and debonair gentleman was standing right before them but they had no need to be scared, he had other fish to fry this evening. The whispering grew more hushed as the ruthless criminal strode towards From Dust Till Dawn flanked by his, admittedly, less than ideal lackeys
Coming to a halt in front of the small Dust shop Torchwick couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "You know boys, they just don't make nice, small time shops like this anymore" Torchwick smirked as he pushed open the door with his cane. It was a pretty standard shop all things considered, Dust valves along the walls for easy access, the front counters were laden with crystals of varying size, shape and colour. Farther in the back sat row upon row of Duel Monster's cards, duel disk parts and other such paraphernalia that left the seasoned criminal more than a little amused.
"Such a monopoly they've made over Duel Monsters. Anyone can just up and buy a card and a duel disk but if the card doesn't resonate with the soul then it's just a piece of expensive cardboard" Torchwick thought as he strode up to the counter leveling his eye on the old man behind it.
Flicking ash from his cigar down on the counter the seasoned criminal crossed his arms as his black suited men fanned out into the shop. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?" Torchwick asked as one of the thugs leveled his gun on the elderly shop owner.
"Please, just take my lien and leave" the shopkeeper pleaded holding his hands up in surrender.
"Shhh, calm down, we're not here for your money" Torchwick soothed before shooting a glance at the rest of his lackeys. "Grab the Dust, cards and duel disks" Torchwick ordered watching with satisfaction as they moved about the spacious shop. "Maybe Junior was right about this bunch" Torchwick mused recalling his latest encounter with the club owner/information broker.
As the group of black suited thugs swept through the store taking anything and everything they could, they failed to notice the young woman standing near the back of the store. An extraordinary feat as she wore a vibrant red-hooded cloak and the music blaring from her red tinted headphones could be heard hallway across the store.
Just as impressive however was the fact that the young woman failed to notice the group of armed thugs ransacking the store around her, including the one directly behind her with a red bladed sword. She just stood there eyes glued to the magazine in her hand as Last Train by Knotlamp resonated through her headphones.
"Oh wow! They're already giving us a look at the newest line of cards! Let's see what they have!" The young girl thought excitedly flipping through the pages of Duelists Today.
"Alright kid, put your hands where I can see them"
"Oh cool! The Kaiju look so cool they're like giant movie monsters oh that's so awesome, I can't wait to see how they play!" The smile on her face only grew as she read through the effects of the monsters, spells and traps that were being released in a few months.
"Hey! I said hands in the air!"
"So you have to tribute your opponent's monsters to summon them? That's awesome! Then you summon your own Kaiju and you battle like an actual monster movie! And they look huge, definitely bigger than any monster I have!" She thought giddily at the prospect of summoning even larger monsters than she already did.
"You got a death wish or something?"
The young girl nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. The girl was even younger than the thug had expected, her fair skin accentuated by her black hair that ended in red tips. But it was her eyes that had caught the thug's attention most of all, he couldn't honestly remember if he ever saw anyone with silver eyes before.
Looking up into the red tinted glasses of the sword wielding thug the young girl could see he was mouthing something but for the life of her she couldn't make out what he was saying. Glancing at the headphones, still belting out music, the thug pointed to the side of his own head to get her to take them off so she could hear him.
Sliding her headphones down so they sat around her neck the girl raised a questioning eyebrow at the armed man, unsure of what he wanted. "Yes?" She asked uncertainly setting the magazine back on the rack behind her.
"I said put your hands in the air, now!" The taller man barked moving his sword more clearly into view.
"Are you robbing me?" The girl asked in mock confusion as her hands slowly slid behind her back, obstructed by her cloak.
"Yes!" The man exclaimed, now utterly done with this strange girl's ridiculous questions.
"Ohhhh" the girl drawled as a small smile crept across her face.
Back at the front of the store Torchwick was busy examining a small red Dust crystal idly as his men took care of the heavy lifting around him. "You know I'm all for making a clean getaway but every once in a while I wouldn't mind a little excitement in one of these jobs" Torchwick sighed pocketing the small crystal just as a brilliant flash of light emanated from the back of the store. Glancing up from the counter he could just make out the sounds of a scuffle going on behind a row of shelves before one of his hired lackeys came sailing across the store, slamming into the wall with a dull thud.
Glancing at the stunned man for a second, Torchwick nodded towards the black suited thug with the handgun beckoning him to go check out the commotion.
"Freeze!" Torchwick heard the man shout before another loud impact thundered through the store. Moving faster than any of the other assembled criminals could see, the armed thug was hurled out of the storefront window by a mass of swirling red and rose colour.
