Authors Note: Hello my Dark Readers and welcome to the eighth chapter of "Derelicts in Black". First I would like to say thank you to all the readers who have given their free time to give this story a read and a special thanks to all who reviewed, followed, and favorite. Please be sure to review and comment what you think. I'd appreciate the feedback. Whether you like or dislike, it's all welcomed. I hope you favorite and follow. And don't be afraid to ask questions. Now then, I hope you enjoy because it's time to continue the story.
P.S. A special thanks to Jazz for being the 150th reviewer.
Answering Questions: (If you want your question answered just leave it in the reviews)
To EMOS: I have already decided Weiss' partner and this person is the best choice for her, in my opinion, because it will definitely add some good scenes with these two together. As for Nora, well, that is a secret at the moment but one that I am sure many would many wide eyes and say "Wait What?!"
To Nikola the Einstein: The reason for my changes is because the direction of the story was progressing much faster than it should and going down a path I had no intention of going. Further elaborating, the characters only interacted for a day and already they were acting like best friends. In an actuality, I saw that as bad writing and story flow on my part for actually rushing things to an extent rather than letting the character development change over time. A second reason is because of the personality changes. Initially Ruby, Ren, Blake, and Adam, were to be serious and reserved characters while still maintaining some individualistic traits that made them unique from one another. When reading the chapters, I couldn't help but cringe when I saw how friendly they were being with each other, joking more, and being very different than how they were portrayed in the trailers. I guess what I am saying is when I first saw Ruby in her original trailer, I saw a young serious girl, not a bubbly one. And here I felt as if I was making her more social than her personality should have. I wanted them all to move at a slower pace and open up to each other once they become a team and go on adventures together. That's the development I wanted.
To Tusbasa0129: Thank you for understanding my friend and I know you have certainly been with me for a long time.
The Shadow977: No, the trailers were not edited however I do want to edit the green trailer a bit more, but that will be taking place sometime in the future.
End of Questions: (I answered as best I could, thank you for asking!)
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY; all rights go to the Legendary Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I do not also own any of the music that will be shown in the story
Opening Theme: The Brilliant Green: Ash Like Snow, English version
Chapter 8: Pain in the Forest
Professor Goodwitch pressed the button on her data pad. And within seconds, the platform underneath Ruby lifted with incredible force. Before she knew it, her feet were already leaving the platform and she was hundreds of feet in the air and still launching higher into the sky.
The ground and two professors shrank as Ruby flew farther away and within seconds, Headmaster Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch were nothing more than two small dots before immediately vanishing out of her line of sight.
'Here we go.' She thought and looked straight ahead. She enjoyed the rush of flying and although it felt pleasant, it would have been more satisfying if it were a night sky with a full moon.
Remaining calm, Ruby angled her body to the right when she stabilized herself to alter her landing strategy. Far ahead of her, shey only had a few seconds to see several students already using various strategies to slow their descent. She even spotted a few who have just landed and disappeared beneath the trees. She knew she had to be on the ground fast if she wanted to catch up with them. That was when she noticed in the distance ahead of her, numerous other bodies all launching simultaneously into the air and scattering into every direction.
'The other five hundred.' Ruby thought and reached for her weapon. She had to make haste.
When Ren was launched, his eyes automatically squinted as he flew through the air towards the Emerald Forest. Though he braced himself, he couldn't have predicted how strong the wind would rush through his face. The first few seconds blinded him until he channeled his aura into his eyes which allowed him to grow used to the heavy air. He scanned his surroundings and saw how a few people were already preparing to land.
He narrowed his eyes slightly; if he were to succeed in catching up with the majority who went before him, then he had to land soon. He scanned the perimeter and spotted the perfect solution in front of him.
'There!'
Less than a few meters away was a thick, brown tree that was incredibly taller than any other in its proximity with no branches to ruin what he planned. The tree was near the direction he was falling and he leaned to the right as the wind pushed him closer.
