Blood of The Rose

Chapter 25: Sabbat Bloody Sabbat

Santa Monica

First thing the next evening, almost as soon as the sun set, the pair of fledglings emerged from their Haven, geared up for battle. Weiss carried the bag containing the Astrolite slung over her shoulder along with her rapier bag, and wore her usual white peacoat dress, while Ruby was dressed in a black tank top, matching jeans, and a red zip-up hoodie that was not quite as nice as her fashionable one, nor would it be mourned were it to be filled with bullet holes. Not like I'm expecting it to be, or anything… the brunette snickered to herself softly.

Wordlessly they wound their way through the back alleys of Santa Monica, crossing Main Street towards their destination.

Bertram greeted them both, once again standing in the center of the tank as if he knew exactly when to expect them. "You two ready to go?"

The pair of fledglings nodded in concert. "Yep, all set, let's do this," Ruby proclaimed.

Half an hour later they found themselves edging along an old, dried-out sewer, lined with stones and underneath what had once been a train depot station. Bertram had dropped them off at the entrance, informing them that he'd meet them back at the abandoned gas station once they were successful.

The brunette laid a hand along one of the pillars that supported the flooring overhead. The construction around them was easily from long before Ruby had even been born. At the end of their trek was a series of collapsed tunnels, one of them with enough room for them to crawl up the debris and into a partially-collapsed bathroom, just as Bertram had advised them.

With a quick, steadying exhale, Ruby eased the door open for them to sneak through. Directly across the way was another room containing a functioning series of urinals and with the back side of what looked to be a gang member peeing in one while whistling tunelessly. Weiss raised her eyebrows questioningly, to which Ruby made a grand gesture for her to proceed forth.

Smirking, Weiss crept up and snapped his neck just as he zipped himself up. Without displaying any real exertion, the small girl lifted the corpse up by the back of his jeans and slung him down the hole they'd just come from. The brunette wrinkled her pert nose at the indignity of it all, but her partner merely sidled back up to her, leaning over to whisper in her ear.

"There are likely sentries all along the outer edges of this Sabbat operation," she warned quietly. "We'll need to be very stealthy from here on out."

"Great, just great…" Ruby grumbled mutedly, though her silver eyes narrowed in determination. I am not gonna screw this up!

She gave a start, then, as Weiss rested a hand along her forearm, pale blue eyes shining intently. "You can do this, Ruby. I'll go first, just follow in my footsteps and stay alert."

The brunette gave her a resolved nod and together they slinked out of the corridor and into the next chamber.

Before them was a series of what had once been rooms, the walls now mostly destroyed, likely for firewood by the homeless as evidenced by a number of old, dusty mattresses lying about. Off to the side, Ruby spotted an open crate containing some ammunition of various calibers. She slipped the handful of .38 rounds into her pocket but kept her trusty bat in hand as they didn't want to make a lot of noise just yet. Y'know, stealthy and all that… I'mma mouse, I'mma mouse, I'm a sneaky little-

She broke off her internal ditty with a quiet eep as the sound of a conversation reached her ears from nearby. Weiss noted her reaction, wordlessly gesturing towards the front door which must have led outside. The brunette nodded, but then gave her partner's sleeve a tug as she spotted a plywood board propped against the wall on the other side. From what she could tell, there seemed to be flickering lights coming from behind it. They carefully set it aside, revealing a waist-high hole in the wall, and crawled out onto the old train station platform where a homeless man in rags was warming himself by a fire inside an oil drum.

The man pointedly ignored them as they slipped by and into the trainyard itself. It was a wide, open area though their view was filled with freight cars, some open but most locked shut. Obviously, they'd need to weave their way through them to reach their destination on the other side of the yard.

Ruby crept behind the platinum-haired girl, keeping to her shadow and trying to place her feet in the same places she did. She was a bit proud of herself for not bumping into her backside when Weiss paused by a large red freight car labeled Confederate Atlantic, holding up a warning hand, as they overheard another conversation, this one from up ahead with their words carrying towards them on the night breeze.

