So... A few chapters back, when I was showing the Masters in the Realm of Darkness, something felt off. All the way to upload I never figured out what. Well, the other day, I finally realized I completely forgot Terra existed. I didn't mention him at all in the chapter because I literally forgot he was even a character. I'm probably going to go back and add his name somewhere, until then you can just assume he was there. Sorry to all the Terra fans out there.
Team RWBY hatched a plan to investigate the first Friday of the new semester. The classes seemed to drag on, and when they finally ended, the girl's couldn't help but be excited to start their search.
"I thought that class was never going to end," Blake commented.
"Today our investigation finally begins," Weiss seemed relieved. "Ready, Ruby? Ruby?"
The team leader stared out the window, absentmindedly fiddling with the clasps on her gauntlet.
"Remnant to Ruby," Yang waved her hand in front of her sister's eyes to bring her attention back to the task at hand. "We doing this thing?"
"Right. Yes." Ruby nodded quickly. She turned to face her team. "All right, let's go over the plan one more time. Weiss?"
"I will head to the CCT and check the Schnee records for any other Dust robberies or inconsistencies. Seeing as I'm in the family, it shouldn't be a problem," Weiss sounded off professionally.
Blake picked up next, "the White Fang has regular faction meetings to hand out orders and recruit new members. If I can get in, I can hopefully find out what they're planning."
Yang smiled and took her turn. "I have an old friend on the shady side of town that typically knows everything going on in Vale. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard."
"Alright," Ruby nodded and turned to Blake. "Your heading into the most danger, but as a human I can't get into the rally. So I'll be nearby, ready to back you up on your call."
"Let's do this!" Yang cheered.
"Yeah!"
The girls froze. That second cheer didn't come from any of them. Their heads turned together to the window, where they saw Sun hanging upside down from outside.
"How did you get up there?" Yang asked him.
"It's easy," Sun shrugged, "I do it all the time."
"You do what!?" Weiss scolded.
"I climb trees all the time!" Sun elaborated, unfazed. He managed to swing himself through the window into the dorm. "So, are we finally getting back to looking into the White Fang?"
"We are going to investigate the situation," Blake gestured to the other girls, "as a team."
"We appreciate your help before, but we'd rather not get friends involved," Ruby explained.
"Pshh, that's dumb! You should always get friends involved," Sun waved them off.
"You're not going to let up on this, are you, Sun?" Blake deduced, knowing full well how stubborn her fellow faunus could be.
"Nope!" Sun confirmed proudly.
"Okay..." Ruby did some quick thinking. "As a faunus, Sun can accompany Blake. The more backup for her, the better."
"Sounds like a plan!" Sun smiled widely. "So… what is the plan again?"
Blake led Sun and Ruby to the warehouse district before telling Ruby to break off. The team leader remained nearby, trying her best not to look like she was loitering. She managed to find a coffee shop on a corner. She sat down in the outdoor patio with a mug of cocoa, her gaze cast over the railing and into the distance. As she waited and hoped she wouldn't be needed, someone approached the railing from outside the patio.
Ruby was brought out of her reverie once she realized she was being stared at. She looked over the newcomer, a girl wearing a beige blouse, a black and green skirt coverall, tall black and green boots, and a cute face framed with bright green eyes and bright orange hair. "Um, hello?"
"Hello!" The girl greeted cheerfully.
After another moment of silence, Ruby spoke up again. "Can I help you?"
"I'm all right, thank you!" The strange girl nodded.
Ruby waited for her to leave. She didn't. "Okay…"
The girl looked as though she suddenly remembered something. "I was actually wondering… if I could join you?" she asked, sounding unsure of herself.
Ruby didn't know what to think. "I mean, I guess..."
"Thank you! I'll be right in!" The girl cheered right back up and walked to the main entrance.
Ruby wating with one brow raised. She didn't have to wait long, as her 'guest' sat at her table without ordering anything. "Are you not getting a drink?"
"I'm not thirsty," the girl answered.
"...Okay then..."
Ruby began to study the girl. Something about her seemed off, but also a little familiar. The more the young wielder thought, the sharper a theory began to form in her head.
