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REAPER IN RED

Chapter 57

"What?!"

"Quiet please," I gasped, covering my ears with my palms and waiting for the ringing to stop. "I don't feel too good."

"That does happen," Cinder mused. "I do still expect you to reclaim your territory from me as soon as possible."

I nodded, "yes Cinder."

All the while, Blake looked a mixture of confused and ashen-faced. "You're a… a… like Ruby?"

"Yup!" I said.

"Something like that," Cinder replied in tandem.

"How many of you are there?"

I looked at Cinder and she looked back at me. I shrugged. I had no idea how many Reapers there were. As a young child, I had assumed that the statement 'one Reaper for a thousand people' was true, and not just Salem's greatest wish and hope. And it wasn't like there was a big Reaper convention held annually where we could meet each other.

Being a species that lived alone for the vast, vast majority of our lives really did skew the numbers a little bit.

"In Beacon?" Cinder decided to reply. "At least two. In Vale? Probably the same. Most Reapers keep a wide berth of one another, and it will be pretty clear that Miss Rose here was claiming a territory. So, the likelihood of another Reaper appearing is altogether quite small. Well, quite small now."

"What?!" I interrupted.

Cinder nodded in a very teacher-like way. "I was going to explain this all to you once you had solved the Qrow Branwen situation, but your claiming of a territory is pouring out large amounts of magic into the surroundings. Did you truly believe that nobody could sense it?"

"Yes. Yes I did," I nodded dumbly.

"Plenty of creatures can sense a Reaper's magic. Reapers themselves use it to find one another, especially for the purpose of stealing territory. Of course, Reapers can also sense when a territory has been stolen and taken back. It's not too much of an issue until far enough along into the process, but being so close to you. I could sense the territory being claimed, as well as your rough age. Now, for any Reapers hoping to steal this territory, they will sense my age and strength instead. Of course, once you take it back from me, faint amounts of my magic will remain, and so they will sense that you took back a territory from a much stronger Reaper, thus establishing you as a threat and someone less likely to be an easy target. A bit of safety as it were.

"Of course, this trend is often done by mothers for their daughters. I had hopes of doing it with my own one day, were things to have happened differently."

"I pride myself on being well-read, and I feel like I was just spoken to in another language, just now." Blake ran a hand over her face and through her hair, before settling her slightly annoyed -very Weiss-like now that I think about it- expression on me. "Ruby, are you doing alright?"

"Uh huh. Are you?"

"No, I believe I am going through another panic attack and am about ten seconds away from fleeing through the nearest window, now that I'm face to face with two all-powerful Reapers."

"-technically just one all powerful. I'm more of a pretty strong but needs to be a little older first sort of Reaper. Well, maybe not even pretty strong anymore. My throat is itchy and I think this is how Jaune felt when he first started here. Are all humans this weak?"

"No Miss Rose," said Cinder. "Just the sick and dying ones."

"Ugh." I was all grumbly. Crossing my arms over my chest, I flopped back down into bed. "Why do I need to get weaker just to get stronger? Who thought that claiming a territory was a good idea anyways!"

Cinder let out a faint little chuckle that mirrored her words. "You will understand it all once you have completed the process."

"So, Miss Cinder. Fall. Cinder Fall. Ma'am. What did you mean a moment ago about Reapers not being the only creatures who could sense… Reaper magic?"

Oh ya! I forgot about that. Wow, it really was a good idea to tell Blake. Go me. She was asking the good questions, now that she wasn't so pale and the likelihood of her fleeing reduced.

Cinder hummed. "Most creatures of sufficient strength can sense our magic. Witches will stay clear of claimed territories or move when a Reaper is encroaching on theirs. Necromancers will actively search for Reaper territories to live in, since Reapers bring with them peaceful deaths, and that seems to be a fairly good way to resurrect their corpses into functioning zombies." She held up a single finger. "Please do not ask me to explain how that works. I am not a Necromancers, and while I may know substantially more than any human researcher on the subject of the Higher Order, I cannot know everything. There is no real way for a Reaper and a necromancer to communicate. And of course, strong humans can sense our magics. Qrow Branwen for instance, can likely sense the beginnings of a territory being formed in Beacon, but will have little ability to sense from whom this magic is originating."

"That would have been useful information to know, Cinder!"

"You would have only frightened yourself and painted a greater target on your back," Cinder said by way of explanation, without even a hint of remorse in her voice.

"But what if he could sense that I was the Reaper?"

"Then you would have been slaughtered the moment he noticed you."

I shivered.

"But alas, there is not a human alive who could sense a Reaper in their midst. Even the quote-unquote 'strongest huntsman alive' Ozpin has no talent at spotting Reapers. Sensing our territories, most definitely. All Reaper Hunters and likely plenty of students who are attuned to their aura can sense the changes in the natural levels of magic in our environment. But that is not a great worry. I feel that as I am mentioning all of this to you, I should at least explain the effect of magic on aura."

