Chapter 31
Regrets
The hospital room was silent, no one having the strength to utter a single word after the shocking revelation Yang's mother, Raven Branwen, was the reason for the units defeat and Ruby's bout with death. Tai and Qrow shared a look of contempt, their inner fire burning as they struggled to fight the urge to smash something in this room at the thought of their old flame and sister respectively actually trying to kill Ruby. However, they knew Yang would surely be feeling an even worse rage and throw another tantrum, the sight of that poor boy Seth bruised and bloodied on his bed being all the proof they needed. Tai hid a small smirk no one caught,
"That's what you get for dating my little rose without my blessing punk." He coldly sneered in his thoughts, mindful of the somber atmosphere of his friends worried for the boy's condition, soon being treated by Sindel who got the first aide kit before glaring at Yang, the cause of it.
"I knew you were psychotic after reading your file but this Miss Xiao Long?! Who the hell beats up an injured patient!? That train crash was one thing, but assaulting my detective? I should put cuffs on you and have in the cell with those prisoners…. Are you even listening to me young lady!?" Sindel angrily yelled as she realized Yang paid her no mind.
Tai's eyes soon widen, as did Qrow's, as he saw his daughter limp past Sindel and collapse on her knees and weakly crawl to Ruby's bed as opposed to throwing a fit like assumed. All Yang could focus on was her cousin's weak body, the slight rise and falls of her chest being the only signs of life she could see. It brought a mix of intense relief and dread to the brawler.
"Firecracker?" Tai fearfully whispered to her, but she ignored him. Her only response was a shocked whisper of her own.
"M-Mom, cut up Ruby?" Yang choked as she weakly grasped Ruby's bandaged hand and winced.
She could almost feel electricity raging through it, as if whatever shock went through her little cousin's body was still surging within. Her eyes flooded as a sense of powerlessness consumed Yang's body. She wanted to pummel her mom right now for hurting her, but Yang had no idea where she could be nor did she have any idea how to help Ruby. She shuddered as she weakly turned to Akali, the girl she heard blamed herself for this earlier, and her lips quivering as she struggled to speak past the pain.
"W-Why?…. Why did she do this…. Why?" Yang weakly cried. Akali's eyes watered in response. She rubbed her bandaged shoulder painfully, not from her burns that bitch Raven inflicted, but by the shame she was feeling. As she opened her mouth to speak, sudden voice cut her off.
"WHO DID THIS TO MY LITTLE ROSE!" Tai angrily shouted, making Akali wince frightfully as she put her hands on her kamas. Tai slowly advanced towards her menacingly, no longer having the patience to wait for the explanation now that he knew his ex harmed his niece.
"Easy Tai, were in a hospital." Qrow tried to calmly say, despite his own anger and anxiety building, as he placed an empathetic hand on his brother in law's shoulder but it was swatted away.
"Stay calm!? How can I when Ruby's!…. she's…." Tai yelled back before losing the strength to speak.
He didn't dare speak the word "dying" despite it echoing in his head on repeat. Just like Summer, Tai ran the risk of losing another important person in his life, this was like a horrible curse! This is why he didn't want Ruby in this unit, around kids he never met away from him, it was too risky.
How could he trust them to keep her safe? How could he have trusted her to be a huntress period? This is what he feared really ever since she voiced her dream, it became his nightmares and tonight they came true. Qrow sighed heavily in response, as if reading those thoughts on Tai's face.
"Because she's hurting Tai? Yang's hurting, we're ALL hurting and scared, but we can't keep screaming and losing our minds fearing the worst, it's not going to wake her up or heal her." Qrow said, his voice raspy as he struggled to hold in his own despair and sat by his daughter and niece, rubbing the latter's head tenderly.
"There, there firecracker…. She'll be okay." He said somberly, making Tai's eyes widen as his rage subsided a bit and he sighed heavily as he heard Akali sobbing. He felt even more pain seeing the girl hurting because of his outburst.
"O-Okay… I'm sorry I yelled at you. I can't even begin to-….. *sigh* please just… tell us what happened. Why did Raven do this?" Tai said as calmly as possible as he placed a kind hand on Akali's shoulder.
She turned her head to her unit, Ironwood and Sindel her superiors in particular, hoping for permission. Sindel gave an empathetic look but the General gaze narrowed on her making her shudder. She could tell he didn't want them to speak of such an embarrassing loss, or leak potential case details, but she bit her lip and willed herself to speak despite the immense pressure he and the situation was putting her under.
"Please sir…. Permission to speak." She somberly asked. Ironwood sighed in response, his voice being like a small dagger that stabbed Akali's soul as she quivered a bit.
"Detective, I don't think here and now is the best place to review-" Ironwood began saying before a bitter glare from Qrow and Tai silenced him.
Ironwood paused, wary of what to say next. He wanted to explain this to Qrow only, as it pertained to the maiden's, the rest he could dumb down some details to avoid the leak, but a hand patting his back startled him as he turned his attention to Sindel, giving him a stern but sad gaze.
"General, I believe they have a right to know as Ruby's friends and families. We can just gag order them after, how about that?" She said, hopeful he would comply.
"I believe a quick prep session to avoid more uh… dangerous details would be in order first before we explain." Ironwood said nervously.
"Sir! I can't lie about this! I can't lie about my shame!" Akali tearfully cried as she ran up to him and clasped his shirt.
Ironwood winced, not prepared emotionally to handle this crying teen before him. His first priorities were to put her in line like a soldier, but the man in him was telling him to concede out of empathy as he stood their speechless.
"This was my fault. I'll take any punishment… court martial even. Just please…. let me tell the truth. Ruby took a bullet for me so please!" Akali begged. Ironwood sighed as he closed his eyes somberly and nodded.
"No need. Permission granted." He reluctantly said as he averted his gaze with shame.
Sindel sighed with relief at the compliance, at least one thing went right today. She walked up to Akali and placed her arm over her shoulder motherly, knowing how to calm kids from experience as a mother. WBY, Qrow, and Tai turned their attention to her, wanting to know now, despite the pain they knew hearing Ruby's injuries would cause them. They just had to know what happened.
"Go ahead sweetie." Sindel said with sad encouragement and Akali sighed.
"We were flying to Mistral to attack a tribe of bandits. We were planning to capture them to interrogate them for whereabouts of White Fang locations since both were frequently seen in Mistral. We thought it was going to be a cakewalk with all of us together with the General. And it was for the most part, until…" Akali somberly explained, shame filling her for her wrongful overconfidence earlier before… that attack, the blade, THAT STORM!
Earlier that day….
On a bullhead heading to Mistral, Ironwood oversaw a briefing for Ruby and her unit, minus Litchi and Sin, who stayed at the prison in Atlas to keep guard over Cinder and the others for more information if any, not that they complained. Akali always admired Litchi for her dedication to the mission over any sense of ego, likewise with Sin. She had the utmost faith they could handle any problem sent their way. They all stood at attention as the General spoke up.
"Okay listen up! Because time is important, we're only explaining this once understood?" Ironwood sternly said and the others nodded respectfully.
"Thanks to agent's Dreyer, Rose, and Vayne, we have more information on our main suspect Adam Taurus and the location of a group that may help us find him and other White Fang associates." Sindel said with a professional tone, but with hints of pride, a feeling that was shared as the others smiled at the trio for their success.
