Legend of Zelda:Vale of Darkness

[Quillion9000]

Before time, when the world existed in the void, three goddesses descended.

Din, the goddess of power.

Nayru, the goddess of wisdom.

Farore, the goddess of courage.

Din, with her strong flaming arms, created earth and cultivated the land. Nayru blessed that earth and gave the spirit of law to the world. Farore, with her rich soul, produced life who would uphold that law. The three goddesses, their labor completed, departed for the heavens.

In the wake of their departure, they left an item of immense power. A legendary triangle called the Triforce, said to grant the wish of anyone who possesses it. At some point, a demon of darkness appeared and unleashed devastation wherever it went.

Many champions tried to slay the monster, but none succeeded. The demon's rampage went unchallenged until the goddess Hylia took a patch of land and launched it into the sky. Centuries passed until a boy descended from the clouds, garbed in green, seeking his friend.

Through his journey, he forged the Master Sword. Only the pure of heart could wield it, and if evil were to touch it, they are destroyed. Using the sword, the Hero of the Sky slew the Demon. In his last moments, he swore revenge upon the spirit of the hero and blood of the goddess.

Thus, the cycle began. The hero and dark one would be reincarnated throughout the ages. The hero always with the visage of the first hero while the dark one would take many forms. As for the blood of the goddess, it would be found in descendants from the reincarnated goddess Hylia.

Centuries passed, and the Kingdom of Hyrule was founded. Within and around it, the cycle would persist. One legend tells of a hero who could shrink. Another spoke of a hero crossing time. Still another spoke of an eternal twilight ended by a hero.

Just three of the countless legends tied to this cycle. With the last dark one of this cycle, he would unknowingly break it to gain enough power to slay the hero. While the hero did die, his body was put into a century-long slumber that would see him given a second chance.

Until the hero returned, the one with the goddesses' blood would keep the dark one imprisoned, but his reign had still ravaged the once prosperous kingdom. When the hero awoke, he saw the destruction of his home and learned of the deaths of his friends.

Joining forces with the decedent of the goddess, the dark one was slain, but the damage had been done. Hyrule had fallen. Not long after the hero and descendent of the goddess passed, two brothers appeared. The older sought creation while the younger sought destruction.

Their conflict would ravage the world until no life remained. Only after centuries of fighting, did they compromise. Together, they created Humans and bestowed upon them magic. The younger brother also created his ultimate creatures of destruction in the Grimm.

Despite the Grimm, Humanity thrived for a millennia. Through one Human turning many against the brothers, all but that Human were wiped out. Both brothers then took their leave, the younger one flying straight through the moon and raining debris upon the planet.

As it often does, life finds a way. Modern Humans, lacking in magic, and Faunus appeared. They had strength, resourcefulness, and a way to control the very elements via crystalline structures called Dust. With weapons and Dust, civilization was reborn for the third time.

Sanus: Night…
A young man, 15 years old, walked through a forest teaming with the sound of nature on a cloudless night. He had pointy ears, his dirty blond hair was tousled, and his eyes were blue. His build, while not scrawny, wasn't thickly muscled either.

He wore a white shirt underneath a green tunic, white pants, and brown boots. A gray bladed broadsword, with a darker gray hilt, was sheathed on his back with a matching shield while a similar colored rifle was sheathed at his side. While plain in coloring, they were well made.

Suddenly, the sounds of nature he had been hearing were gone. The young man had patrolled many locations in his brief time, so he knew what this meant. He withdrew his sword and hand rifle just before the first Grimm jumped from the shadows of the forest.

It was bear-like with white bone plating covering its body, an Ursa. The young man had taken immediate aim and nailed it in the eye with a shot from his rifle, getting it to rear back. He then lunged forward, swinging for the neck and decapitated it.

He noticed three more sets of red eyes in the forest and immediately rolled back, leading to them crashing where he had been in a pile. With this time, he holstered his gun to then unsheathe his shield. The Grimm now glared at him, though only one charged him this time.

The young man planted his feet and bashed his shield into the charging Grimm, disorienting it. He then stepped forward and thrust his blade clean through its neck before retching his blade free out the right side. The weight of said head saw it tearing and hitting the ground.

The body followed suit. These Grimm appeared to be at the age where they had a little intelligence as the remaining two suddenly became apprehensive. This young man had so easily felled two of them, so they were debating if this target was worth the effort.

Unfortunately for them, the young man couldn't afford to let them escape. Dashing towards the closest of the creatures, he got within its guard and followed up with a knee to the chin. This forced the beast's head up before he thrust his blade through the soft underside.

