I redid Chapter 1 because I felt a little dissatisfied with certain aspects of the grammar and structure. This one adds around 500 words more and streamlines the vocabulary so complex sentence structure is much simpler and less confusing.
[= Moving Forward =]
Chapter 1
Out of the Fire
For a decent portion of my life, I found myself in a position of foundation. It's difficult to understand how this came to be, for I'd compare it to the way water falls down a tree.
It started with a droplet, and then glided down the many leaves, collecting more volume through circumstance until I somehow drowned myself into a pool of being depended on by many people.
Not that I had many concerns, even with the negative-sounding analogy of drowning.
In fact, I much preferred the situation because of the attention it drew to me. Call me a self-centered soul, but we all enjoy the attention of others, as much as we hate to admit that we are so shallow inside.
So because I was so depended on, I automatically began pushing myself to meet the expectations of others.
It was a burden to bear, yes, and I am not too prideful to admit that there were rare moments where I wished everyone I ever cared for would just disappear from the face of the world so I wouldn't have to carry the weight of their expectations anymore.
Dark thoughts.
Yet I urged onward, meeting the next day with a temperament that showed no trace of reluctance or prior grief.
It sometimes scared how much of switch I could make.
Still, I always managed to find great satisfaction in the reliability others found in me.
Eventually, this position turned into a self-endowed responsibility over others. This in turn manifested itself into my character and evolved into a paternalistic instinct of my personality that carries on to this day.
And it is because of this instinct that I came to be the shield for Ruby; the most honest, purest soul I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
She entered my life with a passion for her team—for her family.
She cared so incredibly deeply for them, it moved my heart to know that all the trials she endured were all in the name of protecting the ones she loves... and honoring the ones no longer here.
She was a girl who carried a weight most Huntsmen would not have been strong enough to bear, and knowing that, it was beautiful to find that she still held the ability to smile.
I arrived at the outskirts of Mistral several months after the student body was released from Haven Academy following the fall of Beacon. Headmaster Lionheart claimed it was in the interest of protecting students should a similar situation occur in our kingdom.
The abrupt and rushed sensation that came with the act left me to reason that some hidden bureaucracy was involved, but I held no ill will towards Lionheart. He was a good man during my time in his academy, so I put my trust in his words.
Following the somewhat 'student-wide expulsion' of Haven, I spent some time reuniting with family before going off into the wilds of Remnant alone. I had been in my third year of Haven before being forced to leave, and I was already experienced with the Huntsmen system of contracts and missions as school has exposed it to students as early as Freshman year.
However, an immediate 'hiccup' I encountered was that no one was asking for Huntsman aid. Of course, that could be due to the fall of Beacon's tower, limiting communications drastically, but even then, as I traveled to local Huntsmen cells, I found work to be extremely lacking.
So, I turned to less official channels of occupation.
I found that that being a hired sword garners the negative connotation of 'mercenary,' though I do not fault the people of Remnant for being wary of soldiers whose blades lie with their paychecks instead of their country.
Only the world knows how many men and women have turned their eyes away from the light, preferring the shine of coin over the glow of good people.
Still, a majority of hired warriors I've come across were not the horrid souls people demonized them to be. They were honest people seeking a living in this world, and their wealth could be considered significantly larger than most if I was being honest.
Granted, that comes with the nomadic nature of being a hired sword: one is not bounded to a homeland, thus people like them don't pay mortgages or provincial taxes. So while the pay of a sellsword is moderate at best, the real boon comes in the substantial control they have over their fortune.
And to be fair, Huntsmen and Huntresses are technically hired swords as well. The only difference being is that they are sent out on missions that have established contracts and rewards. Meanwhile, our agreements are set in a very relaxed and unofficial manner. Usually work is established through a banter of haggling prices and a handshake.
Sometimes monetary compensation isn't even utilized.
The man beside me was paid for his services with the promise of grains and fruits.
