A/N: Chapter 48 of REKT. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, they belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Chapter 48: The Messenger
On the field...
If there's one thing Kairos noticed during her fight, it was that her opponent changed the entire field into that of sand. Lots and lots of sand. She had to watch where she stepped and how long she stood in one spot; Aahil loved to make sinkholes if his opponent stayed in the same place for more than 10 minutes, making the sand rise to around her waist line to hold her still.
Tch...he's literally keeping me on my toes! The faunus growled, dodging to the right as a huge wad of sand soared overhead. She could have blocked, but she would have to stay in one place to defend against an onslaught. It makes it easier for her opponent to hold her in one place. If I want to wound him I have to hit him faster than he can!
"How long will you continue to dance around?" Aahil questioned, tilting his head to the side in wonder. Hovering around him were small balls of sand, waiting for their creator's command. "I could practically stand here all day."
"Don't get too comfortable!" There must be something I can do...just loading the gun form takes two minutes and if I stand and aim, he'll have me in his clutches...
"If you aren't going to attack then I sure will!" Smacking his hands together, Aahil made a circular motion to will the sand to form a funnel. "How do you like having tiny grits of sands in your shoes? I heard it's annoying for some."
"What the-? I'm being sucked in?" Kairos glanced down, seeing her feet sink deeper and deeper. She attempted to get herself free, but the more she struggled the harder the sands gripped her. It's almost like getting stuck in quicksand. "Release me this instant!"
"As you wish. Sand Shooter!"
"Whoa!" The faunus felt unbalanced as the sands underneath suddenly hurled her straight up like a slingshot. Tears appeared near the corner of her eyes as the winds whistling past her face.
"And the sand eruption has sent Kairos flying straight up into the air! I don't know about you Berty, but what do you think the strategy is here?" Port questioned his green-haired companion.
"If I had to wager a guess, simply keeping the opponent from attacking and always on the tip of the toes is not a bad idea. Then when captured by the sands, sending them high into the air could immobilize the person and thus, giving the attacker an opportunity to hit hard!" Oobleck replied, nodding his head with a slight bob. "However, there's also the opportunity for the opponent to try something while in the air as well!"
"If you think I'll let you hit me like this then you're wrong!" Adjusting herself midair, Kairos held Lancelot high above her head. The flames licked along the blade, making it radiate a blood red color. Her eyes narrowed as she began to fall back towards Aahil. "With this one slash, I'll end it!"
"If that's what you want, then I shall answer! Sand Tiger Burial!" Placing the palm of both hands on the ground, the entire floor trembled as waves upon waves of sand rose up into the shape of a giant tiger's head. Its eyes soon focused on the faunus, the ears on top of the head folded back along the head.
"Flame Slicer!"
"You'll have to do better than that." Aahil commented as the sand tiger absorbed the attack, half of its face split down the middle. However, it was made out of sand so it molded back together. Opening its giant maw it reared up to swallow the faunus and snapped its jaw shut.
"Would you look at that? I've never seen a Semblance being utilized like this before!" Port spoke as the audience roared with approval, cheering at the top of their lungs. "Young huntsman Serval has given us a wonderful performance with this display of power!"
"How long will it take until you suffocate within your sand tomb?" Aahil questioned as he looked at his creation, most likely gazing into the tiger's glowing eyes. "You can try to climb your way out. You can even try to cut your way out, but the sand will always flow back in like a river. And even if you do manage to hold your breath, the pressure will surely crush you. There's no way out."
"Will she be okay?" Timber questioned as he looked at the sand tiger with wonder. "Compact sand is really nasty stuff, especially when the material is wet."
"Then lucky for us she doesn't have that kind of ability. I know I wouldn't have a great time if I were out there fighting against him." Efram agreed, nodding his head with his arms crossed over his chest. "But I bet Kairos has an idea in her mind at this very moment. She's not going to let some sand animal get the best of her."
"Then that's that isn't it?" Aahil questioned, tapping his foot and smiled. "I don't think you could possibly be alive in there. So concede defeat by my hands."
FWOOOOOOOSH!
"What?! Where did all this heat come from?!" The huntsman scrambled out the way, watching as the sands were consumed by flames radiating from the body. Wait...is she just–? Quickly turning his head, he watched the monitor with a careful eye. The Aura level of his opponent was decreasing bit by bit on the gauge, confirming his suspicions. So the fire is due to her giving off her Aura...just how long will she let it burn?
