Capítulo 750: 93
Chapter 93:
The airship arrived a little after noon. Sakura's signal had gotten through sometime late at night, and Tsubaki had loaded and launched their airship as soon as they could. The vessel was a standard Mistralian design, composed of wood, looking rather like a seagoing vessel, with winglike sails mounted atop and to either side of its hull, like masts on a ship. A propeller extending out the back provided the main form of propulsion used by the vessel, spinning constantly, even as it rested its keel against the concrete surface of Sakura's air-dock, with people offloading the relief supplies from it.
Ruby fought to keep from quivering with excitement. This would be the first time she had ever been on any Kingdom's airship. She wondered how the experience would be different from the Mibu Clan's zeppelins. Oscar stood beside her, watching anxiously, his hand closed tightly around hers.
The two of them had been more or less inseparable since morning, with Oscar only willing to leave her side to use the bathroom, or allow her to use the bathroom. Otherwise, he stayed as close as he possibly could, and did whatever he could to maintain some form of contact, usually by holding her hand.
For her part, Ruby didn't mind all that much. She was glad that Oscar trusted her, at least, though it did make her worry if he would be willing to part with her, when the time finally came for her to leave. At the moment, she was just glad that her presence was a comfort to the poor boy, who was still wrestling with his grief.
"They're almost unloaded, then they're lifting off straight away," Sasame said. "We'd best get aboard."
They were greeted at the pad by Sakura's mayor, as well as the guard captain, both men thanking Ruby and Sasame profusely for all that they'd done, as well as wishing Oscar well, hoping that his aunt took good care of him. After that, the trio boarded the airship, and Ruby watched with wide eyes as the ground fell away, the ship lifting off, then banking south and east.
The first thing that stood out to Ruby was that it was much faster than the Mibu clan's zeppelins. On top of that, the flight was remarkably smooth. As lighter-than-air vessels, zeppelins were especially affected by wind currents and aerial turbulence. But the Dust-powered airship they were currently riding on seemed to slice right through those things. Even though there was a breeze through Ruby's hair, it didn't feel nearly as strong as it should have, given the speed they were traveling at, giving her a strange feeling of being divorced from the reality of their movement.
In the end, it wasn't some fantastical thing. But it was a novel experience for her, and Ruby was glad she'd gotten the chance, even if it did mean making her and Sasame's journey longer as a consequence.
Fortunately, no Grimm targeted the airship as they flew, and their trip to Tsubaki was uneventful, the airship setting down into its dock without incident. From there, it was just a matter of getting directions to the home of Oscar's aunt, one Emalee Pine. It turned out that she too was a farmer, whose farm lay on the outskirts of town, like most of the farms in the area.
Ruby wasn't expecting such a young woman, particularly one who looked as though she might be less than thirty. Oscar must have taken after his mother a lot, because his mother's sister shared so many traits with him that Ruby would have thought that she was his mother at first glance. Like Oscar, she had tanned skin and black hair, hers was messy, much like his. Her eyes were a dark, olive-green, and she lacked Oscar's freckles, the skin of her face smooth and clear.
She was dressed in a dark-brown shirt, with black trousers, held up by suspenders, their legs tucked into a set of heavy-looking work boots. When she took the gloves off her hands, Ruby could see the tough callouses that protected her fingers and palms. This woman was no stranger to long days of hard work.
"Oscar!" she yelled at the sight of him.
Oscar's eyes overflowed with tears. "Auntie Em!" he shouted back, letting go of Ruby's hand and rushing to her, the woman seizing him in a tight hug.
"Auntie...M-Mom...Dad...they..." Oscar struggled to even say anything, while his aunt hugged him tightly.
"I'm so sorry, Oscar," said Emalee, kissing the top of his head, shedding tears of her own.
Ruby and Sasame watched as the two shared their grief with one another, Ruby wondering if they ought to take their leave. This seemed like a personal moment for Oscar and his aunt, and Ruby didn't want to intrude.
Abruptly, Emalee looked up from her nephew, her eyes meeting Ruby and Sasame's. "I can't thank you enough," she said.
"I'm sorry we couldn't do anything for your sister and her husband," said Sasame, bowing her head.
"You saved my nephew, that's what would have mattered most to them," said Emalee, standing up, while holding Oscar against herself, the boy's face still buried in her shirt. "Even though he's my nephew, he's the closest I've ever had to a son. I can't have children of my own, so..."
Ruby and Sasame nodded.
"I don't know what you plan on doing, or where you're heading next," said Emalee. "But I can at least thank you for saving Oscar by giving you a place to sleep for the night, and a good couple of meals to send you on your way."
"If it's no strain on your means, then we would be happy to accept your hospitality," said Sasame, she and Ruby bowing gratefully to the woman.
"Then please come in," said Emalee. "I'd like to know more about the two people who saved my nephew."
