Disclaimer: Neither Digimon nor RWBY belong to me.
REVIEWS!
Gravious: YOOOOOO. You are the first reviewer of this story! Glad you liked it!
Volcasiron30: thank you. I aim to please.
Guest PCS: Grammatical errors are sadly a common thread with me. My poor Rubaby, things are going to get worse before they get better. The Digivices are going to be more original. We're about to see.
Guest: About that… I thing you're going to like what I made.
After Ruby and Hackmon left, Noire picked up their plates and washed them while humming a small tune. Yet the air between her and her sisters was heavy and thick and she knew why: it had to do with Ruby's appearance.
"I know you want to talk about this, Ciel," she said calmly to her sister in blue, who was standing behind her with her arms crossed and with a scowl on her face.
"She's a human…" Ciel growled, while gripping her bicep.
"Yes…" Noir said with a sigh, picking up Ruby's untouched plate and saving it up for when they returned. "Yes, she is…"
"She's a human, and you are serving her dinner!" Ciel said, standing up and glaring at Noir. "When you know what she being here means! And how scarce our resources are!"
"I know what it means, Ciel!" Noir said in a firm tone before turning to her with stern look. "It means a change for the world, and one for the better… One that can bring it to what it was once…"
"It means Hackmon will be in danger…" Blanc said, her ears dropping and the face on her hat's possessing a wobbling lip.
Noir's face dropped, her fist gripping as she walked next to Blanc. "We have to have faith in him. And in the young Ruby Rose…" She wrapped an arm around the younger Digimon. "If the legends are true, her power will aid him greatly."
The young one wrapped her arms around Noir, with the taller Digimon patting her head. Ciel stood up, her fists shaking. "Damn him for giving us this responsibility! To just… make us raise him for this!" She glared at her two sisters; fangs bared. "What if he doesn't make it?! The world outside of this island is not what it used to be... The Metal Empire is just right around the corner, with only Trailmon able to come and go as he pleases… And yet that's just the tip of the iceberg… Server, Folder, System, all of them lost." Her tone had become more solemn as she closed her eyes in grief, a sentiment shared by her sisters. But then it was all gone, her head shot up and the anger was back. "And he will face all of that alone…?!"
"He will have Ruby at his side," Noir said with a sad smile, trying to keep her composure. "We are not who we once were… We must have faith in Hackmon and… in the plans made for him."
Ciel looked at her before looking down clenching her fists and taking various shuddering breaths. "If something happens to him… it'll be on us for not stopping him…"
"It'll be on me," Noir said, even as she felt Blanc flinching in her grasp—Or maybe was it herself? She couldn't tell by this point. "I am the one always encouraging him with his dream of being a knight."
Ciel scoffed and wiped a tear out of her face. "… And if he does make it… Do you think he can be like the Royal Knights?"
Noir closed her eyes as memories flooded her. Memories of twelve Digimon of varying size all standing proudly next to each other. One of them in particular with a big smile on his face and a jacket draped around his shoulder giving her a big thumbs up and a word of encouragement.
Some of her happiest memories were related to that Digimon as well as some of the darkest. And concerning Ciel's question.
"I…" She opened her mouth to speak, but there was a knock on the door that interrupted her.
She kindly pried Blanc off her and walked to the door. When she opened she found the sight of an exhausted Kudamon standing in front of her, doubled over himself. "Goodness, Kudamon, what's wrong?"
"M-Ma'am! The Metal Empire is here!" He screamed with a panicked tone. "They are causing havoc in the station!"
All three sisters tensed and dashed out of their home. They will worry about the future later, now they have to defend their home.
"I, Sealsdramon, sentence you to die! In the name of the Metal Empire! The greatest power in the entire Digital World!" Sealsdramon declared as he aimed his laser eye at Yang.
Ruby just didn't think. She just acted. One moment she was standing in the crowd, next to her Weiss and Blake whom were just as shocked and scared as she was and the next she felt the familiar sensation of speed take over her body.
Her sudden movement took the attention off her sister. Sealsdramon looked up in shock and its laser eye powering down, "What the—AGH!" Ruby rammed at him and knocked him back and in the process scooped her sister away.
Yang in arms, Ruby dashed a few feet away from the armed Digimon and from the crowd, settling her sister down and unable to do anything but hold her for a moment just to make sure she was real. "Oh God, oh God, Yang…" She whispered into her shoulder, stroking her hair and one hand finding the buckle of the gag on her mouth.
"KILL THEM!" She gasped and turned around to see the angry Sealsdramon give the order as its bionic eye glowed.
The other Digimon with rifles all took aim at them and fired, but before their bullets could strike a wall of ice was formed in front of the two. Gasping, Ruby turned in time to see Weiss and Blake jump on top of the wall with her partner scowling at the group of soldiers Digimon.
"You are not touching our friends!" She declared, raising her hand and four glyphs forming around her. With a thrust of her hand, various miniature Nevermore in white were sent towards them
"Scatter!" Sealsdramon ordered and the reptilians obeyed, moving away from the area of impact where the missile-like summons impacted.
"EVERYONE SCRAM!" Someone yelled, just as the fight seemed ready to break. All the townspeople that gathered around all ran back to their homes, leaving only Team RWBY, the invaders, and Hackmon in the area.
Blake followed the enemy with her eyes and took out Gambol Shroud and went after one of the groups that split from the platoon. She landed in the middle and swung her blade around knocking them back, then she dashed towards them and with the other half that made the scabbard of the weapon in hand she dashed and slashed through the armor of some of them, knocking them down.
Weiss also leaped down, a glyph appearing in front of her and a white Beowolf appearing as it charges towards the platoon. The Digimon all took position and aimed at the summoning while shouting: "M16 Assassin!"
Instead of firing bullets like they did before, they fired lasers like the eye of Sealsdramon. The Beowolf dodged in the nick of time and roared as it dive-bombed into the middle of the platoon, slamming some of them away and punching and kicking away others.
Ruby had to divide her attention between the fight and in trying to free her sister from her bindings. "Come on…!" She tugged at the thing restraining her hand and at the muzzle in her mouth.
Yang herself was starting to feel really agitated, grunting and tugging while breathing heavily with anxiety. "Mmmrgh! Mmm!"
"Ruby!" A familiar voice made her stop, and she turned to see Hackmon running towards him. "Are you guys okay!?"
"Hackmon…! Please…! Help me get this off her…!" Ruby grunted, tugging at the restrains of her sister with growing despair.
"Right! Fif Rush!" As he exclaimed that, his claws glowed and he slashed them at the bindings in a cross-motion.
In a moment Yang's restrains shattered like they were made of glass. Ruby's jaw dropped for a moment at how easy he broke them, but her focus was into her sister. "Yang!"
She threw her arms around her and she felt her sister reciprocating with her remaining arm. "Ruby…!" Her voice cracked; she sounded close to crying. "Damnit, you weren't supposed to be here…!"
"If you thought we wouldn't come for you, then you must've forgotten who raised me," she said, managing a small smile. Ruby didn't want to separate, but there were far more pressing issues than her reunion. "Blake and Weiss need help," she said, reluctantly pulling away and looking at her sister's eyes.