Looking out into the street through the now shattered window, the four remaining criminal's eyes locked on to a towering figure floating just slightly above the ground, and their unconscious comrade. She easily stood over six feet tall, with fair skin and a bob of honeydew hair set in a bob cut, held in place by a golden tiara. Swirling around her was billowing rose coloured cape with an evergreen lining that was held in place to her white and gold trimmed armour by a rose pin. But it was the absurdly large and imposing silver lance resting in her right hand that drew the criminal's attention.
Feeling the familiar energy resonating from the woman and locking eyes with the red caped girl hanging off her shoulder Torchwick sighed, now regretting his earlier request for a more exciting evening. "I just wanted to hold up a small Dust shop, that's it, nothing special. A little police presence wouldn't have been so bad, but now I have to deal with a Duelist and her monster with an oversized toothpick" Torchwick thought sourly as his men looked to him for what to do next, the lance wielding monster having now leveled her piercing violet gaze on them.
Looking at his assembled cronies, the white suited criminal gave an exacerbated eye roll before nodding towards the red caped girl and her warrior. "Okay… Get her" Torchwick pressed motioning towards the towering figure with his cane.
Rushing forward, the three remaining black suited thugs charged the girl and her monster with the two sword wielders leading the charge while the one with automatic rifle held back to line up his shot. One of the sword wielders, the one with the chin strap, took to the left while the other, clean shaven one moved right, looking to attack from both sides simultaneously.
Passing her Duel Monster a quick smirk and a nod the silver eyed girl and lance wielder moved as one with girl sliding down the lancer's shoulder and kicking out with her black and red combat boots. The blow was perfectly timed as the sword wielder on the right was smacked to the ground by the heavy kick knocking his expensive red tinted glasses right off his face. On the pair's other side the second henchman was hurled violently into a concrete wall with an almost lazy swipe of the Duel Monster's silver lance.
Taking his chance at the opening now presented for him, the thug armed with the assault rifle opened fire on the pair. However, moving faster than the lackey could believe the lancer quickly spun around, swirling her rose coloured cape in front of her so the bullets impacted harmlessly against the fabric and protecting the smaller girl at her side. Dashing forward both the lancer and the girl, once more hanging off her shoulder, rushed towards the petrified thug, who dropped the gun in his hand as the pair closed in. Thrusting forward the lancer brought her silver weapon within a hairsbreadth from the man's face resting the tip of her weapon on the henchman's glasses.
The thug's eyes rolled back into his head as he feinted from the close encounter with the deadly weapon. Falling backwards, the man's hat rolled back towards the store where the white suited kingpin still stood taking a long pull on his cigar as he studied the girl and her summoned monster. Sparing a quick glance at his now unconscious accomplices Torchwick let out a small sigh of disappointment, he never expected them to win but they could have at least gone down in more than just one hit.
"You were worth every cent, truly you were" the bowler hat wearing felon muttered before turning his attention back to the caped duo before him. "Well Red I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening" Torchwick called out to the young girl, dropping his now spent cigar to the ground where he extinguished it with the butt of his cane. "Tell you what, since you're a Duelist, how about we have a fun little match? If I win you let me walk away scot-free but if you win I'll let you take me in without a fuss" Torchwick chuckled knowing full well the girl would take the bait.
"You're on!" The silver eyed Duelist exclaimed excitedly without a moment's hesitation, clearly the girl was itching for a Duel. Leaping from her Duel Monster's shoulder the young girl took a few steps forward only to be halted by an armoured hand that held her back. Looking up towards her partner, who was now pointing her lance directly at the white suited criminal just a few short feet away, the young girl gave the monster a quick tug on her rose coloured cape to get her attention.
"It's ok Rose Paladin, I got this in the bag, you don't have to worry about me" the young girl beamed up to the lancer with a wide smile that softened the stoic look on the warrior's face. Hoisting her weapon up to rest on her shoulder Rose Paladin gave Torchwick one last scathing glance before backing away and letting her Duelist move forward. "Seriously, it's gonna be fine… But I may need you later so don't get too comfortable ok?" The young silver eyed Duelist asked with a smirk as the now smiling Paladin began to glow bright pink before being converted to pure energy that raced back into the shorter woman.
"Quite the protective servant you got there Red" Torchwick chuckled as he calmly waited for the girl's approach. "Just need to stall for a little bit longer, my ride should be here any minute now" Torchwick thought to himself as the girl came to a halt just in front of him.
"Rose Paladin's not my servant, she's my friend, just like the rest of my deck" the silver eyed girl pouted cracking her knuckles to look as intimidating as possible and failing spectacularly. "Also the name's Ruby Rose, not Red" Ruby huffed as she pulled out her deck from one of the pouches on her hip. Slipping the deck of cards into the black and red device on her arm Ruby smiled as she held her arm up, watching with glee as the blades on either side of her duel disk rose up to meet forming a crescent blade that slid down to the outside of her arm.
