Friday, September 25
POV: Ruby
Every member of team RWBAY either sat or stood in their main dorm room. No one wore their normal clothes. Ruby had the idea that they shouldn't look like themselves if they were going sneaking around. They all now wore mostly black and white. Of them all, Weiss looked the most normal. Then again, most of her clothes looked the same.
"I thought that class would never end," Blake said as she walked across the room.
"Alright guys, today's the day," Ruby said from her bunk. "The investigation begins!" She jumped down and landed right in front of Weiss.
"I'm glad to see we're taking this so seriously," Weiss mumbled.
"Hey, we've got a plan," Yang chipped in. "That's…moderately serious."
"Levity before a mission is a good thing," Aaron said while straightening his new black hat and sunglasses. "Keeps people from psyching themselves out."
"Right, everyone remember their roles?" Ruby looked to Weiss first.
"You and I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies, or inconsistencies," the heiress said. "Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem."
Blake put her hands behind her back. "The White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members. If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."
Yang crossed her arms cockily. "I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard."
Aaron stood up from his chair. "Nalia, Cerise, and I will be waiting just outside the city in case anything goes wrong. We'll be ready for rapid air support and evac if necessary."
"Great, we'll meet up tonight near Yang to go over what we've found." Ruby stated confidently. She pumped a fist. "Let's do this!"
"Yeah," an unexpected voice said. Ruby turned to the window and saw Sun hanging upside down just outside.
"Sun?" Blake blurted out. All the girl members of team RWBAY took a quick and large step back. Aaron just shook his head.
"How did you get up there?" Yang asked, confused.
"Ah it's easy I do it all the time," Sun said with a little shrug.
"You do what?" Weiss exclaimed.
"I climb trees all the time." The heiress gave the monkey Faunus a scowl. Sun jumped in through the window. "So... are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?"
Blake stepped forward. "We are going to investigate the situation, as a team."
"Sorry Sun," Ruby spoke up. "We don't want to get friends involved if we don't have to."
"Plus, sometimes smaller operations can go smoother than larger ones," Aaron put out, a little bit of disappointment in his voice.
"Pfft, that's dumb," Sun shrugged off the advice. "You should always get friends involved. The more the merrier, right? That's why I brought Neptune." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder.
Curious, Ruby walked to the window and looked outside. Sure enough, Neptune stood on the small ledge dividing the second and third floors. "'Sup," the blue haired guy said.
"How did you even get up here," Ruby asked.
"I have my ways." Neptune suddenly looked down at the ground. "Seriously though, can I come in? We're like, really high up right now."
Ruby shot a look down at the ground, where Cerise and Halcyon currently lay. You didn't help with this, did you? she asked her dragon. Cerise simply shook her head. The Rider sighed then waved Neptune over. "Come on in, I don't want you falling." Neptune quickly shimmied his was across the ledge and Ruby pulled him in.
Considering the new people, Ruby quickly decided that most people would go in teams of two. "All right. I'll go with Weiss. Sun, you can go with Blake. And Neptune, you can go with Yang since she doesn't have a partner." Ruby physically pushed Neptune over to her sister.
"Actually Ruby," Weiss spoke up, "why don't you go with Yang? After all she is your sister."
Ruby finished pushing the statue of a guy and turned back to her partner. "But Weiss, who would go with you then?"
"Well, I guess Neptune could come with me." Weiss' cheeks turned a little red. Aaron smirked behind the heiress.
Ruby thought it over for a second, the laughed. "Nah." She grabbed Weiss' dress and pulled her partner out the door.
"But, but!" Weiss complained. A few feet down the hall, she gave in and started to walk on her own. "Why wouldn't you let me go with Neptune?"
"When was the last time we did something together? Plus, Yang wasn't exactly subtle at that club last time either. I'd rather not have to fight anybody right now if I don't have to. I need more practice with these things." Ruby shook her metal arm.
Weiss paused, then sighed. "True." The partners left the dorm and started making their way toward the CCT in the center of campus. Before they could get far, Cerise came up and nuzzled her Rider's left arm.
Be safe out there, Ruby told her dragon. Do whatever Nalia says, and don't attract attention to yourself.
Cerise puffed hot air through her nostrils at her Rider. I'll be fine. Aaron and Nalia know what they're doing. They act like it anyway.
