Chapter 50 - Ultimatum

Ruby watched her partner take off to the air after she had hurriedly passed Ruby her ice cream. It was probably nothing, no need to fret, but still, something felt off. Then she heard her name being called out.

"Ruby!" She turned and saw her sister rushing over to her.

"Yang!" The sisters hugged for a moment, just happy to see each other again. "What are you doing here? Do you know why Pyrrha left?"

"Pyrrha was here? No, I don't know what's up, but we're here looking for you, duh. I'm- I'm sorry I wasn't here before."

"Who's with you? Did you leave the tribe? Because-"

"No, we haven't left. Weiss, and Mercury weirdly enough. We came here to get you before anything crazy goes down."

At those words the younger girl fully extricates herself from her sister's grip. "Yang, is your mom going to attack the city now?"

"I- can't we just talk about other stuff? Look, she's not going to be attacking right away."

"Like what? Your new bandana? Even that seems inspired by you know who."

"C'mon Rubes, don't pout."

"After you left me?"

"I'm sorry. It was wrong, I should have waited for you, I just... things were so confusing. And Raven offered a path out. So I took it. But that's in the past, you can join us now and things will be good." Her grin was so bright that Ruby was tempted for a moment. To just go with her older sister, put away any difficult arguments. She knew that she couldn't take that path though.

"Good for who? Yeah, maybe Oz made some mistakes, but 1) Oscar isn't him, and I don't feel like abandoning him for that, and 2) Being a bandit is better? Raven- she's terrible, and has hurt so many people. Yourself included! How can you work with her?"

"I- I hadn't thought about Oscar, how he couldn't stay." Yang admitted, seeming a bit surprised about that but shock it off after a moment. "I'm sorry for the kid, but he'll be taken over by Oz soon enough anyways. You didn't see it, did you? Everything Ozpin- Ozma, whatever, did? He's just as bad as Raven - worse, so far! My mother... yeah, I'm not happy with how she abandoned me, and not sure how much I can agree with her philosophy, but I'm glad I was able to grow up with you and dad. And now I have a chance for a clean slate with her."

"That's all it takes? To forgive her for everything she's done?"

"So I should just forgive Oz the same way? I told Ozpin not to keep secrets, and what do we find out? At least Raven hasn't ever lied to me, and is trying to make a new start. He's just keeping up with the same old crap."

"Ozpin kept a couple of secrets, but that's different than being a bandit!"

"Ruby... the things he did, I half wish Jinn could show you, but I'm also glad you don't have to see how horrible he was." There's a pause between them. "Just come back with me, talk to her for a bit. Uncle Qrow would love to see you too."

"You just want me out of the city before the fighting breaks out."

"Well, yeah! Of course I don't want you getting hurt. Raven's going to give everyone the chance to fall in line and surrender peacefully, but if they don't take it... I don't want you getting wrapped up in all that." Ruby blinked in surprise. If the Spring Maiden really gave them such a chance, they might be able to leave peacefully after all.

"...No. I'll try my best not to fight you guys or anything, but I'm not abandoning Oscar. Or Ozpin/Ozma for that matter!"

"You wouldn't be so quick to leap to his defense then. The Colorless era, sending off countless people, children even, to die, running and hiding from the Grimm. I don't think he is that different, you're just too naive to realize it!"

Ruby flinched at that remark. Yang knew she didn't like being seen as less capable because of her age, and she knew she could be optimistic at times, but that didn't mean she was foolish or incapable of thinking clearly. "I'm not the one who can't realize what's right. Maybe Ozpin messed up, but that doesn't mean he isn't trying his best now. Is Raven going to suddenly do better? Help save people more?"

"Ruby, I- I just don't want to see you get hurt, ok? With what we know, you know that Salem hunts down people like you that stand up against her, and there isn't a way to beat her. Jinn's visions showed that, one of his 'mistakes' was wasting a question asking the Lamp how to kill her when there isn't anything we can do."

"And she's just going to leave Mistral alone if Raven takes over?"

"Yes, or at least long enough to focus on Ozma. They've got history, millennia deep, they'll be happy to fight each other for years and years, long enough for us to be ok. For you to be okay. Better than just being another soldier conscripted in his war. That's why he let you in to Beacon early, so he could use your silver eyes." She casts her gaze downward slightly after saying that. Ruby doesn't want to be seen as 'strange' for getting in early, but there's definitely a part of her that has pride in being a Huntress, fighting the good fight, and it's that pride that's wounded by Yang's words.

