Chapter 7: Where all Fanfics Go to Die

Skimming over the forests of Vale in Extinction Event, I rummage through a small canvas bag. As far as I can tell storage matrixes aren't a thing on this planet, so I need to carry some things the old-fashioned way to keep my cover. It isn't much, just my repaired civilian disguise, a few toiletries, and a spare rifle and ammunition.

I chose to keep my unnamed Warlock's robes (though it's more of a long coat, to be honest), in conjunction with the Sunbreakers. Add a pair of Haliaetus boots and helmet, with the Walkabout shader to complete the set. The purple is a bit garish, but I prefer to stand out on the battlefield. Besides, purple is the color of royalty. With this getup comes a proper storage matrix, which I've stuffed full of weapons, equipment, and spare armor. Not exactly subtle, but after being ambushed out of nowhere last time I refuse to go out unprepared. Besides, none of them are nearly as flashy as the sniper/scythe or shotgun-gauntlets I've seen other wannabe Hunters here using.

Staring at the rapidly approaching silhouette of Beacon, I land Extinction Event a few miles away from the school. Engaging the stealth system, I climb out and land gently on the forest floor.

I pause to look around. It's quite a beautiful sight. There are very few places on Earth like this left, even a millennium after the Collapse. What few temperate forests are left are generally located far from the ruined cities, in areas that largely escaped the attentions of the Fallen and the Hive. They also tend to be quite scraggly and unattractive, in my experience. As I hike through the trees, I slip my helmet on to take advantage of the climate-control system and escape the constant whining of insects. Don't miss that one bit.

A few hours later, I find myself at the base of a large cliff. "Doesn't really seem to be a way up." I muse, craning my neck to look upwards. It's hard to guess, but I'd say it's easily a hundred feet tall. With a shrug, I reach out and grab hold of the rocks, using my Light to help me scale the cliffside.

With a gasp I finally reach the top, scrambling over the lip and rolling onto the grass. Looking around, I can see several large metal plates, half-buried in the ground. Mysteries for later, I suppose. Standing up, I jog over to a distant wall before flattening myself against it. From there, I slip around the side of the school, seeking to avoid notice and possibly blend in with the other newcomers.

Skirting along a line of pillars I finally see the mass of initiates, walking through a large courtyard. Hunkering down near a group of bushes, I begin to wait for them to disperse. No real reason, but the fewer people who see me slip in, the better. Thankfully, it seems like I might blend in better than expected, given the rather outlandish outfits many of these people are wearing. Even robes and a full-face helmet won't stick out as badly as I feared. Taking a seat, I close my eyes and wait. However, not even a few minutes later, a loud explosion startles me from my reverie.

Instantly, my eyes snap open. Rising, I roll out from the bush, instinctively searching for the source. I see a familiar-looking red and black woman, being scolded by an… equally familiar white-clad woman. I recognize the white hair and dress from my vision. Shrinking back behind cover, I watch as the white-haired girl storms off, dragging a ludicrous amount of luggage with her.

I pause for a moment. The woman… Ruby, was it? She sinks to the floor, apparently discouraged. Should I intervene? The mind says no, but the heart says yes. "It couldn't hurt." I whisper, sliding out from behind the bush for a second time. I need to at least see if she's unharmed by the explosion, I suppose.

As I draw closer, I can hear her muttering something to herself, quiet as ever. Without my Hunter-enhanced senses, however, I stand no chance of making it out. Sneaking behind her, I place a hand on her shoulder. "You alright?" I ask.

With a flinch, she stands up and violently whirls around. I take a step backward to avoid being swept up in her cloak. "What – who are you?" She stutters.

I hold out my hand. "Izanagi Urs, we met in the woods the other day."

"Oh!" She says, perking up before giving me an excited handshake. "I thought you said you weren't a Hunter!"

"Hah…" I cough awkwardly. "It's a long story, but I changed my mind. Anyway, you good? Explosion didn't break anything?"

"Uh, no." She says, suddenly downcast. "' Cept maybe some of the tiles." She says, scuffing the blackened floor with a boot.

"Good," I say. Stepping forwards, I brush past her towards the entrance. "See you later then." I call out.

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!" Ruby squeaks, clinging to the back of my robes. "I didn't get to ask last time, but can you show me your weapon?"

I raise an eyebrow, before remembering I'm wearing a helmet. Whoops. "Which one?" I ask.