Yang nodded, wiping her eyes with her hand. "You're right…" They stood up and she glared at the invaders. "And I am not done yet with these guys!"
Nodding the two jumped into the fight. Ruby knew that without Crescent Rose she couldn't offer much as she could, but with her Semblance she could at least distract these weird armored lizards.
So, with a trail of petals fluttering behind her she dashed around, stumbling and bumping around the lizards. They stumbled and their aim was off, which gave Weiss her chance to shine as she stabbed the point of Myrtenaster in the floor and ice formed across the floor until reaching them and freezing them solid.
Weiss propelled herself into the air with one of her glyphs and aimed her rapier at them, the barrel shifting to the fire Dust loaded in there in it, and creating another glyph beneath her feet that served as a platform in the air that launched her at it. Thrusting her flaming tip at the ice form and making it explode, sending the lizards scattering.
Ruby didn't stop in her support. She dashed and shoved around various enemies and this time Blake acted by jumping in the air and throwing the blade attached to the ribbon of Gambol Shroud to wrap various of them and throw them in the air. She leaped in the air, striking all of them with ease and breaking their weapons with ease, these freaks all fell in a broken pile and Blake landed with grace at her win.
And to help her sister, Ruby had something special in mind. Gritting her teeth she dashed around a group of their enemies, reaching her high speed and creating a small tornado that lift them in the air.
Yang grinned and when her sister stopped spinning them around, she jumped and used Amber Celica to propel herself higher and higher. As she passed one of the soldiers, she planted her feet on their chest and threw a fist at them, planting a mine in the process and then using it as a platform to reach another of their comrade and starting to repeat the process over and over again. Using each of the lizards as a spring to reach the other.
By the time it was over, all of the mines detonated at the same time. The lizards all landed with a thud, carrying with them various burns and smoke coming out of them. Yang landed in the middle of their broken forms and gave them a vindictive smile. "Payback, you idiots."
With the troops defeated, Ruby finally allowed herself to stop. Panting and heaving as she had just overused her Semblance like she hasn't in a long time. "Was that… All of them…?" She asked, struggling to gain her breath.
"Yes. Those were all… my men!"
She turned in time to receive a blast from an angry-looking Sealsdramon, his eye literally blazing as he shoots her with it. She was sent flying and her Aura flickered as she hit a tree, she could feel her chest burning.
"RUBY!" Her called to her with worry, but prioritizing the threat they all rushed to attacked the cyborg.
Sealsdramon brandished a tactical knife, one that started to glow with some sort of energy. Whatever it was, Ruby knew it was not going to be good for her and her friends.
"Death Behind!" With a speed that could rival hers, Sealsdramon blurred out of her sight and reappeared behind her friends who barely had time to look behind in shock.
With a swing from his weapon, a slash of energy emerged and struck the three sending them sprawling across the clear. She could barely lift her head as she felt her chest on fire, but did saw how her team whom just seconds ago beat those soldiers now defeated by a single attack from their leader.
"Useless waste of data, all of you!" Sealsdramon barked at his downed soldiers. "It is clear that I deserve a better platoon if this is all you maggots can do! And as for you," he said, glaring down at Ruby. "I do not know who do you think you are, but now I know this insignificant island has dared to rise against the Empire! And you, insurrectionist, will pay for your insolence!"
His eye blazed, getting ready to fire again. Ruby struggled to get back to her feet, but the overuse of her Semblance and the sudden impact of the laser from before caused it to be a hard endeavor, and she knew that another impact from that attack was just going to cause her Aura to break and for him to finish her off.
"Mickey Bullet!"
A bullet ricocheted against the armored side of Sealsdramon's head and made him flinch and miss the attack aimed to her.
Ruby is able to lift her head in time for a figure to land in front of her followed by other two. She recognized them immediately, it was Hackmon's sisters! And the oldest one had a gun on her hand, smoking from being recently fired.
"Back off. You are trespassing into our home," Noir said calmly, her grip on her gun never faltering. "Leave." Her sisters flanked her side. Ciel bearing a scowl while Blanc kept a neutral but firm expression on her face.
Sealsdramon growled. "You were the one to trespass first! Sending spies towards our home! Stealing resources by abusing the public transport of our cities!" He exclaimed, aiming his knife at them.
"Trailmon didn't meant any harm," Noir said with a calmness and diplomacy that reminded Ruby of Winter. "He was just trying to help us out. With no strings attached."
"Such insolence!" Sealsdramon growled, his eye blazing again and looking ready to fight.
"As for the so-called spy…" Noir turned to Ruby and she couldn't help but flinch under her stare. It was not filled with accusation, but rather and analytical glint that made her nervous. Noir's eyes went to her friends and sister and gave a nod of understanding for herself before gesturing to Ruby. "I can't say I know them… However, this girl here was found dazed and lost in our nearby forest. These girls must be the same and so this is just one big misunderstanding. So I will ask again: Leave."
Then to Ruby's surprise, and her slight envy, Ciel and Blanc stepped forward glowing with a sheen of blue and white energy respectively and weapons appeared in their hands. For Blanc it was a triple-pronged lance, and for Ciel a sheath with a golden sword in it.
"If you think you can beat the three of us with your men beaten and bruised like that then you are more than welcome to try!" Ciel challenged, unsheathing her blade completely.
Sealsdramon growled. His eyes glowed and so did his blade with an ominous tone.
There was a tense moment that had Ruby's hairs standing up to an end. She glanced at her team whom were slowly recovering and saw them all nervously gazing at the scene before them. Afraid that they might not have the energy to defend themselves this time, or of what this conflict against the troops invading them might cause.
Sealsdramon lowered his blade and glared at them with barely concealed hatred "This is not over! Men, retreat!" He declared while dashing away towards Trailmon.
The commando-lizards, all groaned and stood up, those that were unconscious were picked up by their partners and they all marched back into Trailmon.
Against his will, Trailmon started marching backwards and retreating back from the way he came from. Much to Ruby's surprise and the sisters' distress.
"No! You can't take him!" Blanc said, running forward as the train marched backwards.
"Trailmon!" From the sidelines, Hackmon ran to the edge of the island staring at the retreating form of the Digimon with desperate eyes. "Trailmon!"
His cries echoed agaist the cliff, but did nothing to stop the small platoon taking his friend away. Blanc looked down at him, sharing the same sad frown, and crouching down to pull him into a hug. The other sisters accompanied the small reptile. The two crouching and giving him pats on the back as they all seek comfort in each other.
Team RWBY stood up, all staring with sympathy at the scene. Ruby let out a frustrated sigh, she wasn't able to do anything to stop it. None of them were able to do it. At the very least they stopped the situation from escalating, but they couldn't save everyone.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Yang's purple eyes. Ruby blinked and put a hand on hers.
Right… They are all together again. They are all together. She turned to see Blake and Weiss whom had reached the same conclusion if the unshed tears were any indication.
Without wasting any time, the four gathered into a group hug. Ruby's mind went back to their reunion in Haven, it might have not been as long but it felt more significant since now they knew they were all okay after the unknown fate of falling into the void.
