Small Issues
AN: Welcome back to Small Issues! If you don't know, this is a prequel series for the much larger series, Big Issues. Some things here will only make sense if you read both series, though I'm not going to spoil the connections that sharper eyed readers will find. But on with the show.
Red
It was cold this winter, probably helped by the early winter storm that had deposited a thick blanket of snow on the island of Patch. Most of the trees had shed their leaves and even the lakes and ponds had frozen over. Even the ocean had chunks of ice floating around, though they were small enough to be of no danger to most ships, for now.
All of this could be seen from the top of the cliff that overlooks the ocean where a girl in a red cloak stood. Wind blew strong here, raising small drifts of snow and making her glad to have the cloak for protection.
But she wasn't entirely here for the view, she was here for the stone in front of her. The grey slab of granite was cut into a cube before the top was slanted to allow a good view of the face. And that face is polished smooth aside from the carvings on it. The main focus being a stylized rose flower and below that lay a name and a phrase.
Summer Rose
Thus kindly I scatter
These words were read many times in the years since the stone was set in this spot. Visitation was often enough that the grass below the girl was worn thin. It also helped that the stone was cleaned regularly and the grass cut so that the marker remained visible.
But the girl had been at the cliff for a while and with one last smile at the stone, she turns away and rubs the identical steel rose emblem at her waist. It would be a long walk home to get out of the cold but she knew a shortcut.
The walk through the trees was easy, she knew the path as well as the back of her hand after traveling it for years. A rustling in the bushes some distance from her didn't bother her in the slightest, she simply kept walking.
She wasn't alone and could hear other footsteps, those too heavy to be her own or her family's. And there were several.
Coming to a lake shore, there was nothing but solid ice covered in a light layer of snow, already packed from a few freeze-thaw cycles. That simply made it easier to walk on.
The girl knew the ice was thick and didn't hesitate to walk on it. And the shadows from the forest followed her.
Nearly halfway across, the cloaked girl stops as dozens of black, wolf-like creatures block her path with others behind her. Even on all fours, they stood as tall as herself, their black fur a stark contrast to the white ice around them. But for most, the disturbing part of the creatures are the bony spikes erupting from their flesh and the skull-like masks with red lines on their faces. Red eyes with yellow pupils glared at the girl with nothing but the desire to kill and destroy.
Yet the girl remained calm, wrapped in her red cloak and hood covering her head. And when the creatures charged at her, she stood still.
Three lunged and swiped their claws into her body, only to hit nothing but stirring a few red rose petals in the air.
The beasts look around for their prey, hoping that it was another of their kin who had simply gotten to her first and knocked her out of their reach. But red was hard to miss among black and white.
One happened to look up because of some movement in the sky. And there was the girl in a high leap with a small smile on her face as her hood was blown back and cloak fluttering in the wind.
Dressed in a black top that reaches her wrists and a high neck, all with red lining inside, a black corset with red strings around her waist, a black skirt with red tulu underneath, black leggings hid her legs until her black boots with red lining and soles donned her feet. Finishing the look, she wears a thick black belt on her hips with the silver rose emblem and multiple bullets set in individual loops.
But it was her reaching back to her waist that drew attention, from a holster that took up the entire back of her belt she withdrew a large red metallic object. One that with a flick of a switch, extended a long black arm and a red stock for her shoulder. That change also reveals a trigger and holding that, she pointed the other end which has a barrel at the Beowolves.
A single squeeze of the trigger and the weapon barked, a Grimm losing half its head in that moment.
Stunned at the sudden turn of events, the Grimm paused long enough for the girl to land among their ranks. But that turned into their signal to attack.
The first came at her only to receive a shot that ripped open its rib cage and it fell to the snow. Another came from the side and took a bullet to the stomach, stopping that one permanently. A third came from behind and she spun out of its path just in time to dodge the claws, returning the favor with a shot to its spine.
She paid no attention to the bodies as they slowly turned to ash and smoke; this was far from the first time she fought these creatures, just the first time so many were around her and being alone as well. But she remained coldly confident in her skills and would use that to fend them off.