Ruby smiled, then she heard light roar. Halcyon soon came into view flying over Beacon. Where's he going?
He's going hunting. Young dragons need to eat.
That they do. You should probably get going too. Cerise turned around and took flight in the direction of the Dragonhouse. Soon after, Weiss and Ruby continued toward the CCT. When they got close, Ruby had a small geek out session. She liked to think of herself as an aspiring engineer, and everything that went into the building excited her.
"The only reason we're here is because you like the tower so much," Weiss said after a little teasing from Ruby. "We could've just as easily made a call from the library."
"I know but it's so cool! Oh! I'm going to take a picture!" Ruby took out her scroll, but it slipped in her metal fingers, even though they were gloved. She tried to catch it, and she ended up flinging it away several feet. It hit the ground hard, and Ruby hoped the screen didn't break. She just got a new one after she lost her first on that beach.
A girl with bright orange hair picked up the scroll and offered it back to Ruby. "You dropped this," she said.
Ruby instantly recognized her. "Penny?" Penny froze up. "Where have you been? We haven't seen you since the night at the docks."
"S-sorry. I think you're confused," Penney said. She hiccupped, and accidentally lobbed the scroll into Ruby's hands. "Uh, I've got to go." She turned around and walked away from the two partners.
"What was that about?" Weiss asked.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Ruby confidently said. "You go make your call, I'll catch up with you later." She jogged to catch up with Penny, who thankfully hadn't gotten too far. "Penny! Where have you been? It's been weeks!"
"There seems to be a misunderstanding," Penny said indifferently. She started walking away again.
"What? Penny, is everything okay?" The girl kept walking. Ruby couldn't believe it. This was not the same girl she met all those weeks ago. She hesitantly extended her mind toward Penny's. She did not find what she expected. Her mind was there, open like anyone else's, but there was something…missing from Penny. Ruby couldn't pin it down, but there was a gap where…something should have been.
Still, something was troubling Penny, and Ruby needed to find out what. "Penny, please stop!" She ran up and grabbed Penny's arm. "Look, I don't know what's wrong. But you have to listen to me. Those guys we fought at the docks, we think they're up to something big. Something bad! I need you to tell me what happened to you that night. Please. As a friend."
Penny sighed then looked around herself. She closed the distance between her and Ruby. "It isn't safe to talk here. Meet me at the place we first met in an hour." Again, Penny walked off, but Ruby didn't chase after her. At least now she had a plan.
POV: Aaron
Aaron lay beneath Nalia's wing, reading a book on what the people of Remnant called computers. He'd read a lot about history, science, even some mythology, but he hadn't gotten to any of what he considered 'fun' topics. There was so much that he didn't know about what many considered normal lifestyle. Aaron might be in Vale for a while, and he didn't want to stick out any more than he already did.
I might just have to get one of these someday, he mused to Nalia.
The dragon huffed. Do what you want. I can't use most of the things here anyway.
You can still use my eyes, and we have that projector. Across the clearing, Cerise turned her neck on the direction of Beacon. A few grumbling and whining noises came from the red dragon. After a few seconds, she settled back down. Everything alright Cerise?
I'm not sure, the young dragon replied. Ruby met a friend outside the tower, who was acting strangely. She says that her friend's mind was missing something, but couldn't tell what. Both of them are meeting in the city in an hour.
Aaron put down his book, and thought it over. Ruby was technically going against the mission she set forward. In all reality though, she wasn't working against it. Weiss was really the only one needed to make the call to the Schnee Dust Company. After that, their part of the mission was over. Aaron just shrugged. If Ruby's friend needed help, that's where Ruby needed to be.
Nalia laid her head down to look Aaron in the eye. Have you thought about what General Ironwood said yet?
The Rider sighed. Remember when I thought people being less paranoid would be a good thing, I was wrong. People here are too trusting. You'd think a general would take some time before offering us that.
It's not like he was offering it for free.
But why would he want your scales? It's not like they can do anything to stop Dust rounds.
Nalia huffed. Are you really comparing my scales to Cerise'? Mine are much more developed. Anyway, I'm more concerned about why he wants a 'sample of my blood.'
You have a point there. Aaron sighed and leaned back into his dragon's belly. If I'm remembering right, blood tests here can identify how a person is…constructed. Also, it could determine any…genetic problems.
They don't want to make another me, do they? Nalia squirmed a little at her own thought.
