Ambush

The life of a Hunter or Huntress is wrought with danger. The biggest threat to humanity was the Grimm. They are the darkness while humanity, light. The dangers that comes with such an occupation was a given, and each Hunter/ Huntress is trained to combat the Grimm. The only time a Hunter or a Huntress willingly cross blades with another human, with the intent to take the other's life, was rare. A younger Ruby Rose would not even dream of the prospect of taking a soul, her past conflicts with humans or Faunus, even when her life is in danger, she had aimed to incapacitate rather than kill. It was not until the incident at Mountain Glenn, did people die as a direct consequence of her actions. But then again, how was she suppose to know about their plan of letting Grimm into the city?

Seeing the mangled remains of what appears to be Sky Lark has made Ruby stop. She did not know weather to be glad that her team was here to help her friends, or angry that fate had taken such a turn. Part of her wanted to scream, another part wanted to cry. She wanted to wake up to find out it was a horrendous dream, and laugh it off with Yang, Blake and Weiss back in the safety of her dorm room.

It was not the first time Ruby was faced with death, but to see it so up close and in such a manner was another matter entirely. She remembered briefly the faces of the White Fang members as they were knocked off the side of the train: shock, pain, or simply unconscious. Had they suffered a similar fate when the Grimm descended upon them?

Is she a murderer? Her, and her entire team, are they murderers for having a hand in the possible deaths of a number of Faunus extremists?

She did not know how long she was standing there, watching the pools of coagulated blood harden around her boots, staring at the ripples the train's vibration sent through the semi liquid puddle. But it was long enough for Weiss and the others to catch up to her. Ruby heard the footsteps, but she did not turn.

'Ruby…'

She heard Weiss call out to her, but did not respond. The corpse was almost hypnotizing. She drank in the details, every cut, every gash…

'Ruby.' Weiss said, this time more forcefully.

She ignore Weiss again. She looked into Sky's glassy, bloodshot eyes. His pupils were fully open, his jaws were still locked open in a scream of horror that will never end. She saw…darkness. Weiss had placed her hands over her eyes. She felt herself buried into the rough fabric of Weiss's uniform, and the warmth of her embrace.

'It's alright, don't look.' Weiss said, softly. There was a tremble in her voice, but there was also steely conviction. Had Ruby been her usual self, she would have pushed her off and insisted she was alright. She would have laughed awkwardly at Weiss's action while trying to avoid her death glare. But there was something…something about the sight that transfixed Ruby Rose on the very spot. Weiss swayed lightly, stroking her hair, hushing her. Ruby responded by burying her face deeper into her embrace. Weiss was not Yang, but currently, she did not care.

She was just a child, after all….just a damn child. How was Weiss so unmoved?

'Oh Oum…' she heard the deep growl of Cardin, devoid of his usual arrogance, 'Larks…'

Ruby peered up, still unwilling to accept the sight before her. Cardin was kneeling in front of Sky, his hands were barely hovering over his friend, as if unsure what to do. The, with as much grace his trembling hands would allow, he closed Sky's eyes.

In that moment, despite what Ruby had previously thought of Cardin and his gang, she was heartbroken. Perhaps Cardin's prejudice and hate was justified. Only animals were capable of such…such desecration.

Her breath hitched in a vain attempt to suppress a sob. Weiss seemed to notice, and drew her in tighter.

'Cardin…' Jaune said, 'I'm sorry.'

'Why?' Cardin replied, uncharacteristically resigned, 'it isn't your fault.'

'That Faunus…'

'…was not carrying the type of weapon that inflicted these wounds.' Cardin cut him off.

He turned to face Jaune, and for a moment Ruby thought he was going to strike him. His demeanor screamed violence and his eyes blazed with murderous fury.

'Believe me when I say I will get my revenge,' Cardin thundered, 'if anyone tries to stop me...'