The blade's momentum carried it all the way through, but he quickly removed it before potentially going through the bone plating atop its head and getting stuck. The third Ursa then fell to the ground. Throwing caution to the wind, the final Ursa charged him.

The young man held his ground before dodging to the right at the last second. By executing a dodge like this, the young man's Semblance activated and resulted in everything within the immediate area slowing. He utilized this time to rapidly slash the Grimm.

When time resumed normally, the Grimm fell to the ground before dissipating just like the prior three. With the threat over, the sounds of nature slowly returned, and the warrior relaxed. He sheathed his blade and shield before continuing his patrol.

The young man eventually reached a clearing where the light of the shattered moon above was especially bright without the branches above to block it. "Baring anymore Grimm, I can soon return to the village for the…"

His train of thought stopped as a cold breeze, much too cold for this time of year, blew past him. He whirled around to see nothing. Upon turning back around, he was surprised by what stood across from him.

That's because it was him, at least nearly him. This version of himself was a tad transparent by comparison and had lighter blond hair, parts of which framed his face. His tunic was sky blue with intricate white designs. He also lacked any weapons to boot.

"Who are you?" The young man asked.

"One of many who have hoped for this since Hyrule fell thousands of years ago." The transparent young man answered.

"Hyrule…isn't that some mythological kingdom?" The young man inquired, having read about it in a book once.

"I see." A look of regret passed over the transparent young man's face. "Hyrule is nothing but a memory now. I suppose it is to be expected." He shook his head. "Anyways, to answer your prior question, my name is Link."

The young man was stunned. "He shares my name!?"

"In actuality, names are for the living, so you may call me Wild." Wild continued.

"For the living?" Link questioned.

"I've been dead a long time now, though the spirit I inherited has been bequeathed to you upon being born." Wild answered.

"I'm your reincarnation?" Link asked.

He was finding it difficult to digest this, especially without something of Remnant to tie this back to. The closest he could come to was this being the work of Grimm; however, he didn't know of one capable of conjuring an image like this.

"One of many." Wild noted. "Allow me to explain properly. Long ago, three goddesses created what you see today. When they were done and departed, they left behind a powerful object in the Triforce. It grants a single wish to those who claim its three pieces.

If someone pure of heart were to claim it, Hyrule would enter a golden age. If someone with darkness in their heart lays claim to it, it would lead to ruin. Our first life defeated a demon seeking it, but before he perished, it swore vengeance. Thus, you get a cycle of reincarnation.

For ages, people bearing our visage and name have been born while he took on many different forms. Within this cycle, there existed princesses who bore the blood of the goddess' reincarnation. Before you, I was the last reincarnation of the spirit of the hero.

Just as with all of us before you, it is you who are destined to save this world and bring it back to prosperity. Though you are not strong enough currently, I know you have the potential and ability to fight the approaching darkness."

"How am I supposed to save the world?" Link asked.

"Eh." A look of surprise crossed Wild's face before he gave a soft smile. "You're not the first Link to ask that, nor is it guaranteed you will succeed."

Link realized the truth behind those words as his mind recalled what Wild had already said.

"I may have stopped the darkness of my era, but it cost nearly everything." Wild shook his head. "Believe me, there are other Links who've failed worse. Just like those who've failed and those who've succeeded, you have the courage to try."

Link couldn't deny that. Despite his questioning, deep in his heart he recognized the truth of the matter. He might be confused and uncertain upon hearing these things, but never once did his courage leave him. Never once did Link doubt he'd try to save his world.

"While I'm not like a certain Link, in that he was quite accomplished despite what his regrets told him back then, I am still regretful enough to help you now." Wild informed. "To put it simply, I can guide you."

White lights coalesced around his hands, becoming a sword and shield. The blade was a longsword with a blue handle, green grip, and blue cross-guard shaped like a pair of extended wings. The shield was blue with three golden triangles, a red crest, and some bird depicted on it.

"One thing I can do now is give you a good fight." Wild voiced. "Who knows? A good fight might help you begin digesting things better."

"I was about to end my patrol anyways." Link drew his sword and shield. "Besides, I can only imagine this past life is more skilled than I am now. If anything, the fate of the world withstanding, I stand to learn a lot."

Without a word, both assumed battle stances. Link drew his weapons, holding his sword in his left hand and shield in the right. This was opposite of his opponent, though Link didn't get much time to make further observations as Wild charged him down fast.

