-Legend 29-
-The Triumph-
…
"You think she's gonna do it?"
"I know she's gonna do it," Qrow Branwen said to his sister in answer.
While completely invisible to the mob of onlookers around them, Qrow could see the smirk of intrigue that crossed over Raven's face then. "What's it been... eighteen years since Shaxx put us through this same ordeal?" she said.
"About that." Qrow reached for his pocket flask. "Seems like yesterday, though."
They were silent a moment, beholding Ruby Rose, who had quite the share of live coverage, dispatch another of her opponents.
TWULAT! TWULAT! TWULAT!
"Double down!" the crowd around them raved. "She's got seventeen kills!"
"Just four off Branwen's record!"
"Shaxx didn't let us use level-gold weapons in our battle." Raven huffed this as she folded her arms.
"Mostly because we didn't have them yet." After a swig of drink did he say: "I'll just be glad when this whole thing is over. It's just a distraction we didn't need."
Raven rested her chin on the back of her raised hand. "Depends on how you define 'distraction'," she said coyly. "Not everything here has been a waste of time."
Eyeing her askance, Qrow said, "Fraternization aside, we gotta ship back to Earth. House of Truth ain't gonna quell itself."
"Who knows, they just might." Raven's eyes had turned to the section of sky over the stadium that still held the Martian fleet. "The way they've been going at it with Mercy, I'm surprised either House is still standing…"
"With even that said…" Qrow let his statement trail. Even with his eyes on the great screen, he knew Raven had gone.
"Dude, she's unstoppable!"
"Two more kills and she tops Branwen!"
Qrow chuckled silently to himself, watching his protege defeat all her comers, and possibly besting his record in the process. "Bring it home, kiddo…" did The Red Witch say.
…
"Way to go, Ruby! We're in the top ten!"
Ruby took a few recuperative breaths before answering her Ghost. "Fucking...sweet…" She smiled grimly. "Think you can give me a boost, partner?"
Zwei shone his beam over his Guardian's body, restoring a portion of her spent Light.
"Phew!" Ruby straightened as some of her strength returned.
"Hang in there, kiddo. We almost got this!"
"Right." Ruby took off again at a trot as she kept her eyes and ears open.
"A lot of the heavy hitters are out, according to the feed," Zwei reported. "Yang among them…"
"Yeah…" Ruby stopped to scan a small clearing, before heading in. "I guess that works though. Now I don't have to-"
She heard it long before she saw it.
VROON! Ruby Blinked out of the path of the rocket that was hurtling across the clearing. It slammed into a tree, splitting it half and setting it alight in Solar energy.
Ruby saw her attacker enter the clearing. "Damn...that was my only rocket…"
"Team Celsius's Striker…" Ruby breathed.
"Yeah, Paine is a tough one…" Zwei beeped. "Take your time and keep her at a distance."
The two Guardians circled one another slowly, waiting for the other to make the first move.
The move made by Ruby.
TWULAT! TWULAT!
She fired strategic and suppressive bursts at her opponent, all of these, the powerful Titan shrugged off.
"That's Red Death?" The closest thing to a smile she could muster graced Paine's face. "I don't see what the hype is about…"
Emboldened, did Paine charge Ruby outright.
TWULAT! TWULAT! TWULAT!
"You can't punch through her armor, Ruby!" Zwei shouted. "We have to try something else!"
"Change the perk set!" Ruby shouted this instruction while at a run, barely avoiding the rounds from Paine's Hand Cannon, the Mos Ganon V."Field Choke! High Caliber Rounds!"
A few more seconds and… "Got it!" Zwei said. "Let her have it!"
Ruby performed a tactical slide, unloading Crescent Rose all the while. The stock of her weapon pounded violently against her shoulder, a drawback of the increased firepower.
But the result was worth it.
Her target was stopped dead in her tracks as the heavy rounds slammed right through her armor. And, still reeling from this assault, Paine never saw the throwing knife whizzing for her head. It hit its mark flawlessly, and Paine crumpled to the ground.
"Yesss! Nice job, Ruby!"
Ruby recovered her throwing knife as she watched Paine's Ghost flash out of existence. She ejected spent mag from her Pulse Rifle and loaded a new one, the weapon feeling oddly heavy in her hands. "Anything you can do about ammo synthesis?" she asked.
"No. My synthesis ability is offline until the event's end."
"Crap…"
"What do you got left?"