I myself opted for money.
And the work itself can be considered menial a majority of the time.
For instance, the other hired man and I were hired as caravan guards. We walked along a slow-moving wagon as our employer sat at the reins. The carthorse was a large beast, grand and beautiful, a stark contrast to the shoddy wooden cart it pulled.
I pondered how the man could afford such a magnificent horse while his cart had obvious signs of being loved for a long time. A stroke of luck or just the right amount of bargaining?
My thoughts on the matter were never completed as a bristle in the bushes beside us caught my ear. The other hired sword and I instinctively reached for our weapons as our heads locked to the direction of the sound.
We stood on a dirt road bordered by lush trees, and the lines were moderately dense, allowing us to see about fifty feet into the forest before it became too thick for vision to be reliable.
He stood on the right of the cart and I on the left, the side where the noise came from. He had a steady hand palming a ranged weapon, opting me to take point and move into the treeline. Our employer noticed the sudden intensity of the atmosphere and yanked the carthorse to a stop. The horse gave a huff with a few impatient clops against the dusty, dirt path. The man has a bad habit of pulling too hard on the reins and hurting the horse.
I inched to the left, each of my footsteps hovering in the air for a few seconds before moving to the next foot. My body was angled to the side in case the situation necessitated a quick, dodging movement.
My right arm reached outward to the bush, hesitant and ready to withdrew. My left hand reached behind me for my shield.
There a was loud rustle in the bushes as I quickly jumped back.
A hare skidded out from the underbrush and made a dash for my open legs.
I side-stepped away and almost drew my weapon, halting myself quickly as the furry little creature scampered across the road and disappeared into the opposite treeline, passing by the other fighter as he hadn't even drawn his weapon yet.
A grin drew across my face and a small wave of relief washed over the party as I heard the employer give a small chuckle.
With a small yip, he started the carthorse once more as the other employee met my smile with his own.
Yes, the jobs were menial and excitement was rare, but that didn't stop the danger from being all too real. Grimm were a threat that should never be tested for ignorance, warranting devout attention with every occasion.
Still, the line of work was nice.
"Why a shield?"
I cast a questioning eyebrow to my employer as he asked me a question while his gaze remained locked on the road ahead.
"What?" I called back to him as he sighed.
"I said," a hint of impatience in his voice, "'Why a shield?' Not even a knife or somethin' to attack. I don't know about you, but a hunk of flat metal ain't gonna kill the darkies."
He was a stout man with a beer-belly, though he hid it under a facade of baggy brown clothing. Bald but with a well-groomed mustache, the man's character breathed the essence of the outdoors and the smell of a country bar.
"You hired me to protect you, right? Don't you think a shield is best suited for that?" I dodged the question a little, though that was mainly out of spite. The man and I had a growing banter of witty remarks throughout the journey, so faking ignorance was just par for the fun.
"Oh sure. I'll be so happy to have your dumb shield while we're surrounded and you have no way of actually fighting Grimm besides giving them a bonk to the noggin. I'll be sure to cower behind it, thanking the gods above that 'At least I've got his shield to give me time to remember my life before I die.'"
A soft chuckle escaped me while an annoyed grunt protruded from my employer, both of us opting to return to silence once more as we went along the path.
I liked my shield, despite how worn and loved its been. Many years and many struggles were toughed out and won because of it, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Ignoring the assumption that a shield is solely a defensive armament, I preferred to utilize my shield in an aggressively offensive manner, while still reaping the benefits of being able to protect myself without having to switch arms or sacrifice my stance.
"How far away are we?" My ally-in-coin Jade said with a tired yawn as the man gladly gave him his attention as he was annoyed with me.
"About twenty minutes. We should be coming up on some turns and then the forest gets dense for a bit before opening up to the village." We were in a remote area of the kingdom of Mistral where isolated but well-defended villages occupied the forests. These villages were sporadic, some being only an hour's trip from one another while others took a journey of several days with nonstop travel.
