A dying Arc's wish.

19: Dangerous Foes

Jaune: Morning was starting to break as Jaune and his team went about their morning routines before their mission. However, Jaune couldn't help but feel troubled as he got his street clothes on. The way Ruby avoided him the day before stuck in his mind and his worry showed on his face as Pyrrha walked up to him.

Pyrrha: "What's wrong Jaune?"

Jaune: "Hm? Oh, it's... nothing..."

Pyrrha: "Are you sure? Cause you seem pretty distracted."

Jaune: "Well... it's just... I don't know. I'm worried about Ruby..." He said as Pyrrha sat next to him. "She seemed upset yesterday."

Pyrrha: "What happened?"

Jaune: "I'm... not sure, she wouldn't talk to me. But I can't help but feel like I've done something wrong."

Pyrrha: She placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder as their eyes met. "I don't think you're the one that made her upset Jaune..." She said. "But maybe you two should talk when she gets back from her mission."

Jaune: "Yeah... Yeah! I think I will. I just hope everything goes smoothly for them."

Pyrrha: "I'm sure they've got everything under control Jaune."

On the train-

Ruby: She planted her scythe into the train as she began to launch powerful sniper rounds at the masked woman. In response the woman used her shield to block the bullets before black fire surrounded the shield. The next instant she threw her shield at Ruby to which she used her scythe to smack it away. Steam surrounded the scythe's head as black embers could be seen lingering on the metal. Ruby didn't pay it much thought as she then fired a propelling shot sending her speeding towards the masked woman.

???: Seeing the speeding girl rushing towards her, the woman summoned more black fire as her shield rematerialized just as Ruby struck the black metal disc. "Try again." She said mockingly as she pushed Ruby backwards before charging with her sword.

Ruby: The woman was fast with her weapon, much faster than Ruby was with crescent rose. The two clashed their blades as the train continued to speed along the tracks towards vale. "Why are you working with Roman?!" She shouted while firing off more bullets. "He's trying to destroy Vale!"

???: "It's not HIM I'm working for." She replied slashing away at Ruby's bullets. "And you should really focus on staying alive!" Black fire surrounded her sword as she swung at Ruby unleashing a sharp arc of black fire.

Ruby: She fired downward and propelled herself up avoided the slash as it cut and melted through the train's roof. She then landed on the tunnel ceiling before again propelling herself with another rifle shot. She screamed as she put more weight and power into her slash hoping to break the woman's defense. The woman disappeared in fiery smoke as Ruby landed back on the train.

???: "Too slow!" She said from behind Ruby as she delivered a flying kick to Ruby's face launching her towards the previous box cars.

Ruby: She tumbled back a bit before digging her scythe into the metal bringing her momentum to a halt. Ruby started to worry as she couldn't keep up with the mysterious woman. And to make things worse the wind was now against her giving her a disadvantage.

???: Even though Ruby couldn't see behind the mask, the woman smirked as she launched several fiery projectiles at Ruby. Fiery shields were thrown like buzzsaws, balls of fire were shot as they heated up the train's metal frame. And all the while Ruby could only dodge or hit the projectiles away unable to get in close to her.

Ruby: Her feet began to heat up as she realized the metal was starting to glow red from the fire and embers. Not wanting to catch fire herself, she ran for the next box car in front of her using her semblance to avoid more projectiles and close the distance. When she came close to the woman, she activated her weapon's gun mode and propelled herself off the side of train avoiding contact with the woman. In the next instant Ruby used her semblance to quickly duck under the train's belly and out of sight.