"Yo, what the fuck is going on here tonight?" a whiny masculine voice began. "Marcus is in everyone's face and shit!"

"Didn't you hear?" a second voice answered, slow and deliberate in his words. "A new shipment came in, some pretty serious hardware."

"Yeah, I heard, but what the fuck? We get that kind of shit in here all the time. What's so different about tonight?"

"I dunno, Marcus's as tense as a motherfucker. Maybe he heard something."

"Like what?"

"Like I don't know, but keep your fucking eyes open!"

A third man grunted irritably. "Someone better tell those clowns in the freight house to quit playing cards before Marcus comes out and starts peeling fucking caps, you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I hear ya," the first voice answered, trailing off as the trio of guards resumed their patrol in the direction they'd just come from.

After a few seconds to make sure they didn't double back, the pair of vampires snuck around the other side of the rail car where the thugs had been standing, keeping to the shadows cast by light posts and oil drum fires scattered about.

Eventually, they came across a series of crates, set up like steps, leading up to another freight car with a padlock on the door.

"This might be a back door," Weiss whispered. "It'd be advantageous for us to use it if we could, as the front seems to have a lot of thugs patrolling."

Ruby smirked widely in response. "I got this." Whipping out her lockpicks, she handily took care of the lock after only a few seconds of effort. The brunette turned triumphantly but as she did the padlock slipped from her fingers. She flailed for it, desperately grasping for the lump of metal. Fortunately, though, Weiss caught it with her usual dextrous reflexes before it could hit the steel rail below.

The other fledgling just sighed and shook her head with a small smile, gently placing the padlock behind a crate and out of sight. Ruby flashed her a grateful grin before opening the door slowly and carefully. There was nobody there to greet them, so the pair eased themselves inside and closed the sliding door behind them once more.

They now found themselves at the edge of the rail yard, next to a stone fence topped by barbed wire. With a quick glance around, Weiss once again led the way, sneaking along the fence and keeping to the shadows. As the fledglings passed the last car in line, pulled partially into the warehouse, they paused as they picked up on the rough voices of another group of gang members inside, evidently the ones playing cards. Weiss paused for only a moment before moving on once again as they remained oblivious to their passage.

"You gonna bet or what?" one of the men inside drawled.

Another thug grunted absentmindedly, gazing at his hand. "Relax, Holmes, I'm in."

"Yo, Marcus will be crackin' down on people now, right?" a third man spoke up, dark-skinned and with a thick urban accent.

"What the fuck you talkin' about?" the first retorted.

The third man nodded earnestly. "Yeah, something going down tonight, he knows something we don't. You ever see this many of us here at one time?"

The second gang member cut him off, his voice quiet and menacing. "I know you best keep your voice down, Marcus don't play that shit."

"What shit?" he replied with a snort, though he did lower his voice. "I'm just asking a question."

"That's the shit he don't play."

"Look, both of you shut up and play your fucking cards already, alright?" the first man interjected irritably.

They left the conversation behind them as the pair of vampires continued to edge past. Soon enough they came upon a door, which Weiss tested to confirm it was locked. Without additional prompting, the brunette pulled out her lockpicks again and got to work. Though it took a bit longer this time, she still managed to get it open in under a minute.

Inside the railhouse now, the fledglings could observe a pair of cars pulled partially inside. They cautiously edged past the last in line to where another door could be seen under a catwalk. Weiss ducked back around, motioning to the brunette that there was another thug standing guard up top, but that he wasn't paying very close attention to the inside of the building. The white and red figures quickly darted underneath where he stood and soundlessly opened the door, sliding out of the railhouse and closing the portal behind them.

So far so good, Ruby thought with cautious optimism.

The fledglings found themselves in a large staging yard in between the warehouses and the train depots, filled with crates. There were, however, more thugs in between them and the door into the warehouse itself.

