REAPER IN RED
Chapter 61
"We will now be holding our qualification rounds for the Vytal Tournament," Professor Goodwitch said. She was standing at the front of the room flanked by Cinder and Headmaster Ozpin. Qrow was standing at the back of the room -more like leaning against the wall, with a toothpick in between his teeth- looking as casual as a murderer could.
"As expected, there are some four dozen teams from across the four huntsman academies, all aiming for one of sixteen team spots."
"Over the next week of classes, the four of us will be looking closely at each of your teams to choose the best to represent each academy, and by extension, each kingdom." Cinder continued in a solemnity matching Goodwitch's.
"May the best teams win," Ozpin said, a whimsical smirk flashing across his face.
Yang nudged me in the shoulder. "It's like a tournament before the tournament, huh."
I couldn't help but agree. This was so interesting!
"What the teaches are trying to say, is don't mess up," Qrow called from the back of the room.
With that, class began much the same way as all of the others. Professor Goodwitch lectured on something to do with the proper way to block a strike from a polearm against a much smaller weapon, followed by team fights.
"Teams TRQS, GREY, MAYG, STEL, BRWN, SPIA, and PINK are all disqualified from the competition. I expect those whom represent the academies to the public to pay attention during my lecture, and further, to pay attention to the rules that are laid out."
"Add BRGY, WHTE, and IRIS to that list. Each of them took a dirty shot on their competish before or after their matches." Wow, for such a lazy looking guy, Qrow really was paying close attention.
Yang's hand shot up, "us next! Us next!"
Professor Goodwitch sighed, "fine, Team RWBY, you are up. Miss Fall, what team should they face up against?"
"I believe that this team would do well against Team UBER, Team Umber." Cinder said, with a respectful nod to Professor Goodwitch and the headmaster.
Yang fist-pumped beside me and made to get ready. I turned back to look at Qrow. His eyes had narrowed -even as he still leaned back nonchalantly- and were focused straight on me. I gulped. Okay, I just needed to be myself. And by that, I meant I needed to be nothing like myself. Keep it cool, Ruby.
Ya, Cool Ruby. So much cooer than Yang.
With Crescent Rose at my side, my teams and I made it up onto the combat stage, facing off against Team Uber.
Look at that! Mercury's team. There was Mercury, a green haired lady, a redheaded lady and redheaded boy. They all looked so neat!
We faced off against our opposing team. I was in front of Mercury, who gave me a little head nod and wink.
"Regular tournament rules apply. You may now begin," Cinder stepped to the side of the stage, letting redhead boy to run passed her and directly into Yang's awaiting fist.
"Boom!" Yang shouted with glee, blocking a kick to the face and following it up with a series of punches to the gut.
Blake was dealing with her own trouble as the green-haired lady swung down with two sickle-swords, one shifting into a pistol in less than a second.
The redheaded lady and Weiss were bouncing around the stage, wielding dust and aura in moves that boggled my mind for a human to achieve.
And then I saw it. The glint of a smile on the lady's face. Two sharp fangs poking out momentarily just below her lips. She was a vampire.
So was Greeny. And redhead boy.
"Finally worked it out?" Mercury said, still having not moved from his position in front of me. I tightened my grip on my scythe.
"I'm surprised to see-"
"-Our experience is top notch," Mercury interrupted. Oh right, ix-nay on the vampire talk. Humans don't like fanged humans. "We've all known each other for a very long time. Helps us think up strategies quite quick."
"Blake Belladonna's aura has dropped below thirty-five percent and has been eliminated from the fight. Emerald Sustrai, that was a brilliant combination," Cinder called out over the shouts of fighting.
All the while, Mercury and I didn't move.
"Any day now Rubes!" Yang screeched, now being attacked on two fronts by the green-haired -now named Emerald- lady, and redheaded boy. I really needed to get their names.
"Oh right. Sorry Yang!" Time to get back into things.
Salem how I've missed this. I swung low with my scythe, leaving room for Mercury to jump over. Using my momentum, I swung myself up into the air, delivering a two-legged kick to Mercury's torso. I laughed loudly as my feet connected, sending him flying backwards. That was harder than I usually kick a human! I was enjoying this. Vampires were so much more resilient than other people. While I still couldn't go all out, I could at least attack with a bit more oomph.
I released a barrage of bullets through Crescent Rose's sniper barrel, each of which barely missing the boy who was running back towards me, all zig-zag like.
I ran too, swirling rose petals of shadow flickering out behind me and with each step. I tripped Emerald with the polearm as Mercury and I passed by. What followed was a loud "Bang!" as the redhead lady flew out of the stage.
"Rouge Kyuketsuki is out of bounds and has been eliminated from this fight."
Mercury was on top of me, swinging down with a hammer kick. I blocked his foot with my forearm. Dang! Those metal boots were so much stronger than I thought they'd be! As fast as a -well- Reaper, he spun and struck against with his other foot. I barely blocked it with Crescent Rose before he was back to kicking me rapid-fire.
I decided to get some space, swinging my scythe around me in a deadly arc. He jumped back, casually floating to the ground as if he hadn't just moved ten feet in a single step. Weiss darted by, using the room I made to get catch her own breath from the redheaded boy. A glyph appeared overhead, blocking a strike I hadn't noticed from Emerald, and she was off once more. I didn't even have time to say thank you!
He was so much faster than I thought. They all were. Or maybe I was feeling out of it. I did try to extend my magic out just a class before and I-
Oh Salem, I got so caught up in enjoying myself that I forgot we were being watched by Qrow. I glanced over at Cinder during the precious second I had between blocking and attacking. While she was watching our -my- fight closely, her green eyes flickered to Qrow. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was worried about that Reaper Hunter.
