*Coughs*. Sorry to anyone who was disappointed to see a repeat of chapter 1 before, fixed it. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
-X Line Break X-
Ruby gasped as she sat up, looking around as the crowd of people ignored her. Climbing to her feet, Ruby shuddered as she passed right through one of those people.
What was going o-?
Ruby's Scroll beeped, drawing her attention to the message on it.
Reach the Mountain Glenn Memorial Park. You have sixty minutes. Fail, and face Erasure. -The Reapers
Ruby stared at the letters, trying to keep calm. So this was real. It wasn't a bad dream, she was really dead...
"OW!" Ruby clutched her hand. Looking down, she saw a series of red numbers engraved on her palm.
60:00
59:59
59:58
Ruby stared at the numbers.
"You know," Ruby jumped in place, turning to the man seated on a bench. He was wearing a black waistcoat over a white button up, "Sitting around staring at the timer is a good way to get yourself killed."
"Uh…" Ruby couldn't think of an answer.
"Whatever," the man stood, "You need a partner?"
A partner? Ruby didn't want a part-
"You can't fight Noise without one," the man said, as if he knew her thoughts, "Come on. Let's form a pact."
"You're another player?" Ruby asked.
"After a fashion. Now, are we going to do this, or are you gonna let yourself be erased, Phones?"
"Ok," Ruby took the man's hand, ignoring the jab at the headphones around her neck. The world seemed to shudder and quake, before calming down.
"Good," The man said, "Now, you got a name? Or am I gonna be calling you 'Phones' the entire week?"
"Oh," Ruby said, "I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose."
"Adorable," the man said, "I'm Hei Xiong, but call me Junior. Everyone else does. Now, you got any pins on you, Kiddo?"
"Pins?" Ruby stopped as she reached into the pocket of her sleeveless hoodie. Pulling her hand out, Ruby stared at the small collections of pins.
There were four in total, three with a stylized weapon and one with a soda can. Ruby turned over the one with a scythe on it. Qrow…
"You ok, Kiddo?" Junior said, tapping her on the shoulder.
"I'm fine!" Ruby said, waving her hands rapidly, "just, Just thinking."
"Well, save that until we get to the park. Come o-" Junior sighed, pulling out a bat, "Great. See you on the other side."
"Wha-" Ruby blinked as Junior vanished, a pair of frogs that went up to her knee appearing in front of her. The thing that drew her attention was the animals' hind legs. They looked like they were made of tattoos. No skin, just swirls of red.
Ruby yelped as one suddenly landed on her, planted those leg on her chest and pushed off, sending her rolling back.
Owwww.
Ruby dodged the next attack, looking around. What was she supposed to do? She didn't have a weapon.
The badges in her hand heated up, vibrating slightly. Like they could help, like they could be used…
Well, what other choice did she have?
Ruby dodged another jump, putting on the pins as she did. Once they were in place, Ruby let instinct take control.
Pointing her fingers at one frog, Ruby mimed a gunshot. An orb of red and black light tore across the space in between them, knocking the frog onto its back.
A large sword of the same light appeared in her hand as she moved. Stab, slash.
The frog exploded into static as Ruby bisected it. Landing, she activated the last pin.
The light shifted, forming into a giant scythe like Qrow's. When Ruby swung it once experimentally, a beam of red-black flew from the blade.
Ooohh! She liked this one.
The frog didn't have time to react as Ruby swung the scythe into the air, another beam consuming it whole.
The world jolted again, and suddenly Junior was beside her, leaning on his bat. His eyes seemed to roam over her, "I knew it."
"What?"
"Don't worry about it. Here, take this."
Ruby caught the pure white pin, turning it over, "What's this one do?"
"It's a very special pin. Try it when we meet another set of Noise."
Ruby followed Junior, jogging to stay even with the colossus of a man, "You seem to know a lot about the Game."
"I do," Junior agreed.
"Why?"
"I watch it, normally. I can see into the UG even though I'm not dead. We need to talk to that Reaper."
"Rea-" Ruby's eyes landed on the man leaning against a wall, playing with his scroll. Growing from his back were a pair of black wings that were probably useless for flying. Just a set of lines that ended in spear points.
