Chapter 10: Seeing Red
Now that the initial excitement had worn off from the revelation that there'd be something in Port's class worth paying attention, Blake had once again returned to her thoughts. That dream persisted on playing on her mind; she hadn't had it in a while and she couldn't help but feel Team RWBY had something to do with it returning. She now had someone to trust, someone to betray her. She hated that feeling of fear; fear of those that should be closest to her, those that had promised to be by her side through thick and thin. She had already lashed out at a poor boy that was likely paying more attention than she was in the first place and she was still on edge. She also now found herself concerned with Weiss.
She couldn't understand why but she felt almost guilty that Weiss was in this position. The heiress's behaviour was clearly triggered by something and Blake could only assume it was her. The biggest concern however was Ruby. The creature in the cage would die today, there was no doubt about it and it was going to hit Ruby hard… Blake just hoped that the Grimm died before Weiss was injured, because Ruby would never forgive herself if she was the cause of harm to the one person she seemed to cherish.
Ruby had visibly withdrawn; she paid absolutely no mind to the looks Port gave her when he noticed that she wasn't even trying to pretend to listen. She was entirely lost in thought, her attention glued to the rattling cage and what resided within. No matter what creature it was, she couldn't find a reason to justify such revolting mistreatment, whatever it was would be sentenced to death simply because it was a Grimm and Port had nothing to teach them.
Her mind also wandered to Weiss whom had stormed out with a look of determination in her eyes that she'd rarely seen before. Blake had to have really been getting to her, and Weiss tended to obsess over things like Blake's doubts in the forest. She let out a defeated sigh, as she failed to push away her fears of Weiss getting hurt.
Yang had done nothing inherently ignorant; she tried to keep her attention on Port because that's what good students do, it's what her Uncle conditioned her to do. However this lecture was not one with a point, there was no silver lining here. Blake's scream as the girl awoke this morning was proving difficult to forget as well. For some reason she couldn't write it off as "just a bad dream". There was something there that terrified Blake, something that kept her on edge even now.
The fact that Ruby was so worked up about the current situation didn't help either. She could imagine the thoughts coursing through her mind, remembering back to both the ursi in the Emerald Forest and to what Weiss had told her when they returned from the ceremony last night. Ruby had to keep herself under control, as did Blake. And Weiss needed to keep her focus on surviving the disgusting demonstration.
She shuffled past Blake and sat closer to Ruby, taking Weiss's spot. She didn't know exactly what to do but Weiss did mention at one point that Ruby preferred just the presence of those she cares about. She banked on now being a time where words weren't needed.
Ren, having tried his best to maintain focus throughout the lecture had finally followed suit of Jaune, Ruby and Blake and tuned out. Jaune had never really been listening in the first place and continued to stew in his own irrational beliefs. Pyrrha's focus was partially on Jaune, whom was seemingly jealous of, or uncommitted to, Ren. As for Nora, she was unnerved by the tension between the blonde and the redhead.
The only two that seemed effected by Weiss's upcoming exhibition were Ren and Pyrrha. Pyrrha occasionally cast anxious glances towards Ruby whilst Ren surrendered to his thoughts every time he glimpsed Yang; they were both in tricky situations as leaders right now.
Professor Port's tedious lecture was once more brought to a pause as Weiss returned with a scowl on her face that only receded into a weak smile when she walked by her team.
"Ah Ms. Schnee, I trust that you are ready for your test?"
Weiss only grunted angrily, her cold blue eyes locked on the cage. Focus Weiss, you can't let anything- she cast a glance to Ruby, inadvertently catching her younger sister's silver orbs and forced another smile -or anyone distract you from your objective. She turned her attention back to the struggling beast in the cage and noticed the tell-tale signs of a Boarbatusk; an unfamiliar enemy.
Port rose what looked to be a blunderbuss axe combination above his head. "Let the match…" he paused pointlessly which caused Blake and Jaune to roll their eyes. "BEGIN!"
