Ruby woke with a headache.
It was a dull, pounding thing, coming in waves of painful pressure. She groaned, mind blurry and unfocused, and squeezed her eyes further shut. The pain didn't go away though, and instead seemed to sharpen, turning from a dull roar into a shrill blade.
"Wake," an robotic, almost jagged voice ordered.
Before she could process any further, her eyes snapped open. Pale green light filled her vision, nearly blinding her with its intensity. A shrill noise rung through the chamber, easily conveying a sense of urgency. An alarm; and, Ruby realized, the source of her headache. Each repeated note sending a spike of pain through her mind.
She tried to call out, only to discover with alarm that she couldn't move, her body utterly immobile regardless of her increasing panic.
The voice, its speaker still unseen, returned.
"Mental cognition restored to expected capacity, brainwaves elevated slightly beyond foreseen levels. Note incident, possible complications with integration? Curious... compensating."
Immediately her mind calmed, pain receding along with panic.
"Correct levels ascertained, recalibrating Mindshackle parameters to avoid future incidents."
'Mindshackle?' Ruby thought with some concern, but far, far less than was likely appropriate. She should probably be concerned about that too, she believed, but the expected panic never returned.
The voice spoke again, short and clipped, "Restoring motor functions. Rise child."
Feeling returned to Ruby's limbs and she sat up, revealing a cavern that looked like a bizarre mix of a mad scientist's lab and an opulent workshop. The entire room was suffused with a viridian glow, shifting around the many strange machines scattered throughout. Even the walls were weird, eerie sigils seemingly etched into them at precise intervals.
Oh, and laid out on a slab of metal across from her was…
Her body jolted, this time whatever held her mind captive unable to fully prevent a spark of alarm from forming at the sight of her unconscious partner.
Still, try as she might, her body refused to react any further. Gritting her teeth, Ruby painfully quelled her distress and instead forced herself to look over Weiss as best she could. Fortunately, the heiress looked unharmed, even if Ruby was more than a little concerned about all the little beetle-looking machines crawling over her body.
"Oh? It seems further calibrations are in order."
Ruby snapped around, and only whatever controlled her mind stopped her from stumbling back with a panicked shriek.
A towering robot stood before her, a stone-like skeletal frame glaring down at her with sickly green light. A flowing blue and gold metallic tiled cape, cryptic glyphs, and a single glowing eye completed the terrifying visage, culminating in a truly haunting sight.
In her seventeen years of life, and indeed her entire career as a huntress, Ruby could safely say that there was only one other being she had ever come face-to-face with that intimidated her as much as this monstrosity.
But she hadn't backed down from Salem, and she's not about to start now.
Swallowing her fear, she glared right back at the machine, "What did you do to Weiss? Why are we here?"
The robot regarded her in silence, only a slight creaking tilt to its head signaling that it had heard her at all. After a moment though it let out a humorless chuckle, and despite its emotionless face Ruby could swear it seemed almost bemused.
"I do believe", it began, "that it is a statistical wonder your species has managed to survive as long as it has, in spite of your seemingly innate insistence of snarling at everything which holds power over you."
Ruby seemed at a loss for a moment, before her expression hardened and she placed herself between the machine and Weiss, "Alright Mr. Robot-man," and had said robot been able to raise an eyebrow, it would have, "What do you want with us?"
The robot actually laughed at that, a remarkably disturbing sound.
"I am Cryptek Nectashet child, Illuminor of the Khethis Dynasty, and I'm afraid my long-term goals are beyond your meager comprehension", He leaned in, "My short-term goals however, involve observing how you utilize the... unique soul-based energy field which surrounds you, preferably within a combat scenario."
Ruby's brow scrunched in confusion, "Combat scenario? And... soul field? You mean my aura?"
The machine waved its hand dismissively, "If that is what you call it, yes. As for the combat scenario..."
The room shook, the aftershocks of a distant detonation. The alarms that had been constantly ringing since Ruby awoke seemed, if anything, to get louder.
