"Your wish is my command."

When Jacques and Yang squared against each other, the other gang members attempted to interfere since they wanted to make it easier for their boss to win. The group charged the blonde enemy, but veered to an abrupt halt when darts pricked the floor in front of them.

They were helpless as they glanced up with their jaws dropped in disbelief. Spikes of hellfire showered down on them in the form of darts. The tiny missiles were hauntingly razor-sharp and soared at their forms.

"What the fu-"

They scrambled and had nowhere to take cover. Acute stings pricked their skin as they cowered to protect their heads. Screeches ensued, which left the assailant on higher ground to slyly smile. Up on the partial floor was Ruby, who darted back and forth. The flooring spanned across the entire room, so it was like she was an AK-47 but with darts.

Run, Ruby thought repeatedly as she rapidly fired the darts. Run and don't return!

When the gang members bolted to flee the area, Ruby paused to search for her next unfortunate target. A good chunk of the gang bailed completely and jumped out the shattered windows looking like petrified porcupines.

All bark and no bite, Ruby observed as she held onto her slingshot. It's going as planned so far.

The Dusts members who chose to stay frantically searched above, only to find nothing. Ruby knelt and smirked in her corner of darkness. Since she was the overwatch, she constantly watched her friends below. Her job was to give them a supportive edge on the battlefield.

Yang's fine for now, Ruby thought as she watched her sister smoothly dodge a blow. Her and jackass are on equal terms.

Content, Ruby focused on her girlfriend. Blake was engaged in fierce combat with Whitley, who twisted a rock-like fist into her shoulder. From the hit, the faunus pitched backward and barely parried the next punch with her katana.

Whitley needs to be humbled, Ruby thought and tightened her slingshot. A nose piercing might suit him.

Whitley gained the upper-hand and forced her to step backward. He was so fast that Blake was forced to focus on dodging. She also had to familiarize herself with the katana. She wasn't confident in using it to attack yet. Even though she wanted to hurt him, the last thing she wanted was to accidentally cut him too deeply and make him bleed out.

"What's the matter, faunus?" Whitley taunted and quickly sidestepped. "Where's your earlier confidence?"

When Blake found her resolve to press forward, Whitley decked her in the lip and crushed more of her confidence.

"Agh," Blake grunted in pain and felt her lips swell.

Blood dripped down now that it was busted. That was a surprisingly powerful slug for such a scrawny boy.

She didn't lose her footing and raised her katana, only for Whitley to kick her in the leg. Blake yelped, stumbled, and cursed herself. She was on a losing streak and needed to turn the tide. The plan banked on her defeating this devil spawn. She couldn't let her friends down.

Her leg would definitely bruise since it felt like a rock nailed her in the side of her knee. Whitley was controlled and concise with every movement. Unlike Blake, who had little experience in fighting people. Let alone with a katana.

No wonder Weiss didn't want to mess with him.

When Whitley whirled around to jab his pointy elbow into her gut, Blake braced herself with the katana. The strike never came. Instead, Whitley stopped abruptly mid-turn and absorbed a dart centered in his palm. It would have nailed his nose if he hadn't stopped to protect himself.

Whitley paused to stare at his hand in frustration.

"Your little snipe's annoying-"

With a war cry, Blake slashed him down the shoulder with her blade. He got too comfortable and assumed his opponent wouldn't use the weapon since she was only a schoolgirl. Blake was graceful, and the cut was superficial but enough to sting and throb over his entire body.

"Shit," Whitley cursed, shocked by the red stripe along his body. "I didn't think you had it in you."

Before he could gain his bearings, Blake twirled and rammed his chest with the blunt end of her katana. The result was satisfying as he gasped for air and flew back with a thud.

"I normally wouldn't," Blake admitted and poised her katana at him. "Unfortunately, it's too late for you to back out. You hurt my beloved friend, so you need to suffer."

Before she could approach him when he was down, a gang member shouted.

"She's up there!"

Blake looked across the room to see him point up. "Ruby…"

When the group rushed to the ladder, Blake temporarily abandoned her fight with Whitley to help her girlfriend. Ruby was a ranged fighter and wouldn't be able to hold her own in melee combat. If the gang got to her, it would be over.

"Stay away!" Blake warned.

Blake lowered her katana and dashed to the ladder and knocked it over with a strained grunt. The remaining gang members were along with it when it dangerously tilted. They howled as they fell and grunted when they finally thudded on the floor.

At least now there was no way they could reach Ruby.

When Blake had her back turned, Whitley thrust his bony fist into her ribs. She felt a couple of them crack under the immense pressure. She could only shriek from the devastating blow and tumbled backward into a hard pillar.

"Easily distracted," Whitley noted and launched at her.

Narrowly, Blake evaded another kick by sliding out of the way. His leg crashed into the concrete pillar, but he didn't bat an eye from the impact. A small crater was left in his wake as he shook his leg.