Finally, it was Weiss whom pulled back and sighed. "Guys… There's a lot to talk about…"
Ruby looked at the other group hug happening close to them. "Yes… Yes we do…"
As they arrived at the station of server, the one that also served as a toll station for anyone that came from the same backwater island where they came from, Sealsdramon ordered his men to reorganize for a debrief.
"In all my years in service, never have I been more humillated!" Sealsdramon barked at his soldiers "To start off, those brats: What were they!? They were not part of the Sistermon group, nor were they in the register we made of the Island when we started our deals with them!"
None of his soldiers answered, all stood ramrod in front of him. Sealsdramon paced in front of them, his tail swinging from side to side as he collected his thoughts.
"Your performance out there was simply disgraceful!" He spat at them, and was a bit satisfied at seeing that none of them flinched. He sighed and stopped in front of his platoon. "But I am not blameless either… To lose to be intimidated by civilians, that is something I will not let pass."
He turned around towards a giant gate, one that had bars at the top and seemed to be shaking. "It is clear we'll need more than our manpower if we want to apprehend these criminals! And for that… I have been granted permission by this base to use the Wild One they were containing."
He scoffed and shook his head. "To rely on these beasts. Men, when this mission is done, we will run over a thousand drills to make up for this poor performance. Understood!?"
"Yes sir!" His loyal platoon of Commandramon said at the same time.
"Good," he nodded in approval and turned towards the door. "Now then, prepare the Wild One for transportation! Keep it sedate until we arrive to that island!"
"Yes sir!"
Taking the Wild One out of the cage was the easy part, making sure it remained asleep the whole time was another story.
When Sealsdramon and his platoon, dragging a cage as big as one of the wagons of a Trailmon, arrived at the station there waiting for them was one of the Digimon that had participated in this whole mess of a mission: The treacherous Trailmon.
"Hook it up," he told his soldiers, whom scurried out with a chain.
The Trailmon, heard him and forced his eyes open and looked in horror as the Commandramon moved around him to connect the cage to him. "N-No! Please! Not a Wild One! It'll destroy the settlement!"
"And with its efforts we shall apprehend and cease your criminal activities, smuggler!" Sealsdramon said, not wanting to talk with the train more than it was necessary.
His squad, like the perfect soldiers they were made to be, entered boarded the train despite his protests after changing the direction of the railings to go back towards that backwater island.
"Okay, from the top."
"Again?"
"Yes, again!" Weiss exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips as they all sat on a wood table near Kudamon's meat farm. "Because I seriously need time to process all this!"
The settlement was now mostly empty with all the Digimon hiding in their homes. And the Sistermon had all gone home saying they needed to pick something and left Hackmon behind to make them company.
Yang rolled her eyes, while Blake propped her head into one of her hands. "Fine, go ahead."
Honestly, Ruby understood where Weiss was coming from. They knew something bad could happen if they fell from the paths, but everything she and her friends have encountered the possibility couldn't be denied anymore, especially when that cyborg Digimon, Sealsdramon, had said it explicitly:
They were in another world.
Taking a deep breath to gather her ideas, Weiss turned to Ruby. "So, Ruby woke up in a bed after we fell from the sky and made friends with an armored reptile named Hackmon."
"Hi!" Hackmon waved at Weiss with enthusiasm and Ruby smiled at him, his enthusiasm about everything was just adorable.
"Then, Blake and I also woke up, inside of sacks, trapped by the townsfolk of this place whom thought were intruders, and that one of them caught us in vines," Blake cringes at her words, probably not something a licensed Huntress would fall for.
Then Weiss turns to Yang. "And Yang woke up in a what seemed like a train station, only to be captured and get her arm stolen by those… people?"
"You mean the cyborg that looks like a seal, and his squad made of bipedal lizards wearing camo?" Yang asked, her eyes half-lidded and her tone drier than Vacuo's desert.
Weiss blinks at her statement and her hands drop to her side as she slouches. "Yes… them… okay," she started to walk away from the table. "I am going over there, if you need me…"
The three watched with bewilderment as Weiss walked away and started to mutter nonsense to herself, mimicking soldier marching, probably imitating the lizards that came out of the train.
Honestly, poor Weiss.
"This is almost like that book—The Girl Who Fell Through The World," Blake comments, tapping a finger against the table. "We fell and woke up in an unfamiliar world."
Yang shook her head folded her arm behind her head. "I do not think we are in the Ever-After. Now that would be nuts."
Ruby turned to the only source of information. "So… They called this place Digital World?" She asked Hackmon, remembering what Sealsdramon was prattling about.
"No, this is File Island," Hackmon said, tilting his head. "The Digital World is… like… everything else!"
"Digital? Are we in a computer?" Yang questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Because the bruises those guys gave me feel very real to just be a VR game!"
"You are okay, right?" Blake asked, placing a hand on her shoulder with concern.
Yang shrugged. "Eh, my Aura tanked most of it. I'm fine," she said, smiling back at her.
Ruby shook her head and sighed. "This place is real, not like a video-game at all. What we need to focus is in getting Yang's arm back and… then go home, I think…" She didn't like how she trailed off, but saying it out-loud really sounded improbable. "Did those guys took it?"
"The train station where I woke up looked really modern, not all that different from the place where we took the train from Mistral to Argus. By the time I was awake they had my arm and I was in shackles, asking me if I was sent by the islanders," Yang pouted as she placed her head on her hand, sighing with aggravation at being captured so easily.
Blake's giggle draws her attention. "So? Were you caught… Unarmed?" She snickered, placing a hand to her mouth.
Gasping with fake indignation, Yang dropped her hand into the table and glowered at Blake. "How dare you!" She couldn't hold the façade and soon giggled as well.
Weiss stopped her rant and walked back to them, straightening her hair and dress in an attempt to regain composure, when she noticed their giggling and sat down next to Ruby. "About time…" She mumbled, only for Ruby to hear.
However, her words just snapped Ruby out of her thoughts and made her look up to Weiss, she was only half-listening to them. Thinking about if the possibility of going home was really plausible. "Oh, what was that?"
Weiss quirked an eyebrow at her and then wave a hand. "Ah, it was nothing."
"We're back."
Turning, Ruby and her team saw the Hackmon's sisters approaching. "I think this might be of help," she said, holding a brown book in her hands.
"Noir!" With a spring on his step, Hackmon hopped off his seat and run up to his sister. "Oh gosh! You're gonna tell them about the Continents!? A-And King Drasil!?"
Blanc interrupted him by crouching down and smiling gently at him. "Sure, we do, Hack! But you have already heard this a million times already so…"
Hackmon put his front paws on his hips and puffed out his chest. "I like the histories on the book!" He said with a big smile. "Specially the ones that show fights like: Hi-Yah! And Wa-cha!"
Yang held back a snort as Hackmon was imitating karate noises and chopping and kicking in the air. Ruby did her best to ignore her and the creeping blush coming to her face. "I wasn't that bad…"
"You were worst!" She guffawed, dropping her head into the table with a laugh.
Ciel huffed and crossed her arms. "We're not gonna tell them about fairy tales, Hack. Just a crass history lesson."
