Chapter 1: Darc meets Ruby Rose
Ruby Rose ran towards the scream. She had been exploring the countryside, looking for clues and trying to stop Cinder, when her travels took her to a forest, one that even the locals wouldn't go near. She assumed the grimm in the area were the problem, but when she arrived at the scream, it was obviously wrong.
Standing in a clearing, a man stood frozen. He did not move, nor did he acknowledge her. Surrounding him were 30 other men. All held guns, aimed at the center man.
"Darc Meteor"! One of the gun man stepped forward and threw a pair of handcuffs at him.
"You are to put them on and come with us! You are hereby under arrest for tormenting the people of the town and the forest"!
The man known as Darc stepped towards the man. Darc wore a Blue hoodie, with white cotton on the hood, similiar to an eskimo's outfit. He wore plane blue jeans, and a black belt. His shoes were pretty normal, and nothing really stood out. He had an average face, and even had black hair that covered his entire head. His bangs weren't cut, but pulled to the side. He had the look of a goth, and even wore fingerless gloves like one.
"What a cliche", Ruby thought to herself. The scream she had heard came from one of the gaurds, who now lay at Darc's feet...motionless.
"Did...did he..."?
The gaurds shot at Darc every bullet hitting it's target, but his aura was too great. None did anything relatively close to damage. Darc just stood and took it all. No dodging, and no retaliation. The gaurds eventually ran out of bullets, loading new clips, and wasting those aswell. Soon they were pretty much weaponless, as none of them carried anything else.
"Now that we played that game", Darc began. He took another step to the gaurd, who tripped in fear. "Care to explain your next move"? The gaurds of course, had no answer to that question. No one they had ever seen did that with bullets before. It was ungodly.
"P...please let us go"!
Darc couldn't help but laugh. He knew they fully intended to kill him.
"So...i should let you go?"
"Y...yes...please Darc, sir"
"And...what happened just a minute ago...was all a joke"?
The gaurd hit the ground. He stayed on his knees, and bent into a praying position. He had a tremble in his voice.
"We ask you for your forgiveness...Please forgive us"!
Suddenly all the gaurds hit the ground into the same position, all simultaneously begging for their lives.
"Oh man...guys...calm down". Darc couldn't stand watching this. He believed everyone should have pride at all times. He felt that one should never beg for their own lives. If you were beaten, you should accept it. But seeing them grovel...triggered a soft spot.
"Look...if you leave your wallets, i'll let you go...Deal"?
All the gaurds scrambled for their wallets, and put them in front of them. This was very merciful in all of their minds. It was rare that Darc left survivors, so a whole team of gaurds would be amazing. All but one of the gaurds had their wallets on the ground. Darc turned to him, and started walking forward. Ruby grabbed her scythe, making sure not to act just yet, in case something else happened.
"May i ask why you didn't do the same"?
"I...i dont have any money"! The gaurd hit the ground and began to weep. Darc dismissed all of the other gaurds, who ran away at the moment. All that was left was Darc, the gaurd, and a hidden Ruby, who knew she would have to intervene soon.
"Please...something else...please...". The gaurd was crying full blown at this point.
"Dude...come on...don't cry man...god damnitt".
Darc walked over to the dead gaurd, and picked his pocket. After a minute he took the wallet from the pocket, and threw it to the gaurd.
"I'll count that one as yours...so stop crying and go"!
The gaurd picked up the wallet, placed it in front of him, and ran off to join the others. "God damnitt", dark said aloud, looking at the sky. "Can't real hunters come ofter me"? Darc turned towards Ruby, who was hidden in the tress, but not well enough obviously.
"Are you a hunter that's after me"?
Ruby could tell he knew where she was, and stepped out of the foliage, revealing herself. She definetely didn't want to fight him, even though she felt she could take him. However, this was only due to the fact that she had no idea what he was capable of.
Darc walked around the circle of wallets, taking the money from them. He left the wallets, and everything else in them on the ground once done. He didn't count the money, but stuffed it into his bag. Ruby stood, deciding. If she rushed him, she could take him! He didn't have a weapon and she did. But then what about the gaurds, why were they so scared? She needed to be precautious.
"No, I just heard the comotion and...you know...showed up". Ruby showed her smile, a smile that made others smile, including Darc. He smiled wide, and his face completely changed. It was once scary, like he would kill at any moment, but now, it was almost cute.
"Well look, i dont need you spreading rumors", he began. "If you do i will hunt everyone of them down and kill them". His words were scary, but it was hard to take them serious with him smiling. Ruby walked up to the dead gaurd.
"So who killed him?" Ruby thought she had Darc figured out. He hadn't killed him, it was a misunderstanding. That's why he let the others live.
"Me"
Well there went that theory. Ruby grabbed her weapon. He was a criminal and he needed to be stopped. Just like Cinder!
"So you are a criminal", she said, her scythe opening up fully.
