Hi! So a little update before you read the chapter this time. Unfortunately it's that time of the year when the exam period is drawing scarily near and, due to the pandemic, my university has decided to make them a little more complicated (to put it simply). So, after this chapter, I will, begin to update this fic only once a week (every Friday) until exams are over for, I know, if I try to keep with biweekly updates the quality of the chapters may lessen or updates may stop all together and I don't want that to happen. Thank you for understanding and enjoy the update š
Chapter Ruby raised her hand against the blinding light of the spotlights that shone upon her. Her chains made a low clinking sound as she moved. The arena she stood within had been somewhat altered from how the others had described it to be during the combat presentations. It had been elevated to the point that it was level with the platform upon which Sun was standing. The sand and rocks had been cleared to reveal a gleaming white platform.
Ruby self-consciously tugged at the edge of her skirt as she felt the hundreds of eyes watching her, observing every detail of her appearance. Some seemed to murmur to each other, and point as if they had just noticed something they had not expected. However, their true interest was not in Ruby, but in her eyes.
"Since the time of fairy tales, the stories of those possessing silver eyes have tickled the ear of any learned traveler." The presenter began to explain, her voice crisp. "They have always been few and far apart, with rarely more than a handful found throughout all of Remnant at any given time. We all remember the legacy of the Grimm Reaper, and the Grimm which were nothing more than putty before the power of her silver eyes. Even here in Vacuo, the Huntress of Doilier causes even the mightiest of Grimm to quiver."
"Tonight however, we present to you a true gem, not simply for the colour of her eyes, but the reputation that comes with her." The presenter flamboyantly continued to bolster. "Some of you may have already recognised her to be the Huntress from the Atlesian broadcast, seeking help from kingdoms in her valiant battle against the Grimm. However, her story did not start there. Item 9316 is also the savour of Beacon Academy, having used the power of her silver eyes to turn a titanic Nevermore to stone!"
A roar erupted from the audience at the presenter's claims, many shifting to better look at the Huntress whose feats had been the subject of gossip in all the years since the fall of Beacon. Ruby wished she could lift her hood and block her face from the audience's over scrutinous eyes. Pluto and Velvet had done too good a job trying to sell her resume. However, it was not the for the general audience that they had so extravagantly displayed her but for someone in particular. Someone incapable of turning down something, or someone, so rare.
"The starting price will be 100,000 Lien." The presenter announced. "Let the bidding begin!"
However, rather than being berated by bids, silence filled the arena.
"Oh? It seems reputation alone may not be enough to convince our audience of her worth?" The presenter gave a knowing chuckle. "Ace has promised you a show and he shall oblige."
In time with the presenter's words the ground beneath Ruby began to lower itself, revealing a wall of barred cages. Sun looked wearily down at the Huntress, fearful of what their host may have in store for them this time. If this went too far, he'd have to intercede, even if Ace escaped, the cost they may be asking to catch him may be too large.
As in the combat presentations with Nora and Yang, one of the gates began to open, the loud screeching of the metal as it moved barely drowned out by the sound of the presenter's voice as she explained the creature that lurked within the shadows for both Ruby and the audience's benefit.
"Labelled as one of the nastiest things to emerge from the deserts, the Blind Worm has proven a menace for many an unfortunate town. Legends claim that the more ancient Grimm were so large they could swallow a village whole." The woman began to explain as, out of the shadows, a massive, worm-like creature coated in bony plates emerged. Much like a King Taijitu, a fang rimmed head made up either end of the creature. It looked at Ruby with a pair of crimson eyes shared between the two heads. It let out an annoyed hissed as it looked up at the crowd, bright green saliva dripped from both heads, causing the ground to sizzle where it hit.
"Although still considered a juvenile this, Blind Worm will find little difficulty consuming a person whole." The presenter continued as a number of individuals leaned forward in their seats to get a better view of what was to unfold.
"The starting price will be 100,000 lien." The presenter announced once again. "Let the bidding begin!"
Wide eyed, Ruby watched as the two heads of the Grimm loomed over her, the shadow it cast so large it filled almost the whole arena. Her hands were slightly shaking as she raised them to defend herself, but the sight was almost comical. With such a size difference, what damage could her fist actually do? But that had been Ace's aim after all, not for her to fight but for her to use her eyes. Little did he know just how inapt she was in using them when called upon.
