Chapter 4 – Hunt or be Hunted
Ruby
The dropped down from the open window, using the tall bushes as cover as the Black Gallows started to converge on their position. They busted the doors open with rifles raised, alongside Grimm that followed them inside, snarling at the civilians that were in their way. The civilians yelped with fear as the Grimm and Black Gallows searched for them.
"Check all the floors, find them." The Stockholm Trooper commanded, like always – their voices were always distorted by their helmets. Penny stayed close to Ruby, and her girlfriend held Black Thorn tight, ready to use them if the situation ever demanded it. Yang was at the front, looking through her hood as she approached the edge of the tall bushes, slowly and carefully opening them with her hands. She peered through, looking around. Rainwater was beginning to fall around them, quickly pattering against their hoods.
"Come on, we're clear." Yang whispered, she rolled across the open alley, and took cover behind a dumpster. Ruby and Penny stayed close to them.
"Nora? Ren? How are you guys doing?" Ruby whispered into her scroll on her wrist.
"Keeping our heads down, hopefully things don't get too dicey." Ren answered.
"Any dicier." Nora added.
"Keep us posted." Ruby replied. She looked around as they watched the streets, there were Black Gallows soldiers everywhere, armed to the teeth. Huge, armoured vehicles tore through the roads, sirens wailed as they arrived at the Apartment Block where they got spotted.
"They really have been upping their security everywhere, haven't they?" Ruby said to them.
"Ever since Kuchinashi…" Penny answered.
"Hey, don't think about that. Let's just get you out of here, okay?" Ruby asked her, gently holding her hands. Penny smiled and nodded her head. Yang clenched her fists as a Black Gallows soldier approached the bushes that they were hiding in. As he passed by, Yang swiftly jumped up and grappled the soldier and snapped his neck. His life ended in an instant and she hid him in the plants. Penny stared at his dead body with shock in her green eyes, but she felt Ruby hold her hand.
"C'mon… we need to keep moving." Ruby whispered, and Penny shook it off. Seeing people dead… it never did sit right with Penny. But Ruby and Yang seemed to have gotten cold to the very act of killing people. They were not the same people that they once were, the world had hardened them. They waited as a large congregation of people walked across the street.
"Okay… remember… keep your heads low and hoods up and act natural. We just need to get to the walls of the city; our truck is waiting for us over there." Yang told Penny.
"O-Okay…" Penny stammered.
"Three… two… one." Ruby counted down, then they swiftly emerged from the bushes, walking out into the streets and joining the crowd. Ruby hid her weapons in her cloak, and Yang kept her arm and Ember Celica hidden that way as well. Penny kept her head low, not wanting to reveal herself, and hiding the external damage done to her synthetic body.
They walked amongst the innocents, glancing at the sheer size of the Military Force in the city. There were Airships searching every inch of it, shining pillars of light down from their snouts.
They really haven't given up after we snatched the Relic from Salem, have they?
Ruby kept on moving, following the crowds which were luckily heading in the right direction for the moment, the southern side of the city, towards the large walls which protected them from the wilds. Yang carefully watched everyone that surrounded them, they knew that anybody could recognise them in a split second, so she kept Ember Celica primed if the need arisen.
Ruby watched as Drones hovered across the street, powerful thrusters kept them afloat as they scanned the area, searching for them. They kept their heads down so then its Facial Recognition Scanners could not identify them. They were not the only automated forces that patrolled, they watched as they saw other hooded individuals being forced up against a wall by Trojan Droids. They were vastly different to the Atlesian Knights, far bulkier with glowing red optics, and armed to the teeth. They pulled their hoods down and scanned their faces, only to find that they were not the targets that they were searching for.
"Crap… we need to keep moving and stay away from those Droids." Ruby whispered. They kept moving forward, and Penny turned to see the holographic Wanted Posters on the walls that still had their names splayed across them.
Ruby Rose – Wanted Dead or Alive for Fifteen Million Lien
Yang Xiao Long – Wanted Dead or Alive for Fifteen Million Lien
Lie Ren – Wanted Dead or Alive for Fifteen Million Lien
Nora Valkyrie – Wanted Dead or Alive for Fifteen Million Lien
Eryka Vasillias – Wanted Dead or Alive for Fifteen Million Lien
Winter Schnee – Wanted Dead or Alive for Fifteen Million Lien
Penny Polendina – Wanted Dead or Alive For Fifteen Million Lien
It was very evident that Watts had added both Winter and Penny to his list of individuals he wanted eliminated once and for all. Penny looked ahead, seeing the Black Gallows soldiers tarting to walk up to multiple civilians, checking them for their identities, and pulling down the hoods of anyone in their way.
"Uh-Oh…" Penny gasped.
"This way." Ruby whispered, the three of them left the crowd and went into one of the open buildings. They ducked down, hearing the soldiers searching for them.