It was a pleasant evening, all told. Granted, there was still much grief and trauma for Oscar and Emalee to deal with, Oscar having lost his parents and Emalee having lost her sister and her brother-in-law. However, Emalee didn't let that get in the way of showing Ruby and Sasame the best hospitality she had to offer. Being in the presence of family had eased Oscar's need to remain in contact with Ruby at all times, but he did try to stay as close to her as he was allowed, sitting next to her at the dinner table, or sharing the couch with her in the living room.
Sasame and Emalee kept their thoughts to themselves. It was mostly Oscar fixating on Ruby, as the one who'd saved him. However, they both noticed the slight signs of a crush. When he learned that Ruby and Sasame would be moving on; now that they'd gotten him to a safe place, where they could be assured of his long-term care; they boy had expressed some disappointment, but had mostly kept his feelings to himself. For her part, Ruby didn't really notice.
After spending the night in the guest room of Emalee's farmhouse, then enjoying a hearty breakfast, Ruby and Sasame said their goodbyes to Emalee and Oscar in the yard before the front porch.
Oscar nearly knocked over Ruby when he tackled her for one last hug. "W-will I see you again?" he asked, looking up at her with teary, pleading eyes.
"I hope so," said Ruby. "I...I don't know when I might be over this way again, but if I am, I'll come see you."
"Please do," begged Oscar, making both his aunt and Sasame hide cheerful titters.
Ruby held him close one last time, then slowly let him go, Oscar accepting the parting with some reluctance, Emalee coming behind him to rest her hands on his shoulders as the pair watched Ruby and Sasame set off down the road that led out of the farm, and out of Tsubaki itself.
Sasame noticed the pensive expression on Ruby's face. "Something wrong, Ruby-chan?"
"N-not really," said Ruby, stuttering a little. "I mean, I'm just wondering when I might see Oscar-kun again."
"Missing him already?" asked Sasame in a teasing tone. "Have you finally moved on from Setsuna-kun then?"
"Sasame-nee!" exclaimed Ruby, her cheeks turning red. "D-don't say it like that. I've already gotten past that. I'm happy for Setsuna-kun and Miyu-chan. B-besides..."
"Besides what?" pressed Sasame, raising an eyebrow.
"It's not like that," protested Ruby. "I-I mean, Oscar-kun's only eleven. He probably doesn't even think about girls like that, yet."
"Well...I won't lecture you about that right now," said Sasame. "Some do start earlier, after all. However, that's immaterial at this point. Oscar-kun is only two years younger than you, so it's not such a huge gap. I imagine that he will grow to become quite the handsome fellow. So you might wish to give serious consideration to coming back to see him, should you get the chance."
Ruby squeaked, her blush spreading. "Please don't tease me like that," she pleaded.
Sasame laughed. "But you make such adorable noises when you're flustered, Ruby-chan. If you don't wish to be teased so much, you shouldn't make it so enjoyable for me."
Ruby pouted, puffing out her cheeks in displeasure...which only resulted in Sasame laughing all the harder.
Their journey continued on. The detour to Tsubaki had added some extra distance, but neither of them minded much. They took a bit of a revised route, heading for their original next-intended destination of Botan, a mid-sized settlement that was also a substantial agricultural center.
When it suited them, the pair abandoned the road in favor of striking straight overland, taking the more direct route to their destination. That generally meant they had to work harder, navigating over terrain that the roads ran around, but since the purpose of this journey was training in the first place, they didn't mind that. It also led to increased confrontations with the Grimm, which they didn't mind either.
"Have you ever been to Botan before, Sasame-nee?" asked Ruby as they made their way between the trees of a dense forest.
"Yes," replied Sasame. "It might be a bit disappointing for them, seeing as we don't have Kyo along, this time. However, there are plenty of injured for me to treat, seeing as lots of people have a tendency to get themselves hurt in the agricultural profession, one way or another."
"How?" asked Ruby.
"Accidents with tools and heavy machinery, sunstroke, various diseases..." Sasame counted off the reasons with her fingers. "People try to be careful in such settlements, but accidents like that are a fact of life. It's a pity I can't visit such places more frequently, to provide better peace of mind. But it's nice to do what I can, when I pass through. They are a fairly friendly bunch."
Ruby nodded, looking forward to seeing this new place. Visiting a new settlement always brought out a mixture of excitement and trepidation within her. She was excited at the prospect of seeing new places, and meeting new people. But her experience in previous settlements had taught her that outsiders were not always welcome, particularly faunus, or those in the company of a faunus. It was reassuring to visit a place that Sasame and Kyo had been to before, as that pretty much ensured a positive reaction.
They were only a few hours out from the settlement, by Sasame's estimation, when she and Ruby came to an abrupt stop, their senses going on high alert, Ruby's body tensing. A shot rang out, Sasame's head jerking slightly as the bullet struck her right in the temple. Another shot sounded, and Ruby blurred to the side to evade it.