I don't think that's possible…yet anyway. Aaron paused. What about this 'Black Queen' he mentioned?
Nalia growled slightly. She is a very dangerous person that needs to be stopped. If the general asks for help from those he doesn't know, he must be truly desperate.
Well, we do have some advantages that his soldiers don't. Mainly, we can read minds. If the Black Queen is undercover, and has been for a while, we could potentially spot her before anyone else can.
Yes, but is it worth being that invasive? If she's good enough to hide for years, can we find her by just glancing over people's emotions?
Nalia stayed silent for a few seconds. All that for free flight across Remnant and armor? It would protect us from Dust rounds, and the enhancements the general mentioned would be very useful. Cerise wouldn't lose as many scales either.
Highly advanced armor and free flight in exchange for intruding on people's privacy to take out a threat. Aaron sighed. I don't like it. If we do this, we have better chances of focusing on the wrong person I don't know how many times until we find the right person. If we don't, we potentially alienate Atlas, and we lose flight area over other parts of Remnant.
Not to mention leaving Cerise potentially defenseless. Nalia looked at the red dragon, who looked like she was trying to take a nap.
I really need to teach Ruby how to regrow scales. Aaron sighed and scratched the back of his head. When do we need to have our answer to him?
Before the week is out. Nalia hummed her discomfort. If the Black Queen is as dangerous as the general says, we may have to fight her someday anyway.
So we say yes, and we take the reward when the job's done? That's not what Riders do.
But it's what Huntsmen do, and technically you're training to be one.
Aaron sighed. So, we reject part of who we are as Dragon and Rider, or we severely restrict ourselves along with allowing Cerise to be exposed. He shook his head. Either way, we lose something.
POV: Ruby
For almost the entirety of the last hour, Ruby tried to figure out what exactly Penny was missing. Somewhere along the way, she gently brushed against the minds of a few other people. They all had everything she came to expect, but the part she sensed in Penny was weaker in most of them. As Ruby passed a few students from Beacon, she went through the same process. The part they had in common with Penny was stronger than most people, and on par with the girl. After a few minutes of thinking and comparing, she decided that it was most likely a person's Aura she was feeling. Still, that didn't answer what Penny was missing. What could be missing?
Unfortunately, the time for thinking was up. Ruby rounded a corner and saw Penny standing stiffly in front of a café. The red Rider put on a smile, then put a hand on the other girl's shoulder. Penny jumped from the unexpected contact and looked at Ruby. Something really had her jumpy. "Walk and talk?" Ruby offered.
Penny nodded. "I'd rather not stay in the same place for long." The two started walking down the street. Ruby didn't say anything, hoping Penny would say what was on her mind. After about a block, Penny finally spoke. "I wish I could help you Ruby. But I don't know anything about those men."
"Well, what happened to you that night?" Ruby asked. "We were all together and then you just disappeared. Were you kidnapped? That's been a real problem recently." Again, Ruby felt like she needed to think about what she said before she said it. She shook her head to hopefully get some of the memories out. Thankfully, Cerise was paying attention and helped keep those awful thoughts out of her head.
"Oh no, nothing like that!" Penny insisted. If she noticed Ruby's reaction, she didn't let on.
"Well then where did you go?" Ruby asked while snapping back into reality.
"I've never been to another kingdom before. My father asked me not to venture out too far, but, oh you have to understand, my father loves me very much. He just worries a lot."
"Believe me, I know the feeling." When Ruby first called her dad after getting back from that place, he was flipping between rage and depression. All of it screamed that he either wanted Ruby to come home immediately, or that he wanted to get a job at Beacon just so he could keep a closer eye on his daughters. Still, she knew he only had good intentions. "But, why not let us know you were okay?"
"I, was asked, not to talk to you. Or Weiss... or Blake... or Yang. Anybody really."
"Was your dad that upset?"
"No, it wasn't my father." The pair started to walk by a small plaza, and there was some type of demonstration going on. Six of the standard AK130 security androids stood in front of two other containers. In between the robot soldiers, a hologram of a man in an Atlas military uniform. It took a second for Ruby to realize that the man was General Ironwood.
The two containers opened up revealing six new robots, which the general referred to as Atlesian Knight 200s. Ruby's eyes were fixed on the new robot soldiers. They were so sleek, so clean, and most likely more deadly toward Grimm. The 130s had proved effective against Grimm for years. The 200s must be improved in almost every way.
