A weapon should be cherished. It is an extension of the mind, the body, and the soul, going beyond the confines of its inanimate frame. A movement is an expression, the slightest change a novel that writes innumerable words. It was within a single action that a story could be told, from its humble beginnings to its devastating conclusion.
The art of the blade was a practice that went beyond the function of a weapon, instead delving into the inner workings of the mind and body in order to meld flesh and steel into a singular being, completely in sync. The spirit was strong, but focused into a task, it would receive purpose and drive.
As a practitioner of the arts, it was wise of Layla to begin slowly. The foundations supported the entire structure, and with it a potential to hone her craft further. The drills focused her mind and reflexes, her instructor correcting posture and emphasizing technique over strength and speed. The spars with students taught her mind to react to every action given, a singular mindset to dispatch the enemy in the most efficient way possible.
But resting was the most difficult. Control wasn't what she lacked, but the understanding that excess would result in lackluster results. Her desire to further abilities was great, but her body was not. It was frustrating to say the least, but the body required months of controlled exertion to strengthen, something she wished would go faster.
Layla sat on her bed, sharpening her sword, Kagura. Twenty three and a half inches of Atlesian steel forged into a refined, elegant blade, curved slightly to improve draw speed. She had taken the design from Junior's design and modified to suit her taste. Eight slits retracted from the blade's edge, revealing a barrel in each to fire various rounds with a single swing. As a blade, it channeled a continuous stream of fire Dust along its edge to help with cutting. What she found interesting was the sheath. Aside from being her main way to reload the weapon, it had various defensive options, ranging from a brief pulse of gravity Dust to different voltages to shock targets. Or kill them.
'Nothing but the best.' She thought, running the full length of the blade with a piece of cloth. 'At least that's what the Tenno said when he was helping with the design.'
Holding the blade to the moonlight, she smiled as it gleamed, silver steel reflecting her eyes. This was a new start for her.
Looking towards the barren limbs of Emerald Forest, she gave a small sigh, her ears twitching as they turned around.
"Three weeks." Layla began, her eyes still looking towards the landscape. "Seven attacks, three on White Fang hideouts and four on Schnee factories. Lots of people are thinking that the two are in open war. Is what you're looking for really that important that you're willing to antagonize both sides?"
"Yes. These factions mean little to me, especially with my recent discoveries. What they have is far more important than their motives." The frame turned its head towards her. "Your progress?"
She smiled, twirling a bone mask on her index. "It was hard to keep myself from attacking him then and there, but I'm in. Actually, I was in one of the hideouts you attacked and had to fake being knocked out."
"Information?" Layla rolled her eyes at the prompt question, not even acknowledging her well being.
"They only said that we have to prepare for Vytal Festival. Apparently something big is about to happen then. A few meetings here and there, mostly for the important people, but we're told to stay low until then. The other, more fortified hideouts are stocking up on weapons and vehicles.
"As for info, they have their own servers on site with a bunch of classified documents. Heavily guarded with new stuff that they stole off of Atlas. I don't exactly know other than they're better than what we currently have for defenses." She held up a map with two areas circled with red marker. "I had a few minutes while you went on a rampage to download the map. Both of them are far enough that one could notify the other if they're being attacked to evacuate the supplies. Northern one's got weapons and ammunition, southern is near the docks with a bunch of vehicles they're planning to smuggle into from Atlas.
"Good." The Tenno almost mulled on the next sentence. "How is school?"
Layla blinked, slowly turning her head around to stare at the warrior. 'D-did he just go for small talk?'
"Ah, um, it's good. I made friends. Y'know, those girls that helped at the store." She said hesitantly. This was weird. Usually it was all business with her half assed attempts at being a bit more open. Well, he didn't judge on her attempts at small talk, at least not vocally, but to think it would actually work was a bit… surprising.
"By what I know of Beacon, you are supposed to be assigned to a team. Why are you alone here?"
"They're pretty booked when it comes to that, so I opted to stay as a back-up member, maybe be an assistant if they consider one of the missions a bit too much for just a team and one Huntsman."
"More freedom and less likely for other members to question your disappearance. Good decision."
