"Your bike is gaudy."
"Stylish."
"Blindingly bright."
"Just like my personality."
"Damaging?"
"I could just leave you behind, you know."
"Dogs aren't allowed to wander around in public without a leash except in designated parks."
"Fine. Get on, and don't touch the hair."
/-/
It isn't safe to talk here.
Those words had reverberated through Ruby's mind on her way into Vale.
Why wouldn't she talk about the docks? It isn't safe.
Even though she'd seen Penny not half an hour ago, at the CCT tower, a sense of relief flooded her when she saw the ginger girl standing outside the café, as they'd planned, waiting for her. Ruby laid a hand on her shoulder.
It isn't safe.
But Penny smiled at her, and motioned for them to walk, her eyes flicking back to the café briefly as they left.
She's safe now.
It wasn't too long before Penny spoke. "I wish I could help you, Ruby, but I don't know anything about those men."
"Well, what happened to you that night? We were all together, and then you just disappeared!" She leaned in closer, an idea occurring to her. "Were you kidnapped?"
"Oh, no! Nothing like that."
"Well then where did you go?"
"I've never been to another kingdom before. My father asked me not to venture out too far, but… you have to understand, my father loves me very much. He just worries a lot."
"Heh, believe me, I know the feeling," Ruby assured her. Penny's eyes lit up in a smile. "But, why not let us know you were okay?"
"I was asked not to talk to you, or the rest of Team Ruby, or Sun, or Artorias the Wolf-"
"We don't call him that," Ruby cut her off. "I guess your dad was really upset."
"No, it wasn't my father."
They rounded a corner to see a square. A projection of General Ironwood stood before some robots, explaining… something. Ruby wasn't listening too closely, focusing more on the robots – the new ones especially, as they kicked over their outdated counterparts.
They're so cool!
"Ruby…"
And the – what did he call it? The Atlesian Paladin, he'd said. So much gun!
"Ruby, maybe we should go somewhere else," Penny suggested quietly.
Ruby looked to her friend, seeing her eyes widen at something, no, someone. Atlesian Soldiers – they pointed her out.
Penny ran.
"Penny? Wait! Where are you going?"
The soldiers had, by this point, proceeded beyond the pointing phase of their plan, and were giving chase.
Ruby's eyes widened.
It isn't safe.
/-/
"C'mon, my friend's right in here!" Yang said.
"Junior's club? Makes sense. I guess I see why you didn't want to bring Ruby." Artorias got off the bike, swept his hair back, and followed Yang to the doors.
"Eh, she's been here before, but yeah, that's basically it." If those guys in black suits and red glasses were bouncers, they were doing a terrible job, rushing away from Yang on sight.
"She has?"
"Well, she's been outside it. Long story."
"Xiao Long we talking?"
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that your only line?"
He shrugged. "Throw me a bone, would you? I'm a faunus, you have so much more material there."
"Good point."
Artorias caught a brief glimpse of the dance floor and the bar before the doors were closed in their faces. From the other side, he heard shouts: "Junior, she's here! She's back!"
"So, last time you were here…"
"I trashed the place," she smirked, cocking Ember Celica. An explosive punch blew the doors open again, and she sauntered through them, a wild grin on her face. "Guess who's back!"
About two dozen firearms were pointed at her face.
"Fireball whiskey, straight," Artorias said, walking in behind her, pretending to ignore the weapons. He walked around the left side of the bouncers, but his approach was blocked by a pair of twin girls. From their posture, he could tell they had some level of close-quarter combat training. "Paying customer. C'mon."
"Nobody shoot!" He was only man not in a stupid hat and glasses – Junior himself. "Blondie… you're here. Why…?"
"You still owe me a drink," she said, grabbing him by the arm and pushing through the henchmen.
"Thank you," Artorias said, following her. He could feel the twins glaring daggers into the back of his head. Junior went around behind the bar and mixed their drinks. Artorias slipped some lien across the bar and took a seat.