Of course, had Haven allowed access of airships to be public and not private, this issue would be solved, but that's just my opinion.
"You said this trip's one way, right? Planning to settle in the village?" A casual question where I wasn't truly interested in his answer, but I looked fro something to fill in the silence.
"For' bit. Been travelling too long and I need a period to recover. Ma' back's been killing me lately." He exaggerated his point by placing a hand at his lower spine and leaning back in an awkward stretching maneuver.
True to his word, the path began to wind as the trees on either side grew thicker and closer together. Soon, sunlight only appeared through beams of thin light across the canopy of leaves that enveloped us overhead.
It was quite beautiful to be honest. The green surroundings enraptured us, yet it was more akin to a blanket than a snake's vice.
However, what laid beyond the forests was a horror not beholden to any nightmare.
The ground turned from dirt to cobble as fire and glass littered the environment. Wood and mortar melted under the intense heat as I saw a near structure collapse under its own weight, a cloud of ash and dust jetting out from the destruction and blinding our vision for a few moments.
The carthorse began to neigh and rattle in obvious anxiety as our employer struggled with the reins.
Jade calmly walked up the horse and began to stroke its nose, taming the beast's nerves and showing us his surprising connection with about us.
Fire infested the rooftops of almost every building and the air was thick and difficult to breathe.
I took a second to process the destruction around, taking in all the burnt wood and ashy roofs.
I raised the collar of my shirt to my nose as I walked up to our employer and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"We need to get you to safety. Jade and I will come back to help with the fires, but for now, your safety is our top priority." He glanced at me with wide eyes for only a second before returning to shock and awe at what was happening to the village. I'm certain he barely even noticed my presence, much less my words.
Still, he was my boss, and our agreement included the protection of his well-being.
I shook him a second time and repeated myself. Thankfully, my words reached him this time as he blinked and regained his composure before shakily agreeing.
"There's..." He began, his skin holding a thin layer of nervous perspiration as he swallowed to soothe his hoarse throat.
"There's... There's an alcove in the corner of the village... a safe-zone in the case of an emergency. I-I'll lead us there." He didn't seem to be very present as his wide eyes kept darting everywhere, and his movement were a mixture of slow and twitchy.
He stumbled to the cart and got back on the reins as we all shuffled through the destructive streets, Jade and I occasionally shoved debris out of the way for the large carthorse and wagon. Strangely enough, I heard no signs of life. No screaming nor frantic civilians going about trying to save their homes.
I figured at first that they must have all made it the safe-zone or were dead otherwise, but as we continued on through the village and still saw no signs of life, my instincts told me something worse was afoot.
I drew my shield from my back and slid the leather enarmes onto my right arm, holding the heater shield vertically in front of me. My eyes appeared just over the top edge of the shield as Jade had the same feeling as I did and was already posing with his crossbow aimed forward.
We were halfway through the village, having entered at the opposite corner from where the safe-zone was supposed to be.
As the ground shifted from cobblestone to grass, we entered the town center where a quaint little park was slightly ruined, but was otherwise untouched compared to the rest of the village. It seemed to be least damaged area overall, though that may be because of the lack of wood buildings, leaving no tinder for the fire to spread here.
A scream was heard in the distance, full of horror and pain. I felt my heart lurch and my eyebrows raised for a split second with my initial reaction to the scream. The three of us instinctively paused as even the horse stopped its trot.
That was the first sound we had heard beyond the crackling ambiance of fire and deteriorating wood since entering the village.
"Jade, keep moving with the cart. I have to check it out." We were only a minute or two away from the safe-zone, and I was confident that Jade needed little protecting. He had proven to me earlier in the journey that he was a capable fighter as he took on three Grimm without even drawing his weapon.
He huffed in a disapproving tone, something which I had expected.
"It's your funeral." With that, any semblance of partnership we had was severed. Our employer couldn't seem to care less about me leaving the party either, though if there was indication of worry towards me, it would have been for his own safety.