A full sextet of people lunged out from behind trees or within bushes. An equal balance of men and women, they were dressed in ragged clothes, covered by a hodgepodge of leather and metal armor. Their weapons were similarly roughshod, three of them wielding standard rifles, equipped with bayonets, while two others wielded short, broad, blocky, rather unimpressive blades. Then there was the man who appeared to be their leader. He carried a pair of pistols, leather wraps around each grip binding a knife-length blade so that it protruded down from the handle.
They closed in without preamble, the rifle-users immediately attacking with their bayonets, rather than potentially wasting ammunition in these close quarters, while the two blade-wielders moved to support them from the flanks. Only the leader hung back, a sadistic smirk on his face as he watched his crew close in on the two girls.
"They're all yours, Ruby-chan," said Sasame dismissively.
Ruby smiled eagerly. Akaibara practically flew out of her sheath, with a chime singing the sword's eagerness for battle. Bringing the blade around in front of her, Ruby cleaved through the barrels of all three rifles in a single slash, the bayonets failing to reach her entirely. The rifle-users fell back, eyes wide with shock. Even if their weapons were relatively...rough, they were still durable and reliable.
The first of the blade wielders charged Ruby from the side, screaming out a battle cry. Ruby barely had to move her body to dodge the woman's wild slashes, leaning one way, then another, drifting out of the path of that swinging blade, barely needing to move her feet. All Ruby needed to do was wait for the woman to overextend herself, then stepped in, slamming the pommel of her sword into the woman's sternum.
The other blade-wielder, also a woman, attacked Sasame instead. She launched a slash at the diminutive girl, grinning viciously as the blade of her weapon sank into Sasame's neck. However, that grin quickly faded when there was no spurt of blood, the kind of result characteristic of such wounds. Instead, the blade lodged into place, with Sasame not even showing any kind of inconvenience at having it stuck in her neck.
"That was uncalled for," said Sasame, staring dispassionately up at the woman...before lifting her hand, and flicking the woman in the forehead. The woman's hand relinquished its grip on her weapon instantly, mainly because she was blown back several meters, slamming into the trunk of the tree directly behind her, before slumping to the ground.
Sasame pulled the blade free of her neck, tossing it aside, while the wound it had inflicted closed, and then turned towards the leader, just as the fifth attacker slumped and passed out from Ruby's hit to her torso. All that remained were the three who'd been wielding rifles, as well as the leader. The rifle-users were too gobsmacked to consider making any other kind of attack, while the leader's smug expression had dropped away into one of fear and dismay.
"Well then, that was disappointingly amateurish of you," noted Sasame, locking eyes with the leader. "Still, if you wish to try for yourself, you're free to give Ruby-chan your best effort."
"Wha-what the hell are you?" demanded the bandit leader, leveling his pistols at Ruby and Sasame, who didn't even both to look at the weapons.
"Just a couple of travelers," said Ruby cheekily, grinning.
"Y-Y-Y-You don't know who you're messing with," sputtered the leader. "We're the Branwen Tribe!"
"Hey!" protested Ruby, pouting. "You were the ones messing with us. We were just minding our own business, before you attacked." Even as she spoke, she felt a twinge of something like recognition. That name sounded familiar to her.
"That's not the point!" snapped the leader. "You don't want our tribe as your enemies, so you'd best surrender and hand over all your goods."
Ruby and Sasame exchanged dubious looks. "Uh...no," said Ruby, turning back to the bandit leader. "You gonna try and make us?"
"Little..." growled the bandit, baring his teeth.
He stared Ruby down for a long moment, before he brought his pistols up at her, opening fire as soon as he had drawn a bead on the girl. His three remaining subordinates scattered out of the way as the man rushed forward, firing several shots from his pistols, holding them in a strange, sideways orientation that didn't seem like it was an effective way to aim them.
Ruby's body flickered back and forth across his field of vision, her sudden and erratic movements throwing off what little aim he had. They closed with each other, the man switching modes of attack, transitioning straight into an arcing slash from the blade strapped to the handle of his left-handed pistol, like a dagger held in a reverse-grip, aiming for Ruby's neck.
Ruby ducked beneath the line of that slash easily, shifting up and to the right, keeping the man from following up his attack with a slash from the blade in his right hand. The man instead simply aimed across his chest with his right-handed pistol, and squeezed off several shots. But Ruby vanished from his line of sight before the bullets could reach her. The man's head turned frantically as he tried to track the girl, but was unable to spot any sign of her.
The sunlight from above dimmed, a shadow passing over the man's head. He realized it was Ruby. Looking up, he caught sight of the red hem of her haori, but Ruby was already touching down on his other side. The man quickly reversed the direction of his right arm, thrusting the blade of his dagger at her. But Akaibara flickered up, slicing through the steel with ease, before descending again to cut the pistol in two along the barrel, slicing through the action in the process. The man continued his turn to try and line up his other gun, only to freeze when Akaibara's blade drifted back up to kiss the skin of his neck, hovering a fraction of a centimeter away from his jugular.