Her eyes sparkle. "Which one? How many do you have? All of them!"

"I don't think we have time for that, Ruby." I say. "I have… carry the two, multiply by seven… well, I have a lot of weapons. Most of them are back in the armory, though."

A pair of deceptively strong hands seize the front of my robes, shaking me back and forth. "I wanna see!"

Grabbing her wrists, I gently detach her from my robes before she pulls a seam or something. "Alright, alright, take a look at this." I say, pulling the assault rifle out of my bag and flipping it towards her.

She grabs the rifle out of the air, cradling it gently as she inspects the barrel and the receiver. Slipping the magazine out, she glances at the ammunition briefly. "No dust rounds?"

"Dust?" I say. "Nothing like that, just normal bullets."

Popping one out, she inspects the casing. "If there's no dust, what do you use as propellant?"

"Uhh… gunpowder? I'm not sure, really. I don't make the things."

She wrinkles her nose. "I hate using gunpowder. It's loud and makes Crescent Rose all dirty."

I shrug. "Gets the job done though." Reaching behind my back, I discreetly summon Panta Rhei. "Take a look at this then." I say, handing it over.

Taking it, she performs a similar inspection before scrutinizing the receiver more closely. "Where's the ejection port?" She asks idly.

"There isn't one." I say, taking it back and pulling out the magazine. Turning it over, I show her the burnished metal of the contacts. "It actually fires projectiles of superheated plasma, so this is less of a magazine and more of a large, replaceable battery."

She freezes, staring at the weapon. "Ruby?" I ask, somewhat concerned. "You alright?"

In a blur of rose petals, Panta Rhei is wrenched from my hands. It quickly resolves into the crouched form of Ruby Rose, petting the weapon as she pores over every single inch of the frame. "Oh, my OUM!" She squeaks, "This is so awesome! How does it work? Can you help me upgrade Crescent Rose? I need to-"

I grab Ruby by the arm and pull her up again, sliding Panta Rhei out of her hands. "Maybe later," I say. "But we should probably catch up with the others."

"Oh… oh, right." She says, composing herself. "Do you… know where to go? I'm kind of lost."

Humming, I take a look at my motion trackers. A large group inside the building, not far from here. "Yeah," I say, walking towards the entrance. "Follow me kid."

"I'm not a kid!" She pouts, crossing her arms as she scrambles to catch up. "I drink milk."

"What?"

Walking into an auditorium, I see a familiar head of blonde hair amidst the crowd. I tap Ruby on the shoulder. "Hey," I say, pointing. "Found your sister, she's over there." In a flash, she's gone, wrapped around her sister's waist in a tight hug. Ignoring their squabbling, I look over towards the stage. What's everybody here waiting for?

I cross my arms, letting my chin drop to my chest. Humans. Never, ever will I understand their… their fondness for wasting time waiting for something. I'm no stranger to wasting time on other pursuits but standing around waiting is just something I absolutely despise, and I can't quite put my finger on why. Might be a holdover from my past life, I suppose.

Just as I'm seriously considering shutting off my helmet microphones and trying to sleep standing up, a shrill, petulant voice crackles through my speakers. Something about carelessness, an explosion, an apology, and…

"Oh, yeah, and we can go shopping, and paint our nails. And talk about boys like tall, purple, and scraggly."

Looking up, I see Ruby and Yang, talking to… another familiar face. The short, white-haired girl from my vision. I see her pointing at me, and a moment later the insult registers.

Bitch, you did not just insult my style. A Guardian's looks are one of the most important parts of their personality. Form over function, you could say. And I'm not scraggly, for the Traveler's sake. This robe is just… slimming. Storming over, I tap the girl on the shoulder, channeling a bit of Light into my hand to send a jolt of electricity through her body.

She stiffens, before whirling around and stabbing a finger at me. "You-!" She begins, before I zap her again.

"Excuse me, Miss," I growl, biting back another choice adjective. "I just so happened to be standing around intently eavesdropping on your conversation. And I couldn't help but notice your… rude comments about myself and my friend here." I raise a hand, allowing a bit of electricity to jump between my fingers. "So, why don't we all apologize, and go our separate ways? Look, I'll go first."

Straightening up, I look towards the white-haired girl. "Miss," I say, raising my voice to attract attention. A few others turn our way. Bingo. "I would like to apologize for any injury I may have caused, and hope you forgive my earlier tone." I look to the side. "Ruby?"

