Chapter 4: Red Like Roses Part 2
From Dust Till Dawn: 8:24 pm
Ruby snickered as she looked at the merchandise. Why? She didn't know. Perhaps it was the pun printed on the cylinders containing different types of dust.
Dust, such a small thing, left the world with a huge impact. Without it, there is no telling what would've happened to humanity. Extinction, probably. Maybe they'd be living underground in a bunker instead, like those Fallout games she tried. Gods, she wished Remnant had those games.
She couldn't help but fawn over the simple technological feats Earth had made. While Remnant's technology is vastly superior (with Sharp Shot's own approval), the innovations Earth had all but made up for it. Servers that could go for a few months are nothing compared to an entire room filled to the brim with computers able to hold a server for years. Granted, without Grimm being a problem, she could see why the people of Earth could make better entertainment and long-lasting innovations.
But the thing that managed to beat Remnant's vast technological superiority was none other than the satellite. When she first researched the CCT towers for her history project, she was in awe. Here was the pinnacle of humanity's greatest asset! Communication and information are all accessible with the touch of a button. She had her own thoughts of scenarios, however, of when one got attacked, but she was always reassured by her father that those wouldn't happen.
When she met Sharp Shot, however, her thoughts blazed with passion. Here was a living example of what the CCT could've been! No Grimm can get to space, and no human or faunus has been to space. But the Earth people? They've been to space, and they landed on their perfectly spherical moon; they're even going to different planets!
And all because Remnant got so used to the idea of using dust instead.
All she could do was sigh at it all. Why wasn't she born in that world along with her mom and sister instead? It would've been cool to experience playing the PlayStation for the very first time! But then she wouldn't be living the life she wanted, which also sucked…
She shook her head as she headed straight for the magazines. She grabbed Dust Weekly, a favorite of hers, featuring all types of new and old weapon systems, engine parts, and even celebrity huntsmen and huntresses such as Orion Artemillien, one of her all-time favorites.
"Woah," she murmured, "I didn't know Lapu's already married!"
With quick flicks at the pages of the magazine, she managed to skim through the pages, stopping briefly at something that interested her. On the page was the new model of the KA-74 Atlesian Heavy Bolter Rifle, with semi-accurate blueprints on the side. She grinned as she found what she was looking for.
"With that kind of spring, I bet I can increase the strength of my baby~," she moaned, ecstatic about her daydream. She scanned for more parts as she imagined what Crescent Rose would become. If only a certain tank would actually help her turn her baby into the ultimate Grimm killing machine! Thinking about Sharp Shot, however, a question popped up.
She'll have to ask him later about it, for right now, her focus was on the bad boys in front of her. "Ahh, look at those automatic reload systems! Those enhanced dust cartridges! If only I could buy one of those~"
"Patch doesn't have this yet; oh, Vale really does have everything," she said mirthfully. She continued to read, oblivious to her surroundings, as loud music continued to blare at her headphones.
The man with the steel cane gracefully entered the store, as is the gentlemanly thing to do. Of course, it was "his" store, after all! His territory, his ever-growing street cred, his empire—no single man nor woman would dare NOT know his name, for he was the infamous Roman bloody Torchwick!
What a disgusting sight, it truly is, to see mere men cower before him, oh, truly such a disgusting yet wonderful sight!
Torchwick was a tall and slender man, with bright orange hair covering the right side of his face. He wore a black undershirt underneath a pristine white, red-lined trench coat with a red front upper collar, a silver neckerchief covering his neck, and a bowler hat resting lightly atop his head. Black leather gloves adorned his hands to prevent leaving fingerprints, not that he needed to as he was showing his face to the public.
Resting lightly on his cane, the man thought about everything, yet nothing all at once. His good fortune truly was a sight to behold, and so fierce was he to survive for so long that not even the police could touch him.
Alas, all good fortune must come to an end, and quite frankly, such good fortune is so hard to come by nowadays as he is forced to do a job for some wicked bitch, of all things. Such is the nature of survival. All he could do now is wait for the right moment, and whatever happens next… well, whatever happens, happens so long as he's still alive.