"C'mon." She muttered to herself. "Think happy thoughts! Erm Crescent Rose, and cookies and Zwei-" Ruby yelped as, without warning, the Blind Worm's two heads shot forwards, its patience running thin on its immobile prey. Ruby rolled across the smooth ground but jumped back as the creature spat acid at her, the projectile covering the distance between them with surprising speed. Ruby dodged again, a flurry of rose petals following her as she ran around the arena, the two heads of the Grimm keeping up as they followed her progress with a series of acidic spit balls. Ruby continued to evade, building up momentum as best she could only solidifying as she jumped in the air, one fist clenched ready to punch at one of the Grimm's heads. However, the other head would not idly stand by as its counterpart was attacked. The head reared forward, ramming into Ruby with such force she was sent flying into the arena side, leaving a Ruby shaped dent in the wall.
Ruby's breath was already escaping her as pained gasps and she gritted her teeth in frustration. Years ago Ozpin had commented that her hand-to-hand combat needed work. She'd thought she'd improved since Mistral but, apparently, not enough.
"Seems item 9316 refuses to use her Silver Eyes." The presenter observed, sounding more amused than irritated. "Some of the records claim that certain users require more incentive for them to activate their skill. Let's see if maybe this will help?"
Ruby did not like the sound of that at all. It was the indignant cries from Sun above, however, that warned her where to look.
"You can't do that!" Sun yelled, desperately struggling against the two men that were holding his hands behind his back, menacing sneers on their ugly faces. If it were possible, Ruby's face paled further as she saw what Ace had planned. Another guard was leaning over the edge of the balcony, a child, a crying Faunus boy, dangling over the arena.
"No!" She yelled, this had gone too far! She couldn't use her eyes, especially not like this!
Ruby tried to run towards the boy, her Semblance activating as she moved. However, the Blind Worm had not forgotten her, even with easier prey dangling over its head. One end of the creature sprung forward, wrapping Ruby in an iron like-grip, green acid dripping from the mouth that looked hungrily at her, the pain as it came in contact with her Aura making her cringe. The other head slowly rose, it maw opening wide, hoping for the food to simply fall into its dark mouth.
"No hero would let a child be fed to a Grimm, would they?" The presenter cruelly mocked above.
"No!" Yelled Sun, finally managing to free one of his hands and trying to reach the man that held the child. But, he was too late. With an evil smirk the suited man released the boy, leaving him to his fate.
It felt as if the air had suddenly become thicker, making it impossible to breath against the grip the Grimm held Ruby in, this head also opening its mouth to prepare to engulf the Huntress whole. However, Ruby could not look away from the falling child, his small arms and legs flailing uselessly in the air.
She couldn't reach him!
She wouldn't be fast enough!
She was too weak to defeat this Grimm, alone...
No. A quiet voice whispered in her mind, one she had not heard since her childhood. You have all the strength you need.
And, for a brief moment, the smiling face of Summer Rose filled her mind, bringing with it a calm that did not belong in such a situation.
The light that exploded from the woman was so blinding that all observing it had had to look away or cover their eyes. The warmth of its power washed over the audience, allowing them to bask in this ancient power. However, just as quickly as it had appeared, the light was gone. The Blind Worm still stood where it had been but now it was unmoving, cast in stone. Ruby had also disappeared from its grip but had groggily landed on the ground, a storm of rose petals still surrounding her as she held the weeping boy in her arms, his small body heaving in fear. Exhausted, Ruby fell to her knees, struggling with the aftereffect using such power had on her.
Ruby struggled to let out a calming breath, trying to stand but almost failing to do so as she looked up at the balcony where Sun was looking down at her, fear on his face, his tail twitching behind him in agitation. He had come so close to jumping over the edge to help her but she subtly shook her head. She was okay, they couldn't let their guard down now, they were too close.
"5 million lien!" The presenter's voice suddenly boomed, causing Ruby's ears to ring and the whole audience to fall into a deathly silence.
"5 million lien." The presenter yelled again. "From our great host, Ace!"