The young man got his shield up to block, but he could tell it was because Wild was holding back. That was only proven more as they began clashing blades before locking shields. Wild then held his blade aloft before swinging it down to nail Link's legs, sending him falling.

He rolled into it and was back on his feet, though Wild wasn't about to let him have a minute as he was on him once again. At that moment, both swung their blades and blocked with their shield. Link reared back his blade, only for Wild to seize the opening by shield bashing.

With the young man disoriented, he followed up with a thrust of the sword which knocked Link back first into the trunk of a tree and saw his Aura shimmering. Link picked himself up and rushed in, swinging his blade. This time, Wild deftly dodged.

He leaned back when the blade was too high and jumped over it if Link went low. This prompted the young man to thrust forward, but Wild deftly dodged before performing a strong spin attack. When the blade connected with Link, his Aura violently shimmered.

He had also been launched back and once again hit the trunk of a tree back first, dropping his weapons in the process. His Aura hadn't even finished shimmering before it shattered completely on impact, and he fell to his butt.

"Well, you're not bad." Wild voiced as he approached. "Even then, there's a lot you have to improve on." The weapons he held vanished. "Fortunately, that's part of why I'm here."

"Yeah, there's clearly a lot I can learn." Link stood. "Right now, I'm outside the village without Aura, so I should be getting back."

While the spar had helped him clear his head, he also needed time to think on what happened. No matter what, he didn't think he'd be telling anyone about this…at least, not any time soon.

Link now went about collecting his weapons, though something came to mind. "Before I go, it's been thousands of years. Are there still descendants of the reincarnation of the goddess out there?"

It sounded logical to him, with as far as his knowledge of things went. Even though Hyrule fell, life continued. Given he was here now, it should mean someone like that was out there, right?

"Some things aren't for the dead to share, but I can tell you part of this was that she'd be reincarnated to." Wild informed. "Though, she's not tied to her prior appearance like her descendants were."

"What do you mean by 'part of this'?" Link questioned, having now sheathed his weapons.

"That is something I will tell you later, much later." Wild voiced. "Between now and then, there are more important things you'll be learning. Speaking of which, just call my name whenever, and I will appear to instruct you."

Before Link could speak again, Wild vanished. He'd almost assume this was a dream, if not for the fact he felt beat up and sore.

Link started walking back to the village. "I haven't been that outclassed since I first started training…"

 

[Quillion9000]

Ruby Rose
A slim figured girl, wearing a red hooded cape which flowed in the wind, stood on a snowy cliff-side staring at a gravestone emblazoned with the words 'Summer Rose/thus I kindly scatter,' and a carving of a rose. The girl turned and trudged through a black forest of dead trees.

Eventually, the trees gave way to a snow-covered meadow, and the girl looked up since she was no longer alone. Large, wolf-like beasts filled the meadow in front of her. Every one of them were almost entirely black, the only exception being crimson fangs and eyes.

These were fledgling Grimm, Beowolves, as they lacked experience and the bony plating seen on older variations. Despite a lack of experience, they still had instinct which saw them snarl as they fanned out to surround the girl. Then, three of them lunged at the girl though never reached her.

She had leapt into the air, resulting in the beasts hitting the ground before then looking around in confusion. The girl was in the sky above, her cloak thrown back. This revealed black clothing and a pale face with silver eyes framed by black, red-tinged hair.

Ruby reached for a rectangular device slung behind her, her touch expanding it into a firearm. She fired off a sniper round which pierced one of the beasts in the head, its body hit the ground limply. Ruby landed as another of the Beowolves charged her.

She leapt into the air again, somersaulting over the beast's head and triggering her weapon's firing mechanism. The recoil threw her higher into the air as she fired, ripping through the left side of another Beowolf. She then landed and fired, blowing a hole through a Beowolf.

Ruby let the recoil fling her into a backward roll while expanding her weapon into a giant red scythe. The Beowolves snarled, and one of them lunged at her. She brought the scythe up before slamming it down, but the Beowolf had ducked its head to avoid being decapitated.

It now looked at this girl with a snarl while she looked to the side with a smile. She then pulled the trigger. The sheer power of the recoil sliced the beast in two from shoulder to hip. The other Beowolves took one look at the dissolving corpse and charged.

Ruby spun the scythe before putting the tip of the blade into the ground. As the Beowolves kept coming, she fired five times. Each shot fatally wounded a Beowolf before one of them got close enough to swipe at her. The girl leapt into the air, fired, and was blasted backwards by the recoil.

