AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Last chapter was where the first act comes to an end, now moving into the second act. Here we have the focus on the Green Lantern Ring. As well as a bit more on the Agents of Vengeance. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.
Chapter 4 – Green Light of Willpower
Mercury and Emerald walked down the empty streets of Vale. The grey-haired fighter held a black and green short sword in his left hand. He smiled as he tossed the sword in the air. Emerald watched the weapon flip at an insane speed with a disenchanted look on her face. As the sword fell towards him, Mercury grabbed the handle without harming himself. He then turned to the green haired thief with a smirk on his face. Emerald rolled her eyes before she looked down the road ahead. Mercury shrugged before doing the same as her.
"Well, our mission is done." Mercury said as he looked at the blade, "That robot tried so hard to save that girl, she forgot to save herself."
"Except, she did hide Ruby somewhere." Emerald added on, "We need to find her."
"No, we don't," Mercury said as he looked at the short sword, "She got knocked out before seeing either of us. We already dealt with unwanted witnesses. Now, we just need to get our cameras ready for the upcoming show."
"You just don't want to do any more work," Emerald replied. Suddenly, she felt a person tapping on her right shoulder. She stopped and turned to find Neo behind her. Mercury turned but wondered how the mute girl sunk upon them. "Neo, did you do what Cinder ordered?" The green haired thief asked with Neo shaking her head from side to side.
"What!?" Mercury exclaimed, "Why!?" Neo looked at Mercury without replying.
"Was it that Huntress from before," Emerald added on. This time, Neo nodded. The green haired thief sighed before continuing, "This is bad, she wasn't supposed to be in the area anymore."
"So, Blondie is still alive. You failed Cinder." Mercury said with Neo nodding again, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at him. The gray-haired fighter smirked as he looked at the mute girl, "What do you have to say for yourself?" Neo half closed her eyes as she looked at Mercury. She raised her right hand, showing Mercury her fist. He had a look of confusion until she extended her middle finger. Mercury's eyes filled with rage as he tightened his grip on the short sword, "You little-" he was saying, but was cut off as Emerald put her right hand on his chest.
"Calm down," The green haired thief said as Neo lowered her hand, "Cinder won't like it if we are all trying to kill each other."
"…Right," Mercury said as he still glared at Neo. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head, "In that case, I'll go kill that blond bimbo myself. I have a score to settle." He said before he started to walk away from the two girls, "Oh and don't worry." He's as he waved the short sword in his hand, "I'll make it look like it was the robotic girl's fault."
Emerald and Neo watched as Mercury walked away, "Prick," Emerald muttered before she heard a buzz coming from her front left pocket. She reached in to take out her scroll, checking to see a message. "I have found something interesting. Meet me near the outskirts of the festival grounds." Emerald read aloud before turning to Neo in confusion, "It's from Cinder." She answered as she put the scroll away, "What did she find?"
Meanwhile.
"Yang Xiao Long!" The red monster loudly said as he looked directly at the blond brawler. The cat also glared up at her.
"Yang. He knows your name." Nora whispered, "And he doesn't look that friendly." The three students then began to back up as the red monster and the blue feline landed on the ground. The red vortex vanished in a flash.
"What should we do?" Pyrrha asked Yang, "It's your called."
Slowly, Yang raised and waved her left hand, "Uhhh… Hello." She then quickly lowered her hand, "So… you know who I am, somehow."
"You have a Red Lantern Ring." The red monster said with the cat walking over to the blond brawler's legs. The feline looked up at her left middle finger.
"Red Lantern Ring?" She said before looking at the ring on her left hand. She then raised her left hand, "You mean this ring? You want it, you can have it. Just tell me how to take it off without dying?"
"A Red Lantern Ring cannot be removed once it is dawned. Unless the user denies their rage and wishes to die." The red monster got closer to Yang, he stood over a foot taller than the blond girl, "Do you wish to die?"
"No, not on my to-do list," Yang said as a line of sweat ran down her face.
Nora then got between the two, "Maybe, we started off on the wrong foot here." She said with a slight giggle, "Let's introduce ourselves. I'm Nora. That red-haired girl is Pyrrha. You already know Yang. And you are…?" Nora said waiting for the red monster to finish the sentence
After a couple of seconds of silence passed, he answered Nora's question, "Atrocitus."