"There are High Value Targets in the city! If you spot these individuals, please inform the nearest Black Gallows Operative or Trojan! The Kill Order Rewards are still on offer!" A Spokeswoman called out as she walked around with the soldiers. There had been more and more of these Spokesmen and Spokeswomen over the years, they were helping spread the word so then they could track down the surviving Huntsmen and Huntresses from the Inhumane Necessity.
When the entire world is on your side, finding these criminals would become amazingly easy with eyes and ears around every corner. And when there is Fifteen Million Lien per head on the line? Anybody would be willing to drop their Moral High Grounds so then they could get that money. This world has really tested some people on the morality of – How much is a life worth?
Apparently fifteen million lien…
Ruby slowly crept forward, and she slowly opened one of the doors, seeing one of the Black Gallows soldiers outside. He suddenly approached the door and Ruby stepped aside as he opened it. As the door closed, Ruby swiftly hooked Black Thorn's Curved Blade around his throat and slit his throat. He gasped and choked on his own blood as Ruby carefully lowered him down to the ground.
Ruby had no sympathy left for the Black Gallows; they were responsible for the deaths of so many brave people… so many of her friends.
Ruby dragged his body into the shadows, and she peeked through the gap in the door, watching as some civilians got lined up… and shot to death. She gasped as she stepped aside. "The fuck?" Yang gasped.
"Criminals… looks like them being on high alert is making life for those who break the law even harder now." Ruby softly said.
"It's not gonna be easy getting out of here quietly, is it?" Yang asked her sister.
"Probably not… but we've gotta try. We can't get through a force like this on our own… not without one big distraction." Ruby said.
"Any ideas?" Yang asked.
"I'm thinking… might have something good. You know me." Ruby said.
"Oh do I?" Yang chuckled, making Ruby smirk.
Suddenly the door to the bathroom opened and man stared at them, his eyes widened. He was about to yell until Yang knocked him unconscious with one hard punch, she caught his body before he crashed to the ground. She gently laid him on the floor and sighed. "Sorry, dude…" Yang apologised. Ruby waited as the Raven Talons left the dead criminals where they fell, and scavengers already ran to their bodies. Little Grimm started to eat at their flesh where they fell. Until suddenly a Nevermore descended and picked up one of the corpses and carried it off, alongside three more Griffins which followed, snapping them up.
The tiny Grimm Scavengers simply fled, not wanting any part of being out in the open. But luckily the path was clear. "C'mon." Ruby whispered. They crouched low and quickly snuck towards the shadows, watching the soldiers as they marched through the streets.
Tanks patrolled the roads, armed to the teeth and there were even Warships docked in the Harbour alongside multiple other Freighters that were arriving from Atlas to deliver their cargo. Huge cranes lifted the S.D.C Containers and carried them over to the loading bays. They passed by a playground where kids where happily enjoying themselves, sat on swings and playing in the puddles together. They kept out of their line of sight as they stuck to the shadows, and then they returned to the streets, using their disguises to their advantage.
They walked calmly with their hoods up and cloaks around their bodies. Ruby clutched Penny's hand, and they stayed close together. They were now in the centre of Argus; they had a ways to go before they could get to the walls at the back. Ruby watched as a Paladin marched across the road, heavily armed with teeth as it patrolled, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Black Gallows Wasp Airships flew overhead, their long triangular rear wings opened as they decelerated, using the drag of the wind.
"Just stay calm…" Ruby whispered.
But as they walked onward, suddenly there was another loud gunshot, but this one was right in front of them. They shot someone with a hooded head, directly in the face, then they pulled the hood off their corpse. He chuckled as he stood by his body, staring down at him. "We know there are Huntsmen and Huntresses hiding in this city… or at least Huntresses. We already got a report of three of our targets being spotted a few moments ago. Now I did not want to do that… but we are not taking any chances. Anybody with hoods pulled up are potential targets – he refused to drop his, and now paid the price."
He had Black Gallows soldiers with him, but he lacked their uniform and… discipline. It became evident right away who this man was – judging by the Curved Horns that protruded from his forehead and the cobbled together armour? He was a Feral One, most likely a Highwayman. The Black Gallows and the Feral Ones both served Salem and had been working together ever since Adam Taurus joined the Children of Salem.
"Find me all the Hooded Cowards and bring them forward." The Feral One commanded, the Raven Talons suddenly rushed into the crowd, grabbing multiple individuals – including Ruby, Yang and Penny. They forced them forward, and everyone kept their heads low, refusing to look at him. The Feral One paced around as he brandished his pistol. "Pull back your hoods… if you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear." The Feral One explained.
Ruby looked at some of the hooded figures… and one of them was shockingly recognisable.
It was Arslan… the last surviving member of Team A.B.R.N… she had been hunted for years, but recently the run-ins were becoming more and more frequent. And judging by the scars and bruises, she had gotten into many fights recently. Not a good way to keep a low profile, but when people are hunting you, it is hard to keep your head low when you look so recognisable.