"Umbrella, Junior," said Yang, "don't tell me you've forgotten?"
He rolled his eyes, turned around, grabbed a tiny umbrella, and stuck it in her drink.
"So… Blondie. Why are you here?"
"Roman Torchwick. What's he up to?"
"I don't know."
"How can you not know?"
"I haven't talked to him. I haven't even seen him since the night you first came in here. He paid upfront, I lent him my men, and none of them ever came back."
Artorias drained his drink in one go, catching Yang's irritated glare. "Hey, I haven't had a drink since I left Shade, like… a year ago?" And what a good drink it was, leaving a pleasant burning at the back of his throat. He had no idea where this stuff had been made, but it was clearly high quality. Junior knew his drinks.
"Barely over a month, Art."
"Drink-time is different, gimme a break," he said. "And a refill, thanks." He put some more lien on the bar. Junior pocketed it and poured another drink.
She huffed and turned back to Junior. "I'm not leaving until I find out what I want," she threatened.
"I already told you everything. Torchwick hired my boys, and I guess he wasn't happy with them." He leaned further over the bar. "Which is something I can relate to!"
Yang sighed. "C'mon Art."
"What about Torchwick's associates?" Artorias asked, tracing a circle around the rim of his glass with a finger. "Even old news is good."
Junior's eyes narrowed. Artorias rolled his eyes and passed some more cash over the bar, ignoring the face Yang pulled. Money talks, Yang.
"There's a girl – been his shadow for as long as I've known him. She's short, always dresses in white, brown, and pink. Mute, too."
"And how long have you known him?"
"Five years, give or take."
Artorias nodded. "The girl's name?"
"He calls her Neo. Probably not her real name, but it's all I've got."
"Have you heard from Neo recently?"
"She came in here alone, not too long after I last saw Roman. She had a note, she wanted to get in contact with a forger."
"Who'd you send her to?" Yang asked.
"Ben Yarrow." He shifted uncomfortably.
"Address, scroll number… any contact details?"
Junior remained silent.
"I see. It's not good business to sell out a contact. Well," said Artorias, slipping a considerable amount of lien onto the bar, "why not just pretend we're looking to get something forged ourselves?"
Junior pocketed it, and grabbed a napkin, scribbling down an address. Artorias almost missed the tenseness in his shoulders, or the way his fingers fumbled with the napkin tray. Almost.
Junior was still withholding information. Well, at least I can get that lien back.
"Any other contacts? White Fang, perhaps?" Artorias asked.
"Not that I'm aware of." That one, at least, was honest.
"What about the woman in red? Surely you've at least heard about her," Yang asked. Oh? The woman in red? Who's that?
"It'll cost you," Junior said. Artorias easily caught the smirk that flitted across the larger man's face, but he knowingly walked into it anyway, sliding another wad of cash towards him. He winked at Yang as he did so, and she raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"Get me another refill, while you're at it," he said.
Junior poured another drink, and Artorias raised it to his lips the moment it was pressed into his hand.
"Heard nothing," Junior confirmed with a victorious grin.
Artorias' glass was already empty, and he slammed it down onto the bar with his right hand. With his gauntleted left, he reached across the bar, grabbed Junior's tie, and pulled him over the bar, all in one fluid motion. The very moment Junior hit the ground, he reached into the man's pocket to retrieve his lien.
"I was hoping you'd say that," he said, a wolfish grin of his own spreading across his face. "Now, there's something about Yarrow that you're not telling us," he said.
Didn't he know Yang had trashed the place? Did he just miss the memo? Crossing the same person more than once was a bad, bad move. Especially for a shady business like Junior's.
"Get f- argh!" Artorias pressed his knee to the small of the man's back, holding him down.
"Back off!" Yang yelled, and Artorias looked up. Her gauntlets were deployed. They were surrounded, but the henchmen were all quivering in fear. Nothing to worry about, then.