"Okay," Nora said with slight fear in her eyes but a smile on her face, "That's a nice name." She then walked to the feline with the ring on its tail, "And who is this little guy." Nora said as she knelt, reaching out her right hand to pet the cat. However, the blue-furred cat hissed as he showed his fangs. The orange haired girl retracted her hand in fear of being scratched.
"He is Dex-Starr." Atrocitus said, "Pet him and he will gnaw at your bones, lap your blood, and devour the rest of your corpse!"
"Nora," Pyrrha said as she turned to her teammate, "Don't pet the kitty." She asked as Nora nodded and stood back up.
Yang then looked back to the red monster, "So, what else do you know about these Red Lantern Rings?"
"Everything!" Atrocitus replied, "I founded the Red Lanterns, of which hundreds exist it the universe. Each is an Agent of Vengeance, demanding justice for those who lack the power to realize their rage." He then pointed to the blond brawler, "You, Yang Xiao Long, have been chosen by the ring. The rage you possess makes you stronger and the ring gives you the power to eliminate all those that have ever wronged you."
"Well, …that's…neat," Yang said as she took a couple of steps away from Atrocitus.
Pyrrha stood up and got between the two, "Everyone gets a little angry, but that doesn't mean you-"
"You cannot understand my wrath!" Atrocitus shouted at the red-haired warrior, "I have witnessed death more times than you can comprehend. Death caused by beings who deemed themselves the executioners."
"So that gives you the right to be the executioner?" Pyrrha responded.
"YES!" Atrocitus yelled back, causing Pyrrha to flinch, "Rage is the only emotion that exists in a Red Lantern's heart."
"Speaking of that," Yang interrupted as she pointed to the small hole in her chest. Her blood was already starting to scab over with a small amount of steam exiting the wound, "I was just stabbed in the heart, but I'm still standing. It's still beating, but I don't think its pumping blood anymore?"
"The ring changes your biological makeup upon wearing it." Atrocitus answered, "Your heart becomes an unnecessary organ for survival. The ring acts as your heart from now on. Hence, why you cannot take it off."
"Okay, good to know. Good to know." Yang said still trying to process everything, "And my blood?"
"It is no longer blood." The Red Lantern Leader responded, "Its chemical makeup is more representative of what you would call, Napalm."
"Napalm!?" Pyrrha responded, "That's impossible."
"Yet, still not even in the top five craziest things I have learned today," Yang replied as she walked over to a nearby stump in the ground. She sat down and placed her hands on her forehead. She sighed before continuing to talk, "I just need a second to collect my thoughts." Suddenly, the group heard something in the thick of the trees. They turned towards the forest to see three Grimm Beowolves emerging from the bushes. They snarled as they slowly approached. Nora and Pyrrha got ready to fight as Yang stood back up, "Apparently, I can't even have that anymore."
The middle Beowolf roared before lunging towards Yang. She got ready to punch the creature as it got close enough. However, Atrocitus grabbed the Grimm in midair by the neck with his left hand. The Beowolf gasped for air as Atrocitus glared into its red eyes, "Pitiful creature." The Red Lantern Leader said with his mouth staying open at the end of his sentence. Suddenly, he vomited a gallon of what looked like boiling blood on to the face of the Grimm. Yang looked in horror as the Beowolf's bony mask began to melt, along with the rest of its head.
Atrocitus tossed the rest of the corpse over the edge of the cliff before turning to the two remaining Grimm. The Beowolf on the left growled before it lunged towards the Red Lantern. Atrocitus' red ring glowed before he created a large bull. The bull was made of the same red light emitting from the ring as it charged into the Grimm. The bull rammed its horns into the creature's ribs before it smashed the Grimm into a tree. The bull faded away as the Grimm slid down the broken tree bark. Atrocitus looked over to the third and final Grimm.
The Beowolf back up as its growls were more like whimpers. Abruptly, Dex-Starr hissed before rushing towards the Beowolf. The Red Lantern feline's front claws became sharper with the red light of the ring. He pounced on the Grimm and dragged it into the bushes. Yang, Pyrrha, and Nora heard the Beowolf cried in terror as pieces of its body flung out of the bush. After the noise stopped, Dex-Starr walked out of the bushes. He licked his paws after he stopped near Atrocitus' right leg.