Ruby looked up at the topmost balcony in disbelief. It was impossible to see the mysterious Ace's face, the glare of the light seemed purposely to obscure it from her sight. From where she stood he seemed to be simply a dark silhouette in the distance.
'Will anyone care to counter Ace's offer?" The presenter continued to say, her voice challenging anyone brave enough to do so.
No one was.
"And the silver eyed Huntress, the scourge of Grimm, is sold for the groundbreaking value of 5 million Lien to the very generous Ace!"
The audience applauded their host politely, something they had not done with any of the previous sales. That was the kind of power Ace instilled over these people, he was one to revere and fear.
"Ruby, are you ok?" Sun ran towards her, casting aside the facade of slave dealer and product as, on wobbly feet, Ruby climbed the stairs to the balcony in which he had been observing. The child was still held in her arms but he was forcefully taken from her by the same men that had previously been holding Sun back. Ruby felt too exhausted to struggle and was thankful when Sun let her lean against him for support.
"And the head's taken the bait." Ruby whispered, her silver eyes gleaming, finally, the rest of their plan could begin to unfold.
The next step, following the presentation, was the actual payment and collection of the items. For many of the sellers, this would take an additional hour or two as the new owners tried to haggle prices. Although he looked greatly annoyed with his position, Pluto had been selected to deal with Yang and Nora's buyers while Neptune and Sun would continue to guard the 'prisoners' from thieves or opposing sellers. The one irregularity was Ruby. She, along with Velvet, had been summoned to the first floor by Ace himself.
"Be careful." Yang had whispered into her sister's ear and she hugged her as best she could with one arm.
"Aren't I always?" She tried to joke, though it felt empty after what she'd had to go through during her presentation. "Try not to get sold before I'm back."
"Technically speaking, I already am." Yang shrugged as Sun closed the cell door behind her. Velvet accepted Ruby's chains with drooping ears.
"I'm sorry about this." She whispered as the pair began to walk past the other cells to the stairs that would lead them to the floor above.
"Don't be." Ruby answered, her voice hushed as they passed the woman who had initially given them their item numbers. She was aggressively jotting words down on her pile of papers and didn't even bother to look at them as they passed. "A Huntress's job isn't simply fighting Grimm."
"I just feel we have dragged you into something a little bigger than we anticipated." Velvet admitted, looking up at the golden staircase Pluto had correctly guessed would lead them to the ring leader, Ace.
"That's been kinda our thing since Beacon." Ruby reassured her. Back then they used to go looking for trouble, these days it just seemed to follow them around.
Although Velvet was still far from convinced, she continued to lead Ruby to the golden staircase and to the next floor where her buyer would be waiting for her. A guard in a black suit had been waiting for them at the foot of the staircase. He looked at them with scrutiny, his pointed dog ears falling backwards momentarily. His eyes paused on Ruby, most likely analysing the flecks of light within them before grunting and letting the two women past. Ruby let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. They had managed to get past the first barrier at least.
They climbed the golden stairs, each step making a prominent echoing sound around the wide open space. On the next floor, the security was far tighter then they had seen anywhere else. Ruby counted at least ten armed guards, each one studying Velvet and herself carefully as they walked up to the only door they could see. Ruby could feel the lenses of multiple cameras following their every movement. The security here was on a completely different level then what it had been before on the lower floors but they had expected no less if they were dealing with the head of this whole operation himself.
"We are here to see Ace." Velvet explained, although it seemed obvious, as two guards blocked their path towards the door.
The guards stayed silent, carefully studying the pair. One's eyes paused on Velvet's camera bag. He opened his mouth, seemingly to say something but a low buzz from a comm link in his ear stopped him.
"Ace is expecting you." He informed the pair, taking a step sideways and allowing them to pass. The room that lay behind the door was that of a true collector. Glass displays filled the space, each one individually illuminated to emphasise the artifacts within. Ruby felt her eyes wander across the collection, most likely simply a small taste of what Ace possessed- A beautiful jewelled mask shimmered in an array of violets and purples, a pair of long silver blades with writing Ruby could not read engraved across their polished surfaces. Ace clearly had a taste for the rare and extravagant.