"I like those too! After all: A knight must always have tons of knowledge!" Hackmon put a paw to his chest and held the other one in front of him.
"Hack!" Ciel facepalmed and shook her head with a groan. "Stop with the knight thing!"
"… But a knight is always—"
"HACK!"
"Hehehe!" Laughing, he trotted back to the table, with the other two sisters laughing in amusement at their bickering.
"I am to assume you are as lost as Ruby about where you are, are you not?" Noir asked as she placed a book on the table, giving team RWBY a questioning look.
"Hackmon tried explaining it to us, but…" Weiss did a so-and-so gesture, for all his enthusiasm their little companion wasn't that good at explaining.
Giving a soft chuckle, Noir nodded. "I see. Then, I hope this can clear it up a bit."
She opened the book wide and Ruby and her friends all peered into it. In its pages was a wide map, showing three large masses of land that Ruby guessed were continents and that one of them was the Server Continent Hackmon mentioned.
Noir confirmed her suspicions when she gestured at the image and said: "These are the continent around the Digital World. The ones beyond this island, the closest being the Server Continet… Then we have Folder and System."
"Again, with Digital terminology…" Ruby heard Weiss whisper as Noir continued to explain.
As she spoke, she tapped into the respective images in order. The first one, Server, seemed like an arid place, with only some spots of green in counted places. Folder it seemed had more variety, there were brown places that meant sand, green that showed vegetation, and even white in the… west? For all her life Ruby thought snow was always in the north…
And the last…
Ruby gulped, and around her she could see her teammates all tensing as they spotted it too. "Ummm and that is… System?"
"Yes…" Noir's face had darkened as she tapped her finger over the image of the continent. It was completely dark, it reminded Ruby of the Dragon Continent in Remnant. "That is the System Continent… This map is the latest one made, one of the few things we got from Server before our agreement came to an end… And it was made over a hundred years ago."
"A hundred!?" Yang's eyes bulged as she gave her a surprised look, shared by the rest of the team. "Why so ancient?"
"No one dares to go to System, much less map it," Ciel responded with a grim look on her face. "Before that it was said that all Continents were pretty good."
"All ruled by King Drasil, in the trees of Yggdrassil," Blanc continued to explain, looking at the book with a saddened expression. "Before the Metal Empire rose and took over Server and before System became… like that."
Noir changed the page and showed the image of a large tree, so large that they it looked like it was spiraling all the way up to the clouds surrounded by a flourishing landscape. She changed the page again and Ruby saw a bunch of crystals floating inside some kind of chamber.
When Blanc started to talk, Ruby noticed how Hackmon wilted under her words. She pressed a hand to his back and rubbed it soothingly.
"One day however… King Drasil disappeared," Noir said as she changed the page again, showing those same crystals blackened. "And without a ruler many others tried to fill in the power vacuum. The Metal Empire was the most noticeable, Digimon with technological advancements that enhanced their strength. Not much is known of the current state of Folder… And in System, Digimon with vile nature let the chaos rule them. Turning it into this."
Ciel sighed. "And then there's little island like those… Trying to survive day to day and fending off the Wild Ones. That concludes this crash lesson, girls," she declared with a tone of both irritation and tiredness.
Ruby blinked, and realized something in what Ciel had just said. "Hackmon said that when he met me… What's a Wild One?"
The four Digimon flinched, and Hackmon snuggled closer into Ruby's hand. Just for those reactions, she regrets asking right away.
"Digimon whom for one reason or another have lost their minds, like all bad things it came when King Drasil disappeared," Blanc explained, as the face in her hat turned into a sad expression with a wobbly lip. "Now they just… lash out and act…"
"… Wildly?" Blake finished for her, rubbing her arm awkwardly at hearing the sadness in her tone of voice.
"In our years living in the settlement on the island, even before the Empire stroke the deal, we dealt with the Wild Ones living here… It wasn't pretty," Ciel explained, trying to put on a strong act.
"How long have you lived here?" Ruby ventured to ask.
Noir sighed and close the book. "Enough to only hear of the better times, but not be there to see them."
"Well, that settles some doubts about this world…" Weiss exhaled, sitting up. "But it does not help our current predicament. This might be hard to accept but we—"
"Are from another world."
"—Are from another world—HOW!?" Weiss' mouth touched the floor when Noir, with a coy smile, guessed her reveal.
"Dear, you are clearly not Digimon, and you were lost in what is common knowledge about the history of our world," Noir explained as she waved the book in her hand. "And Ruby here didn't know about Server, or any other important places. Even Hack knows, and he's the youngest of the settlement."
Hackmon preened at getting his sister's attention, replacing the gloomy and quiet attitude from before. And… Oh gosh…!
'His tail is wiggling, that's so cute!' Ruby thought with a smile, he was like a weird combination between a dog and a reptile.
"So," Noir's voice caught her attention again, "the reason to tell you all of this, is because according to old legends, the trees of Yggdrasil were connected to other worlds. King Drasil was able to learn from those other worlds and keep the Digital World in order thanks to that knowledge. For the longest time I thought they were just that, legends, stories made to awe children… But you are all the living proof that there is truth in those legends. So, if you do wish to go home, I think the best way will be to find the trees of Yggdrasil."
"Okay, cool…" Yang said, leaning back in her seat and quirking an eyebrow. "What's the catch?"
"Why would there be a catch?" Weiss asked, and only received a deadpan from Yang. Defeated, she sighed and turned to Noir. "What's the catch?"
"The tress of Yggdrasil…" She flipped through the pages back to the map and tapped the center of the tree continents. "Are all in the center of the continent."
"Of course they are…" Blake sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. "I mean, an important place like those would be accessible to everyone but…"
"But apparently the nearest place is full of nutjobs, yay…" Yang said, throwing her fist in mock celebration.
Ruby sighed, sharing the same exasperation as them. Of course, it wouldn't be as easy as just asking for it and being sent home. And the closest opportunity they had of going there was right under the nose of Digimon they have already had a bad impression of, and vice versa.
'Can nothing ever be easy!?' She growled to herself before taking a deep breath. No use on getting angry, she had to keep a level head… For her team. "Okay, so the trees are the only way. At least for now?"
"It's the only thing I can think off," Noir told her with a calm smile. "The trees were the place where one communicated with King Drasil to seek his wisdom before he disappeared, something must have remained."
Hackmon fidgeted nervously with his claws, looking at the floor. "So… that means you'll be leaving, Ruby?" He asked in a small tone.
Looking down at him Ruby felt a small ache in her. She just met him, but knowing that if she went back home, they will not see each other again just… made her feel bad. Specially with the puppy eyes he was giving her. She crouched and gave him a pat on the back. "Yes, Hackmon. Not yet but… we will."
"… I do hope you get home, Ruby," he told her with a smile that she couldn't help but return.
The moment broke when they heard a loud whistle blow—A train's whistle. Everyone tensed, as Noir closed the book and stood up her eyes narrowed with worry. "Is that…?"
"Trailmon…" Hackmon muttered with worry.
"So soon? It usually takes him half a day to go from Server and back!" Ciel gripped, her fists tightening. "What did those bastards do to him!"
