Aeon of Roses

Act 0-1: Rubedo arc part 6.1

Hey guys! It's been awhile. Like how long has it been since I posted a chapter? A month?

Oh well I place the blame on school and my lazy ass for not writing in a while. Anyways let's get started!

Memento mori

A_wolf_in_sheep's_clothing 
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Dressed in her gothic red combat outfit, Ruby sighed, letting her feet guide her through the streets of Vale. She needed to clear her mind, to sort her thoughts and find some peace.

But after everything that had happened today, finding peace felt impossible. There were things she just couldn’t shake—details that shouldn’t have mattered, yet here she was, still dwelling on the past.

Should she have used the hit-and-run tactic earlier? Maybe she should have dismantled Akoúo̱—but how? Pyrrha wasn’t dumb; she’d have countered in less than a second.

The young huntress buried her face in her hands, letting out a groan that echoed through the streets of Vale. Bypassers who were close to Ruby 

It didn’t matter if Ruby tried to overpower her with strength, speed, reaction time, or even hand-to-hand combat. Hell, even Crescent Rose couldn’t make a dent into her defenses. Pyrrha Nikos—the pride and joy of Mistral, the Invincible Girl, the talented—was simply superior.

Ruby had thrown everything she could think of at her, but none of it worked... or maybe she didn't gave it her all?

Her steps slowed as a new thought crept in.

What if Ruby still had another trick up her sleeve? Could there have been a chance after all? Could she have won against that mon—

She halted, her face twisting in disgust. She had almost thought of something cruel.

No. Pyrrha Nikos wasn’t a monster. She was a person, a human with feelings that could be hurt just like anyone else. Ruby wouldn’t want to be called something cruel because of her silver eyes; why should Pyrrha be treated any differently?

Magic shouldn’t have been the answer anyway. Using it to win felt like cheating, and the thought of relying on it in a sparring match didn’t sit right with Ruby. Was she really that selfish? Did she want to win so badly she’d resort to something so underhanded?

"Don't you want to be selfish for once, onee-chan?"

A light cough escaped her lips. 

Ruby shook her head, locking the voice away in her mind.

It didn’t matter. Ruby lost. That was a fact. Even if she could turn back time, Pyrrha would’ve beaten her regardless. Ruby didn’t even have any offensive spells, not that it would have helped to begin with. 

What Ruby needed to do was grow up and accept defeat like a real Huntsman would. Losing a fight wasn’t the end of the world—there was always room for improvement. Headmaster Ozpin expected her to grow, and she wouldn’t let him down. She’d become the awesome leader they believed she could be. Someone just as amazing as her mom!

A smile touched her lips as she felt a weight lift. Ruby didn’t have time to dwell on her mistakes. As her sister Yang always said: negative feelings lead you nowhere.

With a deep breath, Ruby felt her thoughts fall into place. She was ready to-

“!”

A shiver ran through her spine. Felt her throat getting sore causing her to cough even worse than before. Little droplets of saliva mixed with blood went flying. Felt like someone plunged a sword right through her.