"Sadly, there isn't only good news today. The source of the info on the group came from a mole in Haven Academy. I'm afraid the headmaster, Leonardo Lionheart, has been sending Hunters to their deaths to a certain bandit tribe in Mistral." Sindel said reluctantly, knowing the horror her students were going to feel as they reeled from this revelation.
Ironwood eyed Vayne and Dreyer especially, his stern gaze making them the only ones not losing their cool outwardly, as they felt the pressure he put them under earlier to keep quite about the revelation and about… that witch.
"W-Why would the headmaster of one of the top Hunter academies betray us all?" Ruby asked disappointed, it shook her to the core thinking of such a horrific betrayal. Sindel sighed as she gave a sad gaze to her in response.
"You have a good heart Ruby, all of you do and they are also filled with bravery. Sadly, not everyone shares those great qualities you all have, even Lionheart. As for what connection he has with them, we plan to ask those bandits when we capture them. That is your assignment." Sindel said empathetically, making Ruby sigh.
She still hated the bitterness this was giving her; it was an unpleasant reminder of how betrayed she felt that night her team trash talked her. Seeing the distraction, she was under, Ironwood spoke up, hoping to help her past her depression by focusing on doing good for the unit, like a true huntress would.
"Unlike him, we are going to serve justice and keep Remnant safe. Our mission today is to attack the tribe and capture them, using you Miss Rose and detective Vayne as snipers for the guards posted outside encampment. We have prepared silencers, rubber bullets, and small arrows filled with tranquilizer for you two to silently take out the guards without alerting the camp." Ironwood said confidently.
His tone shook Ruby out of her funk like he hoped as he could see her smile a bit, both from the pep talk and the "new toys" she and Shauna were getting as the two high fived a bit and grinned.
"Nothing like some new toys, feels like Christmas morning!" Shauna said coolly.
"That's when phase 2 comes in, detective Bakugo and General Ironwood will then charge up their explosive semblance and Due Process canon to breach the main wall. Once that's done, Ruby, Jago, and Mira will attack first as they are the heaviest hitters, then rest of us will swoop in and defeat the brigand's while Shauna gives us cover fire from the hills. Her eyesight is amongst the best so while we powerhouses handle martial arts you'll be able to watch our backs like before." Sindel said confidently and the others nodded, understanding their roles perfectly.
"I like what I'm hearing." Ruby said with a smirk and the others smirked back.
"Just a reminder, we aren't going to stoop to the bandits levels, try not to kill unless your lives our in peril. We are attempting to get as much information from them as possible, so we need many prisoners. A bullhead will be parked on standby with soldiers and cuffs to transport them after. On that note, make sure to capture as many female bandits as possible but be wary of them especially." Ironwood said sternly. Akali raised an eyebrow at that note.
"I'm all for girl power, but why are the girl bandits so special?" She asked confused.
"The chief of the bandit tribe is a woman, that much we know. She may confide in her female troops more valuable information than the men or even teach them more deadly techniques, seeing as how men are…." Sindel said before she averted her gaze bitterly.
Some men, especially criminals, didn't respect woman's bodies that much. That's why all of the kingdom's had many self-defense courses for girls to avoid sexual crimes. Out in the wilderness the captain didn't even want to think about the harsh conditions a woman would face in a tribe surrounded by gruff men. It disgusted her as a woman to no end. Ruby spoke up, breaking Sindel out of her stupor.
"Yeah, some guys hit on me and they're super gross. I can only imagine bandit men, I bet none of them use soap, bleh!" Ruby says disdainfully as she faked gaged and stuck her tongue out to Seth and the others amusement. Seth leaned over and whispered to her.
"Does that make me gross for hitting on you-OOF!" Seth whispered teasingly before Mira gave a playfull punch to his sides.
"No flirting in front of the bosses you two." Mira sang softly making the two blush in embarrassment.
"Okay! Back to business, General what's the tribe leader look like or do you know her name by any chance?" Ruby said desperately trying to avoid the teasing eyes on her and Seth. Ironwood looked at her with a blank stare, but internally was screaming with frustration.
"How the hell do you say, "It's your aunt Raven Branwen, a killer as strong as your dad" and expect her to stay calm?" Ironwood thought to himself.
He was honestly hoping he could handle Raven himself and Ruby wouldn't need to meet her until it was over then he could handle that awkward conversation. As much as he knew how lying was going to dig his grave deeper, he had to keep her calm and focused on the mission first.
"I don't know her exactly, just rumors and notes on photo's we got. It's a black haired woman with swords. She's thought to be highly skilled so all of you keep your guards up, understood?" He asked after his lies.
"Yes sir!" They yelled at attention, unaware of the deception.
Soon they landed a few miles away from the target location, careful not to be spotted or heard from afar. They traveled by foot to use the forest cover for added camouflage so that Akali wouldn't have to waist aura for her semblance. They all crouch on their stomach's as Sindel used a pair of binoculars to look at the enemy stronghold, a wooden fortress with several lookout points above, she made sure to push her detectives and the General down as she caught a glimpse of one starting to look their way.
"Akali, cloak us now!" Sindel urged her detective who waved her hand frantically, cloaking them all in her invisibility semblance. Luckily the guard didn't catch sight of them in time, but Sindel narrowed her gaze softly at Akali, noticing her breath a bit heavy. Her semblance let her cloak herself usually, but added aura and effort could cloak several people but the strain on her was obvious, they couldn't have her do this long.
"Were all good for now, I count 4 guards on watch, we'll have to take them out quick for Akali. Shauna, how many inside?" Sindel whispered to Shauna, whose eyes glowed a faint grey, using her semblance to see inside the fortress.
"Hmmm, I see…. 3 dozen inside, most armed with simple guns and swords. I see a woman with a really big one on her waist with a skinny girl, maybe about our age with what looks like a whip. Shouldn't be too hard if we can get the drop on them." Shauna hummed softly. Sindel then looked to Ruby and Shauna.
"Okay then, here Ruby, use this silencer to handle the guards on the posts while Akali takes out the two standing guard at the main entrance, that will give the General and Bakugo enough time to charge.
"Right ma'am!" Both girls and Bakugo said softly as they nodded in compliance.
Ruby took the silencer and attached it to Crescent Rose and set her sights on the guards on top, as did Shauna. Ironwood placed a firm grip on their shoulders in response.
"Remember to wait for Detective Ionia to get into position before you both shoot." He quietly, but firmly said.
"Yes sir." they responded quietly as the others went back into the woods to avoid detection, waiting for Akali to sneak up on the two guards. Akali pressed a button on her scroll, sending a buzz to Ruby and the other's scrolls on vibrate, signaling she was ready.
Ruby saw Akali unleash her twin Kama's on the guards, slashing their necks as the two dropped to the ground dead. In an instance, Ruby and Shauna opened fired on the guards on top before they could notice, rubber bullets and tranquilizers aimed at their foreheads knocking them out on impact quietly.
Ruby eyed the dead one's for a moment, giving a silent prayer for them as she hated that they had to take lives, but those two couldn't be subdued silently otherwise and the fate of this unit's success hanged on either their lives or the unit's drive for victory and they chose the latter. Shauna placed a calming hand on her friends back and gave her a warm smile, causing Ruby to take a deep breath, calming her nerves.