That wicked bitch can go straight to the pits of hell, for all he cares. What a stupid plan to bring down the monsters and destroy the academies! What a truly useless line of thinking. He sighed as he puffed on his expensive cigar.
He snorted as he walked towards the old man in the register. With a quick glance towards his henchmen, a silent order was given. Registering the fear portrayed by the old man, he smirked.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a dust shop open this late?" he said as one of his henchmen pulled out a modified P-70 and aimed it at the poor bastard. "Eager, these fools are, but lacking are they in the style department," he thought to himself.
"Please," the old man said fearfully as he slowly raised his hands. "Just take my lien and leave!"
He smirked at the pitiful sight. "Shh, calm down," he said mockingly, "we're not here for your money." With another look towards his henchmen, he nodded once as he spoke in a solemn tone. "Grab the dust."
A quick nod from the rest, and they began doing "business." Two men grabbed cylinder casings as they drained from the ice and air dust pipes. A low whirring sound began to hum as the cylinders were filled with dust. "Crystals," one of them said as he opened an empty suitcase towards the terrified old man. "Burn. Uncut."
The old man complied tearfully as he grabbed a red crystal underneath his glass display. Unamused, the henchman began to threaten him as he pulled the safety off his gun. "Are you shitting me, old man?"
"Please, that's all I have!" the old man exclaimed. The henchman wasn't amused as he decided to point the gun at his head. Roman rolled his eyes. "Typical," he thought to himself. With a sigh, he brought forth his cane at the display case as he glared at the trigger-happy henchman. He was a thief. THE gentlemanly thief, and he wouldn't dare murder someone without proper reason, or alternatively, without money involved. No, he was here for the dust, a quick in and out. Nothing more, nothing less… unfortunately.
"Go to the back room; see if there are any more inside," he ordered as the henchman nodded. Rolling his eyes, he plucked one of the dust crystals from the suitcase, inspecting it with a keen eye.
As he did so, one of his henchmen noticed a girl in red. Annoyed, the henchman walked towards the girl, unsheathing his blade.
"Alright kid, put your hands where I can see 'em," he ordered, pointing the red blade at the oblivious girl, who, in turn, was muttering something about prototype weapon manufacturing.
Confused, he continued. "Hey, I said hands in the air!"
"This kid is either deaf or dumb as hell," the henchman thought to himself as he walked forwards, grabbing the cloak of the girl. "You got a death wish or something?!"
The young girl turned towards him and spoke calmly. "Yes?"
Ruby did not know how to proceed. The magazines were there, and they were fun to read, but she doubted that her sister would want any of them. Sure, there were some pictures of guys in some of them, but she never really saw her sister gush over the huntsman magazines.
But then again, she did have the lien to buy one magazine and some dust for her sister… that's if the dust prices didn't become expensive again over the time she was reading.
"Oh, maybe jewelry would have been a better gift," she muttered to herself as she continued reading, unaware of the robbery in progress. She read a part regarding prototypes when, suddenly, a man grabbed her hood.
Turning, she looked at the man and asked, "Yes?"
The man pointed at his ears, signifying that he wanted to talk. She removed her headphones as she gazed at the probably confused man. "Can I help you?" she asked timidly.
"I said, put you hands in the air," the man growled, his weapon pointed at her as he continued. "Now!"
"Oh, are you… robbing me?" Ruby asked, confused. With a sarcastic tone, the man glared at her. "Yes!"
With a smirk, she jumped and landed a reverse roundhouse kick powerful enough to send the man flying. Said man crashed through a display table, empty dust cases and bottles tossed down to the floor.
She heard a commotion as another goon came back from the back room, exclaiming that there was "no other uncut dust for fire," muttering how incompetent the store owner was. The white-coated man simply took a glance at his (probably) fallen comrade and gestured for the angry goon to push the attack. Said goon had a modified P-70 and aimed it at her. "Freeze, damn it!"
With her semblance active, she dashed towards her opponent, stopping as she was now behind him. She clutched the man's suit as she kicked his back hard. Flopping forward, she dashed to his front and shot him with Crescent Rose, sending him flying upwards. Grunting, he got up and tried to punch her, only for Ruby to duck and kick him towards the window, her semblance drilling hard on the man.
