The Blood Red Reaper of Remnant- Volume 0
Chapter 1 – The Reaper of Remnant
A dark night, the shattered moon glows an eerie greyish colour in the sky. In the dirty, decrepit streets, a lone orange light dimly shines out from a pub window. From the darkness a humanoid shape emerges, the orange engulfs the surrounding area, revealing a figure wrapped in a blood red cloak with the hood covering the face.
In the pub, screams of terror pierce the ears of those inside. The bartender clenches his fist in anger while the customers look away in shame and fear. A little girl, no older than nine, violently shakes her arms around in a panic, eyes bright red, tears streaming down her face.
She shouts "Please! Let me go!"
In the centre of the bar a group of men are sat down, the girl standing next to their table. They all wear baggy, filthy clothes, armour covering their chests and arms. In total there are five of them. Of the five, one is skinny, two are average size, the other is slightly overweight and the final one is large and intimidating. The largest of the men, the clear leader of the group, keeps a tight hold of the girl as she struggles for her life.
He states in a controlling tone "Look here, girl", his grip gets tighter and his voice gets louder, "No one's coming for y'. Y' got nowhere to go, no one to take care of y'. We own y' now, so shut y' mouth!"
The girl lets out a small whimper before the man punches her stomach. The girl hits the floor, holding in her cries as she covers her mouth.
The blood red figure walks up to the bar. The figure is 5'6", seems to have broad shoulders although it could be due to armour. A black handle is visible from the figures back, as long as the figures head. It sticks out clearly from the cloak.
"What can I do for you, sir?" the bartender asks, clearly anxious.
The figure slowly pulls up its hood revealing a young girl around 16 with pale skin, black hair, dark red highlights, a huge scar covering her right cheek and silver eyes.
Showing a hint of surprise, the bartender replies, "Oh… I'm sorry, miss?"
"It's fine" the blood red figure replies, showing a small smile.
"Bartender!" The large man demands, "Five of the usual… I'm sure it's on the house."
"Of course" The bartender faintly replies. "I'm sorry Miss; I'll only be a moment."
The four other men laugh wickedly at the young girl; the skinniest man, with blue hair, viciously grabs her from the ground. The figure in the cloak looks over at the situation, with a blank expression.
Quickly but cautiously, the bartender brings over five pints of beer. The bartender stutters "he...here you are sir", placing the drinks down on the table.
As he leaves the large man grabs his shoulder. The man stands up towering over the nervous bartender.
"How much" says the man, in a stern and threating tone of voice.
The bartender's face contorts into one of pure fear. Unable to speak, his face goes pale; he lets out a small whimper. His legs shake, unable to hold his own weight. Drops of sweat rain down from his head. The large man gives the bartender a stern glare.
"Hahahaha", the large man lets out a horrifying laugh, almost like the roar of a wild animal… or a Grimm. "Relax a little, I'm only joking!"
The bartender's face regains some of its colour as he lets out a nervous laugh. The man slaps the bartender's shoulder with enough force to push him to the floor. As the large man sits down, the bartender, too afraid to stand quickly crawls away.
"Now then, what to do with you?" The Large man ponders. "You're ours now, but we still have to feed y', so I think it's only fair that y' repay us." The man smirks licking his lips, rubbing his hand against the girl's chest.
The young girl lets out a small weep as she clenches her fists. Suddenly, without warning, the young girl sprints away from the men, trying to reach the door, crying as she does so.
"Y' little" screams the large man as he grabs her.
"Help me please! Somebody" pleads the poor, defenceless girl.
He viciously throws her to the floor. Her head slams against the ground with a loud thud. The customers are only able to glace at the situation, too terrified to act. The man towers over her as he pulls his axe from his belt. With a glare that could only be described as that of a wild animal he raises his right hand.
"This'll teach y' to behave!"
"No stop! Please! I'm sorry!" begs the girl, pleading for her safety.
BANG!
The man screams in agony, his right hand shot clean off. The axe falls to the ground, missing the girl by millimetres. Blood pours form his wound like a fountain. Hastily he tucks his wound into his left arm before looking behind him. His eyes go wide with pure fear.
There stands the figure, pointing a smoking shotgun. She looks at the man, giving him a cold, stoic stare. The remaining men pull out their weapons; two of them have guns, while the blue haired man has a sword and the other carries an axe. The two with guns cautiously take a small step forward, as does the man with the axe. The people in the bar look on with shocked faces. The men aim their guns, without warning, blood splatters everywhere. The room is painted red, blood red. Ruby stands there, uncaring and without emotion. The three men ripped clean in half as their torsos fly across the room. Crashing onto the floor with the force of a hundred Huntsmen, leaving it shattered, a massive blade stood. It went by to quickly to even notice. The figure stood there wielding a colossal scythe. The blade by itself was almost as long as the silver eyed girl with another slightly smaller blade at the end completing the crescent shape. It was thick and it was wide. The handle too was long, welded and bolted in to blade, the black handle was longer than the girl. The blood red figure stood still as rose petals floated around her.
The large man now one handed man fell to the floor, blood covering him, a pale face, shaking. "Please, let me live! Please, I'll do anything; I'll get anything y' want, money, supplies, anything! Please, I'll do anything, just let me go!"
His screams of terror pierce the ears of those inside the room. The customers look on in shock. Without hesitation, she picks up the gun of his fallen comrade.
"No. Please, let me li-!"
BANG!
Silence befalls the room, the shocked faces of the people on show, the little girl curled up in a ball on the floor, the blood covering the tables.
The figure points the gun at the final man. "Tell your leader I want to meet with them!"
