Sorry about both this and the last chapter being so late a combination of writer's block and a mountain of course work was the main reason as such I've decided to update on a 30th of Every month instead of the now on to the story
Warning this chapter is gonna cover a few dark themes don't say I didn't warn you.
"Wait, so you're telling me you need a license to sell booze," I say.
"Yes, and you need to be eighteen to buy some, I should know," Yang says.
"God help, Lee, if ever he thinks about expanding his business over here," I think as we enter the hall.
"Wow, this makes the Arena's where I've watched slaves fight seem tiny in comparison," I say.
"Wait, sometimes it's entertaining watching two people fight to the death," I say to the stunned stares from both team ruby and my own.
"Class shall we begin," a gray haired Meat bag speaks as the rest of the class and I took our seats.
The grey haired meat bag stood with an air of experience that I have not seen in anyone in a long time.
"Looks like we have a new student joining our class," he bellows, looking from the papers on his desk.
"Now that's odd," he mutters under his breath.
"Mr. Rust, is it?" he questions with a paper in his hand.
"No, it's just Rust," I say in my usual suave tone.
"Well then Rust, care to introduce yourself to the rest of the class?"
"Okay, I'm a man who slays man and beast as one and the same, I've killed more men than the number of hot meals you've had, "I shout as I stood up from my seat and held my fist high.
Nothing, you could hear nothing apart from the sound of my servos whirring to keep me upright as my revelation seeped in.
"The Ham is strong with this one," Yang quietly whispers.
"Do you find joy in killing," the old man asks.
"No, but it is a necessary evil in my now old line of work," I say.
"And what might that be?" he asks.
"Mercenary work, what else?" I sat down letting it seep in once again.
"Haha, you know how to joke," the grey haired meat bag laughs. His face speaks otherwise though.
"You're serious, right, you've killed people," A teary eyed Ruby asks as the hall once again falls silent for me.
"Ruby, one of the first thing I did when I came into the world was a killing," I speak to the little girl before me.
"Who," she asks.
"A cannibal that attacked me, that's who" I speak.
"Well I guess that makes it okay, since it was in self-defense" she softly spoke as she turns away to face Port
"This story reminds me of a story from my youth," Port says as the rest of the class groans in anticipation.
"You don't need to pay attention from this point onwards," Jaune whispers.
"Yeah, I normally just have a nice sleep," Yang mocks.
"Well, a few minutes in low power mode, won't hurt anybody," I thought as I switch my systems to low power mode. The hydraulics in my body fell silent as the power drained from them.
"Rust, please," She scream as burst into life once again.
"She knows you, skeleton, pay attention now while I teach your wife a lesson," the inquisitor taunt as he forces himself upon her.
"Rust please," she screams.
The leather straps holding me down became nothing more than scraps as I thrash my body against them.
"How," the pair of paladins, holding the straps, screams.
I rip my hands free from their bindings and with a glare to the paladins, they leave me be, not even their faith can spur them on to fight me.
I stood there victorious against the pair of paladins and ready to free my family
"If they won't fight, then I will," the Inquisitor spoke as he drew his mighty blade from his scabbard.
Clink. The Inquisitor was in awe from the bent slab of iron that was his blade.
"You should watch your back," one of the paladins says as the world turns black.
"Rust, Rust you okay over there," Jaune say as he waves his in front of my optics.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I say trying to reassure my fearless leader.
"You sure, you looked like you weren't in there anymore," Yang inquires.
"Yeah, that can happen when I, enter low power mode, but trust me," I speak to the worrying pair beside me.
"If you say so," she says in a reassuring tone.
"My god is it that day already," I mutter as I stood up ready to leave the class.
"Would Mr. Rust kindly go to Headmaster Ozpin's office please," The Glynda speaks over the PA system.
"What have you done now," pyrrhia mocks.
"Probably just, scared a few students, nothing much," I say as I begun my journey towards Ozpin's office.
The vaulted halls and cramped corridors offered no protection against piercing gaze of onlookers because, after all how else would a wolf in goats clothing be treated. As I cross the campus these looks were all that I met with that was until. A pair of women, one with strange lumpy growths sprouting from her head and the other wore a pair brown tinted goggles.
"Hello ladies, would you kindly, show me the way to Ozpin's office" I say in my usual tone.
"Why, what have you done," The woman with goggles speaks as the other tries to hide her nervous nature.
"Nothing much," I say in the same suave tone.
"To the left and take the center lift," she spoke.
"Thanks," I reply as I sprint of towards the lifts.
The looks of both wonder and disgust from the meat bags that surround me grew ever more common as I drew close to the center of the building.
"Ah, the middle one," I think as I found the correct lift.
