The girl of coyote ears and the red hooded girl clashed.
Sparks and roses tainted the air while beans of light fell from the skies.
RWBY: Against All Odds
Jaune ran. He ran and ran and ran. He left Ruby behind while he carried the wounded Cardin on his arms.
Despair covered him slowly.
How could he have been...
Chapter: The Mask Falls
"HOW COULD YOU HAVE BEEN SUCH AN IDIOT?!" Shouted Tracy.
Bathory had long left them to meet Ravenna. Tracy wanted to go too, but upon hearing the news from Newton...
She facepalmed. Newton was spewing a bunch of apologies. Luna was holding the belly, not being able to smile anymore.
"Enough!" She silenced Newton and turned to Luna. "You are way too wounded. Go back to Jammer and give us support by our computers there".
"Got it!"
Tracy clicked a few buttons from her scroll and not long after, two lockers fell from the sky.
"Tracy?" Asked Newton.
She opened her locker.
"Track down Arc's scroll. If he isn't on the scrapyard, find whatever route he using to go to, or from there. If he is already inside, find a safe landing spot. Calculate the best place for us to land".
"Understood!"
Luna looked at Tracy.
"If you are out of aura..."
Tracy took a few chemical compounds from her locker and mixed them.
"This will deal with it".
"The after-effects-"
"I will deal with them later" Tracy drunk down the potion she made. "I am under a time limit now. Let's go, Newton".
"Yes!"
"Also, Luna, contact Ravenna and Bathory. But do NOT try to contact Orlok yet. I think... he wants to stay alone for now".
"Yessir!"
Tracy entered her locker.
"Come, Newton".
Newton followed Tracy inside her locker and Luna watched as they took off.
Luna looked at the second locker left, Newton's. A smile appeared on her face and soon she started laughing.
"Hahahahahaha! They were so desperate they entered the same locker! Hahahaha- ouch... bad belly, bad! Hehehehe. Hahahahaha! Im going to bug them soooo much about it!"
'Well, win-win for me. Guess at least I got a way back to Jammer with Newton's locker!'
Luna opened it and what followed was a wave of metal, tools and weapons tha flooded the ground.
"On second thought, guess it was for the best they are sharing some time together there and I should probably use mine. Hope I'm not out of batteries in my scroll".
Back in the Scrapyard...
Ruby blocked Telka's sword with her scythe and shot at the girl. Telka quickly avoided the bullet, but the recoil sent Ruby back a few meters, creating distance and avoiding three beans that came from the skies.
She was panting. Ruby used up more than she should of auta to arrive as fast as possible. On the other hand, her opponent also had battled recently, that much was obvious.
Telka couldn't believe it.
Ruby Rose really was on a different level. From Ark and from the average student.
Qrow's fighting style was obvious in her. But there was more. There was some sort of either keen sense or concentration she held.
Lodestar - her flying ship made to take down foes from afar and open up paths when needed. Telka had programmed its A.I. for both lifesaving and killing.
Should a building fall, it could find victims and destroy debris to open up paths.
Should an enemy appear, it would calculate even distractions to get rid of the foe.
Ruby, however, had her Speed.
Telka gritted her teeth. Her opponent was problematic. Ruby was able to avoid her Lodestar's attacks.
'Change of plans' thought the coyote faunus. 'Qrow's fighting style is overly dependant on the weapon. I will get rid of that scythe'.
Before she could think more, Ruby advanced and attacked her. Telka quickly started blocking and evading her attacks.
'Patterns... Ruby is able to avoid the beans. Should one fall when we are clashing, she tends to shoot at me so that the recoil can send her back to evade them. So...'
The scythe and the sword clashed. Beans of light were about to fall from the sky.
Ruby shot.
"It's your choice!" Shouted her opponent.
Telka fluttered and evade the bullet, but...
A sword was left from its master.
The scythe was grabbed by its blade by a bare hand.
Ruby's eyes opened wide. This way, they would both take the beans.
Seconds were like minutes. Ruby let go of Crescent Rose, and kicked Telka, getting the needed momentum to avoid the rays of light.
Ruby's kick sent Telka back just enough to avoid that laser, but she wouldn't falter just there.
Before the dust settled, she shot at Ruby with Crescent Rose and let go of it, the recoil sending the scythe away.
She grabbed her sword and advanced. She new how much Ruby could go back, so she didn't need to see in that dust.
She slashed.
CLANK!
"What?!"
The dust finally settled. Together with it, roses scattered in the air along with sparks from the metal clash.
"I'm defenseless without Crescent Rose, right?"
Similar to Ember Celica, in Ruby's wrists her new weapons now covered her hands. The blades protected her from the sword.
Red katars with her symbol in them.
"Sorry, pal. But someone already showed me that. She did it pretty much like you - taking away my weapon from me. I won't fall for it again".