"We have uninvited guests", Nectashet remarked dryly, before shifting to a more affronted tone "An Aeldari warhost intrudes the domain of Phaeron Intetka, and while much of the crownworld still sleeps no less!"
"Aldairy? Like a milk or something?" Ruby asked, confused.
"Indeed!" Nectashet responds, unnoticing or uncaring of her confusion, "The sheer arrogance! Truly, they remain as insufferable now as they were so long ago. Thankfully, Nemesor Agakhet's mind remains undulled by the long sleep and is more than capable of handling this foolish assault."
The robot turned, beckoning her to follow as another explosion rocked the room. Ruby startled when her legs moved to obey without her input.
"That, however, is beyond immediate concern" Nectashet continued, "Your focus is the party which recently split off from the main host... and seems to be heading this way. I suspect I am their target, but you will be their prize."
They exited the room, the door opening without a sound, Ruby stifled a gasp. More deathly robots, ranks upon racks of them staring back at her with dreaded silence. Before her Nectashet halted, turning back to her, his single eye glaring down into hers with cold fury.
"Kill the Aeldari," he ordered, "Or do so as best you are able. These warriors will aid you in this task and will obey your directives for the time being. I will observe, and may intervene should the need arise. Do remember though, that this is a test of your abilities and your 'aura', not my warriors' abilities or my own. Ah, speaking of…"
He (She assumed it was a he) held out his hand and a flash of burning green light flared in his palm. When the light dissipated Ruby stifled a gasp, eyeing the newly revealed weapon with fascination.
It was a scythe, though nothing like her beloved Crescent Rose; save of course, that it was a beautifully crafted instrument of dread. The snath (the pole has a name, and Ruby would make sure people knew it dammit!) was made of the same stone-like metal the robots and almost everything around here was made of, but the blade… oh, the blade. It was the most beautiful thing Ruby had ever seen. A radiant emerald that seemed to, at the right angle, shift to a deep blue as it slipped in and out of focus.
"It's… magnificent," she spoke, eyes wide.
"In awe, as you should be", Nectashet noted, seemingly pleased. He leaned forward, "This is a warscythe, a symbol of a dynasty's authority and favor. I grant it to you, temporarily, not in high hopes of your abilities or other such stupidity, but rather due to the minor inconvenience of your likely death should you be wielding a weapon of lesser caliber against foes such as these. Any failure on your part will be a consequence of your own inferiority, not that of your weapon's."
Another shockwave shook the room, and Nectashet handed her the scythe, waving her forward.
"Now go. Prove you are worth the interest of the Khethis Dynasty, or be discarded like the vermin you are."
Ruby's legs moved of their own accord, her mind a prisoner of her own body.
Hall after hall, room after room, all that same featureless dark grey stone, interrupted only by the occasional viridian light. The glow shrouded the warriors that marched with her, leaving only the cold intensity of their eyes and the flickering glare of their weapons visible.
Even as her body moved forward with a certainty the mind within didn't feel, Ruby comforted herself with the feel of a scythe in her hands. It wasn't Crescent Rose, but it was more than adequate for the time being. More importantly, she had it. She had a weapon. Granted, it wouldn't help much in her current predicament of being mind-controlled, but still. She was no longer completely helpless.
She sighed. Still…
As they walked, Ruby did her best to remember the route they were taking. If she got the chance to break whatever hold that robot had on her, she needed to know the way back to Weiss. And if there was a way to get free, she'd find it. And there had to be a way, after all, nothing was truly unbreakable.
Right?
She felt her body coming to a halt, bringing her mind back to the present.
Before her was a large chamber, similar to the one she woke up in, but this one completely empty. At the other side was a single doorway, the only one apart from that which she and her party had emerged from. Behind her the warriors spread out, their weapons silently aimed towards the doorway.
A chokepoint. This is where they fight the Aldairy?
Or was it Almariy? Aldarey?
...Whatever they were called.
She nearly jumped when Nectashet's voice echoed in her mind, despite him having stayed behind at his lab.
"The Aeldari draw near. They are slippery, but I suspect you will engage them momentarily."
