Author's Notes

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Hey, that noise sounds familiar! That's right, it's the NEW FANFIC ALARM!

Welcome aboard, Rat's Nest, to 'Jacques Schnee's B- Parenting,' the enthralling new story featuring fluff, childhood friends to lovers, Checkmate, Faunus!Weiss - damn, we're ticking all them boxes!

Jacques Schnee can't change the fact that his newborn daughter has Faunus wings, but he can change the world at large and the way it views Faunus as second-class citizens. After Jacques allies with the Belladonna's White Fang and turns the SDC into a champion of equal rights (while making sure to market his newfound 'activism' for every drop of PR he can), the world is an entirely different place seventeen years later when Weiss Schnee and her childhood friend Blake Belladonna go to Beacon to train as huntresses.

Be sure to check it out if you're interested - it's gonna be a long story (285k words) with laughs, cries, fluffs, and other such things!

Happy rats, and don't do crime!

Chapter 30 – Ruby's Eleven Part 3

Dramatis Personae – Heist Perps

1) Ruby – the mastermind

2) Watts – tech support

3) Tyrian – getaway driver

4) Hazel – the muscle

5) Emerald – master of disguise

6) Mercury – straight man

7) Neopolitan – also master of disguise

8) Lionheart – inside man

9) The Nuckelavee – getaway vehicle

10) The Hound – special operations

11) Grubbie – Grubbie

Ruby felt kind of bad about being this happy over mayhem and anarchy. At the same time, she felt kind of proud that she was so good at it.

The commotion with beringel!Hazel and Neo that she'd set about was apparently drawing up so much of the Atlesian's attention that she was passed right by the running troops as she walked up to the roof of the Ultramarine Base. Her keycard ensured that she could move about freely in and out of the base, and she was currently exiting.

Once she was out in the open air, Ruby whistled as loud as she could.

She hadn't taken into account the ice lady being there and putting out the fires early using her magical runic semblance, but she had accounted for something, anything really, that she couldn't account for when she wrote intentionally losing the first fight into the plan. The really crucial part of it all was that no one realized that she had Grimm working for her under Salem's command, and Mercury cosplaying as the hound gave her a free pass.

Someone would inevitably see the horse Grimm that Hazel had wrangled up for their aid or the hound or Grubbie or something. That much was almost a guarantee, since Ruby herself was leading this mission and she had no idea how to professionally do heists or stealth or Ruby's elevens or anything, but that was okay, because she knew that, and she could plan around it. Ruby took into account someone seeing the Grimm working for her, but she did it under circumstances she controlled, and she did it in a way that she knew would lead them to the wrong conclusion – that it was all just visual semblances.

Even so, I don't want to flaunt my hound or the Nuckelavee, but I can use them without worrying about exposing the existence of Salem to an entire army base's worth of people.

To that end, she was now calling in the big guns. With a flutter of its wings, the hound flew out of the sky to join her.

Ruby hadn't known it could fly prior to a few days ago, but she'd done some test runs with it during the daylight when she'd been beetlewalking at night. Its wings had been revealed to her by accident; she'd ordered it to get to the top of a tree as quickly as possible (back when she'd been thinking about having it climb up the walls in an earlier version of her plan), and it had simply flown to the top.

Landing next to her, the hound retracted its wings and sat obediently.

"Follow," Ruby said proudly and almost giddily, tapping it on the nose.

"Follow,"it repeated calmly.

The two of them went back down into the base using the same entrance Ruby had taken to get to the roof. Ruby went first, with the hound following shortly behind her at a safe distance. Hazel truly must've been outdoing himself, because she faced no resistance as she doubled back to the vault room.

There it is.

So much effort to break open a single door – it was almost funny.

Hazel's damage could be seen on the door, leaving discolorations that looked like corrosive burns from some sort of Dust use, but it wasn't even dented. Their strongest hadn't been able to make the entrance to the vault budge.

He just punched it head on. W-Wow.

"Go for the hinges," Ruby said.

"Go for." The hound complied. "Go for."

Within a single minute, the large metal door fell forward. The hound was so literal in its interpretation of orders that it didn't move as the door landed on its face, nor did it react in any way to remove the weight. The door just remained at a 30 degree angle, resting atop the Grimm's bony skull-head.

"Shake the off, pup," Ruby commanded. "And then help me with the catalysts."

The catalysts were stored in large metal cylindrical capsules that were about three and a half feet long and one foot in diameter. As the only things in the room, it was impossible to mistake them. The capsules themselves were stored horizontally in three large racks, one on each wall of the vault save for the entrance.

