Well, I know that I don't really update this story a lot, but I like to think that this chapter is the fanfic's version of the V2 finale, so I had to update it. Think of it like an extended post-credits scene.
Either way, I'll be putting up chapters for Volume 3 soon-ish. Just have to get started.
Chapter 43: Old Dog, New Tricks
Discharge from the hospital was supposed to be a happy occasion. One would be welcomed home with open arms, smiles on faces, and perhaps a party.
Unfortunately, one's reasons for staying the hospital weren't because of 'turning into a monster and nearly destroying the city'. Because of this, no one even bothered to notice me, instead either looking away, or giving me a hateful glare. No one tormented me over the incident to my face, but I had heard whispers in the halls. Words like "freak", "monster" and "Grimmspawn", mainly. Just enough to sting. There was now a permanent quarantine zone surrounding me. Nobody would dare step within 10 metres of my presence. And I didn't blame them one bit.
Sitting alone in the cafeteria definitely took the taste out of meals. In fact, it even took away my appetite. Where I formerly swallowed meals with gusto, now I just pushed bits and pieces around with my fork, head resting on my arm, and feeling miserable. Even classes had lost their appeal. Nobody wished to partner up with me, leaving me alone to do half-hearted work on projects, with theories running around in my head as to how I could fix my Iridescent Basilisks.
I had become a monster. And I was now paying the price.
Hours became days. Days became weeks. Every day just dragged slowly by, and I grew more and more depressed.
Finally, two days before the tournament was to start, I was still trying to put my ruined weapons back together, utilising a workbench Professor Kor had offered to me, along with some tools. But even with the blueprints in front of me, it was starting to seem futile. The casing had shattered, the cocking mechanism was stuck in place, and the mechanism to close the pincer blades was mangled beyond repair.
"You still tinkering?"
I didn't jump at the voice: Yang had come and gone every day, making sure I ate and drank while I worked through the week.
"There's too much damage. I don't think it's possible to fix." I stated sadly. Yang placed a breakfast muffin and a glass of juice on the worktable, and rested her chin on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my stomach.
"Darrel, you're turning into Blake here. Get some rest, please?" She pleaded. I just put down my tools, and leaned over the bench.
"I got enough rest in hospital. No one wants to be near me, and I don't blame them. I became a monster that day, and people are still thinking I'll do it again."
"That wasn't your fault. The Fragment thingy made you do that." Yang consoled, massaging my shoulder. I just brushed her off gently, and spun around to look at her, leaning back on the table.
"The Fragment did that to me because I let it happen. I tried to absorb it like a Dust crystal, and I lost control. It was a mistake, one I shouldn't have made. I only did it because I had no choice, and I'm not letting it happen. Never again." I finished, picking up the tools and getting back to work. Yang released me, obviously saddened that I wasn't intent on complying with her request. I heard her leave, gently shutting the door behind her.
"Grr, come on, you piece of…" I muttered, digging into the internal workings with a pair of needle-nose pliers, trying to retrieve even more of the casing. The muffin and juice lay neglected, as my repair attempts continued well beyond nightfall.
"Morning, sleepyhead!"
I opened my eyes, to see Yang standing over me. Rubbing my head, I stood up from my seat, and looked out the window.
"It's 8am. Thought you'd still be here." She began. I just sighed, and walked over to the workbench.
"I told you already: I'm not leaving until– where'd it go?!"
The parts for my weapon had vanished. I began to panic.
"Where'd what go?"
"My weapons! They're gone! Someone must've taken them!" I gibbered, frantically searching throughout the clutter for the parts. Yang just put her hand on my shoulder, and spun me around.
"Yeah, about that… I've got a surprise for you. Follow me!" She said, dragging me out of the room and towards our dormitory.
"But… my gauntlets…"
"Trust me, Darrel." She responded, before dragging me down the hallways, back to our dorm. Despite my protests, Yang continued to pull me along, practically throwing me into the dorm room.
Ruby was kneeling down over something, Blake crouched down beside her, a large piece of paper in her hands. Weiss was sitting on the bed, Zwei bundled in her lap and letting out happy whines as she scratched his ears.
