Cardinal Sins
All Ruby could hear was the click and slam of the break action being closed as her vision continued to fail her. Her adrenaline flaring, she instinctively rolled out of the way of the incoming round. Forced into a jumping roll away for the second, she felt her heart race, her breathing getting choppy. Her veins turned to fire as she felt pain coursing through her more than blood.
"You should save your energy, beast. That stuff would put even a trained Huntsman on the back foot, so it's unimaginable what it'd do to your kind. But, by all means, keep struggling. It makes the game all the more fun." Cardin said with a sinister chuckle.
"What… What are you doing?" Ruby growled, slowly forcing herself to stand up.
"Just ridding the world of another monster, like any Hunter should. Although I have to admit… hunting Beastmen is far more fun than hunting Grimm." Sky said, sharpening a row of bayonets he had on his person that he was holding like throwing knives.
"Hey boss, how much do you think we will get for this one?" Russell asked, tossing rounds of ammunition from a large backpack he was carrying to his teammates. "My family's rent's due at the end of the month."
"I'm sure we could get a good price. Right, boss?" Dove replied with a smirk, loading a massive revolver with rounds big enough to punch a hole in an elephant.
"Gentlemen don't speak such uncouth things in such a sacred moment. A true Hunter doesn't hunt for such worldly things. That is merely a bonus. No, the act of overcoming the most dangerous things in nature is what one should strive for. Now hurry up with my reload, Russel." Cardin explained as he turned to his teammates.
Dove chuckled sinisterly as he flicked the cylinder of his revolver in place. "True, boss. So very true." He replied, spinning the cylinder a bit.
"You call me a monster? When you're not even willing to fight me fair? Cowards! All of you!" Ruby roared, her claws extending from her hands as her fangs began to show.
Sheathing his bayonets, Sky drew a low-gauge shotgun that he loaded with a sneer. "Fair fights are for people, beast. Not Beastmen." He replied, aiming his weapon down at the red rose reaper.
"Enough talking, boys. Rough her up, but not too much. I want the final shot for what this little bitch has done to me." Cardin ordered.
Taking aim, the thugs on Team CRDL aimed and fired their weapons. Desperately, Ruby used her Semblance to dodge out of the way out of the hail of bullets as the ground practically exploded where she once stood. Looking in shock, Ruby saw small craters where she once sat. Trying to get to her feet, Ruby felt a wave of dizziness overtake her. Upon hearing the sound of sharpened metal whistling through the air, she barely managed to duck to dodge a hail of bayonets thrown like kunai knives.
"Might wanna watch your step there, beast. That stuff we hit you with? Waste leftover from Dust refining. Real toxic stuff even to a human, so you can imagine how quickly it'd spread through your kind's systems." Sky sneered, sharpening another bayonet.
"Then I just have to kill you four before that happens!" Ruby roared; her aura flickering as rage rippled through her entire system.
Russel chuckled sinisterly at that. "I'd love to see you die trying. We may not be very good against Grimm, humans, or Faunus, but, against Beastmen, we're in a class of our own." He explained.
"Russel. How many times do I have to tell you to stop flapping your gob to the prey?" Cardin asked, turning his head to look at him sternly.
"Why not? It's fun watching them squirm. Watching them act like they're people." Russel replied with a smirk.
Cardin then smacked his ammo caddy with the back of his hand. "A squirming prey is still a prey that can kill you, you blithering muppet brain. And you yapping so much can attract unwanted attention." Cardin scolded him.
"The boss is right. Let's hurry this along. Besides, I call dibs on those pretty silver eyes for trophies. Bet they'll look real nice mounted." Sky replied, sharpening another bayonet.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to harm the head?! We can't risk it being damaged if you muppets care so much about getting the bounty. Now shut your stupid mugs up and do your damn job." Cardin growled.
"Aw come on, boss. You know that no one is better than Sky at getting the eyes out without damaging the head." Dove said with a grin.
"Well, then you can take the penalty we'll get out of your cut if you're so confident." Cardin scowled.
"Don't miss Sky. I want my cut." Dove replied quickly.
"I never miss." Sky replied, throwing a hail of bayonets that Ruby tried to dodge.
