Zestrum
The clicking of the doorknob as it twisted back and forth roused the General, clad in a brown trenchcoat and a beige beret,from his thoughts, as he turned his gaze towards the barracks room of a particular combatant. "It's not going to work, Red Lantern," Rahjat said in a deadpan tone, feeling annoyance rise up in his throat as he turned away from the room. "They're growing impatient. Just one more day." he concluded, right when he heard the voice of the man in the room.
"You fool!" bellowed the incredibly loud tones of Atrocitus, as he sat inside his special little cell. It resembled the surface of Ysmault, with walls made from red stone and a holographic display of the planet's sky above him. "You cannot hold me! I will tear your skull from your corpse, you feeble-"
A loud bang suddenly shook the door to Atrocitus's holding room, dust kicking up off the mix of technology and wood as it vibrated from the force of Rahjat's fist slamming into it. "That's quite enough," Rahjat said, the emphasis placed upon a word that was suddenly laced with venom and vile hate. With an understanding of the tone, Atrocitus grumbled as he began pacing around his room.
"When I step over the corpses of my fallen enemies on this month, I will search for you, Rahjat!" Atrocitus yelled out as another act of angry defiance.
"Oh dear, and here I thought I could take some time off for my niece," Rahjat said, and with the deadpan tone fully in place, Atrocitus simply sat down and pondered strategies for his opponents. As if on cue, the holographic TV behind him clicked on in a burst of static. And with that, Atrocitus simply smiled.
Fist after fist slammed into the wood and titanium doors of Team RWBY's holding room with a fiery rage, each blow stopped by Yang's Aura before it could hurt her, which was something her concerned friends were relieved about.
"Yang!" Blake said, backing away from the blonde's relentless assault of the double doors, watching her partner slam into them.
"Just stop," Weiss said, "It's clearly not going to work, Yang, calm down."
At those words, Yang did slow down, lowering her fists as she turned towards her friends. "Then what are we supposed to do? They said they're letting us free, right? So why are we still in here?"
Just then, Noar's voice played through the room, coming from the roof in a crystal clear intercom. "Hello, future combatants," he said, calm and collected, "three things real quick. One, if I ever told you there were sixteen competitors, I was wrong. There are now only fourteen. After our latest four, I decided to try simply asking. But Oliver Queen and Barry Allen declined going to another planet to kick some ass."
"Well, yeah!" Ruby said.
"At least they actually tried," Blake summed up, sitting on the ground next to the Drink Synthesizer. "It doesn't make what he did to us suddenly alright. But he's working on it."
As Yang simply muttered under her breath, Noar spoke again, "Two: If you think sitting on the ground is a bore, there is a control panel next to the holo-wall. So, if you want a bench, a bookshelf, and whatever games console you desire, it'll be right there. Remember: lesser of two evils."
In a sea of rose petals, Ruby went over to the keypad. It was a rectangular box with letters in both English and some other language, which Ruby guessed was the language of the Alik'Onir, as well as several illustrations. Pressing several of the letters and pictures, two sci-fi titanium benches with velvet cushions emerged, as well giving each girl a bed on either side of the room, which was growing larger. Pressing more buttons, a bookshelf, punching bag, and several musical instruments were also brought in.
"Those are for you guys," Ruby said.
Breathing heavily, Yang walked up and began beating the heavy bag as Weiss said "I...thank you, Ruby. That's really kind of you."
As Ruby nodded, Noar said his final piece, "And finally: in case you haven't noticed, you cannot leave yet. This is two-fold. One, we need to finish the trackers, so that we know you aren't trying to leave the planet. Not sure what'll happen if you try, but you can't. Maybe the citizens will crucify you or somethin', I don't know."
"That's a pleasant sight," Blake said, grabbing a book near the holo-wall, "Glad I could start seeing that. Thanks."