I didn't put it past them, I even expected this to happen if the situation were to turn south, like it did now.
There was no bond between me and Jade, we had only just met and were likely to only meet each other through our whole lives under this employment.
The employer didn't worry about the blood I spilled or that spilled from me, because to him, I was expendable. I was just some 'mercenary.'
That connotation still thrived, despite what I believed.
I took off into the town square, the fire intensifying and the smoke thickening as the gray winds seemed to drive inward to the center. My vision grew difficult and breath heavy.
My boots crunched under the dry grass, and I tried to hide my face behind my shield in an effort to aid my lungs against the smoke.
Then I paused.
I turned back, some faith in humanity hoping to see the two men stare at me as I walked away, for some acknowledgement that they cared for my well-being, even if it was small.
A nod of the head.
Eye-contact.
Anything.
But the two had already left, not even a trace of their presence left behind.
Admittedly, I was a little disappointed.
A somber sigh escaped my throat, something of which I instantly regretted as it forced me to inhale a lot of rancid air into my vulnerable lungs.
I shook my head and coughed as I focused myself on heading towards the scream I heard earlier.
With my right arm bearing my shield and my left holding my shirt's collar to my nose, I took off into the gray air.
My footsteps suddenly became louder to me as the noise of the cart and carthorse no longer muffled the environment.
I could hear a mixture of glass and wood-chips crunch beneath my shoes as I crouched lower and moved as quietly as possible through the smoke.
I paused as I heard a building collapse in the distance, a rise of smoke pushing my way from the direction it fell.
I felt tense. Fire like this definitely wasn't accidental, because there would be more people around attempting to put it out, and it would be centralized to one area, not the while village.
Why are the Grimm absent?
Fire causes chaos, and chaos causes fear and struggle. The negativity from this place would have drawn in Grimm for at least a mile.
Where are they?
The distinct sound of breaking glass followed by the clinking of shards hitting the ground made me dash to the direction of the sound. I held my shield in front, ready to bash into anyone, or anything, that posed a threat.
However, a roar stiffened the air.
Then another roar, a third. Soon a menagerie of howls, roars, and caws filled the atmosphere.
The Grimm made their presence known and were hoarding towards the village.
A dark shadow enveloped me as I shot my eyes upward to see a flying Grimm pass over, its inky feathers leaving a trail of black tar across the orange sky. It was beginning to turn to night.
The ends of my hairs stood on edge as I slowed my run to a march and prepared myself for combat.
I was still shrouded in smoke, something I had yet determined if it was an advantage or not.
A light pounding sound came from the left. There was a pattern to the pounding, meaning they were footsteps of a heavy creature.
I pivoted my feet in its direction and decided to take the initiative.
I braced both my arms behind the shield and charged forward, putting all of my weight and power to the back of the shield.
I felt a hard contact followed by a second of give where I could feel the shield dig into whatever flesh it had come in contact with. Then the pressure suddenly disappeared as I knew I had bashed the person or Grimm away.
The smoke around me cleared and I could see the overturned body of a wolf-like Grimm shudder from the impact. Its gross black fur and white bone-like spines had been ripped and cracked from the damage caused by the shield. The lumpy form began to rise from the shock, but I gave it no quarter as I ran towards it, closing the distance between us in an instant as I threw my shield arm downward.
The shield made another harsh contact with the head of the Grimm as the force of the impact caused the ground beneath to crack as well.
Smoke rose from the Beowolf's corpse, the tell-tale sign of Grimm death.
I didn't have time to bask in my small victory as another wolf appeared to my left and swept its claw.
I threw my shield up and jumped, using the force of the Grimm's swipe to toss myself back a few feet, putting some distance between me and my opponent.
As I flew through the air, I threw my shield down to the ground. The pointed edge dug into the cobble as I skidded to a halt, my feet in the perfect position to strike back.