Some of the people lowered their hoods, and he looked at each of them. They scanned them, three of them were innocent but two had Criminal Charges, one for Thievery, the other was for Forgery. "Aw… what a shame." The Feral One sighed, the two Black Gallows soldiers behind them drew their guns.
"Wait! No!" One of them begged, but their lives were cut short by a pair of deafening gunshots. People yelped with fear as they heard them, and some people even looked away. Their bodies crumpled to the ground, twitching slightly as blood leaked from the holes in their faces.
"Come on, the rest of you! Pull those hoods down or you end up like this dumb innocent fool behind me." The Feral One ordered as he paced back and forth. Some of the people dropped their hoods one at a time.
"W-Why are you doing this?" A man asked nervously, and the Feral One stared at him.
"Sorry?" He asked.
"I-I mean… all the soldiers here? You're not just after some… random Huntresses or Huntsmen, are you? I mean you guys are everywhere… more than usual. Why? Is it some really bad one?" He asked nervously, and the Feral One chuckled.
"Good question, sir." The Feral One said, tapping his pistol against his hip. "We are, indeed, after some extremely dangerous fugitives. We nearly had them in our custody six years ago, but they slaughtered our people…" He explained – it truly showed how woven the Feral Ones and the Black Gallows had become, when they referred to each other as the same entity. "I read the reports… saw what was left of the bodies." He said.
Ruby clenched her hand into a fist.
That wasn't us… it was Valravn…
"We are looking for the Rogues of Beacon Academy. We know at the very least that Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long are here… they have very recognisable faces." He said as he paced back and forth. The man shook as he stood there and the Feral One gently placed his hand on his shoulder. "Tell me… do you know of their whereabouts?"
"N-No… I don't… but I know of someone else." He revealed, and the Feral One raised a brow.
"Who?" He asked.
"Arslan Atlan, of Team A.B.R.N." He revealed, and he turned and pointed directly at her.
"You Son of a Bitch!" Arslan yelled as she lunged towards him, until suddenly one of the Raven Talons fired an Electrified Cable around her, shocking her relentlessly until her aura broke. She growled, restrained in place by the voltage, and the Feral One approached Arslan, staring her down.
"Well, well… the leader of the extinct team… we've been nipping at your heels for some time." The Feral One whispered.
"Go… to… hell." She snarled.
"I probably will some day… but I will enjoy this hobby before I get there." He replied, suddenly pointing his gun against her head and pulling the trigger. Penny flinched, looking away, whereas Ruby and Yang did not even move. They just stared down at the floor as they heard the shot. Arslan collapsed to the ground as he holstered his pistol. But as he walked away from her body – he stared at the three of them.
The last three who had not pulled down their hoods – Ruby, Yang and Penny. The three of them knew they were about to be compromised as he approached. "Well, well… what do we have here? The Three Musketeers who refuse to lower their hoods? What have you got to hide?" The Feral One asked Ruby – without realising it was her.
Ruby slowly lifted her head, revealing her glowing silver eyes, the Feral One gasped. Ruby suddenly spun around and slashed Black Thorn across the throats of the two soldiers behind her, both Penny and Yang ducked together. The two of them also threw their hoods back and formed their weapons as they stood beside Ruby. Floating Array rotated behind Penny as she stood by her girlfriend and Yang raised his fists.
Ruby stared at the Feral One, and the rain fell harder and harder, dripping off her spiked hair, she narrowed her silver eyes at him, blood falling from her Volcanic Scythes. "Ruby Rose herself…" He chuckled.
"Surprised?" Ruby asked.
"Surprised you'd be so ballsy… you're outnumbered sweetheart. Outgunned." He said with a grin, unaware of the Altum Eagle that just screeched and circled overhead. And the flash pink lightning that grew in the clouds behind him. Ruby smirked at him, and he raised a brow
"Outnumbered? Sure… but hardly outgunned." She stated.
The Altum Eagle descended, and flew directly towards them, and then an arrow flew underneath him, and his talons grasped it. Suddenly his aura erupted outwards into a massive burning Phoenix, roaring as he flew towards them. The ground burned beneath him, and the Black Gallows soldiers screamed as they dove out of his path.
Out of Dulcis' Path.
He banked across the sky and the flames died down, and he landed onto the shoulder of Eryka Vasillias. She now had a Short Sword sheathed on her back, and she drew Constantine Damascus. "Guess who's back, assholes?" Eryka cheered, with Winter sliding across the watery slope towards them freezing it beneath her. The Feral One spun around and he gasped as he saw the crackling pink lightning.