"Drop it, please," said Ruby cheerfully.
The remaining pistol clattered to the ground, along with its ruined counterpart.
"Thank you," said Ruby cheerfully.
"Now then...what to do with them..." mused Sasame, pinching her chin thoughtfully as she regarded the four conscious, but disarmed, attackers.
"Should we take them on to Botan?" asked Ruby. "They'll have a jail there, or something...right?"
"I believe they do," said Sasame. "But minding six captives will be quite a chore, particularly seeing as we do not have enough rope to bind them all, at the moment." She supposed she could just bind them with her tails. But walking the rest of the way to Botan, carrying six people like that, would be an unpleasant chore.
"Should we knock them out?" asked Ruby.
"That might be the most prudent course, short of killing them," said Sasame, making the bandits blanch. "Of course, if we leave them unconscious, and a Grimm happens by...it will be about the same result."
Her words certainly didn't reassure the bandits, their leader beginning to vibrate in place as Ruby's sword continued to tickle his neck.
"Then...should we just leave them?" asked Ruby, frowning.
"In the end, that might be about the best option we have," said Sasame. "Of course, the important thing is to figure out why they were out here in the first place."
Ruby's eyes narrowed. As attacks went, this one had been sloppy, executed without anything in the way of prior planning. She could tell that much by the hurried manner in which the bandits had hidden themselves, and the way they'd surged out, trying to cow her and Sasame with numbers, before attacking with abandon.
Given that the two of them weren't following a road, and were traveling straight through the woodlands, it wasn't as though there was any way the bandits could have known they were coming. That meant that this was an attack of opportunity. The bandits were out here, doing something else, when they'd spotted a pair of presumably easy targets, and jumped at the chance. The real question was what that "something else" was. Given their numbers, and how lightly-armed they were, Ruby noted they seemed to be equipped for moving quickly and quietly, rather than an all-out attack, which most likely meant...
"They're scouts," she said. "They must be scouting out Botan for an attack."
"That's the most likely possibility," said Sasame, beaming at Ruby, before transferring to a sterner gaze at the bandits' leader. "Is that the case?"
"Uh...um..." The man's eyes roved wildly as he tried to figure some way out of this predicament...and probably a way to deflect their inquiries.
"I wouldn't try lying, if I were you," pressed Sasame, her cheerful smile returning. "I'm quite good at spotting liars."
"She really is," Ruby assured them.
The leader swallowed, the bobbing lump of his throat threatening to move his neck enough to cut it against Ruby's sword. "Y-yes," he said.
"Ah, I see," said Sasame. "It is the harvest season, after all. I bet you've been checking the state of their crops. Once the farmers bring it all in, your tribe was planning to attack, so that you could help yourselves to their bounty."
The bandit grunted.
"Well, I'm sure we can find out how things are, when we get to Botan," said Sasame. "I'm sure that the people there will appreciate the warning." Her smile took on a vindictive quality. "And I am sure that the one you answer to will be quite happy at the realization that you've blown their cover, and stripped them of the element of surprise."
A faint whimper escaped the man, and Ruby thought she spotted a suspicious wet spot appearing on the crotch of his pants.
"Well then, let's just be on our way, Ruby-chan," said Sasame. She grinned at the bandit. "If your precious Branwen Tribe thinks that they will find an easy target in Botan, then they will be sorely mistaken, I promise you."
Ruby lowered and sheathed her sword, turning and walking away from the bandit leader, who slumped to his knees. Ruby's stride was assured and confident, that of someone who didn't expect any attempt by the remaining bandits to attack her from behind, while she was walking away. Of course, given the level of their skills, Ruby would have been able to sense any such attack coming a mile away.
None of the bandits were that foolish, or they had already been fully cowed by Ruby's display of skill and Sasame's display of...what she had displayed. Even after spending years with Sasame, Ruby could still find herself unnerved by the sight of Sasame's regenerative abilities in action, partly because her exposure to them was still rather limited, far fewer members of the Mibu being willing to make an attempt on Sasame's life than they were on Ruby's.
So it was that they left without further harassment, eventually leaving the trees to find themselves in the fields of Botan. Much like Sakura, and other agricultural towns they had come across, this settlement too followed the rule of having the farms and fields situated in the land out around the settlement, with the defensive wall encircling the town itself, including the warehouses and granaries where their produce was stored. As they made their way in, Ruby and Sasame could see that the fields were mostly bare, the grain having been harvested, and fruiting plants having been picked clean.
From the looks of things, the harvest was over, or nearly over. With the prospect of an impending bandit attack, that was a bad sign, as it wouldn't be long before the Branwen Tribe made their move, striking before too much of the produce could be shipped out. Of course, even if that hadn't been the case, the Branwen Tribe was liable to move up their schedule on account that their presence had been revealed to begin with, aiming to attack before the settlement could call in help.