'Wait for it.'
He only had a few seconds to make his plan work, otherwise he would risk injuring himself or worse. When he was extremely close to the tree, Ren twirled around, releasing Storm Flower from his cuffs and braced himself.
'Now!'
Before what could have been an impact, Ren twisted to the right, nearly hitting the trunk, and jammed both of his Storm Flowers into the surface of the tree, carving a groove trail. He kept his body curved with his legs forward as the force sent him downwards into a spiral slope around the lumber. His descent started to slow when the impact lost its powerful force and allowed him to reach the ground low enough to jump down and barrel roll safely.
Rising, Ren took note of his surroundings and immediately pointed his weapons in every angle around him. He gave a quick, but thorough, glance at every bush and tree and relaxed when he didn't sense any movement. He retracted his weapons, momentarily, and brushed off the sawdust his jacket collected from his landing.
'Alright landing is done. Now time to find a partner.'
Ren looked around and could only see trees, grass, and bushes in every direction. There was not a soul around him and it was strangely quiet. A forest would normally be filled with the noises of wildlife, insects and even the wind. But there was none of the three. Only silence.
Ren narrowed his eyes. He had just arrived into the forest and already something was wrong. He released Storm Flower again and grew cautious. From the few seconds he had, Ren's aerial view made it abundantly clear that the forest was indeed a large one. Who knew what could be lying in wait and Ren did not want to ponder it any further.
With only five hundred students in the forest, he had to be quick in order to find someone before something threatening found him. That was when thoughts of Ruby, Blake, and Adam crossed his mind.
But before thinking any further, Ren heard explosions overhead. He instinctively looked up with his weapons already aiming but raised an eyebrow when he saw nothing but the clear blue sky. A second explosion sounded again and this time a flash of bright blonde hair suddenly entered and exited his vision in seconds.
'Was…. Was that…'
He was unsure of what he saw. Until he heard the cheering and yelling of a familiar voice belonging to the only Blonde person he actually met. Then he knew and felt the hair on the back of his neck rise.
"I'M COMING BABY SISTER!"
Sighing heavily, Ren nodded to himself and turned in the opposite direction of the voice and started walking.
'Apologies Ruby but… better you than me.' He felt some guilt in thinking that but in fairness, he had his fair share of wild women in his life and he certainly did not need another one anytime soon.
That was when he stopped and thought deeply about something, or rather someone, he has not thought about in a long time. He looked up at the sky again, and noticed the sun shining brighter than before through the tree lines and into his face. The warm feeling reminded him of the bright smile his childhood friend always had plastered on her face whenever he saw her. Even now, he couldn't help smiling when picturing it.
'I hope you're doing well… Nora.'
Thinking quickly, Ruby released her Crescent Rose into its second stage and aimed it directly in front of her towards a tree with an abnormally thick branch. Growing ever so closer to the ground, she began to shoot, using the recoil to slow herself as much as possible before actually reaching the tree. She was only able to unload three shots before having to activate Crescent Rose's scythe form and used the curved blade to hook herself onto the branch, careful enough not to slice it.
Using her leg muscles, Ruby kicked her body forward where she spun around the tree limb once letting gravity do the rest. She initiated her scythe to collapse into its resting phase and sheathed it behind her as she fell. Instead of impacting, Ruby jumped on a different tree branch and then another that was lower until she was able to safely land in a crouched position.
She stood up and observed her surroundings. She saw nothing threatening or abnormal and nodded in approval. It was just herself with various trees, bushes and grass. She didn't even bother to drop the smile she had plastered on her face.
'Finally… in my natural habitat.'
She took in a deep breath of air and tasted the cool sensation that always tingled her tongue. It sent a shiver of joy down her spine. The air's freshness was uninfluenced by the pollution of the city and Ruby felt more free than she had in the past few days.