She dug the blade of her weapon into the ground and landed standing on the handle. She then looked up and gasped in surprise as more fledgling Beowolves flooded out the forest. Ruby ducked a swipe from one and triggered the mechanism to shoot another.

This also threw her back to knock over the Beowolf that had missed her. The beasts leapt again with another, only for Ruby to slice through their limbs and bodies with a whirlwind of slashes. Another Beowolf closed in, only for Ruby to catch it around the neck with the scythe blade.

She fired, cutting the beast's head clean off. Two more closed in, so Ruby brought the blade around to catch the Grimm before pulling the trigger. A Beowolf behind that one was blasted in the gut while this one was bisected.

Without missing a beat, she leapt over two Beowolves and swung the blade in a horizontal arc. This sliced off the Beowolf's hand before she dealt the fatal blow. Ruby followed up by spinning and dodging another, hooking the blade around its neck.

She then backflipped onto its back, firing and decapitating the beast while being thrown into the air. Ruby reached the peak of her ascent before gravity took hold and she plummeted towards the ground. A pair of Beowolves leapt into the air after her, so she fired to align herself.

Ruby followed up by firing on one of the Beowolves and slicing through the second. Just before she hit the ground, one of them finally landed a blow which threw her back. Ruby planted the blade of Crescent Rose into the ground, dragging her to a stop.

She then looked up at what remained of the horde. Her hair blew in the wind as she ejected the magazine from Crescent Rose, withdrew another marked with a cross from a pouch on her belt, and slammed it in. She then pointed the barrel behind her, reloading and firing.

The power of the shot blasted her forward at blinding speed, and she cut down four Beowolves. She landed before running and firing again to throw herself towards more of the beasts. From there, every shot was used to help her slice apart Beowolves.

Limbs and bullets alike flew. She reloaded and fired a final time, putting down the last Beowolf as she landed in a crouch before standing. Ruby aligned the blade of the scythe, panting with a confident demeanor as the spent ammunition fell around her.

Weiss Schnee
Clad in elegant white, with her long white ponytail hanging to her right, Weiss stood before a statue within her family's courtyard. She tapped a rapier to the ground before bringing it up, her eyes closed. Klein, an older man balding on top with brown hair around his head, approached.

"The arrangements have been made, and your father is waiting, Miss Schnee." Klein informed.

Weiss opened her eyes at that before turning to face him. "Shall we go, Klein?"

"Yes." Klein answered.

The pair made their way through the manor, passing the garden where Willow Schnee was drinking.

"You're drinking in the daytime again, Mother?" Weiss muttered. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised."

Klein kept silent at the sight, knowing well he could do nothing about it.

A white-haired boy, Whitley, was leaning against a pillar as he had been awaiting his sister's arrival. "Presenting Weiss Schnee, our future Huntress."

"Whitley." Weiss noted dissatisfied, knowing full well her brother would love nothing more than to see her fail. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm worried about you, of course." Whitley replied. "A test this dangerous isn't normal. We wouldn't want you getting hurt, would we?"

"This is hardly enough to intimidate me." Weiss walked past him. "So, shut up and watch."

Whitley bowed his head, muttering, "I've always watched you, my fearless, foolish sister."

Weiss and Klein entered the room where she would be evaluated, the butler departing from her side. Standing upon the balcony were her father and older sister, both with similar hair and eyes to Weiss. The former in a white suit and the latter in a slightly altered Specialist uniform.

"I am ready to take my test, dear Father, Sister." Weiss greeted with a bow before then turning to the man she called father. "I hope you will be true to your word."

"This is all utterly preposterous." Jacques voiced in annoyance.

"As I recall, this test was your idea, Father." Winter voiced in response to his contempt. "Weiss is ready to do it."

Jacques scoffed as Whitley entered to stand by his side.

"I am." Weiss agreed. "Now then, please unleash the Grimm."

"Very well, but if I decide it's impossible, you will fail." Jaques declared. "That will be the end of this foolishness."

"I'm not going to fail." Weiss voiced, her gaze then turning to the butler.

With that look given, Klein approached the lever and pulled. A panel on the floor in front of Weiss opened, and she gripped Myrtenaster in preparation as an elevator brought the Arma Gigas up. It was a large suit of Grimm possessed armor, the monster behind it being a Geist.

This one now growled as it stood, giant sword in hand. Weiss unsheathed her rapier, readying herself. The Gigas swung its sword, which Weiss backflipped to dodge. She then rushed and leapt at the Grimm. Upon striking with her blade, she inflicted no damage.