Cardin did not finish. He did not need to. Jaune said nothing, and nodded. It seems that even Jaune knew what was at stake. CRDL had lost a member of the team, and knowing how vindictive Cardin could be, even Ruby would have hesitated to step in.

Jaune cleared his throat, 'Alright, there is definitely more than one intruder on this train. Lethal force is…I don't think we have a choice in this matter.'

Cardin grunted in satisfaction. He took off his jacket, any means of disguising as a train crew member is meaningless now, and draped it over Sky Lark.

'I'm sorry, my friend.' he whispered, before standing up.

With a few experimental twirls of his mace, he set out with renewed purpose.

'To the package, we still need to make sure it is secure.' He called back.

Reluctantly, Ruby let go of Weiss. The Heiress did not reprimand her like she expected her to, and for that Ruby was surprised as well as grateful. She tugged lightly at Weiss's sleeve, feeling the uniform's fabric under her fingertips.

'I'm alright now, thank you, Weiss.'

Weiss did not say anything, but her eyes had a rare glint of understanding.

'Guys, we weren't the first ones here.' Jaune kicked spent bullet casings on the floor for emphasis, 'There was a fight.'

Ruby knelt down to pick up a particular shell casing. Her frown deepened as she recognized the small caliber bullets. She turned the casing around and read the caliber. There was no mistake who's weapon this came from. Ruby felt her mind race, where was Blake then? Did she meet the same fate as Dove? There are signs of other weapons being used too, a scorch mark here and several unfamiliar blade marks there.

But, Ruby has yet to see a body, and that was enough.

'Blake passed here,' Ruby concluded, 'I've know Gambol Shroud's bullets.'

Weiss stiffened. Her expression hardened as she opened her mouth to speak.

'Weiss, you know Blake. It's not possible.' Ruby said, before Weiss voiced out anything.

'Do you think...?' Weiss asked, her voice unsure and hesitant.

'Weiss.' Ruby insisted, 'It is Blake we are talking about. You know her.'

Weiss seem to consider this for a moment, before signing in resignation. 'I…I know.'

She was just being paranoid, and Ruby did not blame her. It was not their first time on a train fighting off White Fang members, but that was a while back.

'Blake is skilled, Weiss.' Cardin said, 'She's alive.'

Ruby nodded, thankful Cardin is oblivious of the true context of their conversation. Hopefully it will stay that way a little while longer.

…..

'Come on! Get some!' Yang roared. Her punches and kicks had yet to connect with the figure that had attacked them. She knew the masks well enough.

White Fang. They meant trouble. She just hoped a certain pink girl will not make her appearance. She was in a train, after all.

Yang's mind briefly went to Blake. Had they come for her? She banished the thought, focus was needed here.

With growing frustration her attacks became more frantic, more reckless. But no mattered how much she tried, the man would smirk as he weaved through each strike with ease and fluidity. Any strikes that came close was deflected, and slapped aside. What pissed her off even more was that the man had not even drawn steel. Her pride was already wounded, but she cannot allow it to get to her.

She renewed her strikes with vigour, her gauntlets pumping out shell after shell after shell at point blank range. Yet…

'Fight me, coward!' She screamed, but Yang Xiao Long knew she was hopelessly outmatched.

Perhaps it would have played out differently if Ren hadn't been taken out first. She didn't even know if he was alive at all. She did not know how long this had been going on, but she was getting tired. The combat droids should have deployed by now, unless the system was compromised. Heck, she needed anything to balance the fight in her favour.

Finally, his blade flashed. There had been no queues, no build up. Nothing to transmit the fact he was going to attack. It simply happened. Yang's aura flashed, and she felt the flurry of strikes bounce off her body, her aura deflecting most of the potentially lethal blows. Her gauntlets met steel as she deflected a strike to her neck. With her free hand, she fired a shot a near point blank range into the man's face.

But he was not there. A sweep sent her flat on the ground.

At that point, the man could have gone in for the kill, yet he did not. A smirk, and he stepped back, allowing her to recover, sheathing his blade once again.