Now that she was on the ground she quickly chose a direction and started to run with incredible speed. She rushed through the forest, dodging countless trees that looked stick figured when running past them. Ruby's smile widened, the best part of moving through the forest was how amazingly cool the wind felt when rushing through her hair. It brought memories of her past when she would always do this back at home. It was her specialty and the reason why she was able to get out of many terrible situations growing up.
As she ran, Ruby planned her next moves carefully in her mind. She was already at a disadvantage so her objectives had to be organized and carried out correctly. Time was not on her side and she was forced to make haste. Even if it was only by a small margin, she still had the least amount of time in the forest to find a partner; on top of that, she had to make it to one of the key objective points, and collect a relic back to Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch.
She prayed that her speed would allow her to complete her tasks in record time. The fear of failing now worked its way into the back of her mind. Failure was not an option. She activated her semblance to increase her speed and channeled her aura into her legs so they could keep up. She reviewed her objectives over and over again. The last two parts would be the easiest, but the first one would be the tricky, if not difficult, one out of all of them.
From the start, the thought of being forced into a partnership didn't really sit well with Ruby. She grimaced as she thought about it. The people she had seen throughout Beacon were all older than her and knowing how the older, pride filled teens were, they would not want to cooperate with someone younger than them and Ruby did not want to make time dealing with their foolery.
Some people, like Weiss, already looked down on her for a simple number. She could only hope the person she partners with would not be like that; but the chances were extremely low. In all honesty, if she could have chosen, she would have preferred going solo. Since that was out of the question she would at least pick someone on good terms with her. That was when she thought of Blake, Ren and Adam.
They were the only people who had any kind of respect from her. The only ones she actually interacted with excluding her sister and ice queen. Any one of them would have been a good partner. However finding even one of them would be a challenge. The forest was massive, there was no telling where they could have landed or if she could have found them. It was a needle in a haystack, but this time there were three needles and the haystack was larger than usual.
Ruby huffed in irritation. Should it be Yang that she finds – she shuddered at the thought – things would be incredibly awkward for a while, if only for her. Weiss was absolutely not someone she would work with. The bad blood they already had for one another would see to it that one of them would end their career in a coffin.
She sighed as she flipped over a log and kept running. She didn't know anyone else. And those that she knew of were only on name bases only, no real communication. That was not a very good option either and it seemed fool hardy. That Jaune fellow was probably dead by now and if he wasn't Ruby did not seem him lasting long in combat. Not without the proper training. And, no offense to him, she did not want someone who would slow her down. Then there was that celebrity, Pyrrha Nikos; but she never talked to the girl and the red head seemed much too… friendly and apologetic for Ruby's liking. She sighed as she jumped over some wet mud.
'Finding a partner is harder than I thought. I just hope whoever I run into isn't a loud-mouthed over optimistic idiot. That would just be annoy-.'
She was interrupted from her thoughts when a sudden flash of white filled her vision from out of nowhere, it appeared running out of a bush in front of her and was dangerously close. Ruby was caught slightly off guard and couldn't avoid it as she tried to halt. She jammed her feet into the ground but with her current speed, her boots only slid across the ground; it barely slowed her down and there was no time to dodge. She closed her eyes and sighed
'This is going to hurt.' She thought and inevitably crashed into it.
The collision was fast and sent Ruby stumbling backwards onto her back, she ended up sprawled on the grass as something landed on top of her causing her to groan as it hit her stomach. She moaned in pain and the white Ruby saw was now covering parts of her face, some even went into her mouth. It was soft, warm, threadlike and smelled like… cherries.
'This is… hair.' She realized and spat it out immediately. It was clear now, she ran into someone… again. She tried to get up only to cause the other person to groan and move their arms. Ruby suddenly felt a blush of anger rise up as the other person's hand accidentally grabbed one of her breasts and squeezed it.
