Ravensdagger_Princess

Chapter Six

“Coco, we’re going to be late,” Velvet said. It wasn’t a whine, because whining was bad and Coco got really annoying when she thought Velvet was whining about something. Not that it would stop Coco from whining about literally anything at all.The rules that applied to everyone did not apply to Coco Adel. That was the very first thing that Velvet learned when she met her partner’s eyes in that forest all of a month ago.Coco sighed, adjusted Velvet’s beret (which was still sitting atop her head and which she refused to give back) and pushed her glasses back up her nose with a forefinger. “Bun Bun, it is vitally important that we present ourselves the right way,” she said while gesturing at her reflection in the window of a bakery. “Our client expects the best, so we need to look the part.” She glanced over at the two boys in the group. Fox’s hair was a dishevelled mess, red curls poking out in every direction, and Yatsuhashi’s combat suit was splattered in mud up to his shins. “Okay, so maybe I’m the one that has to look presentable. To make up for the rest of my lovely team.”“Coco,” Velvet said for the millionth time. She could feel her long ears drooping, more so when she noticed all the people staring at their team. This wasn’t Vale, so the streets weren’t exactly packed, but they still stood out a lot.Her team’s first mission, an event that was supposed to be super important in building bonds and teaching them how to work together-at least according to Miss Goodwitch-wasn’t going so well.It wasn’t that they didn’t work well together. Coco was a great fighter and a really cool leader, the kind of person Velvet wished she could be. The boys were also pretty great, if a little too macho for her tastes. Fox was like a cool older brother, and he was a spectacular fighter even with his disability, while Yatsuhashi was a little strange, but not in a bad way.No, that wasn’t it. The problem was probably Velvet herself. She... she wasn’t sure she was cut out for the life of a Huntress. Most of their sparring ended with her on the mat, even when the others went easy on her, and while her team was made up of the most awesome people, some of the other students weren’t so nice.But then, they were far, far away from Beacon right now, out on their first ever real mission. A mission that was supposed to be led by Professor Peach. A mission that was supposed to be fairly easy and straightforward. A mission that they were going to fail before it even really began if Coco didn’t stop preening before the bakery window.“What’s she doing?” Fox asked, one eyebrow perked as he faced more or less the direction where Coco was trying to arrange her combat dress so that it was perfectly stylish. She was wearing a beige and brown ensemble today, to better stick out from the trees or something.“She is attempting to make herself more presentable,” Yatsu said. “Not that there is any need for such.”“Not just presentable,” Coco said, and Velvet could hear the amusement in her voice. “I’m trying to look fashionable."“Aren’t we in Patch?” Fox said. He turned his head left and right as if that would help him narrow down where he was.Velvet had to agree with the sentiment. She was all for looking cute-though not to the extent that Coco was-but their mission was going to take place in the forests around a tiny settlement. It was hardly worth being all prettied up for it. Also, the people of Patch were mostly down to earth and they probably didn’t know how to appreciate Coco’s fashion sense.Fox sighed. “C’mon Coco, you already look beautiful, let’s just go?”“How would you know that I’m hot?” Coco asked. Her glasses slid down her nose so that she could pierce their teammate with a look. Velvet swore she was going to learn how Coco did that one day.“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Yatsu said, sounding very wise until he noticed his mistake. “Or, er-, I mean beauty cannot be judged objectively, for what one person finds beautiful or admirable may not appeal to another.”“Nice save,” Fox said, his blank eyes rolling. “And I never said you were hot,” he pointed out.“Yeah, but I still am,” Coco said as she finally abandoned her spot by the window and sashayed past Velvet and Fox. “C’mon, we’re going to be late.”“I’ve been saying that the whole time,” Velvet said as she jogged to catch up to Coco. The sparse crowds on the sidewalk moved aside as Coco approached and she saw more than one young man give Coco a double or triple take.She felt her cheeks warming as a few glanced her way, that was, until Yatsu moved up between the leers like a tall imposing wall of beefcake that happened to carry a sword. The staring stopped.“So with whom shall we meet?” Yatsu asked.Coco gestured a ways down the street to a tall brick building with a big clock tower on its side. It looked imposing, all grey and dark and old. It was pretty obvious that the building predated the Colour Revolution by quite some time. “The mayor.”“The mayor?” Velvet squeaked.Just by the way Coco moved her head, Velvet knew that she’d rolled her eyes. “Yeah. We’re not meeting the council, Bun, just the mayor of this backwater, no need to get your lacy underwear in a knot.”This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.