He swung his hand down with a prowess that belied him, slicing the lock in two. The sound of the lock cracking caused Ruby to flinch and cuddle slightly into a somewhat uncomfortable Yang. Yang cradled Ruby's head slightly, mimicking the girl's own treatment of her back in the forest. The memory elicited a frown as she reminisced on regrettable and dangerous actions but she pushed them away when she noticed Ruby keeping an eye on her sister. The redhead was like a guardian angel for Weiss, never abandoning her vigil unless she was sure her sister was safe. Ruby needed an angel of her own, and Weiss couldn't always be it.
A short few seconds later and Weiss's suspicions were confirmed when a Boarbatusk charged toward her, enraged and free from the confines of the cage that encapsulated it. Ruby believed it to also be scared or at least unnerved. Every emotion was justified as was its attack.
Weiss bided her time, waiting patiently for the Grimm to get close to her before making her move. She couldn't remember exactly how quick they were but had faith in her own agility. The beast charged recklessly and dashed past Weiss who rolled out of the way. The beast skidded across the ground, friction bringing its charge to halt once it realised its target had moved. Turning on the spot it charged again, and once more it missed Weiss by a fraction of a hair, the heiress banking on her last second reactions to reduce energy consumption.
The duo kept like this for several more attacks, the Boarbatusk rampaging forward blindly, entirely focussed on skewering the porcelain beauty only to have the lithe frame of the heiress dance away at the last second.
Blake found herself revelling in the sight, losing herself in what she imagined to be a more graceful bullfight recreation: Weiss the beautiful and elegant matador and the Boarbatusk the outraged bull. It was enough to distract her mind transitorily.
She was snapped from her trance too soon however and the haunting memories of her past and the agonising self-conjured visions of her future came flooding in as Weiss this time side stepped the beast and delivered the first blow, a simple slashing attack to the test the armour's strength. Weiss was disappointed to find it flawless following the attack, not even a nick.
It charged again, this time halting in front of Weiss and slamming its forelegs into the ground, causing Weiss to hop backwards, barely avoiding the attack. The creature thrashed out with its tusks now, swinging its head wildly in an attempt to puncture Weiss's flesh or knock her down. The fencer however was quick to parry away one blow, allowing the force to knock her back so she could pull up a protection glyph for the boar to slam itself into, stunning it for a short while.
Weiss rolled to the left and glanced at the creature's side. After quickly identifying exposed flesh she dashed forward, ripping Myrtenaster across the bare hide resulting in a squeal from the creature, she couldn't even begin to imagine Ruby's reaction and wouldn't allow herself to try.
Remaining on its feet the Boarbatusk recovered quicker than anticipated and kicked its hind legs out as the heiress finishing craving into the flesh of the boar. The mule kick smashed Weiss in the ribs causing her aura to flare as she careened through the air and slammed into the ground. Whilst recovering Weiss spotted Ruby from the corner of her eye, both she and, surprisingly, Blake were a little on edge, the redhead had shrugged off Yang and was now watching the stampeding boar intently. She was counting the seconds hoping her sister would move, a few petals streaking from her, a hint at her semblance being active.
The boar's wild attempt to trample Weiss was thankfully unsuccessful and both Blake and Ruby relaxed. Yang nevertheless placed a reassuring hand on Ruby's shoulder and let the redhead fall against her frame once more. Weiss having rolled to safety was already back on her feet. The Boarbatusk's attempts to use physics to slow it down resulted in the beast's injury causing it to crash to the floor revealing its stomach, barren of hide and armour.
If only I had Myrtenaster in hand... That thought, combined with the beast's pathetic cries as it struggled to its feet brought Weiss from her concentrated state, her gaze flickering to Ruby. The redhead was once more hiding away, the creature's panic causing her anguish. Weiss set about locating Myrtenaster, spying it several feet away from her opponent whom was now back to a stable base.
The beast charged again and Weiss made dashed towards her treasured rapier. As she had suspected earlier, the beast was surprisingly quick. With the heiress's moves choreographed the Boarbatusk was easily able to track her, arcing around to the blade and taking a swipe at the huntress-to-be. Weiss rolled forward to avoid the tusks and gripped Myrtenaster tight.