Ruby giggled at Blake's sarcastic remark, and turned to her partner. Weiss, however, seemed distracted and a bit unfocused. "Hey, Weiss? You okay?" she asked, which seemed to snap Weiss out of her distracted state. "Hmm?" she said, "Yeah, I-I'm fine." As the two walked towards a bench, Weiss was in thought, as she internally said "What was that about? Blake talked, and then I just...blanked out."
"Second, and simplest of all," Noar continued, "you need to learn about your opposition. Don't want you to be blindsided. So, good luck!"
After finishing, the holo-wall lit up into static. Sitting on the benches, Team RWBY looked at the screen for a while, clearly anxious as to what what they would soon see. The sound of fireworks hitting their ears could heard as they could hear the screams of fans from the bloodworks.
After some time, the broadcast finally started. The buildup was much like a wrestling event, as cameras swooped over many screaming fans in the audience. All were Alik'Onir of various species, from snakes and chameleons, to turtles and frogs. They were all dressed fairly normally, with exotic colors of purple and scarlet amongst standard T-shirts and dresses. There was a metal song playing in the background, loud and heavy, gearing up the fans for what was sure to be a month of high-octane action.
The cameras then cut to a room high above the stage, where three people sat with headsets on. "Oh, hey, a commentary team?" Yang said, crossing her arms, "This oughta be good." Their appearances were actually a little unexpected. Rather than three Alik'Onir, two of them were of different species. On the left was a creature in a blue carapace, glowing white eyes shining through the azure natural armor. His fingers bore sharp claws, and the carapace ended in a pointed "helmet" that seemed poised to stab the sky. He also had a visible tail that would sometimes pop into girl in the middle was surprising, given that she was a human. She had red hair, which turned into purple further down in a gradient, leading down her shoulder in a pony-tail. Her eyes were bright orange and seemed to glow with a supernatural ilk. Her outfit was like that of a mechanic's uniform, with a blue jumpsuit with the name "Cat" written in cursive and a zipper that lead down. She was also holding a phone with a small keychain of a rabbit on it. The last one was an Alik'Onir, which appeared similar to Rahjat in that he was a snake with no snout. Rather than the natural lips he had, this one's mouth seemed to be stitched together. He wore a long black cloak, with what seemed to be a silver jumpsuit inside, with several test tubes and glasses attached on a belt.
"We're about to go live," the carapace alien said, tapping his clawed finger against the oak table. His voice was a baritone, deep and raspy, and his tone of speech was very direct.
"Yeah, yeah, but I'm doing something," the human girl said. Her voice was surprising in that it was robotic, yet sounded natural and emotive. Thinking back to her friend Penny on Remnant, Ruby nervously leaned back in her seat.
"Not sure cat videos on Angelus-Net are a good method of-oh shit, we're on," the Alik'Onir noted, suddenly looking up to see the red light on the edge of the camera. The other two looked up as the human put away her phone while clearing her throat.
"Well, I am not disappointed," Yang said, finally as calm as before they left, "Not half bad, already."
"Ahem, sorry about that," the human said.
"As you should be," the carapace alien said, "Welcome to the latest Zestrum Conflict; the bloodbath to end all bloodbaths. Or so Dahkat Noar says. I am your Praetorian commentator, Zafrax."
"I'm Catherine Adema, your color commentator," said the seemingly human girl, "I would call myself human, but…" At that moment, she gestured to her eyes and said "Robotic parasites, am I right?"
"Robotic what?!" Weiss said, looking at the TV with wide eyes.
"Yeah, I thought her eye color was natural," Blake said, "That's...not the most pleasant thought."
"You are most certainly right," the Alik'Onir said, "Qith are nasty little buggers. Anyway, I am Ouroborus. Necromancer extraordinaire and...third commentator. I guess."
"Did he-he just say "Necromancer"?" asked Ruby, who turned to her team with raised eyebrows, "As in, he has magic?"
"No way," Weiss said, "It must be a joke. Look at how he's dressed."