The general said a few more things that Ruby didn't quite hear because she was so focused on the androids. "Ruby," Penny said cautiously, snapping Ruby's attention from the display, at least temporarily.
"So, our kingdom's greatest minds, in cooperation with the Schnee Dust Company are proud to introduce," General Ironwood stated, "the Atlesian Paladin!" He disappeared and a giant mech took his place. Ruby's eyes widened and she slumped over. She swore she had a little droll coming out the corner of her mouth.
"Whoa," Ruby said out loud. I want one, she told Cerise.
The dragon huffed over their link. Good luck with that.
"Ruby," Penny said, a little fear in her voice, "Maybe we should go somewhere else..."
Again, Ruby snapped herself out of her trance. She saw some soldiers point at Penny, and start moving in her direction. Soon after, Penny turned around and ran across the street. "Penny? Wait! Where are you going?" Ruby called, but Penny never slowed down. The Rider turned back around and saw the soldiers now running at full tilt.
Ruby turned herself and ran after Penny. Cerise, I may need an Evac soon.
I'm in the air, the dragon responded. Ruby chased Penny down several back alleys and across another street, but the soldiers stayed on her tail. Up ahead, the Rider saw a stack of boxes on top of a shoddy wooden platform. She whipped out Crescent Rose and cut one of the legs off the stand. As the boxes fell, she saw the label 'breakable things' on all the boxes. Ruby winced, knowing she just cost someone a lot of money.
Ruby saw another turn off up ahead, but there was no way she was going to catch up with Penny before it if she just ran normally. In a split-second decision, Ruby started running on the wall got get an angle at Penny. She used her Semblance to jump off the wall and grab the other girl. "This way," Ruby told Penny. She looked down the alley and searched deep inside herself to get the necessary energy and Aura for what she was about to do. Ruby jumped off the wall again using her Semblance.
The maneuver took a lot out of her though. The two girls fell to the ground sooner than Ruby expected. Penny stayed pretty much where she fell, while Ruby tumbled and rolled out of the alley and into the street. She sat up and rubbed her head where it took a rather nasty hit.
Then Ruby heard something you never want to hear laying in the middle of the road: a truck's horn. She turned around and placed the joints of her metal arm and leg together, hoping all those movie moments where cars just bent around the bionic limbs weren't exaggerations. RUBY! Cerise called, pure panic in her mental voice.
Suddenly Ruby was pushed from the side and out of the path of the truck. She looked up just in time to see Penny get hit by a truck full force. Instead of just running over Penny, the vehicle completely left the ground, the back end rising over eight feet off the street. The road crumbled beneath the girl's feet, and Penny seemed no worse for wear. The van once again met road, and Ruby stood stunned. "Penny…"
Penny turned her attention to the driver. "Are you okay?" she asked. The driver nodded, and the girl backed away from the van. She looked at Ruby, then her hands. Again, she ran past Ruby and down another alley. The Rider followed after her friend again. She looked back only once and saw the soldiers had reached the crashed van.
A few alleys later, Penny stopped, most likely to catch her breath. Ruby finally caught up with her, and said, "Penny!" The other girl turned to face Ruby. "Why are you running? How did you do that?" She gestured back toward the alley they both came from.
"I-I can't. Everything's fine!" Penny stuttered, right before a hiccup. She hugged herself. "I-I don't want to talk about it." She hiccupped again.
"Penny if you can just tell me what's wrong I can help you."
Penny turned away from Ruby. "No, no no, you wouldn't understand."
Ruby hesitated for just a second. "I've seen and experienced things that most people can't imagine. I can try."
Penny turned back to face Ruby and closed the distance. "You're my friend, right? You promise you're my friend?"
"I promise."
The other girl hesitated. "Ruby," Penny said, then opened up her hands, "I'm not a real girl.
Ruby's eyes grew wide as she looked at several gaps in Penny's skin. Where blood and bone should have been, only metal plates and joints showed. "Oh," was all Ruby could say for several seconds.
Ruby! Cerise called. The Rider looked up and saw her dragon flying directly overhead. Are you alright? Her concern rolled off her like a river.
I'm fine, but now's probably not the time to be flying right overhead.
Are those soldiers a problem? The dragon growled a little.
No, no! I'm sure it's a misunderstanding, just don't be seen flying right overhead.