Weiss used the last strike to vault over it. As she landed, the Gigas swung its sword in a large arc, but the heiress lept over it along with the follow up as she drew close once more. She then slashed the knight, still doing no damage, before blocking the larger sword.

Weiss rushed in once more and was met with the large sword. She took the hit and flipped through the air to land on her feet. Weiss then drew patterns in the air with her fingers which caused a glyph to appear beneath her feet. That gave her a burst of speed to dodge the Gigas.

She then leapt and caught herself with a glyph before proceeding to bounce around the possessed suit of armor, rapidly landing hits. Weiss eventually ended up on the ground again where she drew back Myrtenaster and spun the revolving mechanism on the red canister.

This shrouded her blade in Fire Dust, which enabled her to parry the Gigas' blade. Weiss then moved to thrust her blade; however, the Grimm retaliated with a punch from his free arm, nailing her in the face. The heiress was thrown across the room, landing hard.

"Come to your senses yet?" Jaques questioned. "Call it off."

"Not quite yet." As an Atlesian Specialist, Winter knew the fight hadn't concluded.

Weiss used her weapon to stand, blood flowing down her left eye from a cut the Grimm managed to inflict on her. She pointed the rapier at the Gigas as she prepared to continue.

Weiss was knelt in the courtyard as snow fell around her on this night, the broken moon in the sky shining light to illuminate the area. Myrtenaster was stabbed on the ground in front of her.

"Your Aura can only shield you from one or two direct attacks at most." Winter had walked up to her sister. "When your Aura is gone, another attack will finish you. Those without power will return to dust." She then walked away. "That is the law of this world."

Drops of her blood fell onto the floor as Weiss stood against the Arma Gigas, Myrtenaster at the ready. When the Grimm charged, she yelled as the revolving mechanism turned to Ice Dust, and she shoved her blade into the ground. Ice Dust was expelled to freeze the Grimm in its tracks.

Weiss then drew the blade back and shifted back to Fire Dust before rushing the Grimm. The Gigas swung its sword, but Weiss jumped atop it before running down the blade. She then struck the suit's wrist with enough force that the blade was sent flying, almost hitting Klein.

With its sword embedded in the wall, and the hand which held it covered in fire, the Gigas charged Weiss. She used a Glyph to send the Grimm into the air before then using several more to hold it there as she jumped towards it.

Runes appeared on her rapier as she ran it through the Grimm, boring a hole straight through where the stomach would be. The suit was now breaking apart, internally on fire. Weiss landed, followed by the Grimm which dissolved.

"Miss Schnee, you passed." Klein was so proud. "I knew you'd do it."

Weiss now stood, looking to the balcony. "Father, now that I've finished this foolish test, will you allow me to attend Beacon?"

Jacques gritted his teeth at her success.

Winter turned towards him with a smile. "Well, Father?"

"Have it your way!" Jacques conceded and walked away.

Weiss turned towards Klein, who nodded. She smiled while basking in the light coming from the windows.

Blake Belladonna
The sun was shining, yet the moon was also high in the sky. Red petals from the blossom trees floated through the air, watched by a slim girl dressed in black and white. She had long black hair, a pair of cat ears atop her head, and a flat blade was attached to her back.

Another figure approached the girl, a tall man in a black coat. "Blake, it's time."

Blake lowered her head and turned to the man. "Okay."

The silence of the forest was shattered by two blurs of motion as Blake and her companion dashed through it.

"Adam, are we really doing this alone?" Blake asked.

"The guards are just mindless drones." Adam answered. "You're not scared of them, are you?"

"Do you think I scare easily?" Blake questioned.

"Hardly." Adam voiced. "I'm more than aware of your bravery."

Blake said nothing more, so the pair pressed on in silence until they reached a cliffside overlooking a railway hundreds of feet below. They could hear a train whistling in the distance. When the train was near, Adam leapt off the edge, followed by Blake.

They landed on the steep slope, but as the train passed by beneath, they leapt atop the train. Adam had anchored himself with Wilt before sheathing it again and dashing forward, followed by Blake. They'd missed the car they wanted, but sprinting over gaps took care of that issue.

Blake spied the hatch into the next car, seeing it was locked. Adam then moved so quickly she wasn't sure he'd drawn Wilt; however, she'd heard the snap of the lock. He wrenched up the hatch and leapt in. Blake followed, seeing them land before looking around the train car.

"Looks like we're doing this the hard way." Adam commented.