Dr. Watts had assured her that, in spite of containing toxic or corrosive matter, the capsules themselves weren't hazardous and could be handled without any safety equipment or PPE, but Ruby wrapped her first one up in her business jacket when she pulled them out by the handle, just to be safe. It was heavy, but only about twice as heavy as Crescent Rose. If Ruby lifted with her legs, she could carry the capsules one at a time without straining herself.

The sound of bones cracking drew her attention to behind her. Ruby watched in grim awe as the hound's spine snapped multiple times as though each vertebra was expanding until it was nearly twice as tall as it had been before. Its paws, now more like humanoid hands, split apart at the fingers to form a sort of twin claw on each arm, reached down, and grabbed two capsules apiece.

"Help with."

Ruby nodded, pleased by this development. More hands meant fewer trips.

"Frau Ruby! Et ass sou gutt dech –"

"Yeah, yeah, good to see you too, Tyr. Hey, load these up into the cart, okay?"

The madman nodded and took the capsule out of Ruby's hands. He and the hound placed them gingerly into the wooden cart that was harnessed around the Nuckelavee, filling it up about one tenth of the way.

"Wéi eng Peach," Tyrian said delightedly. He clapped briefly.

It was a good start, but they were only done with five of the capsules out of a total of forty. They needed to hustle; there was no telling how long Hazel's distraction would last. Ruby's semblance could make things go a little faster, but she wanted to keep that in the tank just in case they encountered any resistance. Since she could only fit one capsule in her arms at a time, she was better suited for escorting the hound.

Thirty-five left. That's anywhere between seven and nine trips, depending on if I help or stand guard…

Ruby grimaced at the thought of running back into the building, fending off any soldiers or specialists that they ran into on the way, grabbing some more catalysts, running the gauntlet again, and repeating that SIX WHOLE more times. Ugh…needless to say, she really dreaded the idea of having eight more runs.

Unfortunately for her, this was an unavoidable part of the mission, no matter what tricks and traps Ruby employed in her crafty little plan. Emerald was busy with Mercury, Grubbie couldn't carry any containers, Watts was telecommuting from his laptop, and Hazel and Neo were busy with the rest of the guards, meaning that it was up to Ruby to do the heavy lifting – literally.

It was on the fourth trip that they were caught by someone who felt the need to stop them. Ruby had been forced to gently put down the capsule she'd been stealing to avoid it breaking and take down the soldier who'd caught them, all while being shot. Her aura was screaming at her after she headbutted the guy at top speed to disarm him.

His Dust rifle was appreciated, though. Ruby couldn't take it with her due to the capsule she needed to carry, but she could pick it up on the way back after they'd visited Tyrian and the horsey.

If this guy stopped to fight me, that means Neo and Hazel are running out of steam. Time for me to switch to defense mode.

"Alright, doggo. It's up to you to carry the capsules. I'll protect you as we go. Just focus on carrying."

"Carry."

Ruby flicked off the safety of her newly acquired gun. It may not have been Crescent (she'd been forced to leave it with Watts back when she'd taken on the persona of devil-may-care high roller and famed businesswoman with a heart of gold Riley Bigwig), but it was a firearm, and that made it a lethal weapon in the hands of Ruby Rose.

It was on the eighth and final trip when they were caught by someone who actually gave them trouble.

"Surrender!" cried the white-haired specialist chick. "You cannot hope to stand against the might of Atlas!" She raised her swords and shot out a meteor shower of ice shards from the magic runes they made.

"Stay back!" Ruby ordered the hound, holding out an arm to shield it as they ducked behind the cover of a corner at the turn of the hallway. She peeked out quickly, then jumped back to safety when another spear of ice nearly cut her ear off.

"Stay," said the hound.

Ruby cocked her rifle and gripped it with both hands. "On my signal, make for Tyrian. I'll cover you."

"Make for," said the hound. It then stepped out from behind the cover.

"No! What – why?!" Ruby rounded the corner and began to fire at the Atlesian specialist as the hound leisurely strolled through the battle.

Her shots were initially wild and uncoordinated, but after a few discharges to get the hang of the recoil, Ruby's sniper side kicked in, and her accuracy improved as she started trying.

She didn't manage to land any hits on the woman who was hiding behind her own cover at the other end of the hallways, but Ruby was able to provide enough fire that she was forced to hide, thus preventing her from attacking the hound as it soldiered on.

We just need to get to Tyrian and run away. We don't need to win against her.

A bullet hit Ruby in the back, and another struck her neck from her left. She spun to face the new assailant, only to realize that it wasn't one but many. Lines of Atlesian troops were pouring in from multiple directions.

"I guess that means our diversion is done. Time's up – run!"