The Beowolf wasted no time in scrambling after me, much like I did to its fallen brethren.
Within ten feet of me, it jumped and swiped down at me, but I raised my shield arm to block as I cocked my left hand for an uppercut to the Grimm's exposed stomach.
My shield felt the claws of the Grimm graze against it as my left hand's knuckles drove themselves into the black fur of the Beowolf.
It was sent flying behind me as its momentum had carried itself over my head.
It landed with a rough thud and followed by a cacophony of tossed pebbles, but it recovered quickly as it rushed to its four paws and ran at me again.
I pivoted on my heel quickly and turned around, except this time my shield was angled to my side, leaving me exposed.
The Beowolf grew closer as it repeated its overhead swipe once more, but before its razor-sharp claws could cut into me, the serrated edge of my shield slashed across its neck.
The decapitated Grimm slid across the ground before evaporating into smoke like its deceased friend.
I stood up from my crouched position as I looked up to see that the moon had now risen. The night was upon us, and Grimm were infinitely more dangerous at this time, like their confidence surged with the glow of the broken moon.
I heard a series of low growls and barks as the clearing I was in was now peppered with Beowolves and the occasional Boarbatusk. The buildings, be they on fire or not, had a creature of Grimm on every roof.
I rotated slowly as I made eye contact with every dark monster, challenging them to step forward and meet their demise.
I was angry. I was not blind to the human corpses and torn faunus bodies that littered the streets of this once peaceful village. I had tried to push their deaths out of my mind, focusing only on my own survival, but now that the smoke cleared, my eyes couldn't ignore them anymore.
I was furious.
I yelled at the Grimm in carnal rage, some stepping back while others roared in retaliation.
One brave Beowolf jumped down from a roof to my left, believing it could surprise me at an exposed flank.
I dashed towards it and slashed at its body before it had even touched the ground, the two halves of the Beowolf now disappearing into smoke.
Another ran at my right as I punched it across its snout before lodging my shield into its face.
A Boarbatusk charged at me, its horns intended to impale me. As I withdrew my shield from the disfigured face of the Beowolf, I carried the momentum of the shield behind me as I slammed the flat of the metal onto the head of the Boarbatusk.
It squealed as I made its body crack into the ground, its legs jutting out for a second before going limp.
Beowolf after Beowolf, corpse after corpse, Grimm after Grimm, the siege was endless. I began a rhythm of slashing and slamming as the waves of creatures kept pouring into the village.
More bird-like Nevermores flew overhead as I amputated the arm of another Beowolf followed by a hard jab to its head. I looked up to see the wing of a Nevermore become suddenly detached from its body.
I stumbled at the site, confusion riddling my mind, before I saw a red figure fall from the sky alongside it. The red blur trailed along the night sky at lightning speeds, its body an arrow aiming for the ground
A nearby statue of an angel became the landing pad for the red blur as marble debris blew my way.
I raised my shield as the head of the now destroyed statue chunked against the metal. As I lowered my shield arm, I saw a red dancer before me, with a menacing red scythe poised behind her head.
Her eyes were closed as she sensed the Grimm around us. A growl to my right tore my attention away from the red girl as I raised my shield to block a slash, the grinding of claw against metal making shrieking sound across the courtyard.
At that moment, the girl came to life as she zipped across the yard in a split second and disembodied the Beowolf before me.
I stuttered at her speed, my eyes wide as a cocky grin appeared on her face. She began to dice at the Grimm like they were a fog, her blade never relaxing and her speed only ever pausing to change direction.
I was once again mesmerized by her Semblance, leaving me vulnerable to a hard punch to my back.
I flew across the yard and slammed into a building's wall, leaving a radial crack where I impacted as my knees hit the ground.
My vision blurred for a moment as I looked up to see a hulking creature before me. It roared as it banged its chest with its fists, signaling it as the dreaded gorilla-like Beringel Grimm.