As they reached him he looked up, "Anything you two need?"
"Bring down the wall," Junior said.
"...Well, you have a pact. Not sure why considering everything. Things that boring on the up-"
"Yes. Bring down the wall."
The world warped and jolted again, leaving Ruby staring at the wall of glass between them and the park as it collapsed.
"C'mon, Kiddo."
Ruby dutifully padded behind Junior, "What was that?"
"What?"
"He seemed to respect you."
"Us," Junior said, "He thought we were Reapers."
"Why would they think that? We don't have wings."
"Don't worry," Junior said, "Noise incoming. Let's try out that pin."
Then he was gone. Replaced with three snarling wolves with blue tattoo legs. Glancing down at the pin, Ruby frowned. Still white.
Holding out her hand, Ruby summoned the scythe. Diving over the first wolf, Ruby swung it down, obliterating it.
The white pin pulsed with light, an image appearing on it. Two sets of wings, one fluffy and grey, the other a Reaper's wings in black and red.
As Ruby focused on it, several things flashed through her head. The most pleasant music she had ever heard, a town on the verge of becoming a city, a tavern.
Ready?
Of course!
The black and red light swirled around Ruby as she was lifted into the air. It formed into a set of bullets that ricochet around the area. When one impacted the wolves it exploded, thrashing the wolves around until they disappeared in a storm of static.
Junior popped back into existence, nodding, "Come on. Park."
No other Noise attacked them as they reached the park. As they did, Ruby looked down at her hand. The timer was gone.
"Do you," Ruby shrunk as Junior turned to her. Now that their (after)life wasn't in danger, Ruby was uncomfortably aware of how tall he was. He made her dad look short, "Do you mind if I listen to some music?"
"Go ahead," Junior shrugged, pulling out his scroll.
Ruby slipped on the noise canceling headphones, turning the volume up to max and beginning to listen to This Will Be the Day with her eyes closed.
Wat r u doing?
What do you mean?
u r with a lil reaper. Strg. Wat r u doing? Who is she?
Your new Conductor. I have a good feeling about her, but I'm putting her through the paces to make sure she's actually a good fit.
I DON'T NEED ONE
Yes you do.
NO I DON'T
Stop with the caps lock, Neo. You've forced my hand by putting it off so long.
I. DON'T. NEED. ONE.
Either I pick one or the council picks it.
Then I'll erase them!
And the Council will erase you. You don't have a choice.
Look, I know you don't like it. But it has to happen.
- X Ruby X-
The first thing Ruby noticed when she opened her eyes was that they weren't at the park anymore. That alone was enough to worry her, since she couldn't have had them closed for-
Ruby realized that the song blaring in her ears was not the one it had been moments before. How long had she been out?
The girl jumped as a hand tapped her on the shoulder, spinning, she saw Junior miming taking off headphones.
Doing that, Ruby focused on the man, "Wuh-?"
"You look worried, Phones," Junior said, leaning on the back of the bench she had been sitting on moments before.
"I- We weren't here a second ago."
"They knock you out in between rounds. Makes things go quicker for you."
Ruby looked around, trying to figure out where they were. Warehouses stretching from either side with giant ships and-
Ruby froze as she caught someone staring right at her. Despite the occasional person that crossed between them, blocking from them from each other sight, Ruby was certain they were watching her.
She had pink, brown and white hair and several necklaces around her neck. Brown pants with tucked into white boots and a white and pink jacket.
Her gloved hands were clutching the base of a closed umbrella tightly.
"You alright, Kiddo?" Junior asked.
What had been the point in asking for her name if he never used it?
"That girl over there," Ruby said, turning to her partner, "is she watching us?"
"What girl?" Junior asked.
"That on-" Ruby stopped, the girl had disappeared, "Huh?"
Any thoughts on the matter disappeared as Ruby's scroll beeped.
Eliminate twenty Noise. You have one hundred and twenty minutes. Fail, and face Erasure.
Ruby flinched as her hand burned again, the timer appearing on her hand in red.
"They aren't asking for much, are they?" Junior said, reading from Scroll.
"Is it normally harder?" Ruby asked.
