Weiss and Blake helped push off a fishing trolley from the pier that boxed their vessel into port.
"That's the last one!" Nora called out as she ensured the boat wouldn't be a hindrance.
"We've got Reese, Mei, and Hitomi below deck." Klein called out from aboard the vessel, "Hitomi is asking if we've seen her son Bolin come back yet."
"Not yet." Pyrrha shook her head, "Were you able to locate the rest of the crew?" She called over to Jaune.
"Yeah, thankfully they were sleeping on the ship." Jaune waved over to the crew that had sailed with him, "We've picked up a few stragglers and invited them on board."
"Is there enough room?" Pyrrha asked.
"I was expecting to take home nearly 30 POWs…" Jaune looked on, "With the Kingdom like this, I'll save who I can."
"I thank you for doing that," Oobleck placed a hand on the Commander's shoulder, "Despite all that's going on, you still look out for everyone."
"That's something I would want someone to do for my people in distress." Jaune sighed heavily.
"We need to shove off soon." Ren came jogging down the pier, "The fighting is spilling from the main entrance of port, I judge we have an hour before the fighting spills over here." While they took care of prepping the vessel, Ren took it upon his self to scope out the surrounding area.
"Does she know where the South Side is?" Weiss was annoyed, but Yang knew that she was more worried than anything else.
"Ruby's got a good memory, we passed through here a few times when she came into town to visit Bolin." Nora was sure.
"Do we wait?" Jaune ask.
Oobleck nodded his head, "We wait as long as we can."
Ruby counted: Scarlet, Sage, Neptune, Sun, Bolin, Octavia, and herself, there was 7 of them as they rode furiously into town.
She offered to take who ever was left with her to Vale to escape the city, but a handful of men wanted to stay behind in Mistral to help locate their families and loved ones.
Together they rode past the sporadic pockets of fighting, stopping for no one as they rode hard towards the massive port.
"Let me lead." Bolin called out, "I know a better way to South Side, it should keep us off the main roads."
Ruby nodded and slowed down enough to let Bolin take the lead.
"Ruby!" Scarlet called out, he pointed out in the distance, "That doesn't look good!" Lines of uniformed troops were marching across the way.
Ruby squinted, she could make out the form of Commander Haizel Rainart – she remembered this man, he was present at the match that nearly maimed her.
"This isn't good news," Ruby looked at her friends, most of them still had their collars on, there wasn't enough time to go looking for where Torchwick kept the collar's keys – Bolin pointed out that they had been away longer than anticipated.
"Over there!" A uniformed soldier called out, "Slaves!"
"Faster!" Ruby roared and the group rode on to avoid the confrontation.
A large explosion shook the ground of the Kingdom.
"What was that?" Adam Taurus stood tall, his forces were in charge of sealing off the port, but it was proving difficult with city guard organized for a fight.
"Not sure…" Mercury lied, he knew it was Watts blowing up their underground headquarters.
"Sir! There's a sighting of the Schnee down at the South Side of the port."
"What!" Adam roared, "Did Blake fail?" He trailed off at the thought.
Mercury bit the inside of his cheek, that meant that Ruby was still alive if Weiss is there, "They might trying to be escaping by way of Arc's vessel." He thought out.
"No, they're not." Adam grunt, he kept a tight hold on his weapon – something unique to the Faunus culture. Mercury stared at the weapon, it was lethal and elegant – he remembers Adam calling it a katana.
"Where are you going?" Mercury followed the man as he broke out into a run.
"If you want something done right, you got to do it yourself."
"We're here." Bolin mentioned as the port came to view, "Everyone be on the look out for Pyrrha Nikos or Weiss Schnee, that's the boat we want." He called out to the group.
They wandered down the pier for a good 10 minutes before Sage called something out.
"There!" He pointed out, a little more down the ways was the distinct red hair that belong to Pyrrha Nikos.
