CH 9: Inspiration Hits Like a Brick
I wasn't sure what my thoughts were on what I was doing this Friday, to be honest. But regardless, I decided to make myself look at least half-decent. I was sitting in the courtyard waiting (what, I can't be early to something for a change?), when Ruby finally came by.
"Hey Zaine! Ready to hit the city?"
"You bet, ready to hit it hard."
"I've got a map this time!"
She pulled out a sheet of paper that had—a phrase on it? It read, 'Hang in there' and there was a picture of a cat in a tree.
"Um, Ruby, that's a cat poster."
"Oh… um," She fumbled about in her pockets a bunch then pulled something else out, "This is it!" This time it was an actual map.
"Alright…" I said, smiling. She gave this surprised look as we started walking towards the city.
"Is everything ok?" I asked her.
"Yea, it's just that—well, you don't normally dress this nice."
"Oh, um, yea sorry about that."
"No don't be, you look—really cool."
"Thanks..." Doesn't this usually happen the other way around?
"Hey, you look pretty nice too."
"Thanks, but… this is what I always wear."
"Then I guess you always look nice." She smiled and blushed a bit. "Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
"That is what they always say. Still, it is kinda weird though, not gonna lie, seeing you so spiffy," she said in a more playful tone, which was soon cut off when she leaned in, having caught my aroma, "And is that cologne?"
"Wha—no—maybe… what? A guy can't just dress nice for a change?"
"*giggle* I'm just messing with you. Weird or not, I like it." I simply responded with a smile. "I just hadn't thought that this could be… *gulp* and actual date..."
"You say something?"
"Uh—nope!" I'm pretty sure I caught her blushing again, but I didn't quite catch what she said.
We managed to find quite a few places that were showcasing weapons. For a city that was supposed to be at peace, there sure was a lot. I guess the combat school next door was part of it.
This is the part where I'd insert the montage of Ruby and I going in and out of various museums, shops, and etc. We saw a lot of crazy stuff. I guess I'll describe some of it.
We found this place with all sorts of transforming weapons and almost got ourselves seriously hurt by messing with them. Just a hint of advice, never hold a collapsible quarterstaff so that it's pointing towards your gut. We even got kicked out of this one place because we accidentally knocked down a chandelier with a crossbow. Yea, places like those which have weapons on display for people to handle really don't seem that safe in my opinion.
This one place was selling combat masks and armor, and we had quite a few laughs scaring each other with bizarre masks. We found a place that let you fight training dummies with weapons to try them out. Ruby found this scythe with a swinging blade and did some serious work with it. I have to say, I was pretty amazed. Watching her gave me an idea. I'm not gonna lie, it hit me like a brick.
There were way too few boomerangs around. I guess it's too elite of a weapon type for most people. I tried out a couple boomerangs, swords, and other weapons, but none of them had the right feeling to them. I was planning on making my own weapon, so I figured that wasn't a problem.
One thing that really surprised me and even somewhat scared me was how many weapons I was able to use. Did the weapon training from my past lives carry over or something?! I was also surprised by how much fun this was. I've always been interested in weapons, but I've never had this much fun just browsing. Well, things changed from fun to full of action in not too long when something happened at one of our last visits.
"Here it is!" Ruby was dragging me by the arm.
"Woah, is this a smithy—in downtown Vale?"
"You bet it is! It's the best around. This is where I come to do maintenance on crescent rose if she ever gets damaged. It's the perfect place for you to get a weapon forged."
Before we could discuss any further, there was an explosion and the sound of panic. *BAANGGG!* What looked like a small dump truck crossed with a motor-bike came barreling out of the side of the building. There were two lunatics riding it and hollering…
"WOOOO! Hot diggedy dog!" What the hell? Was my mind's only response.
"Get back here, you scoundrels! Urgh... we're all doomed now," The shopkeeper said as he ran out of the building, unable to keep up with them. He stopped just short of us and started panting.
"What happened, what did they take?" Ruby asked him.
"They took the energy core we were working on for a high-class customer. I hate to think what they'll be able to do with it."
Ruby and I looked at each other.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" She asked me.
"Time to do something reckless," I responded.
"We'll get it back, sir don't worry," she told the shopkeeper as we started running after them. "Are we really gonna catch them and get it back? We don't have a vehicle," she said to me as we ran, immediately beginning to worry herself.