"Well the gaurds weren't after me for nothing".
"You...how can you just kill someone"?
"It isn't hard. But if you want a demonstration, go ahead and attack".
Ruby slammed her scythe into the ground. Using the gun side of the weapon, she sent the bullets straight for Darc. She tried to use his overconfidence against him. She tought he wouldn't dodge, and fall victim to the high calibre bullets, but no. He moved away as swift as a bird, moving from area to area, dodging like it was a game.
"Well, judging by your weapon you are a hunter...". He jumped behind her, too fast for her to react.
"But your skill says otherwise". It was swift. Like nothing. A fist landed straight into her face, sending her to the treeline. She was too shocked to move. The punch was unreal, that much strength in something that fast? It wasn't possible! Suddenly her scythe came flying at her, barely scathing by.
"You better pick it up"!
Darc walked to her slowly, obviously mocking her with his superiority. Ruby stood, clasping the scythe. She was dizzy. Taking that hit was her first mistake, besides entering this battle ofcourse.
"I guess you weren't as combat ready as you thought"!
Ruby froze. Those words. Combat ready. She had heard them before. She attempted to ask him where he had heard them before, but his attack was already on the way.
She was able to block some of the attacks. Using her scythe as a sheild was her only way of surviving. She swung the scythe at every chance, but it was no use. He was too quick! With only his fists, he was dominating the huntress. This concerned her. Did he have a weapon? Even if i can land a hit will it matter? If he has a weapon, why doesnt he use it? Is he holding back?
Darc hit the edge of her scythe, and Ruby saw the chance. Taking the blunt end, she slammed it into his body. He however, was not one to fall that easily. He grabbed he scythe by the blade, and lifted her up with it. He flung it into the air. But that was it. He stood down there, not moving at all. Ruby couldn't do much but land. No arial attacks, no anything.
"So...Do you see what happens when you play the hero"?
Ruby clearly saw his superioriy. It was like when she fought cinder. Outclassed.
"Well, ill take back what i said...you are very combat ready". Darc began to walk to her, ready to deal the final blow.
"Wait"!
"Oh please don't beg for your life"
"No...those words...combat ready...who..."
Darc was confused for a moment, then realized the question. "Oh, that was the phrase of one of my friends awhile back".
"Penny"?
"Oh, you knew her"?
Ruby felt a pit in her stomach. She remembered penny's battle with pyrrha, and her untimely end."You know she was a hero type aswell".
"She always wanted to help people, even though it was a stupid pipe-dream. I respected it though, since she was willing to die for it, but she eventually did". Ruby thought he was talking about the tournament, the one 5 months ago.
"She died fighting, like a hero".
Darc looked at her, confused. "Fighting? I mean, it was a bad disease, but im sure she didn't fight too hard before accepting it".
"...no, she died fighting in the tournament a few months back".
"Now, dead meat..." Darc started, commenting on her future death by his hands. "Penny polendina died 6 years ago to an unknown disease".
Suddenly it all made sense now. Penny, who she was, how she had aura, and how she had dreams and a consciousness. She was a consciousness put into a robot! But, how did she not remember her friends, or anything else? What was going on?
"Well, it's obvious someone played a trick on you, so i'll let you try to figure...".
Ruby cut him off. "The penny you knew...was she a human"?
"Well duh, what else would she be"?
"A robot"
Darc took a second for the information to fully register. Then he screamed at the top of his lungs.
"ATLAS"!
The day had passed, and Darc had told Ruby everything about the Penny he knew, and how she died. She was unbelievably similiar in every way, although Darc didn't understand why her memories were gone. Ruby told him about everything that went down, including Cinder and Emerald.
"Wow, that seems to suck".
"I would appreciate a little more sympathy, if any".
"Well, i could care less, but im givving all the sympathy i have".
"Of course you are".
"Hey, i spared you, that is more than enough sympathy"!
"I mean...I guess".
The sun was getting close to setting, so Darc began to say his goodbye's.
"Well, it's been an experience...i guess".
"Same".
"It's been awhile since i made a friend by kicking their ass".
"Please watch your mouth".
"My bad".
Darc put his hand out to meet Ruby's. They shook hands.
"I'm not much for heroing, but i respect what you do, even if it is stupid".
"I feel the exact same to you".
"I hope you catch this person you're after, and i hope you don't end up dying in a week".
"Yeah, you too".
And with that, they both started walking away. Darc wanted to continue the way he was going before the gaurds ambushed him, and Ruby needed to return to the town to tell the people what Darc had did. They may be friends now, but he was still a criminal. As she walked, her mind began to wonder.
"I like him". She said. Of course she didn't mean in a romantic way. She already had someone who held those feelings, she meant his attitude. Someone who will do whatever it takes to do what he wants. She wanted to be like that. And what she wanted most...was to find and stop Cinder and save Remnant.