She jumped off the hill and she spun through the air, glowing with pink energy and her eyes bright pink as well. She held her huge Axe – Stormur Skeggox over her head and screeched. "SMAAAASH!" Nora cheered, and drove the axe down the face of the Feral One, burning him to dust from how cataclysmic the explosion was. The ground rippled and cracked, throwing chunks high into the sky, chunks that Lie Ren bounced across and dove down, firing the blades of Stormflower towards one of the Raven Talons, they punctured into his chest and he used the cables to pull himself towards the soldier fast, smashing him against the ground.
Ren stood back to back with his newly married wife. "You always book us the best honeymoons!" Nora squeaked.
"I guess it's fitting for us." Ren chuckled.
He wore a sleeveless turtleneck dark green top, long white sleeves underneath, black half of a jacket and arm guard combination on his right arm with his father's dagger attached it, a single detached long black fingerless glove on his left arm, and black leather boots. His hair was also long and braided into a tail. Nora also had a new outfit and look, her ginger hair was now far longer, reaching down to the middle of her back, and had multiple braids tied inside of her locks. She had a dark grey fluffy collar around her neck and wore a cloak that covered one half of her body, shielding one of her arms. She held Stormur Skeggox in the other hand, and then she flicked her cloak backwards, revealing her other arm which held a brand new – secondary – weapon she crafted.
Named Magni, it echoed Magnhild in a simple way, for it was a small handled hammer, which had a huge head of solid metal attacked, with Lightning Dust loaded into it. It electrified the entire weapon, charging Nora up once more. However it was clear that her power did have side effects… and they could be seen on her neck and her sleeveless arm. She had electrical scarring covering her arms, torso and neck… and the scars would light up pink now whenever she used her power.
Of course… knowing Nora… that did not bother her one bit – in fact – she loved it.
She still had her pinks and blues in her outfit however it was primarily a darker grey, with metal armour plated around her torso. Norse markings carved across her armour alongside some of the fabrics had them on there as well.
Winter slashed her sword through one of the Trojan Droids, blowing it to pieces, and there was evidently a big difference on her face now. She had let her hair down, and it was wavy as well. But on the side of her neck and reaching as high as her lower cheek were some intense burn marks, leaving recognisable scars. Winter wore a white collared undershirt, a necktie that connected to her new brooch, and a girdle underneath the lapels of her coat. She had navy blue gloves and pants and sported a Dust pouch around her waist. Clad with two red-and-black pauldrons on her arms as well, alongside a couple other pieces of armour of the same colour scheme in different areas, primarily her legs.
Eryka's blue hair was slightly longer now, however it was still in the same style as it always was, but her outfit had changed as well. She sprinted towards a Black Gallows soldier and fired Constantine Damascus at him, and the arrow punctured his shoulder. The Ebony Sabre grunted and suddenly blasted a flamethrower from the forearm of the mechanised suit. Eryka gasped, and she performed a backflip, however the flames caught onto the beige and red poncho she was wearing, setting it alight. She threw it off and sighed sadly.
"My poncho…" She pouted, before glaring at the Heavy Weapons Soldier aiming his machine gun at her.
Eryka's attire had changed, she now sported a dark purple short jacket alongside a midriff showing bodywarmer underneath. Her right arm was clad in black and bronze vambraces and shoulder plate, including a purple and black glove with grips on the palm and sharp feline-clawed nails on the fingers. Her left had no armour on it, and she had the lighter purple sleeve pulled up, alongside a fingerless glove for nocking arrows. She also wore a long lilac scarf around her neck which blew in the wind, and had a backpack clipped onto her.
She also wore armoured beige and black leggings and long heeled boots, where her Quiver was horizontally attached, and her Shortsword was diagonally slung over her back so she could easily draw it.
The Ebony Sabre rushed Eryka, who rolled under the fist and then drew her Shortsword – aptly named Slice n' Dice. The blade channelled fire dust across the razor-sharp edge, and she slashed the pistons in the back of the suit's knee. The soldier roared and crashed to one leg, then Eryka jumped and held onto his back. He reared back and fired the machine gun up at the sky in a fit of berserk rage, but Eryka took her sword and she drove it down the back of the suit's neck, killing him instantly.
She jumped off and rolled across the floor, pulling the bowstring of Constantine Damascus back and firing the arrow towards an Onyx Consul atop a rooftop, nailing the Marksman in the eye. He plummeted into the round with a crunchy bang, then Winter stood beside her and smirked. "So you were listening to my lessons?" Winter gasped.
"I guess it was your sexy new hair." Eryka teased, making Winter roll her eyes and blush.
Winter blasted up into the air with her Glyphs and she summoned a Manticore and flew directly towards the Wasp that was rushing towards their position. She jumped off the Manticore and drove her sword straight into the Wasp's cockpit. It started to spin out of control as the pilot's corpse slumped onto the sticks. But Winter then proceeded to summon a Nevermore, using its powerful talons and digging them into the hull. The Nevermore flapped its wings as hard as it could, carefully placing the Wasp down on the ground before it was blow up, and she blasted ice into the fuel cells to cut them off.