"It's… a wonderful day we're having!" the girl cut in when the silence dragged too long.
Ruby smiled lightly. Her theory seemed more plausible with every sentence. "You don't know how to make friends, do you?"
The strange girl was stunned by the quick deduction. Everything about her body language screamed 'embarrassment' save for the lack of a blush in her face. "I, um… are we not friends…?" she eventually lamented.
Ruby giggled, "I don't even know your name."
"Oh, right!" the girl nervously fidgeted. "My name is Penny! Penny Polendina!"
"Ruby Rose," Ruby introduced herself.
"I know!" Penny nodded.
"Really?" Ruby's face scrunched for a moment. "How?"
Penny gave a few empty blinks before smiling. "You are kind of famous around Beacon!"
"Am I?" Ruby questioned. "Wait, are you a student?"
"Yes indeed!" Penny nodded. "I'm visiting from Atlas for the Vytal Festival!"
"Huh," Ruby nodded and took a drink of her cocoa. "So, why are you in this part of the city?
"Just exploring," Penny answered. She hiccuped. "Excuse me... What about you?"
"Exploring as well," Ruby lied.
Penny tilted her head. "But you live here?"
"I live at Beacon right now," Ruby corrected.
"But wouldn't you have lived in Vale before that?" Penny asked.
"I've been… out of town for a few years," Ruby answered carefully.
"Where?" Penny pressed.
"Well..." Ruby turned away, just in time to see Blake and Sun running across the rooftops. Her eyes widened, and her scroll sounded off in her pocket. She answered quickly.
Blake's voice came first. "Everyone! If you can hear me, we need back-"
"HEEELLP!" Sun screamed, cutting her off. "Big robot! And it's big! Really big! That Torchwick guy is in it! But not like, it didn't eat him! He's like, controlling it or something!"
Ruby shoved her scroll back into her pocket, stood, and turned to Penny. "Sorry, but I gotta go."
"Where are we going?" Penny asked innocently.
"No, Penny, I've got to go," Ruby reiterated. "We'll find each other back at Beacon, okay!? See ya!" The young leader vaulted the railing and began running the direction she saw her friends running.
It wasn't hard to follow the path of destruction that Ruby assumed was caused by Torchwick's robot. "I need to catch up!" The young Keyblade wielder used her Flowmotion power and quickly became little more than a red neon streak bouncing from wall to pole to wall again. She managed to catch sight of the mech.
Not a moment after catching that glimpse, a fireball struck her side. She was knocked out of Flowmotion and sent veering into the shadows under the raised freeway. She hit the ground and quickly rolled back onto her feet, summoning Crescent Rose as she stood. "Who's there!?"
A circle of fire erupted around her, trapping her within. A figure, dressed in black, with a hood and mask to boot, stepped through the flames, not taking any damage from them in the process. Her eyes glowed like embers. There was something else, too… something a lot more familiar to the redhead. She settled into her combat stance.
"Ruby Rose," the figure greeted her with a calm voice. "I had a feeling you might show up again, and I can't afford to allow you to interfere again."
"You work with Torchwick and Neopolitan?" Ruby asked.
"'With'?" the woman laughed. "Don't insult me."
"So they work for you," Ruby nodded. "You're in charge, then."
"Don't think it'll be so easy to take me in," the fire caster goaded.
Ruby looked around at the flames surrounding them. Is Dust capable of this? Or is this her semblance? "How are you doing this?"
"Like you don't know." The woman summoned flames around her arm. "Which one are you, anyways? Winter or Summer?"
Ruby tilted her head in clear confusion. "What?"
"I don't have either the time nor the patience for games!" The woman raised her palm to aim her fire at the Keyblade wielder. "I know where Spring is, and we both know what happened to Fall. So are you Winter or Summer?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ruby told her honestly.
The woman didn't seem fazed. "Then where does your magic come from?"
Ruby's eyes widened in shock. "What did you say…?"
"If you're not a maiden," the woman continued, "then what are you?"
Ruby gave no vocal answer, only tightened her grip on her Keyblade.