"Come on!" Bolin rode down the way, "Hey!" He called out as he sat up more on his horse.
"Bo!" Pyrrha waved out happily, "They're here!"
"Raise anchor! Get us loose!" Klein called out to the ship's crew. Immediately the crew went buzzing about the pier as they began untying ropes and prepping the ship to shove off.
"Thank Oum." Yang smiled as she watched from the deck her sister get closer to the ship.
The distinct ring of an arrow flying threw the air cut them short.
"Agh!" Bolin was unhorsed as the barb lodged itself in between the gap of his armor on his shoulder. 'Lucky fucking shot.' Bolin thought bitterly once his form hit the ground hard.
"Bo!" Sun yelled out, the group slowed down.
"Neptune, take everyone to the boat and get on board, we're leaving as soon as we get Bo on." Ruby turned her steed around, to help out Sun; she jumped off her steed to assess the damage.
"Right." Neptune nodded, he led the group the rest of the way, he kept his body low to his horse as two more arrows came flying overhead.
"Don't!" Bolin groaned in protest as he felt the tip cause more pain inside, "It's a barbed tipped." Sun released his grip on the arrow.
"Break it off, Octavia can look at on the ship." Ruby instructed, "Can you move your arm?"
Bolin shook his head, "This hurts more than that little bolt earlier."
"Come on!" Ren called down as he threw the rope ladder over, Octavia was the first to hoist herself up followed by the three Gladiators.
Blake's eyes caught sight of the culprit archer, with a raised dagger and deadly proficiency; she launched the weapon and smiled when she saw it hit its mark. The archer fell to the floor with the knife embedded in his shoulder.
"Nice shot." Yang congratulated, she looked on as Ruby and Sun coming up with Bo riding on the back of Sun's horse. Ruby rode in front of the two, with a shield raised as her eyes scanned the horizon for another archer in wait.
"My arm…" Bolin grunted, he couldn't lift himself up on the rope ladder on his own.
"Can you pull him up?" Sun yelled to the group on the deck.
"Yeah! We got him!" Scarlet called down.
"Alright Bo, Octavia's on board and she'll fix you up man." Sun reached over the pier to grab a hold of the rope ladder, "Just hang on tight with your good arm, they'll take care of the rest."
"Got it." Bolin nodded, with his strong arm, he took hold tightly.
Sun watched as they slowly pulled him up, it was going to take a good minute before they got him on deck.
He turned around to block a sword aimed for his torso.
They might not have a minute.
"You ass!" Ruby called out as she shoved Mercury off of her friend, "What are you doing? It's us!" She shook the silver haired champion, "Nadir surely talked about us."
"He sure did." Mercury smirked.
"Then why are you fighting us?" Ruby seethed.
"Torchwick Gladiators." Adam stopped once he caught sight of the fighters, "You escaped? Will you help our cause? Surely you want revenge for what these blasted nobles have done to us."
"Uh…" Ruby's eyes darted to the vessel, "Listen, we're just –"
"Ruby! What's taking so long?" Weiss called out from the deck, her eyes went wide at the sight of the two newcomers.
"Sorry, Red." Mercury held up his blade, "You're only getting in our way."
"Shove off!" Sun called out to the crew still on the dock, he didn't miss the air turning tense.
"You're with the Schnee!" Adam roared and he attacked Ruby tenaciously with his katana.
Ruby was taken back with surprise, she didn't really know how to gauge the weapon her opponent wielded. She held up the sword with both her hands, she could tell that the Faunus was going to be tough.
"Blake was supposed to kill her!" Adam roared out, "She's supposed to be dead!" He swung his katana so swiftly, but Ruby was still able catch him.
"You were the one that ordered her death?" Ruby's eyes went wide at the information, with renewed vigor, she pushed back against the Faunus.