They did not want to hurt any innocent lives.
Winter looked across the street where innocents were fleeing, and more Black Gallows were on the way. Sirens wailed everywhere, and Grimm were coming as well, but Nora was helping clear a path. A large pack of Grimm came charging towards them alongside the Black Gallows soldiers. Nora sprinted ahead, and then threw Magni hard, and the hammer flew directly into the chest of a Beowulf, crushing its ribcage instantly.
Nora's gloves had Gravity Dust woven into the fabric, and she used that to her advantage, connecting it to the dust in the grip of Magni and it came flying right back into her palm. The hammer created a loud whistling hum as it flew through the air. Nora then squeezed the handle, and the electrical dust activated, coursing through her scars and causing her eyes to light up. Nora smashed the hammer across the face of a Creep, so hard its bony head was blown to pieces. She then slashed Stormur Skeggox through the head of a Beowulf and threw the huge axe, blasting the jets on the back of it repeatedly. It spun around her as the Beowulves rushed at her, and they were all cut down and reduced to smoke.
As Stormur Skeggox spun around her repeatedly, killing anything that got too close, Nora walked forward, smashing the ground with Magni and blasting lightning through the tarmac towards an Ursa. She then threw Magni towards it and the hammer went straight through its chest. Nora caught Stormur Skeggox out of the air and spun it through her fingers, jumping high in the air as a pack of Sabyrs converged on her. But she slammed Stormur Skeggox into the ground with all her might, killing them all in a burst of lightning.
Nora held out her hand, pulling Magni right back and she grinned, feeling the heal hiss off her scars and she looked at Ren. "We can never do things quietly, can we?" Nora asked him.
Ren fired Stormflower and hit one of the Raven Talon soldiers in the chest, knocking him over. "Where's the fun in that?" Ren replied with a grin, he then scratched his black stubble as he saw more enemies approach. He spun Stormflower through his fingers and narrowed his eyes before he fired the blades of Stormflower towards the Raven Talons and he shot forward. He slammed both feet into the head of the soldier he hit with the blades before they retracted back to where they were. He rolled and avoided the Electrified Cable that the other Raven Talon fired at him.
He blasted his dual pistols at the Raven Talon who formed a Hardlight Barrier with the tech in his forearm, pushing forward. That was when Ren rushed forward and slid underneath the shield and shot up his back. He then rose back up to see an Ursa roar as take a swipe at him. He cartwheeled backwards, and then fired Stormflower into the face of the beast. The green bullets cracked areas of the bone armour and sliced up parts of its head. However the Ursine Grimm still roared and charged towards him.
Ren raised his pistols, then ducked under the paw of the beast and sliced the blades across its armpit, crippling the whole arm, before he jumped onto its back and dug the blades into its black furry throat. The Ursa roared as it stumbled around, then Ren drew Li's Knife and spun it through his fingers and sank it directly through the roof of its skull, killing it instantly. Ren jumped off and landed, sheathing the knife back onto his shoulder. He crouched down to his weapons on the ground, and Nora skipped over to him.
Penny flew up into the air as the Grimm surrounded her, Griffins screeched as they assisted the Black Gallows in trying to kill the Fugitives. They slashed their claws at Penny, but she blocked them with Floating Array. As one dove down towards her, Penny narrowed her green eyes, and she launched her swords upwards and they stabbed into the body of the beast. Penny threw them down to the ground, then blasted beams of green energy from the others that floated around her. The Griffins roared and were knocked out of the sky one by one by her lasers.
Penny used her thrusters to her advantage, dodging incoming Grimm at every turn, until suddenly a rock smashed into her. She fell from the sky and tumbled into the road, and a car smashed into her. She yelped in pain, feeling coolant leaking from a damaged internal. She stared at her side and groaned. "I… just fixed that." She complained, the damage was minor, merely a small component that helped her body run. She turned and saw what threw the boulder, and she saw a Beringel howl, pounding its chest repeatedly. But this Beringel was different… it had large Bat Wings that sprouted from its back.
The Flying Beringel snarled as it flew towards her and swing its massive fist at her face. But Penny dropped down and rolled across the ground, sending her swords forward and stabbing them into the armoured back of the beast. The Beringel growled and reached back to grab onto the cables. Penny gasped, suddenly being thrown across the road by the Beringel and crashing directly into a library.
Penny stood up, with a book flopped on her head. She looked at it and she gasped. "Romance? I love romance!" She squeaked, before seeing everyone staring at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's a library, I'll be quiet." She whispered with a cute smile, clutching the book close, until the Beringel suddenly grabbed her again, yanking her out of the library, leaving the astounded readers inside.
"The hell just happened?" A man questioned loudly.
"SSH!" The Librarian hissed.