However, because of how quickly she was weakening, the rosette's foot slipped as she tried to move. The hail of bayonets stabbed into Ruby's flesh through her Aura, making her cry out in pain. Every bayonet stabbed into joints and weak spots in her arms, legs, and body without any damage coming to Ruby's head as she fell to the ground in agony.
Sky smirked at that. "Music to my ears. Told you I never miss." He replied.
"Alright, you little silver eyed bitch? Any final words?" Cardin asked, his loaded rifle now looming over Ruby's chest.
Seeing something behind him, Ruby smiled weakly as she panted. "Just… one…" She barely uttered through the pain she was in.
"Oh? And what's that?" Cardin asked with a smug smirk.
"BANZAAAAAAAAAI!" A familiar voice called out as a white streak shot from the treetops, and a heeled leg slammed into the back of Cardin's head, sending him flying away from Ruby.
"Oh shit, it's the Schnee bitch!" Russel yelled in shock.
"This is what happens when you don't listen to the boss, you idiot!" Dove yelled at his backpack-hauling teammate.
"HEAD'S UP, PRICKS!" Another familiar voice called out as a gun-sword-kusarigama hybrid attached to a black ribbon lashed out, pulling a large branch down from a tree that forced Team CRDL to jump back.
"It's the crazy ninja! Blast her!" Sky yelled.
The blade of Gambol Shroud latched onto a tree as Blake pulled herself out of sight as the bullets were fired, the ground exploding where she once stood. Swinging herself up onto the tree, Blake launched her weapon at the guns held by Team CRDL before pulling it back in rapid succession, whipping the guns out of their hands with each tug and flinging them into the forest out of sight. Grabbing onto the hilt of her weapon, she flipped onto the ground as she transformed it into sword form, then drew her sheath to use as a second blade while she got into a two-sword-style stance.
"Stop them, you idiots!" Cardin yelled, squaring up to Weiss as he drew his mace.
"Blake, can you take those three?" Weiss asked, keeping her eyes on Cardin as she Myrtenaster at the ready.
"Happily." Blake said with a determined look on her face.
With that, the two rocketed at their foes like bullets fired from a gun. Weiss thrusted with her weapon, picking at Cardin's defenses while trying to find an opening. The massive thug was forced on the defensive, having to block and dodge the white-haired heiress's lightning-fast attacks. Meanwhile, the other three members of Team CRDL drew their Huntsman weapons and began engaging Blake. Slashing with a sword, stabbing and slashing with a pair of daggers, and large swinging chops with a halberd. All dodged and deflected by the monochromatic ninja Faunus.
Finally, seeing her opening, Blake deflected Dove's sword and slashed at him at high speed, sending a barrage of Gravity Dust blades at him. The assaulting barrage of gravity blades slammed into the racist swordsman, sending him slamming through two trees before crashing into another one. Turning to the other two, Blake dodged halberd chops from Sky as she battled Russel at close range, blocking and deflecting his slashes and stabs from his daggers. Swinging outward to knock the knife-wielding thug's blades from his hands, she slashed downwards on him to knock him off balance before hitting him with a bicycle kick to the chin, sending him flying back.
As this was happening, Weiss dodged blow after blow from Cardin's mace. When she could, she thrusted and stabbed into the gaps in his armor. Trying to wear him down quickly and bring him down. She could not afford to show off by trying to slash. She needed to go all out to protect Ruby. Dodging back from a downward swing, Weiss launched a hail of Ice Dust missiles at the towering thug with her Glyphs.
Forced on the defensive, Cardin backed up as he smashed through ice missile after ice missile. "Stay! Out! Of! Our! Way!" He roared angrily as he deflected shot after shit before taking a hard missile of ice right to the chest that knocked him back.
"I will not let you harm my partner anymore!!" Weiss roared back with cold fury.
"If you knew what that little monster was, you wouldn't be saying that!" Cardin snapped back, charging his mace with Dust.
"I know what she is, but the only monster I see is right in front of me." Weiss coldly answered.
"Anyone who sides with a beast deserves a beast's end!" Cardin called out, smashing his mace down onto the ground and unleashing a wave of fire.
To counter the attack, Weiss used her weapon to unleash a wave of ice. The two elemental attacks collided, resulting in an implosion as extreme heat met extreme cold. The implosion that went off sucked the two in towards each other as Cardin tried to swing down on Weiss with his flaming mace. However, Weiss quickly parried the blow and stabbed Cardin's face, causing him to cry out in pain and cover his face in shock.
