Once more into the fray.

REAPER IN RED

Chapter 24

Okay.

Either I slept through the most incredible news ever or was in an alternate reality where everyone woke up as hyper as I pretended to be.

I yawned while watching Weiss dart across the room, getting changed and brushing her teeth, then remembering something and rummaging through her things. Yang had even cut down her shower time to something almost human in length and even Blake had put down her book. Why was I still sitting in bed, hair a complete mess and yawning like a… well, a human? Sleep hadn't really come to me well last night, thanks to my conversation with Blake. I even had a dream! A bad one; what humans would call a nightmare even.

In my dream I told Blake about me. I just told her everything. About me, what happened to mom, about my life, everything. It had felt incredible to get it all off my chest. To actually share with someone else my life experiences. She would be the first to know that I was a Reaper, just as I was the first to know that she was a faunus. I had told her in the middle Forever Fall, and I think I was smiling as he told her. She nodded along with every sentence of mine. It was great. And I was rewarded for it. With a hug from the normally lonesome faunus.

And then a blade slitting my throat.

I shivered at the memory. On the plus side, it had been ages since I dreamt anything at all.

"Ruby Rose! What are you still doing in bed?" Weiss scolded me, while fixing her tiara and her off-centre braid. "I thought you of all people would be rushing to go!"

"Go where?"

"You… you complete…ugh, did you even look at your scroll yet this morning?"

"Huh, why?"

Instead of replying, Weiss rolled her eyes and gestured for me to take a look. So I did. My eyes widened immediately as I read the notification. A message from Beacon Academy sent to all first-year students.

My eyes darted over the message, picking out select important words. Witches? In Forever Fall Forest. A potential first mission before the regularly assigned missions. I squealed in delight, throwing my covers off of me and jumping down from my bed. "Mission!" I shouted in delight, bringing out a chuckle from Yang.

"Never change Rubes." Yang shook her head with a smile. As I shut the bathroom door to start my morning ritual, I heard her call out to me, "You've got twenty minutes! Then we need to rush to the amphitheater if we want to see who volunteers for the mission."

"It's mandatory!" Helpfully shouted Weiss.

It only took me half that amount of time to get ready. I skipped some steps -not my hair brushing time, that was sacred- but I was ready to go!

It had been a while since I was able to actually fight something. Not that the skin-crawler didn't count as a fight. Just, I was hoping to fight something a little… smarter. And I could attack back against without fear of accidently killing them, like I would with humans. And preferably not while covered in a nigh impenetrable cloak made out of pure shadow magic. Fighting in human form was so much more exciting. No wonder humans enjoyed it so much!

The four of us went straight to the amphitheater, as did most every other first year student in the school. Not that I was particularly surprised by that. We all were waiting around, a lone microphone on the stage the only hint that someone -Yang bet Professor Goodwitch and Blake bet Headmaster Ozpin- was going to be presenting the news. Excitement seemed to pulse through the very air. As did the reminders that only a select few would be going on the mission.

"You think it'll be based on which teams arrived here first?" Said one face among the horde of students.

"I just hope it's not based on grades."

"Or our latest combat rankings, yeesh."

I stopped listening in after that, seeing as their conversation was following the general flow that my own team's was.

"I hardly believe that the professors would use such a simple means as 'first come, first serve'. It is much more likely based on our academic record," Weiss huffed in reply to Yang's question.

"Now wouldn't you like that, Ice Queen. I bet it's a random draw if anything."

"And how would that be fair?"

Blake snorted, but kept her thoughts to herself. Yang had no such compunction, "a random draw isn't fair? It's probably the most fair means when you have this many students all itching for a piece of the action. I know whatever the case, I plan to sit this one out."

"The mighty Yang Xiao Long is going to withdraw from a potential career-starting mission?"

"Well, I've already punched a Reaper in the face, so it can't be more career-starting that that." Immediately realizing what she said, Yang froze. As did Weiss. Fear pooled in their eyes and I could almost feel the tension hanging off them. If I had super hearing, I bet I would hear their hearts beating like mad.