"We're ready for you two, boys." Ruby said into her scroll as Bakugo and Ironwood ran out the woods, charging their weapons. They looked behind them, waiting for the rest of the unit to stand clear including Akali who moved from the front of the gate. As soon as everyone nodded they were ready, Bakugo gave a mad grin, feeling a rush of adrenaline as he imagined how badass this explosion would be.
"EAT THIS ASSHOLES!" He yelled as Ironwood shot his cannon and Bakugo shot his new explosion laser move, AP Shot from his gauntlets, sending a green and red stream of energy from both men that exploded the main door to the Bandit's shock.
"WE'VE BEEN BREACHED!" One bandit named Shay yelled, before seeing a breeze of rose petals fly by his eyes. The sound of metal ripping into the air was the last he heard before the brunt end of Ruby's scythe smacked his neck, knocking the bandit out.
"You're all under arrest! Come quietly and you won't get the same treatment!" Ruby yelled as she cuffed the unconscious bandit. The rest of the tribe instantly grabbed their weapons in response as Ruby rolled her eyes annoyed.
"God dammit I hate protocol!" She groaned, hating having to read rights even shortly as it wasted time and allowed the criminals to prepare, not that it would help as Ruby soon thought, grinning as she heard something familiar behind her and ducked.
"Give them hell Mira!" She yelled as Mira charged past her in demonic form.
"MY PLEASURE!" She roared as she slashed 5 bandits before her, while Shauna shot at 2 on her left with her crossbow, covering her, which made the demon girl smile at her gracefully.
"Stay focused!" Jago startled her as he leaped past her and slashed the face of another bandit sneaking up on her with a mace. Mira gasped as she saw the bandit clasp his face painfully as he rolled on his back screaming before Jago punched his face to knock him out of his misery.
"Thanks pal!" Mira said grateful, receiving a toothy grin from Jago as he charged up his semblance, encasing his arms and legs in tiger stripes that glowed as he and Mira, resuming her demonic form, charged mindlessly around the camp, pummeling like bowling balls the bandits like pins, sending many flying with ease.
Akali sighed as she remembered what happened next. It all seemed to be going perfectly. Soon the others moved in to support their vanguards in their assault. Ironwood and Bakugo shooting the main ammo tent with their weapons to destroy enemy ammunition's and limit their counterattack.
Seth worked to paralyze all the remaining bandits with his semblance, allowing Mira to quickly cuff them. As she put one on one of the last bandits, Mira felt a shock to her leg as something wrapped around it and threw her to the wall, shattering her aura and knocking her out of her demon form.
"Mira!" Seth yelled in panic as he looked to see the culprit smirking at him arrogantly while twirling that whip.
"Awwww… Did I knock out your sweet little girlfriend baby boy?" The bandit girl Vernal mockingly asked before her eyes widen and she jumped back instinctively.
"No! Because that's me bitch!" Ruby yelled furiously as she dislodged her scythe out of the dirt and unleashed a volley of slashes the bandit girl effortlessly dodged to her frustration.
It was obvious this girl wasn't small fry compared to the rest of the tribe, considering her strength in knocking Mira out, but it was like she was trained to handle Ruby's weapon to her confusion.
"You're not gonna beat me with that big clunker little red!" Vernal said as she delivered a roundhouse kick to Ruby's chest, knocking the wind out of her and sending her back towards Seth. Ruby groaned and grit her teeth in frustration, smacking away a concerned hand from Seth.
"Focus! She's not done!" Ruby said angrily as she switched her scythe to twin gun mode, but Vernal smirked as she waited for that and twirled her chain, it charged with electricity as she was about to send if towards Ruby.
"TIGER CLAW!" Vernal gasped as she heard that before a sharp sting pierced her back and knocked her off her feet. She turned around to see a boy clad in energy marks that looked like stripes around his arms and legs baring his teeth angrily at her.
"I'm gonna enjoy ripping out your guts open for what you did to Mira." Jago coldly growled as he once more enhanced his nails with his energy and formed claws.
He charged at Vernal who gave off a war cry of her own as flared up her aura and tried to parry his claw strikes with kicks, only to wince as she was sent back by the superior force of his attacks. As she knelt down a moment and caught her breath, Jago yelled as he aimed for her head with another claw strike, failing to notice her grin unlike Seth.
"No Jago! That's what she wants!" He yelled, seeing she wanted him to get close, but his warning came too late as Vernal back flipped to dodge and whipped her chain around his arm in the dirt instead before sending a shock to his body as she pressed the button on it. Jago screamed in agony as his tiger marks faded and he knelt this time in pain.
Seth soon jumped in front to grab the whip, pulling it off Jago's arm and encasing it on his, shocking the boy painfully….at least that's what Vernal assumed. Her cocky smile soon faded as she saw him form his own as he advanced slowly towards her, his eyes glowing blue.
"Thanks…. I needed a recharge!" He said as his eyes glowed brighter and lightning shined throughout his body and was sent back towards Vernal, making the bandit scream in agony before she lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground.
Seth got on one knee as he took off the electro whip, huffing in exhaustion from the overload as Ruby ignored the shocking static in her arms as she placed them tenderly on his back.
"You *wince* okay… baby boy?" She asked jokingly, but with a sweet tone making Seth chuckle at her mimicking that bandit girl, who was cuffed by Ironwood before them, making them feel at ease, assuming the battle was won.
Soon the lovers both felt a shock to their systems as they felt a powerful presence behind them, contradicting that feeling. It flew past them in an instance, slashing the general's robotic arm off and sending him flying with simple kick to the chest in a flash to their shock.
"General!" they heard Jago scream before them as he leaped past them in a hurry and caught the General before he crashed into a tent far away to the lovers relief as they sighed. Jago took Ironwood to Sindel at his request, not feeling confidant to handle this opponent without both arms.
Though they were happy to see the General get away with Jago, they knew both were not fit to fight right now. The duo gasped as they remembered they weren't out of the woods yet either as they eyed the warrior before them twirl her blade confidently.
"I can feel it, she's really tough. Was that the tribe leader!?" Seth said nervously, almost choking on pressure again like when he heard Salem's voice. This was different though, there was no calmness to the bloodlust, just pure rage that threatened to bury them without compromise.
Ruby's eyes widen in anger and shock, not from the assault on her superior, but once she realized the identity of the attacker. It was a woman with red eyes like her sister, long black messy hair, and red jagged gauntlets similar to ember Cecilia, making Ruby grit her teeth in response as she knew this woman. She got in front of Seth and advanced slowly towards the tribe leader, making sure he wouldn't get caught up in what she was about to do.
"Hello… Auntie Raven. My the years have not been kind to you." She coldly said, her tone along with that honorific used to emphasize old age, making the woman groan with anger before she took a deep breath.
Slowly she stood up and turned around, giving her niece a cold blank stare. Seth shuddered a bit, not from the reveal this was his lover's aunt, but from bloodlust he sensed from both of them.
"Well, well, well…. So nice of my "beloved" niece to grace me with a visit after all these years, what took you so long?" Raven said sarcastically, before she grabbed her red sword to block a slash from Ruby that came almost too quick for the elder Branwen.