Click. the button lit up, like a lantern back home and after a few seconds later the metal doors silently open themselves.
"Now this is fancy," I thought to myself I enter the sleek, steel paneled lift. Once again, the button lit up in acknowledgement as I select the headmaster's office and just as silently the doors shut themselves.
Suddenly alert flash in my vision," warning vertical acceleration detected."
"I can just ignore that," I thought as I removed the alert from my vision.
The pair of doors open revealing ozpin's office. The room resembled the guts of clock with gears on the walls, windows, in the floor, in the ceiling.
"Ozpin, buddy, I think you have I gear problem," I mock as I enter the room.
"I don't see it," Ozpin spoke.
"Glynda you see this, don't you," I spoke as I gesture to her to agree with me.
"He has a point but, shouldn't we attend to the reason why we called you here, instead of mocking Ozpin's impressive, interior design skills," Glynda sternly spoke.
"Ah, yes, Rust we have found a suitable location for you, to repair and maintain your body, it's located in the nearby settlement of Vale," she spoke.
"Wouldn't it be more effective to do it here at beacon?" I ask.
"It would but it would attract less attention than situating here at beacon," she spoke.
"And running transport between here and Vale, wouldn't," I spoke.
"But it would also lower the chances of any students of finding it," she spoke.
"Am I just gonna have to deal with the fact that it's all the way over there and the real reason you chosen that place was because it was cheap," I spoke in a deadpan tone.
"Exactly," Ozpin spoke.
"So, anything else you need me for or is that it," I spoke.
"Well the is," Glynda reply.
"I'm not posing for pictures of my servo's, because I can tell what Ozpin is like over gears," I spoke.
"No, not that," Glynda spoke.
"Then what do you need me to do," I spoke.
"We'll need you to visit the tailors in the basement, so that you can have clothes that actually fit you," she spoke.
"Wait so I don't need to look like a disheveled drifter anymore," I spoke in a deadpan tone.
"Yes," Ozpin spoke in response.
"So, shall we begin because I'm meant to be in a history class instead of procrastinating with you pair," I spoke as I start motioning to the lift.
"Okay I'll take you to the basement and I'll also show you to your new workshop," she spoke in response.
"Fine by me," I spoke as the pair of us enter the lift.
"So Glynda what made you chose this life for yourself," I spoke once the doors had closed in the same sleek, steel paneled lift as before.
"I wanted to protect and defend people from the grim, but after a few years I grew tired of that life and chosen to help the world in a different way," she spoke.
"Well, it is better than the reason I first picked up a sword," I spoke.
"Why, what drove you to choose yours," she asks.
"Vengeance, for the death of someone I known. She was one of the few people to ever show compassion to me," I spoke.
"Ding," the lift alert the pair of us that we had arrive at the basement
"Looks like we're here," Glynda spoke in a relieved tone as she left the lift.
"So is this the Mr. Rust, that I've heard so much about," A meat bag in a purple robe and with fire red hair.
"Yes, it is," I spoke in response.
Her purple robe was built with making the most of the near nonexistent breeze in mind, like the desert amours of the tech hunters.
"I'm professor peach head of student services," she introduces herself as.
"And I'm Rust the latest member of team juniper," I say.
"I can tell you're a member of Juniper, you're wearing Jaunes and Ren's clothes," she says.
"And I can tell you're the one who handles the uniforms, from the clothier's measuring tape around your neck," I reply.
"Now can I get measured for my clothes because, I've got places to be and things to do," I say in a deadpan tone.
"Fine," she replies as she stars rapidly measuring my body.
"Your uniform will be ready for tomorrow," she says as both me and Glynda begin leaving for the lift.
"Thank you," I reply as the lift doors close.
"Now off to Vale to see your new workshop," Glynda says as the lift begins rising back to the surface.
After a half-hour of traveling in one of Beacon Academy's Flying mechanical beasts that they call an airbus.
The cool, sea air glance across my body not unlike the hot, desert air I'm use to.
"So where is this workshop?" I ask Glynda as she looks at a map.
"Just a few minutes away," she replies as she looks up from the map.
"Follow me, we're heading to the industrial district" Glynda says as she begins walking.
"Okay, so it'll make my workshop seem less out of place or are you going with your previous reason and that was because, it was the cheapest place you could find," I say as I follow Glynda to the workshop.
"Here, we are," Glynda says as we arrive at the decrepit shack that they call a work shop.
"You're, sure this is the place," I say as I go to tap on the door and it caves upon my strength.
"Yes, according to the map this is the place," she says as she looks up from the map to the building.
"It wasn't as bad as this in the picture," she says in awe of the state of the building.