Before Telka could react, from Ruby's wrists...
BANG!
The shot sent Telka back. But Ruby didn't stop just there. She advanced while her opponent staggering and did what she felt she needed: she imitated Yang's movements and hit Telka with her blades.
"Argh!"
A bean fell from the skies betweem the two, stopping Ruby and giving Telka time.
'What's going on?!' Shouted Telka mentally. 'There was no information on that weapon!'
Short quick weapons and the movements of a boxer. She was completely different from before!
She looked at Ruby. Her silver eyes were too determined.
'This is bad... No... No... no, it isn't... calm down. This means nothing' she glared at Ruby.
"I will not fall here. It doesn't matter how many tricks you have on your sleeve, I will not lose!"
Ruby didn't answer - she advanced.
But...
"RUBY STOP! YOU WILL FALL FOR HER TRAP!" Shouted a familiar voice.
Familiar for Ruby...
Familiar for Telka...
Mary stepped on the battlefield.
Her other self was already messaging Telka, while an arrow was pointed at Ruby from where the hooded girl couldn't see.
Telka was visibly surprised, but...
- Calm yo tits. I am Ruby's "friend", remember? ;)
The message from Mary's other self was clear.
"Mary?" Ruby was surprised, but was slowly backing away from Telka and closer to Mary. "What are you doing here?"
"I realized there was something dangerous going on, so I followed the trail Arc went. You know, the one I sent you?"
Ruby would be happy, but...
"The direction you sent me was the wrong one, Mary".
"Really?! Sorry for that. Well, guess this means the people in the other chatroom got a wrong clothing store direction as well".
"Oh!" Ruby was visibly happy. "Then it was just a mistake, right?"
"Sorry!" Mary eccentricaly bowed down before pointing ahead, to Telka. "Either way, watch out. If you went one step further, you would have been killed onspot".
"What do you mean?"
"Oh am gee! You are using the Scatter Rose! Or was it Rose Scatterer? I forgot, sorry. They look so gorgeous on you!"
"MARY!"
"Okay okay! I will be serious" Mary took a strangely glowing knife and showed it to Ruby. "Here, I didn't name it yet, but I call it the Polarized Dagger. One hit from it and the mofo will run out of aura where he stands. If I hit her with this..."
"We win" muttered Ruby.
"Yeah. Go forward, distract her and I will take care of the rest".
Ruby nodded and gave her back to Mary.
Telka glanced at her while the other self sent a message:
- Good thing that I'm watching her back
- It would be a shame if...
Mary readied her dagger...
- ... she got backstabbed! Ba dum tiss!
The assassin went forward
- This friendship was fun while it lasted :D
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"I didn't want to believe in it" muttered Ruby. "But you really betrayed us... isn't that right, Mary?!"
The dagger missed. Actually...
Ruby jumped away little before it hit.
''Heh''
''You sent us on false track on purpose! Then... all this time...''
Mary backed a few steps, getting distance and smiled at Ruby.
"That word -betrayed- wasn't used well; I was never on your side, Ruby-chan!"
"But why... Why Mary?! You-"
"Are just a quirky goofy girl, right?" The bear-eared faunus laughed. "It's aways the cute ones. I mean, who would suspect me? Hehehe. Hahahahaha!"
The dumbfounded face on Ruby was priceless. It was obvious she didn't want to believe in it.
Ruby jumped back but she was too late. The laser fell to the earth and hit her left arm. She could feel her skin burning.
"Argh!"
"So close" muttered Telka.
Finally, Ruby noticed her situation. Two enemies. Powerful and smart on both sides. On top of that she was wounded and unexperienced with her new weapons.
"Are you ready for the round two, best friend?" Mary readied her guitar. "I readied this music just for you, babe! It's called Game Over, Ruby!"
On the streets, Jaune couldn't run anymore.
His wounds finally were taking their toll.
Both him and Cardin fell on the ground side by side.
On the scrapyard, Ruby was cornered by the Coyote and the Bear.
''Mary...'' Ruby muttered her name in seriousness. Her eyes, determined.
Mary smiled again and put her fingers on the strings.
"Game Over!"
Heretic notes:
And so this way the story continues. Got tests and shenanigans going on over and over. I dont think it will take that long for the next chapter, but I can't say it will be quick either.
Either way, as you can see, Mary finally lets go of her mask - and by doing so, she just showed who her loyalty truly lies on.
I don't know if, should I find an OST for next chap it would be called Game Over. I dont even know if next chapter will be named Game Over.
Well, either way, I was wondering for quite a while how would be the overall scene when Mary was uncovered, but I just figured out, the way I made her and designed her, she would be this troll type of person. Not negating, but more of teasing and laughing at her opponents. From the start, this was what she has been doing and she played her role well.
It has been good to see you guys again.
Until next time
Heretic, out!