"You're right, I should have tried to take your head years ago." Ruby bitterly said as she pressed her scythe harder into the blade lock.
Raven smirked a bit, not out of arrogance, but with pride. She was honestly impressed the little girl of her brother was capable of such bloodlust and brutality after all. The last time she saw her Raven mocked the small and weak little girl crying for her mommy to come home as a corvid. She never thought Qrow could make a huntress or killer out of her.
"Guess it's nice to be wrong once in a while." Raven mused in her mind, honestly pondering how nice it would be to have her as a tribe mate. She soon gave her niece a cold glare.
"If only Ozpin and his lackey's didn't get to you first, you'd have been a great Branwen." She bitterly said as she pressed her niece back a bit with superior strength of her blade, making her kneel a bit to avoid losing the blade lock.
Ruby, despite the immense pressure on her, scoffed at her biological aunt for such a ridiculous notion. She was a huntress, a detective of the law, and most importantly…
"I actually love my family, even if they get on my nerves. I'd never join a pack of murderers and thieves!" She roared as she petal burst back a few inches, separating their blades as her molecules broke down, startling Raven who lost her footing for the sudden shift of pressure allowing Ruby to deliver an elbow to her aunt's jaw, making her reel back a bit. As Raven rubbed her sore jaw, she grinned.
"I am amongst my family. The only one's who could actually understand me, unlike some little girl stuck in dream land like you and your mother." Raven mockingly said, making Ruby growl in anger.
"Don't you DARE ever mention mom to me! She'd be disgusted seeing you after what you did!" Ruby howled, but Raven scoffed.
"What do you know about Summer Rose. A little brat like you trying to waste your life playing hero like her could never know anything, about her or me." Raven said with scorn. Ruby grit her teeth angrily in response.
"You're right! I don't understand you at least, I mean… why would someone leave it all behind? Why did you leave my uncle, my cousin….YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!?" She roared. Raven merely gave her a blank stare in response.
"You sound just like your mother." She coldly said as she placed a red dust crystal into her sword.
"I bet I kick your ass just like her too!" Ruby declared until her eyes widened as she saw the flames from Raven's sword come not towards her, but at…
"SETH!" She hollered as she petal burst to her boyfriend and grabbed him out of the way, crashing into the side of the fire stream as her mind raced too fast to think clearly and soften their landing. As they groaned on the ground sore, they heard something go into a weapon's slot and froze, knowing what was next.
"And just like her, you don't care enough about your own skin!" Raven yelled as her blade glowed blue and was encased in jagged ice, obviously intending to slice them up. Suddenly her blade was parried out of nowhere, stuck in place before Seth's face, to everyone but Ruby's confusion as she grinned.
"Nah, I just have the utmost confidence in my friends! Perfect timing Akali!" Ruby cheered as her teammate unveiled herself to Raven's mild surprise.
"Invisibility? That's interesting. Why not try to take my head back there instead?" She politely asked.
In her mind though she doubted her aura would shatter from a sneak attack, but she wanted the girl to get cocky and drop her guard, telling by the firm grip she carried her Kamas with she was tough, at least physically stronger than her niece.
"My friend's needed saving from a witch! One who apparently doesn't give a shit about her niece or honor in battle unlike us!" Akali yelled as she plunged the blue blade of Raven into the dirt with one blade and tried to slash Raven who surprised her and everyone by turning into a corvid and flying back a few feet.
"She's a bird!? I guess she is a witch after all!" Akali said dumbfounded. Raven didn't fail to notice her drop in guard and gave a bitter death glare, vowing to make her pay for it.
"Honor's for the weak like you and Summer." Raven bitterly said as her eyes glowed red flames.
Suddenly a thundercloud darkened the sky above them to everyone's confusion. It was clear of any clouds a few minutes ago so where did it come from?
Ruby soon felt her huntress instincts kick into overdrive as she saw her aunt point at Akali, knowing something bad was coming. She pushed Seth a few feet back to his shock and grabbed her scythe and charged.
"Akali!" was all the girl heard from Ruby before she winced in the hospital, tearfully cringing as she remembered what happened next.
"Then Ruby used her scythe to grab me and throw me back by Seth. Out of nowhere lightning struck it, and electrocuted her. Her arms….. I can still see… *gag*" Akali bitterly said as she hacked into her hand, still remembering the sight of the vein's in Ruby's arms imploding and spurting blood from her charred arms.
But that was nothing compared to the horror she felt hearing those screams of agony from Ruby as her pupils turned blank white and she passed out standing before her and Seth, her clothes smoking as she stood their seemingly lifeless. Yang and the others tearfully eyes Ruby's bloodied bandaged arms, imagining that horrific sight and empathizing with Akali, it took all their will to not hurl and keep listening, despite knowing the pain it would only bring.
"RUBY!" They both had hollered as they charged towards her only for Akali to be met with a slash to her gut by a yellow blade of lightning that shocked her body and shattered it's aura to dust. Seth watched her fall on her face unconscious before covering his face as it was blasted by a stream of fire shot from Raven's hand that singed his right arm and likewise knocked him out.
"That's all I remember. After that I woke up here. General Ironwood said he and Agent Diamond managed to grab us and get out of there with a few bandits after Bakugo caused an explosion to distract Raven." Akali painfully said as she finally lost all strength in her voice and legs and collapsed on her butt, crying into her legs.
Her shame made it was too much for her to keep recalling, feeling as powerlessness as her legs right now. Shauna sat beside her and patted her back as she wept.
"There, there, girlie. Thank you Bakugo, we'd all be dead without you." Shauna said as everyone patted his back giving thanks as well. But Bakugo eyed Seth and Ruby especially, not feeling it in him to feel pride considering what the mission cost them, what he knew he failed to prevent.
"No need to thank me, I couldn't do anything until after-" He started saying before a pair of arms wrapped around him to his shock.
"Thank you….Oh God thank you for saving my baby sis!" Yang cried, not caring about actual titles right now.
Ruby was the sister she grew up with, practically raised after their mom summer died. Yang loved her more than a friend or cousin, she loved her like that and this boy saved her from her biological mother. As angry as she was right now with that, she just had to express her gratitude to this boy for saving her, a sentiment Tai and Qrow shared as they joined the hug.
"Nice job kiddo, I can't thank you enough." Qrow said warmly, Tai couldn't make out a thank you, only sobbing uncontrollably after almost losing the girl he raised like a daughter. Bakugo looked down and calmly pushed Yang away causing the girl to look confused.
"If you really want to thank me, then you can start by apologizing to Seth when he wakes up. He didn't deserve that, I know you think he's some punk just because he's dating Ruby but the fact of the matter is he is one of the best of us. He did everything he could in that battle and more, don't let your imagination cloud your judgement." Bakugo said sternly and Yang glared at him.
"If he was stronger then!-" Yang started but was shot down by a voice.
"All of us should have been stronger! Your psychotic mother didn't just beat him or Ruby, she beat all of us! Yet here we stand with injuries that won't take long to heal; you don't know our shame. I wish it was me in that bed and not Ruby, I speak for everyone here when I say that. Both are like family to us, don't ever think that blood makes that a big a difference." Jago said coldly as he narrowed his at Yang then Tai, who looked down somberly.