"Umm, these Ael-dar-i", Ruby spelled out, making sure she got the word right, "who are they again?"
"Their party consists of seventeen storm guardians, ten dire avengers, three dark reapers, and all led by a Warlock."
"That means nothing to me."
The robot seemed to sigh.
"Seventeen sword-wielders with secondary pistols, ten riflemen, three missile launchers, and one Psyker. All what passes for elite among their misbegotten kind."
"Psyker?"
"A witch. This one appears to be support focused."
Ruby winced. If this witch was anything like a maiden, no way would she be able to take them one-on-one. But if they were support-focused… that didn't change much actually. Her best bet was still to eliminate the rest of the party first, and hope enough of her, -she stopped to count- thirty warriors would still be left to overwhelm the witch.
Missile launchers first then. These robots looked like they could take a bullet or two. Or a dozen. But missiles were another story.
She looked over her warriors, glancing at the blades they had at the tips of their weapons.
"How good are these guys at melee?"
It took a few seconds for Nectashet to respond.
"Against most proto-egotistics bumbling through the galaxy? Adequate. Against the Aeldari? A distraction, little else."
"Well… in that case how well do you expect them to in a ranged fight?"
"Adequately."
"Adequately? That's it?"
"I believe I was most explicit when I made clear this was a test of your abilities. It would hardly be a proper evaluation if my warriors did all the work, would it?"
"I just like to have extra options open ok?"
She paused, thinking.
"What about explosives, do they have any grenades?"
"They do not. They wield gauss flayers, nothing more."
Ruby eyed said gauss flayers, considering the ever-present glow within.
"In that case, how much energy is running through those barrels?"
"Why would- ah, I see. To answer your true query, yes, they would be more than adequate for such a function. You will need to use the scythe though."
Ruby grinned.
The Aeldari entered silently and cautiously.
They spotted her warriors immediately of course. There wasn't any place they could hide after all, and guessing by the looks of these soldiers Ruby suspected hiding places wouldn't have helped anyway. The foremost ones made ready to fire, only to halt as they spotted Ruby herself. Their body language conveying confusion, they stepped aside to let the others in.
"A Mon-keigh?" one muttered as the remainder took up positions. The last to enter was the warlock, at least Ruby assumed so judging by the robes she wore rather than the armor of the rest of her party.
She froze on seeing Ruby, quickly straightening and drawing her blade. Ruby made to speak, but the Warlock beat her to it.
"Her", she spoke, the ethereal words rippling over Ruby's aura like a wave, "The Mon-keigh! She is the source of the fhaisorr'ko! MAEL DANNAN!"
"MAEL DANNAN!"
Ruby barely had time to adopt a confused look before the battle erupted.
The guardians blurred forward, swords bared, while behind them the dire avengers let loose with their weirdly organic-looking guns. Her warriors retaliated in kind, emerald beams crisscrossing with near-imperceptible flickers of light.
Twisting, Ruby jumped behind her warriors, some sort of magic blast shredding where she stood previously. She glanced at the witch, who glared at her from across the room. Snarling, the Aeldari raised her fist and clenched it, eldritch energy swirling within. Ruby braced, ready to move at the first sign of danger, but she wasn't the target.
Around the warlock, the other Aeldari straightened, magic seeming to settle over them like a blanket. All of a sudden their dire avenger's already inhuman accuracy shifted to near-flawless, and the storm guardians still charging towards her line doubled in speed. The warrior in-front of her collapsed, sparking and sputtering as its hands tried to grasp a head that had been blown right off.
Ruby grimaced. Nectashet wasn't kidding when he spoke about support.
Reaching down, she grabbed the warrior's weapon, holstering it where Crescent Rose would normally go. Now exposed, her gifted scythe flashed, deflecting the storm of fire from the Aeldari as she waited for her opponents to get into the appropriate positions.