'No,' he mused with a smirk that never left his face, 'You are not worthy of Wilt and Blush.'

'Shut up.' Yang snarled as she stumbled upright, 'You'll pay for that.'

Yang did not know what he meant, but she knew he was toying with her. Like a predator taking some sick pleasure in the struggle of watching his prey wear itself out to survive. Yang realized that if she did not do something, she was going to die. It was a prospect that she did not fancy, not one bit.

Once again, Yang launched herself at the enemy, Ember Celica's powerful recoil propelling her forwards. She lashed out with a kick, straightforward and brutal, which would have rendered any man on the ground if it connected. However, he simply sidestepped, arms not even raised. Yang landed, and delivered several follow up strikes, her form a flurry of fists and shotgun shells. Yang was no pushover when it came to fighting, and she could be ranked near the top of her year in regards of hand to hand combat.

However, the man was like liquid, shifting and slipping through each of her strikes, deflecting the more lethal blows with the scabbard of his sword. Yang narrowly dodged a strike that would have shattered her cheekbones, and as she weaved under the man's unguarded side, her attacks finally connect.

With a grunt of pain, he was launched to the side and into the compartment walls, leaving a slight dent as he bounced off the metal plates. Yang pressed her advantage, but found herself stumbling back, holding her neck as she gasped for breath, her Aura was all that was preventing a crushed windpipe.

The fucker had recovered faster than she imagined possible. But at least she knew he was not unbeatable. At least he was not smiling now.

She switched tactics, and did not attack. Switched to a defensive stance, she waited. The Faunus did not press in to attack, instead choosing to watch what her next move would be with curiosity. They circled each other slowly, as much as the compartment interior would allow anyway. Yang knew the man had the advantage of reach, skill and experience. Her options were to call for help and wait for reinforcements, or run. But if she ran, Ren would be at the mercy of this man.

And she would be damned if Lie Ren dies because of her cowardice.

Suddenly, he was upon her. She danced aside and delivered a punch to his face, but he broke off before anything could connect, hurling himself into the opposing wall before propelling himself at her again. Pain blossomed in her stomach, as she realized she had been hit. A moment's distraction allowed for another strike, pain rendering her arms limp. Yang staggered backwards as an unseen blunt strike took out her knees, and she felt his hands close around her head. Her whole world spun.

A moment later, she was on the floor, dazed and bewildered. Her vision swam, and threatened to blacken when she felt a thunderous strike in her stomach. Involuntarily, she screamed, a minuscule amount of bile escaping her mouth.

'This is what the prestigious Beacon Academy produces?'

A blade through Yang's shoulder cut off any retort she had. She roared as she felt the blade slide through flesh, pinning her to the ground.

'Where is the package?' He demanded. She could hear the sadistic smile on his face even as tears blurred her vision.

'Fuck you.' Yang spat, but immediately regretted her words. She tried to kick out against the man's leg, but the blade had sunk all the way into the floor.

The blade twisted, and she almost blacked out. Her mind filled with white noise as it tried to comprehend the white hot agony. Such was the extent of the damage. Her Aura flared in vain, desperately trying to close her wounds.

'Last chance, worm. Tell me where it is and I'll make it quick.'

'Eat a di-' She hissed as sword was pulled out- cutting her off. She felt spent, and barely managed to raise her head to see what's transpiring.

Through her blurry vision, she spotted the man walking away from her. What could he possibly be doing? Her questioned were answered the Faunus came back, dragging the limp Ren by his long hair. His eyes were still closed, and he had an ugly bruise and blood covered the entire side of his face. Though it was nothing compared to Yang's condition, he would die without a fight.

Yang felt her bile rise. Was the mission more important than the life of a fellow student? A friend? She knew she would be forced to choose. She felt her innards blaze with fury, a familiar sensation she is all too used to. She knew what that meant.

She really wanted to hurt him.