Outside, the Beringel smashed Penny down against the ground, roaring foully in her face before bringing both its fists down towards her. Penny thrusted both her fists forward, blasting a powerful beam of green light from Floating Array into the chest of the Beringel, killing it instantly. Penny winced, standing back up. That used up a lot of her combat energy, and she held her side as her coolant tank continued to leak. If she didn't get that fixed soon, she would begin to overheat and that could cause her to shut down.
Ruby and Yang fought together against the Black Gallows, and Ruby slid underneath the leg of one soldier, cutting his leg clean off with Black Thorn. He yelled in pain, before turning to anger to try and shoot her with his Electrified Cable, only for Ruby to point the other Scythe at him. The curved blade folded back into the barrel of her Volcanic Pistol and shot him point blank in the head. Ruby shot forward in a flurry of petals as she approached more Black Gallows soldiers that exited their truck. She drove both her Scythes into the chest of a Sable Guard, pinning him to the door.
Ruby then spun around with her long slender leg and kicked another soldier across the helmet so hard that the red visor cracked. However that did not stop the Sable Guard from fighting, and he drew his Electrified Baton, swinging it at her over and over again. Ruby dodged and ducked each swing made, before jumping up and wrapping her legs around his head. She then slammed herself down against the ground, throwing the soldier across the floor ahead of her. She rose up once more and ripped her Scythes from the dead soldier and the door he was pinned to.
She transformed the Scythes back into their Volcanic Pistol Forms, and she fired them repeatedly, multiple loud cracks echoed across the city before she finished him off with one shot to the head. That was when suddenly a Shadow Dagger Trooper shot towards her and slashed her blades across Ruby's chest. She tumbled backwards but used her Scythes to steady herself, seeing the quick soldier suddenly charge towards her, firing her Machine Pistols at her. Ruby could no longer use Crescent Rose to block bullets, since it was destroyed back in the Atlesian Wildlands, and was still there even now, most likely covered in rust.
Ruby rolled out of the way and was having to rely on her speed more than anything. The Shadow Dagger launched herself towards Ruby, they had two long blades attached to both arms, and they cut and slashed them with shocking precision. Ruby used Black Thorn to block and counter the incoming strikes, before digging the blade into the shoulder of the Shadow Dagger and rolling over her shoulder. The Soldier screamed in pain as the Scythe carved a deep wound into her, but as she spun around, Ruby suddenly launched forward in a blast of petals
She slashed her blades straight through the Shadow Dagger's neck, cutting her head clean off her shoulders. Ruby slid past, with a splatter of red blood across her cheek, teeth gritted.
Yang too had a new outfit, unlike before. She wore her brunette hair, which was already growing the blonde back, in a long and beautiful ponytail. Underneath her cloak and hood was a bomber jacket with a fluffy white collar, and she wore a dark purple crop-top underneath, showing her mid-riff. She also wore fitted black trousers with dark brown zip-up boots with a purple sash around her right hip.
She repeatedly punched the Ebony Sabre she was battling against in the face, knocking him backwards, before he suddenly lunged towards her with a long-extended blade. Yang shot aside with the recoil of Ember Celica before grabbing onto the blade and snapping it with her new Cybernetic Arm. The blade rang out, and both halves clattered against the ground. The Ebony Sabre punched at her, but Yang flipped backwards and fired multiple screeching missiles towards it. They exploded against the Ebony Sabre's chest, causing it to stumble backwards once more.
Yang fired herself forward with Ember Celica like a Rocket, grabbing the jaw of the huge soldier and slamming him down against the ground with all her might. She then punched her fist into the helmet, and with the metal hand she ripped open the helmet. She pointed her Shotgun at their face, and they gritted their teeth with anger, suddenly opening the compromised suit and kicking Yang in the chest. She rolled off the Ebony Sabre and then the soldier drew his pistol and shot at her repeatedly, Yang raised her metal arm, using it to block the bullets, before she rushed forward and swiped her leg across his, knocking him over. And as he fell, Yang swung her metal fist downwards towards his face.
The last thing he saw before being knocked out was Yang's smile – and her winking at him. She pummelled his face so hard he was instantly unconscious and flopped on the floor in a very awkward position. "Ouch… that's gonna hurt when he wakes up." She chuckled.
They all came together, and they looked around. "I think we've got some time, but they'll be on us soon." Winter said as she kept her sword at the ready.
"Any ideas?" Eryka asked.
Ruby heard a monstrous roar from the Docks, and she turned her gaze. There was a Leviathan rising from the depths of the Ocean and it was arriving at Vale. But it was not attacking, it was acting as a Guardian for the S.D.C Shipping Freighters to arrive without Pirates attacking them. She stared at the beast and narrowed her silver eyes.
"Just one…" Ruby said. "All of you go, they definitely will be distracted from what I'm about to do."
"Ruby?" Penny softly worried as she approached her, but Ruby gently held the back of her head and pulled her close, kissing her lovingly.