"Well would you look at that! The sand is turning into glass residue thanks to the intense heat from the fire!"
"And it doesn't help the audience as they are subjected to the rising temperature! Some of them are taking off their blazers!"
"I mean, I would too in order to be comfortable!" Giving out a feeble roar the tiger head disappeared into a shiny puddle, leaving Kairos to stand in the middle with her Aura lightly coating her body.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!" The faunus gulped in the fresh air after being smothered by the sand. Her eyes stayed closed, preventing the sand from getting in and thus, she had to rely on her other senses to get out of the situation.
"Well, I'm impressed." Aahil spoke after finding his voice, listening to the audience as they either cheered or booed. "You are definitely making this match fun for me!"
What was that feeling I felt? Something on the edge of a dark malevolence...Kairos thought to herself, her breathing coming back under control. While everything was dark around her, something was grabbing for her attention and awakened something within her. It just doesn't feel right...I can't be imagining things!
"Unfortunately for us, it seems our Aura levels are almost at the same level and just one tick away from the 15% line. Therefore this last attack, will be our last."
The malicious feeling, it's here! "Get out of the arena!" She turned to face him, her eyes widening with nervousness and worry. "Go on! Run now! There's no time!"
"What are you blabbering about? Have you gone mad or something?" He asked her, arms raised in position to send an attack to her. "Don't take me for a fool! I never run from a fi–"
THUNK!
"No..." The faunus could only gasp with horror as something pierced through his chest, a detachable blade with a weird emblem running along its surface. Every strand of hair on her body was standing up because she's seen the sword so many times to immediately recognized the owner. "No no no no!"
"W-W-What the...what just...happened..." Aahil whispered, feeling his body crumble to the ground and the weapon retracted back to its owner. There was a resounding gasp from the audience, unable to believe what they just witnessed. Luckily Emerald wasn't around to actually utilize her illusion ability, therefore there wasn't any foul play in the match.
Making her way over to him while being aware of her surroundings, Kairos knelt down and placed two fingers against his neck in hopes of feeling a pulse. When she felt nothing beating underneath her fingers, her arm fell limply to her side and she lowered her head in respect. She didn't stay knelt for long as the mysterious weapon came soaring through the air and she quickly grabbed her opponent and avoided the strike. Strapping Lancelot to her back, she hoisted Aahil over her shoulder, turned around and ran to where the field ended.
"Sun!" The faunus screamed as loudly as she could, the hairs on the back of her neck raised in alarm as gun blasts rained down above. The blond, standing near the opening, heeded her call and darted out from where he was watching the match. His eyes were narrowed with focus as his legs continued pumping, carrying him as fast as they possibly could to the half-way mark.
"Mr. Wukong has entered the field!" Port was almost spitting on the microphone, his body slightly out his seat. "What does he think he's doing?!"
"Normally it isn't against the rules, but then again there's mayhem out on the field!" Oobleck had jumped out of his, adjusting his glasses with a finger. The cup of coffee he had been drinking fell to the floor with a loud 'clang'.
"C'mon!" Sun slammed his palms on the edge of the field. "You can make it!"
"Catch him!" Adjusting her grip, she threw Aahil with all her might. She didn't have time to watch, quickly rolling to the side and watched as the tip of a sword impaled the ground where her head would've been. Looking up she noticed a figure standing on top of the beams and changed her weapon into its gun form. "So there you are."
"Are you seriously thinking of fighting that person?!" Sun yelled after he had successfully caught the huntsman. The body careened into him and both of them had tumbled backward in a tumble of arms and legs. "Forget about it! Let the others take care of this mess!"
"I can't do that...Not after what happened to my opponent." Taking aim she fired in response, watching the figure jump around and avoiding her bullets while retracting the weapon. I want to know who this person is and I pray to whomever above...it's not who I think it is. However the emblem on the sword already verified the identity. "Stay back and let me handle this!"
"Don't be stupid! C'mon!" The monkey faunus yelled at her, "You don't have to play hero all the time!"
"Watch out, buddy!"
"Here it comes!" Two pairs of hands fell on Sun's shoulders, pulling the faunus back as a couple of warning shots came too close for comfort. The blond looked to see the other two finalists standing by his side, concerned expressions on their faces.
"Leave this fight to me!" Kairos spoke, keeping her eyes on the new opponent. Sun opened his mouth in hopes of changing her mind but he relented, allowing the other two to carry their friend and followed them back. This is my business after all...