Sindel and Ironwood gave a solemn look to each other, remembering what Raven told them before they escaped.
"Tell my niece that if I see her again, it will be the last time." Raven bitterly yelled at them.
"She plans to hunt her, doesn't she?" Sindel whispered to the General, careful not to let the others hear.
Blake's cat ears twitched though, her sensitive hearing kicking in. She heard that and it made her pale a bit in fright. She listened in closely, but kept her cool to avoid being detected. She caught a glimpse of Ironwood nodding silently, it was clear to her this was going to get worse.
"Not just her, she will be hunting all of us. Her niece and her friends along with her bosses ransacked her village and burned all their weapons and supplies. Bandits are ruthless to those who cross them, and she's the worst one of them all." Ironwood bitterly whispered.
"So what do we do? After what happened today I believe you when you said only her father could defeat that witch, do we have him help us catch her?" Sindel asked.
"Considering this happened because of my plan I doubt he'd listen to my orders and-" Ironwood begun saying before a screech startled them.
"YOU DID THIS!?" Qrow hollered, shocking everyone present as he broke off the hug and charged at Ironwood, ramming his fist as hard as he could into the jaw of his old friend, or ex friend now as far as the Branwen was concerned. Blake's cat ears went down, she was starting to regret whispering to Qrow what she heard, despite feeling he as Ruby's father had a right to know any info about Raven.
"You knew she was there, but you didn't call me? You sent my daughter after Raven and almost got her killed!?" Qrow yelled at James. Yang and Tai stood up, the former's eyes glowing red with rage at this news while Tai just looked bewildered by the revelation.
"I-I knew you would try to stop our mission." Ironwood said as he gripped Qrow's fist and forced it from his bloody mouth to speak.
"Damn right I would! You knew how dangerous Raven is yet you still walked in there like a zebra in a lion's den, AND FOR WHAT!?" He yelled, breathing rapidly as he struggled to force back the urge to take Harbringer out and slice up the man who put his daughter in that hospital bed.
Soon water sprinkling from above them startled everyone, before they smelled smoke coming from Yang. Her hair had caught fire and activated the sprinkler system in the room, sizzling it out but not stopping her own huffing from rage.
"Someone turn that water off…. So I can burn this bastard to a crisp already." Yang huffed as she began walking towards Ironwood, gripping her fist she intended to get her own strike at the man. She was met by a blade pointed at her by non other than her own Uncle Qrow, silencing her and freezing everyone in the room as he gave her a bitter glare.
"U-Uncle Qrow?" She squeaked in fear.
"This is between me and him firecracker. NOW GET BACK!" He hollered.
Yang quivered as she sat down, her eyes turning back to their natural lilac color as Tai sat beside her, cover her face with his shoulder as he was likewise frozen with fear. He hadn't seen Qrow this angry since Summer died and he went on a rage and drunken rampage in a Grimm forest. Those eyes showed he was out for blood unless he got his answers. Ironwood saw them too as he sighed, knowing he couldn't keep this a secret.
"Let's talk outside in private, I'll tell you everything." Ironwood pleaded. Qrow grunted as he reluctantly put away Harbringer and went out the door with James.
"C-Can….someone get us some b-blankets." Mira said as her teeth chattered, shivering from her clothes being wet once the water stopped pouring.
Once they were outside out of ear view, glancing around to make sure no nurses were around, Qrow glared at Ironwood with eyes that demanded answers at the moment, no longer tolerant enough to wait.
"So WHAT happened? Why did you let her go after my bitch sister." He bitterly asked. His hand stayed near his scythe-sword, something James knew meant his life was in danger if he didn't explain well enough.
"We needed to capture bandits in Mistral to see if we could find the White Fang, specifically a murder suspect in out investigation. They seemed to compete with the terrorists for territory so we felt it was the best option." James said, trying to emphasize the importance of catching the White Fang in hopes of calming Qrow, only to be startled by a fist punching the wall, cracking it under its immense strength, shattering those hopes like the drywall.
"But why HER tribe!?" Qrow yelled. Ironwood sighed as he hated what would come next.
"Because Leo has betrayed us to Salem." James said, making Qrow's eyes widen in shock.
"What?" He said confused and shocked.
"Detective's Vayne and Dreyar bugged his office during their investigations and found out he had been sending huntsman to her tribe on purpose to die… by Salem's orders. He's turned on us." Ironwood said reluctantly. Qrow groaned as he heard this.
"I knew Leo lost his hairs over the years, but he really turned into such a scaredy cat that much?" Qrow bitterly asked making Ironwood sigh.
"Unfortunately, then there's the fact Raven herself confirmed my and Ozpin's suspicions." He said, making Qrow raise an eyebrow.
"About what exactly?" He asked curiously.
"The spring maiden is in her tribe, in fact, Raven is the maiden." He revealed, making Qrow recoil at the revelation.
"She's what!?" He asked dumbfounded.
"I saw it first hand, it explained how she summoned lightning and fire to attack those teens. That's how she got Ruby. I thought we could all handle her together, but I never thought the maiden would be her over one of her lackeys. Had it not been for those powers, she would be in cuffs. I never even considered she would take the powers for herself." Ironwood shamefully admitted.
He hated how ill-prepared he really was for the mission. He should have contacted Qrow after all, even if he knew he would have tried to stop them. A sentiment Ironwood felt was now warranted considering what it cost them. 2 of his detectives were in critical condition and they only had a few prisoners to interrogate to show for it.
Raven's tribe was also likely to have left by now so they had no idea where the spring maiden was. As he thought about that last part, Qrow glared at him, guessing his pragmatic thoughts over moralistic ones, another in the long list of things he hated about James.
"You just wanted another lackey of your own, for you and Ozpin! Why didn't you just let me go after Leo, after her instead!? Why did you drag my daughter and her friends into all of this?" He tearfully asked.
"I focused too much on stopping Salem. Those kids are so young but are some of the best huntsman I have ever seen. I truly thought they could handle it and for a while they did but it wasn't enough. I put too much confidence in their hands and I-" Ironwood started saying before another punch came, this time at his gut that made his recoil.
"Don't. Blame. Them!" Qrow bitterly and firmly demanded as he pulled his fist back. Ironwood nodded painfully. He knew he was just making excuses, blaming the teens for his own faults. By this point Qrow had enough and walked out with a scoff.
"I'm getting a drink. You want to make it up to me, gut Leo and call me when my daughter wakes up for me." Qrow bitterly said as he flipped off Ironwood and strutted down the hall. His fear of his own semblance being the only reason he wasn't watching over Ruby right now or doing the job himself.
"I'll never say "Thing's can't get any worse" ever." He thought to himself. He was living proof of otherwise. He wasn't in the mood to kill Leo or get caught up in hope, he just had to get a drink.
As his old friend left, Ironwood sighed as he returned to the room, met with bitter glares from the teens who by then got blankets to dry themselves and the patients off. He knew by their silent death looks, minus Sindel out of respect for military he knew he wasn't welcome after all this and simply bowed in apology before leaving.
Before he left, he glanced at Ruby in her hospital bed. He prayed for her recovery, because now he was beginning to grow desperate and knew he'd have to enact his backup plan for Salem soon.