"I suppose it won't matter," the woman gathered her fire around herself. "Once I defeat you and take your magic for myself, you won't matter."
A fireball launched from the woman's hand. Ruby was ready, and easily knocked the attack aside. The Keyblade wielder pointed the tip of her weapon at her opponent, "Blizzara!" The blast struck the fiery woman encasing her shoulder. The ice melted away quickly, however, and only served as a minor distraction while Ruby rushed her. The woman's dust-infused clothing lit as she summoned a glass sword. Crescent Rose locked with the glass blade.
"'Blizzara'?" The woman teased. "You really aren't a maiden, are you? What kind of magic do you have?"
"Not the kind you can just take," Ruby taunted.
"We'll see about that," her opponent spoke smugly from under the mask. The two fighters separated, jumping away from each other. The masked woman formed a second glass sword into her off-hand and charged.
Ruby blocked one blade and dodged the other, managing to step into her enemy's side. She swung at the masked woman's ankle first, and knocked her off balance. Ruby followed with two additional strikes before winding up for a heavy third. The fiery woman crossed her swords in front of her to block the third strike. The force of the blow was still enough to send her sliding back on her heels, with both glass blades noticeably cracked. Ruby raised her Keyblade and called down "Thundara!", aimed at her enemy's weapons and shattering them.
Not one to relent an advantage, Ruby immediately charged. The masked woman threw the now useless hilts of her weapons one after the other, and both were easily knocked aside by Ruby without missing a step. The woman quickly formed a fireball in her hand as the Keyblade wielder closed the distance. Ruby, expecting a throw, kept an eye on it. However, the woman exploded the fireball in her hand, momentarily blinding the young wielder staring at it.
Ruby felt a hand grip her own, the one holding Crescent Rose. She opened her eyes, regaining her vision in time to watch her enemy pull her by her own weapon hand. The masked woman clawed her free hand and dig the fingertips into Ruby's gut. More fire circled the woman's arm, focusing in the space between her palm and Ruby's abdominals. The released blast sent the Keyblade wielder flying through the air. She landed several feet away, prone and weaponless.
The masked woman lifted Crescent Rose in her hand, examining her prize. "Your sword is much lighter than I anticipated. And this feeling… perhaps, this strange weapon is the source of your magic?"
"Close..." Ruby slowly rose to her feet. Once upright, she stretched her hand toward her opponent, and her Keyblade. "But not quite."
In a quick flash of red light, Ruby was holding Crescent Rose once again.
The masked woman stared at her empty hand. "So, you can even reclaim your weapon if someone else is holding it? Powerful indeed." Her eyes refocused on Ruby and fire erupted around her arms, "I can't wait to master such skills when your abilities are mine!"
"Someone like you could never be worthy of this power," Ruby scowled.
"I'll decide what I'm worthy of!"
The masked woman, tired of this entire affair, started indiscriminately slinging fireball after fireball at her foe. Her frustrations only rose and Ruby deftly blocked and dodged every one. Fury bubbled within her, alongside something else. Something that creeped along her arm until suddenly, one of her fireballs was black and purple. This fireball was the one that finally found home, and Ruby gave a short cry as it struck her.
Ruby watched her enemy stare at a black and purple smoke rising from the hand that threw the dark fireball. "Nurture my darkness…"
"Uh oh..." Ruby muttered under her breath.
The darkness spread across the masked woman, the purple aura and black smoke eminated from her upper arms and shoulders. "That freak said this is the power I need to beat you… and I didn't even have to steal it. Hehehe… Hahaha!"
The masked woman raised her arm, and Ruby immediately raised her guard. Her foe slammed her fist into the ground and purple cracks spread toward Ruby. Silver eyes widened, her realization too late to dodge as a pillar of dark fire erupted under her feet and sent her tumbling through the air. The masked woman chased her into the air, reeling a fist coated in dark fire. Ruby was thankful she had Ariel Recovery as she steadied herself in mid-air to block that attack. Even blocked, Ruby could feel the strike in her bones. The attack sent her right to the ground, and she barely managed to stay on her feet.