Unfortunately, Weiss was soon proven wrong, as at that moment, Ouroboros placed a skull on the table and waved his hand. A green flame enveloped the skull, before it began to laugh. With another wave, the flame turned red and the skull began screaming, which further shocked the team. Zafrax then leaned over and smashed the skull apart, which doused the flame.
"...Okay," Yang said after a small pause, "So they have magic and better technology than Remnant? What the hell?"
"Well, Dust acts similar to magic," Blake said, "So maybe they just...skip the whole energy propellant thing?"
Turning back, they saw each commentator look into the camera. "Well, that was freaky," Catherine said, "Anyway, let's get into the point of today's broadcast."
"Indeed," Zafrax said, "The actual battles do not start until tomorrow, sorry to say. So, today's coverage is on the fourteen competitors in this month's Conflict. This is the third highest amount of competitors present so far."
"Usually, we get sixteen or eighteen," Ouroboros said, "But our Dahkat decided to be cordial. When he was declined, it was too late."
"Yeah," Catherine responded, "Wait, wasn't he gonna get Green Arrow and The Flash?" Ouroboros nodded, which made Catherine facepalm.
"Don't worry," Zafrax responded, "Our fourteen this month are as equally and utterly ridiculous as them."
Ouroboros turned to Zafrax with a disbelieving look in his eyes, and simply said "...You can make your bones into swords and shit."
At that moment, Zafrax popped out a blade of the same color as his armor from his finger, which was sharp at the tip, and said "Yes, but do you see a boxing glove on the end of this?"
Ouroboros bit his forked tongue as his shook his head no, while Ruby sat there, dumbfounded. "...Does that mean he puts a boxing glove on the arrow?"
"I guess," Yang said.
After a short pause, Ruby said, "...Then how does he kill Grimm?"
"Maybe...they don't have Grimm on his planet," Weiss said, "I mean, no one's mentioned them being here, so…"
"Huh." Ruby said, as she looked at the TV.
"Well, let's start with one of the most...culturally important competitors here," Catherine said, leaning back in her chair with a groan. "His name is...Maveto."
"Maveto? As in, the brother of Dahkat Dopoka?" Ouroboros questioned, obviously surprised.
"Wait...that's the guy Noar killed for the throne, right?" Weiss herself questioned, and there was a small pause in the room.
"...Oh shit." Yang said after the pause.
"The very same," Catherine said, "Now, the following footage isn't a memory taken from the Scanner. It's not even a fight, really. But we felt that...it described him well."
The camera cut to a timestamp that said "1 Hour, 56 Minutes Earlier", and showed a first person, handheld view of an Alik'Onir walking up to a holding cell door, like that of Team RWBY's door. What sounded like mad whispering could be heard from outside, and the cameraman wrapped his hand around the silver and black doorknob. Opening the door, Team RWBY saw just what Maveto's condition was. He was a green Snake Alik'Onir, with only one fang dangling out of his badly damaged and bleeding snout. He was wearing rags and there were chains around his wrists, though they weren't restraints, as they dangled from his hands. He was also laughing, while sat against the wall and staring at the door with wide, red eyes.
Before long, he began speaking, as he began, to the confusion of the team, reciting quotes from either a poem or a play, they couldn't tell. "Oh, Romeo. Romeo!" Maveto said, "Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name. Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn, my love. And I'll no longer be a Capulet." His voice was flighty and high-pitched, perfect for the utterly mad look in his eyes.
"M-Mr. Maveto?" the cameraman said, "Isn't it time for the interview?"
Maveto stood up, the chains rattling as they were dragged across the ground, and walked towards the cameraman slowly. He began laughing again, before saying "Let's answer your question, with another question."
Getting a bad feeling down in her stomach, Ruby looked away as the cameraman said "Yeah, and what's-"
"WANNA BECOME AN AMPUTEE?!" Maveto suddenly shouted before grabbing onto the cameraman's arm and pulling on it. With an incredible display of strength, the cameraman's arm was suddenly ripped off his body, red blood spurting out of the stump as he began screaming and crying. Maveto then slammed the arm against the poor cameraman's head, which made him drop the camera on the ground. Landing lens first, Team RWBY could only listen as Maveto began beating him with his own arm, all while reciting more Shakespeare.
