Ruby planted her feet, burning the soles as she was forced to slide to lessen her momentum. I had become apparent over the years that Nora had been holding back a fair bit in their spars. The other girls had trained their bodies within an inch of perfection, hardly an ounce of fat on any of them and yet Nora still seemed to hit them as if they were made of paper. The girl's strength was monstrous, even Jax would often use his semblance in order to keep himself stable against her heavier hits. He was definitely physically stronger, but that didn't mean he wanted to get hit by what felt like a speeding car every time she threw a punch. As a result almost all of the other girls had become increasingly adept at dodging and deflecting rather than blocking, knowing they would probably never be able to beat Nora in a contest of raw strength.
To Ilia and Melanie this had come easily. Both had exceptional balance and could twirl, flip, spin and jump around most attacks thrown. Miltia had taken some time to learn it but had, with the extra help of Melanie, eventually grasped it well enough that she was only slightly worse than the other two. Ruby on the other hand had not been so good at dodging at first, without the use of her semblance. As a child she had been rather flat footed and so struggled to turn on the balls of her feet or balance with only one half of her foot on the ground. They had rectified this and to the average observer she would seem to be extremely nimble, but to the others it was apparent that she couldn't hold out for as long as they could. Luckily for her, Ruby had managed to find another way out of her predicament.
Ruby was fast, extremely so. She could dash a hundred meters in little over ten seconds and this speed translated into her fighting. Whilst she may not be able to dodge as well as her sisters she found her way out in the form of remaining on the offensive. Her speed allowed for her to outpace almost all of her opponents without them having even the slightest opening to counter attack. Her stamina was also second only to Miltia and Nora meaning she could go at full speed for a long time, and in the heat of a fight, to her opponent, it seemed like forever.
Ruby looked up at the scene she had just been ejected from. As usual the sisters had an unwritten agreement to get rid of Nora first. She hit the hardest and if she made it to a one vs one, she would likely only need one or two hits before the other gave into exhaustion. Currently Ilia had decided she should join the fight having appeared next to Nora and swept her legs from under her. Nora caught herself and rolled away from the kick delivered to where she had been, the click of Melanie's bladed heels punctuating the attack. Ruby's sister all fought with the weapons that Junior had gifted them on their sixteenth.
Melanie had a pair of heels that had knifes hidden beneath the sole and inside the heel parts of the shoe. She could tap her feet together and the blades would come out, repeating the action would have them retract. It had seemed like an odd weapon to most, but Melanie had by far the best balance of the sisters, or of anyone they had met. She was a prodigy in acrobatics, able to perfectly balance on her hands or feet and weave in attacks from angles most would think impossible.
Miltia had been given a pair of bracers that would extend into four long metal, claw-like blades that rested over her fists. Miltia hadn't been better at hand to hand than any of the others, but had decided to specialise in it after her sister began to focus on kicks and related styles. This allowed the two to rapidly switch which angle and height they were attacking from, also the extra distance granted by the claws often meant that she could earn a few extra hits when her opponents weren't expecting it.
Ilia had always been more a spy or infiltration type, having spent a lot of time with Mavis who was the club's current best spy and Intel gatherer. She had been trained to use a high calibre sniper rifle by Mavis, but the weapon was of little use in a brawl-like fight such as this one and so she hadn't brought it. Instead she used her black, blade guarded gloves to parry the attacks from her sisters. In close quarters she specialised in holds and suppression techniques, making her very effective in stopping Nora's rampages in the fight. However she had by far the least stamina and would often loose if she had to fight more than one person at a time, unable to keep pace in combat with her sisters in close range. In the fight she often acted as an opportunist, cutting in to stop Nora from finishing another one of her sisters until she was eliminated, from there she would hide or dodge in hopes of surviving and being one of the last two fighters.