"Ruby, is it ready?" Yang asked. Ruby looked over her shoulder, and nodded, with a grin.
"It's done!" She exclaimed, getting to her feet, and turning to us. Blake did the same, rolling up the paper into a neat tube.
"What is this about, girls?" I asked bitterly.
"Hello to you, too." Weiss scoffed sarcastically, as she rubbed Zwei's belly. Blake rolled her eyes, and began to speak, nestling the scroll of paper in the crook of her arm.
"Anyway, we noticed how down in the dumps you've been, and the amount of time you've spent on your weapons isn't healthy. So we've decided-"
"-That you deserve a new one!" Ruby squealed. I just sighed.
"Guys, I appreciate it, really, but I was happy with my-"
"Ah, bupbupbup! Yeah, your Iridescent Basilisks were good, but I guarantee you'll love this!" Yang pushed me forwards, as Ruby and Blake parted, revealing the project…
a metal backpack?
"We noticed that you carry your rucksack everywhere, so we figured it'd be best to base your weapon around that." Ruby explained, as I glanced at the new "weapon". Out of the corner of my eye, Yang leant against the wall, folding her arms and cocking her knee out as she planted her foot flat on the wall.
"You remember those files Tukson hid? The ones you and the inspector dude found in his store? Well, a certain "friend" of mine managed to get hold of some blueprints that were bundled in them. He was willing to part with them, after some… 'persuasion'. Thanks to Blake, and her knowledge of the White Fang's ciphers, we managed to decode the blueprints, and Weiss was more than willing to front the Lien to pay for the materials we needed." Yang explaIned.
"And I saved you the hassle of building it. No need to thank me!" Ruby cheered. Running my hands over the backpack, I admired the fine craftsmanship. The body was made of a supple metal, lightweight, but strong. Titanium, if I had to guess. The straps were still made of sewn cloth, but they appeared to be reinforced with some kind of sturdy material, most likely carbonised nanotubes, or something similar. At the bottom corners of the backpack were a set of nozzles, angled downwards to the ground.
"Though we all decided that you'd be the perfect one to colour it. It's your new weapon, after all." Ruby added as an aside. Zwei barked happily, and Weiss quickly went back to cuddling the puppy.
Picking it up, and slinging it over my arm, I was surprised at how light it was. I thought it would feel like a brick was tied to my shoulder, but it felt like a sack full of cushions and pillows: it almost felt like nothing was there.
"Okay, but how is this a weapon?" I asked. Blake held up a pair of devices. One was much like the ones joggers kept their media players in as they exercised. The second was what appeared to be a driving glove, but with the ring finger, pinky finger, and thumb cut off. On the remaining two fingertips, were small lights, which glowed a dull azure.
"Here, put these on your wrists." She said, tossing the two accessories to me. One bounced off of my head and into my hands, while the other collided with my shoulder. Doing as she ordered, I noticed that the first device, which I placed onto my left wrist, was a simple mount, shaped like a rounded rectangle. The other gadget, the glove, encircled my right wrist with a metal band, while the glove had some sort of interior mechanism, like when you clench your fists, and feel the back of your hand as you do so. The feeling was like the tendons in my hand, except they went over my fingers, and into the lights, which began to glow brighter.
Yang pulled out my scroll from my old backpack, and strode over, snapping it into the mount with a click. As it buzzed, the diamond latch glowed, and let out a beam of light. In front of my eyes, I saw a hologram appear, with a variety of readings. An outline of a human body, with two meters, both transitioning from red, to yellow, to green, and what appeared to be two tubes above the meters, but with what appeared to be a foregrip, a trigger guard, and some sort of ribbing near the back of the tube.
Was I looking at… rocket launchers?
"Say hello to your new weapon: the Aura Caster system! Whaddya think?" Ruby squealed, as I looked over the hologram on my wrist. Out of pure curiosity, I tapped on one of the rocket launchers.
A resonance of clicks met my ears, startling me. As I tried to figure out the origin of the noise, I heard something on my backpack… move? What was happening?!