Upon reaching the defensive wall, and the entry gates themselves, one of the people manning them recognized Sasame instantly, having been one of the injured she had treated her previous time through. Following the expected inquiries into Kyo's location, he was all too happy to show them through, and then direct them to the mayor.
"Well, it's just too bad that Kyo can't join us this time," said the mayor, a jolly old fellow, whose first action after greeting the pair was to bring out a plate of cookies, freshly baked by his wife, no less. And they were chocolate chip too, much to Ruby's utter delight. In spite of her best efforts, the plate was empty on a matter of minutes, both Sasame and their host looking on in amusement, Ruby mortified by her lack of self control after the fact, though, thankfully, the mayor only seemed proud that she had liked his wife's cookies so much.
After that, they had quickly gotten down to business, with Sasame having some unpleasant news to deliver this time around.
"So...not only do we have to deal with the disappointment that Kyo will not be coming, this time around, but you're telling us that the Branwen Tribe is planning an attack?" asked the mayor, somewhat rhetorically.
"I'm afraid so," said Sasame diplomatically.
"Oh dear..." grumbled the mayor, putting his face into his hands.
"You know who the Branwen Tribe are?" asked Ruby, canting her head curiously, still troubled by the feeling she was overlooking something.
"I don't think there's a person in any settlement across all of Anima who doesn't shudder, when they hear that name," growled the mayor, his expression darkening. "They're the nastiest, most ferocious pack of thieves and thugs on the entire continent, probably in all of Remnant."
"Kyo and I have heard rumors of them as well, though we've never encountered them ourselves," said Sasame.
The mayor nodded. "They've always been a serious threat to any settlement out there. But a little over a decade ago, they got a new leader. From what I've heard, she's turned them into a force that even the Huntsmen and the military don't want to take on, if they can avoid it. Settlements that defy them don't merely get wrecked, they get wiped off the map. Some say that the Branwen Tribe are the harbingers of disaster."
"That's awful!" gasped Ruby. Even as she reeled at the revelation of what they were up against, there was a slight note of confusion in her mind. Branwen...why does that sound familiar?
"And now you say they've been scouting out our settlement," said the mayor, letting out a tired sigh. "If they're coming for us, fighting back would be folly. We will have to give up a tribute, and hope that we can satisfy them enough to leave us alone."
Ruby opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. On one hand, it felt truly wrong to give into a bunch of bullies, which this bunch of bandits certainly seemed to be. On the other though, if what the mayor was saying was true, then fighting would put the settlement in serious danger. She certainly couldn't tell someone who had so much responsibility resting on his shoulders what to do.
While she'd never been trained in civil matters, watching and listening to her adoptive mother talk about the conundrums of leading the Mibu Clan had taught her that things were not always as cut and dried as they first appeared.
"Might I suggest something?" posed Sasame, snapping Ruby out of her confusion.
"Hmm?" grunted the mayor, looking at Ruby's sister.
"Allow us to handle it," said Sasame, resting a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "The two of us will see to your bandit problem, and you won't need to part with a single grain of wheat."
"A-are you serious?" gasped the mayor. "I mean...we aren't talking about just a few, like that scouting party you squabbled with earlier. We're talking about an entire tribe, dozens of them, maybe a hundred or more. And their leader is reputed to be a monster in her own right."
Sasame's smile widened slightly, and Ruby could feel an intense pressure radiating out from her. Sasame was releasing her Aura. There was no malice in it...yet. But there was a pure, unsullied intent to fight. "Tell me...do you know why the Grimm flee before Kyo?"
"I...I never thought about it," admitted the mayor. "It seemed so automatic, I figured that was just his Semblance, even though it might seem impossible for such a Semblance to exist..."
"Kyo possesses no such power," said Sasame simply.
"Then...how?"
"The reason the Grimm flee before Kyo...is because Kyo is, quite simply, just that strong."
The mayor blinked. "I...I don't understand."
Sasame rested her cheek against her right fist, propping it up with her elbow on the arm of her chair. "Just as animals can sense the onset of a natural disaster, and know to flee it instinctively, so too is Kyo a 'disaster' to the Grimm. They can sense his strength, and instinctively know that to oppose him...is to die. As such, even the youngest, most foolhardy, Grimm will flee Kyo's vicinity as fast as they are able, not willing to risk setting foot within more than a score of miles of him.
"Tell me...are these bandits able to make such a claim? Are they able to drive the Grimm before them...or do the Grimm follow after them, as always, like flies and vultures seeking carrion?"
"They definitely don't do anything like that," said the mayor. "If anything, it's the usual problem, where their attacks carry the threat of calling in the Grimm while they're still in the midst of battle." His eyes narrowed. "But you can't be seriously suggesting that you're that strong yourself..."