Back with Blake, she dodged and ducked heavy swings from Sky's halberd as the young thug tried to hit her. "Stand! Still! You! Bitch!" He yelled, trying to smash down at her with his weapon.
"What's wrong, Sky? I thought you never missed?" Blake asked with a smirk, continuing her evasive maneuvers with contemptuous ease.
"DIE!" Sky roared out, bringing his halberd blade down in a heavy chop.
However, Blake simply dodged the swing and slashed at Sky's face with her sheath. The impact hit his nose with a sickening crunch as he cried out in pain and staggered back, his nose bleeding from the impact. Clutching his nose with one hand, Sky left himself open to a slash from Blake's blade as he was forced on the defensive.
"You liddle bish! You broke by dose!" Sky roared in pain, gripping his halberd haft with murder in his eyes.
"Coming from the person attempting to commit murder!?" Blake roared back angrily.
"Bhe bas it cobing! Bonster's like ber deserb to be but down!" Sky sneered back, hefting his halberd as he swung at Blake.
Snarling at Sky, Blake slashed at his wrists to catch him off guard before kicking him hard enough in the groin that bone was heard crunching. Squealing in pain like a pig, this caused Sky to drop his weapon as Blake punched him in the face hard enough for another sickening crack to be heard.
"Gagh! Bot da dose again!" Sky cried out as he clutched his twice broken nose, looking up in anger only to be met with a hard foot to the face while a third sickening crunch was heard.
The impact of Blake's foot meeting the thug's face was incredibly loud as he was sent flying back. Smashing into a tree, he crumpled to the ground and did not get back up. Dusting herself off, Blake glared at the downed killer.
"And, for the record, Ruby isn't the monster here." Blake coldly told the unconscious thug with a glare.
Finally, back with Weiss, the white-haired, blue-eyed heiress stabbed and thrusted at his defenses. Forcing him back increasingly. Lighting his mace ablaze with flames, Cardin tried to slam it down onto the heiress only to be met with the sound of something being stabbed downstairs. Squealing in pain, Cardin cupped his family jewels. Leaving him open, Weiss kicked him hard in the face to knock him to the ground. As he groaned in pain, she, for good measure, reared her foot back and kicked him in the groin with all her might.
"Me cock and jewels!" Cardin squealed.
Weiss glared down at Cardin, her eyes as cold as an arctic sea. "If you ever… and I do mean ever… try to harm my partner again… I'll cut it off and shove it in a very unpleasant and impolite place." She icily told him.
"What is going on here!!!??" The telltale sound of Glynda Goodwitch's voice roared.
"RUBY!!!" Azura's voice called out as he rushed in and tried to check on his friend.
Everyone conscious enough to do so turned their heads to see both Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch, with Zhan, Nora, and Yang behind them. Yang, hair already glowing with a fiery golden aura from unyielding rage, was stopped by Ozpin's cane. The headmaster then turned to address the hellbent, rage-fueled dragon.
"Go assist in getting your sister to a hospital, Ms. Xiao Long. I will handle the rest of this situation." Ozpin ordered.
Looking at Ruby, Yang was horrified by what she saw. Her veins were visible in a sickly green color, contorting and spasming her muscles. Her breathing was slow as the bayonets were still embedded into her limbs. Her eyes were glazed over, not even registering the world around her. Her breaths were slow and deliberate, gasping for any ounce of oxygen they could scrape out.
Carefully picking her up in a princess carry, Azura looked down at her in worry. "Hang on, Ruby. I will get you to the airship to the hospital before you know it." He told her.
"A-Azu…" Ruby gasped out, before beginning to cough violently.
"Save your strength and keep on fighting, Ruby. Do not quit on me." Azura gently told her, activating his Semblance as the lightning-like aura surrounded him, quickly changing from azure to violet.
"I-I'm s-s-sorry…" Ruby barely got out as she began to cough up green tinted blood.
"Hang on tight, Ruby. And I am sorry if the ride gets a little bumpy." Azura told her, getting ready to move.
"Hurry, Azura! Hurry!" Yang frantically yelled.