All at once, a tube arched downwards, coming to rest on my shoulder, blocking my peripheral vision slightly. I looked at the weapon in shock.
"Uhhh, what's happening?" I asked. Blake just stepped forwards, and gestured to the weapon.
"The blueprints called for a concealable weapon of destructive capabilities which could be hidden from view, and assembled on the fly. From what I could decipher, the idea was for undercover agents of the White Fang to utilize them for terror attacks and acts of extremism. Fortunately, they didn't have the resources to make it a viable project, and the idea was scrapped." She explained. I looked at her in curiosity.
"Define 'act of extremism.'"
"Along with rocket launchers, the backpacks functioned as… a bomb." She finished.
"But don't worry, we didn't add the bomb thingy to your weapon!" Ruby hastily added, much to my relief. Well, at least I wouldn't have to worry about spontaneously exploding for no reason.
"We added something much cooler, instead!" Ruby continued. Weiss placed Zwei aside on her bed, who whined at the sudden lack of attention, and strode over to me.
"Okay, now this may sound crazy, but you'll need to do it. Put your hand in the barrel."
"WHAT?!"
"Trust me, just do it." Weiss soothed. I sighed in resignation, and gingerly raised my right arm, and inserting it into the weapon's barrel, up to the elbow. This was a dumb idea: if the weapon discharged, then I'd be left with one arm, and a bloody stump.
"Alright, now. Do you feel a rod in there?" Weiss asked. Waving my fingers around, I felt them brush against some cold metal. It felt cylindrical, and I could easily grasp it.
"Yeah?"
"Grab it, and turn your wrist so that your thumb is facing downwards."
Complying with the heiress's instructions, I did as she said. With a click, I felt the weight on my shoulder vanish, and I lifted my arm, with the rocket launcher jammed on it. But with a mechanical whirr, the tube began to morph and shift, panels overlapping and sliding into place over my arm. Before I knew it, the rocket launcher had changed into a perfect duplicate of my arm, extending from the top of my shoulder to my fingertips. Looking at my palm, the metal clicked into place, and a triangular panel lit up in the center of my palm.
"A robo-arm?"
"Well, technically it's an autonomous strength-amplifying armoured gauntlet, which can fire energized blasts, but that's the general idea. Your arm is still flesh and blood, but the rocket launcher is bonded to you until you choose otherwise." Weiss corrected. Blake stepped forward.
"But that's not the only weapon in there. Try and flick your wrists." She ordered. I immediately complied, and a familiar-looking blade emerged from the top of my wrist. As the metal emerged, the edge began to glow with a fiery light.
"Isn't this-?"
"The blade from your gauntlets? Yeah. We thought we could cannibalize the parts from your weapon. Pincers didn't work, but the blade and the prototype cutter was still functional." Weiss answered. I grinned, ecstatic at this. This was awesome.
"Oh, and just because I could, I've added thruster jets to your pack. It's a weapon, a storage device, and a jetpack! What more could you want?!" Ruby squealed excitedly. I looked over my shoulder at my jetpack, and curiously tapped one of the boosters. Both sides ignited briefly, plumes of energy spiking from the nozzles, before disappearing. Yang kicked herself off of the wall, and walked on over to me.
"Okay, gang, that's enough. Why don't we head on down to the arena, see what these bad boys can do?" Yang grinned, grabbing my fleshy hand and dragging me back out to the hallways.
While Yang dragged me along to the combat arena, I looked over the gauntlet on my arm, and I couldn't help but think about how cool this new weapon was. I mean, I always loved the idea of being a cyborg, and this was pretty close. I could only wonder what else this gauntlet would be able to do. But my thoughts were interrupted, when Yang stopped running, released my wrist, and looked at me.
"So, what do you think? Is it what you thought it would be?" Yang asked, running a hand over the metal. I flexed the metal arm, grinning.
"I love it. I mean, yeah, it's not my old weapon, but this one is so cool!" I answered. Yang smiled.