Her opponent charged another blow as she descended on Ruby. At the last moment, Ruby raised her Keyblade with a desperate "Reflera!" The barrier formed in time to catch the masked woman, and the burst sent her, unbalanced, back into the air. Ruby wasted no time and followed with Ariel Sweep, launching a full four-hit air combo off it. She finished with a heavy overhead that sent her enemy straight to the ground.
Ruby made sure to land facing her foe, who herself recovered quickly. The masked woman charged both of her fists with her dark fire, prompting Ruby to put her guard up once again. Unfortunately, Ruby's defense proved inapt this time. Her opponents first blow broke her guard with ease. A second punch went straight to Ruby's gut, doubling her over.
A final punch across Ruby's cheek was the end for the young wielder. She landed several feet away, flat on her back, her Keyblade falling from her grip and vanishing.
The darkness receded from her enemy. The masked woman approached the fallen wielder slowly while strapping a large gloved device onto her arm. "Did you know that Atlas is conducting 'extreme experiments' with aura? There are even devices built to transfer aura from one body to another." She knelt in front of her prey, grabbing her by her jacket and holding the palm of the device to her chest. "This glove isn't quite as elegant, but it has allowed me to get this far."
Ruby felt a needle from the devices palm pierce her chest. That was only the start… whatever it was doing, she could feel it forcing it's way around her heart as if searching for something. Her masked companion's eyes turned from prideful to furious. "Where is it? Why can't I find your power!?"
Ruby, using all of her will, raised her arm and grabbed the masked girl's wrist, slowly forcing the device free of her. "I told you..." Ruby's voice was strained, "my power isn't one you can take!" Crescent Rose reappeared in her hand and she swung at the arm sporting the likely stolen Atlas tech. The masked woman reeled from the shower of sparks and broken metal.
Free of her foe's grip, Ruby propped herself up on one elbow and pointed her Keyblade at her opponent. Meanwhile the masked woman stared at the broken device. "How… dare you!"
"Please… give me strength..." Ruby prayed, pulling on the connections in her heart until she got an answer. A fresh burst of magic power rushed into her as she Linked with her oldest connection. The young wielder poured all her borrowed strength into Crescent Rose, hoping it would be enough to cast a powerful spell she had never attempted before.
"Megaflare!"
The shockwave was more than enough to push the masked woman off-balance, as well as extinguish the ring of fire that had dictated their arena. Chasing the shockwave was a bright white explosion that was unlike anything she had ever felt. The attack didn't seem to relent until the light itself faded, leaving the once fiery woman feeling completely drained, and she fell to her hands and knees.
"No… no, no, I cannot be beaten by a child..." The masked woman attempted to find her feet.
"It wasn't…. enough…?" Crescent Rose shook in Ruby's grip. After the beating she had taken and her last hail mary move, she was struggling to stay conscious.
Her foe managed to stand. Although she didn't look much better off than Ruby herself, it wouldn't take much to finish off the young wielder in her current state. The fiery woman raised her fist.
"RUBY!"
Yang led the charge with the rest of RWBY plus Sun in tow. The blonde brawler ran between the masked woman and her prey with fists raised. "And who the hell are you?" Weiss and Blake fell into line on either side of Yang, with Sun ready at the enemy's flank.
The masked woman weighed her options, and found them wanting. Even her attempts to summon her newfound darkness only resulted in a normal flame coating her fist. She could finish off a helpless Ruby, yes… but she was in no condition for a four-on-one fight. She looked past Yang to a collapsing Ruby one last time, a scowl hidden beneath her mask. "This isn't over."
A pillar of flame shrouded the woman, and when the fire had faded, she had vanished.
"What the hell!" Sun dashed to the spot the woman once stood. "She got away! How did she even do that?"
"Nevermind that!" Yang shouted, spinning and rushing down to her unconscious sister's side. "Ruby!"
"She's not…?" Weiss feared the worst.
"She's breathing!" Yang assuaged them. "She's breathing..."
"Even so, she's in bad shape," Blake pointed out. "We should get her to Beacon's infirmary."
"Right!" Yang nodded, lifting Ruby into her arms. "Let's go!"