Akashic Arcana Through the Fires and Storms: Ruby vs. Xena

Rue

Acting Maniac
@OmniversalRPer @Katie

It was finally time. As Xena stepped onto the center of a floating island, one of several that surrounded her soon to be battleground, all she could think is It's a shame that they went to all this trouble to make an arena this fancy, considering this match wont last more than a minute.

It wasn't arrogance invading her thoughts. Xena had put a large amount of thought into the strategy she would use to defeat Ruby. She wanted an assured win, still feeling the sting of her loss to Viola at the entrance exams, and knew that if she fought fairly against Ruby, the match would be too close for comfort. She could very well lose.

Xena had chosen to use the strategy that was the quickest, most exhausting, and most humiliating for her opponent. She'd been saving such a strategy for Amatsu, in case a day ever came where she had to fight him. She'd theorized this was the best shot anyone had of beating that son of a bitch.

Viktoriya stood far off on the sidelines. She would be one of the proctors for the upcoming match. Then the doors on the opposite side of her island opened, and Ruby stepped out. Xena nodded in acknowledgement. "Glad you showed up on time. You ready to lose?" She asked entering a combat ready stance. She didn't want idle chit-chat, she just wanted to end this before Ruby pulled off anything unexpected. "Since you're my junior, I'll let you attack first. Let's do this."
 
It was time. Time to see what the fruits of her training would provide, as she was walking up the stairway she took time to admire her battle suit. It was a nice little number that she made herself through countless hours of sewing it together adding all the fine little details in everything. The cowl was a nice combination of black and dark-blue hiding her long silky hair, the cape part having a variety of pockets that held various sewing string and other equipment, the rest of her costume was more skin-tight leaving little to the imagination though despite how... thin it looked the fibers were actually strong enough to absorb the blow of any attacks thrown her way; A bonus was that it was black with some red bled in. Maybe not invincible or protective as a suit of armor it did the job and allowed full unrestricted movement, the gloves had a hole for each of her fingers and an enchanted stone on the knuckle its purpose was a way to deliver a blinding flash of light if she wanted to disorient her opponent, the boots were boots nothing really special besides the fact they held her needles.
Reaching the large Obsidian door Ruby couldn't help but start shaking. She was excited! Now everyone would know that Ruby the scorcher, wasn't someone that could be bullied into submission even by the student council. That idea put a smug smile on her face, of course, there would still be punishments but it would be lessened when she won. And after word she and Her friends would...... That thought made the Scorcher, hang her head and sigh. "O. that's right.... How silly of me to forget." The doors started to open the light starting to fill the dark room. "I'm on my own."

Stepping out she couldn't help but take in the view. Ignoring Xena for but a second she took it all in. The nice clean air, the sound of the wind rustling the trees, the sun setting of the sun casting an orange and purple hue on everything adding to the beauty that surrounded them. Letting the wind caress her body Ruby felt. Good for the first time in 2 days.... It honestly made her sad that the fight would destroy all this.

"Oh!" She said sticking her hand to her chin amused. "A true gentleman. Fine I guess you need that time to think." Her legs and feet drew together, the act seeming like something a ballerina would do as she was preparing to leap into the air, but Rubie's posture and stance she took made it difficult to tell which direction she would leap to. The battle started with Ruby extending her palm outwards out of her cowl, the speed was almost blinding. In her palm was a sphere of fire that at first was the size of a basketball but then grew to the size of a small truck covering Rubies form. "Heads up." Suddenly the massive fireball disappeared into nothingness, each of Rubies fingers fired out a marble sized but very fast volley of destruction in a widespread. Feeling some of the volley hitting the ground, she lept right into the air using the explosions of her small fireballs to double her speed she gained some distance. The smoke of her attack blackened the battlefield, the moment Ruby landed 4 meters away due to the small but forceful explosions, she summoned 3 circles of power forming an shield of sorts having the two face her left and right and one facing her back. Her limited but useful telekinetic ability pulled her weapons out of her boots, arming herself with her needles. Superheating both she waited for Xena to burst out of that cloud.
 