"Good. I'm glad you like it." She sighed. I looked over the weapon again, admiring the craftsmanship Ruby had put into it. So many layers of plating, and spinning servos… It was truly a thing of beauty. The steel colour wasn't very appealing, though. Maybe some dull azure, with a little bit of matte gold thrown on the underplating…
"You know, I was so worried about you."
I stopped looking at my weapon, stopped picturing colour schemes, and looked to her. She was looking down, and was rubbing her elbow.
"When you were in that coma… I hated seeing you like that. Just so broken, with tubes and machines around you, not knowing if you'd wake up. But you need to know something…" Yang pulled out a slip of paper from her back pocket, and gave it to me. I unfolded it, and saw it was a medical report. With a sick feeling in my gut, I began to read.
Cause of Admission: In aftermath of breach, patient had absorbed what appears to be a Dust crystal. However, the effects of absorption have resulted in the patient transforming into an unknown creature, not unlike a Creature of Grimm. Patient subsequently went on a mindless rampage throughout the city square, resisting all efforts of pacification. Due to the interference of an anonymous girl, suspected to be a teammate of the patient, the patient was pacified, reverting to a human form.
Analysis: Though impossible, the Dust crystal appears to be capable of generating an infinite level of power. This would seemingly explain the patient's 'transformation'. With some surgery, the crystal was removed, but the patient's Aura levels appeared to plummet upon the crystal's removal. From this, it stands to reason that the crystal has begun to power the patient. The crystal was replaced, and his Aura was stabilized, but will take approximately three months to fully recover. For the time being, the patient will have to be sedated into an induced coma, until his Aura levels can recharge to an optimal state.
Doctor's Notes: Patient's Aura levels appear to be tied with this crystal. When the crystal is removed, the patient's Aura levels will fall faster than they can regenerate. But with the crystal in place, then the opposite effect occurs: the patient's Aura begins to climb at an exponential rate, with a high probability that the threshold limit will be broken. Until a way to maintain the patient's Aura levels at a stable level, WITHOUT the use of the crystal, I highly recommend keeping the crystal in the patient, until further notice.
I looked up, feeling the pit in my stomach drop. The Fragment was… still inside me?
"Docs say that they can't remove the crystal without killing you. It's like… it's bonded to your aura, or something. Either way, when it's in you, your Aura will regenerate at a faster rate, but if it gets too high…" Yang gulped, fear in her voice.
"If it gets too high…?"
"…we're talking a large scale event. Worse than the Breach, worse than a Grimm invasion. That's why your weapon is an Aura-caster. If you wear it in combat, it'll use your Aura to fire rounds. It's the only way that we can regulate your levels in a safe manner."
I looked back to the paper, then back to Yang.
"So… does this mean…?"
"Yeah. If we used standardised ammunition, then your Aura would overcharge, and… well, boom." Yang clarified. I looked to my armoured hand, clenching my fist.
"Oh, there's something else you need to know. Your body… it's, uh…" Yang hesitated. I looked at her curiously.
"My body? What about it?"
"It's, umm…"
"Hey, lovebirds!"
The perky voice of Velvet nearly caused me to jump out of my skin. I turned to her.
"Velvet, don't do that!" Yang admonished, exasperated. Velvet just chuckled.
"Ehehe, sorry. Anyway, Darrel, how are you?" She asked. I just rubbed the back of my head.
"Well, um, RWBY cobbled together a new weapon for me. It's a… rocket launcher, and a robot arm." I said awkwardly, trying to play off the development. Velvet grinned.
"Oh, nice! Can I see?" She asked excitedly. I just held up my arm, letting her see the construction.
"Wow… interlocking titanium-laced armour plating, fully malleable… this is incredible! How come you haven't used this before?" She asked.
"Ah, we built it for him. His old weapons were destroyed in the Breach." Yang cut in, her voice lowering as she said the last word. I shuddered at that. Being reminded of the event where I had become that… thing… if I could describe what PTSD felt like, that would probably be it.
