The Bloody Rose

XIII: An Intriguing duel

"Hey Ruby, I was wondering if I could have a sparing match with one of your guys." Pyrrha said calmly as she came to stop next to Coco, her emerald eyes watching two of Ruby's men as they started arguing and drawing their chainsword and chainaxe on one another. Jaune looked at his partner with shocked confusion before speaking. "Pyrrha, why do you want to fight these guys? They're all psychopaths!" He yelled out before quickly turning towards Ruby. "No offence Ruby." Ruby simply gave an unconcerned shrug before simply saying, "none taken, I admit that we're all psycho's."

Ignoring the shocked expressions on all her friends, Ruby looked at Pyrrha curiously before speaking. "I've gotta agree with Jaune though Pyrrha, why do you want to fight one of us?" Doing her best to ignore Ruby's choice of words, Pyrrha quickly found the strength to tell everyone something she had kept to herself for years. "It's because I'm sick of holding back. And I'm sick of fighting like A DAMN CLOWN!" She all but screamed, causing everyone around her to look at her slack jawed. Weiss looked at Pyrrha with her jaw on the floor for several moments before she was able to speak again. "B-but Pyrrha! Your movements are so graceful that you make most dancers look like beginners!" She yelled before muttering loud enough for everyone to hear. "Myself included."

"And that's the problem!" Pyrrha yelled out in dismay as she threw her arms into the air. "My parents had hired a couple of retired huntsmen to train me on how to fight. They taught me to go for kill shots, to not fight overly dramatic, but to instead be quick and decisive without exposing myself open to attack!" The invincible girl stopped her rant as she began pacing back and forth as she continued her rant. "But the agent who first sponsored me for the tournament said that I had to put on a show for everyone! Said it was the only way I could do well in the academy I went to in the future." Pyrrha said as the old memory resurfaced itself in her mind before barking out a bitter laugh. "AND I BEGAN TO BELIEVE IT! BUT NOW?!? Now I am sick and tired of fighting how others want me to fight, how they EXPECT me to fight, and I am SICK OF IT! I SAW HOW YOU AND YOUR MEN FOUGHT RUBY, I WANT TO HAVE A FIGHT LIKE THAT! I AM SICK OF FIGHTING LIKE A PERFORMER! I WANT A REAL FIGHT!"

Ruby, for the first time since Pyrrha began her rant, looked at Pyrrha. Truly looked at her, and noticed a thin trace of blood red in her otherwise emerald green eyes, 'maybe a Bloodletter got near her during the battle in Mt. Glenn?' Ruby thought to herself before smiling and looking into the crowd of her warriors before yelling at the top of her lungs. "MIKHAIL! GET OVER HERE!" The response was almost immediate as the congregation of the Children of Khorne began to split from the inside out, allowing the familiar form of Mikhail to approach the group, the roaring howl of chain weapons following him like a cape promising pain and bloodshed. "Yeah, boss?" He asked as he came to a stop and crossed his arms, two chainswords hanging on his hips.

"Ruby...why are two of your people currently fighting each other? And why aren't you doing anything to stop them?" Weiss asked as she tried to ignore the roaring weapons and the sound of men and women cheering at the spectacle in front of them. "First Weiss, it's how we settle arguments and how our squad leaders are chosen." Ruby said calmly and with a hint of eagerness as she looked towards the commotion that was beginning to grab the attention of the Huntsmen students. "And two...I don't get involved with these unless I'm fighting in them. Speaking of which..." Ruby trailed off as she turned to look at her unofficial right hand man. "Who's fighting this time? Why? And how far?"

"Wakkeen got challenged by Teffna, she's gotten sick of how he's been leading the squad so she's challenging him for the position, and they're going to second blood." Mikhail counted off as he tried his best to not run back towards the crowd when the crowd suddenly burst into cheers, signalling that first blood has been spilled. "Uh...Ruby?" Yang asked nervously as she slowly walked towards her younger sister before saying another word. Her voice trembling slightly as her gaze turned towards the men and women who followed her little sister into fights. "What does he mean by 'second blood'?"