"Ace greats you to his humble abode." A woman's voice wafted through the air, drawing Ruby's attention away from the items on display and to the small group of individuals that were clustered at the back of the room. Another, small number of guards stood at every corner, carefully following their movements as they walked towards the central group. Here another pair of black clad guards stood on either side of a large golden throne-like chair, crimson gems embellishing the already rich piece of furnishing. The man that sat upon it however, did not particularly tick any of the boxes Ruby had expected when meeting the head of this cartel. He was a middle aged man, his long black hair slicked back into a ponytail. He had a large dark moustache and beard and, on his chest, lying on his oversized stomach, the man had a number of polished golden chains.
"Although he understands that the wonders of his collection can be quite... distracting." The woman that was standing beside the man spoke again, taking two small steps forward. Ruby recognised her to be the presenter that had been auctioneering the bids before. Ruby had been unable to properly see her during the actual auction however now nothing obscured the woman from her view. She was a beautiful petite woman, with ebony coloured skin and flaming locks of curly red hair, pulled up in a complex series of braids.
"Greetings." Velvet said, stumbling into a bow, unsure if this was the correct manner with which to address the leader of a human trafficking cartel.
"So these are the silver eyes." Ace said, leaning forwards to better scrutinise Ruby. She could feel his beady eyes move across her body, analyzing far more than just her eyes and she struggled to hold back the shiver that the realisation induced. "The package they come with isn't half badā¦ nor is the one delivering her." Ace added, winking at Velvet
"What will you plan to do with her?" Velvet chose to ignore his comment, trying to hold back the disgust she instantly felt at the man's words, though she could feel her ears flattening in response to her unease.
"Keep her alive, of course." The presenter said, covering the distance to gracefully walk a small circle around Ruby, her perfume filling the air with the scent of jasmine. "Silver eyes are different from grey in the fact that they possess what appears to be flecks of light within them. If the person in possession of the eyes dies, these flecks vanish and the eyes turn grey. That is why silver eyes are so rare and valuable. Their lifespan is limited. "
The presenter paused, her bright emerald eyes looking deeply into Ruby's.
"They are the real thing." The woman declared, turning slightly to look back at Ace.
"Then that begs the question." Ace's deep voice reverberated through the room. "How did you manage to capture such a gem? If what you say is true, she must not have been easy to catch."
"Drugged her tea." Velvet responded tartly. "Concoction of sleeping Hemlock, poppy tears and lavender."
Ace nodded his head, impressed. Of course, back when Ruby had first accepted the tea from the innkeeper back at Port Skoleinois she had had no idea of the nasty mixture she had consumed. It was only after Sun's team had rescued them and they'd questioned their former captors that they'd learnt the full details.
"That's quite the delicate ratio." The presenter mused, raising a long slender finger to her chin. "If you were even slightly off you could have pushed her into a sleep she'd never wake from."
"We are not amateurs." Velvet countered hotly, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at the woman. If Ruby hadn't been pretending to be Velvet's captive she would have given her a low whistle, impressed by the Faunus's acting. Back at Beacon she couldn't even hold her own against schoolyard bullies but now? She barely flinched as she was interrogated.
"And, you are here as representatives of Luke and Leah Tano correct?" The presenter added.
"It's all in the papers we filled out for the auction." Velvet impatiently answered, looking between the presenter and Ace. It was strange how the woman continued to talk for Ace and her instincts warned her to hold back attacking until the end of the conversation. Something didn't quite add up...
"Why was it that they could not join us today?" The presenter questioned, efficiently ignoring Velvet's tone. "Ace considers them regulars of such events and their presence has been missed."
"We were intercepted by Huntsmen on the way here." Velvet explained. The small group had agreed to keep their stories as close to the truth as they could. The more elaborate the lie, the more likely it was for them to slip up and get caught. "Some of us managed to escape with the cargo but Luke and Leah were captured. We assume they are most likely on their way to Shade City but we thought `why waste such good products?'" Velvet tugged on Ruby's chain for emphasis.
The presenter shifted slightly to look back at Ace, the middle aged man still inspecting the two women with sneering eyes.
"Their story matches what our informant has told us." The man finally said, leaning back into his throne.
"Then we can proceed with the transaction." The presenter demanded, clapping her hands flamboyantly. At her command one of the guards that had been standing beside Ace walked forward, briefcase in his hand.