"I'm not," admitted Sasame. "And Ruby-chan certainly is not that strong either. However, I am one of the few in our clan who approaches Kyo's strength. I can assure you that, however strong these bandits might be, they are no match for the two of us together."
"And you truly believe that the two of you can match them?" gasped the mayor.
"More than that," said Sasame, "I intend to use them as fodder for Ruby-chan's training." She ruffled Ruby's hair affectionately. "That should tell you how little I worry about them."
Ruby gave Sasame a nervous look, unsure about Sasame speaking on her behalf like this, though she had always trusted Sasame with knowing just how far to push her training. She felt that worry all the more keenly because more than just her life lay on the line with this.
"A-are you certain?" asked the mayor.
Sasame sighed, her expression falling. "Truth be told, the chance of settling this amicably has probably already long passed. Thanks to us defeating their scouting party, they already know that we will have warned you about this, so they are likely moving to attack, regardless of what actions you might have planned to appease them. Fighting may well be the only way at this juncture."
The mayor swallowed nervously. "If you're truly sure..." he said.
"I am certain," said Sasame. "I swear on my life and honor that we shall put these bandits to flight, or put them in the earth. Should they manage to inflict harm upon you and yours, I will gladly surrender my life in recompense."
"S-Sasame-nee!" gasped Ruby, horrified.
"To say that with such confidence..." said the mayor. "...truly, you have never done wrong by us. In accordance with that, I shall place the lives of my people in your hands once more." He bowed deeply to Sasame. "Please protect our home."
"Gladly," said Sasame, bowing back. "Those fools shall rue the day they laid eyes upon you and yours."
The scouting party's leader yowled in pain as a boot crashed into the side of his head, throwing him to the ground. Sprawled out, the man whimpered pitifully, cowering before the young woman who stood over him.
The woman standing over him didn't seem all that intimidating, at first glance. She had a slender, almost boyish figure. Her brown hair was cut extremely short, keeping it well clear of her ice-blue eyes, which glared harshly at the prone man. She was dressed in a brown vest, over a torn, white shirt. The right leg of her maroon pants was rolled up to her thigh, while the other ran down into her boot. Both her legs were covered by guards that covered her knees and shins. At her hips rested a pair of weapons, pistols with curved blades extending out around from the back.
"So...let me see if I got this straight," growled the young woman, her presence radiating a sense of menace that substantially dwarfed her appearance. "You lackwits were given a simple job...just one job. Check the town, and stay out of sight. Instead, not only did you break cover to attack a couple of random travelers, you got yourselves thrashed in the process, and said travelers are now, as we speak, warning Botan that we're coming. Did I get all that right?"
"Y-Y-Yes, M-Ma'am," stammered the scouting party's leader pathetically. A short ways away, the rest of his group cowered pitifully away, each of them afraid they would be next to receive the woman's wrath.
"Pathetic," snarled the woman. "Absolutely pitiful. And to think that you lot are supposed to be members of our tribe. Since when do six warriors of the Branwen get themselves thrashed by a couple of puny girls."
"Th-they weren't ordinary!" protested one of the women in the scouting party. "The small one, the fox-faunus...I darn near cut her head off...but she shrugged it off like it was nothing! They're unnatural!"
She was next, receiving a vicious backhand across her jaw that nearly broke it. The blow flung her to the ground with a cry of pain. She curled up into a ball, whimpering.
"In all my time, I've never heard such a worthless pile of bullshit!" snapped the woman. "You can thank your lucky stars Raven isn't here. Had she heard such drivel, she would have taken your head, right then and there. You punks better be grateful that you got me instead."
"Y-yes, Ms. Vernal," whimpered the other woman, cowering away from her.
Vernal smiled, though her eyes remained hard an icy. "Well, since the lot of you failed so miserably, you're the ones who get to be the vanguard of our attack."
All six members of the scouting party twitched, their faces paling. "B-but our weapons are-" the leader began to protest.
"Well...you''ll just have to do without them," said Vernal casually. "It's just too bad that you were so incompetent as to lose or break them in the first place. Now...go get ready as best you can. We attack tonight."
"Ma'am," whispered one of the other members of the raiding party, coming up behind Vernal, "what about the ultimatum? Shouldn't we give them a chance to pay tribute, before attacking?"
That was the preferred method, after all. While wreaking havoc was a boon to their reputation as a force to be feared and dreaded, truth be told, it wasn't profitable in the long term to wipe out every settlement they targeted. Often, the most prudent course was to let their reputation do the work for them. It had a lot of advantages. They ran less risk of suffering loss or injury of their members in the attack, and the settlements that surrendered and paid tribute got to live another day...and serve as targets for future raids.
However... "Not this time," said Vernal darkly. "Now that those two have warned the town, they'll be on the lookout for us. They might have even called Mistral for reinforcements. If the military and the Huntsmen come to reinforce them, it will be all that much more difficult for us to pull this off."