Frustratingly though, a high-pitched whine brought her attention towards her warriors and her eyes widened as she watched a missile detonate among their lines, utterly destroying a few and sending more toppling back. Seeing two more missiles on the way she blurred forward. Quickly grabbing a hunk of metal she vaguely recognized as the foot of one of her warriors, she threw it at the missiles. The first one hit the retaliatory projectile, exploding in a fiery conflagration. The second was far away enough to not get caught in the blast, but not far away enough to avoid the shockwave, sending it veering off course where it harmlessly bisected a wall.
Glancing back towards the guardians, Ruby realized they were almost upon her and her warriors, and so prepared to make her move. The sword-wielders impacted her line, weapons flashing. The one closest to her lunged, blade bared for her throat. Right before it cut through her flesh Ruby made her move. Activating her semblance she flew right over the guardian, the cloud of rose petals that made up her form beelining straight towards the Aldari's secondary line, more specifically the Dark Reapers.
From the moment Ruby stood among her line of warriors to the moment she landed amid the Aeldari backline constituted a mere two seconds, but even with that short a timeframe the Aeldari were already reacting, heads turning and weapons shifting. Even so, they weren't fast enough to stop her from bisecting the first Reaper, pitch-black armor proving no hindrance to the glowing scythe.
Before the body even hit the floor the second Reaper had twisted his grip on his launcher and swung it at her like a bludgeon, a war cry echoing from the skulled helmet. Ruby took a step back, letting the blow swing harmlessly by, before driving her scythe forward. The blade pierced the bottom of the helmet with ease, continuing onward out the other side.
Letting the weapon keep the corpse upright, Ruby pivoted, sliding behind the body just as a volley of shots tore into it. Flinching back from the shards that glanced off her aura despite her 'cover', she stared incredulously at the newly-formed gaping holes in the dead Reaper.
Resolving to avoid those weapons as much as possible, she glanced over the battlefield as she sought to find the final missile launcher before her cover became completely useless. Almost immediately, her attention was caught by a now-recognizable audible whine. She turned, and sure enough a missile was streaming right towards her, her target behind the projectile already lining up a follow-up shot.
Ruby smirked. Raising her scythe with the body still attached, she hefted it forward, flinging the corpse off and sending it hurling onwards. At the same time she reached down and grabbed a piece of shredded armor and blurred towards the reaper.
The missile hit the airborne corpse, blowing both away, and Ruby appeared amid the smoke, already flinging her second make-shift projectile. Seeing her, the dark reaper's enhanced reaction time proved to be his undoing, as he fired his next missile at her before he realized what she was up to.
The shard of armor impacted the missile just as it exited the tube, the resulting detonation utterly consuming the last dark reaper. Ruby grinned, but her celebration was cut short as a bolt of eldritch lightning slammed into her, sending her hurtling back with a scream.
Body still twitching with electrical shocks, she twisted in mid-air and barely managed to land on her feet. Wasting no time she activated her semblance and launched herself away, only just avoiding the follow-up surge of searing-white flames that engulfed the area. She blurred forward, materializing in-front of the waiting warlock with her scythe already mid-swing. Her foe's blade met hers with a clash of light, twisting viridian matched against blazing white.
Even as they disengaged and ethereal energy began gathering around her foe, Ruby knew this was a fight she'd be hard-pressed to win.
If she fought fair.
She didn't intend to.
'Time for plan B.' Grabbing the gauss flayer she had retrieved from one of her warriors earlier in the fight, she tossed it at the warlock. The Aeldari seemed unamused, batting it aside with a contemptuous wave of her hand. But Ruby was ready. Dissolving into rose petals, she reformed right behind the warlock and swung her scythe with all her might. The warlock twirled in an instant, shield forming and blade twisting to defend.
But Ruby wasn't aiming at her. The scythe hummed as it tore through the air, before meeting dark metal and emerald light. True to form, it sliced clean through the low-grade necrodermis with ease, and in a split second the gauss flayer was cut down the middle and cleaved in half. A microsecond later the immense energies contained within the weapon violently destabilized, the very air itself seeming to crackle as it detonated in a blinding explosion.