"One in the chamber, and two spare…"
"Alright. We'll just have to be judicious, that's all…"
Ruby made her way again, though more slowly this time. She held her weapon low, the best she could do to give her arms a rest without stowing it altogether; lest she be caught off guard.
The sound of gunfire reached her ears from a distance. "Maybe sit this one out, Ruby," was Zwei's recommendation. "Our Light and ammo are low…"
Ruby cloaked herself as she crept as silently away from the scene as she could.
"Hey, is this legal?" Ruby asked her Ghost. "We're supposed to fight any Guardian we see, right? We might get DQ'd..."
"We didn't actually see them." Zwei explained. "We're just taking an alternate strategy. Discretion is the better part of valor sometimes."
A good distance and time later, Ruby asked for a report.
"Holy hell…"
"That bad, huh?"
"Just the opposite…" Zwei said, his excitement building. "The last few Guardians took each other out! Ruby- we're in the finals!"
"Awesome!" Ruby immediately looked about in alarm, afraid her outburst would attract the attention of whoever was left out there. Crescent Rose armed, Ruby said, "Let's go, Zwei!"
Ruby retraced her previous path then, her thoughts moving as fast as her feet.
'So...who's out there…?'
She hopped over an exposed root.
'All of Team Celsius are out...and Team Trinity. Yang is gone too…'
She ducked under an arrant tree branch.
'Too bad Jaune is out...I like him; he's funny! Probably not much of a final fight though…'
She leapt full speed over a small ditch.
'So, no Yang...or Jaune…Cardinal was disqualified. So there's only me and….'
Ruby ceased her running as she slid to a stop, her boots skidding across the ground. She then found herself looking into the eyes-the beautiful, icy blue eyes- of her final opponent.
Across the clearing, Weiss had come to halt as well, as though the dawning circumstance of this finale had stayed her feet.
The two teammates beheld each other, silence their only exchange.
Finally though, Weiss broke the still that surrounded them.
She dipped into an extended Warlock salute, her head bowed deeply. "It's an honor to meet you in competition, team leader."
Ruby offered her own Guardian salute, embellishing the motion best she could. "Likewise, Weiss."
Ruby shouldered Crescent Rose. She watched as Weiss primed a level-purple bow; wondering only briefly when Weiss had updated her arsenal.
"Give me your best," Weiss said, her voice breathy yet intense.
Eyes locked on Weiss's own, Ruby nodded. "I won't insult you with a half effort, Weiss."
And their battle began.
CHIOU!
Ruby only barely evaded the Arc arrow aimed at her head.
TWULAT! TWULAT!
The latter half of Ruby's attack hit its mark, Weiss crying out.
Weiss loosed a bolt of Void energy, which Ruby evaded by Blinking across the clearing.
Behind the cover of a tree, Ruby loaded her penultimate magazine.
"Axiom Bolt! Axiom Bolt!"cried Zwei.
She hadn't dodged that grenade after all.
She Blinked from behind her cover, taking aim at the bolt of energy flying towards her.
TWULAT! She shot it from the air.
CHIOU! The electric arrow burned a hole in the tree above her head.
Ruby dodged the follow up arrow with a tactical slide, taking aim while in motion.
TWULAT! A direct hit!
Weiss grimaced as she cast a Vortex Grenade in the space between them. The swirling mass of Void energy stopped Ruby in her tracks, as well as obscuring her line of sight.
Weiss charged then, Gliding across the ground at speed. Ruby saw the flash of a Void-charged blade, and she was only barely able to deflect it; using Crescent Rose as a shield.
Ruby struck back, attempting to lance the Warlock with her weapon's bayonet. Weiss dipped gracefully to one side, and came back with a fluid vertical strike.
Blinking backwards is all that spared Ruby a direct hit.
Behind cover again Ruby could only briefly favor the damage she had taken. "Sheesh...I forgot how fast she recovers!" she said through gritted teeth. "And dammit, that freakin' hurt!" She clutched her scored belly.
"We can't take our time with this." Zwei said. "If we're gonna down her, we gotta snuff her Light all at once or she's just gonna keep coming!"
"Any suggestions!?"
Any advice Zwei had to offer was halted by the Vortex Grenade that destroyed Ruby's cover.
VROON! Ruby's Blink Strike was deflected by the Void-forged guard of Weiss's sword.
Forced back, was Ruby put on the defensive. Weiss's sword strokes came thick and fast, Ruby barely able to dodge one before the next came.