"We've been very patient with you," Artorias said. "I'd like to think I'm a patient person, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it. I'm going to give you one more chance. You're going to tell us everything you left out about Yarrow, and you are going to tell your men to piss off before they piss themselves. If you lie, I'll know. Trust me."
Junior's head bobbed in an awkward nod, and Artorias lifted his knee. "Back off, nobody shoot."
As the henchmen once again dispersed, Artorias stood, heaving Junior to his feet. "Talk. And get me another drink. One for the road, right?"
"Yarrow went missing a few weeks back. The police don't know, there might be something in his house, but Yarrow's gone."
Artorias drained his glass again. He blinked as he straightened a little too quickly, the world just a little fuzzier than he'd remembered. His senses were taken by a flash of green and the scent of sweet smoke, and for a second he thought it was a quiet afternoon in Izalith.
He shook his head, and he was back in Junior's bar. Yang made some parting quip to Junior before dragging him away.
He heard Junior grumbling under his breath as they left.
"Not bad, Wolfy," Yang grinned. "Like a bloodhound."
"New rule: until I get some top shelf Yang Xiao Long specific material, you're not allowed to compare me to random dogs. I'm a wolf, dammit, not some house pet."
"Boring," she scoffed. "And no scathing retort? I'm disappointed in you. Are you running out of low quality Xiao Long jokes?"
"Got a Xiao Long way to go before we reach that point."
She stopped in her tracks.
"I know I said low quality, Wolfy, but… that was something else." Her brow furrowed, and she held up a finger, pulling out her scroll.
"Everyone," Blake said, "if you can hear me we need ba-"
"HEEEEEELP!" Sun interrupted. "They got a robot, and it's big, really big! That Torchwick guy's in it! But not like – it didn't eat him, he's like, controlling it or something!"
"Where are you guys?" Yang asked.
"HURRY!" Sun screamed, as he ran past the alley. He was closely followed by the aforementioned giant robot. Ah. Right.
"So I was thinking I have an essay to write…"
"Get on!"
The bike tore off down the street in chase of the robot. After a few tight corners that almost threw Artorias off, they went up a ramp onto a highway. The robot was throwing cars left and right, chasing relentlessly after Sun and Blake.
"We gotta slow it down!" Yang said.
"Hey, random question, totally not related at all, do you know much about dust? Like, how to use it?"
"Not the time, Artorias!"
"Okay, it's actually serious question, maybe slightly related," he said, pulling an ice dust crystal from a pouch at his belt. "Because I have no idea."
"Just do something!" Yang roared.
"Alright! I'm on it!" He switched the dust to his right hand and drew his dagger with his left, leaping from the back of the bike and impaling the robot with his weapon.
What does Gil do?
"The winds did something, bless the whatever- ah, fuck it."
He gripped the crystal and punched the robot as hard as he could.
Pain shot up his arm as it, and a sizeable chunk of the robot, were enveloped in ice. The robot strained against it, and a few cracks formed, but the added weight was throwing off its stride. Although it seemed to be trying to throw him off, the ice was restricting its movement.
But Artorias was still stuck to it, rather uncomfortably too.
He tore his dagger from the robot and sheathed it, then laid his left hand on the block of ice and channelled his aura through it. After the third pulse, some of the ice cracked and his arm came loose. His left shoulder hit the tarmac first, scratching his pauldron, and he rolled – once, twice, then he regained control, and leapt atop a car as it sped past. Yang came up alongside the vehicle, and, with a carefree whoop, he jumped onto the back of her bike again.
"You're like a dog chasing cars," she said wryly.
"Except I know what to do when I catch them," he grinned. "More or less." Ice still encased his right arm from his wrist up to his shoulder, and he leaned backwards to smash the arm down on the road. The ice shattered.
"I'm in position!" Weiss' voice came from over Yang's scroll, and up ahead, he saw her in the middle of the road, rapier poised. Cars swerved to avoid her, but she stood her ground.
"You alright?" Yang asked.
