7. Two Strangers

The moon was already running high, but Ruby kept walking. Moving forward was the only way she had to distract herself from the grief that threatened to render her useless. She could not give up on her mission and have the sacrifice of her friend be for nothing. There would be time to mourn later. Her legs were engaged in a steady rhythm, almost automatic from any form of thought. Her sight had adjusted to the darkness, allowing the moonlight to be the only guidance necessary. That advantage, however, soon turned weakness, when the glow of fires started appearing ahead.

The red-hooded girl stopped moving, and tried to assert the situation. The yellow plains she had been crossing, filled by abandoned and dying plantations, led into a conglomerate of houses, too little to be a community, probably once inhabited by a single but large family. What was strange about it was that, unlike the places she had passed so far, signs of life could be seen from a distance. There were torches to provide lighting at the late hour, and many individuals pacing back and forth, somehow sparkling under the orange light. Could it be armor the reason they glimmered? No, that would be very, very problematic. Full metal armor meant she was up against the Royal Army, and they were synonym with bad news.

She sneakily veered closer, ever so slowly, minding each sound made near to avoid being caught by surprise, much like a small animal skittishly tried to smell an intruding presence for danger. The further she went the more undeniable it became, the chain-link armor, the helmets covering most of the head and face, the painted round shields with the King's crest and the short swords, they were a segment of the military. Anger started boiling under her skin at the sight. She hated the army with all her might.

The military was a bad omen to small villages. It meant drafts that stole away the fighting youth, male and female, usually never to be seen again, or rations, since they had authority to request food in exchange for nothing, to help "the efforts of war". If the peasants failed to comply, it could get worse. The most vile of the men could kidnap, rape and murder with impunity, and didn't frequently only because that left them with no one to grow the provisions they would later rob. Some people still bought into the songs of valor and heroics of the military, but those were fools who couldn't see the real world for what it was.

Ruby knew of all these things only from second hand. Her village survived undamaged because they used to have a resident magician, and common soldiers weren't keen on meddling with supernatural affairs. No, they were too busy fighting absurd wars over border territories and feuds between lords. They were good for nothing but the occasional betting scam Yang used to run on them, one which the overly-aggressive fools always fell for. But worst of all, they were the ones that had taken her father away from her.

Their presence there was concerning, but not solely for matters of the archer's safety. If they were there, they were ransacking the place clean, which meant not a single clue left to find. If she wanted to be sure there were no traces to follow, she would need to search the houses before they were picked clean. And that meant stepping right into the wolves' den.

Hiding her silhouette in the dried crops on the field, by crouching until she could barely see, she moved methodically to the center of that scenario, one little and careful step at a time. Once there, she located a house that appeared less crowded by the soldier patrols, and made a break for it.

The archer glanced at both sides to ensure no one had yet noticed her presence, and pressed her body hard against the wall. The boards on the outer side were loose and spaced enough so that she could climb, and not need to barge in through the main entrance. She hoisted herself up and started to make the ascension to the upper floor window, fully aware that if someone was to catch her now, she'd be completely vulnerable.

Luckily no such thing came to pass before she succeeded in entering the building. Once inside, she hurriedly tried to find any possible leftover clues. Scurrying through the furniture, Ruby completely failed to notice the soldier who was entering the room.

"Hey, what are you doing? You're not supposed to be here."

Caught red-handed, she turned and flashed her eyes through the place trying to come up with an escape plan. The spacing was tight, meaning the armored man could effortlessly block her if she tried for the front door. Maybe if she was fast enough she could get to the window before he...

"Ruby?" The girl hadn't recognized the voice before, entranced by the panic, but this time, calling her name, there was no way it could be mistaken.

"Yang?"

The soldier took off the weighty helmet, letting long golden locks flow out around her neck. She looked just the same despite the full-body armor, with a beaming jovial smile and violet eyes full of spark.

"I can't believe it, it is you! How have you been, little sis?" She walked forward with open arms, expecting a warm sibling reunion, but...

SMACK

Yang stumbled back in shock, touching the reddened cheek as if struggling to believe it was real. She faced her sibling with a confused look, and what she saw staring back was an expression of utter betrayal.

"How could you?"

"Ruby, I-"

"We needed you. We needed you and you left. And you joined THE ARMY? After everything? After what happened to dad?"

The blonde patiently waited for the other to finish, and then retrieved a small object from the pouch that hanged from her uniform belt, before throwing it over. Ruby caught it skillfully, and inspected it with disbelief. It was a small golden shield, smaller than her palm, with dulled edges but surprisingly well-polished. At the center lied an inscription.

"Captain Xiao Long. Is this..."

"Dad's. Why do you think I joined, for the thrill of dying on some far-off place? All I wanted was answers."

"I... I didn't know that."

"Of course not, you kicked me out of my own house without so much as a word when I told you I was enlisting! You could've at least let me explain, sis, I'm only doing it to find out about our father."

"Have you?"

"Apparently it's a pretty big military secret, he was in some super confidential mission. But I've been promised if I behave I'll learn the truth soon."

"If you behave? Oh well, I guess we'll never find out then." The little joke was meant to alleviate the tension between them, although the silver-eyed youngster wasn't sure they were yet ready for it. Yet apparently, she underestimated how quickly some wounds can heal.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm an exemplary soldier. At least that's what Sergeant Port said, but he might have been trying to hit on me. Seriously, eww. Anyway, how's Penny?"

"Worse, but I've almost got the cure, so hopefully it won't be too bad. Or too late."

"Oh, cool! What about Blake?"

"..."

"Rubeo? Something wrong?"

"..."