Each pound of its fists against its chest sounded like an ancient gong going off against my ears, disorienting me for even longer.
The Beringel took advantage of the situation and charged at me, its shoulder angled to drive me into the wall.
I managed to recover enough to see him charging at me and tossed myself to the side. The Grimm tore down the wall I once stood in front of and the building collapsed with him.
However, I knew that wouldn't have ended him. I scrambled to my feet and ran to the opposite side of the yard to get as much distance as possible before formulating a strategy.
As far as I knew at that point, the large beast relied heavily on its front knuckles for both movement and combat. Damaging them as well as his head would be an ideal area to target.
I reached into the satchel strapped to my left thigh and retrieved a red Dust cartridge. I heard the crumbling of rubble ahead of me, meaning the Beringel was beginning to rise from the ruined building.
I saw that the girl had now moved to the rooftops and was fending off Beowolves while trying to shoot down a Nevermore that was circling overhead.
I tilted the front of the shield towards me as I placed the Dust cartridge into the center slot, followed by a rough bash of my fist to lodge it in. The familiar whir of energy coursed through the shield as a red outline crept just behind the edges of the shield.
Soon, the shield grew hot in my hand as the heater shield literally burst into flames.
It was at this time that the Beringel had escaped from the rubble and roared in fury to the night sky.
Its red eyes locked onto mine as I braced my shield arm.
The Grimm gave another thunderous roar before it charged at me. I did the same as we both bashed into each, locking in place as the ground beneath us rumbled under the force of our struggle.
We stood in deadlock, shoving and pushing at each other, a testament to our strengths as we fought for dominant footing.
The beast cried in pain as the flames of the shield singed at its corrupt flesh, but it did not falter its strength as the Grimm continued to push.
My feet began to skid backwards as the confidence of the pained Beringel grew.
I retaliated with my own burst of energy as I began to push the Grimm back, waiting for the moment the Grimm would stumble in its stance and I could attack.
My signal came sooner than expected as a red blur blew behind the Grimm and slashed across its back, causing it to roar in pain and relieve the pressure off of my shield.
I saw my opening and dashed my shield arm forward, bashing into the stomach of the Beringel and then following up with a punch to the chin.
I raised my shield again as I sliced at the gorilla's exposed left arm, causing a deep wound to run from its paw to its chest. Grotesque black blood oozed from its wound as the Grimm backhanded my shield and caused me to be sent skidding backwards along the cobble. The fire of my shield had been spent as the cartridge popped out of the shield and clattered on the stony ground.
The Beringel was now going on the defensive and trying to put distance between us.
With its non-damaged arm, it dug its hand into the ground and brought up a handful of debris and boulder.
Tossing with no care, I was forced to dodge, block, and slash at the oncoming projectiles. I couldn't move an inch closer as the Beringel seemed to have limitless throwing energy.
This Grimm was intelligent, it knew that a close quarters situation with me would be dangerous, thus it opted for a ranged approach. That was always a weakness with my weapon: the lack of range.
Luckily for me, the girl popped up again and began to slashing at the Grimm's exposed back once more, an unrelenting series of strikes and stabs that caused the Grimm to stagger greatly.
It was nowhere near finished, however, as it gave a surprising backhand to the girl that forced her to fly away.
She used her semblance to get onto a nearby roof, but the Beringel followed after and slammed down with its fists.
She barely managed to escape that attack as the entire surface of the roof began to shudder due to the Beringel's attack.
I tried to yell at her to get off the roof, but the Beringel gave another slam and the roof of the building caved in, sucking up the girl into the darkness as the Beringel jumped out of harm's way.
A horrible sensation of fear and grief washed over me as I saw the girl disappear from the world, her free hand reaching out to the sky, as if she expected some unknown savior to catch her hand.
I shuddered violently as my breath grew ragged and heavy.