'Tell me or I'll gut your friend.'

She just needed him to drop his guard and maybe. She needed something, anything to distract the man. Yang's shoulder throbbed with pain, but she felt her wound already closing. The blade had not hit any of her bones, and as the saying goes, 'tis but a flesh wound.'

But more importantly, it had been a series of powerful strikes indeed. She did not want to give away the element of surprise at this very moment, but Ren's predicament was forcing her hand.

She grinned, hopefully he's gonna be in for a nasty surprise.

Yang sat up and raised her hands up in defeat, wincing slightly at her shoulder 'Alright, alright! It is in this room.'

'Where.'

She mumbled something.

'Don't fuck with me, girl.' He spat as he tilted his sword against Ren's exposed neck, and Yang could see a thin line of blood as the blade broke his skin, 'Speak up.'

Should she lie? The man obviously did not know where the package was. But this meant Yang could be further agitating the man. Which won't end well for either Ren or her. She needed something, anything to distract him until help arrived.

'I don't know,' She trying to sound as desperate as possible, 'We're just told to guard this compartment. Our contacts are the ones with this information.'

The man contemplates her words for a moment, his blade not wavering from Ren.

'Please…let him go.' Yang added, the shake in her voice was genuine.

Yang Xiao Long was scared. The initial rush of combat had worn off, her aggression turning to fear and worry. When Ruby was nearly impaled by the Deathstalker during initiation, the fear and worry was sudden. It was unlike what she felt now, a creeping feeling of dread and numbness.

'Well…' the man muttered as the wicked smile split across his face, 'I do not think I'll be needing any of you, then.'

The man raised his arms slightly as he readied his sword. It was a simple and fast action, yet it spoke volumes of what was to come. A simple flick, and it would all be over for Lie Ren.

'No!' Yang roared.

An piercing siren stabbed through the tense air. The man winced visibly as he clutched his ears instinctively, his Faunus senses disorientating him, if only briefly. That was the distraction she needed. Yang, exploded into action, and caught the man square in the jaw as her semblance flared to life. The red glow of the room was dispelled, as the fires of Yang's soul burned. The man stumbled back, and steadied himself. He spat out a piece of broken tooth, and lowered his stance into ready position.

The red lights suddenly began blinking, as the sirens howled their melody. Finally, the alarms! Yang was wondering why they did not go off. The snarled as he looked around, aware of the walls folding back, revealing armoured knights as they stepped out. Yang doubted the droids would be of any use against this man, but it was enough of a distraction.

The droids deployed their wrist mounted guns, and in unison, they blared, 'Intruder alert. Lethal force authorized.'

The gunfire that followed drowned out the sirens.

…..

'Got it!' Dove roared victoriously as the alarms sang. Blake had to admit, she was impressed. Who knew Team CRDL had a member with such expertise in electronics. But then again, not many people interacted with the infamous team.

Blake nodded in approval as he watched the walls fold open. The AK Droids, outdated as they were, provided a numerical advantage. Blake had fought off an entire cargo along with…Adam, a long while back. They are a distraction at best, but it will have to do. Blake doubted there would only be two White Fang Hunters on this train, so they needed everything they can get.

'Now what?' Russel asked, not turning back. He was vigilantly observing the corridors.

Blake twitched her ears in annoyance. She was not leader material, yet for some odd reason the boys of CRDL had elected her as an impromptu figure to follow. It was the logical choice, given the fact that Russel and Dove were lacking in the socializing field. Team RWBY and JNPR had done their bit in opening her up, along with Sun and the rest of his team. Never mind the fact that she had more experience in these kind of things.

'I assume they are here for the package, I think the answer is obvious.' Blake muttered.

'Can you fight?' Dove asked, eyeing her up and down, as if trying to gauge her current condition.

Blake nodded, 'I feel a lot better now, but my Aura would be lower than usual. It should not be a problem provided we work together.'

Russel narrowed his eyes, 'You seem to be awfully calm about this, Blake.'