Yang gripped her hand and Ember Celica deployed. "If these guys have half a brain, then they probably come with reinforcements!" She said, her eyes turning red.
Checking the hostler of her weapon, Blake frowned. "We are low on Dust, if they brought more with them, we might be in trouble.
Ruby grimaced; She didn't even have her weapon with her! And using her Semblance was tiring to use against just a couple dozen of those guys, if they brought more then she might tire down before they take them all down.
She took out her Scroll and checked her levels of Aura up; she was at a sixty percent. Not bad, but not good enough —As usual.
"Weiss?" She called, out of them the most versatile was her partner so…
"Already checked," she said, holding Myrtenaster and making a small glyph at its tip. "I'm at fifty-seven. Giving a form to more than one summons is taxing."
Noir stepped forward and turned to Hackmon. "Hack, I know you possibly want to help in this fight, but right now I need you to go to the main plaza and tell everyone to stay at their homes."
Hackmon opened his mouth, likely to protest, but seeing the look on his sister's face he nodded with a newfound resolution. "Right, sis!"
He ran back to the place where all the houses were, leaving team RWBY and his sisters to deal with the invaders.
The seven walked towards the railings, where a panicked Trailmon was arriving. He was shaking his head frantically as his engines stopped and something behind him, something connected to his cabins, shook violently.
"DON'T! EVACUATE THE SETTLEMENT!" He yelled with despair as his doors opened and the same platoon of soldiers climbed out.
Ruby was surprised to see that it was the same number of soldiers than before. She expected to see more, to see reinforcements, but judging by some scrapes and bruises these were the same soldiers from before. And like before, Sealsdramon lead them.
The Cyborg stood in front of them, face pulled down into a scowl. "Last chance criminals, we shall rescind the death sentence, but in exchange come quietly and be processed by the lowly scum you are!"
From the corner of her eyes, Ruby caught how Yang was scowling and her eyes burning red, barely containing herself from attacking.
Noir, with a grace that reminded Ruby of Winter, walked forward with a firm semblant. "These young ladies never meant any harm to you, or your Empire, and neither did our humble settlement. Please leave and let our friend recover," she said, giving a last look to Trailmon.
"Feh, even if you are not associated with these… criminals," The cyborg gave them a look of disdain before glaring at Trailmon, "this one has hidden supplies for those who had boarded him! And for that… We decided to cut the problem from root…" His tone became outright malicious as he gave his soldiers a gesture. "Release it."
"NO! NO!"
Trailmon's desperate screams did not avail. A soldier pressed a remote and Ruby heard a loud CLANG from the farthest cabin of the train… And then.
"ROAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRR!"
Something JUMPED high out of the train, its shadow eclipsing the sun before landing with a heavy THUD in front of them and lifting a small cloud of dust.
Ruby knew it was a Digimon, but it clearly was different from all the ones she's seen thus far. It looked like a spider, a BIG dog one that was around the size of an Ursa Major, it had a collar with spikes around its neck and a strange clip on its ear—one that had a beeping light on it—but it was the eyes that called Ruby's attention.
No matter how much she tried, there was no reasoning behind its eyes. Some Digimon she's seen around the settlement looked like animals, but they were able to speak and think, this one… was a complete animal.
"You brought a Wild One into our settlement!?" Ciel exclaimed with anger and horror.
"We like to find our demented brethren a good use," The cyborg boasted as he reached into one of his cybernetic arms and pressed a button. "Boy, fetch!"
The clip on the Digimon's ears glowed and emitted a light discharge. The Digimon's whole body tensed and it growled, liberating a howl that was as both bone-chilling as it was almost pitying to hear.
They didn't have time to dwell on it when it opened its mouth and liberated a blast of black flames towards them. Team RWBY dodged, however, Ruby noticed that it was heading towards Kudamon's farm.
"NO!" Blanc said, extending her hand towards the racing blast. Her body glowed with a golden shimmer and an arrow made of the same shimmer was fired from her hands, blocking the attack.
"Sisters, let's get it out of the settlement!" Noir exclaimed, her body glowing with a black Aura and in her hands a pair of guns appeared in her hands.
Blanc and Ciel copied her. Their bodies glowing with a golden and blue aura and their respective weapons appearing in their hands.
Noir takes the initiative by running towards the big dog and firing her guns, its bullets hitting the face of the beast but only leaving scratches on it but managing the intent of gathering its attention. She ran away in the opposite direction of where the settlement was and away from the railroad being followed by her sisters.
Sealsdramon growled in frustration. "I can't go losing such an asset. You guys, deal with these ones and then capture all the filth on this town! Should have done that for the start to get this island's resources!" He ordered, running away in the same direction as the Wild One and the sisters.
All the commando Digimon aimed their guns at Team RWBY, making three parts of it get their weapons ready. "Ruby, go and help Hackmon in making sure the settlement is safe!" Weiss told her.
"What? But I…" Ruby started to protest.
"You helped us out before using your Semblance, but right now the people need you more than us," Blake told her, never taking her eyes off the platoon.
"We'll give you an opening, go! We'll be fine!" Yang reassured her, her one arm up in her usual stance.
Ruby frowned before exhaling with a bit of frustration. Without Crescent Rose she could only use her Semblance to fight, but she doubted she could pull the same trick once now that these Digimon knew of what she could do.
"Okay, be careful!" She said, before feeling the rush of her Semblance covering her.
She dashed back towards the settlement, faintly hearing the sound of gunshots that indicated the start of her team's fight. She felt a small annoyance at not being part of the action due to the loss of her weapon, but she pushed it down. Her priority was making sure the settlement was safe.
She arrived at the main entrance and climbed all the way up to the gate and gave a good scan, looking around to make sure there was no one outside. She saw that some Digimon had gone out and were talking to themselves about the apparent return of their invaders.
A bell rang out, the same that rang when the villagers that brought her friends with them, and Ruby scrutinized her vision to see that it was Hackmon in the center of the town who was tolling it to make it sound. Using his jaw to do so.
"Ewyone!" He said, voice muffled by holding the rope. He spat it once he saw he had their attention. "Go back to your homes, my sisters are dealing with the situation! Everything will be okay!"
Mutters came from the rest of Digimon from the village, the crows slowly dispersed leaving Hackmon alone. The small reptile gave a sigh of relief at seeing his job paid off and Ruby took her chance to run towards him.
"Hackmon!" She gasped, dashing down from the gate and towards where he was.
She knew she startled the poor Digimon when she suddenly appeared in front of him, considering the small yelp he gave. "AH! R-Ruby!?"
"Sorry about that," She apologized, accommodating her dress. "Is everyone at home? Are they safe?"
"Yes, everyone's at home," He nodded diligently, then his face dropped with clear worry. "And… My sisters? Are they okay? Trailmon? What's happening back there?"
Ruby's face dropped into a grimace. "My team is fighting those guys from before… They brought a Digimon, one of the ones you called Wild Ones, your sisters lured it out of the settlement."
"What!? A Wild One!?" Hackmon panicked, as he looked around nervously. "Oh gosh, oh gosh! I-In which direction, I got to help them!"
"What?" Ruby was bewildered at his response. "Hackmon they told you it was dangerous, and these Wild Ones really seem to be a problem for you guys!"