Putting up a fight, the goon decided to try and grab Ruby's leg, only for said leg to knock him unconscious. Slowly, she got up, unfurling Crescent Rose's scythe form, her cloak bellowing in the wind.
"Wow, a semblance," the man in the white coat mocked. "Are you, perhaps, a Beacon Academy student?"
She twirled her scythe gracefully as its blade landed on the pavement, leaving bits and pieces of rock and gravel. She then frowned at the thieves, irked by the sudden development.
"Go on, then," the man said. "Finish her." Two of the goons rushed her with their blades while another one stood his ground and aimed at her with a P-71A, a stronger variant of the P-70. She grabbed her scythe and performed a hand glide; her swift motion made her both dodge the blade and kick one of the goons in the face, his glasses broken and in pieces. "Worth every godsdamned cent, truly, you were," the man muttered.
With the momentum, she jumped and crouched, aiming for the man with the gun. She dashed forward, using her gun to propel her faster than merely dashing. Taken aback by this maneuver, the man shot once, twice, and thrice, only for the bullets to miss her as she used her semblance to dodge.
As she got close, she drew forth her scythe's blade and hooked the goon's legs. "Heh, you missed," he taunted, only to get sent back as he tumbled backwards through the air, the force of the shot pulling both his legs from the floor. Realizing this was his opportunity, the man with the P-70 got up and tried his luck yet again, only to get pummeled to the ground once more, her scythe twirling around and smacking him on the back.
"Thank the gods… for aura…" he thought before passing out. Sweating, the last man remaining swished his blade as he ran towards her. Thinking quickly, she transformed Crescent Rose back to her compact form and shot his legs with an ice dust bullet, freezing him in place. Try as he might, he couldn't lift his legs. Thinking quickly, he smashed the ice with his sword, smiling as he thought he finally got the upper hand.
He was wrong.
Upon looking up, he didn't see the red reaper. It was all too sudden, as he felt a blunt force hitting his head. And with that, his vision turned black.
Ruby sighed as she looked for the man with the strange attire. She had never seen a man wearing so much mascara. Or was it eyeliner? She couldn't really tell. Glancing around, she saw the man climbing up the ladders of a building.
She was about to give chase but then saw the old man peeking from the counter. "I'm sorry!" she called out to the man, who in turn only gave her a nod. Using her semblance once more, she dashed towards the top of the building, managing to almost close the distance between the man in makeup.
"Hey!" Ruby called out, glaring at the man.
"Persistent little…" he muttered before turning around. Hearing the sound of a turbine, he grabbed his hat and bowed at her. "Well, Red, I think we can all say that it's been a rather eventful evening," he said, before placing the hat back at his head, his posture calm and menacing.
"And as much as I want to stick around with this oh so jolly party you are making," the man then pointed his cane towards her, a single scope popping out. "I'm afraid this is where we part ways." With a click, a small yet bright flare shot out towards her direction. With haste, she quickly shot the ground, barely dodging the powerful flare.
The man then laughed as a large gust of wind bellowed behind him. It was a bullhead, and its searchlights were pointed directly at her field of view. The sheer power of the turbines was almost enough to send her flying.
Climbing aboard the bullhead, the man laughed as he pulled out a cannister… no, a bomb! "End of the line, Red!" the man exclaimed as he primed the bomb, tossing it in her direction.
"Oh no, I can't dodge that!" she exclaimed, a bit of fear rising as she closed her eyes, waiting for her aura to drain. Not once did she think of merely jumping to another rooftop. Waiting for the worst, she was surprised to see a woman in front of her, a purple glyph forming in front of them as they were both protected from the blast.
The woman hummed, her blonde hair swaying gently despite the powerful gust of wind. Awestruck at her appearance, Ruby slightly lowered her weapon as she watched her deal damage to the bullhead with that mysterious purple light. It was as if she was using magic.
The bullhead was strong, but it didn't help much with the persistent damage it was taking, making it shake furiously.
