AN: Well, Writer's block is a witch with a capital B. Also, YANG'S IN DEATH BATTLE! FUCK YES!
In better news, I finally updated my profile since I left the Fire Emblem writing community. I'll be keeping a running chart of the characters of mine that show up in Phoenix Rose.
Song used is Play for Keeps by Sick YG.
Chapter 9: The Pitt
Rex's POV
I'm kneeling with my head to the ground.
"Why are you even alive?"
I look up. "Mom, Dad, I have things to do still."
"What? Being a killer?"
A new voice arises from behind me. "I am ashamed that you are my legacy. I spent my life protecting people and my son becomes part of the problem."
My ears flatten against my head. "Father... no, I'm still helping people... stopping those that need to be stopped."
"Don't pretend that you're a hero. You are helping nobody."
"Yeah, you don't seem to be trying that hard to save me." Morgana's voice echos through the room.
"No... No... Morgana... I'm going to save you."
"I'm probably already dead. You think of that?"
"NO!" Calm down... Just another bad dream. Morgana... Stay strong, please.
Knowing that I couldn't risk stepping in Junior's club until he had time to cool down, I decide to spend the day walking around town.
(There he is.)
Of course she finds me. I turn to find Dagger moving towards me. Did she dye her hair purple?
"You really are testing my patience, girl."
She gives me an evil smirk. "And here I was going to help you out today, but maybe if you are going to be so rude, I will reconsider."
"I don't think you have anything I want." I start to walk away.
"You need allies. I found a place to get them."
That stops me. "What makes you think I need help?"
"You wouldn't have wanted that other info if you weren't planning on using it. Walk with me now."
Once we get onto a side street she continues. "No one person could defeat the Fang. You need people willing to fight. There happens to be a place called The Pitt. Its a fight club, just on the illegal side of the law. Most mercs and bounty hunters go there to challenge the owners, a pair of lizard Faunus know as the Dragon Twins for a huge cash prize. If you enter The Pitt and make a good show, you might find some people you can hire. I'll even spot the entry fee for the competition..."
"..And if I happen to win the pot, you'll receive a generous cut for the info? Not to mention you're leading me there as we speak."
"I won't deny the idea didn't occur to me... and we're actually only a couple of minutes out."
"Fine, should I call you anything? I'd assume the dye is because you don't want people to think Dagger when they see you."
"I am currently using Amethyst, Amy for short."
"So you named yourself after your hair?"
"Sad thing is that you are the first person to question that."
Once we enter the club, the first thing I notice is the smell of alcohol and sweat in the air and the pounding music. The second thing was the dug out portion in the center of the room with two people knife-fighting. I move in to get a better look.
One pulls out a freeze-Dust crystal and tosses it into the air. Catching it between his teeth, he bites down on it and swallows.
That can't be healthy.
The second fighter swings his blade, trying to cut the Dust-eater's neck. Ducking under it, the Dust-eater gave an exaggerated exhale, releasing a pale blue cloud.
What is that?
As soon as the cloud touched the other fighter, ice crystals began to form on his arm and clothes. He drops the knife, his arm having gone numb from the cold.
The Dust-eater throws an uppercut, flooring his opponent. The music stops, and the spectators start to count.
"1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10!" A round of cheers and groans occur and Lien starts exchanging hands.
A new man walks into The Pitt and starts calling out. "Another man has fallen before Crimson Drake! But now... the Sun dragon has to rest and the Moon will rise! Who is ready to face me, Tai-Yin Drake?"
I calmly raise my hand. "I will take that challenge. You won't be that difficult to beat."
Tai-Yin laughs. "We got a cocky newcomer here! All right Wolfy, we'll brawl. But since you obviously don't know the rules, you can't bring a sword into The Pitt. Knives, knuckles, and small firearms only."
"That won't be a problem." I take my saber off my shoulder and toss it to Dagger. "I want that back without a scratch!"
I jump down into the pit and pull out my pistol. I take a closer look at Tai who has taken a brawler's stance.
He's slightly taller than me, meaning he has more reach. Waist length ponytail? That is a pretty big issue in a fist fight. No obvious weapons, planted feet and arms out, probably a fist fighter.
Apparent weaknesses: he's going to hit hard, but slow. No weapons means I can trump his damage output with bullets. He looks like he isn't even going to try that hard...
I casually load an earth-Dust clip into my pistol. "Ready."
"MC, switch to track 18! Let's dance."
You can't catch me!
Ha ha ha!
What you thought that was?
I'm a soldier to the death!
.
I'm a sovereign mobbing
Through the city streets
Your little petty rules do not apply to me
I like to ride and see the puppets
Hanging on the strings
And every now and then
Misery is what I'll bring
You scream, I scheme as I take the law
Into my own hands and crush it
While I break your jaw
You think I'm faking
All you really got to do is is try
To apprehend a guy
Then you'll learn the reason why
Tai-Yin charges in with his fist cocked. When he launches his punch, I catch his wrist and start twisting his arm. I see him wince at pain before kicking him away.
"Just because I use weapons doesn't mean I need them!"
Tai-Yin moves in with more caution. Once he's in range I throw my leg out at his gut. he steps back and comes in with a hook to counter. I duck beneath his fist and push forward, slamming my shoulder into his chest. He manages to catch my jacket as he staggers back and pulls me towards his fist.
I tilt my head, so it grazes off my cheek instead of hitting square on. Damn, he has a lot of raw power if that wasn't even a clean hit!
He lifts me off the ground and tosses me back. I turn the momentum into a roll and quickly recover my footing. I pull my gun up and fire a round. He ducks under the bullet and charges in for a tackle.