The two exchanged blows, Ruby nearly had her arm sliced off and quickly assessed that she shouldn't let him have too much space because his weapon had so much damn reach. She had to remain aggressive and always pushing back into, but it was difficult to do so with the way her opponent wielded the weapon with such mastery.
Blake looked over the edge of the rail at the fight that was taking place, she gripped the side of the vessel and was prepared to launch herself overboard.
"Stay." Pyrrha commanded, "It'll be impossible to leave if we all go down and try to help out," She squinted at the line of slaves starting to swarm through the pier in the distance, "We have to leave, we don't stand a chance against that hoard."
Sun was busy helping the crew that was still on the dock get their asses on the boat, all the while juggling Mercury who was trying to take strikes at the unarmed crew.
"That's cheap!" Sun quipped, he followed up the Champion with a harsh combination, each blow was aiming for something lethal. Mercury was no slouch with his swordplay.
"Can't exactly say that it'd be easy to fight on level ground with you." Mercury answered with a combination of his own.
Only for Sun to kick him squarely in the chest and knocking the man down on his back. Mercury quickly recovered and got to a knee to block the dual swords that were aimed for his head. He looked over at Adam, he was fighting evenly against Ruby, but the red Gladiator looked absolutely gassed.
But there was still the fact that Adam was fighting evenly with the Reaper. Which only meant that if Mercury were to try to fight Adam evenly…
'They're just trying to leave…' Mercury thought as he formulated a new plan.
None of the other slave fighters were around because Adam ordered them to stay at the main road and try to stomp out the City Guard. The two of them were able to slip pass the main line and make way to here.
He shoved his shield into Sun, knocking the Faunus straight on his back.
The Fall Champion acted quickly and crossed over to where Adam and Ruby were fighting. The Bull Faunus smiled when he saw his approaching partner, with the two of them together they can easily finish this Torchwick Gladiator.
Mercury Black raised his blade high over head and then buried his sword into the back of Adam Taurus.
Blake gasped as she watched the silver haired gladiator impale the Bull Faunus.
"W-What." Adam fell to the ground; he looked up at who he thought was his right hand man, "Y-You…"
Ruby Rose froze and was absolutely shocked and confused at the scene, her eyes wide once she finally processed what's going on – Mercury Black is with House Fall.
"I can't have you around for my Mistress' epic finale, my friend." Mercury smiled down at the man.
"T-Traitor…" Adam stuttered out, his body lay limp on the ground, with the last of his strength he watched his fellow rebelling slaves starting to pour into the port – cries of victory rang through. "So… close… "
"We broke through the city guard! The port's ours!" Several footsteps were heard approaching the remaining three.
"They killed Adam!" Mercury roared, the slaves paused slightly at the sight of their slain leader, "Avenge our brother! Kill them all!" He quickly rallied the slaves.
"Oum, damn you!" Sun grit through his teeth.
"No! Don't listen to him!" Ruby tried to warn, but the defiant anger was present in the each of the rebelling slave's eyes.
"Don't let the boat leave!" Mercury instructed.
"Death to the nobles!" Some of the slaves yelled as they ran up alongside the boat, two managed to grab a hold of some of the ropes that dangled off the side and began to climb on board.
"No you don't!" Jaune kicked off the two who managed to weasel their way up the side.
Ruby quickly rushed to the few crewmembers that haven't quite made it on board just yet. She lashed out and managed to kill two of the rebels, but with their numbers pouring in, it was growing difficult to keep up with growing crowd. Sun immediately rushed to her side, the usual theatrics that most associated with his fighting style was long gone – the Gladiator was going straight for lethal kills.
The pier they were on was starting to become littered with bodies, but the pair was slowly being pushed back.
"Move the ladder!" Scarlet called out as he made a grab for the rope ladder, with Ruby and Sun's line slowly moving back the rebelling slaves were about to have access to the rope ladder to climb on board. The last crewmember was climbing up and was mid-way to the deck, but at the bottom a rebel slave had managed to take hold.