"Well Red, that's a very nice sentiment to have, not very practical, but nice nonetheless. In any case the name's Roman Torchwick, criminal mastermind and all around snappy dresser, perhaps you've heard of me?" The white suited criminal drawled, brushing some dust off the cuff of his sleeves.
"Hmmm… Nope" Ruby replied cheerfully, giggling at the annoyed look on her opponent's face.
"Kids today" Torchwick sighed, before taking a closer look at the duel disk resting on his opponent's arm. "Nice duel disk Red, don't think I've ever seen one like that before" Torchwick chuckled as he slipped his own deck into the slot of his much sleeker duel disk.
"Yeah I made Crescent Rose all by myself" Ruby declared proudly. Glancing at the duel disk on Torchwick's wrist her eyes widened in shock and wonder. "Oh my Dust that's an X-50 hardlight model! Those aren't set for release for another eight months!" Ruby exclaimed as a bright flash of light emanated from his duel disk forming a black hardlight surface with an orange trim that curled around his elbow, forming a cane shape. "How did you get it so early!?" Ruby asked excitedly until she noticed the bemused look on the hardened criminal's face. "Oh… you stole it" Ruby sighed, some of her earlier enthusiasm leaving her as her adversary chuckled.
"I tend to do that Red, now are we gonna keep chatting or are we gonna get this duel on the road?" Torchwick smirked as Ruby readied herself across from him.
"You're on!" Ruby exclaimed as the life point totals on both their devices rocketed from 0 to 8000.
"Then I guess I'll go first" Torchwick smirked as they both drew their opening five cards. Glancing down at the cards in his hand his smirk only grew larger as he quickly put a plan into action. "Looks like I'll be starting by setting two facedowns" Torchwick called out as he placed two cards into the spell and trap card zone. As the two cards slid into place they materialized in front of Torchwick facing down to the ground, their backs emblazoned with the seasoned criminal's emblem of a toothy, smiling jack-o-lantern.
"Next I'll call forth a very special guest, I summon Saggi the Dark Clown (Level 3 Dark Spellcaster ATK: 600 Def: 1500) to the field in attack mode!" Torchwick exclaimed placing the monster card on the hardlight surface of his duel disk. A burst of swirling dark smoke erupted from the surface of Torchwick's duel disk and raced forward slamming into the ground where it quickly dissipated to reveal a sinister looking clown. The clown wore a jester's outfit in various shades of blue and a crooked purple wizard's hat with a red brim, his face coated in white face paint and his mouth turned upwards into demented crooked smile. Saggi cackled sadistically, folding his legs into a cross legged seated position as he rose into the air and glared down at the unfazed silver eyed youth he had been tasked with battling.
"Not a very impressive start" Ruby smirked up at the rather weak looking clown.
"But it's all I'll need to beat you Red, I end my turn" Torchwick returned the smirk the young Duelist had plastered to her face.
"We'll see about that, I draw!" Ruby exclaimed drawing a card from her deck and grinning at the new arrival. "I guess I'll start by summoning Baobaboon (Level 3 Dark Plant ATK: 1200 DEF: 1000) in attack mode!" Ruby exclaimed placing her monster on the crescent blade of her duel disk. A bright flash of light emanated from the card and for a moment it looked like nothing would appear, that is until a small sprout poked out through the hard cement. Looking down at the strange sprout Saggi cackled once again, his lopsided mischievous grin giving him a rather demented look until a rumbling started to shake the street cutting off the dark clown's laughter. Erupting from the ground where the sprout had been was a full grown baobab tree with a disconcerting baboon's face sprouting from the center of the trunk.
"Well that's certainly… interesting" Torchwick muttered as the monkey tree hybrid let out a series of high pitched screeches.
"He's more than just interesting, Baobaboon's effect activates whenever he's summoned to the field, I get to draw one card and then place another card from my hand to either the top or bottom of my deck!" Ruby exclaimed drawing an additional card that had already been provided to her by her duel disk. "I guess I'll be putting this guy at the bottom of my deck" Ruby stated slipping one of the cards in her hand into the bottom of her deck which lifted automatically for her card to be placed.
"Now then back to business, Baobaboon attack Saggi the Dark Clown!" Ruby exclaimed pointing towards the strange looking clown. There was a small rumble as Baobaboon rose out of the ground revealing the four roots that acted as the hybrid's legs and the one that took the place of a monkey tail. Locking its gaze with a now worried Saggi, Baobaboon charged forward with surprising speed for a walking tree heading straight towards Torchwick's only monster.
Glancing back to his master Saggi gave the criminal an imploring look that was returned with a confident nod. "I don't think so Red, I activate the quick-play spell Magical Dimension!" Torchwick announced triggering the activation of one of his facedowns. Flipping over, the quick-play spell let out a large plume of dark smoke and in its place was now a golden sarcophagus bound in iron chains. Coming to a halt Baobaboon eyed the new arrival wearily while Saggi leapt with joy seeming all too eager to see the intimidating artifact.