'I'm fucking terrified, Thrush,' Blake admitted, 'You know what the White Fang do to Faunus that… do not agree with them.'

And traitors. She barely held back the last part. But it was true. She had seen her share of tortures and executions. It was why she left. It was not the group she joined up with in her early days. After the transfer of leadership, it became a terror group. The White Fang would not be taking her alive, she will make sure of that herself. Heck, if she bit off her tongue and bled herself dry, it would be a blessing compared to what the higher ups would have in store for her.

'Come on, let's catch up with Nora.' Blake said, eyeing the corridor as it stretched down to their designated location. Nora, with her finite patience, had charged off in her search for Ren. It was as if her life depended on it, or his. Blake could not blame her for worrying, but her actions have put both of them at a massive disadvantage. Despite her everyday uttering of not being 'together-together', it was blatantly obvious she cared deeply for him.

'You know what I find odd?' Dove piped up as Russel took point, leading the party down the train, his narrow eyes a little wider than usual.

'Focus.' Blake hissed, as she followed behind Dove. They kept a steady pace, weapons at the ready. Her hand throbbed like it was on fire, and her lack of aura did not make the healing process any easier.

'Hear me out, Blake,' Dove continued, 'If they are hijacking this train, you would think there would be more than a few guys?'

'Shut up.' Blake growled, the sirens were already a pain to her sensitive ears. She did not need Dove's ranting.

'You would think they would at least try to stop the train to bring on reinforcements or something.' Dove continued.

'Shut up, you are not making this any better,' Russel snapped.

'Just saying! If I were to plan an operation th-' The rest of his sentence as he heard the train brakes. The young Huntsmen lurched forward, unprepared for the sudden deceleration. They were literally thrown onto the floor, with the exception of Russel who literally flew a few metres ahead. Their momentum carried them sliding down the corridor, the smooth floors of the train offering little resistance.

Russel grunted as he hit the door of the compartment, face first. Dove followed, closely behind, his larger frame and heavier armour crashing into Russel at full speed. The impact squeezed an abnormally high pitched squeak from Russel, akin to a mouse in a trap. Lastly, Blake slammed into Dove's backside, though it was significantly less painful than it would have been, given her two very annoyed companions that cushioned her. As they stood up, Blake and Russel did not speak, but stare blankly at a thoroughly confused Dove.

Russel spoke broke the silence, 'Just had to open your fat mouth.'

'Oh shut up.'

…..

'The train has stopped.' Ruby and Jaune said in unison.

The four steadied themselves aware of the fact that this meant the engines were compromised. It did not help that the alarm was still blaring at maximum volume.

'That can't be good.' Cardin noted.

'Keep an eye out,' Jaune commanded, 'They must have reinforcements.'

Weiss nodded in agreement as she scanned the red forest for any movement. It was good that they were on a compartment without a roof. Open spaced, with vision only obscured by several big heavy crates they had a perfect view of the area around them.

She should have expected this. It was a simple plan, yet it was working. Infiltrate the train, divide the groups up, and send in the main force. The execution of this plan must be perfect, and the fact that it had been pulled off spoke volumes of their opposition. Or maybe it was the fact that they were up against Hunters in training.

'I think I see…' Cardin began, as he squinted at the mountains on the train's left side.
Before Cardin finished the sentence, something plinked on the floor beside his right foot. Another plink sounded, this time, on the metal boxes behind Jaune.

It took Weiss a little while longer to realize that they were being shot at.

'Take cover!' Jaune screamed as Weiss hit the ground. Weiss grunted hard as the air inside her was knocked out, the instinctive need for survival forgoing any grace. She looked up to see Jaune still standing up, like he forgot to take his own advice. She reached out to grab his ankle, and yanked hard, tripping him on to the floor. She swore she saw a tracer round narrow miss his head as he fell.

The rest scattered for cover. Ruby hunched down behind several stacked crates, while Cardin just made a break for it.

