18

I narrowed my eyes as I tracked the red blur hurtling around the soft ground like a comet. I stomped on the soil and a block of earth erupted in front of the red blur, but it managed to avoid said wall by hurtling over it like the opposite end of the magnet.

Clicking my tongue, I realized that whatever I did with my Earthen Channeling wouldn't earn me any points against the blur, so I decided to let it come to me.

Steeling my stance, I waited until it decided to stop circling around and rush me like a bull in a China shop. A few more seconds of circling later and the red blur quickly shifted, her form blitzing like a speeding bullet on the way to make its target regret his life choices.

Problem is that the thing didn't account for one simple thing.

It attacked me from the front.

Crossing my arms, I felt the weapon of the blur crash against my aura, the blade just being stopped centimeters away from my skin. My perks somehow increased my aura endurance, so even if I have low capacity, as the scrolls suggests, I have bonus resistances.

Think of it like damage reduction in percentage. Kinda broken, not gonna lie.

The red blur transformed into a shocked Ruby, and a smirk was all she got as I grabbed the scythe by the pole and swung her around like stuffed animal. She yelped and screamed - sometimes squeed in joy too - and before she knew it, her grip failed her, and she was sent flying to a nearby tree.

The resounding 'ow' coming from her lips made me wince and I slowly approached the downed girl with her scythe in hand.

Ruby laid on the ground, eyes swirling while she rested a hand on her head.

"What's the number of that bullhead that hit me?" Ruby's voice cracked slightly as she got up, her legs quivering like a newborn fawn. They gave out and sent the girl tumbling to the ground, only for me to catch her in my arms.

Damn, she was light.

"Uh, I dunno… 6996?" That got a quick shove from the disoriented girl, and she glared at me like I killed her father or something.

"Jaaaacck! What did I say about nasty jokes?" In an instant, she went from disoriented, to assertive in an instant. Kind of funny, actually. The girl would be a bumbling idiot in front a person the first time, then an assertive and downright lecturer the next. When it comes to swears and lewd jokes, that is.

Not sure how appropriate it is to mention them to minors like her, but if you're old enough to swing a fuck-off scythe that shoots .50 caliber bullets and fight off monsters of the night that murders literal villages of people, then you're old enough to hear a lewd comment or two.

Seriously, I really don't understand why deciding denying children important information about their hormones when hitting puberty is an act many people agree on doing. It's stupid. Idiotic.

Maybe that's why there are a lot of teenage moms back in my old world. No sense on the consequences of the deed.

"That it's bad and you don't like to hear 'em." I rolled my eyes at the cutesy pout the redhead was giving me. "But watching action movies and gore films somehow isn't?"

"Hey, it's fiction." Ruby defended, and somehow, she got a point.

"… That's on me." I sighed and ruffled her hair, which caused her to growl like a cute chipmunk. "Seriously though, why the hate for lewd comments? Isn't the 69 thing a really common one?"

"Yeah, it is, but it's just so… icky… and gross… Urgh." Ruby stuck her tongue out and mimicked vomiting. "I don't know why you and Yang are obsessed with it."

"Hey, it's a thing with the common fab nowadays." I shrugged and plopped my butt on the ground right next to the tree Ruby crashed into. There was still a Ruby-shaped indent on the bark. "Ask the new generation… which includes you for making that slang."

"Aren't you the same age as my sister?" Ruby narrowed her eyes and I let out a cheery laugh.

"Hah! Nope, I'm reaching 24 now." The reaction Ruby gave was priceless.

"What!? But you… You don't look old! You look like you're in your teens!" Ruby's shout caused some birds perched on the trees to go flying away.

"I just have good genes." I smirked and the disbelief on Ruby's face was goddamn priceless, I just had to take a picture of it. Sadly, my scroll wasn't anywhere near me, and I had to etch the scene into my head, so I don't forget it. "Also, take a seat, why don't you. I know you kids are energetic, but even that has its limits, right?"

"… That's it, I'm calling you old man now." Ruby pouted and took a seat just a few meters away, her back resting on a nearby tree. She sighed and let the back of her head rest onto the bark as well, before she looked at me with her silver eyes. She then closed it again and decided silence was a good comforter right after a grueling spar.

I mimicked her actions as well, the bark feeling rough against the back of my scalp. The scent of oak filled my nostrils, reminding me of the good times back on earth when my parents were still alive.

Damn, time sure flies.

"Ruby." I didn't know why I decided to call her name. Maybe it was out of curiosity about this fictional character given life, or maybe because it was just bored. Yeah, maybe I am just bored. "Why do you want to be a huntress?"

In the show, they revealed that Ruby wanted to be Huntress to be a hero. Not out of some misguided attempt at being THE hero that most children aspire to be, but just because she thought her mom was cool for saving lives as a Huntress.

She was altruistic to a fault when in the earlier seasons, and to be honest, I kind of admired her character for that.

It's hard to be that way when living in a world where danger lurks in every corner outside of the Kingdoms. Hell, they were practically child soldiers if one looked at a different perspective. That's not even accounting the various criminal organizations and the well-known terrorist group, the White Fang.