Without really thinking, Ruby, closing her eyes, instinctively grabbed the person by the shoulders and pushed them off with great force. They landed with a loud thud and were sprawled out on their back still groaning. Trying to calm down, Ruby took in a deep breath in hopes of stopping the world from spinning around her. Once it did, she looked over to see who she collided with. And when she saw, dread was the only thing plastered on her face.
She didn't want to believe it to be who she thought but the body parts were identified. Tall, pure white boots encasing pale legs, a white dress with lace trim, and a gray rapier at the hip that held an engraved name. That was all she needed to see to know who the person was, and Ruby was livid.
'Why her…' She stared at the body of Weiss Schnee with narrowed eyes. This was beyond a nightmare. Weiss was too busy groaning from the impact to notice but Ruby could feel her blood boiling and her hands shaking. The only person, besides Yang, whom she did not want to be partners with, was now… her partner.
'Maybe I don't have to be her partner.' She thought and slowly reached for Crescent Rose. The thought was pleasant but Ruby knew that it was her anger talking. She resisted the urge to reach any further and shook her head.
'No… I cannot do that… Uncle Qrow would be very disappointed and… she is a comrade… despite be very… very annoying.' She sighed in frustration. The word comrade was something her Uncle would always push into her mind.
'It does not matter who that person is or how much you dislike them, if you are both fighting on the same side you are comrades. You don't have to like them or be friends with them, but respect the rules of combat and watch their backs as they would for you. If you even consider fighting with killing intent towards a comrade, then you would be looked upon as a disgrace to all warriors, including me.'
Ruby sighed again. Her uncles lesson had many valid points and she would indeed disgrace herself if she even thought that it would be worth it. She had no choice but to take what she had as a hunter and put up with it.
'But why… why did I have to look her in the… wait.'
A sudden realization hit her like a ton of bricks and she couldn't help but feel like a complete idiot when she didn't realize it sooner.
'I never looked her in the eyes.' She almost jumped with joy… almost.
As the pain started to fade, Weiss regained her focus on her surroundings. She blinked a few times to stop the dizziness and started remembering what she had been doing prior. She landed in the forest and was walking in hopes of finding someone to partner up with, namely Ren or the celebrity Pyrrha Nikos. The girl was one of the strongest in her grade and if the two teamed up then she would be unstoppable, them, was what she meant to say. Not to mention that she was incredibly beautiful with a great body.
When Weiss thought of Ren next, she could not stop the blush from coming. If those two were to become partners, then they would have no choice but to get close and then that would develop into friendship and possibly… a relationship. Weiss' face grew more red at the thought, while she never really had a relationship before, the romance books she read always tugged her heart into wanting one in reality.
Getting off topic, Weiss realized that she was still on the ground and remembered little as to why. She had been walking through the forest looking for a partner, then she saw something odd on a tree. Her eyes widened when she remembered. She was looking up and saw Jaune Arc stuck to it with a weapon piercing his hood. He was dangling like a bumbling dunce and Weiss groaned when he was trying to 'play it cool' in front of her.
Knowing it was a Schnee's job to help any peasant in need she was going to release him… eventually until she saw a large cicada right next to his head, hissing. As much as she hated to admit it, she was disgusted and ran; leaving the Arc boy to cry out in panic. She knew it was a cowardly, and a stereotypical thing to do as a woman, but she couldn't help but feel disgusted as it crawled around all nasty and crawly and hissy. She shivered at the thought, she was raised to fear nothing and to show women around the world how strong a Schnee woman can be. But insects will always be her weakness and no one will find out, she will take it to the grave. The next thing she knew, she ran passed a bush and… now she was on the ground.
With the pain now gone completely, Weiss started to slowly rise and shook her head. She didn't know what she hit be it a rock, a tree or whatever but it was incredibly strong, almost like a car knocking the wind out of her. That was when she remembered feeling something… plump which didn't make sense and dropped the thought.