"We got a damn huntress!" Roman said as the pilot left briskly towards the bullhead's cabin. With the sudden loss of a pilot, Roman immediately got to the cockpit and tried to stabilize the bullhead.
He then saw the huntress shoot towards the sky; thunder roared loudly as the sky turned black. Lightning bolts descended towards the bullhead, causing massive damage to its systems. "The hell is that?"
The huntress continued to put pressure on her enemies as Ruby gawked at the sheer strength of her semblance. With a quick downward motion, the huntress summoned hail from the storm that was shooting lightning before.
Sharp spikes of ice buried themselves into the metal beast, the roar of the engines shot loudly as a bit of smoke ascended in the air.
It was then that Ruby noticed another combatant, a woman in stark red clothing. Said woman began spewing hot balls of flame towards them. Ruby desperately wanted to help, but the huntress began blocking and pulling her out of the way with her semblance. Suddenly, the ground glowed a deadly yet mesmerizing orange as fire spewed underneath. The huntress dodged and immediately retaliated with her own attack by using the debris created by the explosion and making it into a makeshift spear.
What followed was a continuous barrage of fire and earth, one forced to block, the other attacking with so much debris. With quick movements, the huntress decided to attack the cockpit, but it seemed the man saw this and angled the bullhead slightly for the spear to ricochet!
Continuing the pressure from the really experienced huntress, she withdrew her spear and continued her assault on the various parts of the bullhead. All was for naught, however, when suddenly, a very large and very hot ball of flame surrounded the bullhead, disintegrating every debris in sight.
"They're so powerful," Ruby thought to herself as a blast of heat wafted towards her. With nothing else to do, she transformed her scythe back and began firing at the bullhead, hoping that at least one of her shots could stop it from escaping.
But all her bullets were being blocked! She couldn't just take that and began to fire yet again, this time loading her newly made high-explosive rounds, only for the ground to glow that deadly orange again. The huntress pulled her away with her semblance as she dodged the incoming explosion.
With the encounter ending with the thief escaping and her desperation to stop him ever growing, she dashed forward and aimed at the turbines. Her aim was steady, her target was locked, and she was about to fire, only to halt when she heard a sudden crack followed by a loud whistle. A loud dinging noise was heard as a massive hole pierced through the right wing of the bullhead.
Roman sighed as he piloted the bullhead, sweat evident on his face. He was almost turned into a shish kebab due to the sudden appearance of an ice shard, no, due to the sudden appearance of a damn hailstorm!
What the hell do they feed those who study in Beacon?! Scratch that! What the hell do they feed the damn staff? And his damn bitch of a boss wanted to take them on?
Unbelievable.
Regardless, that huntress and her student are done for now. He allowed himself a brief respite before spotting something peculiar, something angular in design. He squinted as he saw a light bloom in front of him. "What the…" he muttered as his boss walked towards the cockpit.
"I'm very disappointed, Roman. I have-" his boss said before hearing a loud whistle and something hitting them. Something powerful enough to puncture the right wing. The bullhead shook and creaked. Oh gods! He needed to land this somewhere safe!
The sudden loud noise startled the huntress as she prepared for another attack, only to be shocked at what she saw. The bullhead wobbled and shook violently, no doubt because of the punctured wing. She looked towards Ruby, only realizing that it wasn't her shot.
Ruby, however, was smiling brightly. "Sharpy's here!" she squealed in joy. This day couldn't get any better. She looked towards the huntress with delight.
Her stern look didn't even faze her as she placed her hands together as she smiled wildly. "Can I please have your autograph?!"
Vale Police Department: 9:17 pm
This day couldn't get any worse. After asking for an autograph, the huntress merely glared at her. Glared! She was so furious at her, and she only tried to help!
Then she was dragged to the VPD and asked to stay in their interrogation room. This sucks! This sucks a lot! She even had to give her father's scroll number to the police as they called a very furious dad.
"Oh man… this is so unfair!" Ruby said, dejected at what was happening. She didn't manage to buy a gift for Yang, she got into a fight with some thugs, and now her dreams of being a huntress might get crushed!