I spring off my foot and dodge to the right of his charge. He comes at me again, and this time I grab his ponytail. I kick him in the back and he hits the floor. The count starts.
"1...2...3-" With that Tai-Yin regains his feet and gets ready to go again.
Even if you tried, I cannot be caught alive
So what I break the law
Before I go, I will die
So get your bounty hunters
I'm the one that's most elite
So what I break the law
In this game, I play for keeps
.
Ichi, ni, san, shi, tell me when to go
Into a rage while I milk you like some cereal
Sometimes it's critical
At other moments it is death
My only mission is to be the only person left
And my accomplishments is
A result of your demise
You need an iron diet
Here it's highly fortified
I'm into torture
I don't have an under-handed thought
What you see is what you get
Now go and get your boss
You're about to take a loss
That is highly guaranteed
Somebody has to die
It's either you or me
And I refuse to lose and that's a fact
That's why I choose to bruise and counteract
He looks pissed off. Good, show me what your capable of.
(NOBODY messes with the hair. You're going to burn.)
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a burn-Dust crystal.
He has the same trick. Huh. As soon as Tai-Yin tosses the crystal up, I shoot the crystal. He covers his face to protect it from the resulting flames and I use the time to get up close, pointing my gun at his gut.
"Bang." I pull the trigger, blasting him point blank. as he staggers back, I swing the pistol in a hook, smashing him in the face and sending him down once more.
The crowd has gone silent, surprised at the turn of events. Dagger is the first to recover and quickly starts the count.
"1...2...3...4...5..." Tai-Yin starts trying to get up, but his arms won't hold his weight. "6...7...8...9...10!"
I walk over to Tai-Yin and give him my hand. He takes it and gets back up.
He smirks. "I take it back, you know your way in a fight."
Crimson walks into The Pitt. "I'm surprised, I didn't think anyone could match Tai in fight. What's your name?"
"Rex."
Crimson turns to face the crowd. "Ladies and, well, I decline to use the term gentlemen, may I present to you the first Champion of The Pitts... REX!"
The crowd sends out a roar of applause. I manage to make my way to Dagger and reclaim my sabre.
She looks over the crowd. "You won quite a following today. I doubt anyone here would turn down your money if you wanted to hire them. Speaking of which..."
"We'll talk cash later."
(The damn Wolf thinks he's hot stuff. Well, he won't be much of anything soon enough.)
I turn and lock eyes with someone in the crowd.
(Good, now you finally know the face of your killer.)
With that the man waves and simply disappears.
(Farew-...-mutt...-won't se-...-ain ti-...-too late.)
Was that... Shade? I tense. Keep talking tough. I will find you, and I will kill you.
Even if you tried, I cannot be caught alive
So what I break the law
Before I go, I will die
So get your bounty hunters
I'm the one that's most elite
So what I break the law
In this game, I play for keeps
(X2)
.
Which way did he go is the question
I have the masses gasping and stressing
But I'm infected with thoughts of a mad man
So any strategy to capture me is a bad plan
I am what is known as a villain
So any opportunity to strike, I am killing
I'll chill when the hounds take a break, then
Even when the scent is forgotten
I will take them
On around round, it is found, I don't care
I am always down
And I'm bound to be anywhere
So, take a look over your shoulders
What do you see?
And, stay away from the light, trust me
Shade's POV
I make my way back to the base and release my Semblance.
"SHADE!"
Crap, its Adam. "What?"
"Where the Hell have you been?"
"Well forgive me if I have been keeping an eye on your 'prospect'. Who, for the record, works with the girl that stole information from us. You expect him to join us?"
"I don't want you following him because I know you want to kill him."
"HE WON'T JOIN US!"
"You forget your place Shade. You're walking on rather thin ice. Still, while the information stolen was of no real consequence, the boy must be punished for his actions... So I will propose a compromise. I will gather a few men for you. You will attack and injure -NOT KILL- the boy, kill the thief, and return to me."
"I will not fail you." Watch your back Adam, I will surpass you and destroy you as well. But first, I will end that Mutt.
Do you want me to break your face?
Ha, ha!
You better get off my trail
Many tried but all has failed!
WN: Things are about to go down.
First off, we see Rex analyzing Tai before the fight, further cementing his nature as a strategic fighter. If he ever gets a couple of seconds before a fight starts, ths is actually what goes through his mind.
Second, the ease Rex seems to beat Tai with has more to do with their respective styles. Tai is slow, but he has power. If he had managed to get a solid hit on Rex, the fight would have had a fair chance of going the other way. However, Rex's defensive style works best against people like Tai, as they are easy to counter. He does worse as his opponent gets faster. When I built Rex's style, I actually looked at RWBY to see how he matched up. Results, best case scenario- Yang. Worst- Ruby.
Third, we get Shade finally revealing himself to Rex. Completely for no other reason then to mess with him. Plus you may have noticed the interaction between their Semblances.
Finally, we actually see Adam and Shade interact. As you can tell, they really don't like each other. Shade is a part of the Fang to hurt as many people as possible, he isn't all that loyal to the the ideals. Adam is more loyal to the cause and has to reign in Shade's actions.
OCs
We have the Dragon Twins, Crimson and Tai-Yin Drake. They are actually cousins born on the same day rather than 'true' twins, but they act like brothers. Tai actually is the one who came up with The Pitt, but Crimson is the one who made it work. They share the Semblance of Dust Absorption, where they are capable taking on elemental powers of Dust by consuming it. Don't try this at home kiddos!
Starting with the next chapter, I am closing up the Streets of Vale Arc and moving onto the Sanctum Arc.