"I need to help them, Ruby!" He said, putting his claws on her tights and looking at her with pleading eyes. "I need to help in what I can, a-and your team can handle those jerks from before I know that! But I don't want to leave my sisters dealing with a Wild One! … It's not what a knight would do…" He mumbled the last part before looking up at her. "Please, I just want to help!"
Ruby paused as he heard his words. She looked at his eyes… there was something in them, something she knew well but for the life of her right now she just couldn't tell what it was. It was like she had it in the tip of her tongue but for one reason or another… She has lost it.
And that she knew that no matter he was going to help his sisters, even if she didn't tell him where they went.
So, sighing, she gestured to the direction where they ran off. "Over there… I'll take you there."
"With your speedy thing!?"
"Hehe, yes, with my speedy thing," She couldn't help but chuckle as Hackmon stared at her with bright eyes.
She picked him up and enveloped him with her Semblance. They ran out of the settlement.
Around it, Ruby realized, was nothing but forest. Trees surrounding the area, and that reminded her of the Emerald Forest back in Beacon. She focused on trying to find something that might locate the sisters, just a trace of their clothing maybe, or…
BANG!
'Well, that works too…' She thought, knowing that gunshot was not from her team.
She ran in the direction of the gunshot, stopping behind a tree and setting Hackmon down. The small reptile stumbling a bit before shaking his head and looking at the origin of the shots. "Noir!"
Ruby looked and saw Noir leaping back to avoid a swipe from the wild Digimon. She fired various shot from her gun but they bounced harmlessly against the wild one. 'Maybe that's what makes them so dangerous. They are not only mindless, but tougher… Like the Grimm…' Ruby analyzed, eyes narrowed.
From behind the big dog, the other two sisters jumped at it with their sword and lance ready to stab at its back, however before they could impact Sealsdramon appeared and blocked their weapons with his tactical knife, parrying them and then firing at both with his laser eye. "Stay away, scum!" He spat, landing next to his attack hound.
The two were sent flying right towards the trees were Ruby and Hackmon were observing.
"Ciel! Blanc!" Disregarding their cover, the two went to check on the two injured sisters. "Are you alright?" The reptile asked.
"H-Hack!?" Blanc asks, struggling to get up. "W-what?"
"What are you doing here!?" Ciel demanded, propping himself up by using a tree as support and glaring at Ruby. "Why did you let him come!?"
Ruby found herself getting irritated at Ciel's demands, but before she could answer Hackmon jumped in her defense. "I was coming here anyways! I can't leave you guys alone, and I want to defend the settlement too! It's what a knight would do!"
"Hackmon, stop with the knight nonsense!" Ciel spat, glaring down at the reptile. "Can't you see this is serious, you—!"
"AGH!"
Everyone snapped their heads to see that Noir had been pinned down by the monster's giant paw. Her pistols have been knocked out of her hands and was struggling to escape his grasp.
"NOIR!" The two sisters plus the brother yelled in fright.
"Execute her," Sealsdramon ordered the dog, pressing the same button from before on his arm and the clip on its ear to send a shock through its body. And to their horror, the maws of the beast were charging another fireball.
"No!" Both of the sisters tried to move, but their bodies just didn't respond, not after the attack.
Hackmon did though. He charged towards the monster, much to Ruby's astonishment. "Hackmon!"
"Fif Rush!" His claws glistened and he lashed out striking directly at the dog.
"What!?" Sealsdramon gasped as the attack made the dog stagger and release its hold on his prisoner.
With his sister free, Hackmon slashed at the legs of the monster making it stagger backwards before it growled in anger and shot a black fireball of its own. Hackmon leaped away to dodge it, and then again when he had to dodge a laser from Sealsdramon.
The dog charged at Hackmon as he was in the air and swat him back to the floor, but the little reptile makes a quick recovery and dashed away from the two to regain some space to act.
Ruby took her moment to act when the attention was on him, she used her Semblance and took Noir away from the scene and carried her back to where her sisters were.
She gently laid her on the floor. "Noir? Are you okay?" She asked with worry.
She weakly opened her eyes. "R-Ruby…? The settlement…?"
"Is safe. My team is fending off the rest of their platoon," She quickly explained.
"Then take H-Hackmon and go!" She said, trying to sit up, but failing miserably. "Even if you have to board Trailmon and go…"
"What!?" She asked, appalled by the idea. "You guys can barely take on those two!"
"Hackmon won't have any better chances!" Blanc said, almost begging as the face on her hat reflected her distress. Ruby noticed how none of them seemed able to continue fighting.
"… Not without help he won't…" Ruby decided and before they could stop her, she dashed towards the battlefield.
She obserbed as Hackmon was obviously struggling to dodge the attacks from the Wild One. As Sealsdramon cackled with triumph, Ruby dashed at him and grabbed him into her Semblace. She spun around in place and then tossed him away, when she makes sure he was too dazed to recover soon. Then she focused back on Hackmon, who was about to receive a fireball from the Wild One.
"No!" She sped up and managed to grab him in the nick of time, leaving the fireball to just scorch the ground where he was. She moved a few feet away from the beast. "Are you okay?"
"The Wild Ones are really tough… Even tougher than my sisters…" He panted, and glared at where a dazed Sealsdramon tried to sit up. "And he just kept cheap shooting me… Sorry, Ruby… For getting you involved," he said, looking down and with a tone of regret.
Ruby looked down at him with a surprised look, before smiling and gently petting him. "Hey, I would have helped anyway… It's what a knight would do, right?" She said, wanting to lift his spirits.
Hackmon gasped and looked at Ruby with shining eyes. "Ruby…!"
A growl drew her attention and they turned to see the giant dog glaring down at them and fire licking from its mouth. It was getting ready to attack.
"Welp, guess we are doing this together…" Hackmon muttered, getting ready to fight. "So… Partners?" He asked, extending a hand to Ruby.
Ruby stared at the hand, or rather paw, that was offered. She reached out and grasped it with a smile. "Partners."
As those words were uttered, both Ruby and Hackmon were suddenly covered by a red light. One that shone brightly across the clearing where everyone was.
While the onlookers might have been blinded by it, or even flinch under its intensity, Ruby who was in the center of it found herself feeling… warm. A warm feeling spread around her body as she grasped Hackmon's hand, who was staring at her with an expression of pure awe and that showed he was feeling the same.
'What is this…?' She wondered as the light shrank around the two and then around Ruby's wrist.
Ruby observed with astonishment as the remaining of the bright light coiled around her wrist and started to take form. Now strapped on her wrists was a device that resembled a wristwatch, but sturdier-looking, it was black with a round face and red borders around the screen and three buttons at the side.
"What is…" Ruby murmured, watching the device with fascination.
"RUBY!" The yell from Hackmon snapped her out of her fascination.
A fireball was racing at them, and the two had to leap to different sides to avoid it.
Hackmon jumped towards the monster, wanting to engage on the fight again. And that's when Ruby felt something in her head, like a sudden thought invade her, like remembering something out of the blue.
The device on Ruby glowed and brought the strange watch close to her mouth and shouted: "Wokenapalm!"