"Oh, yeah… Sorry. I'll just be quiet now." Velvet mumbled, looking away from my weapon. I tapped the holographic interface on my wrist, and felt the metal around my arm shift upwards. Raising my arm to my shoulder, the autocannon clicked back into place on my shoulder, collapsing backwards into my backpack.
"Whoa…" Velvet watched in awe, as the cannon vanished from my shoulder and disassembled into my backpack.
"Yeah, we got the idea to base the weapon around a backpack, because D just lugs his everywhere." Yang grinned.
"Hey, it's worked for me so far!" I defended. Velvet just burst out laughing.
"Yeah, but now nobody will expect it!" She laughed, before strutting off, before looking over her shoulder.
"Oh, yeah, and D? It's good to see you up and about again." Velvet smiled warmly, giving a wink, before resuming her pace. I watched her go.
"Oh, that reminds me! Weren't we going to test your weapon?" Yang pointed out. I looked to her, and immediately slapped my forehead. She was right. I'd gotten so wrapped up in conversation that I'd forgotten why we were walking in the halls. Quickly readjusting my backpack, we resumed our stride to Professor Kor's arena.
"Ah, students! What can I do for you on this fine autumn day?"
Professor Kor was still working on his hologram arena, kneeling down over an upturned panel, and running diagnostics on his Scroll.
"Hi, Professor Kor! We wanted to use some training dummies, just to test Darrel's new weapon." Yang answered. Kor looked up from his scroll.
"Oh? What happened to your old weapons, the Iridescent Basilisks?" he asked, looking at me. I sighed.
"One was destroyed beyond repair during the field assessment by some person wearing a black cloak. The other was broken by Grimm during the Breach." I answered. Professor Kor just sighed.
"I see. I'm sorry to hear that, Darrel. It must be hard to lose such a personal item. But you've constructed a new weapon?" He asked, perking up. I shook my head.
"No, Team RWBY built it for me. It's, uh, a pair of shoulder-mounted autocannons, combined with robotic gauntlets." I explained. Professor Kor shut his Scroll, flipped the panel on the ground closed, and got to his feet.
"Interesting… Well, I just received a message from Professor Ozpin. He wants to showcase my holographic arena while the tournament is taking place, and I'm trying to get some last-minute tweaks into the system. But I can't run tests while I record the running processes, so I need… a guinea pig, so to speak. If you help me test the system, then you can test your weapon at the same time. Win-win. What do you say?"
I thought back to the last time I'd tested his system. Against two Beowolves, in a ruined courtyard. I'd taken out one, but the other Beowolf suffered a glitch, and didn't react accordingly to my strikes. Hopefully, these glitches had been eliminated, because I truly wanted to see how I fought with these new weapons.
"Alright. But let's start light, okay? I don't want to have to face Deathstalkers just yet." I answered. Professor Kor nodded, then reached around his neck, removing the necklet-like device that would channel feedback into the body when it suffered damage. Clasping it, he handed it to me, and I looped it around my neck, feeling it drill into my skin.
"Very well. If your teammates wish to watch, then they are most welcome to. But in the meantime, I'll clear the arena, and let you get prepped." Professor Kor smiled, before heading to the stairs that led to the observation platform. Yang spun me to face her, and gave me a quick kiss. As she pulled away, I heard her whisper.
"I'd wish you luck, but you don't need it, sweetie." Yang grinned. I smiled back, and jogged to the prep room, ready to see what I could now do. Boy, would this be fun…
Fifteen minutes later, both Teams RWBY and JNPR were settled on the sidelines, eager to watch the show. Professor Kor was in the control box, nestled high above the arena, where the basic environment was projected. Using the lenses in the ground, objects that could be interacted with would be cast upwards. Pillars, crates, trees, and most importantly, foes.
Stepping up onto the combat floor, the lights above and below me flickered, and all at once, a volcanic landscape appeared, with shards of obsidian jutting out of the ground, and a flow of lava encircling the rocky platform. I exhaled, planning potential strategies in my head. The obsidian was sharp, and if I could grab it, then it would make for an effective weapon in emergency circumstances.