But that was a show, and this was reality. How is this Ruby compared to the show Ruby? Will they be the same? Will they have the same motivations now that I was a new piece on the board?

"Why do you want to know?" Ruby glances at me, her gaze boring down on me like a cute animal.

"I'm just curious." I waved my hand. "I know your mother was a Huntress… And that she died in the line of duty, so why? Why a huntress?"

Ruby stayed silent for a minute or so, before she offered a kind smile towards me.

"Whenever I think about mom, I always remembered her telling me all sorts of stories." Ruby faced the ground with a wistful smile on her lips. "She would keep on telling me what she did, how she beat the Grimm and save a village, how she beat the bad guys and save the people… She would just go on and on, until dad had to step in and drag her aside because I wouldn't sleep with her there. I just… I dunno… I wanted to be like her…"

I remained silent as she continued. I noticed her fingers drawing circles on the ground while she continued regaling me about her mother, Summer Rose.

"Dust, I can't even remember her face because I was so young…" Ruby seemed miserable about that fact, and I can't help but notice but empathize with her. If I couldn't remember the face of my own mother… Damn… "All I could remember about her are her stories and her sweet voice as she sung me a lullaby to sleep."

"And also, her white cloak." My words got a Ruby to cheer up slightly. It was amusing, yet heartbreaking to see Ruby, the one right next to me, snuggling onto a white cloak as she slept during the night.

As for how I knew, Yang told me. The first time she did that, Ruby lit up like a Christmas tree and chased a laughing Yang across the yard while yelling kid-friendly profanities.

Good times.

"That too." The red reaper chuckled, before she looked at me. "What about your parents?"

My heart grew heavy at the thought of those two. Probably sensing my emotions, Ruby shakily waved her arms around like a mime.

"I-It's okay if you don't want to talk about it." Ruby grew somber again. "I… I know the feeling."

I winced. Goddamnit, here was Ruby, willing to tell me about her dead mother, while here I was, hesitant to do the same… I know it hurts… remembering… but… Damn it if I ain't a hypocrite.

"It's fine. They were nice… I could even argue that they were the best, but hey, which kid wouldn't say their parents weren't the best when they were spoiled rotten." The joke managed to make Ruby laugh. "They were just normal. No Huntsman or Huntress jobs, no crime-fighting shticks, just regular old people living their ordinary lives."

"But then an accident happened." I grimaced. Every time I remember that scene, my heart palpitates like a beating drum. "It just all happened so fast… One moment, we were on our way back to home in our car, the next, I was crying on the sidewalk while somebody dragged me out of the wreckage."

"Jack… I'm so sorry…" Ruby winced, and I appreciated her even more for sympathizing, perhaps even empathizing since we both managed to experience the same feeling of loss.

The workout was doing wonders for my mental, but even then… It hurts…

"Thanks, and it's fine." I waved her off with a smile. "It happened a long time ago. I even think they're proud of me of where I am now." Minus the otherworldly kidnapping, of course, but that went unsaid.

We just sat there in silence for a few minutes, basking in each other's presence, until a loudmouth decided to break that serene atmosphere.

"Jack! I'm here! Prepare to get you as- butt kicked!" Well, I'll be, she managed to avoid saying a swear. I guess Ruby's swear jar does things to people.

"Ohohoho… But it is you who is going to be receiving the butt kicking!" I tried to mimic a kind of pompous voice then stood up and pointed a finger at her. Her reaction was a grimace.

"Dude, don't ever do that again." Even Ruby was nodding along with her sister about my abysmal act. Tch, critics, every one of 'em.

Yang then did her signature pose, fist meeting fist as her knuckles ground against each other.

"I'm not going down without a fight." I moved away from the tree and readied a stance. "By the way, you're using Ember Celica now?"

"Dust yes, I am!" A smirk was all I needed to know this girl was taking me seriously. Well, shit… Goodbye, quest. You will never be forgotten. "I'm not falling for your petty tricks this time."

"… Just gonna let you know, this is going to hurt you a lot more than its gonna hurt me." I said, my tone grim. I knew I was fucked, but I was gonna stay defiant till the end.

Momma didn't raise no pussy.

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Everything… hurts…

I lay on the ground, defeated, and Yang looked bruised and messy, but otherwise, still in tip-top shape…

Goddamnit… my quest…!

[Quest Failed!]

[Rematch of Epic (not quite) Proportions]

[Objective: Beat Yang in the fight]

[Bonus Objective: Dominate Yang]

[Rewards: 1 Epic Perk roll, 1 Epic Item roll, 20 stat points]

[Bonus Rewards: 1 Legendary Perk roll, 1 Legendary Item roll, 30 stat points]

Ughhh… Why'd you give me an impossible quest…? Then again… the rewards were pretty good… Fuuuuckkkk…

I'm just gonna conk out now… Even my endurance has nothing on Yang's firepower and techniques yet…

I'm gonna need more perks… and more training… and some more perks…

I'll have my revenge against you, you dumb but beautiful blond, mark my words…!

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