The crumbling stone walls and the decayed wooden frames, boor a sorry reminder of what had left behind in the name of progress.
"Well if it looks this bad on the outside, god only knows what's on the inside," I mutter as a venture into the ruin of a work shop.
"It's not that bad, a new door, some paint," she says just as a section of the ceiling decides that now would be the best time to fall right next to her
"A new ceiling," I reply as I pick through some of the abandoned machines on the floor.
"Okay, so what's my budget, to get this place livable and for repairs," I ask Glynda as she explores the rest of the building.
"Your budget is 2,500, lien for the building and your body," she replies
"And what's that equivalent to," I ask.
"About just under 99,450 grams of pure gold," she says as she looks up from her scroll.
"Okay, so do you believe that's a reasonable amount," I inquisitively ask.
"Given the state of the building, yes, it is," she calmly replies as I begin to leave the building.
"Where are you going," she asks.
"To get some materials that I can use to secure this place, now before you ask we have plenty of time combat practice starts at twelve and it is currently quarter to eleven" I say as I leave the building.
Accessing my internal NAVI (navigation augmented visualization interface) system and create a waypoint, just in case I ever need to go back there.
"You coming," I call to Glynda as she follows me out of the building.
"So, since you know the area, know where the is a place that I can get a new door," I query Glynda.
"No, I don't, I rarely enter the industrial district," she replies.
"Well, time to do what, I'm good at," I say as I start walking to the center of the city.
"You're not killing anyone to day," Glynda sternly says, trying not to draw any attention.
"Who said I'm only good at killing," I reply in my usual suave tone while I walk away from the blond.
The cool sea wind blows over me as begin my search for a store. I raise a hand to block to the hot sun from my systems as I enter a cramp street full of vendors selling their wares. I walk over to a stall with rows upon rows of mechanical components.
Do you, have any hinges or locks," I ask the meat bag, with the ears of a bone dog only they were fire red, that sat behind the stall
"Here, and her" she replied as she points two rows of locks and hinges.
"Thank you," I say as I start inspecting the items.
"There you are," Glynda says as she arrives next to me at the red heads stall.
"You know her," the female owner asks me.
"Yep, she's equal parts, my boss, my minder, and my landlord," I say as I pick out two hinges and a matching lock and key.
"Oh, please I'm not that bad," Glynda says in an unconvincing tone.
"Well, I won't judge but I will if you won't pay," The owner mocks.
"Glynda," I say as I look over to her.
"Fine I'll pay, just this once though, then we must leave for combat class" she says in her more traditional stern voice as she passes the vendor some plastic plates. With the parts in my bag, both I and Glynda leave the market to return to beacon.
After a thankfully uneventful trip back to beacon, we arrive in the main campus. The sun high in the sky, at its most powerful yet despite this the still was a cool breeze. I burst into power as I sprint to my team's location.
"Wow rust, I'm surprised you could go that fast," Yang mocks as I arrive in front of oobleck's door.
"Well, most of my hardware is bespoke or modded to all hell, it might as well be," I say as I come to a complete stop.
"You ready for combat training," Ruby says as she pretends to fight with her hands.
"Yeah, I'm ready," I reply as the group moves to the Amphitheatre.
"So, Rust, what did you and Glynda get up to while you were away," yang once again mocks.
"Nothing much, she shown me my new workshop and did a bit of shopping nothing much," I reply.
"You sure," yang mocks in an innocent tone.
"Yes, I am, anyway she isn't my type," I say as we arrive at the locker rooms.
"We're here," jaune calls out as we enter the locker room.
"Ah, the smell of sweat and inferiority, you can tell this has been used recently," I thought as place my bag on one of the benches. I open my bag and remove my mighty plate mail then my chainmail clothes I wear under it. I purge away my ramshackle uniform, leaving behind my pure mechanical form and Just as quickly I equip my amour. Silently I my chainmail shirt slid over my body.
With my amour ready, my boots with their plates reattached, I step out into the arena. The arena was bigger than the one's they teach in. The cold stone bricks in stark contrast of the warm walls of the halls before it.
"Attention class, From Now till the end of the year we will be having randomly decided battles similar to those in the vytal festival," Glynda shouts gaining the attention of my fellow students.
As she finishes her speech a holographic display appears behind her, with portraits of all the students in the class. Suddenly the spinning stops. Upon the Display is a picture of Ruby next to mine.
Cautiously Glynda calls out, "would Rust and Ruby rose please enter the arena."
As I walk to the arena floor I'm met with looks of scorn and of fear of what I could do to her.
Jaune mouths," go easy on her."
As I step down the steps towards the arena floor, Glynda pulls me away and says," go easy on her, she's far too young to be here,"
"Then why is she," I reply as I walk into the arena.