Another jumps at the girl, taking a bullet to the skull as she flips over it. A Grimm stood ready for her where she landed and slashed, but that was ended thanks to its head exploding from underneath. A Beowolf threw the fading body to the side to bite at the girl, missing as she threw herself backwards and rolled to her feet.
A Grimm was waiting for her and stepped forward with its arms open wide to grab her, she took that as an invitation to swing her rifle into its face and have it stagger back.
With a smirk at what she did, she hits the button again and her weapon changes again.
The section that served as her trigger and held the cartridge for her bullets stayed in her hands as the rest extended on a rail over a shaft/barrel. Once fully extended, the body swung out perpendicular to the shaft and unfolded twice to reveal the third section was nothing but a black blade and the second section held a pair of blades set just far enough apart to allow the single blade to slide between. The first section also held a pair of blades, though they had to slide down from the body and lock into place. Once the hooked blade was in position, a black series of plates rose just high enough from the back of the blade and locked together to ensure the weapon remained stiff and strong.
The other side of the shaft had a portion of the housing extend a short distance to reveal a pair of short blades that hooked back, allowing only a small gap the size of her boot between them and the shaft.
The transformation wasn't quite done yet as the red stock straightened out to align with the shaft and a small blade extended from that. To finish it off, a small barrel scope folded up from the firing portion that lined up perfectly to see between the gap left by the small hooked blades at the end.
And immediately she hooked the massive blade around the waist of the Grimm she had hit and pulled the trigger, allowing the recoil to slice through the beast as the bullet struck another in the chest.
She spun with the momentum and began a dance of death, never stopping as the monsters charged. The more that came at her, the more they were hacked to pieces.
Limbs littered the snow, a bisection at the waist sent half a Grimm into the face of another. She hopped onto one's back and leaned backwards as her blade caught its throat, a shot fired beheaded the beast and took the life of another charging at her.
And the Beowolves kept coming.
The girl charged this time, holding her massive blade behind her and the Grimm met her in the middle. She sidestepped the first and let the blade bisect the beast as she kept running. The next fared no better as she stops just in front of it and turns on her heel, the scythe keeping the momentum and takes the legs out from under the Grimm.
It shouldn't have tried to attack as it raised itself on the stumps of its rear legs as she cut down another, the follow through swing took its head.
And things grew hectic from there as the Grimm were relentless and Ruby kept killing them as they came.
A trio of slashes on the next Grimm cut into the ice as well, she jumps back to dodge a slash from claws and the ice she had been on lifted to collide a corner against her attacker's chin. Not only did that stop further pursuit but made the Grimm fall into the chilly waters below before the ice fell back into position and trapped the beast to drown.
With a smirk at the Grimm's fate and a plethora of opportunities to repeat the feat again, Ruby took off in a run from the dark beasts. A few were able to catch up and attack her but the reach of her scythe gave her the advantage; they didn't last long and she used the time to cut into the ice more.
The rest of the pack caught up to her and found themselves having to watch their feet as slabs of ice would dump them into the lake and crush their kin along the edges of the traps. Those who didn't fall had to deal with the bullets, the girl having stabbed her blade into the ice to use as a monopod and taking shots with the high caliber rounds that would splatter skulls with ease.
She paused to reload and they closed in on her. The new clip was slammed home just as she needed to raise her weapon to block a slash, the attack making her boots slide across the ice but she kept her balance. She wasn't out of danger yet as they dove at her from multiple directions, giving her no time to counter and forcing her to dive out of the way of the claws and teeth.
Leaping between a pair of clawed hands from the lycanthrope-esque creatures and using her weapon to pole vault over another's lunge. A twist got her out of the way of clamping jaws while she was airborne. Her feet found the shoulders of a Beowolf and she leapt from there, the blade following her removing its head.
Landing on the ice, she performs a few more flips to create some distance between herself and the pack, using her large weapon as a focus point.
But she had a special type of ammunition in place and with a quick cocking of the bolt, she pointed the barrel behind herself and crouched in a running position.
Before the Grimm knew what happened, there was a bang and she was gone in a blur. The first sign of where she had gone was the trail of severed limbs and a few of their falling kin. The second was the sound of metal on ice as she was now standing on the blade and skating away from the pack with her cloak billowing out behind her.