Ruby had yet to receive her weapons like her sisters had, but she fought using her dagger and pistol that she had been trained with. Ruby was not the strongest of the girls, not the weakest either, but her natural speed and dexterity allowed her to take full advantage of her small weapons. She could effortlessly bypass most attempts of defence, the dagger small and deadly enough to allow her to slip through and land dangerous attacks. Her pistol served as a way to facilitate her approach. She tried to not rely on her semblance too much and so would use her pistol to offset the balance of her opponents when approaching, it also allowed her to take someone out quickly by teleporting to an unguarded side and shooting before they could react. In the spar with her sisters she used rubber bullets as to not risk any actual damage to the others, not that many of her shots connected, but caution was her preferred approach.
There was a loud shout as Melanie was sent flying against Miltia, both landing outside the tape-marked boundaries of the arena. Ruby blanched, that was rare; the twins were hardly ever the first out, Nora often focusing on Ilia when she could and everyone else focusing on Nora, and yet the twins had been thrown out first. Ruby focused on the other two, both staring her down, a hint of battle craze slipping into their eyes as they beheld her. That explained a lot. The other two must have decided it be best if they team up. Ilia would prefer the one vs one with Nora and Nora would be allowed to focus on just the one target. Ruby swallowed as Nora raised her guard and Ilia seemed to disappear before Ruby's eyes. They had discovered that Ilia's semblance allowed her along with what she is touching to become invisible, only the faintest shimmer noticeable and even that was if you could get close enough to make it out.
Ruby's mind raced as Nora slowly edged towards her, clearly serving as a front line fighter for the pair, so that Ilia could try and surprise Ruby when she was unguarded. What can I do? If I could get it to just me and Ilia I may be able to win, but fighting Nora whilst constantly having to look out for Ilia is nigh impossible. Maybe I can get some shots in on Nora and eliminate her that way? No they won't give me time to do that. Come on think.
Nora burst forward, right fist cocked back in a broadcasted haymaker. Ruby knew it was a threat more than an actual attempt to hit her, most likely goading her into Ilia's waiting grip. She decided it best not to concede ground and instead slid on her knees under the attack, switching places with the older girl. She could hear a frustrated huff, likely from the invisible Ilia. She suppressed her chuckle as to remain focused, but couldn't help a slightly amused smirk grace her lips. Nora whirled round giving Ruby no time to counter and so she opted instead to back step a few paces. She felt the rose, currently nestled against her forearm, writhe in anticipation, likely lapping up the emotions from the room, but also raring to attack as Nora drew close again. It suddenly lurched as if attempting to pull Ruby forward. The link was made in Ruby's mind and she got the message. Duck.
She bent forward in time to see Ilia's leg sail overhead, she capitalised on the over-extension grabbing the leg and throwing Ilia over the top of her and into Nora's path. Both had to stop themselves and reset their guards, giving Ruby a moment to think. The Grimm rose could sense Ilia when she was invisible, but how? Then it clicked, her emotions. Ilia may be invisible, but she still had emotions when hiding, so a Grimm could sense her. She grinned, mentally commanding the rose to keep track of Ilia as she was stalking around. Its grip tightened in confirmation of her instruction and she returned her focus on her sisters before her.
Ruby altered her grip on her dagger, holding the blade between her thumb and fingers before throwing it at Nora. The ginger girl ducked causing the blade to go sailing past her scalp by little more than a centimetre. Nora grinned, ruby now unarmed to combat her in close quarters. She looked up but was surprised no to find Ruby where she had previously been. A cold, keen blade pressed against her neck and a satisfied hum accompanied it. Nora moved to reverse the situation but stopped as her knees buckled from a sharp pain that cut across the back of her legs, two metallic bangs punctuating the shots ruby had fired. Nora grumbled something under her breath and tapped the floor three times in submission.
Ruby released her but quickly stood, aware that Ilia was looking for a window of opportunity. The rose was tugging her to her left, indicating that Ilia was over there, however she couldn't give away her knowledge of her whereabouts and so rotated to her right instead. The moment her back was turned she felt the rose tug harder and whirled around just in time to block a punch to her mid-section. Ilia's eyes were wide with surprise, but her reflexes kicked in and she tripped Ruby, grabbing her over extended arm and pinning it to her back. Ruby struggled back but failed to break the hold. Ilia grunted from exertion as she snaked her arm around Ruby's throat and began a submission hold.