"Begin," Glynda shouts.
"Of Course, in world with less gravity the weapons can be even more insane," I thought as Ruby burst into speed from shot of her scythen weapon. She lands heavy strike against my mighty plate mail but that was not enough. Suddenly cracks start crawling up the blade, through its hinges, until. The sythen blade shatters, like the it is cheap blade, into a storm of shrapnel. as I tank the strike with my mighty plate mail. Ruby burst away with a shot from her rifle.
My vision start filling itself with a message reading, "Error 9, initializing Thinker+plus combat protocol-9-9-9."
"No," I scream as my body starts to shut down and the error messages began to pile up.
I awoke. To the sound of a screaming girl and a frantic arena.
"I'm sorry, Ruby," I spoke as I holster my blades into their scabbard.
"Yeah right, you're just some monster, created by atlas, that thinks it did all of those things, when in reality they gave you those memories," Yang shout as she burst into the arena.
"And the same could be said of you, for you're just as much a machine, the only difference being made of flesh and blood instead of cold iron and wires. I shout in response as I cautiously lower my empty hand towards Ruby, trying to help her up.
"Get away from her, you monster," Yang shout as she surges towards me. Unleashing a torrent of fire from her gauntlets
"If it's I fight you, then you shall receive, beast," I spoke as I dodge the incoming fire.
I drew my blades from there scabbard, the light from the most recent barrage reflecting off the blade like the hot sun in the deserts back home.
"No, Yang," Glynda yells as she lifts Yang of the ground using her telekinesis.
I Force my way through the crowd that form around Ruby and pull a roll of bandages from a compartment on my belt. Rapidly I rapped poor Ruby's wounds with the bandages. With my steel jaws, I pull upon bandages to tighten them
"Jaune and pyrrha you're with me, Ren and Nora you collect the rest of team ruby and go to the medical center," I yell as I hoist Ruby's unconscious body in my arms and sprint away towards the medical center.
Errors filled my vision telling me to slow down or I could burst my motors and hydraulics. However, luckily, I arrive before any serious damage could occur to the pair of us.
"Hey what are you doing with that girl," A nurse screams as I arrive through the door.
"Oh, nothing important just trying to save her," I mock as I place her down on a bed.
"Doctor Barlet come here quickly," the nurse cries out as she attaches some device to Ruby's chest.
"She's stable," the doctor says as inspects the device attached to Ruby.
"You sure," I say as I finish tightening Ruby's bandages.
"I'm impressed with your first aid skills," the doctor says as he inspects ruby's condition.
"Well gauze is as good for oil leaks, as it is for blood leaks," I reply.
"Get away from Ruby, you monster," Yang yells as she attempts to punch me but I just step out her way.
"Would a monster treat her wounds, would a monster carry her to safety when her own family is more content with revenge," I say as I left the room. The rest Ruby's team did nothing but stare as I left the room.
I start walking towards the arena, the once gray tiled floor now stained with ruby's blood. Lying there are our weapons, my blades and what's left of her scythe. I collect together the scraps of the scythe and holster my blades back into their scabbards.
I leave for my workshop for that is the only place I can call my home now.
After another thankfully, another uneventful journey to my workshop. I arrive at the shack, the dusty decayed shack but it's still all I have. As I dust of one of the poor benches I uncover preserved sheets of paper. "I'm gonna set the game straight," I think as I pull my reed pen from my belt and start writing.
To Ruby
I'm sorry for what I have done. I know that no matter how many times I say that and whatever reasoning I put forth isn't going to change what I did to you upon that fateful day. I've got my fair share of demons and I don't want them affecting anyone else. So, I ask of you to take my parting gift, your reconstructed crescent rose, and leave me be. If you or your team stands in my way or comes after me. I won't hesitate.
-R
P.s. hinges are a weak point in most weapons so lay off them so much.
To Jaune
I'm sorry for trying to take control of the team, I'm sorry for what I have done to you and I'm for sorry what I have done to the team. However, as team leader you must be resolute and have conviction and be ready to lead, because as my old team leader once told me," he is the first man to fight but is the last one to leave the battlefield." So Jaune I ask of you to be a team leader that I can be proud and so can your family. So, during my travels I can yes, I once fought alongside the legendary Jaune arc and be proud to have called you my leader.
-R
I get up from the table I'm using as a desk and collect the letters, to Jaune and Ruby.
Nock, nock.
N/A I hope you liked that chapter but I want to ask you what do you want Rust to do shall he go back to vale or is his own world more his taste. And as always read, review and any problems tell me.
-last
P.s. this chapter is over 4 thousand words, F*** yeah.