"Uh right." She chuckled, looking a bit guilty for the misunderstanding. At least it wasn't too bad. "Anyway, how's your weapon progress? Did you make-"
She didn't bother to finish, her eyes barely catching the movement as she saw the wires float around her room. Thin, almost invisible if not for the shining ray of the moon, strands of metal idly undulating like serpents. For the first time in her life, she felt terror at the thought of string surrounding her.
"Whoa… this is cool. And a bit terrifying." She said, touching one of the strings with the sheath of her sword. "So, you can control all of them?"
"Yes. Fine control was required to properly channel energy into the wire, but that proved easier than creating the weapons."
"But, didn't you have a blueprint on it? Like, you stole it during the attack on Schnee Tower, they even confirmed it on the news."
"Yes, but the process of creating weapons in this planet is archaic. By no means impossible to adapt to, but it is a meticulous ordeal."
The wires snapped back, retracting to hover around the Tenno instead of being spread across the room. It was strange though. Her eyes kept looking at the hands, yet even with her vision, she couldn't see where the wires started or ended, just that they were there.
"What do we do now? I mean, I can do my usual thing here and keep an eye on White Fang activity, but what are you gonna do?"
"We strike while they are unaware. Let's go."
"Wait, now? Its midnight." She hesitantly glanced at her door, wondering if they'll find out that she skipped out for a raid on the White Fang. And, by what a few people have said, there were cameras in Emerald Forest to watch for anyone, Grimm or otherwise.
"That has never stopped you before from participating."
Layla bit her lip, switching between her sword and the Tenno. Well, she hadn't found any good action for a while, just constant practice on using her sword, so she was kind of hoping to vent a few frustrations. But, to go on midnight escapades, especially on a school night was a bit wrong. Then again, she's already gone and returned to the clutches of the White Fang in order to provide information for the Tenno, under the nose of both Beacon and her mother.
"So, which one do we head to?" She said, grabbing her sword. "The closest one would be the southern hideout. We can cripple their vehicles and stop their escape if they try to retreat."
The icy warrior nodded in agreement. "You'll need a change of clothes to prevent identification."
"Way ahead of you." She went to her closet, taking out the suit she had been given. She had taken the liberty of sewing a bunny stamp on the breast pocket and replacing the black dress shirt for a more reasonable white.
"Mind turning around for a bit?" She asked sheepishly, realizing that the Tenno was still there.
Layla landed silently onto the roof, her footfalls barely making a creak as they watched White Fang work tirelessly to load the cargo boxes into the Bullheads. A staggering amount of Dust and weapons slowly filled the aircraft before it took off.
"Wow. I knew that they were shipping in weapons, but I never thought it would be this much." She whispered, scanning the docks. A quick glance to her partner made her realize that they were going in to kill, not incapacitate. "W-wait, before we stop them, can we not kill? I- I mean they really aren't a match for either of us and most of these guys are just kids, s-so can we hold back just a bit?"
"Those who kill, must be prepared to be killed. They have chosen this path, and so have you."
Layla grimaced. She had killed before, more than she ever thought possible. Yet, she didn't want to move forward with that sort of philosophy, no matter how much it made sense. But, if something like the night at the store happened again, she wouldn't hesitate to do it.
Conflict raged within a single expression before she breathed a sigh, one that left her tired, but also resolute of her decision.
"I'll have to incapacitate. I- I don't want to kill anyone else, especially since that would mean I'm no better than them."
"Very well, do what you wish."
The pair moved, dropping into the shadows of the boxes. Layla moved in first, dashing behind the unaware guard and choked him back into her hiding spot, forcing him to sleep. Dashing out towards a patrol, she depressed a trigger, lightning crackling around her sheath. Three hard strikes on three bodies. The most they'll remember would be a sore chest and one of their own smacking them unconscious.
The attack didn't go unnoticed as bullets rained down on her position. The sword was out immediately, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Her eyes dilated and her grin showed teeth, even if she wasn't aware of it. Powerful legs pushed her body forward, her Aura taking the brunt of the damage as she swept her sword low, cutting tendons. Turning around, she struck each with her energized sheath to finish them off.
