Chapter 4
ThatOnePsycho
Tilting his Vanes and Ennobling His Spires
Ruby stood there as Qrow atared at her blankly before he shook his head, "No... No. That's... That's complete and utter bullshit. Ruby's dead, Summer, and this woman is way too old to be her-"
"I'll have you know I look very good for someone pushing a hundred and fifty," Ruby said dryly.
"Pushing how old!? Summer asked in bewilderment.
"Time passed differently for a while," Ruby shrugged, "but seriously, it's good to see you Uncle Qrow."
Qrow drew Harbinger at that, growling, "Don't call me that. You're not Ruby!"
"Qrow-!" Ozpin started, but Ruby and Qrow were already in motion. Qrow had launched across the gap between them so fast he was a blur, but Ruby saw the attack coming in her mind's eye, drawing Pyra's Aegis in a backhand grip and catching Qrow's attack on the flat of the blade. Qrow strained against the blade, but Ruby was rock solid.
"Gotta be faster than that," Ruby said, aware her wives had summoned their Blades to hand as Ruby used the bifurcated version of Pneuma.
"Let's all," Ozpin said, "just settle down. Now answer this truthfully, and I will know if you're lying, are you Ruby Rose?"
"I am," Ruby said, "and you're Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy, and next to you is Glynda Goodwitch, deputy headmistress."
"She's telling the truth, Qrow.," Ozpin said, "she's Miss Rose."
"Mrs. I'm married."
"Apologies," Ozpin said., "May I ask who the lucky- ah, person, is?"
"That'd be us," Mythra said.
"Us?" Ozpin said, only for Nia and Pyra to raise up their hands with their wedding rings, "I see. Mrs. Rose, can I assume that by your injury and weapons you became a fighter wherever you were?"
"Bit of an understatement, but yeah," Ruby said, "Why?"
"I'd like to offer you and your wives a mission, in return for which you will be made official Huntresses."
Ruby scratched her cheek, turning her good eye to Pyra, Mythra and Nia, "What do you say?"
"Can't be that different from the Garfront mercenaries," Mythra said with a shrug, "but I suppose it depends on what the mission is."
"We recently got information about a radical White Fang cell hidden within the Vale docks district, I'd like you to take them out."
"Rules of engagement?"
"Alive, preferably, so we can find out if there's more, but if you have to kill them, so be it."
---
Nia waited until they were in the flying machine before she spoke, "Just to make sure, I'm not the only one who finds this offer suspicious, right?"
"He wants to keep us somewhere he can watch us," Ruby agreed, gripping a handrail as they took off towards the massive, sprawling city in front of them, "Being Huntresses will let him keep a tab on what missions we take."
"He does read as the type that doesn't like rogue pieces," Mythra agreed, while Pyra nodded.
"He just met us," she said, "he definitely wants to be able to keep an eye on us."
"So, what are the White Fang?"
"Dunno, been over a hundred years and I don't remember everything," Ruby said, looking at the the device Ozpin had given them all, "sounds like it's an organization where some parts are radicalizing while others stay peaceful though."
"There was a group that wanted to continue the war, after I declared it over," Nia said, "maybe it's like that?"
"Maybe," Ruby agreed, stepping off the machine "We'll have to do research after we're done. Come on, let's get this over with. Nia, can you hear them?"
Nia closed her eyes, stretching her sense of hearing as far as she could go, before saying, "Third warehouse on the left."
Ruby casually walked over to the offending cargo bay door, flaring the Aegises and letting them ignite with fire and plasma before stabbing them into the door, cleaving through it and leaving a hole big enough to let them in.
Men and women clearly not ready for battle, they had weapons but most were wearing t-shirts and pants, with bone white masks sitting next to them staring at Ruby. Then a woman on her left slid on the mask and charged at Ruby with a mass produced machete.
Despite being on Ruby's blind side, Ruby swung Pyra's Aegis, a slash of flames colliding into the woman's gut, burning up the "Achieve Men" shirt she was wearing and leaving her with second degree burns across the gut.
The clear leader, a man already wearing his mask and a sleeveless combat vest stood up, grabbing a massive chainsaw and growling, "You take the humans, I'll deal with the traitor!"
"I'm guessing you mean me," Nia said, drawing the Catalyst Scimitar from her side, "don't try taking it, Ruby, I'll handle him myself."
Fine, I'll keep myself busy with the small fry," Ruby said, sounding rather put out.
"Take care," Pyra said before walking to the other side of the warehouse.
"Yeah, we're not there to cover for you anymore, Nia," Mythra said, joining her sister.
"Oh, worry about yourselves," Nia laughed, "especially you, Ruby, I can't be healing you and fighting at the same time."
---
Verden brought Evicerator down, planning to tear through the traitor's Aura and split her in two in one move. An appropriate lesson for a traitor to faunuskind, allying with humans and coming to stop the revolution.
The fox eared girl flowed out of the way like the water that followed in her blade's path. The flowered scimitar raked across his side, his Aura flickering against it, then again against the water that dragged in its wake.
"Ruby!" The traitor called, "Some of them might have some sort of barrier, watch out!"
Turning his head slightly, he saw the one eyed woman dueling four recruits at once, dodging their attacks and lashing out with her blades. The red one caught the machete of one and melted through it in less than a second. A blast of flames launched from the blade, sending the recruit flying back and smoking slightly.
The traitor whirled around Verden, more water washing off the blade until it made a high pitched whining noise. This time, when it ground against Verdan's Aura, it punched through, the blade biting into skin and dragging as it fought his Aura each step of the way. Verdan swung Evicerator around, ignoring the wider hole he was opening in his gut, to try and take the traitor's head off.