After all, their raiding party represented only a part of the overall manpower of the Branwen Tribe. Botan was a relatively soft target, so there had been no need to send more than a mid-sized detachment, some forty people. The bulk of their tribe, led by Raven herself, was currently pursuing bigger prey.
For their sake, those six fools who'd given them away to the inhabitants had better hope that this raid went well...or that they died in the attempt. Because if things went south, and they were still around to be held responsible for it, then Raven would go to great lengths to make them regret their incompetence.
"Do you think the bandits are gonna come from this way?" asked Ruby.
Sasame nodded, the pair of them staring out over the fields, towards the woodlands near where they'd come from loomed ahead, the colors of the autumn leaves fading along with the light.
"What if they try to go around and come from another direction..." Ruby began to ask, "...or if they scatter and try to attack from multiple ways at once?"
"All valid strategies," said Sasame, glad that her sister was thinking things through so thoroughly. "However, now that we've ruined their chance at stealth, speed will be their greatest asset. While scattering and attacking from multiple directions might be a good way to throw off defenders, they are more likely to value an attack that concentrates their strength, and allows them to secure their objectives as quickly as possible. Skirting around in this terrain will cost them precious time and energy, and scattering will make it much harder to coordinate the timing of their actions. So, for the sake of efficiency, coming all at once from the same way will be one of their more reliable tactics, in this particular set of circumstances."
"Can we stop them?" asked Ruby.
"I believe we can," said Sasame. "The townsfolk have taken shelter, just in case. That won't stop the bandits from wrecking the town in reprisal, but they don't have the time to worry about being thorough. Their primary concern will be securing the goods they've come to steal, and getting out. The mayor has already put the call into Mistral, and said that both the military and Huntsmen are on their way. Though, if the bandits attack tonight, they won't make it in time."
Ruby nodded. In situations like this, it was best to defer to her sister's greater experience. So she closed her eyes, centered herself, and waited quietly. She absorbed herself into the scenery, taking every sound and scent that reached her. She could hear the faint sound of the wind through the trees, even the occasional leaf falling to land, ever so gently, against the ground.
Then she heard them. They were so soft that it was almost impossible to pick them out amidst the background noise of the forest, the faint sounds of ground cover being disturbed by slow...careful motions, so as to erase as much noise as possible...the sound of footsteps, steps made by those who were accustomed to moving quietly in the wilderness. They're here!
Ruby allowed her eyes to drift open, taking in the scenery around her. Unlike her sister, she was no faunus, possessed no exceptional night vision. However, her eyes had adjusted to the darkness as best they could. The moon cast down plenty of light on its own, though the trees simply used that light to throw deep shadows against an already-stygian backdrop. However, focusing her gaze in the direction of the noises she'd heard, Ruby was able to spot the faint signs of motion, moving in contrast to the consistent swaying of the trees and branches.
There were figures moving in the darkness, picking their way forward, moving from tree to tree, seeking cover in the shadows. It was the movement of people who were expecting someone to be on the lookout for them. Though, to Ruby, it seemed like a rather futile effort. Between the incoming bandits and their target was a wide swath of open ground, the fields, fields that had been cleared by the harvest. If the bandits wanted cover for their attack, they'd have to move through the fields that still had some plants in them. However, the one that was directly in their path now was a grain field, its contents completely reaped at least a day before.
Sasame-nee's right, she thought, they're in a hurry. So they can't be picky about their way in.
She and Sasame stood in the middle of that field, out in the open, a deliberate challenge to the attackers. How they would respond was the question in Ruby's mind.
The sounds of footsteps stopped. In fact, for a moment, it seemed that all sound had stopped. The bandits had stopped moving forward, having reached the edge of the woodlands, the limit of their cover. From there, it would be a straight run across open ground towards the settlement. It made sense that they would gather their strength there, before making an attempt.
It was Sasame who broke that silence, clapping her hands together sharply, the sound startling Ruby as much as it did the hiding bandits. Sasame put both her ridiculous strength and her Aura into the move, the clap of her hands sending out a palpable shockwave that buffeted Ruby's body. But the main force of the action was directed ahead of her, throwing up a wave of dirt that formed a momentary cloud of dust, hovering over the empty field.
"We know you're there," said the diminutive girl cheerfully. "Come out. I assure you, it's just the two of us here."
Ruby found herself wondering if the bandits would actually oblige her. Now that they were in range, she could feel their emotions through her Extension. Many of them were hesitating, wondering if Sasame's words were in earnest. Ironically, the fact that they could not see any evidence that Sasame was lying only seemed to make them all the more reluctant to commit, certain that there was some kind of trick.
"So hesitant," said Sasame with a giggle. "Well...if they want to wait there all night, all the better. I'm sure that the Huntsmen will be here by tomorrow morning...and the military won't be far behind them."