"So what does it do exactly?" Ruby asked cautiously as she eyed the mysterious object.
"Glad you asked Red, you see first I have to tribute one of my monsters, say bye-bye Saggi" Torchwick said, waving over to his dark clown who gave a mock bow before being converted to dark purple energy that raced into the center of the artifact. "Next I can special summon any spellcaster from my hand to the field, so let me introduce you to one of my 'friends' the Dark Magician!" (Level 7 Dark Spellcaster ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100)
Slowly the golden sarcophagus opened revealing the magician within. Leaping forward the statuesque spellcaster glared down at his master's opponent and her weird looking tree, monkey, thing. He wore plated, maroon armour with a golden trim that rested on top of a similarly coloured flowing robe. He wore a pointed hat that rested over his long grey hair that ran down the either side of his tanned face but still revealing his piercing purple eyes. Ruby took a tentative step back, she had heard of the Dark Magician before but this one was nothing like the descriptions she had read about in the past. This one seemed different, he almost seemed… tainted.
"I wouldn't be getting scared just yet Little Red!" Torchwick called out to Ruby his smile growing at the uncertain look on the young Duelist's face. "It only gets worse from here because Magical Dimension's not through yet! After I summon my spellcaster to the field I then get to destroy a monster on your side of the field and I think that eyesore's been around long enough!" Torchwick exclaimed pointing towards Baobaboon with a confident smirk. With a wave of his enchanted staff, Dark Magician transformed the golden sarcophagus he had emerged from into a pulsing orb of golden energy that he hurled towards Baobaboon with a wicked grin. Baobaboon's eyes widened at the incoming magical blast that slammed into it with tremendous force, scattering bits and pieces of monkey, tree hybrid all across the street.
Ruby's worried look broke into a mischievous grin as the obliterated remains of her monster began to twitch before burrowing into the ground, earning a raised eyebrow from the sinister magician. "I had a feeling you might try something like that, luckily Baobaboon has another effect, whenever he's destroyed…" Ruby was cut off as two more Baobaboons sprouted from the ground to take the place of the first, looking just as ridiculous as their predecessor. "I can special summon two more from my deck to take his place" Ruby smirked, placing two more copies of the tree into defense position.
"Oh great now you have two eyesores" Torchwick drawled, leaning on his cane with an air of boredom.
"Don't forget my Baobaboons' original effect, whenever they're summoned I get to draw a card and then replace it to either the bottom or top of my deck" Ruby said, drawing two new cards before taking two others and placing them on the bottom of her deck. "Before I end my turn I'll set two of my own cards facedown and pass things off to you" Ruby declared placing two of her own cards into the spell and trap card zone where they appeared in front of her. Like Torchwick her cards were also emblazoned with an emblem but instead of a toothy jack-o-lantern hers were marked with a beautiful red rose.
"Sorry to disappoint you Red but those won't be helping you much today" Torchwick chuckled drawing a fresh card from the top of his deck. "I'll start by activating the spell card Dark Magic Attack from my hand!" Torchwick declared sliding a new card into his duel disk. In response his maroon clad wizard rose into the air, the tip of his staff crackling with dark purple energy. "As long as I control Dark Magician than this nifty little spell destroys all spells and traps on your side of the field" Torchwick laughed as his sinister magician unleashed the concentrated magical blast sweeping away both Ruby's Wall of Thorns and Ivy Shackles trap cards.
"Even if they're destroyed my cards can still help me!" Ruby called back to the seasoned criminal as she slid her now destroyed traps into the graveyard slot on Crescent Rose to join Baobaboon. "When you destroy Ivy Shackles I get to draw one card from my deck" the silver eyed Duelist informed drawing another card from her deck bringing the cards in her hand to four.
"You're gonna need all the help you can get Red cause I'm not through with you yet" Torchwick countered as he activated the last card in his hand. "Now I'll use the spell card Thousand Knives! Like Dark Magic Attack I can only activate this card while I control a Dark Magician and it allows me to destroy one monster of the field!" The white clad criminal proclaimed pointing directly at the Baobaboon on the right, whose monkey face drooped as it realised what was coming next. Suddenly a cloud of knives materialised around Torchwick's sinister magician and with a casual flick of his staff the Dark Magician unleashed the maelstrom of daggers all of which found their place in the monkey, tree hybrid.
This time the shredded pieces of the Baobaboon didn't grow into new replacements and Ruby slid her second Baobaboon into the graveyard to join the first. "Don't worry pal, your sacrifice wasn't in vain" Ruby thought as her Aura shrugged off the pain of losing her monster. Duel Monsters may have been cards but to bring them to life they had to first resonate with their Duelist's Aura. As a result they became linked. The closer you were to your cards, your monsters in particular, the more it hurt when one of them was lost. For Ruby it was particularly grueling losing her monsters who were admittedly her closest friends next to her sister.