"I TAKE THEE AT THY WORD! CALL ME BUT LOVE, AND I'LL BE NEW BAPTIZED!" he shouted, pummeling the cameraman until a sickening crack could be heard. "Henceforth, I never will be Romeo." he said, his voice suddenly deep and calm.
As Team RWBY sat, too stunned to say anything, the camera feed cut back to the three commentators. While the two more alien commentators had what appeared to be tablet computers, purple in color, in their hands, Catherine had her head bowed with a clearly uncomfortable look. Ouroborus turned to her with a frown and said "You okay?"
"I-I wasn't expecting that," she responded, "I can handle the rest. I can t-tell what's going to happen."
"Okay," the Alik'Onir said in a quiet tone, "How about we just play the memories while playing the bio next time?"
Once Catherine nodded, Zafrax took the time to speak, giving Maveto's information. "Maveto's fighting style is as loose and unpredictable as his mental state. He attacks using two axes he calls "Dopoka" and "Micrah", respectively named after his brother and mother, both deceased. He has no other extended family, and is currently homeless."
"That's…" Weiss began, "really depressing. Seeing how far he's fallen. He's royalty!"
"Not anymore," was Blake's simple response.
The second combatant was on the way. The camera cut to what appeared to be a memory bank, where one was highlighted, and selected. The video file of the memory played back a scene of a viscious battle. A humanoid alien was shown firing a plasma rifle at several furry humanoids in loincloths, with mandibles visible instead of a jaw. The alien in question was a cyborg, with half of its body being robotic, with shades of crimson leading down on a gradient from chrome as it lead down to its wrist and ankle. Half of its head was also robotic, being pure chrome. The organic half was green and scaly, with the creature wearing an armor set that looked like strong metal, and the creature also had a yellow beak, with yellow, human-like eyes with slitted pupils.
As the picture paused and shrunk down to the upper left of the commentator's screen, Ouroborus began giving information. "Z-Coatal," he began, "is our next competitor. He is part of the Kalekto race, which are full of cyborgs. He is a member of the Carcerass caste, which transates to "Soldier" in several languages."
"His fighting style is strategic and full of precision, as missing is the difference between life and death," Zafrax said, "He wields a plasma rifle, known as the Theta-Lambda Mark 63. It has a sixty shot magazine with rounds that can light targets on fire."
A loud squee soon hit the ears of the team, who turned to see Ruby curled up into a ball of excitement, with an absolutely huge smile on her face. "That," she yelled, "is that coolest thing, ever! Imagine if Crescent Rose had one of those! I could shoot a Grimm, light him on fire, then kick him into another Grimm!"
"Can't you already do that with Dust?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms slightly.
"Yeah, but Dust isn't a laser beam!" Ruby protested.
"She has a point," Yang said, thinking. After a second, she said, "Maybe, when we leave, I can steal one for you, sis."
"Really?" Ruby asked, and with a quick nod and a smile from her sister, she turned back to the TV, happy at the circumstance.
The next memory loaded up, and showed a human in the middle of a town. The town was burning and several buildings were on fire, yet the human didn't falter. He was wearing a skintight green outfit with what seemed to be a lantern on the chest, as well as a green mask that hid his eyes. He had black hair and a determined look on his face. The clip was of him dodging yellow blasts of energy. The picture froze and moved right as he created a wall to block another shot, letting the commentators explain him.
"That was Kyle Rayner," Catherine said, "Or as the people of the galaxy call him, The Green Lantern. Living in the Earth city of Los Angeles, he is a graphic artist by day who dons the Green Power Ring to stop intergalactic evil."
"He sounds awesome!" Ruby commented.
"It's nice to see a hero for a change," Yang noted, before raising an eyebrow. "Not bad lookin', either."