"We will soon," I said, already holding out Crimson Ember's keys. I had recently installed an auto-retrieval system. I had just pressed the button to call it over. "Ruby, use your speed. Don't lose track of them. I'll catch up as soon as I can. I've got an idea."
Ruby nodded and dashed ahead of me. I parkour style made my way up to the top of a nearby rooftop then blinked onto the tallest one I could see. I watched closely, following the red streak that was Ruby. It looked like she didn't quite have perfect control of her speed. There was a lot of uncontrolled zig-zagging and bouncing, but that was an issue for another time.
Once she started to catch up with them, I used everything I had to blink down. I landed on the street, right in their path. Those lunatics aren't going to stop, I thought as they only accelerated. I pulled out my boomerang and prepared to do something really stupid.
Right as they were about to hit me, I pivoted to the side, holding the boomerang's blade out. I was trying to clip their tires, but they were thicker than I thought. I ended up getting caught. My boomerang came loose from the tire after I was spun practically into submission, but I managed to grab on somewhere else to prevent myself from becoming a skid mark on the road. I was holding onto the end of the dumper for dear life, while I felt like my arms were nearly being ripped off as I was pulled along. I started to climb my way towards the front of the dumper, hoping to cause some problems for the drivers.
"Uh, oh Bonnie, looks like we got ourselves a rat!" Said a female voice, with an accent I couldn't describe.
"You know what we do to rats, now don't ya Clyde?" Said a lanky sounding male voice.
"We give em the boot!"
I braced myself for the inevitable attempt to scrape me off that would follow. What I didn't expect was for a literal boot to be launched right at me.
I spun to the side to avoid the boot, but another came and hit me in the hand, causing me to lose my grip. I managed to barely grab on to the very end of the dumper, back to where I had started.
Any second now, come on… I thought as I once again inched my way towards the front of the vehicle. Another boot flew past me and I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd get knocked off. At that moment, a gunshot struck one of the tires and the whole rig started to skid and lost control a bit. I glanced over to see Ruby, who managed to get ahead using speed and a shortcut. She managed to pop the tire with a shot from crescent rose and it was definitely doing a good job of slowing them down.
"Dammit! Tire's done blew!" Clyde croaked.
"Well, then time fer plan B," Bonnie responded.
"Thought we'd already used plan B."
"Then it's plan C."
"Iddn't plan C the one where we use yer grandma's puddin'?"
"No! That's plan G, and it ain't usin' the puddin' it's going to get puddin' if plans A through F don't work out!"
"I want puddin, Bonnie! Can we get puddin' anyway?"
"You know yer supposed to be on a diet, Clyde!" She was kind of a big girl…
"Dammit, Bonnie, jus' this one time!"
"Activate fly-mode and maybe I'll think about it!"
They sounded like a redneck married couple from Vacuo that just got deported. Listening to them argue was painful, especially at a time like this, but while they weren't paying attention, I managed to get to the front and detach my boomerang from the tire.
Wait, did they say fly-mode?! I thought, panic entering my mind. As I looked up, I saw a fourth and final boot sail through the air, and it nailed me in the face. At the same time, the rig took off into the sky, wheels folding in. I finally lost my grip as it soared into the air, but I looked back just in time to see crimson ember, my trusty motorcycle closing in behind. I managed to grab on and keep from being scraped across the street.
Right on cue, I thought as I pulled myself up. I saw Ruby on the side of the road motioning so I swung by and slowed down.
"Jump on!" I called out as I slowed down to pass by her.
She looked pretty winded, but she managed to do a dash to get on and grab ahold of me.
"*pant* so much running... *pant* they're flying away! How are we gonna catch them?"
"Hey, we can fly too, remember?"
"Oo, yea! Guess I'm finally getting that ride you promised, huh?"
"Yep. Just hold on tight!" As it turns out, I had just managed to get enough fuel for another flight the other day.
As we sped up, I activated the flight mechanism on Crimson Ember and it lifted off the ground, leading us into an aerial pursuit of the thieves. We were catching up really quick, thanks to the jet boosters.
"Wait, why didn't you bring this thing in the first place?"