"You may count it." The presenter explained as the guard unclipped the bag to reveal to Velvet the neatly piled stacks of Lien, "But Ace does not cheat."
"Yesā¦ everything seems to be in orderā¦" Agreed Velvet, one hand carefully falling to her camera. The numbers were not in her favour but this could be their only chance to catch Ace. A subtle shake of Ruby's head, however, stopped her. Like Velvet, something about this whole exchange had felt off to Ruby and she might have deduced what it was.
"You're not Ace are you?" Ruby tentatively asked, forgetting her role of being a slave for a moment and turning to address the presenter. "You are."
There was a weighted pause as Ruby's voice filled the room as if the items on display were also holding their breath to hear the accused's response.
The answer came in the form of the guards retrieving their weapons and pointing them at Ruby and Velvet. But the woman elegantly raised a hand, halting their attack.
" Brava ." The woman said, looking genuinely pleased with the Huntress's deductions. "I wouldn't expect any less from one with your reputation."
Ruby remained silent, allowing the woman to speak.
"How'd you figure it out?" The real Ace asked, leaning forward curiously to better look at the younger girl. "I've met many people and very few have successfully found me out."
"You were the only one giving orders." Ruby explained. It had been only a half baked conclusion but they couldn't risk giving away their identities at the expanse of the real Ace getting away. "If you were simply the face of the company, the guards would be taking orders from the man in that chair and not you."
"Very intuitive. Indeed, you will be a fine addition to my collection." Ace gave a jubilant laugh. "Not only am I the face of the operation, I'm the puppet master working from the shadows." The woman continued.
"But why not stay hidden?" Velvet enquired, unable to comprehend why Ace, even under false pretense, would take on such a role if her wish was to stay hidden.
"Because who doesn't like being in a show?" The woman laughed again. "And who in the right mind would expect little old me, the charismatic auctioneer, to be the boss?" The woman then shrugged as if she and Ruby had just shared an inside joke. "Huntsman and Huntresses have a tendency for falling for appearances, wouldn't you agree?"
Ace then turned her attention to Velvet, whose hand was now playing with the clasp of her bag, itching to retrieve her weapon.
"Unfortunately, if I want this ruse to continue I can't have some random rabbit know my secret." Ace's voice took on a tone of false reluctance. "I can't let you leave here alive, little bunny, but I'll make sure your partner downstairs is compensated for this sale and his loss."
On cue, the guards raised their weapons once again but this time all of them aimed for Velvet.
"Yeah, would you mind if I snap a picture?" Velvet began, opening her bag with a click. However, before she could draw Anesidora, the whole building shook under their feet, causing some of the suited men to stumble and this was closely accompanied by a thunderous crash from below.
"We've been compromised!" One of the guards yelled as updates were being buzzed directly into his ear through his comm-link. "We are under attack!"
"I will cling, I will clutch,
I'll hold onto you, I won't turn away.
I won't leave, I won't go,
I will stay with you all our days."
"I still can't believe the once feral Valerian Carrie actually has a half decent singing voice." Bellamy commented, as he leaned casually against the nursery door, watching as Valerian, now in her mid twenties, cradled a small, rosy cheeked baby in her arms.
"Oh? And you do jokes now?" Valerian raised an eyebrow at the man, a mischievous smile on her face.
"Dad jokes come with the territory." Bellamy observed, smiling softly back. It had been over five years since Amelia's death and Valerian would be lying if things hadn't changed since then, especially for Bellamy. Like a weight had lifted from his shoulders, his mind was no longer plagued with trying to cure his sister's incurable illness. He had been forced to finally look away from his books, to an extent. He had continued his studies, claiming the Huntsman life had never been for him, and became a qualified doctor. Some claimed him he was the best on the continent with regard to treating injuries and illnesses, especially those relating to the Huntsman profession. He'd finally begun to see the world through his own eyes, and he smiled a lot more frequently for it, albeit still sadly.
"Along with the skills of nappy changing and surviving on two hours of sleep." Valerian yawned, walking up to him. "I swear being a Huntress was the easier job."