“I don’t think we had to know that,” Fox said.“Know that we were meeting the mayor?” Yatsu asked.“That Velvet’s underthings are lacy,” he clarified.“I was trying to give you a way out,” Yatsu said.Coco snorted. “Poor Fox, the only way he’d ever learn about the laciness of Velvet’s underwear is if he felt them up.”“Coco!” Velvet screamed. She felt lightheaded and just knew that she was burning up.Coco’s laughter echoed down the street, boisterous and loud. She slowed down just enough to wrap an arm around Velvet’s shoulders. “Poor Velvet, I’m sorry. And I’m sorry for you too, Fox, you don't know what you’re missing. Bun Bun’s got buns.”“Coco,” Velvet repeated, though this time it was more of a whimper. It only got worse when Yatsu made a noise that could only be an agreement. She turned blazing eyes on him, containing all of the fiery anger of a candle in a rainstorm. “Not you too!”Yatsu at least had the good grace to look sheepish.Her further mortification was saved when they reached the big building that turned out to be the town hall and were ushered to the mayor’s office.There were two people in the room. One was a shorter woman that looked a bit like Glynda Goodwitch, though much softer and not nearly as stern. The plaque on her desk read ‘Mayor Grey’ in bold letters. The other was a middle aged man with a beige shirt and cargo shorts. He smiled at them, revealing perfect teeth and a pair of startling blue eyes that were both amused and encouraging.“Ah, you must be the team from Beacon,” the mayor said. “I’m Danielle Grey, mayor of Patch, and this gentleman is Taiyang Xiao Long from Signal.”“Hello, kids,” Taiyang said.Velvet felt her blush returning as he gave them all a warm, welcoming look. She tried to slide behind Coco to hide a little.Then Coco ruined her plans. “Damn. I wouldn’t mind you teaching me a thing or two,” she said as she ogled the man up and down.Both Yatsu and Fox pressed their hands against their faces, but Mister Xiao Long just burst out laughing. “Oh, you remind me of my daughter!” he said.Coco’s next words, whatever they might have been, came out as a sputtering cough and she gave the man the kind of look Velvet had seen wet cats give to the hose that had splashed them.The mayor gave them a smug if rather flat look. “Yes, we’re all very fortunate to have Mr. Xiao Long here. Now, I for one have things to take care of. Shall we get to business?”“Yes please,” Velvet said for the group since Coco was still sputtering.The Mayor reached across her desk and tapped a pile of papers with one manicured finger. “We have been receiving reports of... strange Grimm sightings deeper in the forests across town. As you may be aware, Patch is a relatively small community, and as such we don’t have the same infrastructure as, say, Vale. Our walls are small and half of our citizens live outside of the city proper. Most can hold off against a single Beowolf and the island is well patrolled. We don’t usually have too much trouble. A few deaths every year, but that’s life on the frontier.”“But these new Grimm are changing that,” Yatsu said.The mayor nodded. “Exactly.”“Grimm,” Mr. Xiao Long started. “All Grimm have unique ways of fighting. Usually we see Beowolves and the occasional Ursa. Folks around here can handle themselves well enough. A decent rifle with some dust rounds will do the trick, and Signal, that’s the school I work at, often has groups of older students go out on patrols around Patch. If a bigger group is spotted an actual Huntsman will get rid of it. That has worked for such a long time because we all know how to deal with the Grimm that are there. These new sightings, on the other hand...”“So you need us to capture them?” Coco asked. “You want to study these new Grimm, or just confirm what sort of Grimm they are?”“Clever girl. But no. Capturing a Grimm, even a smaller one, isn’t something I would want to leave to a group of Huntsmen and Huntresses in training.” He smiled as though to soften the blow to their pride. “If they are a known type of Grimm then we might be dealing with a migration. But if they really are new, then we’ll need some images and a good idea of how to handle them in the field. That’s where you come in.”“I’m assuming,” Yatsu said, “that these Grimm aren’t widespread?”The mayor nodded. “Most sightings have been to the northwest, in the more forested areas.”“I was told that one of you has experience with photography?” Mr. Xiao Long said.Velvet realised that he meant her and she raised her hand like a student in a classroom before blushing faintly and lowering the hand. “Um, yes, I do.” She lifted the camera pressed against her chest as though to prove her words.“Brilliant,” Mr. Xiao Long said while shooting her a wide grin. “Could you take a few pictures for us?”“C-certainly,” she replied.“So that’s it?” Coco asked. “Walk around, find some Grimm, take some pictures and maybe kill a few, then come back?”“That’s the whole of it,” Tai-Yang said.Coco shifted her hip to one side and grinned. “Sounds easy,” she said.