Her sword lashed upward, parrying the incoming overhead strike. Whether it was instinct or not, she took the opportunity to slam her fist into the attacker's face, shattering their mask. For a split second, she saw herself. A rabbit Faunus like her, eyes just as scared as when she first met the Tenno. Powerless, a realization that they were beyond outmatched. It was the feeling of dread that death was approaching within the next few milliseconds.
Layla snarled and continued, striking the girl's collarbone. Energy surged into her body, a scream of pure pain escaped her lips, tears falling until her eyes glazed over and she fell down unconscious.
"No," she walked over the body, not even sparing it a second look. "I've moved from that."
She glanced at the other's progress. Multiple bodies lied around him, small lacerations on the neck, thighs, and chest. Lethal cuts on the largest vessels of the body, the cleanest cuts she'd ever seen.
Running towards the rising Bullhead, she hollered to the Tenno for some help. That form of help was a piece of ice materializing underneath her feet and launching her into the air.
She yelped in surprise, letting out an unladylike curse, before getting to work. The button was depressed, cycling through various Dust rounds before her blade screeched out of the sheath. Eight slits opened, firing one half fire and one half lightning into the rotors.
The Bullhead exploded on one side, sending it careening into the dock building. Fire spread, and with it, consecutive explosions as Dust and ammunition ignited. Within seconds, the entirety of the docks were in flames.
A voice croaked out from behind Layla, a dying voice with little energy left in their body. "White Fang… y-you traitor. Why did you attack us?"
She turned and saw a wounded man, a canine by the ears on their head. He was bleeding on one side, his left arm limp. On his right hand was a gun pointed at her. It was close, only five feet away from her.
Her heart pumped faster, and she felt ready to retch her dinner. Fight or flight. The natural instinct that was twice as powerful for her as part animal. It throbbed like the beat of drums, ready to explode into combat or retreat. She didn't move, even when every fiber of her body was tensed and ready to do something.
Ice slammed against the man's arm, sending the barrel away moments before it was fired. It grazed her cheek, but the stimulus was all it took before she moved forward. She drew her sword, fueled by pure survival instinct. It was fast, her entire body blurring from existence for a brief instant. She reappeared behind the man, sword tightly clenched in her fist and the noise of heavy breathing coming from her mouth.
The man stood still, before two segments of his body fell apart. A single diagonal cut from hip to shoulder, cauterized by a superheated blade.
Layla crouched down, discarding the sword to rid her stomach of its contents. Tears fell and she stayed in that position when the contents stopped coming. Soft sobs, even when she knew it necessary, she still killed someone.
What was worst that the guilt of killing was being justified in her mind.
'It was self defense.'
'It was him or me.'
'They threatened my family.'
'My life was in danger.'
…
'The adrenaline felt amazing.'
"Are you gonna isolate the fire? It'll spread at this point." Her voice was hollow, almost tired, but she still wanted to make sure that only they were caught in this event, not those innocent.
She heard a grunt of affirmation behind her before winds began to swirl around them. Crystals of ice emerged around the building, forming the start of a dome, stopping midway to keep the fire burning the items within.
"Now, let's get out of he-"
She never finished when she fell forward, unconscious.
The rays of sun pierced through the windows, causing the girl to scrunch her face in displeasure, yanking the blanket over her head.
'A blanket?' She thought after a few moments of curling.. 'But that would mean…"
Sitting up, she saw her empty room. Everything was where it needed to be. Kagura leaned against her side table, obsidian black shining against the sun. She looked under her blanket, finding that she was wearing her pajamas.
'Was it all a dream?' She clenched her fist and tried to remember. The docks, the man with the gun. She drew her blade and-
Layla's face distorted to horror as she remembered. She was still in control. The beginning of the attack, she still had her finger on the button to just slam him with the sheath instead. A brief moment of hesitation to rethink the attack and that man would have just had broken bones. Heavily injured, but alive.
She picked up Kagura, letting the blade glide out of its sheath. Red eyes stared from within the weapon, once pale, now a deep crimson. It was unsettling, so she looked away and sheathed it.
'I'm not like that.' She berated herself. 'I'm not into fighting for the sake of fighting. It's to protect. Protect mom, protect myself, and protect others weaker than me.'