AK-130 androids lined the walls. Upon detecting intruders, their faceplates swung forward and covered most of the red light on their faces to leave a "V" of red light. This was like the one on their chests. Blake rose out of the crouch she'd landed in and gave a sly smile.

She grasped the hilt of Gambol Shroud. "Don't be so dramatic."

One of the android's arms shifted, its fingers forming bullet barrels which it pointed at Adam. "Intruder, identify yourself."

It was Adam's turn to give a sly smile. He pulled the trigger affixed to Blush, firing Wilt out of the sheath. The hilt of the sword slammed into the android, knocking it off balance as Adam dashed forwards. He caught the sword before slashing through androids like they were butter.

The androids that aimed at Blake saw her firming up to run before a sudden blur dipped out. Almost immediately, she charged forward before vanishing in purple sparkles. Blake had just used her Semblance, Shadow, to generate a clone.

With the android's attention where that had been, the real Blake came out of hiding with a flurry of sword strikes that took out plenty of androids. Plenty more fell when she shifted Gambol Shroud to gun mode and sprayed. One of the androids then came up behind her.

Blake pulled out her sword's sheath while shifting the gun back to blade form. She then tore through the approaching android and became a slicing whirlwind to take out more. Adam joined her, booting an android out of the train car and onto an open car where more androids ran in.

Adam turned and looked at Blake. "Let's do this."

He then rushed forward with Blake following, drawing Wilt and using it to uppercut a pair of androids. Blake flipped through the air and knocked them down allowing Adam to smash them with Wilt's hilt before sheathing the ninjato. He and Blake then dashed forward again.

Blake looked up and saw the rest of the androids were still a fair distance away. She drew her sword back, the weapon shifting forms as she did, and threw Gambol Shroud at the androids. Blake yanked back on the ribbon Gambol Shroud was attached to.

She then pulled the trigger of the firing mechanism, seeing the recoil sending the blade slicing through a couple of androids. Adam leapt up, making sure to stay out of the way of the whirling wheel of destruction Gambol Shroud had become as Blake swung it around.

She then joined Adam in a forward dash towards six more androids, the pair absolutely tearing through them with their weapons. He then sheathed Wilt with satisfaction before entering the next train car. Adam opened a crate emblazoned with a snowflake.

"Perfect." He was grinning. "Blake, move up to the next car while I set the charges."

"What about the crew members?" Blake asked.

"What about them?" Adam asked instantly.

…

That moment gave Blake pause. Before she could follow up, there was a mechanical snarl behind Adam. A four-legged droid dropped from the ceiling, over three times as tall as Adam and brisling with weaponry.

"Adam!" Blake voiced warningly.

The spider droid shifted, its arms aligning before firing blue blasts. Blake, both blades drawn, dodged and leapt over the blasts. She leapt towards the spider droid, attempting to slice it only for the droid to be tougher than she expected.

It tossed her off easily, and she hit the ground with a surprised cry. As the spider droid moved towards her, Adam came in swinging Wilt in an arc, having enough force to make the droid back up a bit. He then landed, only for the now unhindered spider droid to kick him.

It followed up with more blue blasts, though they only scattered boxes as the agile man avoided them. The spider droid raised its leg to crush Blake, so Adam dashed forward. He grabbed the cat Faunus and brought her back to the wall before setting her down.

"We need to get out of here." Blake declared.

The spider droid placed its arms together, seeing them shift and extended into a long cannon which built up power. Adam and Blake realized a split second too late they should have been careful what they wished for.

The spider droid fired, blasting the pair out. They landed hard among boxes on another open car, rolling to a stop. The spider droid emerged from the hole it made before making its way onto the open car.

"Buy me some time!" Adam shouted hoarsely.

"Are you sure?" Blake asked.

"Do it!" Adam exclaimed.

He gripped Wilt as the red of his hair intensified. Blake ran forward, dodging blasts and throwing Gambol Shroud to pull herself towards the spider droid. The force flung her into the air, so she drew her wrist back. The ribbon of Gambol Shroud surrounded her as she swung it around.

Blake withdrew it before beginning to slash and stab the front of the spider droid. She drove both blades into it, though the spider droid was still unfazed which forced her to throw herself off. She landed beside Adam. Seeing the two of them together again, the spider droid formed its cannon.

"Move!" Adam shouted, getting Blake to turn and dash back.

The spider droid fired at Adam. He withdrew Wilt partially from Blush and intercepted the energy stream until it ceased. He then laughed, the markings on his clothes, mask, and hair glowing scarlet. The spider droid took a few steps before leaping forward.