"Leader, can you see who she's fighting?!" Efram asked me out of curiosity as Kairos sent a flame burst up to the arena lights just by swinging Lancelot. The attack was blocked and the raining of dust-infused bullets were returned. I haven't spoken a word, my eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Her opponent's staying in the dark so I can't tell."
"...what's weird is that the opponent's Aura signature...is somehow similar to Kairos'." I spoke after awhile, watching as bursts of red and a light shade of pink clash together from my mind. Is she a family member? Kairos didn't mention she had a sibling...
"This again?!" The faunus on on the field growled as the offending weapon coiled around her right arm, restricting arm movement. Digging her heels in, it turned into a tug-of-war before the faunus pulled her arm back with all her strength. With a groan the beams swung as the figure came down, plummeting towards the ground at a fast rate.
"Who's that?!"
"Kyaaaa! The beam's falling down!"
"Get out of there!" The audience were screaming all sorts of instructions as parts of the arena lights fell to the ground first, shattering upon impact and throwing up clouds of dust.
"C'mere." Yanking the chain hard before it could go limp, Kairos changed her weapon's form back to a sword and took aim as her opponent came flying towards her. Sensing the impending danger, the figure changed mid-air, dodging the sword thrust and slammed the sole of her left foot into the faunus' stomach. The air rushed out her lungs as she stood firm, refusing to buckle as she absorbed the kick. "Why you..."
Slamming the right foot in the same spot, the cloaked figure somersaulted backwards and reclaimed her weapon. Changing it into its gun form, she began to charge up for an attack. Spitting out a clot of blood from her mouth, Kairos jumped to her feet and held Lancelot horizontally. With as much Aura as she could muster she coated the blade with fire and made a horizontal line, a vertical line and two diagonal lines in the air before her. Hopping two feet back she took careful aim, making sure the tip would hit the figure right in the middle.
"What's this?! Both combatants look ready to kill each other!"
"Red Burst!" Kairos lunged forward the moment her eyes saw the trigger being pulled. Lancelot pierced the center of the finger and the figure lit up into flames, zooming across the field to collide with the burst of condensed energy. The result ended up with a massive explosion that rocked the entire coliseum.
KA-BOOM!
"Did I get my mark?" The faunus used the sleeve of her left arm to cover her nose, glaring into the smoke that still billowed up into the air. The floor underneath her was in shambles, no doubt someone would have to repair it at some point. Shit...I just might have over done it with my Aura...
"Well well well...it's been a long time since we last saw each other." A serene voice spoke and a silhouette appeared through the smoke, getting the huntress' attention immediately. "You made it this far haven't you? I guess I should give you a round of applause..." The smoke soon evaporated, leaving behind girl with dazzling rosy-pink eyes. Her platinum-blonde hair was styled in pigtails, two hanging in the front while two were in the back. She wore a blue shirt with an accompanied blue skirt and knee-high socks. Her choice of shoes were caked with what looked like blood from her past enemies, human or Grimm. "...for someone like you I'd imagine that you only made it to the entrance."
"You!" Kairos roared and lunged for the attacker, Lancelot gripped tightly in hand with the tip zooming straight towards its target. "Why the hell are you here?!"
"How are you, older sister?" The girl smiled, blocking the attack without much effort and smirked in response. The air swirled around them as both fighters tried to outshine the other in a contest of brute strength. Even if Aura levels were low, the display of physical strength was nothing to laugh at. "What a greeting this must be...and what a great time it is to be alive."
"Stop beating around the bush and answer my question, Ingrid!" Disengaging herself, Kairos somersaulted backwards and eyed her opponent ferociously. "I thought you were staying home!"
"Oh I was, but then I decided it was time to leave the nest. You know, spread my wings like a new fledgling. After all, the world has so much to give. And so much to lose."
"What is this?! An unidentified fighter has appeared on the field!" Port commented, banging his fist against the table. "What in the world are those soldiers doing?"
"This is definitely unacceptable!" Oobleck roared as well, covering his mic with spit. "What is this madness?! None of the other Vytal tournaments has had this much interruption!"
"Guards! Quickly seize her!" Ironwood ordered firmly, his subordinates heeding their superior's orders and rushed forward to apprehend the intruder. "We can't have another mishap in this tournament!"
"Really now...this is quite the farce huh?" Ingrid sighed as she noticed the soldiers surging towards her with their guns locked and loaded. Tossing a strand of hair over her shoulder she simply waved an arm to the side, letting out shock waves that blew most of the soldiers off their feet. "Now then, we won't be interrupted anymore and I can have you all to myself."