"Hey pay attention Red! I'm not just doing this for the good of my health" Torchwick called out as his Dark Magician rushed towards the last of Ruby's Baobaboons. Try as he might to fight off the mighty spellcaster, the lowly plant was no match and just like his two brothers was reduced to nothing more than scraps of bark and leaves by the tenacious magician. Luckily he had been in defense mode so Ruby's life points were untouched, the same could not be said for her Aura. "You don't look too good Red, you shouldn't be dueling if you can't take a few losses like that" Torchwick mocked swirling his cane around on the end of his finger playfully.
Looking up into the dark-green eye of the seasoned criminal Ruby scowled pushing aside the pain to draw her next card. If her friends could put themselves on the line to battle with her than the least she could do was bare a portion of their pain. Looking down at her hand Ruby's eyes lit up as she quickly put her next play into action. "I summon Twilight Rose Knight (Level 3 Dark Warrior Tuner ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000) in attack mode!" Ruby declared placing her latest monster onto Crescent Rose's blade. Leaping from the card in a flurry of red rose petals came a swordswoman who was somehow even shorter than Ruby herself. She wore armour similar to Rose Paladin but instead of silver, hers was jet black with red trim and a flowing white cape. Touching down her hair light blue hair cascaded down from underneath her full helm as the petite knight pointed her short sword directly at the towering magician now before her.
"Cute kid Red but I'm afraid my Dark Magician's just a tad stronger" Torchwick chuckled, pinching his thumb and index finger together as Twilight Rose Knight scowled at him.
"She may be lacking raw power but she's still gonna help me kick your butt" Ruby grinned, getting a nod from her newest summon. "I activate Twilight Rose Knight's effect! When she's normal summoned to the field she allows me to special summon a level four or lower plant type monster from my hand and I choose to call out my Revival Rose!" (Level 4 Dark Plant ATK: 1300 DEF: 1300) Upon her summoner's declaration Twilight Rose Knight planted her short sword into the ground before withdrawing it. Out of the newly formed hole grew a thorny stem that branched off into three offshoots each of which instantly bloomed into a stunning red rose, and at the center of each flower was a piercing blue eye with menacing slits for pupils.
Torchwick's eyes narrowed towards the grinning silver eyed duelist across from him suspiciously. "What is she planning? Two worthless monsters like that aren't going to get her anywhere… unless…Oh Crap!" The realisation struck the white suited criminal a moment too late as Ruby held her duel disk into the air.
"I tune level three Twilight Rose Knight with level four Revival Rose!" Ruby exclaimed as Twilight Rose Knight's body faded away revealing three shining orbs that quickly transformed into rings that took to the air. Following the petite knight the three headed rose lifted into the air before fading away to reveal four shining orbs of its own each one nestling in between the rings form by Twilight Rose Knight. The street was suddenly illuminated by a blinding flash of light that forced Torchwick and his magician to cover their eyes. "Flames of beauty bestow life to the pitch-dark flower, I synchro summon Black Rose Dragon! (Level 7 Fire Dragon ATK: 2400 DEF: 1800)" Ruby cried as the light faded and in its place now stood a massive dragon. Its body and wings were shaped like a massive rose all coloured a brilliant shade of crimson with each petal rimmed by a black border. Underneath the petal-like scales the dragon's skin was a menacing black with sharp thorns protruding from her segmented tail and blood red talons at the end of each toe. Floating to the ground gracefully Black Rose Dragon let out a deafening roar as one of her thorny tendrils slowly coiled around her summoner, taking care not to poke her with the copious amounts of spikes spread across her body.
"Impressive lizard you have there Red but still not enough to take me on" Torchwick chuckled ignoring the piercing gaze of the crimson coloured dragon.
"Black Rose is all I need to take you down" Ruby grinned running a loving hand across her dragon's thorny tendril. "I equip Black Rose Dragon with the equip spell card Thorns of Malice!" Ruby declared activating the spell with a quick flick of her wrist. Suddenly Black Rose Dragon let loose another deafening roar as thorns began to spread across her body before leveling her malevolent gaze upon the criminal and his magician once more. "With Thorns of Malice, Black Rose Dragon, or any other plant type monster, gain six hundred additional attack points but the monsters they battle can't be destroyed but they will lose six hundred of their own attack after every battle" Ruby explained as Black Rose Dragon's thorny tendrils rose into the air.
Black Rose Dragon ATK: 3000
"Not good" Torchwick muttered gripping the end of his cane as his Dark Magician passed him a quick glance. "Well Red as much as I'd love to stick around, I'm afraid this is where we must part ways" Torchwick drawled beginning to move away from the duelist and her imposing dragon.