Ruby's ears caught the sound of harsh, angry whispers, and frightened responses. Finally, the undergrowth shifted more loudly, and fallen leaves crunched underfoot as someone dispensed with stealth entirely, emerging from the undergrowth, six others following her.
They stepped out of the woods, and into the open. Ruby recognized the six members of the scouting party that had tried to attack her and Sasame earlier, but not the short-haired woman who led them. Compared to the cringing sextet of bandits behind her, the woman moved with a great deal of swagger and confidence. She strode out into the open with nary a concern for potential ambush, or snipers trying to pick her off, apparently able to take Sasame's words at face-value...or confident in her skills to handle whatever trick was thrown her way.
"Well well," said the young woman, resting her left hand casually on her hip, just above the handle of the curved, bladed gun that hung there, "there really are only two of you. I was wondering if my scouts were feeding me a line of bull."
"As you can see, they were in earnest," said Sasame cheerfully. "Likewise, I assure you that my earlier statement was also in earnest. We two are the only barrier between you and your target. Kill us, and you are free to do as you please."
"That makes things simple," said the woman. "I like simple. You two are clearly confident, despite being a couple of kids."
"I may not look it, but I am already in my twenties," said Sasame cheerfully.
The woman's eyebrow went up. "Oh really...? And just how old are you?"
"You know it's rude to ask a lady's age," teased Sasame. "Though, as bandits, I imagine that manners are a secondary concern for you."
The woman snorted. "And what about the other pipsqueak. She another 'older-than-she-looks' type."
"Oh no, she really is only thirteen," said Sasame lightly.
"Sasame-nee!" protested Ruby. "Why is it okay for you to give my age?"
"Because," said Sasame teasingly.
Ruby pouted, puffing out her cheeks.
The woman laughed long and loud at their antics. "Well...I have to say, the two of you have some guts. That's for sure. I think I like you. I am Vernal, of the Branwen Tribe. And you are...?"
Sasame bowed politely to the woman, her fox-tail flicking behind her. "I am Mitarai Sasame."
"Ruby Rose," said Ruby, mirroring her sister's gesture.
"Well then," said Vernal, "seeing as we're off to such a good start, perhaps the two of you might consider joining us. The Branwen Tribe is always on the lookout for new recruits, and we only accept the strong."
Sasame's eyes narrowed. She was still smiling, but the very essence of her demeanor had been changed, sending chills down even Ruby's spine. "The strong...is that so?" she asked, her tone softening.
"That's right," said Vernal, tensing slightly, not quite cluing in to the change in Sasame's attitude, but sensing that something was off all the same.
"Well now...that's quite the claim," said Sasame. "And just what strength is it that you value?"
"Huh?" Vernal flinched, a confused grunt escaping her before she could stop herself.
"Is it the strength to come like a bunch of thieves in the night, against a target you know does not have the strength to stand up against you?" asked Sasame, her Aura humming with controlled fury. "Is it the strength to wander about like vagabonds, helping yourself to the produce of others' hard work, because you are too pathetically lazy to make a real life for yourselves?"
Vernal took a step back, baring her teeth as she realized that Sasame was mocking her. "You seem to be eager to die," she noted.
"And why is that?" asked Sasame. "Is it because I scoff at your notions of strength, the idea that preying upon those with the will to tame and work the land, to carve out a pocket of civilization against the wilderness and the Grimm, somehow makes you strong? You seem to perceive yourself as a predator, Vernal-san, a mighty tigress perhaps. But that couldn't be further from the truth."
"Oh..." ground out Vernal. "And what is it that you think I am."
"A parasite," replied Sasame. "You and your so-called tribe are an infestation, eating away at what others have made, while creating nothing of your own. You claim strength, but only pick the battles that you know you can win, against those who lack the ability to fight back against you.
"Isn't that why you're here, now? You want to attack this place before the Huntsmen and the military arrive, before you wind up facing a genuine threat. You want to strike while these people are still relatively defenseless, before you wind up against anyone who can actually fight back. That...Vernal-san...is the furthest thing from true strength."
Vernal growled, her hands drifting down to close around the handles of her weapons. Pulling them free, the blades extended out, forming a curving ring that almost completely enclosed the pistols at the center, a curving trigger-guard forming a second ring within. Each pistol sported two barrels, aiming out through the gap between the curved blades.
"It looks like you have a death wish after all," she growled. "I never thought that a couple of brats would be stupid enough to want to take us on." A smirk appeared on her face. "I won't even need to use my real power."
Real power...? wondered Ruby, raising a confused eyebrow.
From the way they acted, the bandits appeared to know what she was talking about, but that didn't give Ruby any information to go on.
"Well then...if the two of you are so ready and willing to die, then we'll be happy to oblige you," said Vernal, gesturing with her weapon. "Get them!"
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