Hello good people of . What a chapter, longest one I've written so far, and damned enjoyable. Took a bit longer than expected due to social requirements and the like. I thank you all for reading, this being the end of the first major arc of the story it feels amazing to have been given such wonderful support by all of you. Huge thanks to my beta reader for the assistance as well as everyone who has given me feedback. So, enough rambling on my part, I present chapter 8.
The Schnee Manor's sandstone walls stood below Ruby, who sat perched on a rooftop overlooking the mansion. The manor was guarded by several guards, hired by Weiss' father instead of being Assassins themselves. They guarded the wrought iron gate mainly, although Ruby knew there was at least two stationed inside the mansion itself. She didn't want to kill them; they were innocents, uninvolved in the conflict at large. That meant stealth.
She moved a few paces from the edge before taking off at full sprint towards the wall of the manor. The jump between the building and the wall was tough, but Ruby managed to grab onto the lip of the sandstone. She pulled herself up quickly, feeling the bruises that Torchwick had left a few hours ago. Hopping over the side, she landed in the delicately groomed bushes of the Schnee garden. She hid for a few seconds, waiting to see if the guards had seen her. When no one made movements towards her, she crept forward, trying to find Weiss' solitary window. She saw the barred window and cursing herself for forgetting; of course it can't be that simple.
Ruby crouched at the base of the mansions wall, directly underneath Weiss's window. She sat for a second thinking, her thoughts being interrupted by movement in the main courtyard. She blended with the shadows as much as she could, watching as Weiss' father emerged from the manor, stepping into his new carriage. The carriage made its way through the gate, causing Ruby to breathe a sigh of relief. Now that the biggest threat that the household contained was gone, Ruby felt she had a chance. She crawled up the side of the building, hoping to grab Weiss' attention to figure out a plan, she trusted Weiss' skills more than her own. She reached the window, disheartened to see and empty room. She must be held somewhere else, I'm going to have to get inside. Ruby climbed down the building. She couldn't get in through any of the windows; Weiss' father's paranoid nature assured that. That left few options, options that Ruby didn't have time for. Time to try the front door.
Weiss lay curled up on the bed in the cellar. It smelled like Ruby, and it haunted Weiss that the smell made her feel more comfortable. The room itself reminded her of Ruby and the time they had spent training. Her father was going to kill her, there was little doubt, he would take any excuse and blame her resistance. Weiss had tried to escape several times already, she tried bribery, she had fought with the guards and she had event tried to threaten self-harm. None of it worked, the guards were already under her father's pay, she was unarmed and even with her training she was little match for trained and armed guards. Then she threatened her own life, her father calling the bluff, seeing through her as he always did. He called her weak and foolish and Weiss was beginning to believe him.
It had taken barely a day, but she was starting to lose spirit.
Ruby ran past the first guard, throwing her leg into the seconds shin. The first guard went to aim his musket, the second hopping on one leg. Ruby turned in time to see the barrel of the gun. She dropped into a roll as the weapon fired, missing her by inches. She came out of the roll below the outstretched musket, springing upwards and grabbing the gun and managing to wrestle it from the guard's hands. The surprise allowed her to use the butt of the gun to smash the nose of the unsuspecting guard. He dropped, clutching his bleeding face, the second guard now levelling his rifle at Ruby. "That's enough; dam kids around here keep getting weirder. Now drop that musket." Ruby raised her hands slowly, stopping mid motion to throw the bayonet adorned musket at the remaining guards foot. She felt the guard's bullet nicking the top of her leather pauldron, the sound of ripping leather screeching in her ear. The guard cried out in pain as the bayonet passed through his boot. Ruby stepped forward and threw her fist, connecting with the man's jaw.
Ruby shook the dull pain form her hand and pushed into the mansion, the two guards now content to roll around in pain. I don't have much time before they sound the alarm. She raced through the house, knocking maids and servants aside. She burst through room after room, looking for Weiss. Racing downstairs, she met the sight of two more guards. They look as surprised as Ruby, both standing and waiting for the other to react.
