With three days left until deployment, it was time to find out just how many members of team RWBY would actually be leaving the school. Yang and Weiss had been tense all morning, through breakfast and classes. Blake wasn't sure they had said a word up to this point, at least not to each other. She couldn't really blame them, as they were facing the worst punishment their leader had ever issued. Not only that, but exactly how they were going to be evaluated was still mostly a mystery. They had kept on friendly terms, but Ruby had stated that they weren't working well enough as partners. Was she going to test them?
It seemed she would, considering the message they all received.
They were meeting in one of the training rooms, and Ruby was already waiting. If Blake were to guess, the plan was to have Yang and Weiss face against herself and their leader. Either that, or maybe against one of the other second year teams that were in the same situation. If they won, it would show that they could work together well enough to beat a pair that didn't have such a poor start. If they lost? Well...
They'd have to win.
Blake entered the room last, the library being on the other side of the building not proving helpful when it came to being on time. Her teammates were all there, and their leader was setting up the aura moniter. It wasn't something they bothered with in spars, too aware of their own reserves to need it. This was being taken seriously, and when she walked up to them she could see that the other two were anticipating something big. Ruby finished setting up, and turned to them with a smirk before saying anything.
"You two still think you can do this?"
Weiss huffed a bit at that. "Of course we are. You are well aware we haven't fought at all the last two weeks."
Ruby hummed in appreciation, "True. But you haven't fought together, either."
Yang stepped forwards a bit, "So what's the plan? Us against you n' Blake?"
Her sister had a big smile on her face. "Nope! Well, close. You two are fighting me."
Confused looks passed around. "Uh, sis? Not that you aren't awesome or anything, but aren't you hitting a bit above your weight on this one?"
While true that her chances were slim, Ruby had improved a lot in a short time. Not only that, but Yang would pick fights with just about everyone except her younger sister. The blonde was just a little too worried, no matter how well Ruby could defend herself she always thought the worst would happen. This had actually become her biggest disadvantage, she no longer knew just how good their leader was in combat. Weiss had a much better idea, but not the entire picture. If Ruby took Weiss out first, then kept her sister from landing any solid hits...
There was a chance. A small one, but she didn't have to include that part.
"I knew you two were scared of her, but you won't even fight her two-on-one. Wow."
Maybe she just wanted to tease them.
They both attempted to jump to their defense, but Ruby's loud burst of laughter cut them off before they could start. She tried to cover it with a hand, but just ended up letting out a cute snort and having to wipe her eyes.
It took a moment for her to catch her breath, and when she did her face fell a bit. With a more serious look she regarded her team, voice sounding a bit tired.
"All jokes aside, this is serious. If you don't work together you will lose. Don't take it lightly, okay?"
Weiss and Yang's eyes darted to meet each others, then back. They stood up a bit straighter, despite seeming a tad uncertain. Blake could understand the hesitance, Ruby only got like this when she really meant it.
"We wont back down. You'll have to give us your all." Weiss stated.
"I'm counting on it." Ruby replied, rather flatly.
Blake pulled out her scroll and synced it up to the monitoring system. As the only one standing out, she would act as their referee. They were using the basic system for their fights, each opponent having until they hit twenty-five percent of their aura before counting as out. While Weiss' aura was nothing to scoff at, it certainly wasn't huge. Yang, on the other hand, often simulated what it was like to fight a three brick walls lined up. Add that to their semblances and weapons, they were formidable on a bad day and demons on another. Ruby would be in for perhaps the toughest fight she'd every faced.
Luckily, she thrived in battle. Her unique style had become something of a spectacle, and when she hit her stride it was like watching the warriors of legend brought back from the dead.
The three fighters entered the ring, and settled into position. After a few moments, Blake told them to start.
In the time it took for Weiss' first glyph to be summoned, Ruby was in front of her. The reaper swung her great scythe before anyone could react, and Weiss was sent flying, easily over twenty feet of distance and twenty percent of her aura gone. Yang was on her sister as quickly as she could be, but just couldn't get a hit in. Ruby was moving faster than ever, and whenever she could she would make small jabs to Yang's sensitive spots. They didn't hurt, nor even really affect her aura, but they threw her a tiny bit off balance each time.