The Beringel walked slowly towards me, and it had a swagger in its walk, as if the thrill of the kill gave it insurmountable confidence. My arms stood at my side, white-knuckled fists shaking with rage.
A total stranger died before me, and that fucking thing had the audacity to mock me before battle, as if her death meant nothing to it.
I stuffed my left hand once more into my satchel and pulled out a yellow Dust cartridge.
The Beringel now charged at me and dove to attack, but I rolled underneath its gargantuan body as I slammed the yellow cartridge into place.
The Grimm quickly turned around and raised a large fist to attack. Its knuckles met with my shield as I resisted the attack, but with great effort as the Grimm had the height advantage over me, being able to put the whole of its body's weight onto my shield.
However, the yellow Dust whirred to life as yellow energy coated the shield and the Grimm was pumped full of electricity.
It drew its fist back in pain as I took the moment to recover for a split second before diving myself onto the Grimm.
I managed to push hard enough into its stomach to cause the Grimm to fall onto its back, where I straddled the beast and began an unrelenting series of shield bashes against its face.
Every hard contact the shield made with the bony complexion of the Beringel was extremely satisfying as my rage took hold of my actions.
The Grimm saw through my blind anger and used its primate feet to latch on my shoulders and toss me away.
I was tossed across the courtyard to a large clocktower where the girl had fallen into.
I struggled to my feet as I saw the Beringel also stutter in its step. It gave a booming roar, beckoning me to challenge it.
I grit my teeth as I took a step forward before-
"Huh?" I questioned aloud as a rose petal flew before my eyes.
Then another, then more, then a whole wave of petals wafted from the clocktower entrance.
They moved towards the Beringel and encircled it. The Grimm became increasingly agitated in response as it roared and swiped at the offending petals.
I followed with my the eyes where the petal where going and I saw that they trailed to the top of the clocktower where a glass circle marked the time for the vill-
She crashed through the glass in magnificent splendor, shards dancing alongside her form as her scythe was raised behind her head and ready to strike.
I was stunned at the discovery that she survived, and a wave of joy took over me as I locked my eyes onto her graceful form.
She glided through the air as the blade made a stroke across the Beringel's face and made it howl in righteous pain.
She landed to its side and used the reach of the scythe to slide the curved blade across the Beringel's feet.
With a pull of a trigger, she lurched her weapon forward, causing the blade to pull at the Grimm's feet and making the Beringel fall forward.
She displayed the absolute insanity of her Semblance as she encircled the Grimm in an endless vortex of speed. Quickening and rising into the sky before a tornado of red made the Grimm levitate with her.
She appeared at the top of the tornado as her blade tip touched the chest of the Grimm as they both fell to the ground.
They hit the cobblestone with a harsh thud as her blade pierced the Grimm all the way through.
It roared in pain again as it stared down the barrel of her weapon.
She pulled the trigger and the Beringel was no more.
Her feet slumped to the floor as the Grimm evaporated beneath her.
Her scythe retracted as I stood up and made my way to her.
The yellow Dust cartridge discharged from the shield and clattered to the ground. The noise of the clatter caused her to turn her head where I caught my first glimpse of her silver eyes.
I was taken back by the color, never seeing another individual with eyes like hers before. I paused in my step as my own eyes grew wide before I regained my composure and stepped towards her.
"You're impressive." I had no other words to describe her. Her skills with her weapon and Semblance showed an intense dedication to her combat training. Speed was a high factor to her abilities, and she obviously has a great understanding of how well the reach of her scythe can benefit her
She smiled as I placed my shield behind my back.
"Thanks. You're pretty strong yourself. Pretty rare that I see someone able to wrestle a Grimm and win."
I outstretched my right hand to her.
"Andr Maverick, and you are?"
She stared at my hand for a second, a moment of skepticism crossing her face, before she gleamed with the brightest smile I had ever seen and gladly took my hand.
"Ruby. Ruby Rose." She smiled again.
This is not a romance novel.