The guards reacted first, firing their rifles, Ruby retreating back up the stairs just in time to avoid the shots. She peaked around the corner, the two guards attempting to reload. She scrambled back down the stairs and around the corner, running shoulder first into one of them. The two tumbled to the ground, the other guard attempting to stab Ruby as they fell. She parried the bayonet with her hidden blade, firing the hidden pistol at the last second into the soldiers arm. Blood quickly stained the white uniform, the guard reeling in pain. The man on the ground leapt up, grasping Ruby in a tight bear hug, lifting her into the air and throwing her against the wall. Restrained and pinned, she struggled to break free. The guard cursed as he tried to hold her in place, calling out for help that may or may not arrive. The wounded guard eventually managed to overcome the pain and help hold Ruby down.
"Please, I don't want to have to hurt you guys any further, ugh, please let me go."
"Shut it kid, we got orders to lock you up for the boss, says he wants a few words with you, so can it until he gets back." Ruby grit her teeth in frustration, she was so close to her goal, she was so close to getting Weiss back. She did not know what had happened to Weiss, only that she was either somewhere in the house or she was dead. Ruby did not want to entertain the second possibility, so she had to be somewhere under house arrest by decree of her father. The guards pulled her off the wall and pushed her forwards, she made her move. The injured guard went down first, his weak grip on her arm failing as she broke free, slamming her hidden blade into his neck. The other punched her, desperately trying to hold back the deadly blade attached to her wrist. She smashed her forehead into his face, the second broken nose she had delivered that day. Her head hurt, but the attack had bought her freedom, and she used it to end his life.
Weiss heard gunfire, heard the sounds of fighting. She stared expectantly at the door, looking around for a weapon she already knew was not there. She heard the jingle of keys and the soft click of the lock. The door swung open, a red hooded figure desperately examining the room. Their eyes locked, Weiss couldn't help but smile. Ruby had a panicked look on her face, her pauldron was torn and her left hand covered in blood. "Ruby, what's wrong." Ruby shied away from Weiss' worried gaze, "I'm sorry Weiss, I had to…kill the guards." Weiss looked confused,
"Well I imagine that might have had to happen in order to get me free. We don't have time to worry about it now though, we need to leave." Ruby nodded as Weiss pulled her out of the room, "Ruby what's been going on while I've been here."
"Well we went after the thing that my mother talked about, Blake called it a 'piece of Eden'. It's like an hourglass or something, but it glows and stuff. We went to the docks, Blake and I, and there were a bunch of soldiers and Torchwick's men fighting. Torchwick found us, and he had this weird Templar girl called Neo, and they kinda beat us. They took the hourglass, said something about a warehouse but that's it."
"What happened to Blake is she okay?"
"I think so, we had help from a sailor called Sun, he owned the ship that the hourglass was on. She took a few hits but Sun said he would find her a doctor."
"Father must be looking for them then, the soldiers undoubtedly worked for General Ironwood, so I imagine words reached him. Let's hurry and get my gear, then we need to get to the warehouse district. Hopefully we get lucky and can find them there. Although, now that I think about it, we might need more help."
"Who can help us, Blake's out of commission."
"Go get your sister, she may not be an Assassin, but she can fight, I will go and get Ren, he might know some others that can help, he may also have more information on the warehouses." Ruby smiled, thankful for Weiss' guidance. "Sounds like a plan, thanks for the help Weiss."
"I feel I should be thanking you, you did after all just save me from imprisonment."
"Yeah, I mean I did, but you're the plan person, I'm sure you would have figured a way to get out," Ruby then whispered to herself, "Without having to kill the guards". Weiss however heard this, stopping the two as they ran through the halls, "Ruby, remember what I said before, we kill for a larger purpose, to save more lives. It doesn't make it right, but it is necessary sometimes. T-thank you, for saving me. Now let's go and save more lives." The two found Weiss' gear, donning her snow white hood, she and Ruby left the house, passing the two guards outside who were trying to gain composure. The two guards made no move to stop them; they did not look like easy prey.
The group stood at the edge of the warehouse district. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Ren and Nora. Nora was brought by Ren; apparently she was a mercenary under contract for the Lie family. She was a weird girl, toting a large war hammer as if it were nothing, a devilish smile plastered onto her face. Ruby and Weiss did not care much where she came from, only that she had come to help, and they would need help. "Ren, you said you would be able to get hold of the information pertaining to which warehouses we should search. Do you have it?"