Unseen snipers started raking their position with bullets. They were close enough to get a good aim on them, and were effectively pinning them down. Weiss regretted her earlier thought of not having cover. They needed some cover, else they're going to get cut to ribbons at this range. The pitiful amount of cover in the form of crates and boxes was not going to cut it.

Jaune dragged out his sheath and unfolded it to its shield form. Weiss hoped, for the sake of Jaune, the shield was sturdy enough to withstand modern ammunition.

If not, then...no. Weiss shook her head free of such thoughts. They were getting out of this. Weiss reached for her weapon, ready to show those scumbags what it meant to be a Schnee.

…..

Ruby let out an uncharacteristic squeal of panic as she dove for cover.

They were trying to kill her. They were REALLY trying to kill her! She should have known the White Fang were a brutal bunch, but it was not until seeing Sky's corpse did she really understand what they stood for. Hearing, reading and seeing videos was one thing, but actually being there was another.

Sure, she had her taste of battle underneath Mountain Glenn, but she had felt in control of the situation despite the numbers her team faced.

She was scared, yet she knows she should not be. She had faced off Roman Torchwick in a gigantic robot with missiles, for fuck sake! She had battled through an entire train of White Fang members and faced off multiple Paladin mechs with the Professor Oobleck and her dog, Zwei. But now she felt like a target on a Beacon's firing range, she was a sitting target, ready to be picked off at some Faunus's leisure.

Ruby slapped some sense into her panicking mind, and folded Crescent Rose into its bolt action form. The shots were coming from the left side of the train, and judging from the angles of the shots, they had high ground. The distant echoing meant there was reasonable distance between them, however it was hard to determine when it seemed like a dozen rifles were shooting at them.

She closed her eyes, and listened. Ruby cast her focus away from the sirens, and tried to pick up the little background gunshots. How many were there?

Six? Five?

Three rifles, their distinct chatter obvious to any gun nut. Ruby picked out the well timed and snap of a bolt action of a kind, pleasing to her ears under normal circumstances, but not so much now that she's on the receiving end. Finally, the most distinct and loud sound of it all, was the heavy thud of a machine gun. They were all scattered quite a distance from each other, and there might be more alongside the entire hill.

Should they make a run for it? Their Aura barriers might shrug off a few bullets, but…perhaps if they had something else to shoot at…

'Jaune! Weiss! Cardin!' She called out, 'Get ready to run!'

Without waiting for a reply, she hefted her Crescent rose up, and sighted down the scope. Sure, her genius little mind had made an engineering marvel that combined a rifle and a scythe, but not for the first time did Ruby wonder if it would have been better to have a more classic design. Perhaps it would have been better to have two weapons for different purposes, instead of combining them in one. Alas, hindsight is 20/20.

It was heavy, and unwieldy, and the ergonomics were not the best. Ruby designed her baby with a Scythe in mind, not as a rifle.

'Ruby! What are you doing?' Jaune shouted over the din.

Ruby did not bother him with an answer, but instead scanned down her scope for targets. She had zeroed her sights prior to the mission, and she was sure her shots will land true.

Already, shots were converging in onto her, and it took all of Ruby's willpower to not duck back down when the bullets ricocheted and chewed into her position.

There! A sudden muzzle flash in the rocks! A Faunus, possibly a deer by the horns, lay prone, an squeezing off shots with an automatic rifle.

Ruby put her crosshairs on the man's exposed head, and started to squeeze the trigger.

But stopped.

She was a Huntress in training, a Hunter of Grimm. She was not a killer. She had sworn to protect Civilization from the unrelenting hordes of Grimm, not against fellow men and women, human or Faunus. It was so different to look into another living being's eyes, and pull the trigger. Perhaps if she had looked into the eyes of the men and women batter off the train at Mountain Glenn, she would have hesitated too.