Needless to say, the Grimm were incensed and took after her in hot pursuit. Once they were close, and she knew she was slowing down, the trigger was pulled and the bullet laced with Gravity Dust fired into the ice below her, propelling the girl and weapon high as the blast created from the Dust ripped open a large hole that quickly caught several in the freezing waters.
A trio of Beowolves used their brethren as launchpads to follow the human into the air. The first was cut down easily as it flew close. The second took a bullet at point blank range and the third was caught in the Gravity Dusts effects, sending it hurtling away to crash into the ice.
Ruby quickly found that one had jumped at her from behind as she flew from the area of the last bout. A twist of her body allowed her to face her attacker and slam its body with the shaft of her scythe, slowing her a bit as well as changing her trajectory, though her momentum meant that the blade was sure to follow and sliced through the Grimm.
An 'unfortunate' beast became her landing pad, driving its face into the ice and she rolled out of the fall, eventually performing a handspring so she could get some height where she used her scythe to pole vault again for some distance. Now on her feet, she cocked the weapon back and entered her running stance once more, determined to finish the fight as soon as possible.
Another Gravity Dust propelled sprint brought her within range of the Grimm before they knew she was there. And the blade of her weapon had straightened to align with the shaft so that it was more of a standard polearm than a scythe.
The red blur tore through the beasts with little effort, the combination of raw speed and devastating blade work with confusion among the creatures meant that the air was soon thick with severed body parts and smoke from fading bodies.
Her bursts of speed were a result of her turning briefly into rose petals and that allowed her to move at an intense pace, so fast that she was merely a red blur. This is a result of her Semblance: Petal Burst. And she used that to devastating effect to dart between clusters of Grimm and cut them down before they could counter or defend.
Moments later, Ruby lands on the ice and slides back a few strides away from the pack. Many were killed and turning into smoke while others were simply injured and a few were spared by luck.
The cloaked girl smirks at the Grimm, the nearest crawling its way to her thanks to a missing leg. It stopped thanks to a gun barrel poking in the head, Ruby having collapsed her scythe into its basic rifle form.
It growled at her with nothing but seething hatred of her mere existence in its eyes, not exactly uncommon for a Grimm, and reached out an arm for her boot just within reach.
BOOM!
The Gravity Dust round didn't merely destroy its head like a standard bullet of its caliber would, the effects of the Dust ripped its body apart and shattered the ice beneath.
Then cracks began to spread through the ice and breaks made the sound of gunshots across the lake. They spread to the slashes and previous holes, to deep claw marks where the Grimm tried to hit Ruby or find purchase on the slick surface.
The surviving Beowolves looked around in panic as they had no idea where to go thanks to the sounds around them and the widening cracks.
And Ruby watched calmly as the ice gave way and the entire area in the middle of the lake collapsed into the frigid water, taking all of the Grimm with it. But she had made sure to cut a clean line around where she stands to separate her from the chaos.
Stowing her collapsed scythe back at her waist, she continued her walk home. "Oh! Wait until I tell Dad and Yang about this! They'll be so excited!" She was absolutely giddy and began skipping all the way home.
—-
Hunger.
It was a feeling she knew well. Living on the streets she experienced the feeling often.
The thing about it was that she refused to go through trash if she could help it… at least nowadays. Rather, she knew people who would buy and trade things for food she could eat. Sometimes, it was enough to get her through a full week without problems.
But she'd have to work for her next meal.
She had seen plenty of people who never seemed to work at all. The types who inherited their money from relatives she hated most as they simply existed and had everything they could ever want.
There were those who worked themselves to the bone trying to earn enough to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. Those people she respected and sympathized with, but at least they had a home.
She had tried honest work but few in this town were willing to hire a kid off the streets. That tended to mean what work she'd do was less than reputable for most. Spider had a hold in this bustling town but not enough to have much influence. Yet they were the ones cleaning up the town in their own way- removing competition.
She had done a few small jobs for Spider in the past, she had yet to accept their offer to join them. A point of petty pride and stubbornness to try to make it on her own. It was something that the local Boss respected and kept the offer open to her, especially if she kept doing work for them.