"Yes, my family owns several of the warehouses; I managed to get some information on the owners of the others. Recently a Ms Fall purchased a few warehouses down in the east section, let's just say there have been a few complaints as to what's been going down around those warehouses."
"Good, we will search that area then, look out for soldiers, my father has likely got them searching the warehouses as well." The group split, Ruby and Yang heading down one path, Ren and Nora going down another. Leaving Weiss alone to traverse her area.
Ruby stood beside Yang as they walked through the maze of warehouses. "So this guy we're after, he killed Summer didn't he." Yang didn't look at Ruby, focusing on scanning the area around them. Ruby hesitated, "Yeah, Torchwick was the one who killed mum."
"Then he is going to get what's coming to him."
"Yang you won't be able to beat him, you're still hungover, and he is a trained mercenary,"
"What and you think you can fight him, your only sixteen Ruby, leave this one to me."
"Yang you can't protect me anymore, I got this don't worry, just be careful." Ruby could see the stress on Yang's jaw as she clenched her teeth. "Ruby, you shouldn't be killing people you're too young."
"And you aren't, Yang I have been trained by Weiss, I can fight," Yang only grumbled more.
"After this is done Ruby, we are getting dad and going somewhere safe, away from all this," Yang gestured to the quiet warehouses. "We can leave all this behind."
"Maybe I don't want to leave" Ruby now growing cross with her sister,
"Ruby I don't want to see you become a monster like that Schnee girl. I don't want to see you kill people, that's not the little sister I know. That is what she is turning you into." Yang's voice dripping with venom as she referred to Weiss.
"She is not turning me into anything!; I'm doing this so I can finish what mum started."
"Mum wouldn't want you to do this; you're not a killer Ruby." Ruby stopped dead in her tracts, her rage having reached a boiling point. "Yang I don't know if you haven't noticed, but this is what I was born to do. This is what mum did, this is what needs to be done. I don't like having to kill, it feels like a stain I can never wash off, but I must strive to. Weiss is the best friend I have ever had! She saved me and took me in, helped me find you. Don't play the protective big sister now, you don't have the right to do that after you spent the last few days drinking away your sorrows, ignoring what's going on around you. I am an Assassin now, I'm going to do what needs to be done, because there are very few people who can. I'm one of those people Yang, the old Ruby is gone, she died with Mum." Yang stared at the person who wore Ruby's her innocent sisters face, and she knew that the old Ruby was truly gone.
Weiss stalked the rooftops of the warehouses, spying for any signs of the Templars men, or her father. She could see her allies as they too stalked down the dark pathways between the warehouses. She saw the two sisters stop, a heated argument playing out before her. Dam them, we have no time for that. At least they could do it quietly as to not alert our enemies. She moved quickly across the angled roof, leaping to the next warehouse. She moved closer to the two sisters, hovering above them like a watchful gargoyle. She heard the argument clearly now, "Weiss is the best friend I have ever had!" Weiss was stunned by the words of kindness, the rest of Ruby's words simply fading into the back of her mind. She shook herself, focus dam you, we have not the time for this. Silence enveloped the two of them, Ruby leaving her sister to watch her walk away.
Suddenly the door to a warehouse burst open, a man stepping outside, looking for the source of the noise that had just stopped. His eyes locked with Ruby's and he shouted a warning back into the warehouse. You dolt, you had to start shouting now. Yang ran forward with axe in hand. The man grasped at his sword, awkwardly pulling it out. Yang was quicker and brought down her axe, dropping the man. More men streamed forth from the warehouse, Ruby now rushed forth beside her sister, Weiss leaping down from her perch. "You have got to be kidding me! You dam kids won't give me a break! Neo, deal with them and quickly, no playing this time!"
Pistols and musket shots fired, the two groups exchanging fire. Ren and Nora ran around the corner of a far warehouse, having heard the commotion. Ren fired his two pistols, each shot well placed and taking down another target. Nora ran in, a look of crazed excitement on her face, swinging the heavy war hammer and taking down any who stood in her path. Weiss glanced over to Ruby, who was doing well to fend off her attackers, managing to slip through the defences of one and take him down with a slash. She watched as a figure dressed in pink, white and brown dashed towards Ruby, a thin blade in hand. Ruby saw her out of the corner of her eye and managed to leap back in time to avoid a vicious jab.
