The Knights of Grimm - Act 3 - Shattered Memory

Chapter 8 - The Knights' Bannermen

Rule Number One: A Huntress must never forget to clean their weapon, know the ins and outs of it, for their weapon is as much a friend as the person beside you.

Professor Port's words.

She fiddles around with the mechanism that transforms the scythe blade back and forth; grime covers her hands as she plays with it and wipes the dirt from the joints. She takes out the lever and cocks it back, checking that the feed is working correctly. The last thing that Ruby ever wants to experience is to fire the gun and nothing happens because it is jammed. Or for the worst possible outcome in that scenario, the ammunition explodes inside the rifle and blows Crescent Rose up. She already lost one version of her beloved Scythe Sniper Rifle; to lose it again would be heartbreaking for her.

Crescent Rose has seen many upgrades, though since her previous death. With the help of Weiss, the rifle is now capable of simply having all magazine types loaded at once, just with the flick of a switch she can make the rotating chamber change the shells that she is using. Just like how Myrtenaster works. The blade also now has an ability where it can be coated in a form of dust, either fire, ice or whichever she chooses in combat. Now she can make her blows even more effective.

With Crescent Rose, the phrase whatever doesn't kill you just makes you stronger is quite literal indeed.

Ruby sets the weapon down on the table and picks up her screwdriver, twisting the screws round so then they actually get into the weapon itself. She continues to do so as she finishes up with cleaning her massive weapon, and she turns when she notices in the corner of her eye that Weiss has walked over to her. Weiss smiles at Ruby when she approaches and she stands next to her. "How's she doing?" Weiss asks her, and Ruby sighs.

"Why is it that whenever I have to clean her...all of the gunk is at the middle?" She asks her, pointing at the weapon on the table with both hands with annoyance. "Every single time, it always goes into the hardest area to get to." She sighs and Weiss giggles, setting Myrtenaster down on the table beside Crescent Rose. The scythe dwarfs her sword completely.

"I know what you mean. The hardest part of Myrtenaster to clean is the inside of the blade...such a pain." Weiss sighs as she shows it to Ruby. Ruby holds her sword in her hand, admiring the blade with awe in her big eye; Weiss rarely lets anybody hold her sword. But after what happened to Ruby...everything that has happened actually since the previous Fall of Beacon...she has realised how much she really has here. She has become nicer, whether she would admit it or not. Ruby gently pushes her thumb onto the hammer that rotates the chamber of dust crystals round, no matter how many years will pass, her eagerness to observe other weapons shall never fade.

"Did you make it as well?" Ruby asks her as she sets it back down on the table.

"Yeah, had some help with Winter. And Klein funnily enough." She giggles when she mentions his name and Ruby raises her brow.

"I've yet to meet this guy. You praise him a lot." Ruby says.

"Well, he has been more of a dad to me than my actual one." Weiss points out and Ruby nods. She did not speak to Weiss' father much, but she could quickly figure out what kind of man he is from how ill he spoke of his own daughter. "I owe him a lot; he did save my life by helping me get out of that place." She says to her and then Ruby stops in her tracks and turns to Weiss.

"Hang on...is this the cake butler?" She asks her with a raised brow and Weiss pauses for a moment, almost like she is embarrassed. Weiss sighs and nods to Ruby. "I knew it!" She squeaks.

"Look, he always made me cakes and hot chocolate whenever I was feeling down." Weiss explains and then Ruby giggles.

"From what you've told me about how miserable Atlas is, you must have been fat." Ruby giggles and Weiss giggles back. The old Weiss would have snapped at Ruby for that, but she has changed. Her aggressive personality is now more her way of showing her banter towards her friends, she no longer means it in a nasty way.