"Yes," Junior stood, "But there's been a shake up in the ranks. The Conductor is dead."
"The who?" Ruby tilted her head.
"The Conductor. The most powerful Reaper in an UG. It's their job to pass the final verdict on who wins the Reapers' Game," Junior must have noticed the look of horror on her face, "There'll be one by the end of the week, don't worry."
Ruby didn't answer. What happened if there wasn't?
"How are we supposed to find Noise?" Ruby asked.
"They should have given you a Player Pin. Black, got a fancy skull on it."
Ruby reached into her pockets, eventually finding the pin in question… alongside a pin with a mace on it, "Wha-?"
"Sometimes Noise form into new Psyches. You'll get used to it. Put that on but keep the Player Pin in your hand."
Ruby did, turning the skull pin in her hand, "Now-?"
"Close your eyes and stretch your senses. The UG is more than what you can see. It's sound, tastes and smells too, they're all more real here than in the RG."
"Why?"
"Because the UG isn't just the afterlife's waiting room. It's another frequency, dedicated to the creativity that brings a city to life. The music and rhythm that beats through it. Open up-"
Ruby closed her eyes, listening to Junior's voice as she did.
"-the honking of cars, the water crashing against the ships in harbor, people walking down the street. That's why every UG is different, the ways these things merge together will never be the same in two different places. Can you sense it?" Ruby nodded, "Good, imagine you're a member of a band, pluck out one instrument, focus on it."
Ruby nodded again, listening to the jumble of voices echoing through her head.
I hear there's a good seafood place around here. That blog mentioned it.
I need to get more paint for that school project.
I wonder what Adam's thinking about?
Then darker blobs of sound.
Doesn't even spare me a glance…
I knew I shouldn't have tried that dating site.
"What-?"
"Noise. They're formed when negative emotions fuse with the UG. Reach for them, as many as possible, they'll come. Let's take them out."
Ruby did, grabbing one, two, three, four, five groups of Noise.
"Save the sync to the end," Junior said, "It'll be strongest than."
Ruby's eyes drifted open, summoning the sword to hand as she stared down the set of five frogs.
The first lunged at her, only to be cut through immediately. The light shifted to a mace, smashing back two more. The next two were obliterated by a scythe swing.
The next set of Noise was three frogs and two wolves. Ruby swung her scythe twice, taking out a frog on each swing only for it to disappear halfway through the third swing.
Looking down, Ruby's face paled as she saw the scythe pin had become tarnished. Had she broken it?
Firing at one wolf, Ruby summoned the sword, slashing through the other one. Once they, and the last frog, died, the next set formed.
Staring at the four frogs, Ruby felt herself connect to something. Looking down, she smiled at the repaired pin.
This dance continued, until Ruby was staring a bear with its front legs replaced with the tattoos of Noise.
Looking down, Ruby saw another image on the pin, a scythe and Junior's club crossed over the wings.
Let's do this!
Right!
The tavern slowly changed. Children walked in, and then walked in with their children, who walked in with their children. The town became a city, everything becoming more modern… none more than the castle overlooking it all.
Ruby formed the mace, tearing at the bear and smashing it back, a shadow appeared behind the bear and hit it toward her.
Ruby didn't stop to think why she was strong enough to play tennis with the Noise, just continued to wail on it until it died.
The world shifted again, and her and Junior were standing there. Looking at her hand, Ruby laughed slightly, "They really weren't asking for much, were they?"
Just like that, the timer was gone.
I don't like her.
You don't say.
She's a little kid.
She's the same age you were when you got the position. It's happening.
Fine. But only if she makes it to the end of the week.
Stating the obvious?
Fuck you.
- X Ruby X -
"This is getting boring," Ruby said on day five, fiddling with a new pin. An axe.
Junior looked up from reading his Scroll, "You haven't been awake for five minutes yet."
"I mean," Ruby gestured around, "All this. I didn't think we'd be spending the week beating Noise."
Ruby liked fighting, but it was getting really dull. Wake up, kill Noise, fall asleep. Repeat.
"You're-" Ruby's scroll beeped, "What's it today?"
