"Penny!" Ruby's voice brought the android out of her stupor, she had just gotten done with her match and was understandably happy to see the red head.
"Ruby!" Penny yelled, launching herself into a hug, knocking both of them to the ground.
"Nice." Ben's voice made the pair look up to see the ninja standing with a grin on his face.
"Ruby, Ben," Penny said as she got to her feet and gestured at the dark skinned girl in front of them wearing a white blouse with a blue skirt and matching beret, "This is my teammate."
"Ceil Soleil." The girl said with a slight bow.
"Hi, I'm Ruby…" The red head started before the girl but her off.
"Ruby Rose, 15, hails from Patch, leader of team RWBY, status:…questionable." The girl said before she turned to Ben.
"This should be good…" Ben muttered before the girl started on him.
"Ben Keno, 17, hails from Tradition, member of team EMBR, brother of Qui Keno who was known for his…interest." Ceil said, taking a weary step back.
"Let me assure you, I share none of his interest, a little too creepy for me." Ben said with a disarming grin.
"So…Penny, you two were incredible out there, how do you keep control over all those swords? It's so cool!" Ruby gushed, clearly excited.
"Penny, I believe it is best if we move onto out next location." Ceil cut in, making Ben give her a look.
"Dust, are you one of those 'on time is to be late?" Ben groaned, Ceil ignored him.
"Could we have just a minute to talk?" Penny asked after an awkward silence. Ceil looked at her watch, then took a few steps back.
"So is she…a friend?" Ruby asked, her confusion evident.
"In a way, she's like Blake…if she was ordered to spend time with you." Penny said.
"Oh, like Weiss…" Ruby said with a slight blush.
"…precisely." Penny said after a short pause, her eyes could see the way Ruby's body was reacting to the name but didn't press it.
"Does she know about…you know…" Ruby started before making various robot noises.
"Oh now, General Ironwood doesn't want really anyone to know…" Penny started before Ben cut her off.
"Great, so me and Ruby might be on a hit list, go on." Ben said with a laugh.
"There was one incident with a magnet, but I was able to play it off…" The robot girl said with a grin, earning a laugh from the trio, "Ruby, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about."
Penny glanced over at Ceil.
"I want to stay at Beacon." She whispered, earning a scoff of disbelief from Ben.
"Penny they'll never let you do that." Ruby whispered, true sadness radiating from her voice.
"That's not the only problem, could you even function without Atlas tech?" Ben whispered.
"I know, but I've got a plan as for the technology, I'll…" Penny started before Ceil cut in.
"It's been precisely one minute ma'am." The woman in blue said, cutting off the robot.
"I'll talk to you more soon friends." Penny said with a grin as she and Ceil walked off.
"So…what were these interest your brother had?" Ruby asked as her and Ben turned around.
"My older brother had a slight interest in the occult, you know, resurrection spells, portals to hell, soul transference, just a bunch of mumbo jumbo," Ben said with a grin as they walked, "I'm just happy Azul was there to make sure he didn't kill himself."
"Azul?" Ruby asked, clearly confused.
"Oh, I've never talked about him?" Ben said with a strange look, Ruby shook her head, "Odd, he was like a second brother to me, I should have mentioned him. Anyway, his full name was Azul de la Vega, he was a nobleman from the Vega line. Weiss probably could tell you more about them than I could, anyway, after some trouble with the police, spending a few years in prison, surviving an attack by an assassin, he ended up staying with me and my family."
"That's so cool, what happened next?" Ruby gushed, clearly enthralled by the tale.
"Well, the story doesn't have a happy ending, remember me talking how my brother died? Azul was in the car as well, they didn't make it." Ben said with a sigh, Ruby put her arm around Ben, who smiled sadly.
"I miss those two sons a bitches, but enough of that, isn't Yang and Weiss fighting soon?" Ben said suddenly, making Ruby perk up.
"Oh yeah, let's grab a seat!" The red head said, grabbing the ninja and dragging him off towards the seats. They both sat down and looked as the two members of RWBY walked onstage, ready to duke it out.
"What do you think of their opponents?" Ruby said, excitedly.