"Right, way too soon. I'm sorry." Yang tried, placing a gentle hand on Weiss's shoulder which almost made her scream if not for seeing Yang's slow move towards her.

"I-I think I might sit this one out as well." Weiss's reply was timid.

"What about you, Ruby?" Blake's voice sent a perceptible shiver through my entire body. Without meaning to, I took a half-step back from her.

I couldn't look her in the eyes.

Huh, that nightmare must have affected me more than I thought.

"Ruby? Are you alright?"

"Oh? Ah, yes I'm fine. Just… bad dream last night."

"Want to talk about it?" Yang asked, eyes filled with concern.

"No. I'll manage. I think I'm going to volunteer for this. I wasn't too involved with the fighting at the docks, so I'm mostly okay."

Yang gave me a hard look. "Rubes. Your new friend turned into a monster right in front of your eyes. If you want a break, you can get it. We all know how much you shouldered for us and did for us since then. You can rest."

I… had no clue what to say. There Yang was, being so super kind to me. She was the best human sister I could have ever hoped for. I leaned into her, letting her wrap a protective arm around me in a tight hug.

"Thanks," I finally let out, feeling her chin nestle into my hair.

"Always."

A few light taps on the microphone on stage, followed by the strained blare coming from the speakers silenced all of us, turning our attention to Professor Goodwitch. She was standing there, alone, arms folded across her chest, with her usual glare and sour expression. Her riding crop was held under her armpit.

Silence immediately descended among the crowd. The professor's eyes shifted one way, then the other, making sure that none would try any funny business in her presence. I almost let out a laugh. Like anyone would be brave enough to do something as crazy as that.

"As the reports sent to your scrolls this morning explained, there has been a sighting of a small coven of witches in the Forever Fall Forest. It has been confirmed by professional huntsmen in the field that these are likely Loud witches. Two confirmed with a potential for a third to appear. As such, it has been decided that this will be a good opportunity for students to get proper experience dealing with these creatures."

The professor glared at something offstage, before looking back at the rest of us.

"Headmaster Ozpin has decided that he requires a change of pace. And so, this mission will be granted to four first-year and second-year students on different teams. These students will all be under the direct supervision and command of the headmaster."

Almost immediately, the room broke out into excited whispers and conversation. Instead of regaining silence in the room like she usually did, the professor spoke over the volume of students. "Every team can send me one team member's name, which I will then choose the final four at random. Please do so now."

The voices then rose as teams began vying for the sole spot available on their team to have a chance to face these Salemites. To many, it would be the first Salemites they would see, let alone face. The issue for my team was much simpler than others. I asked, and the other three readily agreed.

It wasn't like I was particularly excited to see a witch. I had seen plenty of them before -even fought a couple, which I always awesome- and it was always an experience… Okay, that was a lie. I was so totally excited to finally fight a witch again. They were just so cool. I always wanted to ask them questions but either they aren't the most talkative bunch, or they just don't like talking with Reapers, so I never got the chance to find out. And it's not like I wanted to ask a witch anything serious. Just what their potions were made of so I could try making one. Those purple knock-back ones, or the sparkly yellow ones which send pleasant little tingles into my fingers, they were just so cool!

So yes, while I was excited to once again have a chance to once again try and ask some witches my questions -if I can get a moment alone with them, of course- I was also excited to fight alongside the headmaster himself. After my last time in his office, something was not sitting quite right. All those topsy-turvy answers to my questions. His knowing smiles. Just everything about him seemed to be… not all there. Like he knew way more than he was letting on.

Though, I guessed that after running a huntsmen academy like Beacon for so many years, he was bound to know a little more than most. But, how much did he know about Reapers? More so, how much did he know about me?

This witch hunt would be a perfect opportunity to find out.

"And here are the names."