Weiss was on her feet once again. Ruby used her blade to sweep Yang's legs, and shot towards the fencer, hoping to get in before Myrtenaster's dust chambers could be used. She didn't. Ice shot forward and caught her leg, the strain of her sudden stop yanking at her muscles and taking some of her aura. Ruby acted fast as usual, a shot from Crescent Rose destroying the ices integrity and allowing her to break free. Unfortunately, it was enough time for the pair to recover. Fire from rapier and gauntlets rained from two sides, forcing her on the defensive. It was the last position she wanted, and staying in it would be what cost her the match. To shift the tides, she had to make a hard shot. Weiss was agile, and Ruby couldn't go two seconds without dodging a fireball. Good thing she was an excellent shot.
Weiss' head shot back as the sniper round nailed her in the forehead, taking a mean chunk of her aura.
Suddenly, she was pulled back. Yang had gotten close, and grabbed Ruby by the left arm and midsection. Not grabbing her right arm was a costly mistake. Ruby had learned a thing or two about flexibility, and it was going to pay off nicely. She allowed Yang to hold her, and used it to push herself up. One leg hooked behind the blondes head, the other crossed over and pushed against her throat. Aura prevented her from getting choked out, but it gave Ruby options.
Her scythe folded, and Yang took a heavy duty round to the inside of her knee.
Even with a large amount of aura, those rounds could hurt. Weiss was still getting up from the shot she received, and Yang collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Ruby was dropped, and she had to move quick. Her blade unfolded once again, and she went straight for the recovering heiress. A glyph appeared under its caster, an attempt to get out of the way, but it was too late. Crescent Rose sung as it cut through the air, and it struck Weiss cleanly in the throat. She toppled backwards over herself, and was left with little aura after it had been cleaved asunder. Yang was on her feet, her semblance starting to flare. The shot to her knee had cost her a lot, but it had been enough to give her a boost.
This was where Ruby would struggle.
She couldn't treat it like Weiss, taking her down before she could properly act. Her best bet would be to outlast her sister, whittling her down slowly so her semblance didn't gain anymore. The main issue with that was her scythe, which simply wasn't built of slow. Though it was a good extension for the small hits, they didn't do enough to end the fight. Ruby took more damage than she would have liked from Weiss, the ice having tried to pull her leg from the socket. She could already feel how sore it was. If she got Yang close but didn't close out, it would only take a hit or two for it to become a loss.
She didn't have much more time for thinking, as Yang was on her once again. She was able to stay a step ahead, dodging strikes quite gracefully. The issue would be striking back, Ruby could already feel the heat from her sisters semblance. She couldn't stop for a moment, and the arena was slowly getting covered in her rose petals. She poked a few times, small hits getting in where they could. It didn't do much, Yang just getting frustrated. Ruby simply didn't have the time, she'd have to try and take her down more forcefully. Not try to out power the brawler, mind you, instead needing to overwhelm her in a way she couldn't fight against.
Her scythe was happy to take part in this new plan.
Rapid strikes struck at Yang, coming from alternating sides. She was being thrown off balance bit by bit, and it meant she couldn't quite keep a bid on her sister. Her fire was roaring, semblance greedily taking as much fuel as it could. The reaper had gotten daring, it seemed. Yang roared, and her left hand struck out, colliding with Crescent Rose. The scythe and its wielder were thrown off, and a jab from her right into Ruby's gut had her stumbling back.
Ruby tried plan C.
She became a whirlwind, pushing her semblance to the limit. She would attack from one side, and be at the other before Yang could hit back. It was a game that the brawler couldn't win, not as it was. Her aura was running out, and her semblance was giving its final flares. She was being blinded, the fire pushing her anger deep into her skull. She stomped a foot down to her right, and caught Ruby's cloak under her heel. Her fist rocketed into her sisters face, shattering the last of her aura.
Without aura, there was nothing to protect the cloak from tearing.