"I got him!" Sage cried out as he reached out and grabbed the crewmember's hand, easily the fighter pulled the grown man on to the deck. He looked down and saw that more slaves were climbing up the rope ladder.
Pyrrha looked over the side, "Cut it!"
"But Ruby and Sun!" Bolin roared, but a firm hand planted itself on his chest, Octavia glared daggers at him with a knife in hand.
"Do not move when I'm trying to cut this barbed arrow head out!" She seethed, "Have faith, they'll get them on here."
Bolin grunted and begrudgingly lay back down to let Octavia work.
Klein looked around, "Throw down that rope on the far end, we'll pull them up with that when we shove off."
Neptune nodded and ran off to the rope.
Ruby watched the rope ladder get hacked off and the line of bodies came crashing back down on the pier. Her eyes flicked to the edge and she saw the blue hair that belonged to Neptune.
He threw down a rope behind their positions.
"There's too many!" Sun grunted, a stray sword nicked his arm, "Really wish I had a shield right now…" He stabbed at an opponent.
"I wish I had an extra sword to cut them down." Ruby said in mock humor, she leaned sideways and then lashed out at a torso.
"We're good to go Commander!" One of the crewmembers called out.
"Ruby! We're going, now!" The ship began to pull out; quickly it was picking up speed in an attempt to get as far away from the fighting as possible.
She made quick work of an opponent and then threw her gladius with practice aim at another opponent, the sword embedded in his chest "Alright!" Ruby yelled out, she made a grab for the rope and hastily shimmied up to make room for Sun.
"They're persistent." Sun muttered, he buried his sword into a slave; he didn't bother to retrieve it and simply made a dash for the rope – a trio of rebels hot on his tail.
They were almost in the clear, Sun was coming up to the end of the dock and wouldn't have enough space to keep pace with the moving vessel, but Ruby held out her hand in time.
With a great leap, he caught hold of her hand and then the rope.
"They're getting away." One slave simply stated while he watched the ship make it's way out to sea.
"I'll give them a parting gift," Mercury watched with hawk-like eyes as he retrieved a dagger from his waistband. With a strong throw, the dagger sailed through the air.
"Ruby, move!" Sun caught the attack at the last moment, he practically smothered the smaller fighter from the dagger. "Urgh." Lodged in his unprotected left arm was the dagger, his grip loosened.
"Sun!" Ruby made a grab for his hand, "Come on, we'll have Octavia take a look at it."
"You got him, but it looks like it's not enough." The slave mentioned, he squinted and saw how the two were then hoisted on board.
"Oh, it's enough." Mercury grinned, "It was enough for Nadir."
Klein Sieben looked on at the horizon, the fires that burned the Kingdom Mistral was way off behind them.
They managed to get away, which proved to be no small task. He watched Octavia who was quick to Sun's side, quickly removing the knife and starting to do her first aid on the wound.
But from the way Octavia looked, it didn't look great.
"What's going on?" Ruby kneeled over Sun.
The Faunus was coughing violently and the wound in his arm hadn't stopped bleeding.
"I think I know who poisoned Nadir." Sun joked.
"Shut up man, Octavia will help fix you up." Bolin was out of his armor and knelt over – the wound in his shoulder forgotten. "Can… you do anything?"
Octavia looked over Sun, he was drenched in sweat and he was starting to cough up blood. "…" She looked up at Bolin and shook her head.
"Dammit." Bolin seethed, he looked over his friend – no, his brother. "Is there nothing below deck? Anything at all?"
Jaune looked on and nodded, quickly he scrambled below deck for any kind of antidote – none of the crewmembers had the heart to tell anyone that they didn't keep any medicine on board.
But Ruby stayed silent, she could see what was going on, this wasn't some low-grade poison – this was some high quality stuff with how fast acting it was. "He was aiming for me." She mumbled.
"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't at least try to protect you?" Sun smiled, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, "You deserve to live Ruby."
