Chapter 11: The Early Years: Part 3

Ruby was running away using her speed semblance, being terrified to death, from something in the pitch black depth of a dark abyss. She turn her head around, she saw it, a 60-meter beowolf, but it was not a beowolf at the same time, as it look like a pitch black featureless shadow of one with red eyes and red teeths looking down on her. Making a chester cat-like grin with it's sharp, blood red teeths. Ruby scream in horror.

Ruby woke up with a start, but suddenly movement cause a pain in her chest as she wonder. 'Where am I?'

Ruby then remember the young man with white long hair and red eyes. Before she could think further anymore, she heard something from outside of the tent she was in. She slowly got up and walk outside of tent. There, she saw mercenaries, both young and old, human and faunus, male and female, doing something like... playing cards with each other, or patrolling the camp, or taking bath by splashing water on themselves. Ruby look around while she was thinking. 'Mercenaries?'

Ruby then notice two similar figure not far away from her that were talking to each other, Cask and Stultus, which she recognize them from before. 'That's...!'

Ruby notice them Cask was probably arguing him with something before he shook his head side to side and Cask shake her entire body in anger. Stultus try to calm her before she turn her back on him and walk toward Ruby, which then notice and she realized it is not a good sign. 'Uh oh... this is not going to end well.'

When Cask give Ruby a glare toward her, Ruby just nerviously smile as she shrink in the terrified presence of Cask as she inch closer to Ruby's face as she shrink in fear before she spoke to Ruby as she emphasis. "I'll make my point clear you... I. Will. Never. Like. You. Ever."

Then she left and was walking back toward somehwere... leaving Ruby totally clueless and confused as she spoke. "What did I do?!"

"Oh. Nothing." Someone from behind said to her, which she turn around and saw Edward sitting in a chair beside the tent she was in and was sharping his knife with a sharping stone as he explain to her. "She's just jealous of you. After all, she sacrifice her womanhood and became a mercenary, better than most men or women, either human or faunus. But Stultus asked her to provide you warmth by sleeping next to you; since you lost so much blood."

"Okay..."

"You saw them talking, they're talking about you're potential of joining us." Edward said... before he threw the knife he just recently sharpened at the bucket as Doulgas when he was trying to splash some water on to himself... all by accident because he didn't want to threw it at the bucket, but it cause Edward to laugh anyway while Ruby just look before Douglas yelled at Edward as he throw the knife back at him. "EDWARD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"Sorry!"

"Just woke up?" Someone said to her, which she turn head to see the same person, Stultus, looking at her face to face before he spoke his name to Ruby. "I'm Stultus. And you?"

"... Ruby." She told him her name before he reveal that he was carrying Cresent Rose in scythe form before he return it into compact mode and put it away behind her back as he told her.

"This weapon is great! A scythe/sniper rifle weapon... impressive." He said to her as he give it back to her, which she put it behind her back while he smile at her before he turn around and told her. "Come with me."

Ruby was suprised by that, but decide to follow him noneless as she follow him while he was walking through the camp as Edward look on with interest. Cask was surprise to see Ruby following Stultus and wonder what is the hell is he doing right now. Douglas spoke as he wonder what Stultus is doing to do with her as Ruby follow him. "Damn... what's Stultus wanna do with her? He helped her."

"Probably ask her to join us." Said Hákon, the smallest, at 5.0 feet, and youngest member of the group at about age 13, just beginning his teenage years with blonde pageboy-style hair, to Douglas while working on his repeating crossbow.

"Huh?" Said Douglas in confusion.

"She's good, right?" Hákon said. "If she join us, then we'd be much more powerful now."

"Hákon, don't talk nonsense!" Douglas yelled at him before kicking Hákon's crossbow from him before he explain to him. "She's manage to humiliated us!"

'Well, you guys ask for it.' Hákon said to himself in his thought. 'But then again, that is actually quite a stupid idea not to join us.'

"She can't join us, right Steve?" Douglas ask Steve.

Steve was the biggest member, like 6.8 feet tall, of the group between in his mid 20 to his early 30s, somewhat a betwen a tan look and dark skin, with a brown hair and a brown beard around his chin and mouth, weld a massive morning star-type club, was silence as he didn't answer Douglas' question.

Cask stare at them while she wonder.

Meanwhile... at the other parts of the camp...

As they were walking through parts of the campsite, the menceraries look at Ruby, which made her rather uncomfortable, but also made her curious of who they were. So... she ask Stultus. "So who are these people?"

"... The Band of Steels." Stultus told her. Ruby was shock as he ask her. "Do you know about us?"

"I... only heard about your group." Ruby honest told him as she think. 'The Band of Steels are the kind of mercenaries that no grimms want to face on the battlefield when they attack a huge number of grimms.'

Later... at the top of the hill...

They made to the top of the hill as Stultus strench out his arms and take in the view from the hill. "Ha~! What a nice view!"