Nodding, Azura took off at high speed. A sonic boom whipped the surrounding trees as the ground practically exploded where he once stood. As that wrapped, Ozpin finished surveying the scene.
"Well, normally, I would ask what is going on. However, when one of the parties of inquiry is stabbed, smashed, squashed, and shot, it delays the proceedings." Ozpin said to the six before him.
"We will take your testimony, Ms. Schnee and Ms. Belladonna. The rest of you may see your friend at the hospital. In the meantime, we will have to call another ambulance airship for team CRDL and provide field first aid." Glynda sighed, using her semblance to get her a medical kit.
"They don't deserve…" Weiss tried to say before being cut off by Glynda.
"This is a serious matter, Ms. Schnee. Save your words for the testimony." Glynda sternly said.
"Yes, Professor Goodwitch…" Weiss said with a sigh.
"Ms. Schnee, Ms. Belladonna, join me in my office. The rest you are dismissed." Ozpin said, turning to the others.
"I'll go grab the others!" Nora yelled out as she rushed back to the academy.
"Don't worry, Yang. Azura's got Ruby. She'll be fine. The boss doesn't fail in times like this." Zhan said, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, Yang let out a shuddering sigh. "I hope you're right, big guy…"
Later in Ozpin's office
Blake and Weiss sat in chairs in front of the dark wood desk of the headmaster. Neither one of them said a word as he settled himself down into his chair with a cup of coffee. Soon, his olive-green eyes stared at them. No malice or motive could be seen in his eyes before he spoke.
"Now then, please explain to me in your own words what happened." Ozpin said simply, laying back into the chair in a listening pose.
"We were having a talk with Ruby about a particularly important and personal matter. Partway through, she ran out of the dorms and into the forest. Blake, I, and the others set out to search for her. When Blake and I finally picked up her trail, we caught sight of her being unjustly attacked by Team CRDL with them talking about killing her in horrible and gruesome ways. Naturally, Blake and I sprang to Ruby's defense and defeated them to protect her." Weiss explained.
"What was the matter that caused Ms. Rose to leave so suddenly?" Ozpin asked.
"We can't say. It's something very personal to Ruby and it's not our place to tell." Blake replied as Weiss nodded in agreement.
"Like how you two hold secrets from your friends?" Ozpin asked simply.
The two girls flinched at that. "I… we plan on telling them as soon as Ruby is out of the hospital and stable enough to listen." Weiss assured the headmaster.
"That is good to hear from you, Ms. Schnee." Ozpin simply said. "Is there anything else you two would like to add to the record?"
"Cardin and his teammates said something about collecting a bounty and removing Ruby's eyes to mount as trophies." Blake replied, a scowl on her face and anger in her tone.
"That would indicate they know of the Silver Eyes then." Ozpin said under his breath, but loud enough for the two to still hear.
"Silver Eyes? What is so important about Ruby's eyes?" Weiss asked, confused.
"Have you ever heard of the Silver-Eyed Warriors?" Ozpin asked, leaning forward in his chair.
"I've read about them, but only in fairy tales." Blake indicated, raising an eyebrow.
"What you read is censored, and only a glimmer of the truth, dear Ms. Belladonna. For their origins go to the time of the forging of the Zodiac clans." Ozpin explained.
Weiss was confused. "The forging of the Zodiacs? What do Ruby and these 'Silver-Eyed Warriors' have to do with them?" She asked.
"They are the pale remnants of a clan that, if given its proper time, would have become one of the clans equal to your Sōtora friend's." Ozpin said ominous.
The two girls were shocked to hear this. "Equal to the Sōtora? Is that possible…?" Blake asked in disbelief.
"They were the Raitori, the masters of mythical arts unknown to even the Zodiac clans today." Ozpin continued cryptically.
"The Raitori…? I've never heard of that clan." Weiss replied, her confusion only growing.
"Few even among the Zodiac clans have, for their undoing is a tragedy upon all of mankind's dark and bloody history." Ozpin said with a sigh. "But that is a tale for another day. I thank you two for your testimony. I will have an airship for you to see your team leader." He continued, slowly standing up to show them the door.
The two girls looked at each other and nodded, seeing that they were of the same mind on the situation. Standing up, the two bowed to the headmaster as Blake addressed him.