"Um, sorry Weiss." She says bashfully. "I really didn't mean to; it was an accident. I won't do it again."

I look towards the girl – as does our impromptu audience. A little trick I'd learned while dealing with abrasive people publicly – if you apologize loudly to them, they'll be forced to accept it or look like the asshole to everybody who wasn't paying attention earlier. Quite simple, and difficult for the other party to turn around on you.

She looks around, clearly reaching the same conclusion. "I – I…" She shakes her head. "I accept your apology. Just don't let it happen again." As soon as she chokes the words out, she turns and storms off. I use the distraction her exit causes to slip into the crowd, emerging on the other side in a few moments. While I don't dislike Ruby and Yang, I can't exactly say I'm eager to socialize. The fewer people who remember me here, the better.

Suddenly, my instincts begin to urge me to turn around. Pivoting, I look over to the stage, more specifically the man standing on it. Even from this distance, I can feel the Light radiating from him, like the sun on a warm summer's day. My eyes narrow. "What are you?" I whisper.

As though he had heard me, his gaze snaps up, eyes meeting my own through my helmet. He seems to falter for a moment, before turning back to the crowd and beginning to speak. I tune it out, muting my external mic as I flood my senses with paracasual force.

While he practically emits Light… it doesn't feel natural. It's almost as if the Light shines through him, like a Guardian. As though his power is given as well. Could he…?

I wait until we make eye contact again, before making a sign Guardians in the field often use to identify each other. Arm held loose at the side, hand at approximately mid-thigh, palm facing the body, thumb and index finger making a circle with the other three held mostly straight but ever so slightly curved. He seems vaguely confused before returning to his address. So much for that theory.

Shaking my head, I cross my arms and occupy myself by browsing through my storage matrix. Several minutes later the crowd begins to disperse, and I look around. Looks like I might have missed some important information when I deactivated my mic. Tapping my helmet, I switch it back on, just in time to pick up on the tail end of a conversation behind me.

"-Look, Rubes, the guy's clearly been avoiding us. I think he just wants to be left alone."

"He's just shy, Yang! He told me so back in the forest, he has social phobia! It's our responsibility as Huntresses to help him!"

"He's literally ignoring us right now. No way he hasn't heard you."

"Maybe he can't hear with that helmet? He hasn't noticed everybody else left yet."

I sigh. They're not going to be convinced to leave me alone, not without me being genuinely nasty to them, which I don't think I have the heart for. Might as well bite the bullet. Turning around, I uncross my arms and smile disarmingly. Wait. Damn helmet. Makes it hard to emote. I settle with a head tilt instead.

"You're both right," I say, cutting off any further arguments. "I did have my helmet mic off for a while there, but I do want to be left alone."

"Well, that won't do!" Ruby cheers. "We're here to make friends and become kick-ass Huntresses! Or Hunters. You just need to break out of your shell a bit!"

I swivel my head to stare at Yang, who shrugs and shoots me an unreadable look. "…Clearly." I cough out, turning aside. "That aside, I'm quite content, thank you."

"Nope!" Ruby chirps, popping the P as she seizes the sleeve of my robes and – how is this girl so damn strong? – drags me towards the exit at a breakneck pace. "Come on, we need to get to the ballroom before all the good spots are taken! Then you can show me your weapons again!"

Digging my heels in, I turn back towards Yang. "Save me!" I choke out, seriously considering ditching my robe and making a run for it.

She grins. "Nope." She says. "You showed her your weapon, so she's your problem now. Take responsibility." She bats her eyelashes at me.

If I – wait! "Ruby!" I cry out, pointing towards the stage. "Quick, an antiproton rifle!"

Her gaze flickers towards the stage, as her grip loosens just a bit. It's enough for me, as I wrench my left arm up and clench my fist. Blinking forwards, I dodge Ruby's followup tackle before placing a hand in the center of her forehead, confounding her efforts to grab me.

"Alright, you win," I say, retracting my hand. "Just don't break my arm next time." It's not as much of a joke as I'd like. Shields are useful, but they don't keep things from bending the wrong way.

She turns towards me, a curious glint in her eyes. "Do you have an antiproton rifle?"

"Maybe, if you behave, I'll let you see it." I deflect, walking towards the exit. Ruby literally squees for joy, darting around like a Dreg on crack. Man, that time when I caught the Fallen raiding a drug smuggler's hideout… that was fun. Unfortunately, I don't actually have an antiproton rifle. Maybe I can throw Outbreak Prime at her and hope SIVA eats her or something.