Spinning around she slashed at her enemy whom, once again, flailed its head around causing Weiss to require a blend of dodging and guarding to avoid the onslaught. During its last attack Weiss brought up Myrtenaster, intending on piercing the beast's eye when the opportunity arose. Unfortunately the beast whipped its head to the left, breaking the left to right pattern it had somewhat stuck to for the last minute. The blade hooked inside its tusks and the creature pulled, attempting to pry Myrtenaster from Weiss's hands.
Things were getting dire and hearts were yet again in mouths as Blake, Ruby and Yang watched on with bated breath. Blake's eyes had narrowed as she silently evaluated her partner. She was also readying herself to jump in if Port let this go too far. Ruby still had petals fluttering idly around her, several of them sticking to Yang whom glanced down at her golden bracelets that adorned her wrists.
The beast pulled away again, bringing Weiss stumbling forward, her grip faltered slightly, threatening to release Myrtenaster. She let out a gulp knowing that she could not afford to be weaponless. It yanked again and Weiss tightened her grip as her body fell against the rough hide with a crack. The impact dazed her and her hand loosened once more, now limply grasping the rapier.
"Come on Weiss, you can do it!" cheered Pyrrha, the first and only to come from the crowd watching her.
Weiss's face set like stone, determination radiating from her. She shook the cobwebs from her head and took an iron grip on Myrtenaster. She pulled it back and the Boarbatusk reacted in kind, this time she let herself fall forward, her aura now braced for the impact. She smashed against the Boarbatusk's armour hide once more but maintained her awareness, she heard a soft click come from her weapon of choice and her lips stretched into a small smile.
She extended her free hand and pointed to the ground. Beneath herself and the boar-like Grimm, an adhesion glyph was conjured, soldering both girl and beast to the ground. The Boarbatusk paused in confusion whilst Weiss flicked her thumb against the hilt of Myrtenaster once again; the base rotating and settling on red. Another flick of her wrist and both she and the creature were launched into the air, Myrtenaster slipping from between the beast's tusks and tumbling to the ground.
Landing with a forward roll, Weiss made her way to Myrtenaster in record time and once again grasped her weapon tightly.
The Boarbatusk was charging again. Unfazed, she rotated the hilt again. The beast was now mere feet away. Weiss conjured up another protection glyph which was immediately crashed into by her rampaging opponent. It fell onto its back, dazed and confusion and soon began to panic once more.
A glyph conjured behind Weiss at a forty five degree angle to her enemy and she back flipped onto the adhesive platform. Catching sight of the flustered and scared Grimm caused the haze of combat to dissipate once more. She found herself gazing at a helpless animal, one she was moments from puncturing the heart of. She closed her eyes and steeled herself. No thing, no one. No distractions. She brought up Myrtenaster, better angling it to ensure killing blow.
"WEISS, NO!"
Weiss flinched, that voice that she had heard many times before, that usually forlorn, innocent, confused and sweet voice. The voice of her sister, filled with a passion that only Ruby herself could muster. Her eyes shot open again, her head turning to face her team. Yang was also flinching, out of fear of what could come next. Blake looked incredibly agitated by Ruby… and incredibly disappointed in her partner.
"Ruby?" Weiss asked in a quiet whisper. The glyph she was presently balancing on faded and she dropped to the ground, landing with bended knees out of instinct more than for safety. The Boarbatusk made it back to its feet but Weiss was elsewhere psychologically. The boar Grimm rushed forward one last time, closing in on the unfocussed heiress.
"WEISS, NO!"
That voice again, now without passion, now without desperation, now without anger… now filled with fear. No longer a plea, those same words became a warning of impending peril. Weiss turned to defend herself but the Boarbatusk was already upon her, it flailed its tusks once more and swatted the heiress away. She slammed against the wall of the classroom and fell to the ground in pain. She clutched her side as she struggled to reach one knee. That shouldn't have hurt THAT much. At some point her aura had deactivated, likely subconsciously done by Weiss herself.
Her entire body shook, spikes of searing pain shooting through her left side as she barely made it to one knee. She heard a faint rolling sound, increasing in volume every second.
"RUBY, SIT DOWN!"
The entire class was taken aback by that order. Professor Port, the boring Grimm Researcher had demanded the younger sister of one of his students sit and watch as said student was crushed. That snapped something inside of Blake and she lunged forward, weaving around Port as she bounded to her downed partner.