Hackmon's eyes glowed and flames licked around his lips. He opened his mouth and released a fireball straight at the monster's face. The dog staggered and shook, charging a fire ball of its own.
Ruby ran around the creature to have a better perspective of its blind spots. When she saw a spot how its underside was vulnerable she spoke into the device as a new information clicked into her mind. "Teen Ram!"
As if knowing her intentions just by those words, Hackmon's tail started spinning at a rapid speed and he balanced himself on it before his whole body started spinning and digging down into the earth.
The dog growled angrily running to the whole the Hackmon made and clawing at it, trying to get him out somehow. Not noticing how right under its stomach another whole was being formed.
And so, like a rocket, Hackmon launched himself out of it tail first—which was still spinning—and thrusted it right into the belly of the monster. Ruby's eyes bulged out of her sockets and a giddy laugh escaped when she saw that the blow had toppled the dog over its back.
"Now, Wokenapalm!" She said with a newfound excitement , Ruby spoke loud and clear into the device.
Hackmon grinned and taking advantage of the state of his opponent, he released a bigger fireball that impacted against the Wild One's exposed belly creating a giant explosion.
Ruby wondered if this was how Nora usually felt. Because watching that explosion was amazing.
She looked down at her wrist and then at Hackmon. Whatever this watch-device-thingy is it has given the little reptile a boost in power that he didn't have before.
"RUBY!" Speaking of whom, he happily bounced towards her. She was surprised when he jumped into her arms, making her stumble a litte. "Did you see me!? Did you see me!?"
"O-O-Of course I did…" She said, struggling against his weight and giving him a smile as she settles him down.
Hackmon smiled, his tail wagging—which was adorable for Ruby. But before more could be said, a beeping sound came from her wrist and she looked down to see that an alert was coming from the screen of the device.
"Damaged Digicore detected: Fix? Yes/No."
"Damaged… Digicore?" Ruby asked, looking at Hackmon.
"A Digicore is…" Hackmon pressed a hand to his chest. "What makes a Digimon a Digimon…" He explained sheepishly.
He might not have a way with words, but Ruby understood the gist of it. "So… like a soul…" She mumbled and looked at the watch before shrugging. "Well fixing things have always being my thing…"
She pressed the Yes button.
A bright red light emerged and her hand jerked on her own, making her yelp. She watched with wide eyes as she suddenly found herself aiming her arm at the fallen Wild One and almost left her sockets when the body of the Digimon suddenly became transparent and what was only seen was a blue orb with red and… glitchy parts surrounding it.
'Like an old video game…' She thought watching this strange process with awe.
The watch covered her body in a red light, and by mere instinct she extended her hand forward and felt herself tugging at something. The glitchy parts surrounding the orb suddenly started being attracted towards her. All of it sucked into the watch until what was left in front of Ruby was a pure orb and slowly the body of the Digimon became visible again.
And to her ever-creasing shock, its figure began to shrank until it was the size of a normal dog. Or at least one of the bigger ones Ruby knew off.
When the process was done the light turned off and she looked down at the watch where a message read:
"Digicore repair: Successful!"
"Ugh… Where…?"
Hear head snapped and saw that the shrunken dog was struggling to sit up. "Where am I…?"
"I-It's talking…!" Hackmon mumbled with wide eyes.
"Umm… Excuse me?" Ruby said, walking towards the dog. "Are you okay?"
"I… I felt like I was surrounded by a fog my entire life…" It, or rather he, mumbled before looking at Ruby. "Did you… free me?"
Ruby exchanged looks with Hackmon before he gave her an encouraging smile and she nodded. "Yes."
"Then you have my thanks. I am Dobermon," The Digimon revealed, giving her a bow.
"Oh. I-It was nothing…!" She said sheepishly.
"YOU!"
The three tensed to look at Sealsdramon, whom Ruby honestly completely forgot about, that at last has recovered from her assault. And he looked livid. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY WEAPON!" Pointing at Dobermon
Dobermon bristled at being called a weapon. Ruby stood between the two, glaring at Sealsdramon. "He's free. From you, and from whatever turned him wild. Leave the island!"
"Oh I will leave! And bring more Wild Ones! Once I report to the higher ups they will rase this village to the ground and we will take your resources!" He said with a crazed look and taking out his knife. "But before, I'll get rid of you: loose ends!"
He charged at them, his knife glowing with energy. "DEATH BEH—"
"Bless Fire."
"Divine Pierce!"
"Fury Fire!"
A bullet, a beam of light, and a flaming cut emerged from the tree lines and impacted against the cyborg. All three at the same time and making him hit a nearby tree and breaking it in half, his body twitching and trapped under the trunk.
Ruby turned to the source of the attack, to see the three sisters all recovered enough to stand. Noir's gun was smoking and she blew on the canon to cool it. "There is a reason why we wanted to solve this peacefully… it was for your sake."
'Cool…' Ruby thought with a smile and looked down to see Hackmon gushing at his sisters more openly.
The watch beeped again and showed a new message:
"Hostile Digimon detected. Probability of capture above 50%: Capture? Yes/No"
Blinking at the new message, Ruby shrugged and pressed the screen. "Well, you haven't lead us stray yet so…"
Like before, her hand moved on her own, aiming it at the downed Digimon. This time a blue light engulfed her and she felt herself tugging at something. In front of her Sealsdramon body became transparent with just an orb floating where it once stood and that floated towards her. When it was close enough, the device glowed and absorbed the orb into it.
The light diminished. Curious, Ruby looked at the screen and saw that in it was the image of the enemy that was before her just moments ago. "What is this!? You criminal scum, what have you done to me!?"
"I… Don't know…" She said unsurely, fidgeting with the buttons of the device. "But if it means you won't harm anyone else then this is for the best!"
"You can't do this—" Finally she pressed a button that turned the screen dark. She felt a little bad though. Being trapped there with no way out must be awful. No food, no water…
She took a deep breath and ran a hand down her face. "One step at the time, Ruby…"
"Did you guys saw that!?" Hackmon's excited voice called her attention.
The little reptile was running circles around his tired sisters, whom to their credit kept amused smiles as they heard him retell the fight—or Blanc and Noir did, Ciel kept a neutral expression.
"I didn't know I could launch fireballs! O-Or use my claws like that!" He said, looking at his front paws with excitement. His eyes met hers and he skipped towards her. "Ruby! How did we do that!?"
Ruby shrugged and smiled down at him. "I don't know… I think it has to do with this…" She said, gesturing to the device on her wrist.
"Cool…!" Hackmon said, mesmerized staring at it.
His sisters all crowded around her too, staring at the device with wide eyes. Noir was the first one to break their silence by clearing her throat, "I believe we are not done yet. The troops that followed Sealsdramon…"
"My sister and friends are still facing them. They weren't a problem if we don't count their leader," Ruby said, looking at the sisters with a worried look. "You guys still look winded."
"We… We might still need a moment to recover," Blanc admitted sheepishly.
Ruby nodded at them and turned to the healed Digimon. "Dobermon, can you look over them?"
"It's the least I can do…" Dobermon accepted with a respectful nod.