The lava flow could also be utilized, as enemies could be thrown into it, and if any floating platforms came along, then they'd make an effective temporary escape route. But lava indicated the area would likely be unstable, and the ground could easily crumble under my feet.
This match would be chaotic and unpredictable. Anything could happen. Just like my weapons. Just the way I liked it.
"COMBATANT: ROUND WILL BEGIN IN 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… ROUND BEGIN."
The computerised voice resounded in my ear, as swirling portals appeared. From them, small lizard Grimm, which I had finally identified as Creeps, began to pour out into the battlefield. I knew they weren't real, but they sure looked like they could easily bite my head off.
But now wasn't the time to admire the holograms. It was time to fight.
The autocannons on the sides of my backpack elongated, and collapsed down, resting on my shoulders. Gripping the triggers, I began to fire. As I saw the guns discharge, I saw that the ammunition was pure energy, powered from my Aura, rather than a physical rocket. I wasn't complaining: rockets would increase the weight of the weapon, and require me to reload, which would eat up precious time.
Two clusters of Creeps were sent flying by the impact of my rounds, howling as they soared away, some landing in the lava river. The rest crashed heavily on the rough ground, whimpering in pain. By now, the Grimm had managed to close the gap separating us, so now was the time to switch to melee combat.
Throwing my arm into the cannon barrel, I gripped the rod within, and twisted it in one fluid motion. With a series of clicks and whirrs, the autocannon collapsed onto my arm, armouring it, and increasing my strength by an enormous amount. I looked to the rapidly approaching Grimm, and smirked. As one Creep leapt forwards, ready to bite me, I swung my fist forwards, and felt it connect with the Creep's cranial exoskeleton. The Grimm's skull exploded, and the mangled carcass was sent flying away. Another leapt up, and I just gripped its neck, spun around, and chokeslammed it into the ground. Without missing a beat, I looked back up, and thrust my other arm into the second autocannon, removing it and letting it fold up on my arm. As it latched onto my shoulder, I gripped the ground, and tore up a large chunk of earth, slamming it down onto the horde of Grimm, watching as those in the immediate impact zone were flattened, while others were sent flying away.
"ADJUSTING DIFFICULTY."
More Grimm of stronger varieties began to appear from the portals, mainly Beowolves, but with a few Boom Creeps thrown into the mix. Boom Creeps were stronger versions of Creeps, but they had more spines, and were far more deadly. Plus, whenever they died, they detonated violently, sending their spines everywhere, much like a flechette grenade.
One Beowolf leapt up, bringing both arms up for a double hammer strike. I grinned: that would be easy enough to counter. As the Grimm fell, I raised my arms, catching the Beowolf by what would be analogous to its wrists, and slamming it into the dirt, ripping both arms free with little effort. With a yell, I threw the haemorrhaging appendages away, and slammed my fists together, unleashing a battle cry.
A Boom Creep leapt forward, its spines glowing a sickly green. Yang had told me about these monsters, about how the members of Team RWBY had encountered them in the bowels of Mountain Glenn, during their crusade against a resurging company called Merlot Industries, who had attempted to run experiments on them, turn them into controllable biological weapons. Of course, I wasn't able to get many details, as the team had agreed to nondisclosure, and I was in a coma at the time.
But regardless of what little I knew about them, I simply spun out of the way, and sprinted over to it, as it slid across the ashen ground in a daze. Gripping its tail, I stomped my boot on its head, and yanked it upwards. Much like the "meat-cello" counterattack I had seen in Dead Space 2 many months ago. The results were similar, as I felt the Grimm's skull turn to powder beneath my foot, and the tail, along with a sizable chunk of the Creep's torso, was torn free. Throwing it aside, I leapt away as the two halves of the corpse exploded messily. Rolling into a crouch, I looked back at the crowd of Grimm.
All that remained was a pair of Alpha Beowolves, and four Boom Creeps. Looking around, I saw a pair of obsidian spikes. I grinned, and wrapped my hands around them, snapping them free. The Boom Creeps charged, roaring hungrily. Twirling the sharp spikes in my fingers, I buried one point into a Creep's head, twisting it firmly, killing it swiftly. The second of my onyx spikes was thrust into a leaping Grimm's torso, where it howled in pain, before going limp. The last two Boom Creeps just leapt forwards, hoping to catch me off guard. But that wasn't going to happen.