"...I thought it would be more fun if we walked…"
"What could be more fun than riding a flying motorcycle?"
"It's well—"
"Zaine?"
"*sigh* ok, I was going to surprise you. But I guess we both got a surprise, huh?"
"Yea I guess we did… hey we've almost caught up! How are you planning on stopping them?"
"Uh, I haven't quite thought that part through yet."
At this point, we got so close that we could hear them arguing again:
"Dammit, Bonnie they're closin' in faster than a jackrabbit out of a skillet!"
"Give em' the boot!"
"I already used all of em' unless y'all got a third foot!"
"Not that boot! Shoot their asses!"
"Oh, right."
With that, Clyde pulled out a massive handgun and started firing. I managed to swerve out of the way of the shots, but they kept coming. I was a bit uneasy considering that we were flying over a large body of water. I HATE water—large amounts of it at least.
"Ruby, I thought of something."
"Great, what is it—wait, aren't I usually the one who comes up with a plan?"
"I guess, but—well, I've got an idea. I've got some dust ammunition in the storage unit back there. If you use it, it should only take one shot. Think you can hit them?"
"I can sure try!" She pulled out crescent rose and tried to aim, but there was nothing to support it. "I can't keep it steady!" she called out as crescent rose flailed around unsafely as a result of me swerving to dodge another round of bullets.
"Use me as a ballast!" I said, realizing the need for a desperate option.
"What do you mean? How'd that help?"
"Hook me with the blade—then it won't move."
"Are you kidding?! I could cut your arm off!"
"It's the only way, and you know it. It's alright. All you need is one shot. I trust you Ruby," I said, making eye contact with her for a moment.
"...I—Ok, just, stay still." She hooked crescent rose onto my shoulder, the tip of the scythe blade sinking into the front of the seat. "Are you sure about this?"
"I'm sure. If it was anyone else, I wouldn't even be suggesting it. But I know you can do this Ruby. I believe in you, no matter what happens."
"...Wow—I—well, here goes nothing then…"
She took aim very carefully, as I weaved away from the poorly aimed shots coming at us, found an opening, and fired. Just as the shot went off, I backed up a bit in my seat to absorb the blow. It was painful and I could feel the blade piercing through my aura. However, I managed to back up just enough to keep my arm attached.
Looking ahead, the shot went true; in fact, it went straight into their tailpipe. It was an insane crack-shot if I ever saw one. The fire dust in the bullet ignited their engine, and the whole rig exploded. The two thieves were sent flying, landing in the water below. Lucky for them that we were flying over a lake.
"Woah! Nice shot—NGH," I said as I slowed us down, while also reeling in pain. We came to a bit of an abrupt stop, but we both managed not to fall off.
"Are you ok?!" Ruby asked, both shocked that her shot was so good and terrified that she may have severed my arm.
"I'm good. Still attached!" I said lifting up my arm with a half-smile that was cut off by my sharp pain.
I lowered us down to the surface of the water, using the gravity dust in the bike to keep us hovering. Bonnie immediately popped up from the surface and tried to swim away frantically. Ruby and I just looked at each other and barely contained our laughter as we slowly hovered up to him while he frantically doggy paddled forward at a slower speed looking back and muttering curses.
Clyde, on the other hand, was flailing around in the water screaming, "Halp! I can't swim! I'm drownin'! HALP!" while in reality, she was only in a few feet of water. Eventually, actual law enforcement showed up and took them away.
I had completely forgotten about the fuel consumption issue and I would pay for it dearly. The HUD displayed a message just as I looked over at it. 'Fuel level at 1%, 0%'
"Oh shi—"
I started but was cut off by Crimson Ember falling out of the air and landing in the water with a splash. Ruby yelped a bit and grabbed onto me as we suddenly fell. The water was only a couple feet deep, so it wasn't too bad, but I hate getting wet, so I wasn't too thrilled. On top of that, submerging Crimson Ember in water wasn't exactly the best thing for it… I hadn't implemented a water mode yet, considering that I prefer to avoid large bodies of water altogether.
"Well, looks like she's going to have to visit the shop again…" I said after we recovered from the shock of the cold water.
Ruby let out a light chuckle. Neither of us were expecting any of this, to be honest.
"Well, at least this means we don't have to take showers today, right?" she said. It was a bit of a stretch, but I agreed.