Chapter Seven

Akelarre saw the first signs of land just as the sun started to crawl towards the horizon.The island below was huge, big enough that even from her vantage she couldn’t see the half of it. Forests with trees covered in a sparse layer of springtime snow were competing for her attention against cliffs that overlooked the ocean’s churning waters and little paths left in the ground by packs of travelling Grimm-and the more common though also more skittish wildlife.She was perking up, ready to start looking for the first signs of human life, when something caught her eye.It was a flash of red on green. A tiny figure moving at absurd speeds while a flanking force of black creatures rushed after it.With a mental command, the swarm around her buzzed to a stop, a hundred Lancers and a few million smaller Grimm bugs tensing up. There was something in the air, something interesting that made her swarm want to dive down and... and kill that red figure.She held them back, attention dipping to the human girl below as she jumped back, swung around and slashed out with a long polearm, its wicked tip cutting the arm off of a lunging Beowolf a half second before she ducked, fired an explosion that tore apart the chest of another and used the recoil to tear the head off a third.Akelarre’s eyebrows climbed as she watched the girl pirouette out of the path of more Grimm, dancing out of their way only to cut at them with wide, sweeping motions that tore the Grimm apart like chaff.She was keeping them away, always moving out of the path of the Grimm and sending probing shots into the pack that would tear the heads and bodies of the Grimm apart, forcing them to rush over the fallen to get to her.It was the work of only a few moments to have some of her smaller Grimm tumble down to the ground and land on her cloak. They scuttled across her body even as she ducked under a wild swipe, grit her teeth and shifted out of the path of another claw that was racing towards her head.The Grimm were circling, and while Akelarre doubted the girl would be unable to escape, it was clear that that wasn’t her goal. At the speed she moved it would have been simplicity itself for her to rush into the forest and lose her opponents. Instead she stood her ground, almost taunting the Grimm as she took potshots into the pack.She should have moved on, or at best spied on the girl for some time. Salem had warned her about Huntsmen and how dangerous they could be; seeing the girl in action, she could understand why. “Mover, Blaster, Brute,” she said to no one, the words having been on the edge of her lips the entire time she watched the fight.She wanted to help.