Make black hoodies in. You have two hundred and forty minutes.
"In?" Ruby asked, ignoring the second half and the spike of pain, "What's 'in' mean?"
"In fashion. They want us to make those hoodies fashionable."
Ruby's mind screeched to a halt at those words, and she was suddenly desperately wishing they were supposed to be killing more Noise.
Fashion!? Ruby didn't know anything about fashion.
Grabbing her headphones, Ruby slid them on. She wasn't fashionable. That was Yang's job. Most things social were Yang's job.
What did fashion mean when you were- were…
Ruby shook her head like a wet dog, continuing to blare her music to cut out the world. Were…?
The nearly familiar hand of Junior pressed onto her shoulder, drawing her attention. Ruby took off her headphones, "What?"
"It's not going to be as hard as you think, Phones. The UG has plenty of ways to manipulate people."
"I have a name," Ruby protested.
"Stop trying to block out the world," Junior said, "And maybe I'll stop calling you Phones. Come on, there's a place nearby that can help us with this."
Ruby settled into the jog she had to maintain to stay even with Junior, listening to Vale's music as she went.
Rally tonight. Not sure if I'll go. I don't like the Fang's new message.
Vacation ends soon, still don't have that project done.
Damn. I still don't get how this guy can put up these giant walls of art without getting caught.
"What do you mean, manipulating people?"
"Have you looked at your Scroll since the game started? Really looked?"
Ruby pulled out her Scro- Wait.
Ruby didn't have a Scroll. Her dad and Qrow had told her she had to wait until she had been at Signal for a few years.
Ruby turned Scroll in her hands, checking it over, "What the-?"
"You're welcome," Junior said, "Playing the game without a Scroll is much harder. Turn it on."
Ruby pressed the golden gem in the center of the grips, letting the grips automatically pop out to a set length. Closing the music player, Ruby looked at the apps.
The entire lower half of the home screen was covered in a set of lock symbols, and when Ruby hit one, it vibrated slightly, "What are these?"
"They're not important now," Junior said, "You see the one with a thought bubble?"
"Uhh…" Ruby looked, "Yeah!"
"Open it."
The app was simple, just a camera view and a drop down list with a single option. Black hoodies.
"What's this?"
"Memes," Junior said, "Hit the button and you'll make someone think about the option you chose. It won't do anything if they don't have any reason to care, but if they're trying to think of a new outfit, it should stick."
"That still seems slow," Ruby said.
"Which is why we're not using it for this one. Killing Noise while wearing an outfit makes people in the area more willing to use it. We'll be good… we're here."
Ruby followed Junior into the building. As the door jangled, the blond haired woman sitting at a desk looked up, "Boring week?"
What?
"We're playing the game. What do you think?"
"So you're here for those hoodies?" She asked, "Kolr's boring."
"Yes."
"Come on," she stood, "Irving! We have a pair of guests."
The next half an hour was a blur of measurements and clothes talk, the duo looking excited as they did so.
"Three months!" the woman, Rufina complained as they walked the two partners wearing hoodies to the door, "Three months of nothing!"
"Boring," Irving trilled, "Anyways, we'll see you whenever!"
Then the door was slammed in their face. Junior didn't seem perturbed turning away, "What did you think of them, Phones?"
"Uh…" Ruby trailed off, fiddling with her headphones, "That's… I don't know."
"Could you tell they were Reapers?"
"Kinda?" Ruby offered, "But why were they sitting around?"
"Game's on life support, without the Conductor. Same reason we haven't seen many walls. Come on."
So, what are you going to do if she decides not to be Conductor?
She won't.
How do you know?
She won't.
Ruby stepped into the Mountains Glenn park again, feet carrying her to stay even with Junior as they walked towards the boy sitting on the stage. The Game Master.
He was wearing a paint stained black hoodie, playing on his scroll as they approached. The animal ears on his head twitched, and he looked up from his scroll.
"That's it?" He hopped down, "Man. I was so excited. Easy jobs, no Harriers and a skeleton crew of Supports, I was sure I would get a fun time. Not just a giant and a kid."
"You're not that much older than me," Ruby said.