"Uh, Thanks?" Yang said as she looked at Atrocitus glare at the corpse of the Grimm that was smashed against the tree. The blond brawler then turned to Pyrrha, whispering, "I don't think he's listening to me." She turned back to the Red Lantern Leader, "So, why are you two here?"
"When your ring was activated, it emitted a signal to me of who you are and your location among the stars," Atrocitus said as he did not make eye contact, instead of creating a small red vortex. He continued as he placed his hand in the vortex, "However, the signal also informed me that your ring needed recharging."
"Recharging?" Yang asked, "How do you do that? I don't see an outlet on this thing." She then saw Atrocitus pull out a lantern made of what looked like a reddish metal, "What is that thing!?"
"I guess that's where they got their name from," Nora said as Atrocitus pointed the lantern to Yang.
"Recite the oath as you hold your ring to the light." He said as Yang looked at the lantern emanate a red light.
"Oath?" The blond girl asked, "What oath?"
"The ring will tell you." Atrocitus replied, "Let your mind fill what fuels your rage."
"Great, now I'm joining a space cult," Yang commented as she looked at the red lantern. She then looked at her ring, "Screw it, not like this could get any worse for me." She said before holding her ring towards the light of the lantern, closing her eyes. A few seconds passed as she took a couple of breath. As she opened her eyes, the red glow they emitted matched that of her ring's.
"With blood and rage of crimson red,
Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead,
Together with our hellish hate,
We'll burn you all-that is your fate!"
Yang recited as the light on her ring grew brighter and brighter. Nora and Pyrrha looked at each other in concern. Suddenly, the blond girl's body began to glow with a red aura. The symbol on the ring began to appear on the back of her jacket. Her clothes changed to have a reddish hue to their design. Around her eyes formed a dark red mask. Yang looked at her hands with a slight smile on her face, "Wow, I definitely feel recharged."
"Now, seek your vengeance," The Red Lantern Leader said, "Spill the blood of those that fuel your rage."
"Ummm…I'll think about it." Yang said as she backed up, "Are you leaving now?"
"Yes, but not your planet just yet." Atrocitus said he opened a large red vortex like before, "There is a matter that deserves my attention." He said before walking into the vortex. Dex-Starr meowed before he followed his master into the vortex closed.
"Okay," Pyrrha said as she sighed, "That's unsettling."
"Nice mask." Nora said as she walked over Yang, placing her right hand on the blond girls left shoulder, "Does this mean you can fly now?"
"Let's see," Yang said with a smile as her body glowed in red light. Suddenly, the blond girl began to float in the air a couple of inches. She began to laugh as she ascended a few meters higher, "That's a yes!" Yang said as she looked down at her two friends. She then scanned the sky, noticing a large Nevermore not too far away. The blond Red Lantern clenched her fists as she flew towards the Grimm at high speed.
The Nevermore turned its head to see the blond Red Lantern approach. It screamed as Yang reeled back her left arm. She yelled as she collided her left cross hit the skull of the Grimm. A blast of red energy erupted from the ring, causing the Nevermore's head exploded. The Grimm's body fell towards far off trees as Yang landed back near her friends.
"This is amazing!" Yang said as she looked at the back of her hands, noticing her empty wrist, "I wonder if I can…" She said as her ring began to glow again. The red light began to gather around her writs, creating her Ember Celica. "Sweet." She said before she hit her fists against each other, causing sparks of red light.
"Yang?" Pyrrha asked as she walked towards her friend, "When you were saying that oath, what were you thinking about that makes you so angry."
"Oh, I uh…haha," Yang said as she scratched the back of her head with her right hand, "I just thought about how angry I would be if someone cut off all my hair, haha."
"Really?" Nora said with a slight giggle, "That sounds like you."
"Well, we should go tell the others," Pyrrha said. "You should be able to try to find them at the fairground. I need to start heading to the arena for my match."
"Right. Good luck," Yang said before she and the others started walking back into the forest. The blond girl looked at her Red Lantern ring with a smile on her face, "Ruby is going to lose her mind when she sees what I can do now."
Meanwhile.
"Uhhh…What happened?" Ruby said as she placed her right hand on her forehead. Her body was laying on an uneven, uncomfortable surface. She opened her eyes, but saw only darkness, "Where am I?" The red-hooded girl then caught an odor of something foul, "What is that smell!?" She said before heard the squeaking sound of a small rodent.