Weiss barrelled through the few men that stood between her and Ruby. Ruby was busy desperately trying to parry the other girl's attacks. Weiss recalled her being referred to as Neo by whom she could only assume to be Torchwick hiding inside the warehouse. Ruby crumpled under Neo's barrage of attacks, falling to her feet and losing her sabre. Weiss leapt over her and caught Neo's blade with her rapier. She pushed forward, forcing Neo back, giving Ruby room to retrieve her sword. "Ruby leave her to me!" Weiss shouted through gritted teeth as she held back the Templar's blade. Unlike Weiss, Neo's face was calm; Weiss would even go as far to say she looked pleased. Her eyes were each a different colour, her gaze perturbing Weiss.
The two broke away, circling each other slowly as their comrades fought around them. Neo rushed forward first, stabbing at Weiss with surgical precision. Weiss battered away each strike, each one getting slowly closer to its mark. She changed up her stance, shifting her legs and following her parry with a vicious jab of her own. Neo was now on the defensive, yet her defence showed no signs of letting up. Weiss ground her teeth in frustration as she wailed upon her opponent, slowly losing her usual grace and composure. This girl was truly infuriating.
Ruby dispatched more of Torchwick's men, as they slowly retreated back into the warehouse. Ren danced around the battlefield with grace, he had no overt weapons, preferring to use his dual hidden blades with a mix of martial arts. The total opposite of Ren's grace, Nora, swung with reckless abandon at her enemies, laughing as she did so. In a similar style Yang used strength rather than finesse, breaking the blades of her enemy's swords with strong chops of her axe. Combined with bone shattering punches and kicks, the untrained blonde fought with fury, making up for the lack of skill. Ruby Ran forward, sliding on one knee to avoid a mercenary's swing, she then used her sabre to sweep the legs of the same mercenary. She quickly rolled back onto her feet and spotted an opening, and ran into the warehouse through a pair of distracted mercenary's.
Ruby burst through into the warehouse, eyes darting around trying to find Torchwick. Her last encounter had ended poorly; she would not make the same mistakes again. She raced through the warehouse, crates stacked high she went for a better vantage point. On top of the crates she spied her target. Torchwick walked through the maze of boxes, issuing orders to the few men that were still inside. She supressed her anger, which was what had failed her last time and what made her feel so wrong inside. She needed to do this cleanly, and quickly. She crept over the crates, every creak sending shivers down her spine. Torchwick was pacing, chattering to himself. His hand kept travelling to his coat, as if checking to see if something was missing. The Piece of Eden.
She managed to get closer, still he had not noticed. She flicked her wrist, her hidden blade sliding out. She stood crouched above him, hidden behind the tower of crates. "Where are they, have to deal with those dam kids and then the ones I work for don't even show up. I'm getting real tired of this." Torchwick straightened himself, his hand once more going to the small hourglass hidden in his coat. He heard movement, the creaking of wood, seeing the tumbling of boxes as he looked up. A blur of red came crashing down on him. He felt steel slide through his coat, and into his chest. He gasped for breath, blood slowly filling his pierced lung. He didn't feel himself fall to the ground, only the cold of the stone floor. He coughed, the weight of the person in red lifting off him, the blade sliding out of the wound. "H-h-ey… There…R-re-d. Nice of you too…d-drop in." He spluttered out his last words, blood now seeping from his lips, yet even still a sly grin adorned his face.
Ruby looked down at Torchwick, the man who had killed her Mother. She looked upon him and did not see the monster, she only saw the man. His eyes glossed over, the pale reflection of Ruby bouncing off them. She reached down and grabbed the hourglass, its soft glow illuminating the barley lit warehouse further. Her mother was avenged, now she had to complete her mission. She started walking away, stopping for a moment. It seemed wrong to just leave it all like that, a silent knife in the dark.
"Requiescat in pace," Ruby spun, searching for the source of the voice. From the darkness strode Reginald Schnee. "Latin, the true language of the Assassins, a way of showing respect to those we kill." He wore his Assassin gear, white in colour, somewhat military in appearance. He pulled down his hood, revealing his stern face. "You have done surprisingly well Ms Rose, you certainly take after your mother." He moved forward slowly, Ruby pacing backwards in response. "My daughter has trained you well, I'm quite proud of her. I may not show it Ms Rose but I do love my family, something we share in common. Can't you see I imprisoned Weiss for her own good, I didn't want her here for this, didn't want to risk her life. I was unsure as to how much protection the Templars would give to the artefact, I'm surprised at how little is here. Now if you would care to give me the artefact, my daughter and your friends undoubtedly need your assistance." Ruby looked at his outstretched hand.