Ruby flailed against her sister, trying and failing to gain ground. Her vision blurred as her hands pried at the constrictive grip to no avail. She refused to tap out despite her sisters worriedly calling to her from the side-line. Between exhausted grunts Ilia spoke.
"Come on Rubes. There is no shame in tapping out now." Ruby made to reply but failed to do so due to the lack of air, her field of vision narrowing by the second. Ruby could feel the vines along her back, crawling within her shadow, writhing to be released and defend her. She closed her eyes, hundreds of burning red irises met her in the darkness, each begging, growling, and pleading for her to let them loose. A small part of her mind betrayed her. What if you did?
No! She couldn't let that happen, too much could go wrong. She wanted to win but not at the risk of hurting her sisters.
But they've been locked up for so long. Nearly sixteen years of gathered emotion. A nearly endless supply of Grimm waiting on your command to come to life. Just think about it, no more holding back, no more hiding… no more loosing.
Ilia flinched back as she heard a growling emanate from Ruby. At first, she thought that it was Ruby, but soon realised that several pairs of blood red eyes had appeared in her shadow. She jumped back, releasing Ruby from her hold and filling Ruby's lungs with sweet, life giving air she had previously been deprived of. The smaller girl quickly tapped out, breathing heavily both from the hold she had been released from and from the exertion of holding back her powers. Ruby looked over to Nora, who was looked concerned, having sensed Ruby's power spike and her collar become restless.
"Nora, call Uncle Bart. We need to talk. I can't keep doing this." Nora seemed to understand and left to call on the history professor whilst her other sisters moved to help Ruby up.
"And that, my young historians, is how the Branwens were instrumental in defeating the Atlesian army. Their power proving too much even for the more technologically advanced army of Atlas, thus resulting in Vale's ownership over the western mining district." Bart was currently whizzing around his lecturing room, between the blackboards, the slideshow on the far wall and handing out sheets of paper to his students. He looked up at varying intervals, occasionally throwing objects at sleeping students. He kept a basket of rubber balls under is desk for such occasions. As he swept the room for such individuals, he picked up one of said balls and hurled it at a large brown-haired boy called Cardin. The projectile struck true earning a surprised yelp from the large boy. "Pay attention mister Winchester, if we do not learn from history then we are doomed to repeat it. For instance, could you tell me as to why a night-time assault on a group of Faunas would be a poor tactical decision?" Cardin looked confused before donning a smirk.
"Cus' they would still be awake, probably fucking like the animals they are." He earned himself a few amused laughs and chuckles from his friends sat around him. Bart was not amused, and more attentive students were wise enough to remain quiet whether they found it funny or not.
"I see, well as you're obviously confident in your answer, could you and Miss Scarlatina come and give us a live demonstration. After all, the proof is in the pudding no?" The professor was clearly setting the boy up, but he seemed clearly unaware of what he was about to go through. After a few minutes Cardin was facing off against a tall, brunette Faunas girl with long rabbit ears protruding from the top of her head. She seemed nervous but managed to steel herself when she reached the raised stage the lecture had been delivered from. The desks had been pushed to the sides to provide room for the demonstration. The Professor began a countdown for the fight to start as they nodded that they were ready. Bart fought to hide his grin at what was about to happen. "3…2…1… Begin!" He simultaneously pulled down on the light switch plunging the room in darkness.
"Hey! Who turned out the ligh…?" Cardin's voice was cut off and replaced by pained grunts that he let out, each punctuated with a thump. This continued for a few more seconds before there was a louder crash and Bart turned the lights back on to reveal an unconscious Cardin at the girl's feet. Cardin's friends looked on in shock.