Ruby performed a swift back flip, putting her out of range of Weiss's blade.
But not of her arrows.
CHIOU!
She was hit so fast, it took Ruby a good moment to register the burning in her shoulder.
"The arrows are made of Arc energy!" Zwei said as Ruby gasped. "The pain should pass quickly, and you can harness the Arc charge from them!"
"Shitty way to build Arc energy…" Ruby grimaced, preparing for the next assault. But with her Light so low, it may have been her only option.
CHIOU! Ruby swatted the arrow out of the air with her knife, and the next one.
"Arc energy charged! You got one shot, Ruby…"
Ruby raised her knife. And across her, did Weiss prime her sword.
VROON! Ruby launched her Blink Strike, it a cover for her true attack.
Weiss, as Ruby predicted, fended off her strike with her weapon's Void guard...
But she couldn't deflect the Skip Grenade at her feet.
The grenade launched it's swarm of stinging electric munitions, Weiss caught in the epicenter.
Ruby launched another Blink Strike, Blinking right behind her opponent. In mid air...did she land a precise knife strike between Weiss's shoulder blades.
The girl cried out in guttural pain. She staggered forward, falling to one knee.
"This is it, Ruby! Finish Her!" Zwei shrieked.
Ruby, her knife braced in both hands, charged it with what little remaining Arc Light she had remaining. She then stepped into an artful executioner's blow, her electric knife piercing Weiss's spine.
The girl reeled and the went rigid.
She collapsed forward, her Light extinguished.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THERE YOU HAVE IT! OUR ROOKIE CHAMPION HAS BEEN DECIDED!" The amplified voice of Lord Shaxx roared throughout the Ishtar Forest.
Though Ruby barely heard it.
Almost before Weiss had fallen, as it were, was Ruby on her knees, cupping Weiss' s Ghost in her hands.
She dug deep to find what little Light she could muster. Her brows furrowed over her tightly shut eyes as she called on the depths of her Light.
And in a flash of blue, was Weiss revived on the spot.
The two girls, kneeling there on the forest floor, looked each other in the eye, their smiles widening all the while.
The teammates embraced one another then, their stress from the battle forgotten.
"Good fight, Ruby," Weiss said.
"And you, Weiss."
Their two Ghosts hovered over the scene, exchanging congratulations of their own.
"Weiss put up an amazing fight, Windig! We really had to work for it! Uh...no hard feelings?"
"Of course not, my friend," Windig said with a dip of her shell. "We met each other in the spirit of fair competition. I would have been happy with either outcome."
On their feet now, Ruby and Weiss joined hands. And they and their Ghosts were transmated from the forest.
…
The next few hours, were an absolute blur.
Ruby found herself caught in a whirlwind of adulation. There was a ceremony, in which she received not only a trophy, but also the tournament winner's purse (Ten-thousand Glimmer!)
She posed for many photos, the best of which she used for her champion's holograph, which was requested by many of her new fans.
There were many interviews.
And at some point during all of this, she was informed that she had broken the kill record of the previous tournament.
And then there was a party.
There was definitely alcohol.
And then there was another party. Most of which she vaguely remembered. Ruby had only ever been drunk two times in her life.
This being one of them.
The next morning (at least, she thought it was the next morning) she woke up to a horrifying discovery.
She was blind.
'Oh right...sleep mask…'
She peeled the mask from her eyes, the early Venusian sunlight filtering through the window burning into her throbbing head.
"Zwei…" she moaned. "Light….please…"
Her Ghost shone his blue beam of Light over her body, amplifying her own. And in an instant, all remnants of her celebratory hangover were erased. "Phew! Traveler's Light is an awesome thing!"
"I'll say!"
Ruby sat up in a delighted panic.
Only to be flattened again by her sister's flying hug. "Good morning, Champ!" Yang said for all of Venus to hear.
"'Sup, loser!" Ruby said into Yang's neck.
Yang sat up. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have the champion of Venus!" She imitated a crowd's roar through her cupped hands.
Ruby hugged her knees as she really contemplated the events of this, the Supremacy tournament weekend. Her uncle Qrow and his team had triumphed in the Supremacy tournament; and she emerged victorious in her own battle.
Definitely a weekend to remember.
Yang and Ruby then shared a shower and breakfast. They dressed in their combat gear afterward, set on leaving back to Earth in a few hours' time.