Glancing around, Ruby spied an empty soda can atop the near crate and formulated a plan, which she conveyed to her partner through gestures. Weiss looked a bit confused at first, then apprehensive, and finally resigned, indicating with a shrug for her to proceed.

Note to self, never play charades with Weiss, she's terrible at this sorta thing…

The brunette slowly picked up the can, ducking back behind the crate before flinging it towards the far side of the clearing. As soon as she did so she was in motion, quickly darting towards the right-hand side with Weiss on her heels. Unfortunately, her distraction managed to catch on an overhead power cable and dropped down into the middle of the yard. In unison, all the thugs glanced towards the fallen soda can, but not nearly as far away as she'd hoped.

"Swiss fuckin' cheese," Ruby groaned.

Weiss sighed in agreement. "That could have gone better."

"Yep, it could have." The brunette glanced up at a shout from one of the gang bangers as the pair of Kindred were spotted, only partially concealed by the cover there. "And here we go."

Both fledglings raced out into the yard, melee weapons in hand, to meet the onrush of opponents. Ruby managed to activate her Fortitude before slamming into one of the thugs, bowling him over unceremoniously, while swinging out at another attacker who was bringing a holdout revolver to bear upon them. As her weapon connected with his hand, the loud crack of the bone snapping echoed throughout the courtyard. The gang member dropped his gun with a howl that was abruptly cut off by the simple expedient of her bat slamming into his skull. Stepping over the felled man, she spun and whipped her melee weapon around to brain the first thug, still struggling to rise.

The dirt kicked up at her feet as a shot rang out. Still in a crouch, she turned to see another thug holding a cheap revolver out towards her, eyes wide with fear. Snarling, the brunette raced towards him in a sprint. The somewhat pudgy man was shaking like a leaf, which certainly hindered his aim as he fired off two more shots. Both went wide, missing his target who crashed into him in a red blur.

Ruby straddled her opponent and landed a solid punch across his face, knocking him senseless. She glanced around to note that Weiss had the others taken care of, though the door that they'd already passed through opened back up to reveal two more gang bangers. Weiss was there before they could even react, eviscerating one and pouncing on the other to feed. Deciding that was a good idea with her recent blood expenditure, the brunette leaned over to drain her current victim.

Rising, she wiped her mouth off on her sleeve, giving Weiss a nod as the platinum blonde stepped up.

"We need to move quickly," Weiss stated calmly, wiping delicately at the corners of her own mouth. "These cretins will be missed soon enough." She headed for the next door, Ruby following close behind.

With practiced ease, the brunette fledgling picked the lock and eased the door open. Before them was the cavernous main warehouse, populated by a plethora of thugs walking along the perimeter and bustling about, lugging crates. Directly ahead, however, was a metal staircase leading up to the surrounding catwalk and the offices. After giving a quick glance around to ensure they were not under observation, Weiss slipped past, gliding up the steps. Ruby remained right on her heels, concentrating hard on stepping exactly where her partner had and keeping silent.

They were almost to the top when their luck finally ran out.

The door leading to the offices opened to reveal another pair of thugs. The two parties stared at each other for a moment in shock before Weiss lunged forward, skewering the first one in line. The other, though, managed to yell out a warning as he pulled a gun from his waistband. Ruby unhesitatingly leapt over Weiss and the falling body to tackle the remaining man, slamming her bat into his head once downed and spattering herself with gore.

Gunfire began to pepper the walls around the two crouched fledglings. "Shit on a motherfucking pancake!" Ruby yelped.

"Move!" Weiss shouted. "I'll set the charges, cover me!"

The brunette yanked her gun out, holding it in her right hand while clutching the bat with her left. She stood in the doorway, ignoring the tugs and pricks to her clothing as she fired down at the thugs running up the stairs. Amazingly enough, she even managed to hit a few and sent them tumbling down to tangle up the others in a heap.