I felt a foot on my back, and I willed myself forward, to move with the force of the blow. Right. I just need to act normal -human normal- and keep my head in the fight. Nothing too crazy.
"Weiss Schnee has been removed from combat."
"Hear that, Rubes?! It's the sisters versus these losers." Yang cackled. She lifted her fist which I gladly bumped.
My fingers curled tighter around my scythe. Get it together Rubes. It's time to fight a team of vampires, while proving yourself as good as you always are to not give anything away to Professor Goodwitch, make everything look awesome and cool and powerful so that Cinder likes me more, and also not give away that I'm a Reaper to the Reaper-Hunter who killed my mom. Salem, I did not expect my day to go this way.
That rhymed!
"Let's show them what we're made of."
"Hell. Yeah." Yang smirked, smashing her fists together and activating her semblance. Her hair lit in brilliant red and orange flames. "Time for some fun."
Right! And have fun. How could I ever forget about that!
Crescent Rose swung down in a deadly arc, whizzing passed redhead boy's shoulder. I quickly spun myself, using my scythes moment to pull me across the field. A single shot at Emerald changed my direction completely.
"Yang!" I shouted. With a smile, she jumped up to reach me. I angled my blade to catch Yang's impact just right. Just as we had practiced in class a dozen times before, she shot at the flat of Crescent Rose's blade, sending it spinning so much faster than I could with just my own body-weight.
And directly into redhead boy's back.
"Shay Umann, your aura fell below 15%! Please leave the field immediately." Goodwitch called out. "Ruby, Yang. Well performed, but please remember to hold back that attack in tournament."
Ooh. That could have done way too much damage to a human human. Or a faunus human. But not a vampire human, those were fine to hit harder.
Humans need to be better at differentiating themselves! They differentiate every other Salemite, but not themselves. Weirdos.
Well, I guess they call non-vampire, non-faunus humans, humans, which is very confusing, because they are all humans and-
"Ruby!"
"Right!"
Emerald and Mercury attacked Yang with unrelenting blow, chipping away at Yang's aura. With two gunshots behind me to pick up speed, I feigned a swing at Emerald, and cleaved down on Mercury's arm.
"Ya!" Yang cheered, reloading her Ember Celica and charging back in.
We all descended into a no holds barred brawl. Weapons and fists and fists and weapons. I held back some, but this was the best. It was almost as much fun as fighting my team and Team JNPR at once!
I could speed up a little, couldn't I?
My blade's swing became more fluid and my dodges more precise. Crescent Rose took up so much more space than everyone else's weapons and I used that to me expert advantage.
"Yang Xiao Long is out by aura loss. Please leave the field."
Two on one. I grinned evilly. My favourite.
I sped up a bit more. I was surrounded by the two vampires. Their speed tried to increase to match mine, but were falling behind perfectly. I was a Grim Reaper! Not a human. They could not even come close to matching me at my strongest.
Salem I could only imagine how incredible this fight would be if I was in my Reaper guise.
"Miss Rose! Watch your backswing!" That was Cinder's voice.
Oh. My scythe was moving quicker than I thought it was, sending up shadowy petals in its wake.
The hilt of my weapon slammed into Mercury's chest, launching him from the arena like he weighed nothing.
"Miss Rose-"
Emerald sped up! That's incredible. Her attacks blurred into nothingness and I followed swiftly, now that I had nobody else to focus on. Her mini-scythe looking kamas flowed around her body in fluid, powerful strikes. She must have had years, maybe even decades of practice! It was so exciting to witness up close. Emerald's eye twitched and widened as we sped up just a tad. I used my scythe like I hadn't had to in forever.
"Miss Rose, slow-"
"End the fight!"
Just one more attack! I swung down.
Faster than I could see, Cinder was between us. A loud BOOM! exploded through the room, echoing around me. Cinder's forearm had caught the entire attack of Crescent Rose, the shaft on her arm and the deadly blade behind her back.
Cool.
"Miss Rose," Salem, Cinder did not sound happy. Or look it. "I was calling for you to slow down multiple times. Did you not hear me, or did you refuse to listed?"
"Erm-"
"I don't care. Detention." She turned back to Emerald. "Are you okay?"
That wasn't a grin on her face. Eyes wide with fear and shaky tears, and lips that were flickering between absolute calm and a maddening frown, she looked nothing other than terrified.
"I-I a-am fine. J-just calming d-down. N-no hard feelings?" She asked that last question to me.
"For sure. I'm sorry I didn't realize. I was just having some fun, you know?"
Her nod was quick and small.
She was scared of me.
Woops.
"You will be meeting with me after classes today." Cinder's gaze was firm and unquestioning. She was a Reaper like no other in that instant, eyeing me with hundreds of years of strength and power behind her. A full-fledged Reaper at the height of her power was not to be questioned.
"Okay."
I felt a twitch up through Crescent Rose. Right, Cinder was still holding the other end of the weapon. I quickly put my weapon into its carrying mode and placed it at my back.
"This fight is over! Continue on with class." Despite it being Professor Goodwitch's class, she listened o Cinder Fall's command.
With a final eye of warning from Cinder, I was motioned to return to my seat.
"Good going Ruby!" Yang cheered as I rejoined my team.
"That was incredible to witness," Weiss said with a hint of a smile. "Chaotic and wild, but incredible nonetheless."
Blake patted my shoulder, "congratulations Ruby, another win."
Despite the upcoming detention, we hadn't been eliminated from the running, and nobody was suspicious of me. I call that a successful combat class!
Behind the professor's table, Cinder returned to her seat, a hand clasped over her forearm. Her entire upper body shaking in the aftershocks of catching such a strong blow. She was a great actor. Her wince of pain looked so real.