Marksmanship

Expansion 19 - Powerless

-Willow's POV-

I continue to chase Ruby down but she just always seemed to be ahead. I realized how bad my option was for Striker's deal, and to be honest. Wow I was such an idiot.

"Ruby wait!" I repeatedly cry. Nothing at all.

Eventually I chase her down to the house but before entering, I grab her arm.

"Ruby listen to me!" I shout.

She quickly turned around and slapped me in the face. "You think we give up?! Our home like that?! How could I have ever trusted you!"

"Ruby, I'm sorry! I just wasn't thinking!"

"Yeah well no shit!"

"What are you doing?" I ask, as the two of us enter the house. Diopside seemed to be resting on his chair.

Ruby went and grabbed her mother's gauntlets as they remained on the shelf. "I'm going in there. Without you. I'm fighting for this place because I am not letting it go off just like that. I don't need your help. I do not want it either." She began to step outside, applying the gauntlets to her hands.

"Ruby wait! I want to help!"

"No you do not!" she shouted.

"I just want to know what the hell I'm doing here! I have no idea! Ruby, I messed up, okay? I get it! I understand that I'm horrible for doing that. For never thinking of what you and your father did to keep this place. But I promise you the moment you enter the camp, they will shoot you. You probably can't even look at me right now, and I wouldn't be able to either... But I am not letting you go in there alone."

Ruby stood still, clinking her gauntlets together. She sighed. "You get in the way or make another stupid decision? I'm leaving. Last chance, Archer."

I smiled. "Thanks..."

"Do not thank me until we actually get there," chuckled Ruby. She couldn't help smile and it was obvious. I smiled back. "Don't think I forgive you either! Just... forget it. Let's just kick some ass."

I nodded.

-

-Ruby's POV-

Before heading on out, I go to my father.

"Papa. Willow and I are going to the camp. We're gonna take the Striker and his invaders out of the forest. This is our home, right papa?" I signed. He nodded along, smiling.

"I worked very hard for this place... and I won't ever stop," Papa signed. "I'll come too."

"Papa, no. You are far too old."

"No no, daughter. I can handle it. We can handle it."

I grinned widely and gave my Papa a big hug. He gave me one too.

-

Eventually, we all headed out. Willow had his dumb ass bow and arrow. I had my mother's gauntlets. My father got his hands ready. We were powerful, far more superior than the Striker and his invaders. They were powerless.

We barged into the camp late at night. The guard tower kept its watch as the light would go in a 360 angle. The three of us went against the tower, looking around.

"Plan is to find Striker. We take down his guards and make him feel powerless. Then we'll finally achieve the forest," smiled Willow.

"Finally, not being selfish," I chuckled. He playfully knocked me on the shoulder.

The three of us kept low, looking around. A guard came out as Willow got his arrow and shot at his leg. He fell, as my papa signed "levitate." The man began to float over to us as I knocked him out, right in the face.

"That was a lot easier than I intended..." I giggled.

We used a key the man had in his pocket and opened up the guard tower. We remained in the inside.

"So... plans?" signed my father to me. I translated it to Willow. Willow shrugged, as I got a little angry.

"Ugh fine. Okay, we need to get up this guard tower. There's a ladder," I spoke, pointing to it. "If we go up there, we should have a bird's eye view on the whole camp. Then, we need to find a way into each of the tents and knock out all the guards. As much as possible."

"Yeah, but how are we going to do that without being caught?" wondered Willow.

I scoffed. "Okay I can't do all the thinking myself!"

As the two of us were about the argue, my father goes to the light in the guard tower and signs "lights-out". The light dims until it finally shuts off. The three of us look at each other, waiting for the next step. Then my papa signs, "collapse", as the tents began to fall over when some of the men were sleeping. Few men made their way out from the fallen tents as we look at all of them. The light was gone, so they didn't see us up either.

I nodded along, "Okay... it's working. Willow?"

Willow nodded and got his bow and arrow ready. He grunted, "I can't necessarily see with the lights all out..."

"You seriously can't-"

Suddenly, a guard was right behind us. Willow and I worked together to defeating him. One took his front as the other took the back. We beat the hell out of him, as the guard then fell to the ground.

"Okay that's one down..." I added. "But there's like, 20 of them down there!"

I looked to my right and noticed my father looking at his hands. He seemed to be fingerspelling, but it seemed to be absorbing a ton of energy as it was hard to even make the hand shape for each letter.

"Papa..?" I sign in confusion. All of a sudden, Willow and I hear a ton of bodies fall over. Then, we hear snoring. Seems my father put them all to sleep, but I look as he's on the ground, panting loudly.

"Papa! That took too much energy!" I cried in fear.

"Go on," he signed, still trying to catch his breath. "Come back when we've won."

I smile at him, not wanting to let him down. I look to Willow and Willow nods. Here we come, Jackson.

-

-Diopside's POV-

I look down at my hands, as they're still shaking from the powerful move. Gazing at the stars, I began to smile at the moon. In my mind I think, "Don't worry, lovely. I'll be with you soon..."

Everything felt weak. Everything just felt like giving up, even I. I continued to look at the stars, trying to calm my breathing.