"You're welcome, Professor Ozpin. And thank you." The cat-eared ninja girl replied.
"It was no trouble at all." Ozpin said with a small smile.
The two nodded as they left. As soon as the door shut, Ozpin let out a deep sigh before putting a hand over his face.
"That was close. Those teams know too much about the Beastmen. And the fact that I had accidentally let Beastmen Hunters into my academy is concerning. I guess the only good thing is that I know what drives those poor souls into this modern day. But the question is… who is putting out these bounties?" Ozpin said to himself, before turning to look out his window.
Thirty Minutes Later at the Imperial Vale Memorial Hospital
Weiss and Blake walked in relative silence as they headed into the hospital. Both of them could not help but glance around, worried sick about Ruby. They wanted nothing more than to find her and make sure she was okay. That they had not… lost her. Just the thought of that…
"Weiss! Blake!" The familiar voice of Yang called out as she rushed over and hugged them. "Thank the gods you're here!!"
"Yang? Is everything okay?" Blake asked, concerned for her partner and friend as she noticed her in tears.
"I don't know, the doctors are still in there with her. All I could hear was them talking about flushing her system with clean dust or something. Come on… the others are waiting outside." Yang said somewhat manically, grabbing the two and pulling them hurriedly towards the room.
Soon they arrived, with Teams AZRE and JNPR sitting and standing around outside the room Ruby was in. Some had drinks or snacks, some kept themselves going with books, some simply staring off into the distance. Azura, however, sat with his hands clenched into fists so tightly balled that they shook.
"Azura? How is she?" Blake asked worriedly.
Azura flinched and looked up at Blake, his eyes heavy with worry and exhaustion. "She is stable. Barely. We barely got her here in time. They said that if she had been even a second later… then…" He told them, looking down and clenching his fists so tightly that his nails almost drew blood from his palms.
"We have to have faith she'll pull through." Blake said, trying to get something through to him.
"Azura… are you okay? You look paler and thinner than before." Weiss asked in concern.
Azura shook his head. "I am fine. Minor side effects of my Semblance." He explained.
"Are you sure? You look like you're about to keel over at any moment." Blake asked worriedly.
"I'm fine…" He simply replied, looking back at Ruby's door in concern.
"If you are so fine, then do you mind if we ask a question?" Weiss asked him, not convinced of what he was saying.
Azura shook his head tiredly. "Not at all. Ask away." He told the white-haired heiress.
"What do you know of the Raitori?" Weiss asked bluntly.
The azure samurai raised an eyebrow. "The Raitori? I have not heard that name since my studies when I was growing up. From what I know, they were a powerful and ancient clan that had remarkably close ties to my clan. But they were eventually wiped out by something that feared their power and knowledge. Why?" He explained.
"Ozpin said something about that to us after we gave our testimony. Something about Ruby's eyes." Blake continued.
Azura looked down. "The Silver-Eyed Thunderbirds…" He muttered, as if realizing something.
"Silver-Eyed Thunderbirds? That sounds cool as hell. Is that a Sōtora elite order? A formation of samurai knights?" Jaune excitedly asked.
Azura shook his head. "No, Jaune. It was a name given to the ancient and powerful Raitori clan. It was said that, with their brilliant Silver Eyes, they could freeze a Grimm in place with fear with a simple glance. That, with their mystic powers, they could conjure and command the elements by calling upon the spirits of the land. That they could shapeshift into great and powerful beasts capable of combating armies." He told his friends.
"Sounds like superstitious hogwash to me." Rena grumbled.
"Everything sounds like that to you." Zhan groaned.
"I'm glad you've finally caught on." Rena said smarmily before she drank some hospital orange juice.
"Ignore her and continue, Azura." Pyrrha said politely.
"Red-headed teacher's pet." Rena growled.
"Atlesian lap dog." Pyrrha shot back.
"Score one to Pyrrha!" Nora yelled only to be shushed. "Sorry…"
"The Raitori's power and influence were so great that it was said they were a match for any Zodiac clan. In some cases, they even surpassed them. Their strength and reach were great enough to rival my clan's own. However, as they say, every great light casts an equally great shadow…" Azura explained.
"That sounds eerily like what Headmaster Ozpin told us…" Weiss said concernedly.