"No idea, but since they're from Atlas, probably going to be really professional and…" Ben was cut off by the sight of a roller blading cat faunas, "Oh Dust me in the ass."
In Town…
Jesse stared at the door of the establishment, the sign above it read "A Rest for the Weary." The cowboy walked right in, moving straight to the bar, he sat down and stared at the colored glass.
"You've got some nerve walking in here." A woman's voice cut through the air like a knife.
"Why? I can't enjoy the company of an old friend?" Jesse said without looking at the speaker, knowing full well what she looked like.
"Not after what you did to that poor girl." The woman said with malice.
"Mary…that was ten years ago, I was cleared of the charges." Jesse said as he pulled out a smoke and put it in between his lips.
"Governments always cover up their best agents," The woman said as she walked in front of him, Jesse took a draw as he looked her over. She was an older woman, but clearly knew her way around a bar brawl, "Especially their assassins."
"Do you forget who cleared me? Your old boss?" The bounty hunter said, right before Mary ripped the smoke out of his mouth.
"Aedan Flint is known for getting soft on his former students," Mary said with a snarl, "You can drink all you want, but stay away from my son and Milly."
"Thatch? Doing well for himself, ain't he? Managed to get past the first round with his team didn't he? Let me make one thing clear, I don't give a damn about your son. However, Milly? That's another matter, where is she?" Jesse said, his eyes burning.
"I will not let you see her, she's been through enough with Meryl's death and you disappearing for six months." Mary said, slamming down a glass and filling it with some liquor.
"You remembered my favorite," Jesse said as he took a sip, "I need to see her, Mary, and you can't stop me. However, you can make it easier for me, besides, she's a grown woman and she sure as hell doesn't need protecting."
"Why I ouaghta…" Mary said, sizing Jesse up, wondering if he might have slowed down.
"Hi mum!" A deep voice filled the room, Jesse's eyes snapped to a mirror over the bar and recognized the tall form of Thatch Edwards. Mary's eyes widened at the sight of her son at this time, she didn't want him here during this.
"Who's this?" The pirate said as he sat down at the bar, noticing the intense stare that his mother was giving him.
"No one dear, he was just leaving, right?" Mary said, getting a scoff from Jesse.
"Not until you tell me where Milly is, then I'll be on my way." The cowboy said with a stare at Mary, she hid it well, but to a man like Jesse, she was screaming in panic.
"Sir, I think you should leave." Thatch said, moving closer to Jesse, readying his fist.
"Mary, just tell me where she is, I just want to talk, I'd rather not have to break your son's nose." Jesse said, without a hint of joking.
"Why I…" Thatch started, right before Mary cut him off.
"She's at the market, hitting the ships before they go to Beacon, now get out of my bar." Mary said quickly, Jesse tipped his hat as he got up. Thatch stared daggers at the man as he readied to open a door, only to spy something on Jesse's finger.
"Tell, did your wife divorce you yet?" Thatch yelled, prompting Jesse to stop his hand right where it was. Mary gasped in disbelief, she knew how much Jesse had cared for Meryl but Thatch didn't.
"Did your father ever show back up to see what a stinking cur he had spawned?" Jesse said as he walked out, leaving Thatch gasping for air…right before Mary smacked him.
"What?" Thatch groaned, the blow had rung across the room.
"Don't you know who that is?" Mary yelled, her anger evident. Thatch shook his head no, "That was Jesse Stampede, the one who was responsible for the July Plant Massacre."
"…and he's just walking around!?" Thatch said, his shock evident.
"The charges were dropped, but that doesn't matter. What matter is that you just insulted his wife…who died a few months ago…You're lucky he didn't kill you." Mary whispered as she suddenly hugged her son, but, deep down, she knew she was lying to herself. Jesse Stampede, no matter how much she hated him, was not capable of harming her son or Milly…
At the docks…
Many people would ask for help when carrying about three medium crates of food, two smaller crates of spirits, and a huge minigun, but most people weren't Milly Wolfwood. She was a tall woman, about six foot, had brown hair, wore a yellow dress, and sauntered down the street like she was going for a simple stroll.