As Ruby groaned at hearing that, Blake simply said "Focus."
"Kyle's Green Ring is powered by the Green Light of Willpower," Ouroborus said, "See, all Lantern Corps, and their power rings, are powered by colors of the emotional spectrum. For example, Indigo is Compassion, and owned by the Indigo Tribe. With his Power Ring, Green Lantern can create energy constructs for both assault and defense."
"That's a...very unique power," Weiss said, "And something I've never even heard of. That seems like a strange power-set."
"Well, yeah," Ruby said, "It's from out in space! We can't know everything."
"...Good point," Weiss responded.
The next memory played, and only way it could be described was odd. The memory showed a small creature, with orange fur and tusks like that of a boar. It wore an orange variant of Kyle Rayner's costume, though the emblem for his corp was on his shoulder, and resembled a shimmering ring. He was hugging an Orange Power Battery to his chest, while surrounded by the spoils of his many victories.
"That is Agent Orange, also known as Larfleeze," Zafrax said, "He is the only current wielder of the Orange Light of Avarice, and is the leader of the Orange Lantern Corps. The other members of the Corps are his ability."
"Yep!" Catherine excitedly cried, "See, his Power Ring's constructs are actually apparitions of the many people he's slaughtered in a greed-fueled attempt to keep his perfect treasure, the Orange Power Battery, with him."
Team RWBY's collective expression was that of shock, until eventually, Blake said "T-That's sick! That's sick and twisted! What the hell?"
"I want to draw attention to his oath," Ouroborus said, "See, all Lantern Corps have an Oath for when they're charging up their batteries. For example, "In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship Evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light" for the Green Lantern Corps. Larfleeze's is "What's mine is mine and mine and mine, and mine and mine and mine! NOT YOURS!"
At that moment, they couldn't even resist a chuckle as they heard the ridiculous oath of the Orange Lanterns. "R-Really?" Yang asked behind her giggling.
"Apparently." Blake said.
"He still sounds like an abhorrent monster," Weiss noted, "But I cannot take that oath seriously. This "Agent Orange" sounds ridiculous!"
The next memory showed up, and before anyone could see who's next, Weiss said "How are they even doing this? These are memories, if what Catherine said is true. So, how are they-"
"Weiss, they're aliens that are also human-reptiles with magic powers," Ruby said, "They're just that cool!"
"But...oh, whatever," was the heiress's response as the memory played. It seemed to be a bustling metropolis on a very Earth-like planet, with an azure sky and fluffy white clouds over flying cars. A four armed, pointy eared humanoid with grey skin entered into frame as he walked down the street in a blue jumpsuit. In two hands was a single spear, where one end sparked with electricity and the other had a sharp blade. He also had a prehensile tail, that whipped behind him as he walked.
"Not very special, but it peaks attention," Zafrax said, "That is Na-Jal, a Zerikan member of the intergalactic military force, Zanzibar Fifteen. Primarily a peacekeeping unit, Zanzibar Fifteen famously stopped the Siege of Taltraxis VI some fifty years ago."
"Whoa. That's pretty cool!" Ruby said.
"You're saying that about everything, sis," Yang said. "Though...I guess all of it is kinda cool."
"Exactly," Ruby said, smiling.
"Na-Jal's primary weapon is the Bellok, a spear-stunstick combo that doubles as lethal force and a safe method of dispatching ne'er-do-wells." Catherine said.
"Well, good," Yang said, "Just going around and killing everyone probably doesn't look good on your record."
The next memory loaded, showing a man clutching his chest with a red ring on his finger, surrounded by several aliens with a giant Blue Power Battery behind him. He was perfectly human, with brown hair, brown eyes, and dangerously pale skin. He was wearing a black shirt over a black, leather trenchcoat, and baggy pants.
"Xander Cryn," Ouroborus said, "That one is a dude to watch out for. He's a human, technically; he's from the planet Zedoura, which is fifty-six percent scorching hot sun, to the point where you'll melt after a few hours."