"Are you hungry or is it just me?" I asked as we waded our way to the shore with Crimson Ember in tow.
"Believe it or not, I could really go for something hardy right about now. You know a place that accepts soaking wet patrons?"
I thought on that for a minute and immediately remembered my go-to place: Doug's Dogs.
"Believe it or not, I've got the perfect place," I responded with a smile.
It wasn't long before local law enforcement arrived, given that we weren't exactly inconspicuous with the whole ordeal. The energy core—wet energy core—was returned to the shopkeeper. Sure, it was damaged, but at least it couldn't be used to make some sort of deadly weapon anymore. I was still scratching my head over who this anonymous 'high class customer' was, but at the moment I was too wet and hungry to think about it too hard.
After Ruby and I managed to get to land with Crimson Ember (don't even ask me how), I parked her in the most inconspicuous spot I could find, given that she was still in flight mode. Together, Ruby and I headed to where I knew Doug's Dog's would be. By now I'd memorized all of the times and places where the Shoppe would be so that I'd never end up wandering about at night trying to find it.
We wrung out our coats as best as we could and made our way to the spot. Most people would be upset at getting their nice clothes 'ruined' but I wasn't too annoyed because I never really wore nice clothes like this anyway. Today was a prime example of why. Doug himself was in the window of his truck, which had several tables set up outside it.
"Is this a food truck?" Ruby asked as we approached.
"Technically it's a travelling shoppe, but, pretty much. Is that ok?"
"Oh yeah, it's pretty cool actually! And believe me, I'd eat anything right now, so…"
"Well, I'll be perfectly honest, that's what I'm usually thinking when I come here, but trust me, the food here is actually really good."
At that moment, we reached the window and Doug greeted me. For some reason he completely glanced over the fact that we were soaking wet. I didn't realize it at the time, but looking back, I'd hate to think how that might have affected his impression of us.
"Zaine! How's my favorite customer? I've been wondering when I'd see you again. Glad to see it's not at 3:00 am."
"Hehehe, yeah, I kinda broke that habit. I've been pretty busy lately too."
"I can see that," he said gesturing towards Ruby.
Ruby and I looked at each other and back at him with a sort of we-don't-know-what-you're-talking-about look even though we knew exactly what was going on.
"So, who's your friend here?" He asked.
"I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose. We're on a team together," Ruby responded a bit nervously.
"She's the leader of our team, you know," I started.
"Oh, the Ruby who leads team Rwby! Yea, yea, I remember now. Glad to finally meet you. You know I've heard quite a bit about you from Zaine here."
"Oh have you now?" She responded with a coy grin.
"Eh—Doug, don't get carried away…"
"Anyway, what can I get you two on this fine evening?"
"I'll get my usual. Ruby, how about you."
"Uhh…" she was still staring at the menu, and eventually gave up on figuring it out and just responded, "I'll have what he's having."
"Are you sure?" I asked. "It's reeaally spicy."
"Oh, you think I can't handle it?" She responded confidently, "I'll have you know, I've built up quite the tolerance to spiciness, ever since what happened in forever fall."
"Well then, that's that."
"Alrighty, I'll have that out for you in a jiff," Doug said with a smile. "Hey Dig, Dan, give me two number fours with extra curry and special sauce!"
We took a seat, somehow getting into a conversation about where hot dogs come from. I have to admit, some of Ruby's ideas on the matter, despite being ridiculous, actually made a lot of sense. It's amazing how much a conversation about hot dogs can change your outlook on life.
It didn't take long for our food to get there, and let me just say, Dig, Doug, and Dan really outdid themselves this time. I have a feeling I knew why, and my feelings would be proven correct in due time.
"Wow, that's a hot dog?!" Ruby asked, practically drooling as our food arrived.
Doug brought it himself, and gave me a pat on the back. Ruby immediately took a bite and her reaction was entertaining to watch.
"How do you like it?" Doug asked.
Judging by how her eyes expanded after a couple seconds, I could tell it would be good.
"It's sooo good! It's painful, but I love it!" She said after swallowing.
Her eyes were starting to water and I wasn't sure if it was because of the spiciness or if they were tears of joy. Hey, I almost cried tears of joy the first time I ate Doug's Dog's and I never cry, so that's saying something.