"Well too bad! I'm a huntress, and that actually means something to me." It was Yang's turn to flinch, her dedication to their chosen career called out. Her eyes turned red for a second as she responded.

"Then you'll end up just like Mom!"

There wasn't any sound for a second until a chime like breaking glass filled the air as Neopolitan revealed herself, lunging forward at Ruby with her parasol blade. The sound had her partially turning around, which has it strike less fatally, but still striking painfully into her back/side. In a panic, she turns to petals, reforming behind the mute girl, clutching her back as she pulled out her own weapon.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted out. The pain of her wound was distracting her, but she remained focused on Roman's former associate, now wearing his hat and smirking viciously. She swung Mechanical Rose around at her assailant, but the other girl easily deflected it with her parasol, swinging back around. Ruby spun her scythe to deflect, only to get hit in the side with a shot by- Yang?!

Her older sister seemed shocked herself as what had gone on, but there was no time to focus on that as the brawl between the three of them ensued. It was chaos, gunfire, hardened steel on steel, and the sound of breaking glass all around. A couple of the shotgun blasts and punches from Yang ended up clipping her too as the brawl ensued. Neo's deflection and illusion skills were causing them to fight each other as much as the mute assassin herself.

For a split second, from their heated argument, Ruby wondered if her sister was trying to hurt her. She had mentioned working with Mercury and the world seems to be getting crazier by the day. But not that crazy, never that bad. The shock on her face at what's happening dispels any niggling doubts that Ruby might have and has her focus on how to try and counter their opponent.

The wound is painful, but she can push through it, for the moment, and uses it to fake faltering in the fight. Neo takes the bait only to hit petals and find herself pursued by and angry Yang, with Ruby providing covering fire. The two of them are breaking through even her defenses, clipping the parasol weilder and moving to stop friendly fire. Until she makes an illusion and disrupts the tempo again, appearing between them.

The red clad huntress runs in, switching sniper rifle to sword form and pressuring her in melee. Taking more hits and unable to force them to fight each other, she flips over, pushes Ruby at her sister before yanking her back and smacking her to the side. Yang's distracted by an illusion, so Ruby shouts out "Yang!" to get her attention while rising up. Distracted by that and her wounds, Neo takes the opportunity to beat into her, smacking her away and breaking her Aura with a bladed strike that would have cut her neck. She raises her weapon, but the smaller girl hooks it away, wrenching Mechanical Rose out of her grip and tossing the blade aside. She doesn't know why this foe is so focused on her death, but the distraction is enough for Yang to break through, blasting the would-be murderess away.

Yang yelled furiously, punching as hard as she could at the shorter girl, hair burning around her, and managing to land a few blows against the criminal, but having to pull back as she saw the blade poking towards her younger sister. She was focused on ending Ruby's life, but not enough to completely throw away her defense and instead used Yang's desire to protect her into, but that soon turned to dread as she saw Yang being hit. Neo's pace would have driven Yang back, but she refused to give ground and leave Ruby vulnerable, which lead to the ice cream girl gaining the upper hand.

The blows fueled Yang's semblance, but that wasn't enough to break through the parasol, tauntingly deflecting the blonde brawler's blows. Eventually, even that strength faded, and Yang was taken down, umbrella sweeping her down as Neo moved to shift around. Following that trip with a heavy hit mid air, Yang fell heavily against the ground, her head cracking against the pavement. The small girl glared over the two sisters with an air of menace, pointing between the two as if she was deciding which one to kill first.

Seizing the moment, Ruby activated Mechanical Rose's recall switch, the blade flying back towards the Neo's back. It hit, sending her off balance and forced her to use the parasol to arrest the motion, leaving her body open for a shot from Ruby, the brilliant green light hitting her body and straining Neo's Aura... but not quite breaking it.

The sudden attack did knock off the girl's hat, which caused her to stare with even greater hatred before knocking her weapon away again. This time she followed it up with stab to her hand, causing her to cry out in pain. Yang bellowed in rage at that, desperately trying to throw herself at the girl, to no avail. Neo easily danced around the sluggish blows and countered with a strike that sent her back to the ground, narrowly missing her head. With Yang prone and out of Aura, she was determined not to miss again, weapon raised high and about to plunge down, when a portal appeared in front of them, a burst of icy wind pushing Neopolitan back.