"I can't do that, mother said I have to hide it. It's too dangerous."
"You condemn it without even knowing its purpose my dear girl. It is a relic of a time long gone, possess immeasurable power. It has the ability to turn back time, making the hourglass fit the design quite perfectly. It could topple any king, any order, it truly is the ultimate weapon." Ruby clutched the hourglass tighter, Reginald Schnee laughed, a stranger sound Ruby had never heard. "That is not what I want Ruby, at least not at the moment. I love my family, as you love yours. Could you live with yourself knowing that you held the thing that could bring back your mother, and didn't use it? Give it to me, I can stop all this, prevent everyone's loss. I can save my wife, find her the medicine she needed earlier, I could stop Winter's killer. I can change history, and save both our families." Ruby hesitated, is it possible? Can I bring mother back?
"I-I don't know, if it could do all this, why would my Mother fear it so much?"
"I cannot say, she warned me though. Before she left, she said she knew what I planned, and that she had taken the artefact. She betrayed me like so many others, in the end she got what she deserved, and served her purpose." It slowly clicked in Ruby's mind as the white haired man gazed longingly at the hourglass. "You let her die. You purposefully sent Blake and Weiss late, so that my mother would be dead. You hoped that she had this thing." Reginald Schnee sighed, his face hardening. "I did what I had too for my family. Just as you had to kill this man for your mother, right?" Reginald motioning to the Torchwick's corpse.
Ruby looked down at the hourglass, the glowing symbols slowly growing brighter, blinding her. Images flashed before her eyes, she saw glimpses of her mother, of Weiss and her family. She also saw horrible things, death, war and famine. She saw sadness, she felt sadness. Visions of possible futures, futures the device could create. Futures where her mother would die soon after Ruby would save her, futures where Weiss entire family would be attacked and would all die. Most of all she saw futures where she would never meet Weiss, lives that she would live in perpetual boredom and loneliness. The visions swirled, lowly reforming, her mind snapping back to reality. She saw Weiss father move quickly, grabbing for the hourglass. She pulled away, trying to defend it. Reginald Schnee growled in anger, pushing Ruby down. In a flash he plucked the hourglass from her weak fingers. Why do I feel so weak? She tried to move but pain sent bolts of lightning to her brain. She looked down at her stomach, a wound bled profusely over her gear. She looked to Weiss' father, his left hand was stained with what could only be her blood. "Y-you, stabbed me."
"Yes I did, you resisted. But don't fear you shall live in the world I can create with this thing."
"N-no, don't use it! I saw things, there is no," Ruby coughed, her throat constricting in pain, "happiness in the f-future you create. E-everything is p-permitted, we have to l-live with our choices."
"Foolish girl, no choice matters but mine now, I control time."
Weiss backed away from Neo. The two had given each other a thousand wounds, they were torn, ragged and tired. Around them the others finished off the last mercenary's, all turning to face the solitary Templar. They walked forward as a group weapons ready to end the final enemy. Fear found its way to Neo's face, she knew that she would not be able to beat them all.
Yang rushed forward, screaming as she aimed to behead her. The Templar girl managed to step away from the blow, her axe sinking into the earth. Ren was next, flinging a series of kicks and punches at her. Neo blocked them, feeling immense pain as her blocks caught the strong strikes of the Assassin. Nora swung her hammer, snapping her blade in two. Finally Weiss rushed forward, aiming to put the Templar girl down with a single stab. Neo reached into a hidden pocket, pulling out a single smokebomb. Unable to completely avoid the white haired girls blow, she moved as to avoid the blow being her last. The rapier passed through her shoulder, allowing Neo to get close enough to punch the white haired girl in the face. The force of her blow forced Weiss back, taking the rapier with her. Neo dropped the smokebomb, and fled.
Weiss wiped the blood form her eyes, trying to find the Templar. The smoke causing her to cough uncontrollably and totally impairing her vision. Eventually she stood with her friends, all searching for signs of the strange girl. "Where's Ruby!" Yang's voice portraying her extreme worry.