"Nice brand," Jesse's voice dropped her out of her thought, "Bit expensive for my taste."
"Jesse!" Milly yelled, dropping the crates and rushing at the man, picking him up in a bar hug.
"Milly…Need…Air…" Jesse gasped before the woman set her down.
"Jesse, it's so good to see you again! It's been so long! Mary will be…" Milly started gushing about various happy things that made Jesse laugh, it had been too long since he had talked to her.
"Hey, Milly, sorry to cut this short, do you still have that key I gave you?" Jesse said, earning a grin from Milly.
"Of course I do, you said guard it with my life, so it hasn't left my person." The woman said with a grin as she reached into her shirt and pulled out a key.
"Thanks Milly," Jesse said as he got looked down the road, "Hey, I've got to go, want to catch up after the festival is over?"
"But that's so far away…" Milly said with a pout.
"I know, but business is business, hey…since I haven't been home in a while, how is the house?" The bounty hunter asked, getting a laugh from the woman.
"Oh, you know Roberta," Milly said with a grin, "She wouldn't let that place fall to ruin if she died."
"Sounds about right, but…seriously, Milly?" Jesse said, getting the woman to stare him dead in the eye, "Thanks, I'll catch up later."
As Jesse walked away, he could hear a random television talking about the next fight, Rick and Alex VS Beowulf and Lancelot.
Back at the Arena…
"While the combatants ready themselves, let's analyze them, shall we?" Oobleck said with gusto as the screen lit up with a CBC logo.
"First up, Beowulf's fight with the young Ruby Rose." Port Said as the screen showed the CBC arena. Beowulf and Ruby got on stage, Beo with his small blade and Ruby with her scythe.
"Didn't know I'd get to fight you little rose," Beowulf said with a grin, "But I can't say I'm not happy to face such a well-known opponent."
"Oh…hush you." Ruby said, but her face showed that she was happy that the comment had been made.
"Don't think that means I'll be holding back." Beo said, earning another laugh from the red head.
"I wouldn't dream of it." The scythe wielder said as the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the match.
Insert "Built For War," by Megedeth…
Beowulf charged forward, slamming his weapon down in an arc. Ruby smirked, she could dodge that in her sleep, as she leapt back and followed up with a slash of her own. Beowulf, with speed that betrayed his size, quickly blocked and pushed the red head back. Ruby broke the engagement and ran around the arena, she figured that she couldn't beat him in strength, so she had to use a different strategy.
She suddenly ran in, using a gun blast that raked the blade across the Vikings chest, before leaping up and kicking Beowulf in the face. The giant staggered back, opening himself up for Ruby to slash at him again, slowly driving him towards the center of the stage. The giant realized what she was planning at that moment, and laughed…he had to admit, that was clever.
Ruby got him right where she wanted him, she leapt back readying her semblance. Beowulf laughed again as he readied his blade, not wavering in the slightest. Ruby yelled a way cry as she surged forward, ready to cut Beowulf down to size. She got him across the chest, before reaching the other side of the arena and pushing off, attempting to keep a constant motion of slashing.
Her second slash…didn't go through at all, Beowulf blocked it, not losing momentum, Ruby tried again. Beowulf blocked that one, a third, a fourth, a fifth, and finally a sixth before lashing out and backhanding Ruby across the stage. The red head didn't give up as she got to her feet and rushed again, only for the giant of the man to grab her, slam the pommel of his sword into her, and throw her across the arena. The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match.
"Hey, don't feel bad," Beowulf said as he offered his hand to the young girl, who seemed disappointed, "I've got about six years of experience and armor to back me up, you did well. Be proud of that, you'll get me next time…"
End Song…
"And that was the match that Beowulf fought against Ruby Rose, the leader of team RWBY." Port said, his excitement showing.
"We've all seen the fight with Rick Grimmes VS Nora Valkyrie, Rick's going to have to pull off something insane to defeat his opponents. Luckily for him, insane is his middle name!" Oobleck's pun made most cringe.