She sniffed as she rubbed her hands. "Oh…"
Suddenly, the door opened as Glynda Goodwitch, the huntress that took her in, walked forwards with a tablet on her hand, circling around her like a shark.
Her whole aesthetic was basically screaming "the rule book matters" as she wore a white blouse with a black corset/pencil skirt hybrid, black leg tights, high heels, and oval-framed glasses, complimenting her strict green eyes.
"I hope you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady," Glynda chided as Ruby rubbed her eyes. This was it. This was where she'd be expelled from Signal and her dreams shattered, and her baby confiscated for life. She sniffed as she looked at Glynda.
Upon seeing her in this state, Glynda sighed as her tone shifted to a soft yet stern approach. "Did you not stop to think about how your actions put others in harm's way?" she said as Ruby looked down, dejected. "How about the store owner? Did you not think of his safety before engaging in the robbery?"
And no one would ever dare tell her that she didn't have a heart.
"They started it," Ruby could only mutter her response as she clutched onto her cloak. Glynda then moved in front of her, her black riding crop pointing at her. "Was your aura even strong enough to stop all of the incoming attacks? Can you even patch yourself up after receiving a hailstorm of bullets?"
Ruby merely shook her head. "No…"
"If it were up to me, you'd be sent home… with a pat on the back," Glynda said as Ruby looked at her, a bit of hope returning from her eyes.
She was about to slap the table to put an emphasis on her message but decided against it. "Too impulsive, this girl, and yet, too hopeful," she thought to herself.
"And a slap on the wrist…"
Glynda sighed as she looked at Ruby. "However, there is someone here who would like to meet you, miss Rose."
She moved aside, revealing a man with silver hair and round black glasses, a green scarf, and a formal attire consisting of black with green highlights. He was carrying a plate of cookies alongside a mug of… whatever it was he was drinking.
"Ruby Rose," the man said with a twinkle in his eye. As he moved towards her, she lightly sniffed and rubbed her eyes as she stared at the man. "You have silver eyes," the man calmly listed as he sat down.
"Ah, do pardon my intrusion, miss Rose," he said as he took a sip from his mug, placing the plate of cookies right in front of her.
"So! In accordance with the VPD, I must inquire where you learned to do this," he said, gesturing to the CCTV footage of her battle with the goons.
Eyeing the plate of chocolate chip heaven, she took a piece and nibbled on it. The man in front of her chuckled as he watched her shenanigans. One chip, two chips, eventually five. She swallowed, her mood rising ever so slightly. "Signal Academy," she said with a hint of caution.
With a brow raised, he continued his interrogation after he took another sip. "Interesting… and they taught you how to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"
She nodded, prodding one of the cookies with her finger before grabbing it. There were only eight pieces left. "Well, not exactly. It was just one teacher in particular," she meekly said.
"I see. Do pardon me for doubting, it's just that I've only seen one other scythe-wielder of that skill before; one who had done the exact same movements," he said, glancing with a quirked brow. "A dusty, old crow."
His disbelief turned into jubilation, one hidden underneath a calm mask as she spoke proudly. "That's my uncle!" Ruby all but beamed, her sadness dissipating greatly. "He's a teacher at Signal, and he taught me everything I know! I admit, I was complete garbage when I first started, but he took me under his wing and never gave up on me."
Her smile was ecstatic, and her eyes glistened underneath the pale lighting of the room as she did karate chopping motions; her movements emphasizing the skill one should have and her childlike demeanor, albeit a bit comical to watch.
"Oh? Fascinating, and what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors, hmm?"
"I want to be a huntress," she spoke without hesitation. Humming to himself, the man took a deep sip from his mug.
"A hard job to do. And why is it that you would want to be a huntress? To slay monsters, I presume?" the man pushed forward, his mouth covered by his own interlocked hands in front of him.
"Well yeah," Ruby said as she thought about all of the reasons she wanted to be one. Her mom, for one, along with the intent of helping people, no matter who they are.
"I only have two more years of training left at Signal, and then I'm going to apply to Beacon," she said enthusiastically as she began rambling. "My sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a huntress."
She frowned as she continued. "I want to become a huntress so that I can help people. I've always wanted to help people. My mom and dad always taught us to help others."