"That, dear students, is a live demonstration. The actual reason Faunas are the superior night fighters is due to their natural night-vision. Each Faunas, regardless of what sub-race they are, be it rabbit, lion or wolf, are born with the innate ability to see almost perfectly in the dark. This was discovered by Lieutenant Carmine in the battle of Menagerie." He strolled over to Cardin's unconscious body and poked him slightly with his shoes to make sure he was asleep. He received no response from the boy and so looked up to the class again. "Let this be a lesson, I do NOT tolerate racism in my presence. Some of my closest friends and family are Faunas, and in the modern era they are equal to humans within the city of Vale. This was a warning, one I hope both mister Winchester and the rest of you learn from, in future a racist comment or action that I hear about will result in a trip to the hospital and the headmaster's office. Understood?" He received hurried nods and hummed in acknowledgement. However, someone fancied themselves brave.
"But professor, surely it is illegal for you to harm students." This caused Bart to outright laugh at the boy, who unsurprisingly sat near Cardin. Most of the class froze from the maniacal display, well aware this was not the case.
"My dear boy, this is Beacon academy for Huntsmen and Huntresses." He slowly walked towards the boy, intimidating despite his disorganised appearance. "In case you hadn't noticed we are training you to survive in the harsh world that Hunters must survive in, as such there are no laws preventing me from sparing with you and a freak accident occurring is there?" The boy seemed not to catch on.
"But surely you would get in trouble if you were constantly attacking students, would it not look suspicious?" Some of the other students around him seemed to nod in agreement but this only elicited another laugh from him.
"Oh mister Lark, I assure you that a value judgement will be made by the headmaster on the case, but I think he might find me a little more valuable than an underachieving, bigoted, racist twat with little to no talent either in learning or on the battlefield." His voice had slowly started ramping in volume and venom, causing many students to lean away from him as he approached. Suddenly his scolding gaze switched rapidly back to the smile of the history eccentric they were all used to. "Class dismissed; I expect an essay on the battle on my desk by Friday." His students said their various goodbyes and quickly filed out of the room, Bart instructing some of the boys to take Cardin to the infirmary.
Bart himself downed the remainder of his coffee and went to fill up another mug, he was however, interrupted by the buzzing of his phone in his pocket. He pulled it out to see Nora's contact info appear, he rapidly scanned the room, finding it empty before picking up.
"Nora? I'm at work if this isn't important, I'm going to have to ask if this can wait till later." He spoke slowly and objectively but left the conversation up for appraisal.
"Bart, it's Ruby, she is having issues controlling herself again. We need to figure out a way to keep her powers on a leash. She's getting increasingly frustrated with having to hold back. Maybe we could take her into the woods and let her let loose or something?" Bart sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose as he thought.
"I see. Well we can't do that, if the wrong person sees then we are in trouble." He thought momentarily on the possible cases that could happen from people seeing Ruby 'let loose'.
"Why not just have Mavis keep an eye out whilst she vents? We can't keep forcing her to pool it, she almost lashed out at Ilia in a spar." Nora's voice came through worried and lost.
"Can she not just make a small Grimm like she used to? It's too risky to let her preform her powers out in the open."
"She says she can't do it anymore. It's not that she's amassing too much emotion it's that she's having to restrain her instincts as a Grimm, it's like asking a pregnant woman to not give birth simply because it's too dangerous." Of course, Bart knew this, but he was at an impasse in what he could do about it. Right then he heard the door open and he decided he would have to think on it.
"Okay, I'll have to think about our options, but ask her if she can hold out till later and I will be there when work is over. I have to go bye." He put the phone down, not wanting anyone to know who he had been on the phone with or what they were talking about. He turned to see Glynda walk towards him, a confused and slightly anxious expression spread across her face. However, what was most surprising was the suited man beside her. He had never seen him before, but recognised the emblem emblazoned over his heart. An image of a black bird with its wings spread wide, enveloping a red shield, the Branwen crest. Bart's gaze shot between the two, hoping to glean some information.