Upon hearing a commotion behind her, Ruby turned to face a better-dressed thug wearing trousers and a silk red shirt, racking a shotgun as he eyed Weiss where she crouched behind a desk. Growling furiously, she flung her bat at him as a distraction, successfully causing him to stumble back in surprise. As soon as her melee weapon left her hands, she was in motion, racing towards him while firing her gun and forcing him back further, but he recovered quickly enough to bring the shotgun back up, leveling it at her head.

Allowing her instincts to take over, the petite brunette ducked and slammed into him with her shoulder. She could feel the pellets graze her backside as the thunderous report went off over her head, but she managed to twist her momentum and throw him to the ground, placing one quick shot into his temple. Out of bullets and having no time to reload, she hurriedly stuck her gun back into her hoodie pocket and grabbed the bat, joining Weiss in the middle of the room.

Weiss' eyes were pale blue orbs full of concern. "The timer is set for two minutes!"

"What?!" Ruby gaped incredulously. "Why would you do that?"

Her partner grabbed hold of her sleeve and began pulling her along the way they'd come in. "I didn't, it was preset!"

"Son of a shitbiscuit!"

"Yes, my sentiments exactly!"

Both panicked fledglings raced back down the steps. More thugs were trying to push past the fallen bodies there but the pair of girls leapt adroitly over their heads and out the door, leaving the milling gang members to stare after them, dumbfounded.

As soon as they made it outside, however, both fledglings went down in a tangle of limbs as they collided with what looked to be a young Sabbat grunt. The snarling vampire tried to take a bite out of Ruby's arm, but she'd reactivated her Fortitude as soon as they fell, and he was unable to pierce her skin. The brunette growled in irritation and pushed him off, allowing Weiss to slash through his abdomen and up into his ribcage, turning him into fiery ash. Both sprang to their feet and took off once more.

Their mad dash took them through the railway depot room next, but just as they passed through the door another pair of Sabbat vampires, both with machetes, dropped from the top of one of the railcars. Weiss instinctively drew herself erect and into in a fencer's stance, rapier held out in front of her, but Ruby just barreled on in.

"Weiss, we don't have time for this shit!" the brunette shouted as she knocked the machete of one of the vampires aside with her bat. Darting in, she slammed her elbow into his face, snapping his neck back and leaving him wide open. She spun around and, on the backswing, took his head clean off, turning him to ash at her feet.

"Yes, quite right," Weiss muttered, a bit abashed. With her usual grace, she swatted away her opponent's initial lunge and skewered him through his chest, pushing him off with one boot to impale him through his right eye and out the back of his skull. The platinum-haired fledgling shook the ash off of her sword before they continued to run out the next door and into the railyard.

"Time?" Ruby shouted over her shoulder, eyes scanning for any gang members.

"Fifteen seconds!" Weiss yelled back. "We'll make it!"

With little time to spare, they got past the rail cars and up onto the platform before they heard a thunderous explosion behind them. Turning, the two Kindred watched the sky behind them light up from the power of the blast, decimating the warehouse, the depot, and making half of the rail cars before them shake. Both ducked down instinctively but remain unscathed as the force of the explosion washed overhead.

"Well," Weiss sighed, straightening up. "That was… exhilarating."

"Yeah, it was," the brunette laughed. She perked up, though, at the sound of running feet. "Wait, someone's coming…"

And then, across the tops of the rail cars lined up on the far side of the yard, she spotted a silvery figure that quickly materialized into that of a wolf, who leapt down onto the platform to join them. Ruby gave a startled squeak, clutching her bat defensively in both hands, just as the wolf morphed into the form of a man. He had long black hair and an ankle-length brown overcoat over an orange shirt. Tinted glasses couldn't conceal the otherworldly orange glow of his eyes as he grinned widely at the pair of fledglings.

He spoke, then, his voice cultured and low. "The warehouse… your handiwork, I presume."

Ruby was still trembling somewhat, ready to fight or flee, though her partner had already lowered her rapier. "What… A- Are you a werewolf?" the brunette squeaked.