"That doesn't sound good," Weiss said, before pausing to think, "...Hold on, is that even possible? Maybe, under the right circumstances, it can, but it doesn't sound right."
"Well, it is possible. I mean, we can see the guy, right?" Yang said, "Question is, what has to happen to, y'know, cause that?"
"Xander is a former member of the Red Lantern Corps, who use the red light of Rage," Zafrax said, "While normally incapable of using constructs, Xander had his sanity restored by the Blue Lantern Corps. They also gave him the capability to remove the ring, as normally, Red Lanterns die when their ring is removed."
"Wait, what?" Ruby asked, "That sounds like a terrible power!"
"Well, rage is a very powerful emotion," Blake said, "I mean, look at your sister."
"Yeah...hey!" said blonde Huntress protested.
Speaking of Red Lanterns, the next memory played. It showed a grisly sight, as corpses upon corpses littered the ground in a large blood puddle. A large figure entered the frame, in a red Lantern Corps uniform, with the insignia of what appeared to be a helmet. The figure was very large and imposing, with a red skinned head that bore a sadistic grin. A red blade emerged from his Red Power Ring, sharp and vibrant as it shone in his hand.
"Atrocitus," Catherine introduced, "He is the leader of the Red Lantern Corps, and an all around murderous asshole. He wasn't always like that, though. A former psychologist, he was one of the few survivors of the Massacre of Sector 666, and he, of course, wields the power of Rage."
"While intelligent enough to both speak and create constructs," Zafrax explained, "He has a very violent streak, and is held back by the ring. In addition, as all Red Lanterns do, he is able to spit to spit his blood at people, as his blood was replaced with a napalm-like substance."
"Whoa!" Yang said, "Where can I get one of those?"
"From what they say," Weiss said, "You'll die if you take it off, and it doesn't seem like they all keep their intelligence."
"...Oh...well, uh...nevermind, then," Yang said.
The next memory showed a yellow power ring in a purple hand, which was then swiftly placed on a finger. Raising up, it showed a purple colored man with a rather large head in a yellow Lantern Corps uniform, his insignia looking similar to the Green Lantern logo save for extra detailing. As he showed his ring to the camera, the image of a large, yellow creature filled the space behind him.
"Thaal Sinsestro, or just Sinestro," Zafrax said, "A former Green Lantern, Sinestro followed a different moral code, and thus started his own Corps, the Sinestro Corps, based around the Yellow Light of Fear."
"He sounds like a narcissistic dick, yeah," Catherine said, "But his power is very strong. His constructs are that of his targets' fears and worries. Thus, his strength is psychological."
Upon hearing that, each member of Team RWBY shuddered slightly, as every past anxiety and fear seemed to emerge in one fell swoop, as though Sinestro was in the room and already using the power of Fear.
"The Sinestro Corps and the Green Lantern Corps are mortal enemies," Ouroborus noted, "So if the two meet, it should be interesting to see what happens."
The next memory hit the airwaves, and showed another scene of terror. It showed a man, laying on the ground and cowering with his arms raised in surrender, with rebar stabbed through his left leg. Before he could flee, a figure in a trenchcoat slowly walked out from the shadows and flames, with four arms visible. On each one was a gauntlet, as well as on his notably still tail. As he pointed a gauntlet at the man, the memory stopped right as he fired, the man's final scream still hitting as it did. Ruby, who sat there with a hand over her eyes, cringed at the sound.
"His name is Pentakill," Zafrax said in a quiet tone. "A Zerikan bounty hunter operating of Dahir, Pentakill specializes in, as the name suggests, executing targets with brutal precision. To my knowledge, he has never taken a target in alive."
"Oh my God," Blake whispered, uncomfortable with the methods he seems to use.
"As the clip showed, his primary weapons are his Crosha-5 Flamethrowers," Ouroborus said, "He has four for each arm, plus a fifth affixed to his tail. Each one is actually color coded; the limbs on his left shoot blue flame, his right arms are green flame, and the tail is standard red fire. I guess he likes his theatrics."