After he left, Weiss groaned as she sat beside Ruby, placing a hand on her bandaged arm.
"I'm sorry he put you through this BFF. We Atlesian's sure cause a ton of crap huh?" Weiss said sorrowfully before she was jolted feeling by her friend's arm trembling a bit followed by a groan. Weiss's eyes widen as she smiled a bit.
"Hey everyone! I think Ruby's waking up!" Weiss said with a hopeful tone, drawing everyone to the Rose girl's bed with tearful but happy eyes and smiles. Smiles that soon descended as Weiss's eyes widened in terror. She noticed Ruby's eyes not opening and her face sweating a bit as the shaking grew worse.
"She's not waking up… she's burning up." Weiss said horrified, earning a scoff from Yang.
"Weiss, really you always had bad jokes but this!?" Yang yelled bitterly and Blake nodded.
"It's not a joke! Her arm it's…. IT'S SEIZURING!" Weiss cried out afraid, making everyone recoil. Ruby was having a seizure!? There question was answered as Ruby began convulsing, giving off weak groans to their horror.
"CALL THE DOCTOR, QUICK!" Tai screamed.
Meanwhile in Atlas
Adam and Neo eyed their party, consisting of a dozen White Fang soldiers within the SDC ship they stole being driven by Arthur Watts. They looked at the scroll Neo used to communicate, going over the details of the plan again. One soldier scoffed as he read them.
"Why should we listen to a human anyway. This Salem hag seems Grimm but I'd take her over listening to-" A bear faunus said before Adam gripped his throat with two fingers, choking him and making his body spasm a bit from the pain.
"Because Salem got us the access codes to sneak into Atlas, this girl got us the van with her semblance, and I AM IN CHARGE AND SAID SO!" He sternly said as he released his grip, making the bear man choke a bit before nodding fearfully.
The others nodded in compliance as well as Neo smirked at them, despite likewise feeling that pressure he put under her again. Though this was nothing compared to when she met that Witch Salem the other day. Adam took her into a dark room and shined a glass ball that summoned her, or at least an image of her, to show Neo. She was grateful she was mute for once, as she knew she wouldn't be able to hide the screams of terror raging within her seeing and hearing that ominous witch.
"If you want your lover back alive, you'll help my pet Adam free Cinder in Atlas." The last words Neo heard and thankfully the only ones she remembered from that meeting as she shivered with fear thinking about it. Her state irritated the prideful girl right now, almost as much as the driver's rude comment.
"We'll be there in about 10 minutes. I do know it's hard for your puny brains to comprehend, but can one of you be so mindful as to cover me while I hack into the security system to get Neo in?" He asked and everyone groaned, Adam shining his red blade to Watt's neck.
"Talk to me like that again and I'll slit your throat like Khan's." He bitterly said, but Arthur chuckled completely not intimidated.
"And if you do that, you all crash, burn, Oh! And lose your chance to kill Atlas humans tonight that is. So nice try attempting to scare me. Now do as I say or I turned this ship around." Watts chuckled making Adam groan as he sheaved his blade and sat back down.
"Just a little longer till we get there. Then I can do it." He quietly said to himself.
Neo chuckled a bit internally as she saw him pout a bit. It was amusing to her to see this powerful threat down a bit. She soon gulped not from the death glare he was giving her when he noticed this, but when Watts pointed out something.
"Attention Atlesian aircraft #54368, please standby for a routine security scan." A soldier said over the intercom, making some of the faunus nervous.
"Alright everyone. They have Neo's DNA on file, but with THIS from my master, it should help us get past the DNA scanners up ahead." He said as the van drew closer to the Atlas check-in points.
These scanners usually picked up on not just cargo but also on DNA from known criminals when scanning incoming vessels flying in Atlas airspace. But Adam handed black scarfs to Neo that wrapped around her skin, feeling like acid as her eyes turned red like a grimm's and she convulsed with black veins sprouting on her body as she collapsed convulsing to the joy of the Faunus. She weakly raised a hand in the air as the scan went through slowly to her despair.
"KILL ME! KILL ME NOW IT BURNS!" She screamed in her mind, wishing for death or the damn scan to end already, either one would be bliss for her.
At the prison in Atlas
Despair was in the air tonight in Atlas indeed as Litchi and Sin walked out of the upper levels cells groaning. Their disappointment filling the air so much it could attract a Nevermore.
"Shit! Still no luck even with that chameleon bitch!" Sin cursed.
He was growing ever more frustrated by their lack of information from these hoodlums. Litchi glared at him for a moment. Being a mother, normally Litchi would reprimand that language from a teen but she could only nod her head in agreement.
"I feel you kiddo. At this rate we should just consider gassing the rooms since we won't get anything from them." Litchi half-joked to Sin's amusement, he just had to pop his head back in the room to gloat.
"Hear that kids? Your gonna be rat food soon if you don't tell us already!" He hollered playfully, but Cinder and the others weren't amused at their current predicament.
"Cinder, can't you just blast us out of here with your maiden powers?" Emerald asked quietly, careful not to let the detectives hear them. Cinder shook her head left and right in defeat.
"Remember it's only half, and this damn room drains energy, not just aura. I can't focus enough to activate it." Cinder bitterly groaned. Embarrassment made her blush a bit, remembering the shock to her body also prevented her from doing so when that Seth guy electrocuted her that night at Beacon's tower.
"I swear if I get out of here he and his girlfriend are the first one's I BBQ." Cinder groaned bitterly, making Emerald and Mercury nod. Suddenly rumbling shook the building as they could have sworn they heard bullets and canons being fired outside.
"Sounds like you won't have to wait too long for that." Roman said overjoyed. He had a feeling Neo would come to save him eventually.
Sin and Litchi pressed a button on a computer screen outside the jail room, activating the camera system.
"Who's attacking us?!" Sin asked in panic from the trembling from before. Litchi put her arm on his shoulder firmly and told him to breath steadily.
"Stay calm. We'll check our feed and find out. One things for sure, they got balls thinking they could take us. Yeah right." Litchi said confidently, hoping to calm the boy, which succeeded to her joy as she saw him smiling.
As they saw the feed boot up, they were shocked to see Adam Taurus outside the prison tower, slashing some guards with his blade while almost a dozen White Fang soldiers began gunning down others with canons and machine guns.
"Don't worry, I doubt Adam will fall but we can handle them with out turrets…wait a minute." Litchi said confidently as she typed the command code before noticing something was wrong with her computer. It wasn't responding to the defense codes she typed.
"The system is down! I can't activate the turrets!" Litchi yelled making Sin recoil.
Outside, Watts was humming amused as he began uploading a virus into the panel outside the prison, nonchalantly kicking the corpse of a guard that was shot away from his feet as he did so.
"That buys you 10 minutes to get them out Neo." Watts told Neo who nodded, taking a deep breath as she prepared herself for the next phase of the plan. Her muscles still burned from those grimm cloths, but it only fueled her anger towards Atlas for making her go through that even for Roman's sake.
Meanwhile, Litchi pounded her fist on the keyboard in frustration as the screen remained frozen and unresponsive.