"You," The boy stopped, examining Junior without answering Ruby, "You're… Whatever, I don't need to deal with this."
Ruby took a step back as the music pulsed, before standing tall, "Junior?"
"Yeah, Kiddo?"
"See you on the other side?"
"Yeah," Junior grinned, "See you on the other side, Ruby."
"Come on, you two!" the UG pulsed around the Game Master, warping as his voice was coated in a layer of Noise, "Let's paint a picture!"
Junior disappeared with the next pulse, leaving Ruby staring down a building sized bear Noise where the Game Master had been.
Ruby fired every bullet in her pin, forming a pair of claws as she dodged away from the first swipe… and being struck by a wave of paint that followed it.
Skidding back, Ruby dodged around the next attack, landing on the arm and charging up it. The tattoo marked arms splattered rainbow colored blood as Ruby dragged her claws up them, switching to the axe as the pin reset.
As the other arm smacked her away, Ruby threw the axe forward, lodging it into the Noise's right eye. Landing, and dodging his next smashed blow, Ruby created the mace.
On the next swing, Ruby swung to meet it. The heavy energy met his curled hand with a crack and a pulse of agony up her arm.
Ruby yelled in pain as the hand gripped around her, crushing her tight. Screwing up her eyes, Ruby summoned the sword next to her head and launched it towards his open eye.
Falling to the ground, Ruby rolled over. Two on her pins fell off, cracked. The sword and the gun.
"You think making me blind will stop me?!" the Noise bellowed, swinging down on where Ruby was as she dove out of the way, "Have you learned nothing over the week?"
Ruby landed, summoning her scythe and launching as many strikes as she could before the Noise stood to his full height. The world warped again, and Ruby was staring at five arrows.
Dodging around each, Ruby felt sweat pour down her face. The moment the fifth sailed past her, both hands closed around her, lifting her into the air and resuming the attempts to crush her.
Forcing herself to focus on the white pin, Ruby hoped Junior was ready to use it.
Do you hear that?
The funeral procession moved past the bar that had once been a tavern. The last line of a family that had visited Hei's bar since it had been founded, one hundred and eighty years before.
Grey eyes drifted up, staring at the castle overlooking everything. A tiny bit of power leaked out, coaxing the tower into life.
The beacon lights ignited, shining for a moment followed by the clattering of…
Bells!
Ruby burst from the hands in an explosion of energy, watching the pointless pins fall to the earth as she rose into the air on Reaper wings. The bell on the Harmonizer pin just barely visible as Ruby grinned at the Game Master.
Hundreds of bullets pelted at him as Ruby launched forward, claws forming and tearing into him. Landing for a second, Ruby summoned her axe and sword.
Taking off, Ruby lodged them both into him. Spinning as she flew higher, Ruby threw the mace at his head and gripped the scythe that formed. Launching herself down, Ruby looped her scythe around the neck of the Game Master and pulled.
The world shifted, leaving Ruby leaning on her scythe as Hei walked past the unconscious Game Master, "So…"
"So," Hei smiled, "I think you know what I'm about to ask you."
Ruby's eyes drifted to were the Composer was leaning on her umbrella outside the park, "Did one of you…?"
"No," Hei said, "It happens occasionally. People who aren't dead but can interact with the UG. Neo was the same. It's not hard to bump up their frequency."
"I," Ruby swayed, "Can I sleep on it?"
"Sure," Hei said, "I'll make sure you get home in the meantime. Nobody will notice you were gone."
"Oh," Ruby smiled, "Go-"
She passed out.
"Clearly. Reapers aren't supposed to sync with an Angel. Even a shitty one like me."
Still a bit anticlimactic.
"Well," Hei leaned down, picking up the Conductor, "I should get her home. See you when I get back."
Ruby's eyes snapped back to the present as a hand landed on her. Turning to one of Hei's men, who pointed to her headphones, Ruby pushed then down.
So this is why Neo wanted her here?
"Yes?" Ruby asked.
"I said," the henchman didn't seem to realize the nest he was kicking, "Put your hands up!"
"You're," Ruby kept from snickering, "Robbing me?"
"Yes."
"Ohh…" Ruby coiled her muscles.