"Professor Oobleck, this gentleman is here to see you, apparently on some important business." She spoke quickly and to the point, a rare hint of politeness evident in her voice. Bart took the man in gesturing for him to explain.
"Nice to meet you Professor, I will keep things brief. I am here to escort you to his highness, Qrow, who is waiting for your arrival in his town house in Vale." Bart nodded. It seemed he had finally managed to get the prince's attention, for better or worse. He suppressed a gulp and grabbed his thermos which he had been filling with coffee. This was going to be a long day.
Qrow Branwen was having a boring day, a boring week, and a boring month. Hell, he wasn't sure the last time he had a genuinely fun time. His father had seemingly nothing better to do than constantly pressure him to 'keep up the family image'. Honestly, he could hardly care less about his image and was half tempted to let his sister have the throne that she wanted so badly. The only things that convinced him otherwise were the expensive alcohols and the threat of Raven potentially deciding that a roaming Branwen was too dangerous to let live, blood relation or no. They had never been particularly close as siblings, they may have been a lot better off if she had been born first. She had ambitions, not all of them bad, and he almost felt bad for not having any whilst standing in her way. So, in recent years, rather than pester him with her endless commentary about his worthlessness, she had set about forging her daughter into what she wished she could have been. If she couldn't get the throne, then her daughter certainly would.
Luckily for Qrow's fleeting interests, in the last eight years he had been bombarded by requests for a meeting from one Professor Bartholomew Oobleck. This was nothing new to him at first, being a part of a legendary family having earned him plenty of boot-lickers along the years, each begging for his attention. However, this man had been different, whereas most would stop pestering him after he blocked them out, this particular individual only seemed to try harder. He had started by mailing him, then creating a different email address after it had been blocked, even going so far as to hack into the programme and force himself off of the ban list. It was at this point that he had caught the prince's interest, but Qrow rather enjoyed their game and so continued to make it harder and harder for the man to communicate with him. Yet, he always found a way.
The professor's most recent message had come in the form of his dinner a few nights ago, the salad arranged to spell out the same message he had always sent. How the man had done it he may never know, but it was after all this time that he decided it time to meet the individual that had served as one of his few sources of entertainment over the last almost-decade. He hadn't been quite prepared for the state the man would arrive in, but nonetheless decided to reserve his judgements on the green haired man who sat frequently sipping from a thermos flask before him at his guest table in his town house. They had been sat in silence for close to two minutes and neither seemed to want to be the first one to break it, though the professor was seemingly doing so out of respect rather than nature. Qrow decided to speak first.
"So, professor Bartholomew was it? What has had you so insistently bothering me over the last eight years?" He let a playful tone enter his voice at the mention of their little game and the professor didn't seem to miss it. Qrow may not like the games played in court and had no desire to be part of them, but he had a talent at playing them, one he hated as it meant that his father went on and on about wasted potential, and loved because it meant he hardly had to pay attention in said court sessions. The history eccentric took a swig of coffee before turning around and looking at the two suited guards stood by the door, he quickly turned back around and met the prince's gaze, an urgent hardness glinting beneath the glasses.
"Please your highness, call me Bart. I am thankful that you agreed to see me, at last," he whispered that last part under his breath, Qrow still heard but simply chuckled at the jab. "If we could speak with less prying ears, I would feel a lot more comfortable." His eyes darted to and from the two men stationed at the door, both seeming uneasy from his suggestion. The Prince simply waved them off and though hesitant they obeyed. Once the door closed Bart seemed to visibly calm and took another sip of coffee.
"Now that we are alone, and I assure you we are; those doors are soundproof, you can finally reveal to me what your 'very pressing matter' is." Qrow's gravelly voice sounded almost as tired as Bart looked and for a moment, they seemed to both simply enjoy the quite moment.
"I am surprised you were so trusting so quickly, I expected to have to explain myself and try to convince you." The man seemed sceptical of Qrow's willingness causing the prince to chuckle once again.