"You do too!" She cried out, the tears were flowing freely, "Sun, you… you just can't."
The countless nights he had stayed by her side, comforting the best way he could. Helping her out around the compound when she was injured. Offering smart remarks and comic relief when he can. Running his mouth off to Bolin when the elder Gladiator would chastise him. Challenging Nadir to a grappling match, only to be tossed like a sack of wheat ten seconds later.
"Hey Bo," Sun looked over at the green haired woman at his side, "Is that Reese?"
Bolin nodded, "Yeah, we're dating now." A slight smile.
"I'm Sun," A cough, "I've heard a lot about you." He limply held out his hand.
Reese Chloris ignored the grime and blood that covered Sun's hand and took it with both of hers, "Bo has told me a lot about you too." She moved her hand to brush back some of Sun's hair that was matted against his forehead, "I'm happy to have finally met you."
"Good things, I know." Sun grinned, "Take care of him, he's done a bang up job taking care of me all these years." Sun's deep blue eyes wavered slightly as he looked into Bolin's.
"Its cause you're such a knuckle head from time to time that I gotta rough you up." Bolin smiled, he felt his chest welling up and placed a hand on Sun's shoulder.
"Hey Rubes," Sun looked up at the small fighter, "I was so happy to see you."
"I was too." Ruby placed a hand on his chest, "I never thought I was going to see you again."
"I did." A small chuckle, but it quickly developed into a jarring cough, "I…" A wheeze, "I knew deep down… That I'd see you again." Yet another hacking cough that racked his entire body.
More blood began to decorate the chin of Sun Wukong.
"Sun… I… Please, I love you – don't leave me, don't leave us." She pleaded softly.
He smiled that same annoying smirk that made you want to throw something at his face, "I figured Nadir could use some company." With a shaky hand, he placed it in Ruby's lap, "Anything you want me to tell him?" Sweat drenched his face and the usual tan color seem to drain from his cheeks.
"That I love him too, and thank you, for everything." She placed a hand on his arm, gripping it gently.
"Tell him to stop throwing away his shield in a fight." Bolin chimed in, "And that we'll be brothers – and sister," Bolin looked over at Ruby who laughed lightly at the added comment, "We'll be siblings forever, no matter what."
"Core Four." Sun smiled, "Best Gladiators to… ever grace… the Arena's sands." His breathing became erratic.
"Damn right." Bolin's voice cracked.
"Rubes…" He was taking shallow pants, "Patch… you said… is peaceful." Shaking.
"And beautiful." Ruby added, "From what I remember in my dreams, at least." Down her face covered in dirt and blood, a tear streaked down.
"Take me… there… promise?" He tried to move his hand, but there was no strength left, his sky blue eyes became hazy like a winter storm – dark, foreboding, and haunting.
So Ruby took his hand instead, tightly she clenched to that hand that was bigger than hers. Bolin reached over and placed both his hands over Ruby and Sun's.
Together all three clutched to each other.
Hazy eyes looked up into earthy brown and striking silver.
Sun Wukong closed his eyes and let the comforting lull of sleep's eternal embrace tug at him.
"Promise."
And then he slept.
A/N:
I know, it was rough.
There are moments when I read good stories that I'll start crying. But I had never experienced crying while writing out a scene until I wrote Sun's death. I truly grew attached to this character.
I always knew I was going to kill off Sun since I first thought of writing Gladiator, because if Ruby was going to be Spartacus then I wanted her to have a Varro, a Gannicus, and a Crixus (very loose interpretations of them, as you can tell by now... bonus points if you can guess who was Gannicus and who was Crixus).
Despite knowing what I wanted to happen in the end game, I was still caught off guard when I finally made it to this point of the story. I hope none of you guys are going to secretly plot my murder now for doing this.
Sun, thank you for all the things that you've done and for being there when your friends needed you most. Now go get some rest - you've earned it.
DevilRed