She sighed and started to look around her surroundings. She was still in the forest but she realized that she wasn't alone. Across from her was none other than Ruby Rose. She already gritted her teeth and put two and two together. Like her, Rose was sitting on the ground with some of her outfit being smudged with dirt. She fumed when she thought about how much it would cost to get her attire cleaned. Her anger has been steadily rising the more she thought of it. For the second time, the rose girl had bumped into her, and again she had to be annoying somehow.
However, despite being angry, Weiss secretly couldn't believe the strength Ruby possessed from their impact. It was something noteworthy but she hated how strong this… child was. She would never admit it to her or anyone because Rose still did not seem worthy of Beacon. And then it hit her, they were still in the middle of Beacon's exam and the first person they saw was to be their partner.
Ruby noticed Weiss sitting up from the corner of her eyes and resisted the urge to look at her. The slight chance if she did could easily solidify their partnership and she wanted none of that. However, she did notice the white haired girl looking at her and moved her head further away.
"Oh great, YOU'RE my partner?!" she yelled, which echoed around them.
Ruby quickly raised a finger to her lips. "Shut up you imbecile," She sharply whispered. "Do you want to attract a Grimm?"
Weiss gasped and grew red as she narrowed her eyes. "How dare you call me an imbecile when you were the one who ran into me!"
Despite wincing at her annoyingly loud voice, Ruby made sure to keep her eyes locked firmly on the ground as she stood up.
"That only happened because you blindly walked in front of me without even be aware of your surroundings." She dusted herself off and patted her body all over. "How can you still call me unworthy when you could not even follow the basics of huntership. 'Always be vigilant'."
Weiss stuttered a bit as she tried to find a clever retort, but unless she wanted to reveal the reason why she ran through a bush, she remained quiet. The mere thought of Rose ever finding out would make things worse.
"Also to answer your first question princess, no we are not partners."
Weiss was now confused and raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about now. We found each other so therefore we are partners by the headmasters ruling. I personally don't like it as well but the rules are-"
"Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch stressed it," Ruby interrupted. "We become partners, on EYE contact. I have not looked you in the eyes, so therefore WE are not partners." Weiss could not see it but Ruby had a small smirk planted on her face.
'Thank the moon Uncle Qrow taught me how to bend the rules.'
She couldn't see Weiss's face, but she knew the ice queen was mostly likely not happy with the logical statement she presented. Finding twists and loopholes were critical in times like these. But just thinking about the look on her face almost tempted Ruby to turn a little. However, she immediately denied it and continued resisting the urge. It was too dangerous. There was no doubt that the reaction was priceless but she would still be at risk in looking at Weiss' eyes.
Ruby turned her body fully around now and felt she had wasted enough time. She started walking away in the opposite direction in silence. As much as she wanted to continue toying with Weiss there was simply no time to waste. She had to find a partner soon or risk failing the exam. Even if the gods were presenting Weiss as the solution, she was not desperate enough to call her partner. It was hard enough calling her comrade already.
Weiss was absolutely dumbfounded. She couldn't believe she had forgotten the specifics of the rules and couldn't believe she let Ruby get one over her. As the red hooded girl started to walk away. She gritted her teeth, in all her life there was no one who stood up and disrespected her like Rose did. She was the perfect student, heiress to the biggest company in all of Remnant and the smartest girl in the school. She was to be respected, loved, and even feared. And then Ruby Rose had to come along to make things difficult. From the moment they met, she has been a thorn in her side. She was annoying, rude, rowdy, bold, and just an overall nuisance. She was the only person in her life to ever stand up to her and treat her like just another person and…Weiss now had a blush on her face; it always made her heart race.
She would never admit it but every time Ruby was around her, every time she walked up to her or, even looked at her… her heart raced so fast that it sometimes hurt. No one had ever dared to disrespect her until she came along.