Cerise huffed, then flew off. Fine, but you're not leaving my side when we get back to Beacon.
Ruby focused her attention back on Penny. The robot girl was staring up at where Cerise was only moments before. "Don't worry about her, she's with me," Ruby soothed. Penny dropped her gaze and focused back on Ruby. "Now what do you mean you're not a 'real girl'?"
"Most girls are born, but I was made," Penny responded. "I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an aura. I'm not real." The first parts were said with confidence and pride, but all that fell away with the last three words.
Not willing to see someone else going through that kind of pain, Ruby acted. She put her hands over Penny's. As she did, she couldn't help but think how real her 'skin' felt. "Of course you are. You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than me?"
"I don't, um..." Penny leaned in closer to Ruby. "You're taking this extraordinarily well."
Ruby freed her hands and took off the glove on her right hand. She also rolled up her sleeve. To her surprise, Penny didn't act surprised. "I'm not exactly one to judge. My right leg and eye are the same. But they still need my mind to run them. You aren't like those empty shells back there. You've got a mind, a heart, and soul. I can feel it."
A smile returned to Penny's face and she placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Oh! Oh Ruby!" She pulled the Rider into a hug that rivaled Yang's. "You're the best friend anyone could have!" Penny shook Ruby from side to side.
"I can see why your father would want to protect such a delicate flower." Ruby was able to get out through the suffocation. Penny let go, and they started having a normal conversation. The android girl talked about her father, and her ties to the Atlas military. She mentioned something about saving the world, but that didn't sit right with Ruby. Does she mean from the Flood? Ruby thought for a brief second, before dismissing the idea. "Penny, what are you talking about? Save the world from what? We're in a time of peace."
Penny scrunched up her eyes. "That's not what Mr. Ironwood said." Suddenly, voices came from down the alley Ruby and Penny ran down. Penny again put her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "You have to hide!" She forcefully picked up Ruby.
"Gah, Penny! What are you doing? You don't have to go with them. I can help you!" Ruby struggled while Penny walked. After a few seconds, she was thrown into a nearby dumpster. Thankfully, it was mostly empty.
"It's okay Ruby, they're not bad people. I just don't want you to get in trouble. Just promise me you won't tell anyone about my secret."
Ruby nodded. "And you don't tell anyone about mine." Penny closed the dumpster over Ruby's head. The Rider stayed in the dumpster, but opened the top slightly to listen in to what the soldiers and Penny were talking about. Just as the android said, the soldiers were nice people, and they didn't raise their voices at all. They all left the alley together without making a scene.
A rat squeaked in the dumpster. Ruby looked down and saw one nearly crawling on her lap. She let the dumpster cover go and she brushed the animal off. "Slytha," she whispered, and the rat quickly fell asleep.
Ruby sighed, and she tried to piece together what she just learned. Penny was an android that had a soul. That confirmed what Ruby felt before was Aura. If she had to guess now what Penny didn't have, it would be an actual life force. "Note to self," she said, "test life force theory on Grimm." The note appeared in Ruby's vision.
Right after that disappeared, an envelope replaced it in the top right corner of her vision. She blinked to open it, and a text message appeared. It read 'Sorry for assuming, but I know the shortfalls of bionics. I hope this helps. Penny.' Ruby saw an attachment to the text, and opened that as well.
What she saw took her breath away. Ruby covered her mouth and tried to hold back tears. Cerise noticed her Rider's change in mood. Ruby, what's wrong? she asked.
Nothing. Nothing at all. Ruby looked over the schematics intently. It was modeled after a human, and it apparently worked. Penny had a fully functional nervous system, and she just gave Ruby a way to incorporate it into her arm and leg. It was built into a synthetic skin as well.
Ruby couldn't help but smile and laugh. She was easily one step closer to getting her 'normal knees' back.
Cerise hummed over their mental link. My Gem, I am so happy for you.
Thank you. Ruby closed the text and pulled out her scroll. She began searching the net for the necessary supplies to make it work. The Rider stayed in that dumpster for who knew how long. Eventually she left because her back was starting to ache.
Just as she got out, her scroll rang with Blake's ringtone. Ruby hit the answer button. "Everyone! If you can hear me we need back-"
"HEEELLLPPP!" Sun interrupted. "They got a robot, and it's big, really big!"
That was more than enough for Ruby. Cerise, now I need that pickup.