Raising my hands, I heard the power charge within, before bright beams of energy shot out of my palms, repelling the Boom Creeps and sending them away, crashing into the lava flow. The Beowolves roared, angry at the deaths of their lackeys, and one charged straight away.
I looked to my scroll. My Aura was slowly recharging, but I had enough to channel one blast, though it wouldn't be enough to kill. Instead, I thrust my palm down into the ground, and fired. With a thunderous crack, the ground split into pieces, as the battlefield transformed from one solid platform to a multitude of raft-sized stepping stones. Hopping on one, I watched as the charging Beowolf quickly lost its balance, and tumbled into the magma. The flesh melted away almost instantly, before the remains caught fire, and sunk into the hellish liquid.
All that separated me from my last foe were several unstable rocks, and the broiling heat. But the Beowolf refused to charge, instead just choosing to watch me from the safety of its raft. Unlike me, it had no ranged attacks. A fact, which I would quickly exploit.
I crouched down, and quickly leapt from rock to rock, using my booster rockets and energy blasters to steady my course. The Beowolf never took its eyes off of me for a second, as it growled cautiously. As I drew closer, and closer, the Beowolf finally leapt skyward, and gripped my torso, sending me crashing onto a slab of rock.
As it straddled me, I saw the monster draw its claws back, ready for mauling, and its slobbering jaws ready to crush my head. But without a lick of fear within me, I grinned. The Beowolf had done exactly what I had wanted it to. My aura had recharged to more lethal levels again. As the clawed paw came slashing down, I gripped the wrist tightly, crushing the bones within. As it howled in pain, my other gauntlet slammed into the creature's chest, and sent it flying into the air with a powerful blast of energy.
Now the creature was open for my final strike.
I flicked my wrists, and the concealed swords slid into position in an instant. The cutter system buzzed, and the blades immediately lit up with hot energy. Activating the boosters on my backpack, I rocketed upwards, and sliced the blades in a crossing motion, straight through the airborne Beowolf. I looked down to the creature, and saw it tumble into the magma below, its body neatly quartered.
"MATCH OVER."
And with that, the volcanic arena dissipated in a series of pixels, revealing Beacon's combat room. Teams RWBY and JNPR looked on in awe from the stands, while Professor Kor was descending from the control box, heartily applauding.
"Bravo, Mr. Conway! Bravo, indeed!"
I cut the thrusters on my backpack, and fell to the ground in a crouch, looking up with a goofy grin, before standing up, and mounting the gauntlets back onto my shoulders, feeling the metal retract until a pair of cannons were resting there for a split second, before they folded back up into a compact form, and vanished away.
"That was quite a match, my boy, quite a match indeed! Thanks to you, all the data that has been compiled tells me that the combat simulator is fully operational!" Kor grinned, ecstatically clapping my shoulder.
"That… was… INCREDIBLE!" Ruby cried out, her voice squealing with excitement.
"I concur, Ruby. That was indeed, a spectacular match."
Ozpin's commanding voice rang throughout the arena, immediately drawing all eyes on him. As he descended from the entryway into the perimeter surrounding the arena, he took a sip of his coffee. Professor Kor looked at him, and his face turned to seriousness.
"Professor Ozpin! I was just-" He began, before Ozpin silenced him with a wave of his hand.
"Kor, please. Just Ozpin will do. I was passing by, and couldn't help, but notice that spectacular skirmish you had cooked up. I understand that the arena is ready to be showcased at the festival?" He asked.
"Yes, Pr- Ozpin." Professor Kor caught himself before he could say 'Professor'.
"Spectacular. However, I must speak urgently with Darrel, and his team." Ozpin grimaced
"Of course, sir. We'll leave you to it." Kor nodded, before ushering team JNPR out of the coliseum, and beckoning Team RWBY over to me. Ozpin watched them go, before turning to us.