The hound heard that. "RUN!"

It broke into a bipedal sprint that was quite ungainly but a lot faster than before. Ruby followed behind it, walking backwards as she switched her rifle from lethal concussive bullets to stunning Lighting Dust blasts. There was no way she could overpower an entire base's worth of soldiers with just one gun, even if they were non-aura users.

"Holy shit!" called one of the soldiers. "It's a Grimm!"

"No!" screamed the white-haired lady. "It's not a Grimm!"

"Grimm!" screamed the soldiers.

"Run!" cried another. The shouts just kept coming.

"Grimm! Fall back! We need hunter backup!"

"No! Ignore it!" The lady screeched angrily. "They're using an illusion semblance to frighten us! It's a man beneath that disguise! Keep fighting! Keep fighting, that's an order!"

Ruby fired another shot, downing another soldier. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that the hound was nearly to the door that led outside the base. Ruby ran past it with her semblance and through the door.

If I were to set a trap, I'd put it there.

Just as she'd been expecting, there were more Atlesians waiting for her out there.

Except none of them were breathing.

"Alles fäerdeg, Miss Rose." Tyrian's blades were glistening with blood. "Erlaabt mir Äre Réckzuch ze decken."

"No!" Ruby screamed in horror. "We just need to get out of here! Our goal is to get the things, not kill them all! Help the hound!"

Tyrian nodded and grabbed hold of one of the capsules, lightening the Grimm's load. Ruby continued to fire her nonlethal rounds at the soldiers, but it was slightly easier now that she was outside and they were all funneling through a choke-point to get outside.

"Get them!" screamed the specialist, creating a white barrier that allowed men and women to pour out of the door. "Stop them!"

"Gemaach!" cried Tyrian, but Ruby couldn't hear him over her own pounding heart.

Ruby kept shooting, grimacing as the enemy began to outnumber her and started scoring more and more hits into her faltering aura. When her rifle clicked empty, she flung it as the nearest soldier, turned around, and ran.

Only when she was safely back in the city and her heart had stopped beating so loudly that she feared it might explode did Ruby call Watts. He was lounging about on the couch of his hotel room when he answered.

"Ah, Miss Rose. How fare you?"

"I'm alive," Ruby responded. "Has anyone else checked in? Are they all okay?"

The middle-aged man nodded in the video. "They have, and there are no casualties to report. Rainart and all three of Salem's minions are with me, having fled the battle prior. Tyrian is still in the forests of Mistral, but he and his Grimm steed have managed to escape the base without a tail. I spoke with him but a moment ago."

Ruby let out a sigh of relief. If they'd gotten the catalysts successfully into ally hands, her first mission had gone successfully. Ruby's eleven was a perfect –

"Oh shit!" Ruby screamed.

Watts immediately sat up, fear in his eyes. "What? What is it?"

"We forgot Lionheart! There were only ten of us!"

Watts' eyes shot from side to side, panicked confusion on his face. "What does this mean? Is there an issue?"

"No, but…" Ruby heaved out a sigh. "Never mind that. I'll come to your location. We'll pick up Tyrian and the catalysts with a bullhead as soon as we can and cut the horse loose to do whatever horse things it does."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ruby eyed Watts, recalling how nervous he had been just a moment ago when he'd thought something was wrong. "What did she say?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Salem – what did she say?" Ruby repeated. "Did she threaten to do something to you if this mission failed? Hurt or kill you?"

Watts blinked once, and Ruby was given all the confirmation she needed. His face turned into a bitter glower, and he ended the call.

"Excellent work, Ruby. You've done well."

Tyrian was vibrating with excitement at the completion of a successful mission and the prospect of praise from his goddess, and Ruby herself was feeling rather similar.

I did a really good job. I mean, maybe Cinder or someone else could have coordinated a better mission, but I succeeded despite being only fifteen and not having half of their experience. We got all of the capsules, we had no casualties, the bad guys…hmmm, the good guys think we were just common thieves; I see this as an absolute win.

"Thank you, your grace," Ruby said back.

Cinder's team had been sent back to her, as their absence could not be extended any longer. Ruby supposed that Lionheart forging a headmaster's note technically counted as him being a part of the eleven, but it didn't do much to alleviate the bitter taste from her mouth.

"In fact, you've done quite well."

Ruby had been about to stand up and leave when Salem said that, so she paused and held her kneeling position a little bit longer. "Your grace?"

"I expected success, but Tyrian gave me a full, thoroughly detailed report on your plan and its execution. You have exceeded any expectations I could have set."

Ruby blushed. "T-Thank you, ma'am."