"If anything, you're the one who interrupted my match." Kairos replied tartly, her eyebrows twitching at the statement. What does she mean by that? Am I just kind of object for her?
"But I had to! That guy was getting all your attention and I couldn't accept that! I'll never accept that!" Ingrid drew her blade softly against her check, her tongue slowly dragging along the surface and her eyes carefully watched for reactions. "Watching you glare like that has gotten me all hot and bothered. Seriously, sis, you're the best~ However, you shouldn't have lowered your guard so soon!"
"What the-?" Kairos looked down to see her left leg ensnared by the serpentine weapon who popped up from underneath. The sharp edge of the blade was pressed up against her flesh. She glared at her opponent who just smiled back. "You think wrapping me up like this will put me down?"
"I know that, but unfortunately for you...I've taken more than just one step to stay ahead of you. I wanted you to be caught within my trap." A psychotic sneer spread across Ingrid's face as she tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword. A normal weapon wouldn't have been able to reach so far, but her Semblance allowed such a stretch which was why she wasn't too worried. "You could say, I had the leg up in this fight the moment it started~"
"GAAAAAH!" Kairos yelled with pain as her left leg was severed in a blink of an eye; the appendage removed an inch above the kneecap and fell right into Ingrid's hand as she recalled her weapon.
In the room...
"NO!" Yang's body jolt into an upright position as she stared at the screen intently. Since it wouldn't be effective for every member to stare at their own screens they decided to plug one Scroll into the blonde's gaming system and set it to the broadcasting line. To see their friend getting her leg chopped off was like watching a movie on the big screen, making it that more effective.
"That can't be happening..." Weiss covered her mouth with a hand, her eyes widened with horror. "Not again..."
"Her Aura didn't...it didn't protect her? How?" Ruby felt as though her eyes were glued to the screen. She felt a bit queasy seeing the blood splatter on the floor, but the action was mesmerizing and kept her on the action. "I thought we had that protection...does that mean we're vulnerable?"
"Remember, Kairos didn't have enough Aura left so it couldn't protect her fully. I highly doubt her opponent had an ability to cancel out Auras, but who knows." Blake stated with wonder, her arms folded over her knees. "There's a lot of huntsman and huntresses with abilities that we aren't aware of; the world of Remnant is quite vast."
"If only I wasn't stuck here..." Yang's fists trembled with frustration, and her eyes were flickering between lilac and red. She felt as though she had disappointed another friend and it hurt her deeply. "Shit...why does this have to happen..."
"I wish I knew the answer Yang, but I think it would be best if the three of us get out of your hair for awhile." Weiss spoke as she stood up, Ruby and Blake following her lead. When the blonde looked at her almost mournfully, she added, "If you need us, we're one Scroll call away. I promise we'll come running if we can."
"But, the match-"
"We'll still watch it, don't worry about that." Ruby assured her, giving her sister a hug. "For now, get some rest and we'll do the same." Making sure Yang didn't hurt herself, she closed the door behind her and sighed. Weiss and Blake were standing in the hallway with solemn expressions on their faces. "That...wasn't what I would have expected to happen."
"No one did. It probably took all of us by surprise." said Blake.
"Where do these mysterious people come from? More importantly, how come the soldiers aren't doing their jobs properly?" Weiss huffed with annoyance, crossing her arms over her chest. "Ironwood surely isn't doing his job properly!"
"I wish we could do something..." Ruby stared at the ground with a frown. "Anything..."
"Sun tried and he couldn't, even if he wanted to." Blake reminded her gently, placing a hand on her leader's shoulder for comfort. "I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate to do something in his power to help. However, something tells me that Kairos wanted to fight that girl on her own."
"All this is stressing me out. Don't get me wrong, I'm just as worried as you two are but I need a drink." Weiss felt Blake looking at her and asked, "Coffee?"
"Tea." The faunus replied with a small smile.
"Then I'm going to go and clear my head." Ruby announced and the three of them left the dormitory.
Back in the arena...
"Don't you feel lighter on your feet now?" Ingrid teased as she held onto her prize with one hand, glancing at it approvingly. She was highly oblivious to the amount of booing coming from the audience. "I think one leg suits you just fine."
"Huff...huff...screw you..." Kairos growled as she stabbed Lancelot into the ground and hunched over, sweat dripping down her face. Her vision was starting to waver, little black spots appearing across and she felt nauseous.