"I don't think so, Black Rose Dragon attack with Rose Whip!" Ruby shouted pointing towards the retreating criminal's spellcaster. Roaring in confirmation Black Rose Dragon unleashed a barrage of thorny tendrils towards Dark Magician who braced for the incoming maelstrom with barred teeth.
"Trap card activate, Black Illusion!" Torchwick decreed from behind his spellcaster, the seasoned criminal's final facedown revealed itself before erupting in a thick black fog that doused the entire street in darkness. Halting her attack Black Rose Dragon instinctively moved to protect Ruby wrapping her wings around the silver eyed Duelist, it was for the best as that trap had nullified her attack anyways.
"Duel cancelled" came the smooth robotic voice from Ruby's duel disk as she tried to peer through the smog.
"What?! Cancelled!?" Ruby exclaimed looking down at Crescent Rose in disbelief. "Black Rose hurry get rid of this fog, we can't let him get away!" Ruby exclaimed. Black Rose Dragon wasted no time in lifting her massive wings into the sky before bringing them down in a flurry of rose petals dispersing the dense cloud of black smoke. Looking around desperately, Ruby's eyes widened when she couldn't find any trace of the criminal until Black Rose Dragon let out a sharp cry locking her gaze upon Dark Magician and his fleeing master. The pair were soaring to the top of a nearby building with Torchwick hanging off of the spellcaster's shoulder plates.
Dipping her wing down so her summoner could climb atop her back, Black Rose Dragon took to the air chasing after the criminal duo leaving and behind the stunned shopkeeper who looked on at the spectacle in disbelief.
Racing to the top of the building in record time Black Rose Dragon touched down with a surprising amount of grace for a dragon so large. Keeping her eyes locked on the pair of escaping criminals Black Rose Dragon let Ruby slide off her back as the pair spun around to face them.
"Well Red I'll give you an A for persistence" Torchwick growled taking a step back allowing his Dark Magician to step between him and the crimson dragon. Suddenly a loud mechanical whine cut through the night as a Bullhead VTOL transport shot into the air blinding Ruby and Black Rose Dragon with its intense flood lights.
By the time they could see once more, both Torchwick and his Dark Magician had leapt into the hold of the flying transport, both smirking down at the pair below. "End of the line Red!" Torchwick shouted throwing the red Dust crystal he had been examining back in From Dust Till Dawn. As the small red crystal arced through the air capturing the pair's attention Dark Magician unleashed a powerful magical blast directly at the crystal. For a moment it seemed like the crystal and magical blast of purple energy were suspended in mid-air until the energy became a menacing dark red and erupted in a violent explosion.
Ruby lifted her arms up to shield herself just Black Rose Dragon shrouded her Duelist with her own wings. Both waited for the force of the blast to hit but it never came, they could still hear the roar of the Bullhead directly in front of them but the explosion had all but disappeared. Slowly lowering her wings so Ruby could see Black Rose Dragon let out a soft growl as a new figure stood in front of them.
Ruby's eyes widened upon seeing the towering woman standing in front of them. Well over six feet tall, though that may have had something to do with the heels she was wearing, the woman's light blond hair was tied up in a tight bun allowing only a single curl to run down the right side of her face. Her sharp features were only accentuated by her shining emerald eyes and wireframe glasses. She wore a long white, long-sleeved, pleated top that had a wide keyhole neckline that revealed just a bit of her ample cleavage. Her lower body was covered by a black pencil skirt with a high waist. And lastly, draped over her shoulders was a billowing black cape with a purple interior.
Floating just over the towering woman's head were a pair of strange magenta cylinders, each adorned with a ring of black diamonds and a series of white question marks. One of the cylinders was pulsing with red energy and rattling as if trying to contain the immense power trapped inside while the other simply floated along silently. "Magic Cylinder, return fire!" The statuesque woman commanded and with a flick of the riding crop in her hand the second cylinder unleashed the energy stored in the first. The immense blast raced towards the Bullhead, or to be more specific towards Roman Torchwick, at a blistering speed. Diving in front of his master Dark Magician took the brunt of the attack exploding in a burst of purple light and throwing Torchwick against the back of the Bullhead with a loud crash.
"We got a real Duelist!" Torchwick groaned as he stumbled towards the cockpit to take over flying so she could deal with Ruby and this new arrival.
The blond haired Duelist took a step towards the Bullhead as a card lifted itself from a deck floating by the woman's side. Flicking her riding crop towards the flying transport the towering woman unleashed a Magical Blast from the card that struck against the hull threatening to knock it clean out of the air. Advancing forward with a look of grim determination the woman came to a halt as another figure stepped onto the deck of the ship.
"No! That can't be, I know that power!" The blond haired Duelist thought in shock just as the silver eyed girl to her right ran up beside her with her dragon in tow.