"She went inside, I saw her make it into the warehouse in the confusion." Ren calmly scanning for the Templar. "I will go look for her, you guys go after the Templar, she still poses a threat." Weiss' voice not coming out as commanding as she wished. Yang moved towards the warehouse, ignoring her words. "Yang, go look for that Templar, I can go find Ruby."
"I'm her big sister, I'm going in there."
"No you are not, we don't know what's in there, I would rather be able to simply sneak in case something has gone wrong."
"That's my sister, I'm going in!"
"Yang, calm down, if you want to help then you can. Stay here I will go scout it out, I will call for you when I have found you sister." Weiss stood resolute, glaring down Yang. The blonde nodded, her eyes staring daggers at her the whole time. Weiss strutted inside, Yang waited at the door, Nora and Ren leaving in pursuit of Neo. Weiss stalked quickly and quietly in the long shadows cast by the walls of crates. She could hear voices, a stern oddly familiar voice complemented by the squeaky voice that could only belong to Ruby. She quickened her pace moving towards the sound of the voices.
She saw Ruby first, her eyes wide with terror as she look into the hourglass. Her father leapt forward, his hidden blade stabbing Ruby. She dropped to the ground, her father grabbing the hourglass form her hands. Weiss was stunned, unable to process what she had seen. The two exchanged a few more words, Ruby clearly on her last legs. Weiss found herself running, propelled by a white hot fury. She ran at her father, throwing all of her remaining strength into a single blow. Her father saw her, his mouth opening to speak. His words never came, Weiss slamming into him, her rapier passing through him. The force of her charge sent him sprawling, the rapier still embedded deep in his chest. Weiss started hyperventilating, her mind in chaos. She looked to Ruby, her eyes wide in surprise, her face pale form blood loss. Weiss cradled her head, whispering to her. "Ruby, its ok, it's going to be fine, I've got you." Soft tears slowly striking down her face.
Ruby looked up at Weiss, she felt more tired than she had ever felt, the pain was slowly fading into the back of her mind. "Weiss, hide it, you have to, hide it. It's too dangerous. I'm…sorry…I'm sorry…"
"No Ruby, its fine, stop apologising. It's fine, I forgive you for whatever it is, it's fine seriously. Ruby it's ok, don't worry…No Ruby stay with me, don't you dare close your eyes you dolt!….P-please Ruby don't go" Weiss burst into tears as she uttered the last few words. Ruby's head rolled to the side, lifeless.
Weiss sat there over Ruby's body, crying. Yang eventually entered the scene, she too joining Weiss in crying over Ruby. Weiss crawled away, unable to look into Ruby's dead face. She crawled over to her father, who also lay lifeless. She grabbed the hourglass, not dwelling long on his death. He had grown cold over the years, her father had stopped being so after the death of her sister. Now he had killed Ruby, Weiss' only real friend. She looked down at the hourglass, all for this, this little thing. Why? What can this thing do that is worth so much pain?
She closed her eyes. She could hear Yang's sobs, she could hear her own sobs. She gripped the hourglass tightly, she could feel her tears dripping down form her face. She felt a light shine in her face, opening her eyes she was blinded, the world now nothing but piercing white light.
She saw Ruby first, her eyes wide with terror as she look into the hourglass. She screamed, her father hesitating as he looked towards his daughter. She raced forward, not again. She sprinted, coming to a stand in front of Ruby. "Move aside Weiss, I need the artefact. Trust me, it's for your own good."
"Weiss, don't do it, trust me this thing is not worth it." Weiss ignored the younger girl, she already knew the pain that thing could cause. "Father step down, I will strike you down if I have too."
"Daughter, I can bring back your mother, you sister. I can save your friends mother, why would you not want this. I will not step dow-" Weiss stabbed her father through. For the second time, she watched her father die, "You killed Ruby." Her father collapsed, falling to the ground as blood pooled around him. Weiss stood stunned over her father. She had killed her father twice, she had travelled back in time, she had watched Ruby, her best friend, her only friend, the girl she loved, die. She felt faint, swaying as the weight of the last months events collapsed onto her shoulders. She heard Ruby behind her, felt her arms wrap around her, and she passed out.