"You know me… I'll be right back." Ruby promised, and Penny held her close, and then nodded her head.
Ruby looked at Yang, and her sister nodded. "C'mon Penny. We need to get you to the walls, and we need to be careful."
Ruby turned and stared at the Leviathan. "Come on, you son of a bitch." She softly said, and then she shot through the roads in a flurry of petals, and she rushed her way all the way down to the docks. She was winded when she finally got there, and she took cover behind some of the crates that were delivered.
She watched the Sable Guards who patrolled the area with some of the Raven Talons. But as the Leviathan stood in the water, she noticed something else. There was a Seer here as well. The Seer Approached the Obsidian Glaive – a Black Gallows Huntsmen or Huntress. Salem's face appeared on the Domed Head of the Seer. "Have you apprehended or killed Ruby Rose?" Salem questioned, and Ruby could not help but smirk.
"Well… I guess I really am number one on your shitlist, huh Salem?" Ruby muttered to herself. Part of her was genuinely honoured to be such an enemy. She looked at the Relic of Knowledge, and then glanced up at the Leviathan. She would not be able to hide forever, the scent of the Relic was already getting the creature's attention as it started to look in her general direction.
"Negative your grace, but she is definitely here. Our forces are engaged with them as we speak." The Obsidian Glaive answered.
"If possible bring her alive. I want to see her face when she dies for what she stole from me." Salem growled.
"YOU WANT ME? HERE I AM!" Ruby suddenly erupted, and she launched directly towards the Obsidian Glaive and slashed her blades across the throat of the soldier before they could even raise their aura. Salem stared with wide eyes, which turned to anger as Ruby stared at the Seer with a smirk.
"You are a bold one, Miss Rose. I will give you that." Salem assured.
"Oh, I'm just getting started." Ruby assured, staring up at the Leviathan as it started to channel fire and lightning through its throat to blast down at her. Ruby vanished just as it came crashing down, and the Seer was blown backwards, and Salem closed her eyes as she started to see through the eyes of the Leviathan a swell. The huge beast looked around, knowing it did not kill her.
"Where did you go?" Salem growled, when suddenly a flurry of petals darted directly towards the eyes of the Leviathan. Ruby roared as she sliced and shot straight through the eyes and the skull of the beast. The bone armour fragmented, and black blood covered Ruby as she erupted out the other side. Her teeth were gritted together, snarling viciously as the Leviathan roared in immense agony, completely blinded by Ruby.
"What the? I can't see! Did she take out its eyes?" Salem snarled.
Ruby flew around the Leviathan, and she descended down towards the beast's heels and she slashed through them with Black Thorn, cutting so deep that the flesh tore and the Leviathan came crashing down. "AND IT'S LEGS!" Salem yelled with rage. The Leviathan's jaw splintered the concrete ground of the docks as it fell. Ruby flew up above its head, staring down at it.
"What, Salem? You're not having so much fun anymore?" Ruby yelled with anger, and she blasted down towards the Relic.
"No… NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN WILL YOU ESCAPE ME!" Salem roared.
"C'mon, let's have some FUN!" Ruby yelled, and she spun through the air, cutting the sail clean in two, before she landed on the back of the giant's neck. Ruby unleashed a berserk war cry of fury as she hacked and slashed her two scythes at unbelievable speeds into the back of the Leviathan's neck. Both Salem and the Leviathan roared with rage as Ruby tore the monster apart, and with one furious yell, she slashed straight through what was left, causing the head to be left behind on the docks, then Ruby flew off the sinking corpse, leaving the growing pillar of smoke behind.
The Petals swirled through the air, and Ruby landed atop the seat of a Black Gallows Hover Bike. The Gravity Dust engaged, and she took off, just as the Black Gallows and Grimm arrived to investigate the deafening howls created from the dying Leviathan were. They all stood there in awe…
"Did… one woman… do all this?" One of the soldiers gasped, wide eyed.
But the Seer floated before them, and Salem yelled with rage. "GO MY HOUNDS! RIP HER TO PIECES!" Salem commanded, that was when the soldiers realised she was not speaking to any of them. They turned to see the Tar Pits ripple violently, and suddenly three monsters erupted from them. "AND BRING ME BACK MY RELIC!"
The Hounds snarled, and two of them started to violently transform their bodies from their Canine Forms to more Humanoid Shapes, snapping hones and extending their limbs. They had long snouted heads and asymmetrically sized pointed ears. Their jaws were like that of the wyvern, stretching through their cheeks with razor sharp teeth. They roared to the sky, and the three of them sprinted after Ruby, one of them remained in its Dog Form, charging on all fours.
Ruby looked back and gasped as she saw the three Hounds sprinting after her, smashing cars out of their way. "Crap… Looks like I really pissed her off." Ruby chuckled, and she pushed the throttle down as hard as she could. She kept on driving through the streets of Argus, and she grew closer and closer towards the Walls, and they were trying to close them off, but Ruby saw a way through. She drove towards a Lorry that was carrying cars and she shot Black Thorn at the support, causing the ramp to drop. She accelerated with the Hounds getting closer and closer, but she made it, her Hover Bike roared as it cleared the Gate.