"You should rest." Observed Bellamy in concern, as he saw the dark rings that surrounded her light eyes. "I'm sure they'd understandā¦"
"Don't be stupid." Valerian frowned, as always refusing to mince her words. "They've traveled all the way from Vale."
"On Ozpin's instructions." He reminded her, disapprovingly. But she raised a questioning eyebrow.
"You really think Summer and Qrow needed an excuse to come visit?" And, with that, she walked past Bellamy.
Their guests were waiting in the living room of the cottage the small family resided in just inside the academy walls. Under normal circumstances, Bellamy would have moved away and allowed his brother to look after Shade in peace but, with Valerian being the Summer Maiden, certain plans had had to be changed.
Qrow was lounging on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other while Summer curiously inspected the small collection of sketches that hung along the wall, a number made by Bellamy but majority from Amelia's old sketchbook.
"I wouldn't touch those if I were you." Valerian began, walking into the well-lit room and instantly catching their guests attention. "Bellamy spent an hour trying to hang them straight just the other day."
"Val!" Summer smiled at her old friend, walking gracefully towards her, her immaculate white cape swaying behind her as she walked. "It's so good to see you!" She then carefully looked down at the babe swaddled in light pink material in her arms. "And this little cutey."
"Quite the cute tyke you got there, Bel." Qrow observed, standing from his seat to look over Summer's shoulder. "How'd you manage that and a beautiful woman?"
"I've recently been experimenting on cloning." Bellamy explained, his voice taking on a more serious tone as he did when he spoke of more scientific subjects. "My genes were not involved whatsoever."
"Just ignore him." Valerian offered, rolling her eyes at his comments. "That's what I usually do. He thinks he can be funny now."
"She's precious." Summer admitted her eyes wide, her hand itching to reach out and hold the baby but held back, thinking even Valerian would not approve that.
"Well we hear you guys, too, have a little one to deal with these days." Recalled Bellamy. "I assume that's why Tai didn't come with you?"
"Yeah, dealing with a few month old is already tough enough, but it's far worse to do so alone." Qrow sighed heavily.
"Still no word from Raven then?" Bellamy continued, they had received a few brief updates several weeks ago, but they hadn't been very forthcoming with information.
"She's flown the coop, literally." Qrow answered bitterly. "Family was always important to my sister, but only when it suited her."
"Though Tai has Qrow and I around to help out." Added Summer, looking up at the new mother.
"Remember Summer, Kali had a girl earlier on in the year as well, you better be careful of the baby fever may catch up to you as well." And Val winked at Summer as her words had the desired effect on the silver eyed Huntress, her face burning brighter than the red in her hair.
"If you ever had a kid, you'd spoil the poor thing rotten." Qrow commented, earning him an irritated look from Summer.
"Well heaven forbid you'd have one, Qrow." She countered. "He'd be a menace for all of Remnant."
"Yeah, but he'd do it in style." Qrow agreed, causing Valerian to laugh at the pair's light bickering.
"You never did tell us her name though!" Piped in Summer, looking back at Valerian and ignoring her oblivious teammate.
"Eleanora." Bellamy quickly answered.
"Oh? I thought you would have called her after your sisterā¦" Summer tentatively observed but Bellamy shook his head.
"We wanted our daughter to be her own person, you know?" He tried to explain. "Why give her a name with a history and a legacy already behind it?"
"I can understand that." Summer nodded her head before looking back down at the small child, who was making slight gurgling noises and looking at the woman with large blue eyes. "When you're older, want to come to Patch and play with Yang?"
"I've got to warn you though, Eleanora has quite the kick when she wants to." Warned Bellamy, absentmindedly rubbing at his arm that had gotten bruised that very morning trying to get the baby changed.
"And Yang has an impressive right hook." Qrow muttered, messaging his chin as if remembering the pain.
"Then they will definitely be good friends." Summer concluded, the small group bursting into laughter and causing Eleanora to erupt into uncontrolled cries.
"Patch has been on my 'To Visit' list for quite some time now." Valerian admitted, rocking the child lightly while smiling at Summer Rose. "Maybe we'll get to visit sooner rather than later."
And another chapter posted š Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to drop a comment and next update will be on Friday. Thanks again for reading and sorry for the change in update schedule š