* * *

That, Ruby decided, was a lot of Beowolves.She narrowed her eyes, pulled the bolt back on Crescent Rose and prepared herself for another charge at the pack. She didn’t have forever to practice. If she didn’t end this battle in the next half hour she wouldn’t have time to visit Summer's grave and make it back home before dad and Yang started to worry.Her heart was beating hummingbird fast and despite the chill in the air she was warm and sweaty under her combat uniform.One of the Beowolves growled, glowing red eyes locking on hers.She smiled, her legs tensed, her breath filling her lungs with quick, excited gasps, her eyes searching for the optimal target. She was ready.With a blast from her baby to propel her forwards, Ruby cut the distance between herself and the nearest Beowolf, then spun in mid-air to bring Crescent Rose’s blade around in a lethal arc. The Beowolf didn’t stand a chance.“Need help?”“Eeep!”Ruby didn’t squeak. Squeaking would have been embarassing and just plain mortifying. She knew, because the last time she didn’t squeak Yang had pinched her cheeks and cooed for, like, an hour.Spinning around and bringing Crescent Rose to a stop next to her, she faced off against the mysterious lady with the mysterious and totally creepy ability to-mysteriously-sneak up on her.She didn’t see any weapons on the woman, but her cloak could be hiding all sorts of goodies. Ruby was starting to get a little excited at the idea of fighting next to an actual, bonafide Huntress. She was about to ask and introduce herself when the hot breath of one beast along the back of her neck reminded her that she had some Grimm to take care of.The Huntress grabbed Ruby’s wrist and flung her behind her. Ruby caught a flash of something white and a Beowolf fell to the ground missing its head. “I’m sorry.” she said while facing the dead Grimm.Ruby rubbed at her sore wrist. “R-right!” she called back as she spun around and tried to regain some of her previous momentum. Uncle Qrow always told her that stopping in the middle of a fight was a good way to lose more than her head.“Duck,” the woman called.Ruby took a half-second to figure out what the woman meant, but she obeyed in time to avoid a black thing that whipped above her fast enough that it hissed through the air. Grimm blood splashed onto her, almost instantly turning into little black plumes and fading away.That took care of the Beowolves nearest to them (and Ruby was so totally going to gush over whatever that weapon was later) but it still left a few dozen to go. “I’ve got them!” she said.She was still getting the hang of her semblance, but for something like moving in a straight line towards a large pack of Grimm there was nothing better. Crescent Rose sang as she spun through the pack, arms and legs and heads flying all over while the occasional echoing retort shot her forwards even faster.Her feet slid across the ground and she brought Crescent Rose to a rest along her back while, on the path she’d travelled, a dozen Grimm faded into motes of black dust.“You fight well,” the Huntress said as she started walking towards Ruby.She was tall, a whole lot taller than Ruby and a bit taller than Yang, with a rather flat chest (score!) hidden under a cloak that was almost as cool as Ruby’s. What little Ruby could see of her skin from under her hood was super pale, like someone who spent too much time indoors or maybe the few people from Atlas she’d seen, but most people from Atlas wouldn’t tattoo their faces like this lady did. She had red eyes that glowed faintly within her hood. Kinda like Yang’s when she was using her semblance, actually.The woman moved her arm up, revealing that it was covered in a sort of white armour that turned into a wicked-sharp blade aligned with her wrist. Then the armour shifted and with an almost liquid-like motion the entire thing transformed into a perfectly ordinary black hand. “So cool,” Ruby whispered.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.That had to be some sort of mechashift, and the really good kind if the motions were so smooth. Maybe the attack earlier had come from the hand too. Maybe it had a concealed gun, or could turn into a flail? Ruby wondered if her dad would be angry if she replaced all her limbs with mechashift weapons.“I’m sorry for interrupting your fight,” the Huntress said.Ruby waved both arms dismissively, “N-no no, it’s okay. No one was hurt and the Grimm are all dead. So it turned out for the best.” She grinned at the woman. “So, why are you here?”