Thankfully, Yang steps in to corral her sister, before dragging her towards the ballroom. With a chuckle, I follow along, content to answer the deluge of questions pouring out of Ruby's mouth. Makes me miss the simpler times when I was just an ordinary Guardian working with my team.

Hidden beneath my helmet, I feel my mouth twist into the first genuine smile I've had in months. Maybe this won't be so bad.

"Yang, no."

"Yang, yes."

"NO!" Ruby screeches, clawing at the stock of Panta Rhei. "I haven't even gotten to look inside!"

"Because you've been drooling over the frame for the last forty-five minutes Rubes!" Yang yells, prying her sister's hands off the weapon. "Loverboy here's been asking you to give it back for half an hour now." Freeing the rifle from Ruby's grasp, she slides it down the bench towards me.

"Thanks, Yang." I say, securing it inside my locker. I'd prefer to keep all my gear inside my storage matrix, but it would seem suspicious if I left my locker completely empty. I'll just have to retrieve it later.

Ruby visibly deflates, but I can see her eyes tracking the locker door as it swings shut. Just before the lock clicks into place, she blurs into motion, scrabbling at the handle. Prepared, I snag her by the back of her hood, dragging her away. I grunt softly, as she turns her wide silver eyes towards me, pouting mode at full power. Damn my bleeding heart. "I'll lend you an older one you can play with if you pass initiation." I say placatingly.

Instantly the sad pout is gone, replaced by a blinding smile. "Okay!" She chirps, skipping ahead to the ballroom and beelining for a deserted section near the wall.

"Did I just get played?" I whisper to myself.

"Get used to it, Lover Boy." Yang says, punching me on the shoulder. "Ruby always tends to get what she wants from people. It'll get easier to resist once you build up your resistance."

"Yeah," I say, distracted. An unfamiliar feeling of guilt washes over me as I turn to look at her. "Hey, Yang, can we talk for a second?"

"About what?" She says, staring at me.

"About our fight, back at the nightclub." I reply.

"Oh." She visibly relaxes. "What's up? I'll admit, you got me good there. Wasn't prepared for all the fancy tricks. Don't expect them to work twice though."

"Yeah, about that… they usually don't need to."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember the end of our fight? You came rushing at me, and I jumped over you and stuck a grenade to your back?"

"Is that what that was?" Yang says, chewing on her lip. "I'll admit, it packed a pretty big punch. Where'd you get something like that?"

I shake my head. "Not important. What is important… well, that was a fusion grenade, Yang. You don't survive that kind of thing. I wouldn't survive a blast from one of those, and I've seen grown men torn in two by them, shields and all."

"Well…" Yang coughs, looking a bit disturbed. "I'm lucky I have a lot of Aura?"

I frown. Whatever. "Right. In any case… I just wanted to apologize. For, you know, trying to murder you. I just didn't want to risk any of the others getting hurt if our fight dragged on. And for what it's worth, I'm glad you lived." Ruby and Yang seem like decent folk. And as much as they fight, I get the feeling they really care about each other.

"You do know that they were criminals, Urs." She insists, seemingly annoyed.

"I didn't know, actually." I reply immediately. "If I had, I would have left you to it. All I saw was a packed nightclub being attacked by a woman I'd barely met."

Yang paused for a moment, clearly thinking it over. "Yeah… I guess. And you did try to talk me down first…" Her grin returned. "Alright, Lover Boy, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here. But, seriously," Her hand came up to grasp my arm tightly, skin and muscles bruising beneath her grip. "Don't you dare try to hurt me or my sister again. Okay?"

"Yeah, I got it. Just don't go assaulting random people and we won't have any issues." I say neutrally, glad my helmet kept my grimace of pain private.

"Cool." She says, releasing me. I struggle not to immediately rub my bruised arm, instead of allowing the Light to heal it. "I'mma go check on my sister. You can tag along or do… whatever magic stuff you do."

"Something like that." I say, turning around and walking out of the ballroom. Better to try this now, since I doubt the staff would miss a student disappearing in the middle of the night. Fingers crossed.

A/N: Sorry about this, but this chapter actually turned out to be pretty short. Not for a lack of trying, but there just wasn't much room to pad this out. I'll try to write something a little longer than normal for Wednesday, maybe three thousand words or so. We'll see.