"I-I can't bear to imagine…" Weiss says, "The Grimm are one thing...but to burn a human alive? It's sickening."
"I g-guess it's a good thing everyone I fight has an Aura, then," Yang said, "Otherwise…"
As discomfort set in, the next memory, and the final one before Team RWBY was introduced to a whole planet, played. It showed a Praetorian, like Zafrax, only his armor was black and the tip of his natural helmet was different, pointing upwards like a spike of his own. His eyes were glowing red, and his tail was spiked, as were his hand-like feet. The Praetorian was shown walking towards a man who was chained against the wall in cuffs. When he got close, the man looked up, and watched as The Praetorian slid blades out of his fingers, which was when the clip ended.
"Atraxis the Godkiller," Catherine said, slightly nervous, "In case you are from a planet where this never happens, there are some beings in this galaxy imbued with a magical or genetic healing factor that keeps them alive through any injury."
"Those people are called Immortal, because that's what they are," Ouroboros said, "Only one element consistently nullifies this healing factor; Crystal Ebony, which is a magical crystal that's purple in color."
"His weapons, which are those of all Praetorian," Zafrax continued, "are his bones. We can turn our bones into blades, shields, and other melee weaponry. Through genetic experimentation, his bones are made out of Crystal Ebony. In other words, he can kill any Immortal he sees."
Team RWBY sat there, letting this sink in. Ruby finally said, "Oh my God, that's so strange...it makes me wonder just how much we're missing."
"Yeah," Yang replied, "I mean, magic, aliens, and Immortals? It's amazing just what's out here."
"It's certainly interesting," Blake said, her voice calm and neutral, "I mean, this is a lot to take in, and it might not even matter when we get back to Beacon…"
"But seeing all these amazing things firsthand?" Weiss finished, "It's breathtaking."
Finally, a familiar memory played out, as it showed Ruby flying through the air on Crescent Rose, slashing through armorless Beowolves like paper in a snowy wasteland. "Oh my God! Guys, that's me!" the reaper shouted, clutching onto her partner in an embrace.
"Ah! Yes, Ruby, I can tell," said partner said, as she pushed Ruby back to the bench.
"Well, now, this is a first. Meet young Ruby Rose!" Catherine said, excited to see new blood. "She's from the planet Remnant, which is actually a secluded little rock, if I remember correctly."
"They aren't even spacefaring," Zafrax noted, "Their energy source, Dust, doesn't work outside of the planet's atmosphere. Which is an interesting development. Ruby is an excitable young student at Beacon, a school designed for hunting the Creatures of Grimm."
"...Is that supposed to have two Ms?" Ouroboros said.
"Apparently," Zafrax responded, before saying "Her fighting style is very unique. People on Remnant have a special ability known as a Semblance. Hers is great speed, which aids her fighting style. Using the custom weapon Crescent Rose, which is a combination scythe and 50. BMG Sniper Rifle, she can decimate opponents from far away, then cut them down with great ease."
"Okay, can the award for "Most Badass Weapon" go to this teen?" Catherine quipped.
"Oh God, guys, she called Cressie cool!" Ruby said
"Technically, she called Crescent Rose a badass weapon," Yang pointed out.
"Yeah, but even at fifteen, it sounds kinda weird to just say," Ruby replied.
"Hey, if it makes you comfortable, sis," Yang said, turning back to the TV.
The next memory emerged, showing Weiss as she battled the large knight. Her grace and technique was on display to a whole planet, which felt humbling to the alabaster haired heiress.
"Wow, Weiss, when did this happen?" Ruby asked.
"A week or two before I left for Beacon," Weiss answered.
"So, even before coming to Beacon, you could hold your own against something this big?" Blake asked. "You're pretty good, Weiss."
The complement sent a rush of heat up to Weiss's cheeks, which served to confuse her. "What is with me, today?"