"Damnit! We can't let them free Fall and the others. Okay then Sin, get out outside and burn those beasts hides!" Litchi ordered Sin who raised his eyebrow indignant.
"Ugh… all by myself are you kidding me?!" He asked but was met with a sharp glare and confidant smirk.
"Please, like I'd give you nothing while I guard Cinder and the others." She said as she gave him a bag full of fire and lightning dust crystals to his shock.
"Penny thought you'd need this someday, so she told me she prepared them for you specifically after you asked her and Ruby to upgrade your staff with a dust slot." Litchi said with pride, grateful to have detectives and friends so smart, a sentiment Sin shared.
"Damn, I knew Ruby was a weapon's pro but that's one smart robo girl huh? Think the General would let me ask-" He started to ask before getting a playful smack to the back.
"Just go already! Think about sex and robots later! God, I hope my kids don't ever hit puberty." She groaned as she sent him on his way before entering the cell rooms for Fall and the others. Their usual silence was now preferred as she had her frustrations reach their climax as the sight of their cocky smiles followed by taunts.
"Guess Ironwood's top lapdog lost her bone." Mercury sneered.
"If our friends outside don't put you down it will be Ironwood for sure. He doesn't need worthless mutts." Roman said teasingly, though Illia sneered at him for that derogatory comment.
"Shut your fucking mouth human! Before I cut out your tongue!" Illia yelled but Roman rolled his eyes in his cell. He wasn't the only one annoyed though.
"Either you all shut your damn mouths or I'll shoot you before those goons get past even the first floor!" Litchi yelled as she aimed her pistol at them.
Outside the prison, Sin was busy laughing like crazy. He was having too much fun right now.
"Come on! Give me more already! That can't be all you've got Taurus!" He yelled at the lone bull faunus before him as a bunch of White Fang agents laid paralyzed, frozen or charred around them, courtesy of Sin's staff.
"Don't get cocky human. They were just here for grunt work." Adam said as he walked towards Sin slowly, pausing once a hand grabbed his ankle weakly. Adam looked down to see the bear faunus man from earlier gasping for air as he was riddled with severe burns.
"H-Help…. Help me please." He weakly begged before Sin recoiled at Adam's response. He simply stepped on the man's neck and knelt down before him.
"Respect your alpha in your next life." Adam sneered as he plunged his sword in between the bear man's eyes, killing him instantly. Adam then flung the blood off the blade towards the ground by Sin making him gag a bit.
"Why did you kill him!? He was on your side?" He asked shocked. Adam merely scoffed in return.
"You can drop the fake concern Atlesian, I know you don't give a horse shit about our kind. Besides, he was useless to me now. At least I made it quick and painless unlike what you Atlesian's did to my face." Adam bitterly retorted as he took off his mask.
Sin threw up at the sight of the brand on Adam's eye, making the latter smirk as he lunged for the boy.
"And in your next life, don't ever let your guard down again." Adam thought before his smile descended as Sin quickly used his staff to pole vault over the bull faunus, delivering a quick jab at his back as it turned blue and froze the spot it hit with ice. Sin then landed and turned around to see Adam staggering as he frantically tried break off the cold ice on his back.
"Son of a bitch!" Adam yelled, his cries amused Sin, helping him forgot his nausea as he soon jammed the staff into the ground as it glowed brown and yellow from both it's earth element and lightning dust.
"Thank you Penny and Ruby. You girls rock like this!" Sin thought as he unleashed a wave of spiked rocks charged with electricity towards Adam, aiming to stun and capture him at once.
His hopes were dashed as Adam plunged his red blade into the ground towards the stream, turning dark red as it absorbed the impact and ceased the wave instantly, the electricity going into the blade that he pointed menacingly at Sin, who groaned in annoyance.
"Oh right…you absorb damage. Ain't that a bitch." Sin sighed as he twirled his staff as Adam once more charged.
Back in the prison Litchi stood guard, her spear floating as she cocked her pistol towards the elevator door, waiting for whoever dared come challenge her for these prisoners.
'I'm sure Sin can handle them all, he's stronger than you even Litchi.' Litchi told herself quietly, doing her best to reassure herself of that as she was desperate to hide her shame from herself.
'What were you thinking though woman! Sending him out all on his own? And against a murderer?' She cursed herself internally.
Faith was one thing, but she didn't like the odds she put her detective through. Her heart began racing wildly as she heard the elevator ding, drawing her gun and spear towards it, ready to fire at an instant.
As the doors opened Litchi sighed with relief to see Sin walk out with one of her soldiers unharmed.
"Ma'am! We've managed to repel the invaders and minimize the damage. We've also seized their transport vehicle, perhaps we can check its fuel records to see where it may have been taken from to find more White Fang bases." The soldier said to her as she nodded and sheaved her weapons.
"Excellent work both of you! You all did Atlas proud today, especially you Sin." She said proudly as she approached her detective and placed her hands on his shoulders with approval smiling.
"Can't say the General will let you date Penny, but I think after today I could put in a few-" She said teasingly before she felt a sharp pain in her gut that cut her off. She looked at Sin, still smiling but eerily before she looked down to see an umbrella with a blade stuck in her lower gut.
"Sin?" She asked shocked as Sin smiled menacingly and his eyes turned pink and brown. Litchi gave off cold sweats as she realized who this really was before her consciousness faded from the pain and she collapsed. The soldier smirked as he was enveloped in a pink light and revealed his true form Arthur Watts.
"Nice work Neo, you executed my plan as well as you did that detective, now lets get to work freeing your boyfriend and Cinder shall we?" He asked Neo who nodded with a smug smile as she nonchalantly wiped the blood of her blade with a handkerchief.
Watts soon began tinkering with the control panel to the door, it only took 2 minutes for him to hack it and open the door. 2 minutes too long for Neo who pushed him out of the way to his annoyance as she teared up at the sight of Roman in his cell. She ran up to the bars and placed her face to the force field barrier set up for good measure in case of power surge. She eyed Roman who gazed upon her softly as he placed his hands on the energy field to meet hers even if they couldn't really touch.
"Knew you'd come for me Neo." He said softly with a warm smile as she cried and gave a happy one of her own. To their annoyance, their happy reunion was cut off by a cough from Cinder Fall.
"You two can smooch after we get out of here, now you and Watts need to free us already. I got a date of my own with Ruby Rose!" Cinder growled as her eyes flickered a bit of fire.
"Yes, yes I'm working on it. Neo grab the keys off that agent's corpse while I disable the force field." Watts said annoyed and Neo nodded as she walked away reluctantly from Adam, her hand still aimed at his as she drew away sadly. Her sadness was replaced by bitterness eyeing the body, bleeding from the gut she stabbed the agent earlier. She was one of Atlas best? Neo couldn't help but scoff at that notion.
She knelt before the corpse of Litchi and went to pick up said keys before suddenly her aura flashed pink as a saber struck at her own gut, cutting it slightly as she grabbed the keys before rolling onto her back painfully. Litchi's hand soon rose and grabbed the spear, using it to stand and fight her pain as she clasped her gut wound and huffed.
"Payback's a bigger bitch than you huh?" Litchi groaned as Neo collected herself and stood up, gritting her teeth angrily as she rubbed her own stomach. She cursed herself mentally for assuming she finished the job and letting her guard down, something Litchi was also thinking as she felt the sticky blood flood her hand.