The catch was that her payment for any work was half of what she'd get if she joined them. And it was that fact that made the offer that much more appealing as she was barely making it on her own as things stood.
Perhaps if this job was successfully pulled off she'd join them. Having something of decent value to present to the Boss would make for a great first impression upon joining. If she was lucky, she could score big but that carried its own risks.
Heck, she considered herself lucky just to have the clothes she wore now, though they had been a gift from the first recruitment attempt from Spider, one that they never threatened to take back as they saw her value.
The pistols on her hips were another gift from Spider. The organization helped to smooth any tensions with the town's leadership by helping to defend the settlement from Grimm. She had been brought in on one of those jobs and given the pistols as payment up front so she could even help at all.
That was a job that helped her find that she had a bit of a talent for combat, not the best by far, but good for a rookie. Her aura had been unlocked as well, which had led to her gaining another gift of her own since then. A gift that only helped her become even more successful as she learned more about it and trained with it.
Once again, Spider had noticed that talent, on both, and extended their offer again and again. Each time weakened her resolve to go alone which was why she was ready to join them today once she was done here. Winter was coming and she didn't want to risk freezing again.
Entering the jewelry store, she was greeted by the familiar tinkle of a bell at the door, a simple way to prevent people from simply sneaking unnoticed through the door. Inside there are many options to choose from, simple gold-plated rings to those covered in precious stones. Same for the necklaces, earrings, some fancy hats and dresses that expanded the options available.
And most of what was in here had more value than what she could obtain in a good month, not counting any of the high end stock or special items.
She took her time looking around, carefully keeping her hands folded behind her back to set the full appearance of browsing and no interest in touching without express permission.
In full honesty, she could quite likely make due with the added value of multiple pieces on display but she had her sights set on the more high security items.
Slowly, she moved her way around the shop, browsing the selections in every corner and taking note of the other customers and the staff and security. There was a woman in a short red dress and black, chin-length hair that caught her attention but she was simply browsing the displays. Though given that her heeled shoes seemed to be made of black glass, she must be loaded.
Perhaps an easy mark for later?
Or not so easy judging by the swords on her hips, but they could be just for show. Who in their right mind would walk around in glass shoes and try to fight?
A customer left the main desk where the clerk sat behind the display cases of the most valuable items, the bell chiming cheerily as they went out with their purchase.
"Excuse me." She steps up to the counter as she looks at the rings and necklaces inside, even a few tiaras.
"Is there anything in particular that catches your eye, Miss?" The young man greets her formally, though she didn't miss the brief glance at her chest. A simple green tube top may not be the best article of clothing, especially since that was all she wore above the waist, but it got the job done… one way or another.
"I've been looking around and trying to see if there is anything that could really help ease some tension with my boyfriend's mother." She grew embarrassed as she told the story. "We… never really saw eye to eye on a lot of things and it has caused his family a few problems since we formally met."
"Ah, that's a problem I can understand. See that issue cropping up every now and then from customers and a bit from my sister's fiancé's family."
"Oh good, I'm glad I'm not alone." She let's a relieved laugh loose as she found some common ground.
"It's more common than what many would think but also kind of understandable since we always want what's best for our kids, right?" He grins cheekily.
"When kids come around for me I'll have to remember that and try not to be a harpy when they start dating. But no plans for kids for at least a decade if we can help it."
"Ah, the best families are the ones you plan for. No unexpected debts thanks to trying to choose to work or family time, bills, and other things like that. Best to get yourself set up so you can take care of the kids when they come. It's sad how many orphans are made because they weren't planned and the parents just leave them somewhere. I get it if they really do love their kid and want what's best for them but… I wish there could be more done to help those in those situations."
Hearing him say that really pulled at her heart, making her feel guilty for her plans. At the same time, it was going to help her be more successful. Perhaps she could make the suggestion to Spider to set up an orphanage, an actual good one. She knew that the one she had been in years ago was little more than torture at best and the day she escaped was the happiest she'd been in her life. She was simply unfortunate enough to have been separated from the others who fled that place.