Ruby decide to ask him. "Why... why did you just hit pressure point on the back of my neck? Why didn't you just took my aura to a low level and kill me? You could have done it easily."

Stultus was silent as, unknown to them, Cask was watching and listing to them from behind a tree. As the wind blown over them, Stultus give Ruby his answers. "Because I want you, Ruby."

"... Sorry, but i'm lesbian." Ruby told him the honest truth about her.

"Oh..." Stultus said in a disappointed tone of voice.

'Stultus... why do you bother to even try your own luck on men who are straights and women who are lesbians?' Cask said to herself in her own mind as she give an unimpress and bored expression.

"Well, I guess you would like Cask then, she maybe cold on the outside, but she's warm on the inside."

"So she's a Tsundere then?" Ruby ask him.

"... Yes." Stultus bluntly answer her.

'WHAT?! I'M NOT A TSUNDERE! ... Am I?'

"Look, the point is, a few days ago, I was at the castle as well." Stultus told Ruby as he recount of how he saw her. "I saw your fight against the beowolf that was known as Cuttermen, but so close that your... to tell the truth, that your fight was like gambling with your own life."

Stultus turn around and stare the landscape from the hill as he spoke to Ruby. "You fought Cuttermen with your scythe and you humiliated Douglas and his group without ever using your weapon. You seem so brave on both of those occasion. I can feel you send yourself into danger. So you'll find a way to survived from that spot."

Ruby... was just confuse of what he is even stating about, sure, she understand she fought to survived, but it was like he meant something else like she can get as Stultus turn to face Ruby as he spoke to her. "You are quite interesting. I like you. I want you to join us, Ruby. I want you."

"Uuuhhh... I'm gonna have to go with no because you were starting to talk like a creepy pedo bear... that can talk." Ruby told him.

"Whoops."

'Stultus... this is why some people don't like you.'

Ruby then get Cresent Rose from her back and transfrom it into scythe mode as she smile at him and told him. "We'll determine this fight by hitting our pressure points... and getting rid of the image of your being a pedo bear. If I win, I'll go free."

"So.. what if I win?" Stultus ask Ruby.

"You'll keep me as whatever you are thinking in your tiny screw up twisted little mind of your in your tiny screw up twisted little head of your." Ruby told him.

"Good." Stultus said as he pull out his rapier to attack the pressure point and his sabre for blocking her attacks. "I don't mind using fight to decide things."

Cask went out of hiding behind the tree, but Stultus stop her as he order her. "Don't help, Cask."

"But...!"

"I'll do what I want."

Ruby and Stultus were silent as they didn't made a move yet... then Ruby swung first at him, but Stultus easily block Cresent Rose's blade with his sabre. Cask of how fast Ruby attack and how fast Stultus easily block it. The rest of the Band of Steel notice them fighting and some of them went to the hill.

Stultus easily block Cresent Rose's attack again, again, and again, before he hit the pressure point on Ruby's right arm with his rapier, causing to fall back and she look at him as she think. 'I'm using a scythe/sniper weapon that kill dozens of grimm in settling... but he can fight with just those swords... and in one hands each. This guy... is no ordinary mercenary.'

"... Let's do some other day. You seem to be tired." Stultus said to Ruby.

"No way..." Ruby said as she smile before she got up and attempt to strike him again as she shouted. "I'M JUST GETTING STARTED!"
Ruby attempt to strike him again several times, but he easily several of them easily like pie. Cask was getting worried before she notice Douglas and some of the members of the group were climbing the hill as Douglas shouted. "She not given up? KILL HER!"

"STOP!" Cask order them before she explain to them. "Stultus' orders. Do not interfere."

"Don't be crazy!" Douglas shouted at Cask. "This is a good chance to kill him!"

Cask then pull out her sword and point it at Douglas, which made him flinch, as she ask him. "Since when are you the leader? You know serious Stultus' orders are."

Stultus manage to hit several pressure points on Ruby's body. Frustrated, Ruby rise Cresent Rose in the air and attempt to strike him so hard that his sabre will break, but Stultus saw this and he jump, shocking Ruby of how easily he dodged it and amazed his mercenaries as she lodge Cresent Rose's blade into the ground before Stultus land on the weapon's snath and point his rapier at Ruby. The mercenaries cheer Stultus on.

"G...GREAT!"

"Did you see that?!"

"Increible move!"

"Stultus won!"

Stultus then ask Ruby. "Ready to give up?"

Ruby and Stultus were silence as he waited for her answer.

A/N: I'll tell you how old the Band of Steels are; Stultus, Cask, and Edward are in their early 20s, Douglas is in his 40s, Steve is in his mid 20s and early 30s, and Hákon is 13 years old.

Now then... i'll probably do openings for 'RWBY: Berserk' and 'The Girl and the Wolfgirl' based on the openings of animes that were based on the manga that the fanfic were base upon. But it just a maybe.

If there one confirm thing i'll be doing is a transformer fic of a OC of my because I have way too many RWBY fanfic and I need to expand some more.