"Not experienced much in the creatures of the night, are you?" he chuckled mildly. "For future reference, you might keep in mind that werewolves aren't in the habit of introducing themselves, particularly to Kindred."

Weiss nodded as she slipped her rapier back into her bag. "He's a Gangrel, Ruby. The more powerful of them can change into an animal form."

"Uh-huh." The red-clad girl still regarded the newcomer warily. "Sooo, you're not gonna try and kill us, then?"

The Kindred man smirked in response. "I hadn't planned on it."

Her platinum-haired friend stepped forward and inclined her head respectfully. "I presume you are Beckett, sir?"

"I am indeed, so glad to see that my reputation precedes me. And you are a childe of Primogen Ozpin, are you not?"

"I am, sir. Weiss Schnee, at your service. Behind me is Ruby Rose, who is… new to this situation."

Beckett looked the fidgeting brunette over consideringly. "Yes, I've heard something about our newest fledgling here in Los Angeles…"

The brunette was suddenly overcome with the feeling that she was being watched, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling up, and quickly spun around. Behind her, almost close enough to touch, stood a girl, also with raven hair but with a large black bow atop her head. She was dressed in a long white button-up shirt over tight black leggings and ankle boots. Amber eyes, glowing with the same intensity as Beckett's, regarded her steadily.

Ruby let out a startled squawk and stumbled backwards into her partner. "Ahhh! Another one!"

"Ah, yes, my apologies," Beckett chuckled wryly. "This is my… apprentice, of sorts, Blake Belladonna."

The raven-haired girl, seemingly of an age to the both of them, at least when she'd been turned, gave them a slow nod as her intense gaze flickered between the two fledglings.

"Oh, um… hi!" The brunette shook off her surprise and let a friendly smile grow across her face. It was nice, in a way, to see another Kindred who didn't seem so old. "I'm Ruby, and this is Weiss!"

"Mmm." Blake didn't move a muscle other than to nod once more, just as slowly.

Okay, so she doesn't talk much, dark and silent type, gotcha…

"Tell me, Ruby," Beckett spoke up, drawing their attention once more. "Have you by any chance seen or felt anything strange since your Embrace? And you as well, Weiss, I know you also have been among us for less than a year."

The fledglings glanced at each other, eyebrows raised. Ruby gave thought to all she'd seen, and what she could actually talk about, but then a memory sparked up. "Oh, well… I did meet some Kindred on the beach, but they weren't really, well… Kindred. I mean, they were thin-bloods."

"Hmm…" Becket rubbed a finger along his jawline. Ruby jumped slightly as she noticed Blake was now standing to the side, still regarding the pair of fledglings intently. How did she… I didn't even see her move!

"Yes, thin-bloods," Beckett continued, unperturbed as to the raven-haired girl's movements.

"They're a fascination of mine. They are considered a weaker, more human-like Kindred, hence the name 'thin-blood', but they are sired the same as any of us. I've heard a large concentration of them live in this city. They're one of the reasons I'm in Los Angeles."

"Oh, cool. Well, I'm looking into helping one of them, anyways… I feel kinda bad for them."

"Indeed." He regarded Weiss levelly. "And what does the daughter of Ozpin feel regarding such harbingers of doom?"

Weiss pulled her shoulders back, chin tilted slightly aloft. "I do not partake in the general consensus of the Camarilla regarding thin-bloods. And I have pledged my support to Ruby in assisting with their current plight to the best of my ability."

"Well, now," the elder Kindred grinned. "How refreshing. So, anything else, perhaps?"

Ruby blinked as she realized that Blake was now standing at the shoulder of the man before her. The brunette's head whipped from where the girl was formerly to where she now stood, incredulous. And then she was further surprised to note a very small, but definitely pleased, smirk upon the other girl's face. She grinned back, giving her an acknowledging nod. Heh, pretty nifty trick, there.

"Sorry, sir," Weiss was answering, "nothing else of note."

"Nope, me neither," Ruby affirmed.

