Amity Colosseum
5:56 PM
9 Minutes to the Fall
Red Hood Pov
The stare down between me and the assassin continued until I dashed forward. At the very least, I needed to stall for time until I can jump. As I closed the distance, I drew my knife, slashing as it came out. The assassin stepped to the side and tried to bring the katana down on my head. I rolled forward with my momentum and escaped before she could bury it in my neck.
I got back on my feet and raised my arms to catch hers, trapping the blade. She brought her knee up into my ribs, trying to get me off of her. I brought my knife back along her arm as I yanked it back. She screamed but held on to the katana. She hooked my leg and pulled out, taking me off my feet. As I fell, she hooked my arm with hers and swept her katana against my hand with the knife. The blade bit into my wrist, making me drop my knife.
8 Minutes to the Fall
She reeled her katana back and tried to stick it in my chest. I brought my hands up and caught her wrists. The blade sinking a inch into my chest. I felt the burning pain followed by wetness around the wound. She put all her body weight on the blade, making it sink further in. I yelped as I brought my leg up and kicked her left leg out from under her.
She fell, taking enough weight off of me to throw her off of me. I scrambled forward, trying to get up before her but she was faster. She swiped the sword at my head, forcing me to jerk my head back as I stood up or lose it. She kept swinging at me, pushing me back with every swipe. I brought my arms up and the blade caught my bracers. The blade slid harmlessly along my bracers and I took advantage of her being off balance.
I kicked out, catching her knee, knocking her leg out from under her and trapping her sword arm with my right, while wrapping my left arm around her neck. I started clamping down and twisting her head. I tried to jerk her head when she regained her footing and jumped. The back of her head smashing into my face. I let go and reeled back as she spun around and swiped her sword along my gut.
7 Minutes to the Fall
I clenched my teeth and leaped back. She was really starting to piss me off. I pulled out my crowbar, and got in close, using it to block her swipe. I reeled my arm back and punched with all I had. The assassin stumbled back, giving me a opening to grab my knife. I swooped down and snatched it up and ran forward, shoulder charging her. She stepped to the side and slashed downward on my back.
I redirected and elbowed her in the face as I stumbled but caught myself. The assassin raised her head up and looked at the Bullhead controls before looking back at me. I ran at her as she sprinted for the controls before she drove her sword through the control panel. The Bullhead jerked and the warning lights and sirens started going off. I caught myself before looking out of the passenger window and seeing the colosseum coming up.
6 Minutes to the Fall
I hit the door controls and the door slid open. The assassin returned her attention to me and saw me getting ready to bail out. Just as I jumped, the assassin threw a throwing knife, barely missing me. The Bullhead started to go down, solving the assassin problem hopefully. I put my crowbar and knife away as I fell and pulled out the grapple gun before firing at the landing pad. The grapple caught hold of its mark and started to pull me towards the colosseum grounds.
Just as I reached the landing pads, I hit the release on the grapple and petal burst over the edge. The way was clear with no Knights in sight. I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not. I sprinted further into the colosseum. All I had to do was interfere with the match. If I could do that, then whatever they had planned will fall apart. I don't know who's fighting or what they plan to do but I wasn't about to let it happen.
Ruby Pov
Same Time
I was walking along the service tunnels. I don't know how many times I've looped around at this point. So far I haven't found anything that would indicate that something was wrong. I didn't know if maybe I was wrong or if there was something I was missing.
Ooblecks voice sounded over the intercom, signifying the start of the match. I was about to give up when out of a side room, Mercury walked out. It was like he wanted my attention. It made my question how many times I had walked by him without knowing.
5 Minutes to the Fall
Ruby: Mercury....?
Port: It looks like our first contender is Penny Polendina, from Atlas!
Ruby: ....What are you doing here?
Mercury didn't say a word. He just stared at me with a arrogant smirk on his face.
Port: And her opponent will be.... Pyrrha Nikos, from Beacon!
It took me a second to piece everything together. Mercury being here. The way they paraded Y/n, Coco and Yatsu around. Yang "Breaking" his leg. And now Penny and Pyrrha being paired up to fight. All of that accumulating to the realization of what they were about to do.
Ruby: ....No....
Mercury: Ooooh. Metal versus Polarity. Tch.... That's a bad pairing....
I reached behind me to pull out Crescent Rose only to find that I didn't have it on me. I wasn't great with hand to hand fighting but it looked like I didn't have much of a choice but to do it anyway. Mercury dropped his stance and tapped his front foot on the ground. The audible sound of a shotgun racking echoing along the hallway.
Mercury and I stood about twenty feet apart from one another. Both of us was waiting to see who would move first. On one hand I wanted to do whatever I had to in order to stop him. On the other, they were supposed to be our friends. I wanted to talk this out. Maybe convince him not to do this.
Ruby: Mercury.... What are you doing? You were hurt. Why- Please.... What's going on?
Mercury stood there, smiling even more. I tried....
Ruby: Fine....
4 Minutes to the Fall
Ruby: If your not going to tell me, I'll just go through you.
The countdown for the match started just as I said that. Both of us stood our ground, facing one another. I was ready to do exactly as I said and go through him if I had to.
Mercury: Showtime!
I started trying to find a opening to get past him. All I had to do was interfere with the match and it would be called off. That started with getting past him. We continued our little dance of me looking for the opening and him closing any that I found until I finally had enough and just went for it. I leaped forward and petal burst, going as fast as I could to get past him.