Stepping through was the Spring Maiden herself, dispassionately taking in the scene, though a hint of anger appeared on her bloodstained face as she recognized the girl trying to kill Yang. What had happened, why she was like this or here, Ruby didn't know, though her focus seemed to be on Neopolitan.

"Twice now you've tried to kill my daughter" she said to calmly to the mute girl. Her eyes turned pitch white with fear, beginning to step back while Raven laid a hand on Omen. "I won't be giving you a third chance to do so again." With that, she raised her free hand and sent forth a spike of ice at Neo.

It shattered the illusion, revealing the girl off a few dozen feet to the side, trying to run the other way. Rather than chase her, Raven simply rose to the air, creating vast number of tiny ice shards all around, a hand sweeping out to send them swirling into everything around them. They broke the second illusion easily, and before the would-be murderer could try anything else, Omen launched a blade out of it's sheathe and into the girl's back, impaling her straight through.

An audible wheeze could be heard from the mute girl before she crumpled over, falling limp. Raven slowly descended downward, only to be met by three more arrivals; Weiss, coming from behind them, shouting out her teammates names before looking up at Raven in confusion and fear, Mercury, bursting out from an alleyway ahead of them, and Pyrrha flying above, hot on his heels. Ruby's partner looked at the scene afraid, eyes glued to the other Maiden, tensing as she raised a hand, but it wasn't to attack.

"Peace, I didn't come here to fight" she said, landing back down. Pyrrha did the same, cautiously, and Ruby ran over to her partner, who looked fairly tired and haggard, though still better than Mercury, heavily singed. "I came here to find out what my daughter and her friends were up to."

"That's a bit of a stretch-" "He's not my friend-" Mercury and Yang began.

"Enough." Her voice boomed out and all them stopped still until she nodded for Yang to talk.

"We, uh, we came here to talk to Ruby, get her to come back with us. Then Neo attacked us and- well then you saved us."

"Mercury attacked me with a couple of thugs after dragging me away from her! You're just trying to trick her." Ruby really didn't think that was the case (something Mercury opined as well, whining about that, but she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him), but she could also tell how afraid Pyrrha was right now. Her partner was doing her best not to show it, but she could pick up on the minute tremors that ran through form at Raven's presence.

"Miss- uh, Raven" Ruby began, a little flustered at how to address the woman. She gave a small snort and nodded for her to continue. "Why are you covered in blood?" Everyone else in the empty marketplace turned to look at the blood that splattered her form. The others wouldn't have known it, but she had blood mark from her head to her upper torso.

"Diplomatic relations broke down when one of your people attacked me suddenly, seems like that's going around recently. I struck him down as I did your assailant."

"Who?" Ruby couldn't help but grit her teeth as the older woman dismissively waved a hand, like a human life meant nothing to her.

"One of the ones who attacked my camp with you lot recently. Big fellow, ranting something about his sister?"

"Boren" Pyrrha let out in a whisper, before raising her weapons up slightly. "How could you do that to him? First Mary, now him - are you trying to pick off all the gladiators? Just because Denim dared to stand back up after you broke him?" Ruby let out a small shocked gasp, not even realizing Mary was dead. What was going on?

The bandit leader raised an eyebrow. "Denim... right, I remember him. He tried to call 'Boren' off as well, though it was hardly out of him losing the desire to take my head. A pity, I put a lot of work into breaking him of that notion." Only Mercury didn't look a bit upset at her words, remembering some of what the bandit leader had done to him. Clearing her throat she added "No, I haven't killed this 'Mary' or anyone else; if I was trying to take them out, they'd all be dead by now. Boren died because he challenged and attacked me. I came peacefully, but that doesn't mean I won't defend myself if need be." The declaration was clear, and Pyrrha turned away, backing down, before glaring at Mercury, obviously moving the blame over to him. He raised his hands in the air, but didn't dare to speak, especially as the black haired woman walked over to Ruby.

"Ruby Rose... despite all the chaos, I think you'd serve the camp well. Your sister made the offer, now let me ask: Will you join us? Abandon Ozpin and his foolish mission?"

She took a deep breath. "I... I'm not going to cling on to Oz over you, Yang" she said, turning to face her sister with a slight smile before turning back to Raven. "But you'd want me to sacrifice more than him, wouldn't you? You'd want me to leave everyone I could help, because they don't matter to you."

"A gross oversimplification, but that is the rule of the world. The strong survive and the weak die. You'll just be dragging yourself down with them."

"Like mom did?" The question didn't faze Raven at all, the woman responding quickly.