The monster was getting closer. Gotta go faster! Five feet. Not fast enough! Four feet. Come on hurry it up Blake! Three feet. You are NOT letting your partner die! Two feet. Blake was in and out like a flash, a single eye blink and the save was missed. Weiss was in her arms and the Grimm had stunned itself. Just made it! She placed the heiress down and dashed over to Myrtenaster, taking no pause to revel in her small victory.
Weiss watched on speechless as Blake gripped her weapon. The beast charged at the raven-haired girl. Blake could hear Port's frustration but it only served to spur her on, bringing a glint to her golden eyes. The Boarbatusk was closing in on her and Blake pressed her back against a wall. At the last second she leapt into the air, then activated her semblance and leapt once more, using her shadow clone as a platform. She cleared the beast with ease causing it to barrel into the wall and flip onto its back once more.
A single breath later and Blake had cut through the air, slicing Myrtenaster through her shadow clone before forcing it into the creature of Grimm's chest. "NO!" came a pained cry from Ruby. Blake couldn't even believe it. Here Ruby had just watched the Boarbatusk nearly steamroll her sister, and yet she still wanted it to live. She ripped the blade from the now lifeless husk.
Weiss appeared next to the snake Faunus, delicate hands resting over Blake's calloused fingers. Blake tensed slightly as Weiss tenderly rested Myrtenaster from Blake's grip.
"Blake, I-" she paused for thought, thinking how best to go about thanking her partner, or if she even wanted to. A part of her hated that Blake had played the hero once again, a part of her hated that disgusted look in Blake's eyes, a part of her even knew she deserved it. She had failed, she let her emotions get in the way and it nearly killed her. She didn't dare factor in the domino effect it would have had on Ruby.
"Save it! Of course I wasn't going to let my partner die!" Weiss flinched; Blake was irate and had found the perfect target to take out all her frustration on, much like she had on Ruby yesterday. Blake had been keeping her emotions bottled up; very few actually related to Ruby or Weiss but the floodgates were already opened. "What the hell is wrong with you Weiss? That should have been easy! YOU HAD IT! Why, oh why did you hesitate!?"
The answer was the one to speak up. Ruby stood from her seat, batting away Yang. "What the hell is your problem with my sister!?" she shouted above the chaos. Professor Port was observing intently, a blood vessel threatening to pop on the side of his head.
Blake gulped. Dammit Ruby…
Weiss couldn't help but share Blake's thought. This wasn't going to end well; Blake was uncaged and enraged beyond reason by something yet dumbfounding the heiress. Blake pirouetted seamlessly, fiery amber eyes locking with equally intense silver. "My problem? If it wasn't for me, you're sister would've been dead because of you!"
Those words brought everything to a halt. Blake's wrath immediately vanished, replaced with incredible amounts of sorrow and guilt. Weiss, who had been prepared to resign herself to Blake's castigation, was full of fear, anxiety and her own fury. Yang was shocked into near paralysis, speechless at her best friend's treatment of her partner. No one else knew how to react, not even the previously frustrated professor.
Ruby shook, tears welling up in her eyes, her voice croaky "I-I-"
"Ruby I'm so, so, sorry I don't know what I was-" before Blake could even finish attempting to perform damage control the distraught redhead had already fled, a pile of rose petals forming by Yang. She instead turned to her partner. "Weiss I, I didn't mean to-"
"Shut. Up." was all Weiss's scathing response consisted of before the heiress disappeared, following her sister's trail.
Blake didn't move, she was too busy wallowing in anguish and self-pity. Weiss, Ruby and Yang were the only three people she had relaxed around since the incident, the only three she had even considered letting in. And now Weiss and Ruby had fled from class and Yang was sitting in shock, utter disbelief painted on her face. She was screwing everything up once again… and she already had her second chance in life.
"C-class dismissed!" called Port before shooting a glance to Yang, signalling her to catch up and talk with Weiss as soon as possible. Disappearing in a flash, Yang left Blake alone in class with a disintegrating Boarbatusk and yet another regret. "Blake Belladonna!" The snake Faunus didn't even attempt to move as Port spoke. "May I have a word with you!?"