Adam drew Wilt, slashing with all the energy he gathered. The sheer power tossed most of the boxes on the car off and disintegrated the spider droid. Adam then sheathed Wilt before heading to the next car. What he saw had him stop short and reach his hand out hesitantly

Blake stood at the other car as she looked sadly at Adam. "I'm sorry."

She took out Gambol Shroud and sliced through the coupling that linked the train cars. Whether by choice or weakness from the fight, Adam didn't join her. Blake then walked to the front of the car and fiddled with her cat ears as she took out some black cloth.

Yang Xiao Long
The roar of a motorcycle's engine was ear-splitting in the quiet city night. The blond-haired girl riding it arrived at her destination where she dismounted and walked towards a building. A bubbly beat was playing on the club's sound system as a spotlight shone on the glass door.

The girl's silhouette was visible before the doors opened. She wore a brown midriff-bearing top, a backed skirt over black shorts, and yellow bracelets. She stopped to look at the dancing partygoers in the mirrored dance space.

As she walked down the stairs, her attention was focused on two men seemingly having an argument. One of them was wearing a white coat over dark clothing, making his orange hair stand out. The other man was tall, with a beard, who wore a suit without the jacket.

Next to him were twin gothic looking girls, one in red and the other white. Yang pulled out a touch screen device, a scroll, as she approached the bar. She managed to subtly snap a picture of the group before the first man, cane tucked under his arm, walked away.

"Strawberry Sunrise." Yang voiced to the bartender, another of the suit wearers. "No ice." She then added the following as an afterthought. "Oh, one of those little umbrellas as well."

"Aren't you a little young to be in this club, blondie?" The man asked, turning to her.

Yang giggled, turning to the man and putting her hand on her hip. "Aren't you a little old to have a name like 'Junior'?"

"So, you know who I am." Junior remarked.

Yang crossed her arms, deciding to cut to the chase. "I know you're a man who allegedly knows everything." She took out her scroll, pulling up an image of a woman in red with matching eyes and hair like hers, though black in color. "Have you seen her?"

"Never seen that lady before." Junior dismissed. "Now, don't waste my time."

"Are you sure it's a waste of time?" Yang asked playfully. "Here, have another pho-oh!" She had flicked to the next photo, which happened to be the one she just took. "Is that a picture of you with notorious criminal Roman Torchwick? Man, that'd get the police's attention, wouldn't it? It'd be a shame if a concerned citizen sent this to them."

Junior looked to his nearest man, a guy in a suit with red shades. "Take that scroll."

As the man approached, he didn't even get the chance to speak before Yang grabbed and twisted his arm behind his back.

"Either some kind of Huntress or Huntress in training." Junior noted, turning to his club. "EVERYONE, CLEAR OUT!" His voice rang out, getting the music to cease and club goers to look his way. "We got ourselves a troublemaker!"

On his word, some people did file out. Others were only so much more persistent until the twins got involved and began helping the crowd leave. The bulk of Junior's guards began to crowd around those involved.

"Come now." Yang gently shoved the man she had held to his companions before looking to the man in charge. "Surely we can just kiss and make up."

"Okay…" Junior replied hesitantly, walking up to her.

They both closed their eyes and leaned forward, only for Yang to sucker punch Junior. He was flung into the air before crashing through a glass pillar. This was now enough for the last of the citizens to leave. The mobsters, having recovered from the shock of what happened, charged.

Yang smiled and drew back her arms as the golden bracelets, Ember Celica, expanded into dual-ranged shot gauntlets. She drew her right arm, which she'd used to send Junior flying, back and pumped out a shell. As the mobsters ran towards her, Yang leapt into the air.

As she fell, Yang slammed her fist into the ground. This generated flames and sent out a shockwave which knocked the mobsters backwards, throwing them onto the ground. As Yang rose from the circle of flames, she had a large grin on her face.

She leapt into the air and brought her foot down, knocking a mobster to the ground. Yang then fired a shell, boosting her punch into another mobster and bringing down a third man with a kick as she landed from her leap. Seeing their fellows in jeopardy, the other mobsters charged.

Yang ducked and dived while launching punches, firing shells, and doling out powerful strikes. She knocked down a few men before one of them managed to deliver blows she had to block. The blond stopped both of his strikes and snapped out with a kick that threw the man into the air.

His unconscious body flew through and shattered a second pillar. Another man charged, holding a red-bladed katana, and lashed out with quick strikes. Yang blocked the blows with her gauntlets and delivered several shell-fueled punches that knocked the man backwards.