No. Ruby shook her head clear. These people were monsters. They have the blood of innocents on their hands. She had already dirtied her hands once, although not directly.

That hesitation, nearly cost Ruby her life. She yelped as she felt something strike her hand, breaking bone and pulping flesh under the impact. Crescent Rose fired, Ruby having squeezed the trigger by instinct.

The shot flew wide.

…..

'Now!' Jaune grabbed Weiss's hand and dragged her up. His shield deployed, as he tried his best to provide as much cover as possible. Bullets thudded around them, some clanging off Jaune's shield.
Cardin ran too, his mace twirling as he swatted aside shots that came for him. He took a few hits, but his Aura held out. He dived into the safety and cover of the train compartment.

However, Ruby was still out there, and now they were targeting her.

'Ruby!' Weiss screamed, as she witnessed her leader get forced back into cover from the amount of shots she was taking. Weiss's heart skipped a beat when she realized Ruby was clutching a bloodied hand that seemed to be missing one digit.

'Weiss!' Ruby called, back, as she clutched Crescent Rose in her chest. Weiss could see tears of panic in her eyes. She winced as a bullet struck too close for comfort near her head. Ruby screamed in fear as shattered chunks of her cover spat into her face. This was unlike the fight against the Paladin mech. They had the advantage of numbers and element of surprise back then.

Ruby yelped again as a bullet finally tore though her cover and struck her thigh. In response, she curled up into a tight ball, hugging whatever precious cover remained. There would not be much cover for Ruby at this rate. With all the guns focusing on the one person able to properly retaliate, there was not much Ruby would do.

'Use your semblance!' Weiss shouted, desperate for Ruby to get to safety. Ruby shrank deeper into her rapidly reducing cover as she covered her ears. She shook her head frantically as tears stream down her face. Weiss realized her leg was bleeding too. It will take time for her Aura to heal her leg, but time was something Ruby did not have.

She was just a little girl. Weiss felt something snap in her. To see Ruby so helpless made her angry. She had to get Ruby out of here. She made a promise to Ruby, to be the best teammate she could be. What kind of teammate would she be if she could not save her leader?

Weiss would not let the White Fang tarnish her name. She would not let them take Ruby.

'Jaune!' Weiss grabbed Jaune by the collar, dragging him close to her, 'Go get her!'

Jaune did not protest, but he did hesitate for a while. Weiss could not blame him, and she knew her request was unreasonable. They needed to draw fire away from Ruby, and so far only Jaune had the capability to do so. Without waiting a heartbeat longer, Jaune charged out again, a both hands holding his shield as he ran over to Ruby. Weiss's heart leapt as she saw a bullet round narrowly pass by Jaune's head. Had he been a fraction of a second slower, even his Aura might not save him.

She prepared Myrtenaster, and cycled through its dust chambers. No one hurts Ruby. No one.

With a practiced elaborate wave, Myrtenaster sang. The rapier resonated as Dust flowed through the hollow blade, manifesting the fury inside Weiss. Fires of unparalleled heat, only achievable through the finest Dust, wreathed itself on her blade. It needed time to manifest itself, especially on the scale she is about to unleash.

Weiss felt a guilty pang in her heart for using Jaune as a distraction, but she knew he would have done so either ways, with or without her prompt. Man might be a clueless idiot, but he seemed like a good man. His actions spoke as much. Weiss watched as Jaune willingly put himself in front of her partner, using his body as a secondary shield while he tried to drag Ruby out of her fear induced paralysis. Sparks flew as it deflected off the shield, and his Aura flared brightly as several shots hammered into his exposed legs.

Just a few more seconds….

The shots were coming from the hill, and it was close enough that Weiss could make out several muzzles flashes.

With accuracy honed through years of practice, she aimed. Not that it really mattered in this case.

Her fury was unleashed.

...

AN: As of today, updates will be slower due to the massive increase of work...and the massive draining of brain juice. Let me know what you guys think of the chapter and feel free to throw in ideas. Peace!