"Yes. Please do." Did I say that? Or was that Blake? At this point, I think we were both equally confused. For one, Cinder was in full teacher-mode and was rambling off things which sounded like she should have been on a test of some sort. Maybe an exam.

Or a really challenging pop quiz.

For another, I had known none of that. Was mom supposed to have taught me all of it? Was I supposed to figure it out on my own? If so, then why was Cinder even telling me -us- any of this?

And a third thing! Cinder was still confusing me by being so forthcoming. I didn't like it -well I really did. It was making things a heck of a lot easier- one bit.

"Once a territory's claim is strong enough, aura starts to be strangely effected by the magic in the air. It will effect all humans unevenly, yet it will still effect them all."

Blake and me were silent for a moment, spending the time gathering our thoughts.

"So, what do that mean exactly?" Blake began slowly. "For me and other Faunus and humans?"

Cinder smiled her coy smile. "This will sure be an interesting Vytal Festival indeed. Now, I shall be off and allow you both to catch up. Miss Rose. Miss Belladonna. Please feel free to come speak to me should you have any further question. I do have much to teach you and you have much to learn."

Ah, there we go. Classic Cinder was back.

Then it was just the two of us. Blake and me. Best friends and pals. The human and the Reaper. Oh wait, the Faunus and the Reaper. Two outcasts hiding who they were from society as a whole. Though, I think I was doing a much better job of it for a much better reason. Blake couldn't even claim to be a different species. But humans were a strange sort. Having spent this much time with them, I could tell.

Yup, that's me. Ruby Rose, humanologist extraordinaire. Well, I guess not super extraordinaire. Cinder seemed to have a much better grasp at this whole human thing. She was way too smart. And she knew headmaster Ozpin.

Wait, was Ozpin, Cinder's Blake?

"There is something off about that woman… Reaper… woman. Is woman the correct term?"

"I'm still a girl, Blake. You call female cats female still, right?"

Blake's ear twitched. "Was that supposed to be a cat faunus joke?"

No. But it would have been a great one if I'd done in on purpose.

"Yes. Yes, it was." I responded.

"No it wasn't and you are a terrible liar. I'm honestly so confused how you were able to make it this long in Beacon without anybody noticing."

I shrugged and yawned. "Well, it's not like most humans assume they are sleeping next to a Reaper. Especially with all the misinformation being spread about us."

Blake placed a hand on my shoulder. "You are still a terrifying creature, but I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks Blake."

"I still have so many questions, and I do expect you to answer them all. But… maybe I can reciprocate a little. We're not too different I don't think. You and what you are, and me with my torrid past. I guess… I guess it makes sense that I found out first."

"I'm happy it was you," I said with a sleepy smile.

"Go sleep Ruby. We'll speak again when you're feeling better. And healed up enough to get out of this bed."

I think I said goodbye to her, but I wasn't too sure. I yawned, but it was interrupted by a hacking cough which scratched at my insides and made my entire body shiver. Which was a very strange feeling, because I couldn't feel any temperature.

By the time I next woke up, now with a throbbing nose and hands that felt strangely puffy and numb at the same time, there was a nurse over me checking my charts.

"Well, it looks like you are running a little warm, but nothing that some pills won't help. You have no sign of concussion, nor any severe or mild physical trauma. While I would prefer it if you stayed for another day of bedrest, I can't fault a young huntress for returning to her friends and teammates."

"Awesome!" I cheered. As I went to take the blanket off of me, the nurse gave me a glare.

"Under no circumstances are you to engage in any strenuous activities. That includes but is not limited to any training for the Vytal Tournament. Is that clear?"

"Yup." I said, popping the 'p'. Well, it wasn't like I was going to train much anyways. I was super strong and fit as a fiddle and-

I felt a wave of nausea pass over me as I moved up into a standing position. Clenching tightly to the bed to keep from dropping, I shut my eyes and let the wobbling in my ears to return to normal. I looked up to see a worried nurse standing over me, hand outstretched but not quite helping me up.

"Are you-"

"-I'm fine," I interrupted. "Just… just getting my bearings again. Don't mind me. I'll be. I'll be out of here in a jiffy."

The nurse pursed her lips but nodded.

Waiting until the nurse left, I slowly shuffled over to the door, holding onto anything I thought would support my weight. Not that I needed any support, of course. Just that… it helped me conserve my energy. Yes, my energy for when I would retake my territory from the dastardly hands of Cinder Fall.

By way of asking politely, obviously. Because sweet Salem, would that be a very short, very unbalanced fight.

Maybe once I had my territory.

I coughed loudly; plenty of students, both from Beacon and those here for the festival, turned to look at me. Great.

Why did I want a territory again?