"It'll warm up in a few," he said, massaging his right shoulder.
The robot still continued its relentless charge, chasing down Blake. But Sun had doubled back and pounced on the thing's back. Neptune had arrived too, and had done the same, and together they were doing their best to bash it to pieces.
"You reckon Team Ruby can handle the robot?"
"Small game. Why?"
"I'll grab Sun and Neptune; we'll watch out for an escape vehicle."
"But-"
"There's always an escape vehicle, Yang. Trust me." I've had experience.
She nodded. The robot slipped on a patch of ice that Weiss made, sending Sun and Neptune flying from its back as it fell to the ground far below. Yang brought the bike skidding to a halt. Artorias was off it in an instant, sprinting over to the duo from Haven. He reached them just as they struggled to their feet.
"Neptune, ground level! Keep your distance, eyes open for an escape vehicle – probably a Bullhead. Sun, upper highway, same deal. I'll keep watch from here."
Sun rubbed his back. "You got it, man." Neptune nodded, vaulting over the railing. Sun, after another moment to crack his neck, leapt for a support column and scaled the smooth surface like it was only a ladder.
The world below was shrouded by fog. Within, he could just make out the vague shape of the robot, and the occasional disturbance where a member of Team RWBY was dashing about. The sound of metal striking metal reached him, and a few times he saw explosions from the robot's cannons.
The fog finally cleared as the robot fired a number of guided rockets towards Blake. The girl dived to the centre of a time-dilation glyph (not quite as impressive as Winter's, perhaps, but admirable) and struck at the missiles dizzyingly fast. Ruby dashed in then, as the glyph wore off, and Blake followed, the pair practically running circles around the robot.
When the robot finally caught up to them, they leapt high, bringing their weapons crashing down to sever the robot's arm.
Then came Yang, capitalising on the robot's disorientation, and she jumped on top of it, slamming her fist into it again and again. In retaliation, the robot dashed through one, two, three concrete pillars, knocking Yang off – then it punched her through a fourth for good measure.
Get up, he thought. Come on, get up!
And she did. Her hair was glowing bright, and though he was watching from quite a distance, Artorias could have sworn her eyes had turned red.
When the robot punched again, she caught it, and struck back with a roar, blowing the arm apart. She was kicked away, but Ruby shouted out an order, and Blake threw Yang her ribbon, pulling hard and acting as a fulcrum for Yang's momentum. Artorias' eyes were transfixed, watching her – her hair burned in a trail behind her as she spun, building up speed and power – then her fist came crashing into the robot, breaking it apart like an egg to expose Torchwick.
Well, seems like fire puns are on the menu.
Then a familiar humming reached his ears. A Bullhead.
He looked for it – it was at a low altitude, flying even below the highways, approaching fast.
"Sun! Boost us!" Above him, he saw the monkey faunus nod. He took a stoic stance, concentrating hard, and a single dim clone of himself appeared. It dropped down, and Artorias leapt, using it as a stepping stone to propel him into the Bullhead. Below, he saw it catch Neptune's jump and throw him too into the ship. Artorias drew his sword in anticipation.
Roman Torchwick and a short girl – from her clothes, Artorias guessed it was Neo – just… appeared in the Bullhead.
Torchwick rolled his eyes when he spotted the wolf. "I've been having a really bad day, Blue," said the crook, gesturing to Artorias' cloak as he grabbed his cane.
"Well, we're kinda on a timer here anyway, so let's cut the pre-fight banter?"
"That's just rude," Torchwick said, but he bowed in acknowledgement. Neo vaulted over him as he ducked, aiming a kick for Artorias' chest. Neptune crossed between them, twirling his trident to block the kick, and he and Neo engaged in a fierce exchange of blows, moving to the opposite end of the airship. Meanwhile, Artorias found himself crossing weapons with Roman Torchwick in a Bullhead. Again.
"So how about mid-fight banter?" Torchwick laughed, masterfully redirecting Artorias' assault.