'I want to fight like that again.'
She slammed her fist onto the desk, throwing away that stray thought into the deepest recess of her mind. It wasn't good to think about that. She wasn't some battle maniac. Her entire purpose of entering Beacon and getting this weapon was to help others, not to slay.
'But you've killed people. Of your own free will.'
'I had no choice! If I don't do it then... '
'A permanent solution.'
'I'm just trying to think ahead.'
'Adrenaline. Euphoria.'
Both thoughts swirled inside her. This feeling of conflict, the guilt of enjoying an action meant only as a vector towards peace, not towards more conflict. There was no purpose behind it, just the feeling of the blood pumping in her veins as she clashes blades with someone.
It was barbaric, merely a baseless action of constant danger. Why? Why would she even begin to enjoy such a thing? It- it was counterintuitive of her entire lifestyle. She's always tried to keep it safe and on the line, but now, she just wanted to go, for a lack of a better word, wild.
Moving to the bathroom, she splashed cold water on her face, letting her bangs fall straight down. She still looked normal, somehow, but that gnawing feeling wouldn't leave unless she sated it.
Layla let the shower run for a bit, grateful that some of her classes don't start till around 9 am. It gave her time to think, to get her bearings straight and figure out what she should do from now on. In truth, it was difficult, especially now with the way she had dispatched the man. She felt herself move, yet not at all.
It was strange. Space almost didn't exist during the brief moment she went berserk. There was no sound, no explosion of speed. Just that she willed herself to move and kill. No wind up, just the ability to move from one spot to another in a near instant.
'Is that my semblance? I can teleport?' Her face was blank for a moment, looking at the reflection off the wall. 'Yeah, I can work with that.'
Turning off the water, she dried herself off. Her thoughts slowly drifted to other subjects, mostly miscellaneous in their importance. Plus there was that strange buzzing in her room. It could have just been a bee that somehow got in.
Opening the door, there was a floating figure with two long blunt weapons at its side. It lacked any evidence of organs, its entire body a rigid skeletal material. The chest was a keyhole shape, a single glowing orb floating within. It vaguely looked humanoid if she stared at it long enough, but it was alien enough that she'd be hard pressed to call it anything but that.
The body turned, a glowing core gazing deep into her eyes.
Her instinct screamed at her to run, to escape. The survival reflex to fight was nowhere to be found. She felt fear, unbridled terror at this creature hovering over her. Everything about it made her want to scream and cry, like facing an inevitable death. It was the meeting with the Tenno all over again.
The difference was that she could retaliate, no matter how futile it was.
She crossed her arms as the hard limb struck her, faster than she could even see, and launched her through the bathroom door. Recovering with a flip, she dodged past the second and third sweep by throwing her hair towel at the monster and grabbed for Kagura.
The blade screamed from the draw, sending fire and lightning across the entire room. Eight rounds struck the monster with little effect. They were consumed into its eye, now glowing a mix of gold and red. It moved faster, crashing its baton-like arms to her side. Her Aura shattered immediately, as well as the wall that separated her and the outside. She plummeted from the third floor, screaming in pain as she hit the ground hard.
Opening her eyes, she saw the tip of the weapon miss her head by a few inches. The sound of a gun rang through the air, before a fist struck the creature, a yellow flame blossoming from the impact. The attack did little, but it gave Blake enough time to grab her body to safety.
"Layla!" The sound of Ruby's voice reached her ears. "Are you okay!?"
"Ruby, I just fell from three stories with barely any Aura and a towel." She replied back, wincing as she tried to get up. "No, I'm not okay."
"Now's not the time for your sarcasm, what is that?" Weiss ran and helped the injured girl up with Ruby.
"I don't know. It was there when I came out of the shower. Everything about it told me to just run away, even now, I want to just get away from that thing."
"Calm down, we're here. Jaune's team went to get the teachers when we heard the commotion. Everyone in the school just saw that wall blow up and we assumed the worst."
"T-thanks for the help." She replied, drawing Kagura out.