There was a knock on the door to their suite then. Ruby was not at all surprised to see her Warlock teammate there on the threshold. They shared a hug and then made themselves comfortable in front of the monitor mounted on the wall.
The next hour was an exhilarating blur as Team Rosenkreuz watched back the highlights of not only the Supremacy tournament, but also their own battle royale.
"Those Celsius bitches!" Yang growled, witnessing her defeat replayed on the monitor.
"Yeah, they're really tough," Ruby concurred. "They're defiantly the best rookie Team after us."
"But you outshine them all, my champion," Weiss said, as they watched Ruby dispatch Paine.
Weiss leaned over and pecked Ruby quickly on the cheek, Ruby's face glowing the color of her namesake then.
Yang grinned at her sidelong, eyebrows waggling.
The final battle was playing out now, Ruby and Weiss locked in their pitched, but friendly conflict.
"Whoa! when did you get a sword, Schnee?" Yang said. "That's a level-purple!"
Ruby looked to her partner. "Our Warlock is just full of surprises, isn't she?" She folded Weiss's hand in her own as the girl turned scarlet.
A retrospective silence fell over them as they watched the award ceremony. Ruby lofted the crystal trophy, her Ghost flying celebratory circles around the scene.
"Lisa Lavender here. And we have with us the battle royale champion. Hailing from Earth and representing The Tower, Ruby Rose!"
The Earth supporters could be heard for miles around, such was their celebratory riot.
"Firstly Miss Rose, congratulations on your victory."
"Thank you," Ruby said.
"Our viewers would like confirmation of a few speculated details, if that's alright."
Ruby nodded.
"Firstly, is it true that you are related to the one Qrow Branwen? His niece in fact?"
"Absolutely!" Ruby chirped brightly. "He taught me everything I know!"
"I see." Lisa reloaded for her next question. "Given even your brilliant performance, they are many critics who believe your victory to only be the result of your rather...unique weapon. What have you to say to them?"
Ruby was silent a moment, her jaw working in deliberation. "Well, a Guardian is only as good as their weapon. And a weapon is only as good as its Guardian. I don't think it mattered what I brought to the battle; my skill is bigger than just my gun, and I think I proved that today."
The Earth contingent roared their approval.
"Woo! You tell 'em, Ruby!" Yang whooped as she hugged her sister.
"Well said, young Hunter," Lisa said. She then posed her final question. "Your final battle saw you pitted against your own teammate, the one Weiss Schnee. What were your thoughts going into, and during that fight?"
Ruby smiled openly. "Competing against Weiss was a true honor, and it speaks to her own skill as a fighter. She was best opponent to have, because we showed everyone that Team Rosenkreuz is the best!" Her statement ended with a squeal as she pumped a fist into the air, the Earth supporters responding in sympathy.
"Excellent! Thank you ever so much, Miss Rose. You've done Earth and The Tower proud."
"Rosenkreuz! Rosenkreuz! Rosenkreuz!"
"You are amazing, Ruby…" Weiss said, her voice not quite a whisper.
The replay then was interrupted. Ruby had received a call on her scroll. "It's dad!" She put the call through, Taiyang's image now on the monitor before them.
"Hey, girls!"
"Hi, dad!" Ruby and Yang chirped in unison.
"And good morning, mine Frau." Taiyang inclined his head to Weiss. "Uh...did I say that right?"
The Warlock smiled. "Just fine, Herr Dragon."
Taiyang laughed. "You gotta remind me how you ended up on the same team as a Schnee," he said to Ruby.
"Ahhh, you know." Ruby nodded sideways, cheeks burning.
Taiyang laughed again. "You seriously looked good out there, kiddo," he said. "You had an easier time of it than even your Uncle did back in the day!"
Ruby nodded proudly, Weiss beaming away at her.
"Tough luck for you though, Yang, getting double teamed like that…"
"Meh, what can you do?" Yang shrugged.
"Bunch a bullshit is what it was!" did Yang's Ghost chime in. "They knew they couldn't take her alone, so they ganged up on her!"
Taiyang laughed at that. "Yeah? Well they ganged up on our little champion here, and they still couldn't stop her!" He looked to his first daughter. "You know, Yang, if you need more training you can always come back home…"
Yang chucked a pillow at the monitor, everyone in the room having a laugh.
"So Ruby, I guess you and your team are coming back home then?"
"Yep," Ruby said. "Fun's over. Time to pick up the fight again." She tapped her chin in contemplation. "I was actually thinking about…"
Her sentence trailed as her gaze drifted upwards.
