Shorter chapter, as I'm recovering from something I think is Covid. Also, there will be a timeskip next chapter
—
Ruby looked down at the small camera Professor Ozpin offered her, taking it, "What's this for?"
"So we can monitor you during the mission," Ozpin said.
"Understood," Ruby said, walking to the elevator out of the room and stepping in. Once she was out of Beacon, she said, "Ordis, send the Liset to my location please?"
"Understood, Operator!" Ordis chirped, and said, "Should I deploy your weapons?"
"No, what I have should work," Ruby said, feeling the Vectis Prime on her back and Despair at her hips. The Liset rose, and Ruby stepped into the recess, feeling the magnets lock into place as she gripped the handholds. Immediately, the Liset took off and began to make their way towards their target. A couple of minutes later, Ruby was dropping from the ship,
Checking the Scroll to make sure she was in the right location, Ruby ghosted through the forest, drawing Despair off her hip and aiming as she found the tents built into a large clearing in the forest. Flinging out a knife, she watched the monofilament kunai sink into the back of the first bandit's neck, severing their spine and trachea in one go. As they dropped, the second bandit opened his mouth, okay to find another Despair sliding into the open orifice and silencing them permanently.
Slinging Vectis Prime off her back, she aimed down the sights. Breathing out, long and sure, she pulled the trigger and watched another guard's head explode in gore, before shifting to another and pulling the trigger again as she looked around wildly.
"We're under attack!" Someone called, only for Ruby to lead down and draw the Skiajati and rush forwards, golden blade flashing red as she drew the blade and decapitated him in one motion. Two bandits snapped up guns and Ruby stood began to weave the Skiajati in a familiar pattern, deflecting bullets as quickly as they were fired and dancing closer to the backpedaling bandit.
"What the hell is that thing!?" One bandit demanded as Ruby approached. Another flash, and the bandit split in two lengthwise, Umbra's muscles flexing with barely felt exertion. This was gonna be easy.
—
"You sent her after bandits?" Tai demanded, watching Umbra split a man in two before returning his sword to its sheath. Three knives appeared in his hand and he flung them, each one sinking into a bandit's neck causing them to collapse, gurgling blood.
"I suspected, and this confirms it, that Miss Rose has no compunction against killing humans," Ozpin said as another bandit was decapitated, "This allowed me to gauge her reaction to the idea. And it seems… Muted, to say the least."
"And if it hadn't been?" Qrow asked.
"I would have assigned her a new mission against Grimm," Ozpin said, continuing to watch Ruby massacre the bandits, "but I suspected that a Tenno was a type of soldier."
"Soldier," Yang repeated, voice cracking, "Ruby became a soldier while she was gone?"
"I doubt it was willingly," Ozpin confirmed.
"That doesn't make it better," Tai said, watching Umbra weave around a sword strike and impale the offending bandit through the chest. Who had turned his daughter into a soldier? Was it Ballas? Whoever it was, there was gonna be hell to pay if Tai could get his hands on them. Going by the blood red glare from Yang and Qrow's grip on Harbinger, he wasn't the only one.
"It's the only thing I can assume, given her ship and the way she refuses to talk about it. It is similar to how war veterans act," Ozpin said between watching Ruby decapitate a bandit.
"Then what do we do?" Yang asked quietly.
"Be there for her," Ozpin said, "the way she acts, I suspect being near you is just as important to her as being near her is as important for you, Yang. Were you close, before she disappeared?"
"Yes," Yang said.
"Then I can't dream of separating you. Her reaction to the bandits is a bit worrying, I will admit, but I can't imagine separating you two after this."
Tai nodded, "I'm glad you're being so accommodating, Ozpin."
"Don't doubt I have ulterior motives too, Tai-Yang. As I said to Ruby, it is foolish to let her be an unknown factor. Bringing her into Beacon lets me watch her and make sure her rehabilitation into society goes well. She-"
Before Ozpin could finish, and ear splitting howl cut through the room, drawing everyone's attention back to the screen. Umbra had thrown his head back, and Tai realized the Warframe had made the first noise he had heard from it. And it was the most hellish howl he had ever heard, even compared to Grimm, sounding half like a wild animal and half like a man screaming in agony and given by the way the bandits were staggering about, clutching their ears as they leaked blood, it was only worse in person.
Umbra spun the sword around and plunged it into the ground, spears of black light appearing in front of each bandit and ramming into them, picking them up and throwing them back, impaling them to trees and tent poles.
"What the hell is Umbra?" Yang asked the million lien question, looking a bit green around the gills. As the woman who must have been the bandit leader tore her spear out of her chest and spat a wad of blood. Gripping both of her axes, she charged Umbra.
Umbra swung his sword once, and a beam of energy flashed through the air and decapitated the leader before they even had the chance to take more than ten steps, stepping to the side so the headless body sailed past.