The door slams open as the last remaining man sprints away in terror.
The handle folds as it gets closer to the blade, the girl hangs the weapon off her back as she covers it with her cloak. She takes the gun in her hand and drops it to the floor.
The blood red figure, the girl, she was Ruby Rose with a scythe that was not Crescent Rose. No. Perhaps, maybe this girl is not Ruby Rose. She May look similar, she may have still had the same name but she is far too different to be called the same girl she once was.
The people look at the mess that was once the pub.
"Sorry about the mess" the girl in the blood red cloak says, her words obviously not earnest.
"Don't worry about it Miss, I've had to clean up a lot of messes because of those bandits" the bartender replied. "I'm Kuro; I just wanted to thank you for stopping those horrible people, they've been causing trouble ever since the fall of Beacon"
Her smile sank, replaced with a blank expression. "It's been tough for everyone. Where's their base?"
"Down at the old church… wait! You don't mean to take them all on. There's at least a hundred of them." The bartender asks, both shocked and concerned.
The blood red figure pulls up her hood as she walks by the corpses of the bandits cut in two by her scythe. She slams open the door as she walks out into the cold night. The little girl looks on as her saviour walks away.
A short while later at the bandit's base... a figure sits upon a throne surrounded by an army of bandits. Bright yellow lamps illuminate the decrepit church. Gold, jewels and over valuables cover the floor. The huge muscly figure spoke with his huge booming voice. "Is this true?"
"Yes, Boss" the blue haired bandit replied. "She killed Don, Mike and Hues in a single strike. The scythe... It was massive, cut them in two."
"Men, it seems we have drawn the attention of the Reaper of Remnant! I want squads one and two to go out on patrol, three and four are to stay on guard! Capture her alive, bring her to me!"
"Yes sir!" His army of thugs replies.
The Boss stands, stepping to the side, a booming thud accompanied by his every step. He looks upon a suit of full body armour and an immense sword, a smile plastered across his face. "A terror throughout the south of Sanus, currently residing in a town in the middle of nowhere... what would the Reaper possibly want with us... the Great Southern Sanus Raiders." He chuckles to himself. "I wonder..."
As the night continues the bandits become impatient. Outside the base a group of six stand. "Still no word from squads one or two, eh?" The blue haired bandit states walking from around the corner to the group of six.
"You think this Reaper is even gonna show?" One of them replies.
"I've heard rumours about this Reaper but I thought it was all bullshit." Another adds.
A single rose petal falls from the sky landing gently on the blue haired man's shoulder, he quickly looks up. Blood splatters everywhere as a gigantic blade pierces the necks of the men, instantly ripping their heads from their bodies. The blood red figure falls to the floor gently like a rose petal.
Upon his throne the Boss sits, encased in a thick black armour with his massive blade in his right hand. The remaining bandits sat weapons ready.
Suddenly the doors break apart, a red blur dashes across the room into the throne. The throne shatters into a million pieces as the boss is flung across the room, breaking through the wall and landing on the grass. The boss looks up, it takes only a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dark, as he sees the remains of his men shattered apart on the grass.
The Boss stands up as he chuckles to Ruby. His grin plastered across his face. "So, you're the Reaper... funny I didn't think you would be a little girl."
The Reaper looks at the man, rose petals land on the corpses of the bandits. "You should have done a better job of hiding your explosives" she says with a smirk.
"What?"
A loud bang. Flames consume the church as it quickly crumbles, collapsing to the ground. The red glow of the flames illuminates the scene like the fires of hell. The Reaper walks closer to the man.
The Boss's face twitches in anger. His massive sword plunges onto the ground, propelling him forward, his right foot smashes against the ground as he leaps further forward, he swings his mighty sword toward the Reaper with incredible speed.
The Reaper quickly leaps backwards, narrowly avoiding the sword. As she lands on the ground, she gets out the scythe with her right hand and grasps it tightly with her left. The Boss points his sword to the stars as he prepares for another massive swing. Instantly Ruby swings the scythe from her chest at his right shoulder, the force enough to crack the man's amour. The Boss stumbles backwards.
"Hahaha, well done girly, you're as strong as the rumours say. But unfortunately, I'm a lot stronger." A white glow surrounds the man as his shoulder remains unharmed.
"You've got aura then." Ruby mumbles.
The Boss lunges forward grabbing both hands on his weapon as he swings.
The scythe glows a red like a person activating aura as she spins the deadly blade in a circular motion. And in an instant, it's over.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh" The man screams a blood curdling scream as he falls to the ground. His gigantic blade ripped in two and his arms separated from his body.
The Reaper in blood red walks forward as she puts away her scythe. She viciously stomps on the man's chest. "Now then" she states in an ominous tone.
"What do you want, please I'll do anything" the once proud man screams.
"Have you heard of Salem?"
"No! I swear!" He screams in a mixture of agony and fear.
"You're supposed to be a major bandit group around these parts, I thought you'd know something." The girl glares at the man. "What about Tyrian, you heard of him?"
"No... I-I'm sorry, please let me live" the man pleads, tears down his face.
"Useless! A complete waste of time!" The girl shouts in a rage.
"I'm sorry... Please just let me live!"
"That's for the villagers to decide." The girl states in an emotionless tone.
Blood pours out of his wounds as the boss lay on the floor, crying out, screaming in pain.
The girl, Ruby Rose, The Blood Red Figure, The Reaper of Remnant slowly walks away. Behind her lay a trail of destruction and brutality. The fierce glow of the flames growing ever distant as she walks further into the dark night sky.
To Be Continued