"Black Rose Dragon, bring that ship down with Black Rose Flare!" Ruby commanded pointing towards the bullhead and failing to see the golden fire swelling within. Obeying the girl's command Black Rose Dragon lifted her head back before unleashing a stream of purple and black flames from her mouth towards the transport. The stream of fire slammed into the now wall of golden fire before being extinguished by the more powerful conflagration. Looking up in disbelief Ruby's eyes only grew wider as the wall of golden fire erupted from the Bullhead and raced towards the trio on the roof.
Acting quickly the towering woman flicked her riding crop once more calling forward a monster from her floating deck this time. "Kuriboh come forth and protect us!" The woman commanded as a literal ball of fur burst from the card. Looking up at the approaching fire storm the tiny fluff ball sighed before holding out its tiny arms and absorbing the deadly fire with his tiny body. The intense heat blast seemed to go on forever but once it finally subsided the trio raised their heads to see that the bullhead was now gone and in its place was a single scorched Kuriboh grumbling at its own rotten luck.
"Oh my Oum! You're Glynda Goodwitch!" Ruby exclaimed looking up at the emerald-eyed Duelist with wonder and barely contained excitement. Looking down at the energetic girl in front of her Glynda scowled as the girl squealed in excitement. "Can I have your autograph!?"
"I hope you realise your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady" Glynda stated as she continued to pace back and forth in the interrogation room of the Vale City police department. Apparently helping thwart robberies and attempting to apprehend dangerous criminals were not actions that came with complimentary autographs. They had now been inside the police department for nearly twenty minutes and Ruby could feel her friends in her deck reach out to her in sympathy as Glynda continued her tirade.
"You put yourself and others in great danger!" Glynda continued though her voice had now taken on a softer tone as she turned to face Ruby directly.
"But they started it!" Ruby exclaimed, though her outburst appeared to fall on deaf ears as the emerald eyed Duelist was now busy looking over footage of her duel with Roman Torchwick.
"If it were up to me you would be sent home, with a pat on the back…" Glynda said softly which made Ruby break out in an ecstatic grin. "…And a slap on the wrist!" The professional Duelist stated harshly, smacking her riding crop down on the table where Ruby jumped back with a startled 'eep!' Letting out a small sigh Glynda retracted her riding crop from the table before looking back down at Ruby. "But there is someone here who would like to meet you" the strict woman sighed as she stepped to the left to reveal the now open doorway.
Standing in the doorframe was an incredibly tall man with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and plate full of chocolate chip cookies in the other. Ruby had trouble keeping her eyes on the grey haired man now standing in front of her as her gaze kept drifting over to plate of confectionary delights. The man wore a typical black suit with a dark green shirt and trousers. He wore a pair of shaded glass spectacles and a small, purple, cross-shaped pin on the olive-green cowl around his neck. "Ruby Rose…" The man said leaning in closer to get a better look at the young girl sitting behind the table. "You… have silver eyes" it was more a statement than a question.
"Uh umm…" Ruby stammered unsure of how to respond to the offhand comment.
"So, where did you learn to do this?" The man asked nodding his head towards the scroll in Glynda's hand showing snippets of her duel with Roman Torchwick and her subsequent chase after the white suited criminal.
"… Signal Academy" Ruby replied uncertainly. Glynda yelling at her she could handle but this fresh line of questioning had taken her completely off guard.
"They taught you to interact with Duel Monsters like this?" The mysterious man questioned indicating the parts of the video where Ruby and Rose Paladin had fought off Torchwick's thugs as well as the parts where she climbed atop Black Rose Dragon and rode her to the roof.
"Well, one teacher in particular" Ruby replied still unsure of how this interrogation was going, good cop, bad cop she could handle but this was just unnerving.
"I see" the man muttered, almost to himself as he slid the plate full of cookies over to Ruby. For the briefest of moments the silver eyed Duelist hesitated before finally succumbing to her urges and taking one of the delectable treats… and then another… and another and before Ruby could stop herself she was wolfing down the rest of the plate in seconds. She could almost feel Rose Paladin's disapproving stare emanating from the deck at her waist.
"it's just I've only ever seen one other Duelist who can interact with their Duel Monsters in such a flawless manner, a dusty old Qrow" the man mused, though he could practically hear his friend shouting at him to never call him old.
"Mmmm! Thash muh unkul!" Ruby replied, though her mouth was stuffed with cookie and chocolate. Swallowing the remaining baked goods Ruby wiped her mouth with her sleeve before smiling sheepishly up at the green clad man before her. "Sorry, that's my uncle Qrow. He's a teacher at Signal, I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. Now I'm all like – Hooowaaah! Witchaaaa!" Ruby exclaimed waving her arms back and forth and karate chopping the air.
"So I've noticed" the man chuckled at the young girl's display. "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train Duelists?" The lanky man asked setting his still steaming cup of coffee down on the table between them.