Ruby was flung away, aura dangerously low. The pain meant she wasn't able to right herself this time and she landed heavy, rolling across the room with twitching limbs. Coming to a stop with a painful groan, she gritted her teeth as she sat up. Around her the air seemed to sizzle in the dark, small bolts of emerald light arcing through the room everywhere she looked.
Standing on unsteady feet, she glanced across the room for her opponent, spotting the warlock's broken form in the distance.
She... she had it! The warlock was dead!
Sure enough Nectashet's voice sounded, though she jerked in surprise as it came to her ears rather than her mind.
"Impressive. Though I would recommend against such a strategy in the future, you primitives only have one life to sacrifice."
Twisting, she found him gutting the last dire avenger with a scythe of his own, the others surrounding him in various states of dismemberment.
Ruby paused, catching her breath, before glancing at him curiously, "I thought you said you'd only join if you needed to?"
"I admit to some restlessness," he responded dispassionately, tossing the body off his staff, "Now then, clean up the rest of this rabble, would you?"
Looking around the room, she realized 'rabble' was the appropriate word. There were only a handful of storm guardians left, engaged with her remaining warriors. She frowned. Her warriors were actually losing, Nectashet wasn't kidding when he said they weren't the best at melee.
Letting out a pained grunt, she pulled on her strained aura and manifested behind the guardians in a flurry of petals. They turned to engage, but even as weakened as she was, they were nowhere near the level their warlock had been. A few choice swings of her scythe and it was all over.
"So Mr. Robot," she began, turning around, "What happens no-"
PAIN
It was as sudden as it was agonizing. Sheer, unrelenting pain tore through her mind, ripping down to her core. She screamed, collapsing as her very soul was set ablaze. Through blurred vision, she saw the bloodied warlock pointing at her, the witch's hand wreathed in eldritch flame.
"Insolent swine!" Nectashet roared as he jumped at the warlock, his blade crackling, "You dare harm my experiment? My subject?"
The warlock turned her powers on the Cryptek, flames enveloping the figure in searing white, only for Nectashet to emerge surrounded by viridian glow and completely unharmed. The two met in a clash of blades, Ruby's addled mind utterly unable to follow the resulting flurry of blows.
"Detestable wretch!" he continued, "I will flay the skin from your corpse and rip the marrow from your bones!"
As sudden as it had appeared, the agony mostly vanished, replaced with a throbbing ache that seemed to grip her mind. She sat up, headache beating as she groped for her scythe. Feeling the metal snath, she gripped and used it to pull herself up, stumbling on unsteady feet. She glanced over herself making sure everything was in one piece, only to pause as a crucial fact made itself apparent to her.
She had full control of her body.
Gripping the scythe tighter, she closed her eyes and focused on her headache. Sure enough, she could feel something in there, little shocks that sent spikes of pain with every breath.
Her breath hitched. The things that controlled her, the warlock's attack must have somehow knocked them out. She grinned at the realization, but then frowned at the resulting conclusion. She didn't know if the things were completely deactivated, and if they weren't, how long did she have?
She needed to act. Now.
She frantically glanced around, looking for anything that might help. But they were in her head. Unless she planned to blow it off, nothing here could help. She let out some choice words that Yang would have slapped her upside the head for, and desperately thought of any other way she could get them out.
Nectashet would know how to free her, she knew, but she doubted he would be inclined to do so. But maybe if she got the required tools… which were all the way back at the lab. And she had no idea how to use them anyway. She cursed again.
Something. There had to be something.
Unbidden, Penny's words during their infiltration of Atlas (which already felt like a lifetime ago) came echoing back to her.
"Ruby is capable of traveling at an extreme velocity from one point to another by breaking herself down to her molecular components, thus negating her mass and then reassembling them at the destination"
Her eyes widened.
"...breaking herself down to her molecular components, ...and then reassembling them"
Could it? Could that work?
A glance at Nectashet and the warlock, still locked in their duel, revealed the only answer avaiable.
She had to try.
Mentally gripping the tattered remains of her aura, she strained as hard as she could, and in a burst of petals…
She lurched to the ground, her aura finally shattering under the strain, but she couldn't resist laughing in pure joy as the headache disappeared. Her grin reaching its limit as she heard the tinking of tiny machines hitting the ground behind her. She. Was. Free!