"Give me back those keys or I'll bloody your face worst than my hand!" Litchi yelled as she flung her spear with telekinesis towards Neo who threw the keys to Watts and swatted the spear back at Litchi with her umbrella blade.
"Just give me a second Neo, you'll have reinforcement soon…. Not that I'm in a rush mind you." He joked making Neo give him a death glare before charging back at Litchi.
"Either I kill her first or I'm gonna kill him first." Neo thought, not sure which one was more tempting.
Outside the prison Sin and Adam stood before each other breathing heavily. Both riddled with wounds as they struggled to remain conscious. Both of them felt their vision grow hazy as they were struggling to stand up, but neither one of their will's will let them fall.
'This is a problem, he's just an academy student! And yet he was able to get all of those blows on me, all critical hits! Are all of the kids in that unit this strong? Or is it just him?' Adam thought in frustration.
'Don't fall Sin! Just a little more, he is on his last legs too. You take him out and the White Fang is in shambles.' Sin yelled to himself as he eyed that glowing red blade of Adams. He soon found himself confused when Adam simply put it away.
"W-What now? You just giving up now or something?" Sin asked confused.
"Something else indeed. Not that you'll live long enough to realize what it is." Adam said with a mocking tone.
Sin let his anger overtake his confusion as he fought his soreness to try and burn Adam by stabbing him with his spear as it was encased with flames and became red. But soon fire came from a different source, one aimed at him as a stream blasted him from behind Adam, who only leaned to his left to avoid the flames that sent Sin crashing into a wall, shattering his aura and knocking him unconscious.
Adam turned around to see Cinder, his "savior" as he thought she was thinking right now as she wiped smoke off her hand and walked towards him with Neo and the others. Illia in particular was carrying a bloody Litchi by the hair.
"I see my pet freed you. And who are you supposed to be?" Adam asked Illia, ignoring the bloodlust Neo was giving him despite her own many cuts and bruises Litchi gave her.
"I'm private Illia sir! I was the only survivor of that train crash those pesky human huntresses and the traitor Blake Belladonna caused." She said, Adam's eyebrows twitched as his gaze grew dark hearing Blake's name. Illia could sense his bad mood, she assumed from the crash part, as she threw the Agent's unconscious body towards him.
"This one also gave us some trouble, till our Aura's flared up sir. Figured you would want the honors." She said as pointed at his blade, her intentions obvious.
"Oh! you have no idea how long my blade's wanted blood right now." Adam coldly said as he drew it. But Illia's eyes widen as she choked on air. Neo and Roman recoiled a bit while Cinder's team merely sadistically smirked as Adam plunged the blade into Illia's chest making her cough up blood and get on her knees, weakly clasping the wound as he released her.
"I-I don't…. sir?" She stuttered, choking on blood as he glared at her.
"Don't get it? Let me fill you in then. I hate Blake even more than humans. Mentioning her in my presence made this your own damn fault brat." He coldly sneered as her eyes lost all their shine as Illia collapsed face first by Litchi.
"Glad you had some fun, but Watts said the Ace-Ops are going to be back here soon from arresting Lionheart." Cinder asked Adam who roared at her.
"Don't order me around human or your next!" he hollered, but Watts chuckled.
"As much as I know how much you'd loooooove to do that, if we don't get out of here soon the Ace Ops will return with Lionheart and we don't need him anymore since he got me those clearance codes, nor do we need to fight Atlas's best unit while Cinder and the others are still recovering. You look like you need a nap too I might add." Watts ranted as he pointed at the many cuts and bruises on Adam, who groaned as he put away his blade, hating to agree with a human even though he knew it was correct and they entered their airship.
A short while after they left, Litchi slowly came too after hearing the sound of an airship landing near her and the cries of the Ace-ops. But she didn't focus on them or their concerns for her as they treated her body, pressing cloths against her stomach wounds. Her mind was only on one thing, the conversation that group of criminals had before leaving.
'That man…Watts they said his name was? I know that name…and that voice. But that is impossible…' Litchi thought in agony from her wounds.
She couldn't think, she could only focus on eyeing Sin as he lay in that crater in the wall not moving. She couldn't tell if he was alive or not. What she was certain of was that she was guilty for not protecting him. She should never have allowed him to face the enemy alone, even if she had to guard prisoners. His loss was hers and she would have gladly lost her life, and those prisoners right now, if it meant he was alive and well.
As she willed herself to remain awake to keep eyeing him, desperate for any signs of life from him, one of the Ace-Ops pried him out of the wall. The only clue to his fate being the operative checking his pulse and sighing heavily. Was he okay? Was he dead? These uncertainties plagued her mind as she wept on her stretcher.
"I-I'm so sorry sweetie." She whispered before her vision faded as the guilt became too much for her.
Vale Bar
Litchi wasn't the only one riddled with guilt tonight. Qrow sat at a table in the very back of a cheap bar he didn't usually frequent. The booze tasted like shit to the alcoholic, who normally preferred the strongest liquors around he sampled in his many years of travels. Tonight those preferences meant shit like the liquor's taste to Qrow. It was the closest one to the hospital and he needed to drown his misery in booze after what happened to Ruby.
"You were right Tai *hiccup* I should have dragged her out of that unit kicking and screaming if HE was running the *hiccup* show." Qrow said buzzed. Tears fell from his eyes as he pondered those drunken words.
"No, no, no, don't say that Qrow remember what Oz said to you." Qrow said frantically as he admonished himself.
"Should haves and could haves are the shortest path to insanity." Ozpin's words echoed in his head. Qrow knew Ruby was strong even if not invincible. This wasn't a matter of her skills or Qrow's parenting really, it was just Ironwoods fault for abusing his trust and putting too much on his daughter.
But Ozpin was right, the past can't be changed, no different path could be taken or else he would have gutted his sister in his youth when he had the chance. The thought of his "former" sister, as he thought, filled his mind with rage.
"Next time I see her, she's dead." He said to himself before a glass he didn't order was slid to his end of the table.
"I said the same thing to Ruby." A females voice said eerily as he looked up to see Raven, smirking as she stood before her drunken brother on the other end of the table to his annoyance.
"Miss me brother dear?" She asked sarcastically before jumping back a few feet as Qrow threw the glass she gave him, and the table itself, against the wall and smashed them.
"YOU BITCH!" He roared as he drew out Harbringer and gave off a murderous warcry as he attempted to dug it's scythe blade into her skull only to be parried not by her red blade, but by a red and black scythe to his shock.
"T-That's" He stuttered, still dumbstruck by what she was holding as she chuckled.
"I take it your familiar with Crescent Rose. A nice little gift from my niece, wouldn't you say brother?" Raven asked with a cocky smile.
Bum Bum Bummmmmmmmm Cliffhanger! Regrets fuel our heroes as Litchi and Sin have fought hard and barely survived, but now the unit has suffered its second defeat. They are reeling from the first one as Ruby's having a seizure as a result, will she make it? She may not hope so, as Adam and Neo have freed Cinder, whose out for her blood now. What's their next plan, and what does Raven have to say to Qrow. More importantly, why did she keep Crescent Rose as a trophy? Find out in CH 32: Desire or Right?