Ruby inhaled as she rambled on, "And it has always been a dream of mine to become a huntress, and being a huntress is so cool and exciting and fun, and I just, gosh!"
The two adults merely stared at her.
"Great, I weirded them out too! Gosh, Yang's right. I really do need to work on my ramblings."
With a painstakingly neutral face, the man blinked as he continued on, as if nothing ever happened.
"Do you know who I am?"
Ruby gulped. She knew who this person was in front of her. After all, this was the man featured in so many magazines regarding Beacon, the headmaster himself!
"You're Professor Ozpin," she curtly said, wishing she never rambled in front of THE HEADMASTER of Beacon Academy, one of, if not the best academy for future huntsmen and huntresses. "You're the headmaster of Beacon."
Ozpin smirked, his light brown eyes twinkling slightly.
"Hello."
"Nice to meet you," she continued.
Resting his arms on the table, he moved closer as he inspected her. "You want to come to my school?"
"More than anything in the world."
Ozpin glanced at Glynda who merely rolled her eyes. Tilting backwards, Ozpin smiled warmly. "Well okay. Who am I to bar such a promising student?"
And Ruby smiled gratefully as her dreams weren't shattered there and then.
As Ruby left the interrogation room, albeit without a loud "whoop" and an excited dash, Ozpin frowned as he turned towards his deputy headmistress.
"And now towards other matters at hand," he spoke after taking a long sip. "Are you sure about what happened?"
"Positive," Glynda said as they walked towards the reception desk. The man behind the desk promptly saluted as he stood up. "At ease," Ozpin said with a small wave of his hand.
"Sir," the man said as he walked around the reception desk. "The footage you requested."
Glynda accepted the file from her tablet as she pressed the play button. Sure enough, the street footage played.
There, on the screen, was a box-like vehicle parked nearby the scene of the crime. Weaponized vehicles were normal in a society driven by the need to exterminate Grimm, however, this was an enigma.
"What is it?" Glynda asked, confused at what she was seeing.
For the first time in his life, Ozpin didn't have an answer. He remembered certain files from Atlas, but the projects were deleted by the Atlesian council due to certain preferences and interests. They replayed the video, pausing at the right time to see a man exit the vehicle. Again, a normal occurrence, if only the vehicle didn't move without anyone inside afterwards.
During the attack, the vehicle was seen inching ever closer towards the street, its gun pointing at the shop as it inched forwards and backwards, hugging the wall for cover. When Ruby dashed towards the rooftops, it followed.
When the bullhead arose and the fight commenced, it tried to aim, faltering as it couldn't take a shot. It then repositioned itself as it moved at incredible speeds, matching those of a normal car. What was shocking, however, was the fact that it moved precisely where it could shoot the bullhead without obstacles, its turret turning towards the front of the vehicle.
"It found a clear line of sight," Glynda said as she rewatched the box-like vehicle drifting towards the perfect position.
And a bright light flashed as it pierced the bullhead.
"A high-caliber gun indeed," Ozpin said, his brows furrowed as he watched carefully. There were laws that limited how high a caliber of a gun could be mounted on vehicles. This was borderline pushing said laws.
"Artillery, perhaps?" Glynda asked, confused at the sight. "Reckless behavior like that can get people killed!"
"Ah, but that is not the problem at hand," Ozpin said. She looked at the headmaster, confusion plastered on her face.
"We've seen a man leave the vehicle," he gestured towards the video, "and yet the vehicle moved freely without a driver."
Glynda looked closely, observing the video as she ran her fingers through the screen, replaying the footage back and forth. "There really was no driver," she said, pausing the video at the moment of the robbery.
Glancing towards the reception desk, he saw Ruby climbing aboard the same vehicle. Ozpin smirked as he drank from his mug.
"What a troublesome mystery."
And so the story continues! Would there be fame? Would there be glory?
Ohhhh, such wonderful things to think about!
Sorry for the late chapter, got caught up on certain things (oops). Didn't help that a blackout happened when I was about to type in some stuff! -_-
Also, can you spot all the references? *wink wink*