Beckett gave them a thoughtful hum. "Most of my contacts here report sensing something unusual in the night air, like a sense of dread or pressure… but I'm not a native to these parts, nor is Blake, so I can't tell you if it's irregular. And since you are both still fresh, perhaps you're not attuned to it."

The raven-haired girl stepped forward then, the first Ruby had actually seen her move. As if she'd actually spoken, Beckett tilted his head and nodded with a smile.

"Yes, well… It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, ladies, but there are rumblings for me to discredit. We shall, I'm certain, meet again. Or never again. Goodnight, young ones… and be careful, you're very likely being hunted by the Sabbat."

Weiss nodded gracefully. "And it was a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the both of you as well, sir. Good evening to you."

"Yep, nice meeting you, Beckett… and you too, Blake! See you around?"

Blake gave her a small smile, ducking her head slightly. "Perhaps," she murmured, her voice a low and throaty alto.

Giving the duo a wave, the pair of fledglings walked into the building to exit the area the same way they'd come in.

Becket and Blake remained standing where they were, staring off thoughtfully to where the young vampires had disappeared.

"Your thoughts, Blake?" he eventually murmured.

She gave a start as if broken unexpectedly from her musings. "Oh… Well, they certainly seem… intriguing, Master."

The elder Kindred gave a slight sigh as he shook his head. "Blake… As I have continuously told you, I am not your sire, hence, not your Master. When I found you, feral and lost a handful of years ago, all I did was take you in and show you the path forward."

"And I shall always be grateful for that," Blake replied levelly before letting another small smirk flit across her features. "Master."

"Incorrigible," Beckett grumbled good-naturedly. He turned, then, to regard his charge intently. "I find this most interesting, however. You've not shown any interest in other Kindred, merely accompanying me, even if a bit reluctantly, in my many travels."

"I simply don't see the need for all this… civilization," she replied with a frown. "It makes me itch."

"I'm sure it does. So, what will you do now?"

Blake stared down at her feet, uncharacteristically fidgeting. "Could I… Would you mind, terribly, Master, if I were to… shadow them, follow those two? I cannot shake the feeling that something momentous surrounds them."

Beckett nodded slowly. "I am impressed that you picked up on it. I see it as well, but more than that… I noticed it around you as well."

"Me?" Blake asked, startled, as her head popped back up again.

"Indeed. Whatever trials those two will undergo… I cannot tell where their path leads, precisely. But it will intersect with us once more, I am sure of that much. For now…" Beckett offered the younger Gangrel a smile. "See if you can't integrate yourself with them. The small red one, Ruby, at least, seemed to take to you."

"Very well, then." Blake gave him a small but warm smile. "I shall return before sunrise, Master."

With that, her form shimmered to be replaced by that of a sleek, muscular panther. She gave him a loud, rumbling purr before leaping atop the railway cars and racing off into the distance.

Beckett sighed fondly. "And do stop calling me Master," he murmured into the night.

A/N: The chapter title references the album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath from the heavy metal group, Black Sabbath. And yay, we finally get to see Blake! Yes, as many guessed, she's a Gangrel, actually one who had gone feral shortly after being sired (more on that will surface later) before Beckett came along and essentially fostered her. Master works better than Daddy, I think.

I got Swiss fuckin' cheese from a random comic I saw posted up on the RWBY FB page, wish I could credit the actual artist. But, from the comments, I might have the actual source of the phrase: "It's from a rage quit of Michael Jones' (the voice actor for Sun) where he gets mad at a game and just yells Swiss fucking cheese." So there you go.

So, you might have noticed this posted on a Monday. Well, since I need to get Blood up to a certain point before I begin my holiday special next week, we're gonna post this sucker up on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Buckle up, it's a week of Blood!

Many thanks to my talented Beta and collaborator, Live to anger the World, and much love to all of you wonderful readers and reviewers! Sharkdude5, SixPerfections, SirSpangler, kinigget, noone297, Blacsparrow, Crescent Sunrise, zerosabers, cheers!

Stay shiny!