"But let's not forget Lancelot and Alex, Lancelot, the trained knight who defeated wyvern Grimm all those years ago with his king, Artoria." Port said with enough gusto to hide his disappointment.
"And then we have Alex, the mad chemist of ROSA, that boy is bound to have some aces up his sleeve that even Lancelot's armor is going to have a hard time against." Oobleck said quickly.
"And it looks like our fighters and arena are ready, shall they begin?" Port's voice silenced the crowd, the arena was a mixture of a rocky mountain and a destroyed city.
Insert "Dangerous but Worth the Risk," Ratt…
"Plan 4295 4855," Rick said as the bell went off.
"Got it!" Alex yelled as he notched an arrow and fired at Lancelot, sending the person back into the city part, the fox followed them as Beowulf and Rick locked eyes.
"Between us then?" The Viking said with a grin.
"Damn straight." The psychopath said as he readied his ax, the two locked eyes…then surged forward to the crowds cheer for blood. The two locked blades, Rick's axe vs Beowulf's smaller sword, as they circled. Beowulf clearly held the advantage in strength, but Rick's mind had a few tricks up his sleeve. The psycho dove to the side, performing a roundhouse kick to the man's side, Beowulf wasn't expecting the move as he flinched allowing Rick to realign himself.
"Good trick," Beowulf said out loud, "Any way you could show me how to do that?"
"Sorry buddy, you're a tad too big." Rick said with a laugh, earning the crowds laughter as well.
"Ah, that's the big problem, built like a truck, can practilly throw one, but can't move like a bike." Beo said with a sigh.
"Ah, don't worry," Rick said as he rushed in, "You've got other ways to beat me."
As that was going on, Alex combed through the ruins, searching for his prey. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, he stopped as he suddenly heard the roar of an engine. He looked down to see Lancelot riding their motorcycle, ramping up to the roof. Alex yelped as he narrowly dodged the lance, he notched an arrow and launched it. The arrow merely glanced off the armor, leaving Alex in quite the pickle.
"Uh…hi?" The fox said before the bike's tire squealed as thy surged forward, launching Lancelot at the fox once again. Alex let loose a bunch of curses as he leapt off the building onto the street, and into the black knight's domain. He whirled around to see that Lancelot was charging him once again, this time, however, Alex smirked. He knocked two arrows and fired them, as they flew apart, the rope between the two could be seen clearly. The tight quarters of the streets prevented Lancelot from dodging, so the black knight's arms were pinned to their torso.
Alex simply moved out of the way, allowing the bike to fall. It moved towards the stage, but Lancelot scrambled up, snapping the bolo rope apart. The black knight looked at the bike, right before an arrow came through and covered it in ice. Lancelot looked at the lance on the ground, without the bike or a wide area it was useless. However, you don't get to known as the greatest fighter in all the lands by letting such a small thing get in your way.
Lancelot reached down and drew a blade, this one was blue in the sunlight, its handle sheathed in gold, this was Excalibur. The mighty sword of King Artoria, the one gifted to her by the lady of the lake, the one that could cut anyone down to size. Lancelot looked at the archer in pity, only for a fire arrow to hit the ground and cover the area in flames.
Alex knocked another arrow, his strategy required precision, but this was merely an attempt to distract the one in the armor. He know what that armor was made out of, Black Iron from the hills of Camelot, a small province in Atlas. It was heavy, durable enough to take a hit from a dragon, but most importantly…it completely nullified all heat, things like dragon's breath, super-heated blades…and normal flames as well.
The eyes of the helmet, the only part with any tech in it, flashed as Lancelot surged forward, grabbing a large piece of stone. Alex let his arrow fly, only for Lancelot to dive under it and throw that stone. The fox cursed as the rock barely missed him, the black knight closing the distance. Alex was being pushed back, Lancelot wouldn't let up swing his sword at him, not giving him any time to grab an arrow.
At that point, Rick and Beowulf leapt back. Both breathing heavily, Rick was definitely worse for wear however.
"Goddamned armor." Rick muttered as he struggled to stand, Beowulf laughed.
"Aye, but what about your semblance? I know you haven't used it, maybe it would tip the odds in your favor?" Beo said with a laugh.