The huntress' face turned completely pale as it all came back, the crippling ache in her heart, forced to relive that darkest of moments. All warmth drained away as the cold started to set in all across her body, and she began shivering violently. The overwhelming burden weighing on her chest felt like a colossal titan trying to tear her to pieces. She grabbed her arms, shrinking in size to shield herself from that vulnerability within, letting the faltering knees slide her to the floor. To the outside, unluckily, it became just as starkly obvious something was going on.

"Talk to me, sis! What's wrong?"

"I..." Her voiced cracked, and tears started streaming down her face. She couldn't hide from the truth. "I'm sorry..."

"What are you sorry for? Did something happen? Is Blake okay?" Yang's voice was growing desperate, realization starting to grow in her mind.

"She's..."

"No! She's fine! PLEASE TELL ME SHE'S OKAY!"

"Blake's gone, Yang. I'm so sorry."

"No! You're wrong, it can't be! She was so strong, she can't be..." The soldier couldn't say it. She couldn't admit it was true.

Yang's knees grew weak, and she sought support leaning against the wall behind. Ruby was on the ground attempting to contain her sobs. Neither of them made a move to seek comfort in each other, almost seeming like two strangers at that trying moment.

Then, the blonde's lilac eyes flared up and she went for the door.

"I- I have to go."

With that excuse, she left. There was a telltale sign on her face in that passing moment, the unique mask put on by a person who is about to do something extremely foolish.

And once again, Ruby was left to grieve alone.

Penny looked over to the lump of rubble on her way. Splintered logs and planks were unceremoniously piled on top of each other, spreading over the ground with no clear direction. Whatever had happened there, it had been a tremendous fight, having even managed to reduce a whole house to that mass of junk several times larger than her.

Something caught her eye, and leaning over, the image of a single arrow stuck to a piece of lumber rung louder than the rest. She instantly knew it was one of Ruby's, and although that certainty was baseless considering it was a simple and common bolt, that many archers used, it still drove her to want to retrieve it.

Reaching with the right arm, she grabbed the projectile and yanked, but could not make it budge. Reluctantly she switched to the left side, and closed the stone fingers around the shaft with great difficulty. The hand that had turned to marble didn't work as well as the other one, requiring greater effort to bend and stretch. This new brand of stone wasn't agile and flexible like the enchanted body her father had created, it was cold and lifeless. The spread of the disease was beginning to take over her elbow too, and that was soon to become a much harder burden. But in the meanwhile, she pulled the arrow, and was disappointed to hear it snap. The broken half slid between her knuckles and on to the floor, while the other part kept being stuck to the club.

There was nothing to do but move on, so the girl left the ruins behind her and kept going.

The walk stretched on for hours, spanning multiple landscapes of nature and man-made structures. Penny always stopped to inspect them, since much like her red-hooded friend, she was too on the hunt now. And the lives and safety of the ones she cared about could rest on her success, or at least that was what Torchwick had told her.

The treks of traverse path were short and punctuated with plenty of resting in between. The former-statue didn't have as much stamina and training as Ruby, and there were even worse aggravating issues. She could feel it festering, the disease that was slowly turning her back to stone spreading to new parts of her body. The extremities were always the first, and after conquering one arm, it had now moved on to the legs. Her right foot was beginning to revert, creating a difficult obstacle for long hikes. At least she wasn't limping yet, but considering the effects thus far it was not a matter of if, but when. Time wasn't on her side, and she hoped the added effort of the journey wasn't speeding up the process. She wasn't quite done with life yet.

During one of many pauses, which the ginger girl used for scouting the environment around, she spotted a human-like figure in the distance. It was strange, since she hadn't seen an actual person in quite a while, passing through only where they once had lived. Moving in closer, features began being distinguishable, and with them came a surprising feeling of accomplishment. Dark skin, green hair and a curvy body, that woman was definitely the one the former-statue sought.

"The first one you should look out for is Emerald Sustrai. She may look innocent and friendly, but that's just part of the farce, do not underestimate her."

The woman was walking at a brisk pace, coming from the opposite direction of Penny's, peering over her shoulder every few steps to ensure nothing was following. She also appeared to be angrily mumbling to herself, and the former-statue managed to catch on to a part of it despite the low volume.

"Fucking Mercury, ditching me like that. I'll wipe that smug grin off his face next time I see him..."

She hadn't yet noticed Penny, so the ginger decided to be the one to approach.

"Hey! Miss? You alright?" She waved at the girl, throwing any element of surprise out the window.

Emerald stopped and cocked her head to the side, trying to understand why there was a person at that place, and a seemingly friendly one even. After a second had passed a warm smile appeared on her face, and she walked over.

"She's a masterful actress, lying is a second nature to her. She can lull you in and make you believe you are seeing things that aren't there. Don't fall to her silver tongue or you're over."

"Oh hi, didn't see you there. I'm fine, just passing by." Those blood-red eyes were kind and nonchalant, Penny really wanted to believe them. But she had been warned.

"I'm looking for my friends, two girls, one has black hair and a little bow and the other wears a red cape. Have you by any chance seen them?"

At the mention of Ruby and Blake, the dark-skinned girl took a step forward, standing mere inches from the ginger, and suddenly her mask broke. The lips contorted into a perverse smile and the irises were filled with burning hatred. The act was over and the real Emerald had shown her true colors.

"Do not, under any circumstance, fight her. She plays dirty, and likes to use hallucinogenics to toy with her prey. If that fails, or you're too much of a threat, she'll just end you with poison like the viper she is."'

"I'm going to enjoy killing you."

Is anyone still reading this? I want to believe so.