The Civilians turned as they saw the Hounds, the Dog followed her path up the truck and also jumped the gate, whilst one of them clambered up the wall with its sharp claws, and the other jumped and rolled across it with a roar. The three of them passed over the wall, and Ruby looked back. "Damn it, these things are persistent." Ruby grunted.
The Two Humanoid Hounds sprinted so fast that they were even keeping up with the Canine, getting closer and closer, until suddenly the two Stolen Armoured Cars erupted from the bushes, and Ren jumped out from it and fired Stormflower's Blades towards the shoulders of the Canine Hound. The Hound roared in immense rage as the blades cut deep into the body. "Gotcha!" Ren laughed, digging his boots into the road behind it.
The other two Berserk Hounds did not even look at Ren, they were completely focused on getting to Ruby, to getting the Relic of Knowledge no matter what. "We've got you're back, Ruby!" Yang called out, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove the car. Ruby looked back at the Canine Hound that was trying to shake Ren loose, and Eryka was climbing across her car.
"Winter! Get your car on the other side of it!" Eryka called, and Winter nodded, accelerating beside the monster that was getting closer and closer to Ruby. Eryka drew Slice n' Dice, and she spun it through her fingers, waiting for the perfect opportunity. The Hound roared and Eryka jumped, spinning gracefully through the air as she slashed her Shortsword clean through its thick neck. The head of the Hound bounced across the road and the corpse flipped over. Ren retracted his blades and shot them into the back of Yang's car, and Eryka landed on the bonnet of Winter's. "WOW!" She cheered.
"Have you even done that before?" Winter gasped.
"NOPE!" Eryka giggled as she climbed inside next to her girlfriend. Ren pulled himself back onto Yang's car as well. Now there were only two Hounds left, and they were gaining on Ruby. Yang accelerated towards the Hound and she slammed into its side, causing it to stumble but the Hound roared and smashed its shoulder into her side, snapping its jaws at her face repeatedly.
"Get out of my face, you ugly bastard!" Yang yelled as she grinded her wheels against its flesh, but the monster hardly even reacted. Penny suddenly rose up and slashed her swords across the face of the monster, causing its jaw to hang wide open. But it was still sprinting. That was when Penny blasted her thrusters and she flew alongside the monster, punching it across the face and kicking it in the side. The Hound kept at it, then she blasted her powerful beam into its chest as it ran, before she launched all her swords forward, spinning them and she cut the monster clean in two.
The Hound crashed into the ground, rolling across the tarmac and crumbling into dust and smoke. The last Hound started to gain on Ruby, and it slashed its claws against the Hover Bike's afterburner, and the bike spun out of control. Ruby jumped off and rolled across the floor as the Hover Bike flew and crashed into the ground, blowing apart in a fiery explosion. Ruby stared ahead and gasped as the Hound suddenly grabbed her by the throat and dragged her face across the tarmac and smashed her repeatedly against the ground.
Winter suddenly drove directly into its side, pinning it to one of the trees, it roared aggressively as it tried to slash its claws at them, until Nora jumped up and launched Magni directly into the Hound's face so hard the skull splattered against the tree bark. She landed on the bonnet and pulled it free from the black gooey mess that was its mouth. The body started to disintegrate away as she stood there, and Penny descended down to Ruby to make sure she was okay.
"Are you hurt?" She worried.
"Nah… bastard could hit had though." Ruby chuckled, and Penny helped her up with a loving smile. They both got into Yang's car, whilst Nora got back into the car with Eryka and Winter, and Ren.
The two cars drove off, leaving Vale behind.
With Penny safely back in their arms… and Salem's anger constantly following them no matter where they went.
Author Note - This was such a fun chapter to write XD
I love the new designs for the characters David and I came up with, especially Eryka and Nora. Their designs are my favourite with Ruby in there as well with her cool Assassin's Creed sort of look. Also Nora has her own little Mjolnir as well! She is just such a powerhouse in this story I love her to bits XD And REN AND NORA ARE MARRIED NOW! It has been six years, lots of things can happen in that time, good to see they are happy despite everything that has happened. Ruby clearly is more cuthroat that she used to be and no longer flinches at having to kill people, I like showing that in her outfit since it is a lot darker than it used to be.
The part with Ruby decimating that Leviathan was awesome, lil baby Ruby Rose is now one hell of a badass. The Hounds were cool to include as well, they definitely got nerfed in this chapter I will admit but hey. Thought it would be cool to have them appear in this story in some way, it's too cool to not have appear at least once.
Next chapter shall answer some very intriguing questions...
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter - The Relic of Knowledge
- Matt