"Probably, but not today." Rick said, as he got up, only to have a splitting pain burst into his skull.
Butcher, now is NOT the time! Rick screamed internally.
This isn't me, someone's fucking with us. The Butcher said, his voice angry and concerned.
"Are you all right?" Beowulf asked, putting down his blade. Genuine concern was written on his face.
"Yeah, yeah I'm good…" Rick said, the pain subsiding and Emerald grabbed her head, in pain and shock. It was like trying to control four people ate once.
"All right then, time to finish this." Beowulf said, his face still knotted in concern. That's when an explosion filled the air, both fighters whirled around to see a single black helmet land between them. Beowulf's eyes suddenly widened as he took off, leaving Rick alone. Beowulf rushed to Lancelot's side, quickly covering up the black knight's face.
"We forfeit! Turn those cameras off!" Beowulf yelled, both Port and Oobleck stared at each other before ordering the cameras shut off and showing…a CBC fight between Mary Grimmes and Ruby Rose. The screen showed the pair as they squared off.
End Music…
"You're weak, I can already tell." Mary said as she readied her back pack, Ruby readied herself as well. She was going to wipe the smug grin off of that bitches face, Ruby was done letting her insult Rick behind his back. The buzzer sounded, prompting the pair to start. Mary's backpack suddenly exploded, sending out various thin wires. Ruby leapt back, she couldn't even see the wires.
Rick's sister smiled as she pulled on a set of white gloves, and started twiddling her fingers. Ruby was suddenly pulled back by invisible tethers, rag dolling her around, sending her into the ground. She could feel the wires trying to wrap around her, preventing her from moving, but Ruby was nothing if not persistent. She focused, letting her aura shield her, suddenly, she didn't feel the wires around her. She looked around, and giggled. These wires, they might be invisible…but cutting through Aura was a different story all together.
She grabbed her scythe, whirling around to cut all of the wires around her. Mary's face split into a snarl, as she readied more wires. Ruby simply surged forward, the wires snapping as she neared Mary. A good slash of her weapon sent Mary flying back, only to be caught by her own wires. Mary cursed as she tried to break free, only for Ruby to fire a round point black, sending her into the red.
Mary fell to the floor, her eyes actually brimming with tears of anger. Ruby whooped as she pumped her fist into the air, not noticing Mary grabbing a dagger from her bag. No one humiliates her, no one got to…she didn't have time to finish that thought as Rick leapt into the arena and got in-between her and Ruby. Mary groaned, damn him, damn that boy to hell…
Back at the real world, Beowulf and Lancelot had run into a prep room, both breathing heavily.
"So…forgetting this?" Alex's voice made the pair jump, giving him clear view of the blonde…woman in the black armor, "My lady Artoria, a pleasure."
"You can't tell anyone about." The woman spoke, her voice sounding dignified like a king.
"I'm not who you need to worry about, all those people, and the people at home? You didn't show them enough to make them suspicious…the people in Camelot?" Alex said with a pause, "They'll be coming."
The two stared into each other's eyes, only to notice that Alex was walking out of the room…with his bow and arrows still on him.
"What are you going to do with those?" Artoria asked.
"I'm going hunting." Alex said as he walked out.
Meanwhile…
"Huh, that was odd." Rick muttered as he exited the arena, Micca and Emily at his sides.
"Hey, you won the match, that's something." Emily said with a scowl.
"Yeah…but I'd rather have won honorably than by forfeit." Rick said with a sigh, cracking his neck as he looked around.
"Hey, I know what will cheer you up, let's go to the fairgrounds." Micca said, grabbing both Emily and Rick and dragging them off. Richard joined them as they passed him and Velvet, whom he was politely chatting with. After Coco stopped threatening to beat him within an inch of his life, the two managed to maintain their friendship.
"Got to go, me and Yatsuhashi want to go over some things before tomorrow." Velvet called as she left, leaving Richard to follow the group. Micca lead them to a comic book stall, immediately perking Rick up.
"Tell me my good sir," Rick said to the owner, a man with a mustache and glasses, "Would you happen to have World War Hulk or Berserk?"