"Well you see, view this as a sort of apology for leading you on and making your escapades harder. Also, need I remind you why there hasn't been a successful assassination attempt on a Branwen since we decided to stake a claim over Vale?" As he spoke black ink crawled up the side of his face until it settled resembling skeletal arms clawing and scratching at his flesh as if begging for escape from some hidden mass grave. A deep, instinctual dread built in Bart's stomach, forcing him to audibly swallow. Qrow smirked and the tattoo receded, back to an unseen spot on his body. Bart recovered slowly; slightly wary he was being led on. Eventually his curiosity won out over his survival instincts.
"Indeed. Well if you insist on getting straight to the matter and are absolutely sure it is safe to speak here…" he waited for Qrow to nod in confirmation "I will begin." Bart took a deep breath, mentally prepping for the gravity of his next few actions. "What if I told you for the last eight years my family have harboured the late Summer Rose's child?" The statement was said cautiously and hung in the air like radioactive residue from a recently detonated bomb. Qrow's expression quickly darkened, hints of the skeletal arms returning at the corners of his neck.
"I would tell you that you have exactly three minutes to tell what you know, how you know it and what you're here for." The threat wasn't hidden, and Bart found himself sipping from his flask for a confidence boost. Not much truly frightened Bart, but he could say with confidence that the man in front of him was someone he would not want to piss off. For all of his tomfoolery and jokes, Qrow was a prodigy even amongst the Branwens, the kind of person that came once every few generations and was written about for years to come. This was the main reason why his farther was so persistent and why his sister was so frustrated with his attitude.
"Well, I am afraid it may take a bit longer than that and it would help for me to know what you already know." Bart's voice was still audible but trembled at the end of his sentence betraying his brave expression.
"Assume I know nothing." Bart first moved to object but the stare he received made him quickly decide that a few extra minutes of storytelling and probing was worth keeping his head and genitalia attached to his body.
"As you wish. You see my brother is Hei Xiong, he runs a club in downtown Vale…" He spent the next fifteen minutes regaling the tale of how they had met Ruby and what they knew about her. Bart had considered leaving out some information but decided it not worth the risk of the prince thinking he was hiding things from him, especially if he may already know half of it anyway. By the time he was done explaining, Qrow had been through a kaleidoscope of emotions. At first, he had been overjoyed at the notion of having a daughter, then he had been pissed at Apep and the Xiao-Longs for what they had put Ruby and summer through. However, it was genuine worry that engulfed him as the explanation drew to a close in the modern day.
"Shit." Qrow had known Summer for years, perhaps even loved her once, and to find out that she had borne him a daughter, who was by birth-rite second in line for the throne just behind himself but was instead living as a bodyguard for a criminal right under his nose. It was a lot to take in. He pondered his options in his head for what seemed to be an eternity, Bart not wanting to disturb the brooding man. He couldn't acknowledge Ruby as his heir without consequence, after Summer had disappeared Qrow had fallen into a slump for several years, and in this time his father had managed to convince him to get betrothed to a wealthy family from Atlas to strengthen their ties to the once enemy. He held nothing against the woman who was now his fiance, though he would admit he had hardly had any interaction with her, but his father was already pushing him to stick a baby in her. If he were to accept Ruby as his heir, he would have to go public with what had been happening between himself and Summer. However, if the Xiao-Longs and Raven had tried to be rid of her once, revealing her survival would only place her in more danger, but if he didn't do something, she was likely to one day be discovered and be executed for high treason. What could he do? Bart saw his internal struggle and decided to offer his opinion.
"Might I suggest you meet with the girl? Maybe experience the gravity of the situation for yourself." The prince seemed to consider the implications of the option in his head for a few moments before nodding. "I warn you to be careful, her powers are quite extraordinary and so may warrant you to be careful around her, as I explained she has thrown another marked around in the past, at the age of eight, and has only grown stronger since. She also is struggling to control her power, as we can't let her use it too often and she has so much of it." Qrow nodded again.
"Take me to her, I need to see this with my own eyes."