"Hmmm, you don't look so good~ You should lay down if you know what's good for ya."
"Heh...I'd be a fool...if I were to lay down..." The faunus answered, looking up to stare at her opponent right in the eyes. "And...I wouldn't dream...of lying down in front...of those who believe in me..."
"Mmmmm, so you're still a fool in the end~" Ingrid then noticed the headphones and she tilted her head to the side with wonder. "Huh, you still held on to that silly thing back when we were kids."
"You were...the one who...gave it to me...after all." The faunus replied, knowing what was being talked about. "It's a great gift...signifying the bond we shared..."
"Indeed I did..." Her lips formed a thin line and her hand shot out, forcing Kairos to jerk her head to the right. However, the bottom of the sword nicked the band enough for it to snap. The faunus watched as the object fell to the ground, broken. Ingrid smiled at what she had done and said, "Then how's that for our 'bond'? I severed it for good~"
"W-Why..." Kairos whispered as her faunus traits made themselves known. She was so focused on the destroyed headphones that she missed how Ingrid's expression darkened. "Why did you do that?"
"I'd tell you, but..." Changing her weapon to its gun form, Ingrid took aim and said, "You're gonna have to defeat me in battle and seeing how pitiful you are now, you'll never get the answer from me. I was hoping you'd be much of a challenge, but I can't help feeling disappointed. I think it'd be much better...if you just disappear without knowing the reason!"
Bang!
Strange...why didn't I feel any pain? Didn't she shoot me? Kairos finally glanced up as I stood before her, my arm extended with a huge shield in front that protected both of us. She sighed with absolute relief, counting her blessings under her breath.
"Took you long enough to show yourself, was wondering if you'd come out of hiding~" Ingrid smiled as she lowered her weapon and changed it back to its normal form. "I should say, 'Nice to see you', but I bet you don't feel the same way."
"You bet I don't feel the same way, after baring witness to what you have done." I asked angrily, lowering my arm to face her. I jumped out of my seat so quickly everything was a blur, but one thing that resonated soundly was the fact that I needed to protect my teammate. My partner. "Now you tell me what you think you're doing here."
"You seem to fit my mistress' description of you, how exciting~" Ingrid mockingly did a half bow, a smirk on her face that conveyed anything but warm and friendliness. "Reina Raylan, the prized survivor of your once beloved village...or should I call you, 'Exalt Princess'? It's a shame really, what happened to your family; under dire circumstances I'm surprised that you survived, not everyone could've escaped a Grimm invasion. But what can I say, you win some and you lose some am I right?"
"You seem to know much about me and my history, surface wise. Does private information mean nothing to you?" I replied stiffly, doing my best to hold in my anger.
"It happens whenever you serve the mistress, family matters become trivial and her tongue does slip once in awhile depending on her mood." Ingrid huffed playfully, twirling her weapon around just to keep herself occupied and amused. "You should hear the things she say...about her sister, about your father...and especially you in particular~ Oh, she wouldn't stop talking my ears off about you! Her beloved niece this and her beloved niece that!" She spat the word like it was some new form of poison. "Makes me sick!"
"I could care less about what she says about me. Where is she now and what has she been up to?!" My fingers curled into fists, the nails almost puncturing the skin. For so long my father and I have kept our location a secret, but here is my chance to figure out where she is. "And don't think about lying to me."
"Wowie~ Well aren't you scary when you get pissed off. Ever heard the saying, 'Don't shoot the messenger'?"
"Quit stalling!"
"Tsk tsk~ You'll never get me to answer if you continue to act like that." She grinned, placing a hand on her hip and leaned against her weapon. Just for extra measure she added in a sickening sweet voice, "Really now, didn't your mother teach you any manners? Oh where oh where did she go wrong?"
"You didn't just-"
"Well now, I guess this suffice as a warm welcome; my mistress would be pleased. Don't worry, you haven't seen the last of me, so until next time, sister of mine. You won't have anyone come to save you~" Pulling her weapon out from the ground and tapping it against her shoulder, the girl disappeared into thin air without letting me finish my sentence. Even when I tried to snag an Aura line, she left no trace behind which took tremendous skill. Huffing with annoyance, I turned around only to have Kairos collapse against me, no doubt over exerting her body by staying conscious during our conversation. Sparing one glance at the leg injury, I made my way to where the medics were anxiously waiting with my teammate held protectively in my arms.