"Something to hope for, right?" She was sincere in that statement.
"Yes Madam! That it is!" He replies cheerfully and proudly. "Now, is there anything that catches your eye?"
"Hmmm…" she muses as she looks the display over. The one ring that looked like there were more jewels than gold must be very expensive but it also looked gaudy. The silver ring was deceptively made to look simple but she caught the fine intricately carved detailing all over it. "How about this one?"
"Ah, a very good choice, Miss." He unlocks the case and withdraws the ring she pointed at, a rose gold ring with a platinum band wrapping around it like a lattice and has a pair of gems set into it. The ruby and emerald were cut to catch the light and sparkle.
"May… may I have a closer look?"
"Not a problem, Miss. Just so long as you don't move from here as you do." As much as he was joking, he was serious about that.
"Not a problem." She says as the ring is set in her hand and she lifts it up to her face for a closer look. Everything about it seemed flawless, the smooth metalwork and polished surfaces were entrancing.
The worker busied himself checking the other customers from where he stood, she couldn't do anything while standing right in front of him.
A few more moments of inspection passed before the ring was handed back. "This will be safe here with you until I save up enough to buy it, right?" She asks as her hands rest on her hips.
"Well… we can't really hold anything unless it's paid for already." He tells her apologetically.
"Hmmm… I guess I'll really have to work hard and fast to get that then."
"And that kind of dedication should help you win some points with your boyfriend's mother." The clerk tries to stay positive.
"I can only hope so. Thanks." She gives him a beaming smile and walks out the door.
The bell chimed just before she heard some woman asking about the ring that was just out. Then there was the resulting confusion as the clerk argued that he had just put it away in the display case and there was no way anyone could have stolen it while he had been watching it.
The girl took that as her cue to make herself scarce, slowly picking up her pace from the shop to not draw attention to herself but feeling eyes on her made her panic and duck into an alleyway she knew had little traffic where she could escape or fight as needed.
To her surprise, the path was now blocked and footsteps came around the corner before she could scale the obstacle.
"That doesn't belong to you." A woman smoothly says, though she sounded as if she were commenting about the weather.
The girl spun around with a hand going to the grip of one pistol, ready to use it if needed. To her surprise, it was the woman from the shop that had caught her eye as a possible next mark.
"What are you talking about?"
"That ring… in your pocket." The woman was confident and her sly smile only grew when the girl covered her hip with her free hand.
But the woman didn't seem to be worried about calling any authorities, just standing there without fear and as if she were all of the authority she needed.
"Tell me, how did you do that? You didn't take that from him, he gave that to you… with a smile. And you were able to do so without anyone the wiser."
"I don't want any trouble."
"Hmph, and neither do I. But I could be persuaded not to turn you in. You see, I'm looking for… certain people of skill to help me with a task. A very important task."
"Really? What is it?" Any trace of a threat was wiped out as her stomach growled loudly.
"You help me and I'll make sure that you never go hungry again. How's that for a start?"
"And who are you?"
"My name is Cinder Fall. And yours?"
"Emerald."
"Well then, Emerald, let's talk over there over lunch. I'll buy." Cinder points across the street to a small diner.
By the end of the day, they were both in the air flying to the next destination, though Emerald was cradling a food baby from eating so much. Not only was this the most kindness she had been shown since the other kids at the orphanage.
AN: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Certainly shorter than my usual and less than half the length of the last Big Issues chapter that was posted. But how did you like the small changes to the Red trailer I made? I went solely by memory... video I've watched dozens of times... but I figured that a frozen lake would help make sense of the large open and flat battlefield the show has. And if fighting on a lake with a giant scythe... why not use the battlefield to her advantage?
Plus the meeting of Emerald and Cinder! Hehe, if you wonder why I didn't include the little flashback as canon did in V3 for this in Big Issues, well... here's why. Figured that it would be best to have that fleshed out a lot more and it was fun to write. Plus a little connection to things in Big Issues that some may remember.
Now I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are welcome. I'm hoping to get another chapter or two of Small Issues posted here this month before really getting back to work on Big Issues. The next chapter there is going to be fun.