"Now, as I'm sure you're aware, the Vytal Festival Tournament is rapidly approaching, but there are rules in place. And unfortunately, one of the rules concerns the amount of participants in a single match." He began, his face marred with seriousness.
"I sincerely wish it didn't have to come to this, but one of you will have to abdicate your place in the tournament. I'm sorry." Ozpin finished, before hanging his head.
"But… but…" Ruby's lip quivered audibly, as she struggled to hold back tears.
"We'd have an unfair advantage, otherwise. If that's the rules, then we have to abide by them. There's no way around that." Weiss explained, putting a hand on Ruby's shoulder, and offering her a handkerchief.
"I know, but… it doesn't seem fair! We all worked hard to be here! We can't let it be for nothing!" Ruby cried, blowing her nose on the lacy fabric.
"Fair or not, we have to, or else we can't participate." Blake pointed out. Yang sighed.
"I'll do it."
"What? No, sis! Why you?"
"Because you've all worked hard to be here, I just love the thrill of it." Yang answered solemnly. Weiss shook her head.
"No, you're not sitting this one out, Yang. It should be me. After all, I'm sure you'll manage fine without my abilities."
"Weiss, half our team strikes utilize you. I should be the one who sits out-"
"Oh, no you don't, Blake!"
This continued for a few agonising minutes, and voices were beginning to rise as tempers flared. It was beginning to grate on my nerves: all of Team RWBY wanted to participate in this tourney, myself included, but that would mean someone else having to sit out.
You know the answer already, Darrel.
But if I say it, then-
Just do it.
I gave up arguing with her, and tried to speak. But I went unnoticed as the team continued to argue amongst themselves.
"…you're our best fighter, you can't sit out!"
"…you've dreamed of this for years, and now you're giving up?!"
"…it's for the best, and you know it, Blake…"
I'd had enough. Tapping on my hologram interface, one of my cannons clicked into place, nestling onto my shoulder. Aiming skyward, I pulled the trigger, setting off a huge bang, which knocked everybody out of the argument, and giving me their undue attention.
"Stop fighting! This isn't right! You girls are all vital parts of the team! Ruby's the leader, Weiss is the tactician, Blake provides stealth, and Yang is… well, Yang. If any of you sit out, we'll be eliminated on our first match. You guys make up the strengths of the team. I'm just a dragalong. It's like I said back at Mountain Glenn: I just copy what you guys do. So I should be the one to abstain."
No one spoke for what felt like the longest time, until Professor Ozpin stepped forwards.
"That sounds reasonable. After all, Darrel's just received a new weapon, and I'm sure he wants to give it a few test runs before testing it in actual combat." He stated. Ruby stepped forward anxiously, wringing her hands.
"Are you sure, Darrel? You know that-"
"I'm totally fine with it, Rubes. Besides, I want to get to know my weapon properly before I get into some major fights. Sound good?"
Ruby hung her head, and nodded sadly.
"Excuse me for interrupting, Ozpin, but I think all the systems check out. The hologram arena should be primed and ready for a demonstration."
Professor Kor had returned, with a document on his scroll. Ozpin took it, and gave it a read, before smiling.
"Well, if you think it's ready to be presented, Kor, then by all means, I give you permission to integrate the systems into Amity Colosseum." He stated, handing Kor's scroll back to him.
"But didn't you say that you'll need to monitor the systems remotely? How are you going to demonstrate it if you can't fight in it?" I asked. Nobody responded, but I immediately knew why. I sighed.
"Okay, when's the demo scheduled for?"
Well, I think this nicely rounds out the volume. Sorry if you didn't like the weapon change, but to be honest, the reason I had Darrel carry around a backpack everywhere was because I initially wanted his weapon to be this. I decided against it at the last minute because I thought it'd be a bit OP at Darrel's level back then. That, and weapons weren't so crazy-awesome back then. Seriously, most of the weapons now seem insane! A jazz horn and glowstick nunchakus?
And if anybody's seen some fanart for this story out there, let me know! I really want to put a cover on this story, and I can't express myself in an artistic way for the life of me.