"Well I want to be a professional Duelist" Ruby stated with a resolve the man had not quite expected from the bubbly girl. "I only have two more years of training left at Signal and then I'm going to apply at Beacon" Ruby continued looking back and forth from Glynda to the green garbed man who had now taken a seat across from her. "You see my sister's starting there this year and she's trying to become a Duelist and I want to become a Duelist 'cause I wanna help people and keep the world safe! My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought, 'Hey I might as well make a career out of it!' I mean the police are alright but Duelists are just so much more romantic and exciting and really, gosh, you know!?" Ruby exclaimed not realising the excited tirade she just let loose.
There was a long stretch of silence as both Glynda and the green clad man looked at Ruby with bemused expressions. "Do you know who I am?" The man asked smiling at the excitable girl in the chair opposite him.
"You're Professor Ozpin, you're the headmaster at Beacon" Ruby replied confidently.
"Hello" Ozpin replied with a smirk nodding his head towards the red clad girl.
"Nice to meet you" Ruby responded matching the headmaster's smirk with her own.
"You want to come to my school?" Ozpin asked leaning in closer towards the energetic girl.
"More than anything" Ruby responded earnestly.
Glancing over to Glynda with a quirk of his eyebrow and a smirk that the disciplined woman knew all too well, Glynda replied with a soft scoff allowing Ozpin to do as he pleased, he usually did anyway. "Well okay" Ozpin replied reaching out with his hand. Ruby nearly jumped over the table in her attempt to shake it. "Welcome to Beacon Academy Miss Rose" Ozpin stated with a warm smile as the silver eyed girl squealed at the top of her lungs before dashing out of the room at an unimaginable speed leaving behind a trail of rose petals in her wake.
Reaching down Professor Ozpin lifted one of the petals up to examine it with his soft brown eyes. "Very much like her mother, wouldn't you agree Glynda?" Ozpin mused as his second in command rounded on him.
"Yes the resemblance is uncanny, but I believe that we have more pressing matters to address" Glynda stated showing Ozpin the footage of Roman Torchwick's mystery accomplice. While the video failed to get a good view of the person inside the Bullhead it did get a clear view of the golden wall of flames, flames that Ozpin was all too familiar with.
"Yes it seems that Mr. Torchwick has affiliated himself with some rather dangerous individuals. And you are very lucky that our assailant was only at half strength" Ozpin stated, taking a brief drink from his mug. "I doubt even you would have been able to withstand a full power Blaze Cannon at that range" Ozpin said as he got up from his seat. Heading to the door Ozpin took one last look at the rose petal in his hand before sighing and leaving the interrogation room behind.
Author's Notes: Hello everyone Silencer here with a brand new story, just a disclaimer I have not forgotten about my other stories, I just had to get this one started as the thought came to me and I just had to roll with it. In fact Chapter 2 of Predator: A Matter of Honour will be coming out within the week so get ready for that. Admittedly this is my first crossover story and I will admit that I'm unsure if this is truly a crossover as no characters, save monsters, from Yu-Gi-Oh will be appearing in it, so if you guys think it would be better to classify this as just a regular RWBY story involving card games then please let me know.
On to the story, so I'm treating this chapter as a replacement for the Red Trailer as I found I could better use the Dust robbery as a better way to convey the tone and story while still giving you an idea of how combat in this story will work. So the key difference here is Huntsmen and Huntresses have been replaced by Duelists in my story but much of the RWBY setting remains the same. Aura, Dust and Semblances are all still a thing but implemented in different ways due to the use of Duel Monsters. Certain characters will still be using their weapons from the show but for reasons that match their character for instance Adam will still be using Wilt and Blush, because he's super edgy like that, but he will also have a deck of his own.
However, most weapons will have been converted into unique duel disks as we saw here with Ruby. Also the decks each character uses I've personally built to match their personalities and backstories, part of me would like to see how many of you can guess which characters will use what deck, some will be pretty obvious (Yang) while others like let's say Velvet may take people by surprise. I will go into greater detail later in the story as to how specifically the summoned monsters work but for the time being all you need to know is that the monsters summoned are 100% real and not holograms. Also every card I will be using is an actual real card, no anime cards will be used so each character's deck is 100% plausible to make and if my descriptions of monsters are not quite up to snuff you can always look them up on google to get a better idea.
Another thing to note is that yes there will be White Rose in this story as well as some of my personal favourite pairings but I must stress this is not a romance story. It is about adventure and card games with some bits of romance scattered about and so though Ruby and Weiss will get together, eventually, it's not the focus of the story.
If anyone has questions feel free to ask away this is a brand new story and if you're unsure of some aspect of it feel free to let me know. Also definitely let me know how you like the concept this idea just came to me and I had to get it out before it slipped away so I'm hoping it doesn't seem rushed.
Alright everyone until next time! Up next Weiss Schnee and her Royal Test!