"I find it's appreciated more amongst friends."
"So you do have a bark. Only a five for delivery, but I'll give you an eight for content," Torchwick grinned. "Goggles, you're up!" He twirled his cane, catching Artorias' sword, and delivered a punch to the chest that left the wolf staggering back into the Bullhead's wall. Instead of pressing the advantage, Torchwick turned, his weapon striking his diminutive companion. Rather than take the hit, Neo seemed to shatter – and suddenly she was in front of Artorias, her weak but quick kicks threatening to overwhelm him. A wicked grin was plastered on her face.
"Well, at least one of us seems to be having a good time," Artorias winked. He batted aside a kick and went on the offensive, but Neo ducked and weaved with ease, her parasol catching what few blows she couldn't dodge, her smile broadening in joy. She lived for this.
Seriously though. Who fights with a parasol? He let out a short bark of laughter at the thought, and Neo looked at him strangely.
"I guess both of us are enjoying ourselves, then," he said. She jumped back slightly and held a hand to her chest in mock surprise.
"Artorias!" Neptune yelled, as Roman kicked him from the Bullhead. The wolf made the mistake of turning.
A fierce pain erupted in the back of his head.
He turned back to Neo, his eyes narrowed. She was standing well back, against the opposite wall, an innocent smile on her face. At his accusing look, she pouted.
"Neo, what did I tell you about making friends?" Roman said.
She gave Torchwick a rather rude gesture, then gave Artorias an apologetic shrug.
Is she serious?
Neo rolled her eyes at his confusion, then attacked again. Her assault became more of a dance – she weaved in and out of his guard, every light tap of her feet pushing him only a little off balance before he recovered. He found himself grinning back at her in delight. He danced with her now, dagger in left hand and greatsword in right, her more aggressive assault leaving a few openings for him to strike back. Some of those retaliations even landed, although they still seemed ineffectual.
Apparently Roman got sick of their little routine. Artorias landed a particularly strong blow that bounced off Neo's aura, but left her reeling, and so Torchwick joined the fray. Between the two of them, they made quick work of Artorias, pushing him the short way backwards until he had nowhere else to go but down.
He hooked his left arm around Neo and leapt from the Bullhead.
They grappled briefly as they fell, trying to gain the advantage. After a short struggle, Neo escaped his grasp. She gave him a menacing smile and a salute, then she disappeared.
She reappeared shortly afterwards in the Bullhead, waving at him as the ground rushed upwards.
No fair.
Unlike the last time he'd fallen a considerable distance from a Bullhead, he righted himself before he struck the ground, landing on his feet. His knees buckled with the impact, but at least he didn't crack his head.
"Nice of you to drop by," Yang said with a smirk, sauntering over to him. Her team followed behind, with Weiss and Sun supporting Neptune. He must have had a rougher landing.
"Just following the trail you blazed," he responded.
It took about a second for Yang to process it, but when she did, her face lit up with a broad smile, and she turned to Weiss.
"That's how it's done."
I decided to leave in that Ruby/Penny part purely to illustrate that no, Penny meeting Solaire didn't change anything in the short term. In terms of the story's flow, it might be a little jarring to cut away from Ruby there and then have her appear at the Paladin fight without going over Penny's robot reveal, but eh, it'll do.
I've put a lot of thought into "who can beat whom" and "what counters this character".
Artorias has lost to Torchwick twice now (granted, he had backup this time). But Artorias is actually among the stronger students - Torchwick just counters him. Hard. Neo counters him a little bit as well, although in a 1v1 it'd be a shaky victory for her at best.
In tournament-style 1v1s, Artorias is one of only two students I've listed as being able to reliably stalemate/maybe beat Pyrrha, the other one being Havel. Artorias also matches favourably against all but three students. Havel is, again, one of those students. Can you smell what the Rock is cooking?
Havel is also an absolute joy to write. He is my new dialogue waifu.
Next chapter - March 31st.