POV: Aaron
Aaron jumped into his dragon's saddle, and Nalia leaped into the air soon after. The green dragon angled toward Blake's and Sun's last known position. You ready to take on whatever this big robot is? Aaron asked.
There's nothing on land that can out speed me, the cocky dragon replied, especially not one of those walking pieces of metal.
The Rider smirked then cast his mind out ahead. He instantly found Blake and Sun, and there was only one hostile person directly behind them. Aaron then searched back to where the White Fang meeting took place. Several of the terrorists were planning to pursue. Aaron tightened this grip on Redemption. Drop me off by the White Fang. I'll take them out.
Are you sure? There's hordes of them down there.
There are only five that are going to give chase. The rest are running. I'm sure I can handle that many. Nalia nodded, then flew with all possible speed toward the White Fang's warehouse. As they approached, Aaron saw a large crowd of people running from the building. Some of them wore the standard grunt uniform, but most were in regular clothes.
Nalia flipped upside down, and Aaron jumped out of the saddle. He flipped around in the air and landed hard on his feet. His knees bent almost to the ground. The Rider slowly stood up and drew his sword. The five White Fang soldiers that were planning to pursue Blake and Sun drew their own weapons and aimed them at Aaron.
No one moved a muscle. Aaron could feel the tension in the air. The soldiers would fire their weapons at the slightest move the Rider made. "I cannot allow you to leave this place," Aaron said, still not raising his sword.
One of the soldiers laughed. "You and what army?"
"Underestimating your opponent is a sure way to get killed." Aaron took his own advice and sized up his opponents. They all carried assault rifles and had them aimed at the Rider. Assorted melee weapons were attached at their hips or across their backs. Only two of them appeared physically fit enough to prove a slight challenge when Aaron got in close. One member of the five was young, and his rifle was shaking. He was likely to flee when fighting inevitably broke out.
The young soldier lowered his weapon slightly. "Wait, you're one of the ones who took out that Nevermore warehouse," he said, stuttering. "Whose side are you on anyway?" His voice cracked halfway through.
"I'm on the side of the innocent, I don't care what race they are."
Another soldier spoke up. "There are no innocent humans. They're all the same!"
Aaron narrowed his eyes at the man, and called back a news report he heard during his first week in Vale. "That car bomb near a public park? How many children did you kill that day? How many families did you tear apart?"
The youngest Faunus froze in place, while the others tightened their grip on their weapons. "You're. All. The. Same," the first soldier who spoke said, right before he pulled the trigger.
Luckily, Aaron was in that soldier's mind and saw where he was aiming. He dodged out of the bullet's path and finally rose Redemption. "Agree to disagree." He charged straight toward the firing line, through five streams of bullets. His wards against Dust drained rapidly, but they were enough. Sometimes appearing invincible was enough to drain an opponent's morale.
Aaron was in full combat mode now. Training took over. Once the bullets started flying, there was no time for magic. He reached melee range and swung at the soldier on the right end of the formation. The Faunus' armor proved useless as Redemption cut right through it and the man's Aura, if he had any. The sword came out more red than when it went in. The Rider heard the distinct sound of a sword being drawn to his left and swung in that direction. The soldier barely managed to get his weapon up to block, and even then he was almost cut by his own blade.
The Rider heard and felt more bullets being fired behind him. The wards specifically cast to deal with Dust failed, leaving him to rely only on is untested Aura. Aaron disengaged from the swordsman and turned on the honorless Faunus. He cut the weapon in half, then shoved the pommel of Redemption into the soldier's face. The Faunus' nose broke, with other fractures and breaks likely. He slumped to the ground and didn't move.
Aaron turned back around and saw the swordsman from before standing beside a soldier with a battleax. Both attacked the Rider at the same time, but their coordination was off. They attacked roughly the same spot instead of dividing their attacks. Aaron was easily able to block both strikes. He drew back Redemption and jumped to the left. The swordsman was now isolated.
The Rider swiftly attacked the soldier. The Faunus clearly wasn't experienced. He was slow and blocking at all the wrong angles. His positioning left him open to attack more often than not. After a short skirmish, Aaron deflected a clumsy strike, then slashed the soldier across the chest. He screamed and fell to the ground.