Instead, he got it up in time to block blows from the two human women, who had finished off their recruits with ease. Evicerator shattered with ease against their blades, and Verden tuned his head just in time to get a combat boot to the mask from the duel wielding human
"I'll have you know I look very good for someone pushing a hundred and fifty," Ruby said dryly.
"Pushing how old!? Summer asked in bewilderment.
"Time passed differently for a while," Ruby shrugged, "but seriously, it's good to see you Uncle Qrow."
Qrow drew Harbinger at that, growling, "Don't call me that. You're not Ruby!"
"Qrow-!" Ozpin started, but Ruby and Qrow were already in motion. Qrow had launched across the gap between them so fast he was a blur, but Ruby saw the attack coming in her mind's eye, drawing Pyra's Aegis in a backhand grip and catching Qrow's attack on the flat of the blade. Qrow strained against the blade, but Ruby was rock solid.
"Gotta be faster than that," Ruby said, aware her wives had summoned their Blades to hand as Ruby used the bifurcated version of Pneuma.
"Let's all," Ozpin said, "just settle down. Now answer this truthfully, and I will know if you're lying, are you Ruby Rose?"
"I am," Ruby said, "and you're Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy, and next to you is Glynda Goodwitch, deputy headmistress."
"She's telling the truth, Qrow.," Ozpin said, "she's Miss Rose."
"Mrs. I'm married."
"Apologies," Ozpin said., "May I ask who the lucky- ah, person, is?"
"That'd be us," Mythra said.
"Us?" Ozpin said, only for Nia and Pyra to raise up their hands with their wedding rings, "I see. Mrs. Rose, can I assume that by your injury and weapons you became a fighter wherever you were?"
"Bit of an understatement, but yeah," Ruby said, "Why?"
"I'd like to offer you and your wives a mission, in return for which you will be made official Huntresses."
Ruby scratched her cheek, turning her good eye to Pyra, Mythra and Nia, "What do you say?"
"Can't be that different from the Garfront mercenaries," Mythra said with a shrug, "but I suppose it depends on what the mission is."
"We recently got information about a radical White Fang cell hidden within the Vale docks district, I'd like you to take them out."
"Rules of engagement?"
"Alive, preferably, so we can find out if there's more, but if you have to kill them, so be it."
---
Nia waited until they were in the flying machine before she spoke, "Just to make sure, I'm not the only one who finds this offer suspicious, right?"
"He wants to keep us somewhere he can watch us," Ruby agreed, gripping a handrail as they took off towards the massive, sprawling city in front of them, "Being Huntresses will let him keep a tab on what missions we take."
"He does read as the type that doesn't like rogue pieces," Mythra agreed, while Pyra nodded.
"He just met us," she said, "he definitely wants to be able to keep an eye on us."
"So, what are the White Fang?"
"Dunno, been over a hundred years and I don't remember everything," Ruby said, looking at the the device Ozpin had given them all, "sounds like it's an organization where some parts are radicalizing while others stay peaceful though."
"There was a group that wanted to continue the war, after I declared it over," Nia said, "maybe it's like that?"
"Maybe," Ruby agreed, stepping off the machine "We'll have to do research after we're done. Come on, let's get this over with. Nia, can you hear them?"
Nia closed her eyes, stretching her sense of hearing as far as she could go, before saying, "Third warehouse on the left."
Ruby casually walked over to the offending cargo bay door, flaring the Aegises and letting them ignite with fire and plasma before stabbing them into the door, cleaving through it and leaving a hole big enough to let them in.
Men and women clearly not ready for battle, they had weapons but most were wearing t-shirts and pants, with bone white masks sitting next to them staring at Ruby. Then a woman on her left slid on the mask and charged at Ruby with a mass produced machete.
Despite being on Ruby's blind side, Ruby swung Pyra's Aegis, a slash of flames colliding into the woman's gut, burning up the "Achieve Men" shirt she was wearing and leaving her with second degree burns across the gut.
The clear leader, a man already wearing his mask and a sleeveless combat vest stood up, grabbing a massive chainsaw and growling, "You take the humans, I'll deal with the traitor!"
"I'm guessing you mean me," Nia said, drawing the Catalyst Scimitar from her side, "don't try taking it, Ruby, I'll handle him myself."
Fine, I'll keep myself busy with the small fry," Ruby said, sounding rather put out.
"Take care," Pyra said before walking to the other side of the warehouse.
"Yeah, we're not there to cover for you anymore, Nia," Mythra said, joining her sister.
"Oh, worry about yourselves," Nia laughed, "especially you, Ruby, I can't be healing you and fighting at the same time."
---
Verden brought Evicerator down, planning to tear through the traitor's Aura and split her in two in one move. An appropriate lesson for a traitor to faunuskind, allying with humans and coming to stop the revolution.
The fox eared girl flowed out of the way like the water that followed in her blade's path. The flowered scimitar raked across his side, his Aura flickering against it, then again against the water that dragged in its wake.
"Ruby!" The traitor called, "Some of them might have some sort of barrier, watch out!"
Turning his head slightly, he saw the one eyed woman dueling four recruits at once, dodging their attacks and lashing out with her blades. The red one caught the machete of one and melted through it in less than a second. A blast of flames launched from the blade, sending the recruit flying back and smoking slightly.
The traitor whirled around Verden, more water washing off the blade until it made a high pitched whining noise. This time, when it ground against Verdan's Aura, it punched through, the blade biting into skin and dragging as it fought his Aura each step of the way. Verdan swung Evicerator around, ignoring the wider hole he was opening in his gut, to try and take the traitor's head off.
Instead, he got it up in time to block blows from the two human women, who had finished off their recruits with ease. Evicerator shattered with ease against their blades, and Verden tuned his head just in time to get a combat boot to the mask from the duel wielding human