The bear-suited DJ pulled out a submachine gun and opened fire. Yang ran from side-to-side, dodging the bullets before firing her gauntlets and using the recoil to vault over a barrier. Now in the DJ's booth, she double kicked him with both feet.

She then fired her left-hand gauntlet, slamming her elbow into him and followed up by slamming his head into his desk. Yang finished by lifting him up and firing both gauntlets to blast him into the air. He hit the dance floor, his bear headdress falling off and rolling past the twin girls.

"Melanie, who is this girl?" The red clad girl asked in a bored tone, brandishing the long claws attached to her wrists.

"I dunno Miltia, but we should teach her a lesson." The white-clad girl answered with the same bored tone.

Yang ejected the empty orange ammunition belts from Ember Celica and withdrew twin red belts. She threw them into the air and swung them into her gauntlets before leaping. In midair she fired her new ammunition, which Melanie and Miltia backflipped away from.

Every shot exploded where they struck the ground. Yang continued to fire, but the twins dodged each shot and closed the distance. Melanie even used her bladed heel to block one of the shots. Miltia then caught Yang's attention, giving Melanie time to lash out with a kick.

Yang only just blocked with her left gauntlet. The unharmed now dived in fully, attacking in tandem. They broke her guard, throwing Yang back and seeing her land on the ground. She was quick to rise and sprinted forward to unleash a powerful punch.

It connected squarely with Melanie, knocking the white-clad girl down. Left on her own, Miltia engaged Yang directly. Unfortunately, Miltia's claws, while fast and deadly, simply couldn't match the sheer power and intensity of Yang's recoil boosted punches.

With a flurry of blows, Yang sent the red-clad twin flying through another pillar. Melanie had just risen, but she wasn't getting any reprieve. Yang leapt towards her and lashed out with a punch, forcing Melanie to hastily dodge.

The two girls then went to it, matching one another's kicks handedly. Melanie soon launched another kick that knocked Yang back a few paces and skated forward while aiming small kicks at the blond. This was enough to drive Yang back until she decided to use her hands again.

She blocked a kick and spun while firing a blast that propelled her elbow into Melanie's solar plexus. Melanie gasped and was knocked back a step, allowing Yang to grab her right wrist. Yang spun Melanie around before snapping her leg out and kicking her hard in the forehead.

Melanie fell limply to the ground while Yang rose to her feet. A spotlight snapped on as Melanie staggered away and the music reached its peak, revealing the reason for the change. Junior was illuminated in the spotlight, hefting a large projectile launcher over his shoulder.

"You'll pay for this." Junior called out.

Junior levelled his launcher and fired four small projectiles at Yang. She rolled across the ground to avoid them before rising in a crouch. Junior aimed and fired again, the four min-rockets roaring through the air. Yang knew she couldn't dodge, so she drew back her arms in preparation.

Yang fired several times, the force of her ammunition blocking the rockets and generating a large cloud of smoke. Junior drew back the weapon, the back half sliding up to cover the front, as he leapt through the cloud of smoke. He swung with the resultant club.

It doled out a powerful blow which caught Yang off guard and knocked her through the air. She landed hard after smashing through several glass structures. Junior smiled, bringing the club up behind his head and resting it on his left shoulder.

Yang rose to her feet, slamming her gauntlets together which saw her hair briefly shooting upward and glowing with a flaming light. Yang charged. Junior shifted back to his launcher, but this time the blond could sidestep the projectiles with ease.

Junior then switched his weapon to the club again as she got close and swung. Yang ducked before lashing out with several powerful punches. Yang soon dealt a final punch, her eyes glowing red. Junior attempted to block with his weapon, but it snapped in two.

The punch then connected with and threw Junior, who rolled with the impact to end up on his feet. He looked to see he was now holding what remained of his weapon and a few strands of blonde hair. Junior smirked at Yang, who gasped in shock as her lilac eyes turned full on red.

She drew back her gauntlets as her hair exploded in flames. Yang ran full tilt at Junior, screaming while drawing back her right fist. The resulting punch connected squarely with Junior, throwing him through the window and outside the building.

Yang leapt out after him, landing solidly before partially picking up the man's body. "Now, I want answers, Junior." She realized the man was out cold and dropped him with a sigh. "Ah, you're useless."

"Yang?" Ruby asked curiously, having arrived. "Is that you?"

"Oh!" Yang replied, the red glow fading from her eyes. "Hey, sis."

Ruby put her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here?"

Yang sighed, looking up at the broken moon. "It's a long story…"