Noir smiled and walked towards the dog Digimon, putting a hand to his snout. "What happened to you is truly a miracle. You might be the first one to have come back to its senses…"
"And for that I will forever be grateful to these two," he said, smiling at the her and Hackmon.
Ruby felt a warm spread through her chest and spreading on her cheeks, before she gave a shy nod to the freed Digimon. "No problem…" She shook her head and looked down at Hackmon. "Let's go!"
He gave her a salute and she scooped him up to dash back towards where she last left her team. Leaving behind a grateful Dobermon…
… And unknowingly to her, three distressed Sistermon.
She dashed with not as much hurry as she had before. She was pretty darn confident that her team could deal with those commando reptiles. And so, her mind moving as fast as her Semblance while she was in movement she wondered about the sudden turns of events.
What was this device that appeared in her wrist? Why could she just know what orders give Hackmon out of the blue? And what was she supposed to do with the prisoner that she now kept inside of the device? She knew he was a threat, but it felt inhuman to just keep him locked without any source of nutrition.
And don't let her begin about finding a way back home.
She dashed by the settlement and was relieved to see it just as she left it and her relief turned to glee when she arrived at the cliff where she left her team and found a scene to be proud of: Her team standing over the defeated troops.
"Guys!" She called, putting down a slightly dazed Hackmon and running towards them.
Hearing her, they turned and greet her with a smile. "Heya, sis!" Yang greeted with a salute. "Things went well on your end?"
Ruby stopped for a moment and thought it over before smiling. "You know what? Yes it did…"
A new beep from her device called her attention. A message similar to the one when it absorbed Sealsdramon appeared.
"Hostile Digimon of the same specie detected. Probability of capture above 96%: Capture? Yes/No"
Although unsure since she had yet to resolve the issue of keeping them trapped in the watch, she knew the alternative was them regrouping and staging yet another attack. She pressed the Yes button and like before she rose her hand and the figures all became transparent, exposing their orbs and these getting absorbed into the watch.
Her team all blinked in bewilderment, realizing that the battlefield was now empty.
"Huh… T-That's a neat watch, sis…" Yang said, trying to make sense of what just happened.
"Where did you even get that?" Weiss asked as she and Blake approached her. "You didn't had it when we split."
"Well…" She and Hackmon exchanged looks before she shrugged helplessly. "It's a long story…"
Things have finally settled down in the small settlement. Trailmon was being given cares to recover and had offered to take them to Server. For better or worse, that place was their first clue to get back home. And the train Digimon said he could take them there tomorrow once he gets a good night of rest.
In the meantime, Ruby found herself back where she started that same day: in the bed of the upper floor of the Sistermon and Hackmon's home eating dinner.
"We really should do something about the food for this place…" Yang muttered as she bit into the sandwich she got. "These guys deserve more than just get what's necessary."
"One problem at the time, Yang," Blake told her as she wiped with a tissue the crumbs around her mouth. "But you're right."
Ruby half-listened, having just finished her dinner. She was fiddling with the mysterious watch on her wrist. She had taken it off earlier, so at the very least it wasn't stuck to her wrist or something weird.
Weiss was also interested in the device, leaning over Ruby's shoulder as she fiddled with it. "It says something when a watch appearing out of nowhere is the least weird thing that has happened to us today."
Its screen lit up as Ruby pressed its buttons. It showed her three bars in some sort of main menu. Each read: Register, capture, state. The 'capture' bar caught her attention as she remembered her early worries about the fate of her enemies.
She pressed the button and selected it and then—
"—to me!" Ruby had to pull the watch away from her as the screeching voice of Sealsdramon came from it. Her teammates jumping in surprise at the suddenness of the voice.
In the screen of the watch a glowering Sealsdramon glared at Ruby before blinking in confusion. "Wait a moment! Where are you, scum!? Weren't you in a forest!?"
Ruby blinked in confusion. "We moved a while ago… Didn't you notice?"
"Fallacies! My senses are as sharp as a knife! I would have realized!" The cyborg growled; its eye glowing but not firing a laser. "I demand you release me and my troops!"
"Yeah, fat chance, pal!" Yang said, suddenly appearing on Ruby's side. She growled as her eyes turned red, "What I wanna know is where you hid my arm!"
"I do not negotiate with criminals! That was clearly stolen technology from us!"
Weiss hummed and tapped a finger to her chin. "Well, it seems they were under some stasis until you turned the watch on, or rather that specific menu," she deduced.
"So… They won't starve or anything?" Ruby asked, wanting to be sure.
"It seems so," Blake shrugged. "For now its best if you just keep them in that state until we know what to do with them."
"Okay," Shrugging, Ruby pressed the buttons at the side of the watch.
"Don't you dare—!" His words were cut off as the device turned off.
Sighing, Ruby stretched her arms and hung her head. The day seemed to be coming to an end. They managed to save the Digimon's settlement, but they still had an issue to deal with: the situation back at their world.
She felt a hand rubbing her head and looked up to see Yang smiling at her. "Everything okay, sis?"
"Just… wondering if everyone else made it…" Ruby said, not really wanting to talk about it but knowing they had to. She turned to her partner and gave her a questioning look, "Weiss, you were the last one to fall… Did everyone make it? What happened with Cinder?"
When she asked that she immediately felt like she made a mistake.
Weiss' skin, already snow white, became pale as a ghost and her eyes turned hollow and haunted. She gripped her hands together as tears swelled in her eyes and took a deep breath to find the right words to say.
"I…" She licked her lips and fought back tears. "… Everything happened so fast. No one came back from Vacuo to help… and Penny! She—Jaune tried to help, but…"
Ruby could feel her heart pounding as she saw Weiss looked at her with tears streaming down her face. She felt her stomach churning, her heartbeat going faster and her hands going cold and her vision was starting to swim while a buzz filled her ears.
"… She sacrificed herself!"
…
…
Penny was death.
Again.
Penny died.
Again.
Again, she failed her.
Penny was finally a real girl and she was death.
She was death because she fell down the paths and couldn't protect her.
She couldn't protect her.
Penny was death because she couldn't be there for her.
Penny… Penny was…
"…Uby? …RUBY!?"
She knew no more after those faints' screams.
A/N: Yikes, poor Ruby.
And double yikes, over 11k words!
I really wanted to update this today since its my birthday. And it seems I made it!
This chapter I wanted to wrap up the introduction and introduce a bit of this version of the Digital World I am making. I am not using a single source material from the franchise to write this story; I am using bits and pieces from everywhere to do it. And that includes continents that were not presented in the show, but rather in the Mangas.
The Digivice is also inspired by the Manga, the Manga of V-Tamer to be precise, the Digivice 01 (Not to be confused by the Digivice Core from Digimon Adventure)
So, Team RWBY will have a brand-new adventure in the Digital World rather than a familiar one from old seasons. Aside from some references, don't expect to see a human character that is not from RWBY.
But AAAAAAANYWAYSSSSSSSS.
Thank you all for reading up to this point. If you want to support me go to this link eliminating the spaces:
P atreon user?u = 86905404
And you can also give me some tips in what to do in that page. I wanna give you guys all the entertainment I can for all the support you give me!
And so, I hope I see you again soon…