Her gaze hardened. And she needed to stay that way.
Standing back up, she charged straight at Nectashet with her scythe bared. The Cryptek must have seen her out of the corner of his eye, as the sight of her caused a double-take.
He turned away from the warlock and towards Ruby's rapidly approaching form, his eye flaring confusedly, "How did-?"
Even as he realized his mistake, it had already cost him. Seeing her opportunity, the battered warlock thrust her sword for a killing blow. Nectashet twisted at the last moment, causing the blade to pierce deep into his arm instead of his chest. With a burst of green light the limb went limp, the staff it held clattering to the floor. Snarling, he backhanded her with his other arm, the warlock's head popping like a grape as her body went soaring.
Even as he turned back to Ruby, it was too late, as her blade was already descending in a powerful overhand strike. The scythe bit deep into the Cryptek's head and continued all the way through and further down, until finally getting stuck in his chest. Emerald lightning spewed from the wound and spread across his body as Ruby planted her boot on his metal form. With a yell, she pulled the blade free, cascading viridian arcs dancing before her eyes. Nectashet's body toppled to the ground, and she was blinded by green light. When the glow dissipated, all that was left was a scorched, unless hunk of metal.
Ruby collapsed on her knees, breathing hard. She'd done it. Glancing around her, she dry-heaved, her non-existent lunch trying its best to escape at the sight of the carnage before her. The bodies, the blood, a good chunk of it by her hands…
She caused it.
She caused it!
Her hands clenched and her eyes screwed shut, trying to drown out the memories of the last few minutes. Better yet the last few hours.
Gulping, she forced herself to slow her breathing. She didn't have time for this. She needed to think. 'Focus Ruby. You can do this, I can do this' she muttered to herself, 'I need to get out of here, I just need a plan'
Her eyes opened, "Weiss. I need to go get Weiss."
She stood up, glancing back towards the door she had originally entered. She stared for a moment, before letting out another hopeless chuckle.
"I have no idea how to get back to the lab."
'So much for memorizing the way.'
Glancing around, she realized several of her warriors were still operational, their forms scarred from the fight but still active. Instantly she dropped into a defensive stance, scythe pointed at the robots.
They didn't react.
Ruby loosened, regarding the warriors with a curious expression.
Did… did she still have command of them?
"Warriors, umm... form up?"
The robots obeyed, all coming to stand before her. She grinned. She did have a way back to the lab afterall.
"Warriors! Return to Nectashet's workshop!"
Instantly the robots turned, making their way out of the room, Ruby following close behind. Her grin widened.
'I'm coming Weiss'
'Slow! They were so slow!'
Ruby's grin had long dissipated, trampled under the weight of the warriors' seemingly ironclad determination to go no faster than a leisurely stroll. She didn't know how her mind-controlled self hadn't cared, but her free self very much did.
But no matter what she ordered, they would not go any faster, so Ruby was stuck following them at a snail's pace. She cursed. At this pace, Ruby was pretty sure Maria would be able to win a race against these things. And she was like, eighty!
She sighed. This was going to be a long walk.
By the time they finally reached their destination, Ruby was about ready to pull her hair out. When the door to the lab came into view, even the sight of two more warriors guarding it didn't dampen her joy, and with a triumphant yell she charged into the room. Quickly spotting Weiss still lying down on that metal slab, she continued her charge only to slam headfirst into what felt like a wall.
Tumbling back with a yelp, she tried to find out what she had hit. But… there was nothing there. Getting back up, she reached out her hands and began slowly moving forward. After about a foot of progress, her hands met resistance. Feeling around, she sought the edges of whatever the object was. A few more moments of failure, and she stepped back with a curse.
"An invisible wall? Are you kidding me!?"
Glancing around the room, she looked for anything that looked like a generator. She eventually found one, a glowing orb, situated just above Wiess's slab.
Inside the barrier.
She sighed, "I should have expected that."