While he did that, Blake's adrenaline pumped wildly and allowed her to flip up to stand. She composed herself faster than he anticipated. Right when Blake stood firmly, she twisted around and cleanly sliced his stomach. The cut was deeper this time as blood steadily flowed out.

Whitley looked at her in shock with his hands red. "You don't want to kill me."

The sight caused Blake to be pleased with herself. It was only a gash, but Whitley looked frightened from his own crimson liquid.

"After what you did to my friend, I can be easily persuaded," Blake said through pants. The battle weighed on her since it hurt to breathe. Her ribs ached as she clutched them. "Are you nothing without a weapon?"

Blake felt much more confident now with the pure shock on his face. Those beady eyes widened as he studied his tainted white shirt. Blake knew he was rethinking his strategy now. She couldn't give him an extra minute. Not a second.

When Blake advanced a step, Whitley screeched and frantically scuttled into a corner. She liked that reaction and pressed on with a leap. The katana would have shredded his arm, but Whitley practically dove out a broken window.

Briefly, Blake paused in confusion. "That's one way to dodge…"

When she heard the patter of footsteps, her cat ears flicked. They were growing distant. Perturbed, Blake pressed onto the open window and watched him vanish into the night.

"When it gets tough, he runs…" Blake grasped her ribcage in pain and wiped her face of the sweat and blood. "Disgusting."

While Blake composed herself, Ruby watched from above. She was hurt, but safe.

Good job, Blake, Ruby thought. Two cuts and he runs like the wind. I'm glad she didn't have to get serious.

With Whitley out of the way, Ruby could properly focus on Yang and Weiss.

After Yang clipped Jacques in the center of his chest, the gang leader slipped backward. He was easily able to block the next jab since her movements became predictable over time. During the block, he pushed onto her hands with such force that Yang lost her footing.

While she composed herself, Jacques switched his plan of attack. He yanked out a pistol, which made Yang pause from the sudden lethal weapon. When Jacques moved to aim, it was knocked out of his grasp with a dart. The gun boomed onto the floor and he removed the dart from his hand in anger.

"Let's make this a fair fight," Yang said evenly and slowly approached him. "Or are you scared your underlings will watch a girl beat you?"

When the gun lay there, Ruby ensured no one rushed for it. She looked to the right at Weiss, who was still tied to the pillar. She'd been quiet.

"You wretched little girl," Jacques sneered. "How dare you defy me!"

Yang panted in exertion as she watched him switch stances. They clashed together in the throes of fury. She landed lots of jabs on him, but he didn't appear to lose steam. He lunged several hits as well, and she was starting to feel it. Tons of bruises scoured her body and weighed her down. To catch her breath, Yang leaped back. She had to change tactics if she wanted to make any headway.

"Show me what the notorious Dusts gang leader can do," the blonde taunted.

She heard all kinds of things about him, but that mostly didn't matter to her. What mattered was that he made her girlfriend's life a living hell. He was the source of all her problems. He was the evil that prodded constantly into Weiss' life and refused to go away.

As he approached, Yang was exhilarated. This was her chance to put him in his place. This was the long-awaited fight she dreamed about. This was her chance to help her precious girlfriend. To force him to acknowledge that Weiss can and will live without him.

"Your left!" Weiss shouted.

Rather than lean right to elude, Yang dropped to the floor and rocketed an uppercut below his jaw. When he staggered back, she didn't give him time to recover and rapid-fired punches all over his body like he was a punching bag.

Yang cried in effort with every blow. Jacques absorbed the pounding like a sponge and stood firm. When she eventually slowed, Jacques simply grabbed her arm and used that momentum to easily toss her onto the floor.

"Yang!" Weiss yelped.

"You're weak," Jacques announced and followed after her.

Yang coughed when the wind was knocked out of her. She fumbled to stand but panted in exhaustion. Before he could kick her, a dart pierced his shin.

"Agh, get that damned snipe!" Jacques roared and ripped out the needle. "Do it now!"

From the command, his goons hurried to locate the fallen ladder. Until now, they struggled to stand from the tumble they took earlier.

Fortunately, Blake was there to hold them off and spun in a circle with her blade. This forced the gang members to give her space.

"Stay back," Blake warned through grit teeth. "I won't let you get to her."

When Blake paused, the guys circled around her.

"You gonna show us your claws?" a member taunted.

"What's wrong? Lookin' tired, there."

"Don't be scared, kitty."

"Me-ow."

The jibes jammed into her cat ears as they flicked up in concentration. The goons rushed her all at once, but she was successful in knocking them back with the blade. Most were hit and crashed onto the floor. All laid there except one, who was behind her and held a knife. At this rate, she would be stabbed in the back.

Ruby gasped and tried to warn her.

"Blake!"

Ruby's such a pain in the ass for them I love it.

Stay dandy,

~Toto