I would have to ask him all sneaky-like. Truly take a page out of Headmaster Ozpin's book. I had tried asking him point blank if he knew, but he didn't. No, wait. He never said that he did not know, just that he did not know what I was asking him that he knew. That I knew he knew? My train of thought continued into strange spirals as I tried to decipher who knew what I knew that he knew what I am. Or something like that.

"And Jaune Arc. That will be all. Can the called students please come to the stage for a quick discussion. The rest of you may return to your studies."

"Huh?" I looked around, watching as everyone left the room. "Was my name called?"

"Heck ya, your name was called," Yang said with a small smile and a hard pat on the back. "Go get them."

"Heh, thanks."

"Meet you back here later. Let us know everything."

Waving my teammates and friends goodbye, I walked up to the stage where three others were already waiting.

"Finally Ms. Rose cares to join us," Professor Goodwitch chided. "Now, we can begin. I am going to tell you a few basics regarding dealing with Loud Witches which you may not yet have learned in your studies and then we will discuss team leaders and…"

I drowned out the professor's voice, instead choosing to look at who my new teammates will be. First was my friend Jaune. He stood there, looking straight at the professor, with piercing eyes. It was like he was fully internalizing everything she was saying. I don't think I had ever seen him as focused on something before. It was amazing to see.

Next was a faunus. I didn't recognize her from any of my classes, which meant she was a second year. She had rabbit ears and nice, soft, brown hair which fell down to her midback. The box on her waist of clearly her weapon, though I had no clue as to what it could do. That was almost as exciting as fighting the witch.

And lastly -aside from myself- was a member of Winchester's team. He had a weird hairstyle; green with only hair right in the middle of his head and shaved everywhere else. I couldn't remember his name, but I was pretty sure I didn't like him. Not with how he was giving an almost rude smirk at the faunus girl.

"Everyone understand?"

We all nodded at the professor's question, even as she eyes me warily. She had to be some sort of mind reading monster. How could she have known that I wasn't paying any attention!

"Then Ms. Rose, why don't you please remind me who I placed as leader of this makeshift team?"

I squirmed in my place. Of course I had no idea. Who would! It could be me, or Jaune or rabbit girl or the meanie. Come on Ruby, use that big brain of yours. It probably was not meanie, because he's not a team leader. Was rabbit girl a team leader? It's probably either me or Jaune. 50-50 chance. Okay, just pick. A simple little guess…

"It's Jaune?" I tried, curling back after seeing Professor Goodwitch's stern glare.

"Ms. Rose, I do hope you find detention comfortable for you after this mission with the headmaster. Ms. Scarlatina, please take these first-year students to meet the headmaster where I had said. These kids are in your respectable hands."

"Of course, professor," Velvet responded in an awesome accent. It sounded so sophisticated! Like, even more Weiss-y than Weiss herself. Just super awesome.

With one final glare at me, Velvet directed us all to grab our weapons and then to the edge of campus where the headmaster was waiting. Clinging gleefully to my lovely Crescent Rose, I almost let out an all too human giggle.

This was going to be fun.

A little bit of a dynamic change in this one, as we head into a mini arc. Time to flesh out a character or two.

Alank2 - It is really great that Blake is trying to live up to the promise they all made for no secrets. If only Ruby wasn't living one... Damn, no that sounds like something to stick on the back of a book.

Amir2000 - It's nothing more than a flesh wound!

Tiberium Snow - Thanks for that. And all that info will be coming up sooner than you think.

Firewyrm2 - Then I will still need to check those OVAs out.

FN75 - Must... fight... urge... to reveal all... But to answer your question... I can't answer that. Different Salemites will indeed have different types, since we already know Reapers and witches do. Whether you will see all the different types of each Salemite, I can't say for certain. Only that you will see all the Salemites. I also recommend looking back over the chapter where Ruby actually goes to Beacon. There are little hints everywhere in this story as to what happened to Ruby's mother, and I'm a little annoyed that I can't find the chapter with the most obvious clue. I'll get back to you on that.

Dragonqueen1993 - It'll be a fun one.