"So, how much do I owe you?" I asked.
"It's on the house today," Doug replied with a smile.
"Woah, seriously?!"
"Definitely! Call it thanks for saving my life that one time."
"Oh man, you don't have to repay me…"
"Why not! I feel like bein' thankful."
"You saved his life?" Ruby asked, while still having a mouthful of food.
"Yea, it's quite the crazy story isn't it Zaine?"
"Doug…"
"Listen, I know you don't like to brag about this kind of stuff, but someone's got to know, you know?"
"*sigh* yea, I guess."
After swallowing, Ruby spoke up again, "C'mon Zaine, I'm really curious to hear it, and if you really want, I'll keep it secret."
She did a mouth zip motion, so I knew she was serious.
"Alright. Remember that terrible smell from a few weeks ago?"
"...Yea."
"Well…"
I explained everything that had happened with the sewers and the grimm. Doug chimed in a couple times with embellishment that I quickly tried to put to rest. Ruby seemed thoroughly entertained, and I was a bit surprised when she told me that she heard about the police report and what the witnesses said after being rescued…
In breaking news! Just the other night, three civilians who were reported missing have been found and safely returned to their homes. Reports say that they were captured by a grimm which somehow snuck into the city and made its home in the sewers and that a young, unnamed hero came to their rescue, simultaneously destroying the beast. However, why not hear it from the witnesses themselves:
"It was dark, cold, and smelly… It put me in this cocoon thing… I thought I was going to die, but then, he came… he used some sort of throwing weapon, and I couldn't make out much from inside, but he saved me, he saved us all. I just wish I could have learned his name…"
"Well it was somethin' alright! One minute I was in there alley tossin' a bag of trash, next thin' I knew, was in some kind of dungeon! There was slime on the walls, weird lookin' pods like some alien's eggs or somethin'"
"Can you describe the creature?"
"Creature? You mean demon! Damn thing was bigger than any grimm I'd ever seen! Had like a million teeth and billions of these like swords for feet," he said while making a strange motion with his fingers, "Damn-near scariest thing I'd ever seen. Nearly stopped my heart! I can't believe that young man was able to kill it! Most daring thing I've ever seen!"
There you have it. Our story on the daring rescue which took place right here in downtown Vale. The hero has not yet been identified, but whoever you are, the city of Vale, and the families of those you saved thank you immensely for your heroic actions
"So that was you! That's incredible! I knew you were a hero Zaine!"
"...Oh come one, it wasn't that big of a deal… that old guy was definitely exaggerating. It didn't have a billion legs."
"Who cares how many legs it had! You should be proud. But, why not say anything?"
"Well, I guess I just didn't want all the attention, you know. I just did what any good huntsman would have done. Saving people, and my good friend, should be its own reward."
To be honest, the main reason I wanted to stay quiet was the former and the fact that I like to stay low key, but considering that both are good things anyway, I'm not going to deny that there was a bit of humility at play here.
"...You're so…" Ruby started, but trailed off. Doug spoke up before I could figure out what she was going to say,
"Zaine, I admire that, really, I do. Make sure you finish your training. I'm sure you'll be an amazing huntsman."
"Yea, one of the best. I'll be honored to reach it alongside you," Ruby added.
I think I might have let out a blush with all of the kind things being said to me. Despite the crazy stuff that happened, I considered this day to be one of the best I'd ever had, and still do.
Ruby and I decided to continue exploring Vale on Fridays. Most of the time we didn't even bring a map, but got lost on purpose. Wandering around would give us time to talk, and being lost would make it even more satisfying and rewarding when we managed to find something cool.
If you know where you're going and have everything mapped out, it takes away the surprise, and frankly, a lot of the fun of the trip. Sure there were times when we didn't find an amazing restaurant or store, but we'd always have fun, just being together. Sometimes even the little things, like a cool graffiti tag, or a cool car going by, or even just the feeling of the wind while riding Crimson Ember would make the trip worth it.
I've been questioning myself constantly, saying 'what am I doing?' or 'what is happening to me?' and I'll even continue to do so, but I can say right now that this… this is where and how I truly changed. Phoenix or not, inside my heart, inside my soul, I became something else—something more… something better.
End of CH 9