Suddenly, her body jetted upward. Ruby forced her way out of a dumpster bin, unhinging the lid on her way out. She landed a few feet away from the bin as the lid closed, realizing she was outside the school. Her breathing was sporadic as she turned back to the trash, "What? Why was I in there?" she said as she replaced her right hand on her forehead, "The last time I was in a dumpster was-" Ruby was saying before she realized what she forgot, "Penny!" she said before looking quickly scanning the area, "Penny! Penny, where are you!" she called, but with no answer. Ruby then ran from the dumpster, searching for her robotic friend. The red-hooded looked for someone to help, but not a single person was on the academy premises other than herself, As she looked at the ground, she found the two atlas soldiers from before, both were face down on the ground. "What happened!?" Her breathing becomes more sporadic as she quickly scanned the area.
On the ground, she noticed a piece of cloth. As Ruby picked it up, she recognized the design, "This is from Penny's dress." She said before looking back to the ground. the silver eyed girl found other peace a few feet away. As she moved towards it, she noticed another piece. However, next, to it was warped piece of scrap metal, leading to another larger piece of metal. As Ruby followed the trail, she made her way to the docks. Her silver eyes widened as she saw her robotic friend at the end of a wooden dock.
Penny's body was littered with dents and bullet holes. Her back legs were crashed at the kneecaps. Her arms were removed from her body, located a few feet away at the opposite edge of the dock. Her swords were impeded in the ground around her. The robotic girl's face was vacant of any emotion as her open eyes looked to the slowly setting sun.
"Penny!" Ruby said as she rushed over to her friend. Tears in her eyes as rose petals fell behind her. She knelt next to her unresponsive friend, "Why did this happen to you!?" Ruby asked but with no answer. "Penny…" she said as tears filled her eyes even more than before. As the teardrops fell on the robotic girl's blouse, Ruby had a recollection. "That ring! If it's still there…" She said before she turned Penny over, laying her on her stomach. The red-hooded girl felt near the back of Penny's neck, looking for that button. Upon finding it, she pressed it opening the back compartment of her robotic friend. While the internal wiring was damaged, the green ring in the glass ball was intact. "It's still here," Ruby said as she reached for the ring with her left hand.
Suddenly, the ring pushed itself against the glass. Ruby retracted her hand as she saw the glass cracked on impact. "What!?" Ruby softly said as she saw the glass break more. The red-hooded shielded her eyes with her left forearm as the glass broke. The ring flew up to her eye level as Ruby stood up. She looked at the ring hoover in midair emanating a green aura. Just as she reached for the ring with her left hand, the ring shot off to her right, back towards the Vale. "What!?" Her eyes filled with determination as she ran after the ring. Both her and the green ring travel at insane speeds for almost half a mile.
The red-hooded girl gritted her teeth as she again reached for the ring with her left hand. As she was inches away from grabbing it, the ring made a hard-right turn into an alleyway. Ruby skidded on the souls of her boots as she passed the alleyway. Once she turned around, she saw a large green light erupt from the alley, "What was that just now?" Ruby said to herself as she walked into the alleyway. She quickly scanned the area as she reached behind her back.
However, she had a look of panic up realizing she had forgotten her weapon. She then looked down the alley to see a trash can begin to shake on its own. Ruby clenched her fists as a line of sweat ran down her forehead. Suddenly, the trashcan tipped over. As partially eaten food and crumpled up pieces of paper fell out, so did a small black and white corgi roll out.
"Zwei!?" Ruby examined as she felt relieved. The corgi panted as he walked over to the red-hooded girl, "What are you doing here?" Ruby said as she knelt to pet her dog on the head. Zwei only panted as he looked up at Ruby, but did not lovingly bark at her, "Well, aren't you going to speak up." She asked.
Zwei pulled back from the red-hooded girl's left hand, "Salutations Ruby." The corgi said in a young man's voice as he looked up at Ruby. The dog's mouth was wide open as he panted, but Ruby understood the voice clearly.
"…Eh?" Ruby said as her mouth hung open in a jar. The red-hooded girl's whole body froze as she looked at her pet. It was then she noticed a small green light emanating from her pet's tail. The green ring attached to Zwei as Ruby remained unmoving.
AN: There you go, I love writing Atrocitus and Dex-Starr. Those two are just so fun to have, and they help Yang now fully become a Red Lantern. We also see who gets the Green Lantern Ring after Penny is destroyed, leading to talking Zwei. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.