* * *

Akelarre tried to decide how to answer the question. She couldn’t say that she was here because she wanted to meet a human, that would probably have alarm bells ringing in the girl’s mind.The girl’s casual dismissal of the Grimm she’d just killed rubbed her the wrong way.Salem would probably not have approved of her talking to the girl, but for all of her prowess with her frankly oversized weapon, Akelarre couldn’t give herself the push to hurt her. Not unless she proved to be a threat.“Saw you fighting,” she finally said. “I was a little worried. Perhaps for nothing. You’re very... good at killing.”“What? Pfft,” the girl dismissed even as a dusting of redness climbed onto her cheeks. “Those were just Beowolves. And I got lucky.” Her eyes dipped down to the ground and it didn’t take a genius to see that she wasn’t taking the compliment all that well. She fiddled with her strange weapon, then folded it into a neat box that she tucked under her cloak.“What are you doing out here?” Akelarre asked. “Is there a settlement nearby?”“Huh? No, not really. We live nearby.” The girl’s eyes suddenly widened and Akelarre prepared to fight. “I didn’t introduce myself!” she said. “Yang would be so disappointed. I’m Ruby, Ruby Rose.”Akelarre stared at the hand Ruby extended, then shook it. “Akelarre,” she said. “What were you doing here?”“Ah,” Ruby said before she looked away. “I’m kinda, sorta not supposed to be here on my own,” she admitted. “But I had a long day at school and I wanted to visit mom.”“Your mother?” she asked. She couldn’t sense anyone around, and the Lancers she had high above couldn’t see any signs of civilisation.“Oh, she’s over here,” Ruby said as she slid past her.Wary for any traps, Akelarre followed a few feet behind the red-cloaked girl as she marched through the mud and snow and early spring grass towards the top of a cliff. There, a plaque waited embedded into the stone.Summer RoseThus Kindly I ScatterAkelarre instantly felt out of place. She stood stock still as the girl bent forwards and cleared a bit of snow from the gravestone then gently let her thumb glide over the name. “I come here sometimes, when I’m not feeling so good. It feels nice to talk to her.”“I... understand,” Akelarre said.Ruby glanced up and gave her a sad smile. “I’m sorry,” she said.“Me too,” she replied. “How did... no, I’m sorry.”“She died a hero,” Ruby said, and if her voice sounded a little less exuberant and bubbly than it did before, Akelarre didn’t comment. “She died fighting the Grimm. That’s why I’m going to become a Huntress. To protect people like her from those monsters.”Akelarre nodded, not that she really agreed with the sentiment, but she could understand it. “I’ll give you a moment.”“Are you leaving already?” Ruby asked. “Did you have somewhere to go? I can probably guide you. I know all of Patch like the back of my hand!”She considered it for a moment. “I was just visiting. I wouldn't mind company, but I can wait while you visit your mother.”Ruby’s smile only grew at her words. “Thanks, Akelarre.”She moved a good distance away from Ruby, far enough that she couldn’t hear, and pulled away any Grimm bugs that were near Ruby and her mother.The girl was strange. Strange but nice. And strong too. If every person on Remnant was as strong as Ruby then Salem was going to have a difficult time with her plans for the future. Something told her that wasn’t the case, though.“All done!” Ruby said as she popped back towards Akelarre, a scattering of rose petals falling in her wake. Strange. Probably a side effect of her Mover ability. “So, were you going somewhere special?”“Not really. I’m travelling from elsewhere. I just... wanted to see the sights.”“Oh, like a vacation?” Ruby asked.“Yes.”“Cool!” Ruby said. “So what do you usually do?”“I work with the Grimm,” Akelarre said truthfully.There was a gleam in the girl’s eyes as she said, “So you are a Huntress. I knew it! Uncle Qrow said that when you become a strong Huntress you can sense when someone is dangerous just by looking at them. It’s like a sixth sense, but I think it’s mostly because you can recognize their weapons and stances and things. Uncle Qrow also said that all teenage boys are super dangerous but most of those I stared at don’t look like they can fight. Anyway, I saw you and it was like ‘whoa, she’s dangerous’, not, not that it’s a bad thing, or anything.”“Thank you?” Akelarre said while she tried to parse Ruby’s verbal onslaught.“Where are you going now? Are you heading towards Patch? My dad works there, at Signal. You know, the combat school.”“I don’t know. Patch is nearby?” she asked.“Yup,” Ruby said as she made a huge encompassing gesture with both arms. “It’s a big city right in the middle of the island. It’s kind of a long walk to get there though. How did you arrive here, anyway?”“I flew.”Ruby’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “You can fly? That’s awesome! Is it because of your mechashift arm? Is it a semblance? Do you have a Bullhead?”Akelarre didn’t know how to reply, or which question she should answer first. “Yes?” she tried.“You must be, like, super tired.” Ruby tilted her head to one side, looking like a dog trying to figure out a puzzle. “Hey, did you want to come to my place? You could meet Yang and my dad. Yang would be so proud of me if I made a friend all on my own.” Her cheeks gained a faint reddish glow. “N-not that I have trouble making friends or anything.”“I don’t know,” Akelarre said.“We have cookies.” Ruby stared at her with bright silver eyes that made Akelarre’s heart tighten.She sighed, placed a hand on Ruby’s head as though petting a dog, and nodded. “Okay.”