"What?" Yang asked her.
Taiyang smirked behind the screen.
Ruby rose from her seat on the bed, her eyes focused on the far corner of the room.
"Ruby, what is it?" Weiss was on edge at her partner's sudden intensity.
Ruby unholstered a throwing knife from her thigh. She stopped her slow march across the room as she sized up whatever apparent threat lay at its end. And right there, did she loose her knife. It whizzed through the air, coming to a sudden halt at the room's corner.
Qrow Branwen dropped his camo, Ruby's knife caught between his two fingers. Leaned coolly against the wall as he was, Ruby had the sudden impression that he had been there for quite some time.
He smirked at Ruby. "You're learning," he said simply.
"You got that right," was her smart reply.
Yang and Weiss breathed a sigh of relief.
Qrow, his countenance unchanged said, "We gotta talk, kiddo."
…..
-Bonus Legend-
-Quid Pro Qrow-
…
"This is extremely crazy, Uncle Qrow…"
The stadium's training annex, well after the conclusion of both tournaments, was all but empty, save for its two lone occupants.
"Yeah, I know, it's mentally irregular. But it makes all the sense in the world." Qrow said this with a smile as he strolled beside his niece and protege. "You owe me a favor."
"Yeah I know, but...when did you think of this?"
"About...ten hours ago."
"Oh, this is very crazy, Uncle Qrow..."
Qrow turned, wagging a good-natured finger at Ruby. "Listen, kiddo. When you beat my record, you beat it by one kill-one kill! And that's very hard for a man of my intelligence to handle."
"Oh is it?" Ruby smirked. "But I thought you said that after I beat your record, you learned how to live with it?"
Qrow stopped in his tracks. "I lied."
Oh you lied!" was Ruby's giggle. "So now you just have to prove it to yourself?"
"Only to myself,"the older Blade Dancer chuckled. "No cameras; no crowds; just you and me."
Ruby's smile only grew wider at that as the two of them approached the empty ring at the room's center. On its threshold did Ruby defer to her Uncle. "Age before beauty?"
"Anything you say, kiddo," Qrow tipped an imaginary hat to Ruby as he stepped over the boundaries marking the limits of the ring's circle.
"You better go slow, Uncle Qrow; you aren't as young as springtime anymore."
"Still young enough to whoop your butt, Ruby."
"Oh yeah? How you gonna do that?" Ruby perched her hands on her hips as she smirked impishly. "You taught me everything you know."
"Almost everything," was Qrow's rebuttal. "Remember, you fight great, but I'm a great fighter." Qrow unsheathed his knife, Arc energy running through its blood-red blade. "You ready?"
"Oh, absolutely." Ruby readied her own knife, its silver glinting in the light. "You wanna ring the bell?"
Qrow's shoulders heaved with his chuckle. "Alright." He used his knife to knock on an imaginary bell in the air next to him. "Ding...ding!"
And the two Blade Dancer's circled one another.
"C'mon, Ruby…" Qrow could barley contain his laughter or its accompanying smile. "C'mon…"
"Man, you really move good for an older guy, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby continued to circle around her impromptu opponent, her smile glowing for miles.
"Oho! I taught you well, Ruby. Looking good!"
"You might have taught me too good…"
Qrow postured in a threatening jest. "Look out now! Nope- nope-you don't want any of this...c'mon!"
Their circles closed in tighter as a pronounced change came over their demeanor then. Arc Light flared from the both of them as their Super energy neared their peaks.
Ruby's grip tightened on her knife. "Maybe I'm in here with the wrong guy…"
Qrow and Ruby squared up as they made their final approach.
"Watch yourself, now. Ready!"
And they charged each other.
…
-End of Legend 29-
….
A/N:
Told ya the next chapter would be up quick. Chapter 30 is going to be something of a cool-down from the tournament arc; lots of romantic fluff ahead. Many ships will indeed be sailing. But after that, the plot begins again proper. There's going to be quite the tonal shift, and you'll see why this fic is indeed called, Shadows of Light.
But that is then, and this is now. And with that said:
If you liked what you read, a like or follow would be greatly appreciated. If you didn't like what you read, I thank you for reading this long. See ya next time.
-B. D. Skunkworks.
….
P.P.S:
If you haven't already, check out the fic- Stand as Titan- by member Twisted Fate MK2.
s/14049105/1/Stand-as-Titan
It really is a great read, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Check it out for yourself!
….