Mercury reeled his foot back and shot it out at the perfect time and nailed me right in the gut. I couldn't remember the last time someone had managed to pull me out of a petal burst. At the last second, Mercury fired and I felt the pellets from the shell tear into my Aura. Some of them even getting past it.
I flew back and landed hard, gasping and wheezing for air. Blood was starting to leak out and a burning pain in my gut was becoming increasingly more painful by the second. I knew getting shot hurt but I never would have imagined something like this. Mercury laughed as I stumbled up and was about to aim his leg at me when I heard a roar followed by Mercury going flying thanks to a mass of Black and Red rose petals....
Red Hood Pov
I came out of my petal burst, forcibly throwing Mercury away from Ruby. As I stopped and reformed, I pulled out Withered Rose and my Crowbar. I didn't have the time to deal with him normally but with Ruby here, only one of us had to get by. Mercury shot up and he looked pissed.
Mercury: Do you always have to get in the way when I get to the fun part?
Red Hood: What did I say about staying away from my family?
Mercury: Ooooh. Scary~ Come on then. I beat you once before, I can do it again easily.
Red Hood: You forget about all the other times we've fought.
3 Minutes to the Fall
Ruby joined me, though she looked a little worse for wear. She was clearly hurt but it didn't look like a serious wound. Only a very painful one. One that I was going to pay back tenfold. Penny and Pyrrha were fighting and if we didn't stop it, either Penny or Pyrrha were going to get hurt or killed. Failure wasn't a option. It never was.
Mercury charged at us, focusing solely on Ruby since she was already hurt and the faster of the two of us. He knew all he had to do was stall for time. Ruby dodged several kicks from Mercury and came close to getting shot again when I yanked Mercury off his feet with the crowbar. I was about to ram it into his back when he rolled to the side and spun on his back, hitting both Ruby and I.
I petal burst at Mercury and he did a spinning heel kick. I didn't think he would be fast enough to catch me but I was proven wrong. He nailed me square in the eye with the kick. I felt my mask creak and the lens in my mask shatter. I felt small cuts near my eye and knew that my mask had been busted. I was flung back towards Ruby and she helped me up.
Ruby: Already tried that. That's how I got hurt to begin with.
Red Hood: Good to know....
2 Minutes to the Fall
Both of us Petal burst forward at the same time. I stopped short and tackled Mercury as Ruby opted to keep going, bouncing off the wall and coming out of the burst sprinting. Mercury threw me off of him, now looking furious. He kicked it up a notch and started trying to put pressure on me to keep me defensive. Having learned my lesson about being defensive, I ignored the kick to the chest and swung for the fences for his rear leg with Withered Rose.
Just as Mercurys' leg connected, he dropped with his right prosthetic leg being destroyed. He realized what had happened and I saw pure fear in his eyes when he knew that he had lost and that I wasn't on a leash this time. I put my weapons away and grabbed him by the throat before I slammed him into the wall. He threw a punch but I caught it with my free hand and with little effort, twisted his wrist until I heard a loud snap.
He screamed and I headbutted him to shut him up I used my free hand to pull out one of my pistols and asked him a very simple question.
Red Hood: You remember what I told you I would do if you fucked with my family?
Mercury: I-I'm not scared of you....
I put the pistol to his crotch.
60 Seconds to the Fall
Red Hood: You should be.... *Bang*
I fired a single round into him. He screeched and I dropped him. He was bleeding heavily from the new bullet hole that was just above his twig and berries. I kneeled down and without any fanfare grabbed his hand and forced him to put a finger into his bullet wound making him yelp.
Red Hood: Where I shot you has several major veins and arteries running through it. You would know that if you payed attention in anatomy class. You did pay attention right? I hope you did because if you don't find whatever I hit and put pressure on it, you are going to die. I would sit here and watch you bleed out but I got shit to do. Good luck asshole.
Mercury: F-Fuck you, Y/n! I'm going to make you watch as I destroy everything you love!
Red Hood: We'll see about that.
I petal burst away, hoping that I didn't waste too much time with Mercury. The only reason I did was because Ruby made it past. She was faster than me so she has the better chance at it than I do. I pushed myself to go faster and faster. The dizziness from overuse not even being a concern.
30 Seconds to the Fall
While petal bursting, I caught up with Ruby. I stopped and ran with her. She looked at me before smiling at seeing me safe and Mercury dealt with. I probably should have just killed him but I wanted him to suffer a bit before he did. We turned the corner and saw a lone Knight facing us. It had a chess piece on its face. I petal burst forward and slammed its head into the ground, completely destroying it.
Roman and Neo must not have been able to stop it. I just hope their ok. We lost too much in the last twenty-four hours, we didn't need to lose anything else.
10 Seconds to the Fall
We reached the locker room and burst through the door.
9 Seconds to the Fall
Ruby and I rushed through the room and to the opposite door leading to the tunnel.
8 Seconds to the Fall
We pulled the door opened and rushed through.
7 Seconds to the Fall
The light was literally at the end of the tunnel.
6 Seconds to the Fall
Ruby and I sprinted, not daring to slow down.
5 Seconds to the Fall
Ruby stumbled a little but I caught her and pulled her along.
4 Seconds to the Fall
We were halfway through the tunnel.
3 Seconds to the Fall
We could hear the crowd roaring as we neared.
2 Seconds to the Fall
We could see Pyrrha and Penny.
1 Second to the Fall
Pyrrha lifted her arms up like she was about to push something away. My eyes went wide as I realized what was about to happen.
....
....
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....The Fall is Here....