"Kid, of course I do, that'll be 50 lien." The man said, holding out his hand. Rick smiled, put his money into said hand, and walked away with his friends and his new reading material.
"I'm thirsty, let's get a pint." Richard said prompting the friends to walk over a nearby tent, it was a nice set up. A temporary bar with a TV for the matches, it was still fairly early in the day, so the crowd wasn't thick. However, that only made team LWTJ more visible to the group.
"Pull up a chair, the next match is about to start," Teddy said as Richard and Rick went to the bar, "Gonna be a good one, EMAD's fighting."
"As in those bastards who knocked you out last time?" Richard called out, getting a laugh from Teddy.
"The same one, only this time, their fighting Mary Grimmes and her lackey." Leo said with a grin as he sipped his pint.
"Gonna be a short fight," Rick said as he brought his group their drinks, "Mary might be a good tactician, shite fighter."
"I can attest to that much." Emily said as she started sipping, the buzzer cutting off any thought she might have had. Rick, not caring too much, pulled out Berserk and got to reading the latest issues of Berserk, he had gotten behind and had to catch up. After a short read, a hand broke him out of his stupor.
"What? What's going on?" Rick asked, only for Richard to point at the screen. Rick immediately leaped to his feet, on the screen, someone was laying down on the ground, bleeding profusely.
"What happened?" Rick yelled, seeing that Mary was standing behind the wounded woman, who was of Asian descent, with a bloody dagger.
"Mary just stabbed her in the back, but…her aura wasn't up. That blade couldn't cut through butter." Richard said as he got to his feet. The paramedics arrived on the scene, putting the girl onto a stretcher and dragging her off. Mary just stared at the blade, a stunned look on her face, but Rick knew that look all too well…this wasn't an accident.
An hour later…
Rick paced outside the medical room, he was angry at Mary for this. Of course, everyone thought it was an accident, everyone just thought that the girl, whose name he had discovered was Allison, had put down her Aura at the wrong time. The psycho's fist clenched, this wasn't the first time Mary had done this, but the real question was why? Mary had been disqualified from the games because of this, why would she do that?
Rick's thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and two people came out, a teen looking like a pirate and a woman dressed in purple blouse.
"How is she?" Rick asked, getting a strange look from the pirate.
"Fine, why do you ask? Who are you?" The pirate asked.
"That's…Rick Grimmes, we watched him fight Beowulf Gras," The woman said, getting ready to hold out her hand in greeting. That's when Thatch punched Rick in the face, "Thatch!"
"You have some guts to show your face around here," Thatch said, punching Rick again, "After what your sister did."
"Thatch!" The woman ordered, trying to get her teammate under control. He didn't hear her as he punched again, only for Rick to catch the fist. The psycho followed with a hard head butt, sending Thatch back a few steps.
"You done? I came to check on her," Rick said as he cracked his neck, "My sister is a bitch, I wanted to see how bad the damage was."
"Thanks for your concern Rick," The woman held out her hand, "I'm Maria Gaia, a pleasure. The damage isn't too bad."
"There's a but coming, isn't there?" Rick said as he took her hand.
"We decided that it would be more beneficial to go home to rest and heal." Maria said with a sad smile, making Rick sigh.
"Yep, that'll do it. Hey, if it means anything, I'm sorry." The psychopath said earning an earnest smile from Maria.
"It's means something, thanks." The centurion said as she turned around and went back into the room, leaving Rick to wander back to his dorm.
Meanwhile…
"Hello, what have we here?" Caine whispered as he saw the legendary Pyrrha Nikos entering the elevator to Ozpin's office. His rangefinder quickly went up to the office to see Ozpin and Qrow waiting for the girl, "Now what could they be calling her for at this hour?"
His musing was interrupted by an arrow going right through the range finder, the man whirled around to see Alex.
"Sorry to stop your fun, peeping tom." Alex said as he knocked another, ready for combat.
At ground level…
"Now that's only really suspicious." Aedan said as he saw Pyrrha enter the building, something was happening…and he needed to know what it was.