It started back when they first met, when Ruby said all those terrible things about her family's company. When she walked off, she was angry at first but then felt a shiver of sensation when she realized no one ever talked down to her like that. It scared her when she liked it too. Since then Weiss tried to deny it even though she knew her secret was the cause of it. But the more she was near Ruby, the more they talked and the more she insulted her, the less resisting she did and the more she liked it.
Weiss knew it was her secret doing this to her. She hated and loved it. Since her preteen years, she kept the secret deep in a closet and no one knew about it except for her sister because of…. one night. She was angry of course but like any sister would, she helped her little sister keep her secret hidden. For good reason too, if it was to ever be revealed she knew she would bring shame to her family and the media would be all over her and the company. She could never face her father again if it came out to the world.
"O-oh. Well, good! Who'd want to be partners with a shrimp like you anyway?" Weiss shouted. She knew she didn't mean it, but her pride always took over and talked for her whenever she tried to make normal conversations. And, every time, it always backfired.
Ruby had to stop herself at the pale heiress' words. She froze for a few seconds and turned slightly, looking over her shoulder, focusing on Weiss's boots so as to not make eye contact and ruin any hope of having an enjoyable stay at Beacon. She didn't even have to think of a retort as the words flowed freely from her lips.
"The same could be said about working with a stuck up bitch like you… Weiss."
With that said, Ruby heard a small gasp and was satisfied with that. She turned back and the red-cloaked girl shot into the forest, only to become a red blur, leaving a trail of rose petals behind. What Ruby did not see was the shocked and remorseful look on Weiss's face.
She slowly walked forward and picked up one of the rose petals. Her eyes softened as she stared at it and then, she smelled it. It smelled like Ruby and the blush she had returned brighter than before. She let out a little moan as she fell to her knees. Her heart was racing so fast that it felt like it would burst out of her chest. She was panting heavily with her legs twitching a bit and if one could hear it closely, the sound of dripping could be heard. Weiss couldn't control herself, even if she wanted to. She carefully licked the tip of the rose petal and a bit of saliva drooled from her mouth.
'Stop that! You're a Schnee! Not some harlot!' As if a sudden realization hit her, Weiss immediately stopped and dropped the petal. She quickly backed away while fixing her attire and wiped the drool away. She looked down at the petals and then into the direction where Ruby took off to. The remorseful look returned.
"You dunce." Was all she said as she walked away with a frown.
Ruby continued dashing on, her eyes taking in everything before her as she searched for someone she could work with for a partner. The whole ordeal with Weiss lasted longer than it should have and she had to quicken her pace. She contemplated the objectives. The people for her team mattered less to her than a partner right now. A team would to be chosen for them but it was the partner that they had to choose on their own and were supposed to be staying with for the entirety of their career as a huntsman or huntress. From a lot of the autobiographies hunters made, all of them said partners were almost always close friends to each other, no matter how far apart the hunts took them, or how long it has been between meetings. It was clear from what Ruby read that one's partner was important.
Slowing her pace, she took a moment to think in a grassy clearing. Looking around, finding nothing but the trees and herself present, she relaxed a little. Sitting down on a large rock a few feet away, Ruby pulled out her Crescent Rose and gently rubbed it. The idea that partners were to become friends gave her mix emotions. Who was she really fooling, the headmaster? The students? Or herself? She never really wanted to find a partner but it was required for her if she wanted to become a hunter.
Ruby couldn't help but feel angered by how the school was forcing people to work together. Did they never even consider accounting for people who wanted to be on their own. Or perhaps those who were not good with socialization and only want to protect and serve without having to interact.
'So much for freedom of choice'. She sarcastically thought.
She was never good at making friends, nor was she a social person. If the person was the complete opposite of her, she feared things would not work out. Things like friendships, relationships, and family were only a liability to her. Going solo was better, at least she would only have to worry about herself rather than having to put others in danger.
She sighed heavily and cuddled her weapon. "Why can't you just be my partner, Crescent Rose? It'd be so much simpler then… not having to deal with people at all. No more looks, no more people looking down on us… no more judging, insults, or hurtful words…no more pain…" Ruby felt a single tear role down her eye. "Why can't it ever be that easy?"