"This isn't meaningless praise, young Ruby. I have a…reward, let's call it, in mind for you."

"Ooh, is it a gun?" Ruby asked.

"No. It's the location of the Summer maiden."

Ruby blinked.

"I've known where she resides for a long while now," Salem said, grinning viciously. "I simply needed to ensure you were ready to claim the powers I've destined you for. Consider any doubts I may have had assuaged."

Ruby blinked again.

"Her name, as best we know it, is Lìxià. My Grimm have confirmed her location as residing at the top of Mount Serathusa in Vacuo. It shall be a trying challenge to scale the mountain, and slaying the maiden at its peak shall only be more grueling."

Ruby blinked.

"You shall take Tyrian, Hazel, and my hound with you to aid you in her destruction. Dr. Watts would only be a hindrance in combat, and the danger of Cinder or either of her little minions accidentally receiving the power outweighs the benefit of their aid."

Ruby blinked.

Ruby blinked.

I'm…I'm going to have to…

This moment had been a long time coming. Her first mission was watching others die. It was because of her selfish need for validation that Temeria had been razed. She'd left Adam behind on an exploding train in Atlas with no intention of him surviving. Even here, on Ruby's eleven, she'd technically sicced Tyrian on innocent soldiers and handed over what could, for all she knew, be weapons of mass destruction to an amoral scientist.

But Ruby hadn't ever killed before.

Before this.

"What's the damage?" asked Winter.

"All lost," said Clover.

Ultramarine had become a busy location recently. Soldiers were swarming around them, searching for any clues as to the identities of their intruders, but none had yet been found. Furthermore, emergency construction crews had been called in to conduct repairs on the damages done by the muscular man, and that required military leadership to vet them. And on top of that, the scientists that worked here were raving about the damaged computers, claiming that they had limited time to repair them before critical data was lost.

Still, Winter had more important things to take care of.

She shook her head. "I don't care about the capsules, specialist."

Clover winced. "Eleven dead. All with their throats slit by a bladed weapon. We haven't been able to positively identify any of the assailants, but efforts are underway to –"

Winter held up a hand, silencing Clover, then bit down on her teeth. Hard.

In all of her ten years of military service, she'd never once lost a man or woman under her command. And then, out of the blue, eleven. From zero to eleven in less than an hour.

Eleven souls extinguished.

"The general has asked for a full action report, but I can handle it, Winter."

Winter had to work to let the air back into her lungs out.

She had felt so in control of the situation. Passing on a nonverbal message to Ebi and his Ace-Ops, doubling around to her troops, laying the ambush – the child opposite her had assumed her to be a simpleton, and Winter had allowed her to maintain that belief all the way into a trap.

Eleven families that won't be getting their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters back.

Except the trap had been for Winter, and she'd wandered right into it like a blind cur.

Of course it had been an elaborate ploy to lower Winter's guard. What kind of enemy would say such silly things and actually expect them to work? Winter had assumed that she was the one playing her foe, but they had played her.

Eleven black marks on my record.

"Dismissed, Specialist."

Eleven.

Clover nodded and turned to walk away.

"Oh, and please inform the general that I shall be taking some shore leave. I have several years' worth built up, and I will likely be exhausting it."

Clover eyed her suspiciously, likely seeing her intentions written across her hate-filled face, but he dared not backtalk to a superior officer. Without a word, he fully left the room.

"I'm coming for you," Winter said to herself, closing her eyes. "Mark my words. There shall be no place on heaven, Remnant, or hell in which you can hide. I shall scour the corners of the globe and hunt you down like the dog you are. You shall know no refuge, no safety, no comfort. And when I find you, each and every one of those eleven men and women you killed will cry out their laughter from the great beyond as I slowly tear your eyes from their skull and carve my vengeance into their empty sockets. Your days are numbered, Riley Bigwig."

Omake

Winter: What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Atlas Specialist, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on the White Fang, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in Beringel warfare and I'm the top fencer in the entire Atlesian armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on Remnant, mark my fucking words…

Coming Soon – Ruby's Climb

And now, a tip from Ruby:

Ruby's Tip #131 – Scared of doing your taxes? Quit your job. Your income becomes zero, and that means bye-bye taxes!

Author's Notes

You know, I wrote Ruby's Eleven as a joke. I'm really sorry that the name had to take on a new meaning at the end there.

Well, there's no going back anymore. Ruby's finally got a maiden in her sights (OC out of necessity), and she isn't going to be letting this go. Oh, and she's even got her own nemesis – I'm so happy!

Those first lines in this chapter…they pretty much sum up this entire fic, don't they?

Happy rats, and don't do crime!