"This young woman is Weiss Schnee," Ouroboros said, "Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, which is a large energy conglomerate. She became a Huntress to get away from her abusive, overbearing jackass father."
"Hey!" Weiss protested, only to say "You...aren't exactly wrong…"
"Weiss," Yang said, "I'm sorry to hear about that. Are you okay?"
Weiss nodded, and said "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not living there right now. And with you guys? I'm quite happy."
"Weiss fights with grace and poise in her technique," Zafrax said, "With her weapon known as Myrtenaster, which is a rapier with a revolver cylinder of various Dust types, she can turn the tide with her Semblance of Glyphs...and more."
"Perhaps…" Weiss said, "Wait, how am I going to use Myrtenaster without Dust?"
"Let's just hope what they're substituting works," Ruby points out, "I love Cressie's rounds when they do more than just be a boring little bullet."
Another memory played out, showing Blake and Adam's assault on the SDC train some six months ago. As soon as she saw the trademark mask, a feeling of anxiety washed over her. Yang, seeing what was wrong, leaned back and hugged her friend, wrapping her arms around her in security.
"This is Blake Belladonna," Catherine said, "A Faunus Huntress from Remnant, Blake was a former member of activism group-turned-terrorist cell, The White Fang."
"Um, Blake?" Yang said, "They just said-"
"I know," Blake whispered, "I don't know if it will be alright, but given who the populace is, they might be more accepting."
"Blake's Semblance is Shadow Clones; she is capable of leaving afterimages that can be altered with Dust," Ouroboros said, "Her weapon is Gambol Shroud, which is a sword combined with a pistol. Surprisingly, the hilt is a blade in of itself, which is kinda cool."
Ignoring the narration, Yang nodded as she turned back to see her own memory come on. She smiled as she rewatched her first little assault on Junior's bar, including a smug grin as she watched Junior sail off before they could "kiss and make up".
"Yikes, look at this buxom blonde," Catherine said, "Kinda top heavy, but it doesn't seem to slow her down. This is Yang Xiao Long, a Huntress of Team RWBY who specializes in beating the absolute fuck out of anything in her path."
As she sat on the bench with a beaming smile, Yang payed attention as Zafrax went over her strategy and weaponry. "Her weapons are Ember Celica, which are twin shotgun gauntlets. Her Semblance is Rage, or the capability of gaining more power the angrier she gets, and the more punishment she takes. She's dangerous when she's weakened."
"Damn straight!" Yang proudly yelled out. Looking at her left hand, she said "I could wear a Red Ring.."
"You could die," Weiss reminded her.
"Well, those are our competitors," Ouroboros said, "Let's move onto the bracket!" Moving towards a computer, the camera showed that the monitor had a tournament bracket template set up.
"Oh, cool," Yang said, "So, who's ass am I kicking?"
The names were shuffled around until the final bracket was formed. Aside from Na-Jal and Sinestro, who were placed in the second round, the first round's fights were as follows: Z-Coatal vs. Ruby, Blake vs. Maveto, Atraxis vs. Pentakill, Atrocitus vs. Xander, Green Lantern vs. Agent Orange, and Yang vs. Weiss.
Upon seeing her place in the bracket, Yang sheepishly laughed and said "I'll, uh, go easier on you." Which may have been the result of a magnificent death glare from the heiress.
"So, I get to fight the crazy one?" Blake said, "Well, that should be interesting."
"And I fight the guy with the plasma gun!" Ruby said, "That should be fun."
"Anyway," Weiss interrupts, "What time is it?"
The sky outside was dark, and so Blake had said "Pretty late."
"Then perhaps," Weiss said, "We should go to bed. We have a long day tomorrow, and we've had a long day today."
"Yeah," Ruby said, pausing to yawn, "Let's go to sleep."
And so, the Team laid down and closed their eyes, the room automatically dimming the lights as they went to sleep. And as night fell, the thoughts of the battles awaiting them didn't keep them awake for too long.