She closed her eyes tightly.
She thought back to the time where she still attended Signal. The people who still always looked at her strange. The pipsqueak, the loser, the freak they called her. When she wasn't bullied in the hallway The combat sessions were the perfect excuses to beat the hell out of her without getting in trouble. She remembered once when someone had taken her clothes when she was showering and locked the door. She was stuck and naked in the locker room for hours. It was one of the most humiliating things that ever happened.
But nothing was worse than the time she was almost raped. It astonished her that it was a few girls who actually wanted to see it happen. Their motivation, because they felt she needed to toughen up and know how good a man feels inside of them. They set everything up and found a few boys who agreed to do it. It was on a weekend when they found her sitting in the forest. And before she knew it, the girls already had her arms pinned while the boys fought each other to try and get into her pants. She remembered screaming and crying, begging them to stop. What bewildered Ruby the most was how she saw few girl's pants less and masturbating to the sight. They looked crazed with their eyes wide and sickening wild grins as they groped themselves and drooled.
Ruby trembled as she gritted her teeth. Some blood escaped her lips as she bit the inside of her mouth. She would have lost her innocence that day if it wasn't for Uncle Qrow beating them all into a bloody pulp. But then again, she already lost her innocence when she came to those boys and girls after training with Qrow and almost killed them.
She continued to cry softly to herself as she nuzzled her weapon closer and leaned further back on the tree. The past was the past and while it does not affect her now, she can never forget the pain. These were secrets she never wanted anyone to know. The only one she could ever trust with any of them was her Uncle Qrow.
As she cried for several minutes, Ruby was starting to feel a little better. While not totally fine, good enough to feel relaxed. She eventually stopped her crying and dried her tears. She took in a few deep breaths and felt ready to continue.
'I promised Uncle Qrow that I will never let the past happen again. While it never will, it will still be there as my reminder of the pain I felt.' Ruby looked up at the sky and could see the sun still shining brightly through the branches. 'This is my new life. I don't want to keep feeling this pain.'
She stood up and activated Crescent Rose. 'I will never allow pain to consume me ever again. Watch me mother, as I keep moving forward.'
Ruby's smiled to herself but her thoughts were interrupted by strange rumbling and vibrating coming through the ground. She quickly looked around to find what was causing it until a new sound appeared before her, causing her eyes to widen. The hair on the back of her neck rose as Ruby quickly rolled forward before a fallen log crushed her body. She tumbled back to her feet and looked back to see both the log and rock crushed into large chunks.
She heard roaring and immediately her instincts kicked in. She lunged to the left and as she felt a strong force of wind from what tried to come at her and turned to see the source of attack. Had she been a second too late, she would have felt claws pierce her neck rather than wind brush by it. She narrowed her eyes and got into a defensive stance. Standing in front of her were four Beowulves with a large white Alpha Beowulf standing behind the pack.
Ruby scoffed as the white Alpha grin wickedly at her. "All you Alphas are the same. Cowering in the back letting your pack take the hit. Your nothing but a coward."
As if the Alpha understood her, it roared in anger and immediately rushed towards her, pushing the other Beowulves out of the way.
With Crescent Rose already activated, she flicked the safety switch to kill and twirled it into the ground. The tip of the scythe already jammed deep enough to remain sturdy as Ruby smirked when she remembered what happened when she did this last time. She quickly turned the weapon towards the Alpha and pulled the trigger. As strong as the beast was it was not invincible as it looked when its head exploded from the force of the Dust round impacting through its forehead.
With the head flying who knows where, the Alpha's body started to disintegrate into rose petals just like those Beowulves back home did when she encountered them.
While the Alpha was indeed stronger and smarter than the rest of its pack, it was quick to anger and if it did, it would go into blind rage where it would be incredibly vulnerable and easy to kill. That was the Beowulves weakness.