"From what I know, a force of great and dark power, fearing the Raitori's abilities if they were to ally with the Zodiac clans, set a plan in motion to wipe them out down to the last man, woman, and child. So that the Silver-Eyed Thunderbirds would not interfere with some design they had. The only remnant of the great Thunderbirds left alive are the Silver-Eyed Warriors." Azura told his gathered friends.
"So does that make Ruby an ancient warrior princess?" Jaune asked, only to get smacked in the back of the head by Yang. "Ow! What did I say?"
"There is a possibility, but it is impossible to know for certain. We would have to know if her lineage traces back to the main family of the Raitori to know that." Azura replied.
At that, the door to the room opened and a white coated doctor came out. Adjusting his glasses, he addressed them all.
"Alright, she is stable and conscious. What was affecting her was a high concentration of industrial dust refining waste. How anyone could get that much inside them and live, well, it's a miracle. A short visitation of up to three people will be allowed, but after that, she will need rest. The clean Dust purging process is never easy on someone." The doctor explained, and everyone was getting a grave look on their faces hearing that.
Sighing in relief, Azura tried to get up to see Ruby. However, as soon as he did, he nearly collapsed to the floor as Zhan caught him, leaving the blue prince panting heavily from how weak he was at that moment. From how he looked, it was clear that he had been keeping himself awake on pure adrenaline and concern for Ruby. Now that they knew she was going to be okay, his strength was quickly leaving him.
"Azura, you should get some rest." Yang said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I… I am fine. I need to see Ruby…" Azura insisted weakly, looking like he was barely staying conscious.
"Azura, she isn't going anywhere. And she would be worried sick if she saw you in a state like that." Blake said sternly.
"Get some food and rest, Azura. We will get you when Ruby is able to take more visitors." Weiss assured him sternly, but also surprisingly gently.
Azura prepared to protest only for Zhan to pull him along. "C'mon, boss. Let's get some hospital food in you so you can get some rest." His partner told him, beginning to head towards the cafeteria.
With that, the rest of team RWBY walked in. The nurse then closed the door behind her to give them some privacy. However, what they saw made their hearts sink. Ruby lay there hooked up to several machines and tubes. Her body had lost a scary amount of mass to it, with her skin slightly shriveled up. Her breathing was slow and heavy, barely stable. Down her cheeks were two sets of tear lines, and her eyes were wide open staring at the wall in front of her. The bed was propped up in the back, allowing her to sit up for now. In such a state, it took her a bit to finally notice them, stunned to silence as they were.
"H-hey guys…" Ruby weakly said to them.
"Ruby, you dolt… we were worried sick about you…" Weiss told her partner, sitting down at her bedside as she clearly fought back tears.
"I just can't do anything right… can I…?" Ruby muttered to herself.
"You are incredibly lucky you're in no condition or I'd slap you for saying that. The doctor said that it's a miracle you're even alive right now." Blake sternly told her team leader and friend.
"Maybe I shouldn't be for all the trouble I caused." Ruby sadly said, her own eyes beginning to tear up.
"Now I wanna slap you, Ruby. Do you have any idea what it would do to us if something happened to you?" Yang demanded, her tone angry from concern.
"Admit it! It would be better that a monster like me was dead, and you wouldn't have to worry!" Ruby snapped out, her body trembling from weakness and the sudden emotions hitting her.
Not saying anything, Weiss pulled her team leader into a hug. "Ruby… please. Don't talk like that…" The Schnee Heiress tearfully told her partner.
At that, Ruby swiftly wrapped her arms around her partner. To the shock of everyone, Ruby was able to make it a firm hug, despite the intense shaking she began to display. Before anyone could stop her, Ruby began to start sobbing.
"I'm sorry, Weiss. I'm sorry… I was an idiot and a horrible partner to you… I'm sorry…" Ruby sobbed out, shaking like a leaf in the wind into the hug.
"Shut up, you dolt… No, you weren't…" The crying snow angel sobbed in response.
"Can we… still be friends…?" Ruby sobbed out, surprised at Weiss's response.
Pulling back without breaking the hug, Weiss gave a small smile. "Nothing would make me happier…" She replied.
With that, Blake and Yang joined in on the hug. Inside the middle of the four-person hug came a smile from Ruby. The biggest, happiest smile she ever had in her life.