She glanced around once more to see if there was anything that might help, but she couldn't make heads or tails of anything in this place and she doubted messing with any of them was a good idea, so she shrugged and hefted her scythe.
"Hope this works," she muttered, pressing the tip of the blade into the wall. The wall immediately became partly visible, static and sparks emerging from the point of contact, but it didn't break. Slowly, she began easing more of the blade in, feeling the resistance strengthen in response.
Her concentration was suddenly interrupted when the crackle of the gauss flyers sounded out. She looked behind her and found several warriors toppling over, their forms looking like they were half-disintegrated. She frowned. From the positioning of their guns, it looked like they had fired on eachother. Pausing, she took a closer look at the fallen warriors, and she quickly spotted a discrepancy. Two of the fallen were completely undamaged from Aeldari weapons, meaning they were probably the ones that had been guarding this room.
Her eyes widened. If they had suddenly turned hostile…
She was running out of time. Turning back to the wall, she increased the pressure, intensifying the burst of light and static tenfold. But still, the wall held.
Behind her, she heard the sound of a door opening. Twisting, she was in perfect position to see the column of warriors march into the corridor leading to the lab. Immediately the snapping of gauss flayers filled the area, the two sets of warriors trading fire with each-other.
She cursed. She had less than a dozen warriors left, and the column of hostile ones didn't seem to be ending.
"Get in here!" she shouted, "and lock the door behind you!"
Her warriors obeyed, silently falling back into the room, but when the doors closed behind them they didn't do anything else.
"What are you doing? Lock the doors!"
They didn't move.
Her fist clenched around the scythe, "You aren't able to seal the doors are you?"
They didn't respond.
"Great, just great," she muttered, "Fine. Protect me as long as you can!"
The warriors uttered a deep-toned thrum that was the closest they had come to speaking since she had met them and turned their guns on the door.
Ruby turned back to the wall, straining to break through the now-pulsating barrier. Desperate, she even channeled some of her barely-regenerating aura to her arms for just a bit more strength.
She needed to do this. She needed to do this. She needed to do this!
She felt it flicker, her scythe sinking several more inches during the moment it did so. Knowing it was now or never, Ruby let out a yell and pushed with all her might. A mighty crack sounded out as the barrier broke, followed by a thundering bang as the generator overloaded, detonating in a flash of emerald light.
She barely had a moment to realize her success before another flash filled the room, and a voice she dreaded echoed throughout the chamber.
"Most impressive child. Most impressive indeed."
She turned slowly, beholding the amused visage of Nectashet, seeming whole and healthy.
"But ultimately…" he continued, leaning in, "futile."
"I killed you," she uttered, then again louder, "I killed you!"
He leaned back, idly waving the statement away, "A minor inconvenience, I assure you."
But Ruby wasn't in the mood for conversion.
"Attack!" she shouted at her warriors, brandishing her scythe. But they had barely raised their weapons before the Cryptek gestured, and they silently turned their weapons on her. As cruel icing on this horrible cake, the doors opened, and the rest of the warriors marched in, weapons also bared towards Ruby.
Ruby paused, scythe still at the ready, but her expression revealed she knew just how poor a situation she was in. Eyes hardening, she twisted the scythe's blade to her own throat.
"I'll do it," she warned.
Nectashet tutted, "I think not."
The sound warned her, and she swung as fast as she could.
It wasn't fast enough. A swarm of tiny metallic beetles descended on her from above, instantly covering her from head to toe. She activated her semblance, blurring through the swarm, but she had barely gone a foot before her petals only found another forcefield. She switched directions, but found yet another field. With sinking dread, she stayed formless for several dozen seconds more, darting around for any gap in the barrier. But there was none, the trap fully enclosed around her, and with the sound of breaking glass she was forcefully reformed as her aura shattered from overuse.
Exhausted, immobile, and utterly defeated, she heard the swarm buzz around her with resigned hopelessness, staring beyond the field at the speck of white she had come to save.
'I'm sorry Weiss'
Darkness descended, and Ruby knew no more.