The other Beowulves, seeing their alpha fall, growled and howled as they grew into a state of rage. They began to move but not all at once. One immediately charged at her, with two others moving to the sides to get around her. The fourth, after a moment's hesitation, moved forward with the first Beowulf. They were planning.
Removing her scythe from the ground and spinning it around in her hands, Ruby closed her eyes and then opened them to reveal them being pitch black. She grinned as she fired another shot, letting the momentum carry her directly to the first Beowulf. She enjoyed close combat more than anything and she had some anger to vent out.
The Grimm swung at her, claws ready to rend flesh from her bone, until the shaft of her scythe met with its arm. Continuing the motion, she pulled on the scythe, removing the Beowulf's head from its shoulders.
She moved away from the second beast's attempt to rip her into bloody pieces, before she swung the blade again, where she sliced and ripped through the Beowulf's neck and head from beneath. She pulled the trigger again, freeing her blade from the now-lifeless Grimm, and twirled, bring it down towards the Beowulf coming at her from behind. It dodged and tried to strike. Jumping and firing off another shot, Ruby flipped backwards buying herself some breathing room which she used to see where her remaining foes were.
Two Beowolves remained, standing back and taking stock of her as she was them. Neither side took any motion to advance on the other, both simply locked in a stare down. They remained this way for several seconds, until Ruby narrowed her black eyes.
"Come on then." She said in a low demonic voice. "What are you waiting for?"
Almost on que the remaining Beowulves roared and lunged until a stabbing sound was heard. Ruby looked around and noticed one of the Beowulves stopped moving. It groaned in pain before it fell forward leaving the other Beowulf confused. That was when Ruby noticed two green weapons stabbed into the back of the fallen Beowulf by two large blades. Ruby looked at it closer and then her eyes went back to normal.
'Wait… are those not…'
The last remaining Beowulf howled in anger and decided to press his attack anyway as he rushed towards Ruby. She prepared herself for a counter attack but then heard a gunfire. She looked behind her but saw nothing. However, she did the Beowulf howl in pain and turned back.
She saw that a blade, attached with a black ribbon, pierced through the left Beowulf's chest as it blead through the wound. The Grimm continued to howl until it was silenced by a loud gunshot piercing through it's head. The battle was over.
Letting out a breath, Ruby checked her weapon for any damages and where there was none, she retracted Crescent Rose back. It was then that she saw the black ribbon being tugged as the blade was pulled back into its owner's hand. She noticed that there was someone up on one of the tall thick branches that overlooked the clearing Ruby stood in. However, as she looked further up she realized there was more than just one person.
She started from the bottom and slowly looked up three figures all dressed in black outfits. One wearing a bow on their head, the other was wearing black sunglasses, and the final one had long black hair with a magenta streak. Instantly Ruby couldn't believe it.
The three jumped down to the ground. The long haired one walked towards the Grimm with weapons still stabbed onto its back and pulled them out. The one wearing sunglasses was sheathing their sword into their case that was in the shape of a shotgun. The bow wearing one was retracting the ribbon attached to their gun and put it away.
All three walked up to Ruby as she stared at them approaching. The odds of her seeing them here, no less all together, was something that even she couldn't believe. Among the vastness of this forest and among the five hundred students all scattered, her luck actually seemed to work. Without any hesitation, Ruby bowed to the newcomers.
"Hello, Blake, Ren, Adam."
"Ruby." They all simultaneously said.
And thus the eighth chapter comes to an end. My Dark Readers, the main story continues. Please leave a review, good or bad. If there are any constructive criticisms you have, please do not hesitate to tell me, it helps me to grow as a writer. Also if you have any questions or suggestions fill free to leave them in the reviews. Prepares yourselves, for the main story continues.
Until next time my Dark Readers. Forevermore – FT
P.S. I am sorry for the long delay.