"Exactly. She refused to leave his side, and it led to her end, as I knew it one day would. Foolish..." she trailed off and Ruby could see a bit of loss in even her hardened eyes.

"There's more to life than just surviving. I want to help others, and I think it's worth it to risk my life to save others" she said defiantly. Raven held her gaze steadily before nodding.

"Very well, that is your choice." Turning she motioned for the others to gather up. "We're leaving now."

"What? Mother I-" Raven talked straight over Yang.

"I have a... message that I couldn't deliver with the talks cut short. We stand poised to take Mistral. If we want, the city will fall in pointless bloodshed. I generously offer another way out. For any who are not willing to accept my reign, now is the time to leave. I will give you three days to vacate the city. All those left will be expected to join the tribe... or die fighting." Her ultimatum given she said to Ruby more directly "I'll respect your choice, as I did your mother's - I don't force people to join me like Ozpin - but I do ask you think it over. Take your time, you have a few days to decide if you want to join the tribe or not."

"And myself?" Pyrrha asked, looking the other Maiden in the eyes. "Would you accept another Maiden into- whatever fiefdom you're trying to set up?"

"Hmm, you don't seem all that eager to join our takeover" the bandit chief deflected. "I already accepted a Maiden into my tribe before, I could do so again."

"And look how well that turned out for her!" If Pyrrha expected the murder accusation to have fazed the older Maiden, she'd be disappointed, Raven shrugging.

"She was weak, and turned on the tribe. The better woman won. All looking to leave Salem and Ozma's fight will be welcome under my rule. I don't recommend joining if you are looking to turn on us, however. Take my mercy and flee, if you feel you must."

Her words were clipped, but each one designed to hit a certain point. Pyrrha flinched at the mention of the 'better woman winning', and at her warning Ruby saw the way Raven shifted her hips, showing off the lantern hanging off of her. It was so close, her Aura had returned a bit, she could try to rush out and grab it... at the cost of everyone else. Even if she managed to escape with it, Raven would begin her attack, when otherwise they could have 3 days to leave properly. It also showed the folly of trying to usurp the bandit queen in secret. With the Relic, they'd have no way of knowing when she used it for a question, what act of sabotage would cause her to investigate with cosmic clarity and unravel their plans.

She saw Raven's scarlet eyes drift over towards her, measuring her, and wondered what she saw. Did she have it all planned out to reach this extent, to force them out of the city? Did she actually want Ruby and Pyrrha to join up with her, or was that just a scrap of appeasement tossed Yang's way? It didn't matter in the end, she decided. They'd made their choices.

"We'll deliver your message then. Now go." The Silver Eyed girl said, waiting a moment before Raven turned away.

"Ruby, c'mon-"

"Just go, Yang!" Her sister, bright, joyful, strong sister, had gone and joined with a monster. Even having just saved her life, Ruby didn't want to see her anymore (wasn't sure she could bear to make the right choice while she looked at her like that. The look on Yang's face was heartbreaking as Raven conjured a portal and pulled her through. Weiss looked betwixt between them, but followed through after giving Ruby a sad smile while mouthing the words 'We'll meet again'.

Though a simple message, it felt like her partner was lifting a massive weight from her shoulders. She was saying that she'd be there for Yang, and hopefully be able to get her on the right path (or was she saying that she thought Ruby would join them eventually? That doubt lingered in her mind). Weiss aiding her sister at least helped her make sense of why her former partner had left. Everything had been so confusing since the battle atop Haven, it felt like the world was still spinning around her.

Mercury stuck around a few seconds longer than even Weiss, tossing out a last few words at her. "Look, I didn't kill that girl in the alleyway. I know, no reason to believe me, but why would I lie about that? You already hate me. Just thought I'd let you know, you've got another killer on your hands. Bye now" and then he hopped through the portal.

Tired out from all the exertions and injuries, Ruby collapsed in her partners arms. "Ruby are you-" she cut off her own words as she felt the blood from her back. "We have to get you to the hospital!" The older girl picked her up bridal style (causing a slight blush from the injured girl) and was getting ready to run off.

"Wait! I'll be fine, I promise. My Aura's already coming back and it's not serious. We just need to get the message to the council. And then, and then we'll..." she bit back tears of frustration, and the older girl held her close.

"It'll be alright, they can wait a minute. I'll drop you off then tell them, we'll make it through this, together." She nodded weakly, holding on to consciousness as Pyrrha lifted her up and out, away from the corpses and chaos left in their wake.