The axe man roared in rage and swung his weapon at Aaron. The strike was stronger than Aaron expected, but not even close to the strength of some of the dwarves he sparred with. The soldier was faster though, and for the first time the Rider was forced to defend himself from repeated blows. However, he had a similar problem to Ruby: he focused too much on attack and he didn't defend himself. Aaron sidestepped a particularly vicious blow and stabbed the soldier through the gut.
Aaron withdrew his sword and looked at the last soldier standing. His rifle and sword were laying on the ground. The youngest White Fang soldier was slowly taking steps backward. "You are all the same," he said, then he turned and ran.
As Aaron's adrenaline rush wore off, he looked at his sword. He froze. Not only was there blood on the blade, but on the pommel, and his hands. He looked down at the ground. Four Faunus lay unmoving on the ground. While trying to take a breath, Aaron stretched his mind out to those on the ground. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Four more people he killed.
Four more lives he stole.
Aaron, don't do it! Nalia called. Aaron ignored his dragon. She had less blood on her claws than he did. She was a dragon. They weren't supposed to care as much. They had to kill to eat. Aaron though, hated it. He hated that people killed each other all the time. He hated that killing was sometimes necessary to save others. He hated that he stole the lives of so many people.
Aaron snap out of it! You don't have to do this! Nalia cried, again ignored by her Rider. Aaron faced the first Faunus he killed. He didn't care if the man was a terrorist. Even they had a family, friends. Everyone had people that would miss them if they died.
Listen to me Aaron! Don't make the same mistake again! Nalia was growing frantic, but Aaron still ignored his dragon. With a few words, he removed all the blood from his sword and otherwise cleansed it. He sheathed Redemption and reached into his jacket. When he withdrew it, a knife rested in his hand. The only blade that had ever tasted his blood.
Aaron, PLEASE! Nalia wailed, and Aaron completely shut her out right afterward.
He looked straight at the face of the first Faunus he killed. "I'm sorry," he said, then he rolled up the left side sleeves of his jacket and T-shirt. Fourteen scars were revealed, and Aaron proceeded to add four more.
POV: Ruby
"Well, that was something," Ruby said as her team, plus Gray team left the city.
"Aura or not, I'm going to be feeling that in the morning," Yang said as she leaned backward, most likely trying to crack her back. "I'd rather not be hit through another concrete pillar any time soon."
"Either of you know why Nalia flew off like that right as she got there?" Weiss asked.
Ruby thought back to that moment. "She seemed pretty spooked by something…Cerise, you get anything else?"
If I got anything out of her before she shut me out, Cerise started, she was scared, but not for herself.
"Aaron? I'm sure he can take care of himself." Yang rolled her shoulders out as she talked.
"Judging by the direction Nalia flew," Blake finally spoke up, "Aaron might have been facing a lot of White Fang."
"What did you see there anyway?" the team leader asked. Blake went on to describe the meeting Sun and she attended. Torchwick was there, and apparently his involvement with the White Fang was bigger than anticipated. Also, the criminal made it sound like there were even more hostile Paladins out there. One was hard enough to take down, what if there were many at the same time? Again, Ruby wished she had access to one of those things, now to know how to take them apart.
"How does Miss Umbrella fit into this?" Yang asked no one in particular.
Blake saw fit to answer. "She was at the meeting as well. Didn't say anything there either."
"Back to the fight," Weiss changed the subject, "I think the team attacks worked out fairly well for the first time out in the field."
"They could be better though," Ruby said, going back into leader mode. "We took a few unnecessary hits in there." She then took most of the rest of the walk back to Beacon to go over missteps and mistakes. Everyone's mistakes were noted, even her own. She really needed to get some more training with her bionic limbs. Weiss, of course, payed extremely close attention to everything Ruby said. Yang switched between working her back and listening, but that was only when she was the focus. Blake seemed to be in her own little world, only nodding occasionally.
After Ruby exhausted all of her suggestions, she started thinking about adding some new team attacks. Aaron needed to be included somehow. The dragons could participate too, but they would be the size of Ursa Majors soon enough, and close coordination would prove to be impossible. They could work together, but not exactly side by side with the smaller members of the team. Maybe Aaron and Nalia could come up with something.
After several minutes of walking and talking with the team, Ruby began to feel the strain in her natural leg. It had been a long day of running and fighting. Thankfully, Beacon's gates came into view.
"I forgot how long this road was," Ruby complained.