"Nuh uh, you aren't fighting that thing when you barely have any Aura. Leave it to us." Ruby declared, her scythe blocking the way. "Team RWBY is gonna kick this skeleton thingy's butt for hurting you!"
With her warcry, she and Weiss joined in on the melee.
And they were losing.
For every strike they did, the core brightened, flashing every so often. Bullets that tore through its main body bounced off, blades that left small wounds turned to superficial slashed. The arms were dangerous, their strikes powerful to break a fully charged Aura judging by how Yang was struck and sent through several trees after her Aura broke.
Weiss pierced, more like poke, the limbs with little success. Fire, ice, even gravity were nullified after their second use. It adapted to the heavy caliber rounds of Ruby's Crescent Rose and the elemental attacks of Blake's clones.
And it didn't look like it was tired at all. More like, it got even more violent. A low hum before it retracted itself and extended the weapons out. The spin was fast, like a storm just spawned in the middle of a clear day.
"Get out of there!" Layla screamed from behind a tree, clinging onto her only piece of clothing as the surroundings were blown back. Trees shattered on contact of the melee whirlwind. Bullets bounced off and curved from the wind.
Her ear twitched as more footsteps came from behind her. She turned, finding team JNPR, Ms. Goodwitch, Professor Port, and Professor Ozpin.
Ozpin draped his coat over her shoulder before looking towards the monster tearing through Ruby's team. "Tell me Ms. Brimstark, do you know what that is and where it came from?"
"N-no sir. It just appeared in the middle of my room and attacked me."
He nodded, glancing at the two teachers. They gave a small affirmation before joining the others in the fight.
As soon as Jaune's team took a step towards it, he raised his cane. "Don't. It's far too dangerous for you."
"But Ruby and the others are-" Pyrrha started.
"Are being rescued away from that thing." He interrupted as Port and Glynda had two students under their arms, most of which injured with blunt trauma, and dangerously low on Aura.
The people present turned to look at the slowing tornado, before it shifted its attention back to Layla. With a speed almost surpassing Ruby's, its arm pierced the tree she was hiding behind, dragging its trapped limb across the trunk and out to perform another strike.
The limb stopped, the clang of synthetic bones against tempered rubidium blades filling the air. Furious winds swirled around Layla's savior, void tainted spears impaling the enemy. Contrary to what ice does, it burned away the touched bones.
"I am your target." The Tenno said, leveling the Tigris' twin maws and fired both rounds. Bladed pellets sliced through with their corrosive acid, tearing through the Sentient's body. The core flashed a sickly green. Another adaptation added to many.
It rushed the warframe, body spinning into a horizontal vortex. The scythe spun in return, an electric blue trail following it. Another collision, before the limb gave way to the void enhanced blade, amputated from the body and disintegrated. Flipping the scythe, the blade hooked down on the second arm and tore through with a deft tug.
The scythe was replaced and taken by the liquid void, as two shells were placed into the shotgun. Faster than any of the spectators could see, it had closed the distance in an instant. The blade of the gun was embedded into the core, a slight crack within. The Tigris roared in delight as it destroyed the core.
The body fell limp, slowly turning into ash as the tainted pellets ate away at the remains.
The silence was deafening, until the sounds of frantic footsteps closed in on Layla and she was hugged roughly from behind. Her mother, crying as she held her only daughter tightly in her arms.
"Oh gods, I thought I was gonna lose you." She said between sobs. "I wanted to help, but I knew I couldn't do anything."
"M-mom, don't worry. I'm fine, just a bit sore." The younger Faunus replied, rubbing her mother's back. "Besides, he helped me."
The older Brimstark turned to the warrior, eyes still wet. "Thank you for saving my daughter. I can't think of the possibility of losing her."
A light nod was all it gave, before offering Layla a hand. One she gladly took.
"Hey uhh Layla, mind telling us who your friend is?" Jaune chirped in.
"Yes, I'm quite curious on who this person is as well." Ozpin agreed, his cane slowly approaching the two. "Shall we go talk in my office?"
I don't know. I don't like time skips and all the missed opportunities of interaction and character development (something I suck at), but at the same time our protagonists are meant to work only with each other instead of the main cast. So yeah... I hope you enjoy it?