"Getting too used to riding Cerise?" Weiss asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Come on Ruby, you can't be that out of touch yet," Yang teased.
"Trust me Yang, when you get up there with Halcyon, you'll want to fly everywhere with him too." Ruby smiled up at her sister.
The air is so free, you'll love it up here, Cerise chipped in from right above the four teammates. I believe you want to go skydiving as well. You can't do that from the ground.
"I'm still mad at the both of you for that." Yang glared at Ruby.
The younger sister laughed then turned to Blake. "You still awake Blake? You haven't said anything for a while."
The Faunus shook her head like she was shaking off sleep. "I told you what I saw at the meeting right?"
"Yeah, but that's it," Weiss commented. "You aren't the biggest talker, but you're being quiet, even for you." Blake just looked away and said nothing.
Ruby exchanged glances with Yang and Weiss, then sighed. They weren't going to get anything out of Blake tonight. The ten entered Beacon's campus and made their way to the Dragonhouse. Cerise landed right outside. The main door of the Dragonhouse opened.
Soon after, Nalia landed right beside Cerise. Aaron slowly climbed out of the saddle. Ruby could tell right away something was off. "Everything go alright on your end?" she asked.
Aaron barely looked up from the ground. "Everything went smoothly," he said. His tone suggested the opposite. Nalia moved her head right by her Rider's and the two walked slowly into the Dragonhouse together.
Ruby watched the two confused, and a little scared. Cerise and she were like that for a few days after she was rescued. Did something happen to Aaron? He wasn't limping, but Nalia did nudge his left arm a few times with her snout.
Nalia's head suddenly shot up and looked at the far end of the Dragonhouse. She crossed the distance in two bounds. Cerise looked in that direction as well, and her wings drooped. No… she thought.
Ruby looked at her dragon, then sent her mind over to the spot where Nalia and Cerise were looking. It took her a few seconds to realize that was the spot where Aaron found a weak spot in the concrete and buried the last egg in the floor to protect it.
It took her a few seconds more to figure out there was nothing there. The mind of the dragon in the egg was nowhere to be found.
Ruby sprinted to the spot, leaving rose petals in her wake. She knelt down by the hole in the floor and looked inside, hoping to see egg shells nestled in a repurposed saddlebag. To her dismay, there was only dirt in the hole.
A growl started behind Ruby. She turned around to see Nalia snarling, her pupils no more than slits. She radiated anger and hatred. Her growl slowly grew louder and louder. Suddenly pointed her head to the ceiling and roared. Ruby covered her ears and leaned away from the roar, hoping that would help. The roar stopped and Nalia rapidly turned around. She bounded out of the Dragonhouse and took flight.
When the enraged dragon was out of sight, Ruby took her hands off her ears, expecting to see blood on the gloves. Luckily, there was none, but she still couldn't hear a thing. She looked back at the entrance and saw most of her team, with Gray team in tow, running toward her. Cerise was nowhere in sight. Ruby tried to find her with her mind, but met a solid wall.
Yang slid to a stop beside Ruby and put her hands on her sister's shoulders. Her lips moved, but Ruby couldn't hear a thing. The younger sister just shook her head and pointed to an ear. What happened? Yang asked with her mind.
The egg's gone, Ruby responded. Yang's eyes widened and she looked into the hole. She stood up, and her lips and eyelids trembled. Her eyes flashed red for a second, then she fired a shell from Ember Celica into the hole. She stormed away, past a very shocked Weiss and Blake.
Ruby searched the Dragonhouse for Aaron, and saw him kneeling on the floor his head hung. She got up from where she was sitting and ran over to the other Rider. "Aaron, what do we do?" she asked, or at least that's what she hoped she was saying.
Aaron looked up at Ruby with a thousand-yard stare. We can't do anything until our dragons calm down. He slowly stood up and walked away, leaving Ruby standing alone. She looked back at Weiss and Blake who were standing in the same place as before. They looked like they wanted to help, but what could they do? They might know that the egg was the last one, but they didn't know what that meant to the dragons. Ruby didn't even pretend to know. The only ones that knew were either off sulking or raging.
Ruby hung her head in defeat. So much for ending the day on a high note.
FYI, I tried adding my OCs to this chapter, but it just didn't feel right. On top of that, if I added them, then either the paladin fight would have been much easier, or the paladin would need to be a lot tougher to kill, which; Yeah, no. Not doing the latter for sure.