Xena raised an eyebrow at Ruby's attire. The one thing she hadn't expected from the violent felon was an actually impressive fashion sense. She actually looked somewhat like a superhero from a comic book, definitely one of the dark and brooding ones though. Her color palette was far too dismal to represent justice and light and friendship. She ignored the verbal jabs thrust her way. It wasn't the first time someone insulted her femininity and if Ruby actually bothered to look at Xena's academic record, she'd see just how foolish she was in calling the woman slow. Xena merely stayed calm and waited for her opponent to strike.

The fireballs were fast, but Xena was faster, she waited until the fireball was almost upon her, then was gone in a flash. Her disappearance obscured by the resulting explosion of the fireballs. The field was blackening, Ruby was blown back by the attack. But just before she landed, Xena seemed to almost pop into existence right behind her. Jupiter's Wings had let her move from one island to another at the speed of lightning. There she waited, judging Ruby's trajectory, then used it again, appearing behind the second year before she could even realize the secretary had dodged her opening volley.

Before Ruby could even touch the ground, Xena unleashed her Shocking Grasp. Letting the electric tendrils ensnare Ruby in a paralyzing stream. She wouldn't let go either, not until the felon was unconscious.

This ploy was an all or nothing move. Ruby had almost countered it with such an effective area attack. Use of the Jupiter's Wings took a heavy toll on her mana, and having to use it twice left her body burning with pain. The amount of energy she'd consume on the shocking grasp would leave her completely depleted of mana. If she didn't make sure Ruby was unconscious, the Secretary would be defenseless against a counterattack. But any onlookers would never know this. To them, it would look like Xena had defeated Ruby with two moves. Which was exactly the kind of humbling experience Xena was aiming to make Ruby feel.
 
Ruby had everything planned out at least 4 different possibilities, 5 if the 2nd one didn't work. However, she did not expect this. The infamous 'Wings of Jupiter' used so early in the fight? How could she have known Xena would use her trump card right off the bat? it was the most illogical move to make though Ruby didn't really have time to think.

The shocks were some of the most physically painful things Ruby had to ever endure, having untold amounts of electricity coursing through her very being made the scorcher stop dead in her tracks. What was worse is that she could barely move, her legs screamed in pure agony, her arms became so heavy she could have sworn they had been transmuted to rocks, and her head felt like it was on fire. This all happened so fast that Ruby couldn't have time to think of a counter attack. Her magic circles shattered into hundreds of shards of light symbolizing her shattered concentration. The needles she armed for battle didn't ever leave her hands, wither it was because she was too stubborn to let go still figuring she had a chance or because the shocks made her fists clench up to the point she couldn't drop them. "N-NO!!!!" She screamed more in defiance than in pain, right now her magic was the last thing on her mind she didn't think of letting loose a sea of burning spark onto the ground the heat from that at full charge could melt steel, nor did she to counter Xena's damage with her own healing spell giving Ruby an adrenaline boost making Xena easy pickings, hell in truth she could have done a lot of things to get out of this... But who would she celebrate her victory with. Christian while still nice to her obviously didn't harbor the same feelings, her stepmother was a woman that Ruby tried to avoid each a reminder of what was lost... She had no one.. it was just Ruby vs the world it always has been ever since she was 11.

She took one shaky step forwards. "Y-ou think... I'm a delinquent." her body convulsed as she took another step. "I'm just...A punk? A bitch who... Takes joy in... Hurting people?" Another step her eyes and mouth spewed blood and forcing her body to move seemed to make it worse, it was a miracle that she wasn't dead or at the very least passed out at this point. "T-ell that.... Homunculus something!" She managed to grab Xena's arm. Smoke coming out of Rubies clothing though she remained unburned. "Ev-ery one.... Wears... A mask! No one... Shows their..." She vomited blood onto Xena the link with her arm making the shocks worse. Yet her face did not show pain or discomfort of any kind, Ruby refused to give this weekend hoe the satisfaction."Face!... I...Won't....Fall for.... Her lies!... I will... I Will... I HAVE TO!!" She slowly raised one of her needles readying to stab the Rajin, her vision becoming so blurry Xena looked more like an abstract monster too her. With one last act of defiance, Ruby yelled a battle cry to the heavens as her Needle descended down towards Xena's chest...The needle along with Ruby remained frozen, just as she was about to stab through Xena's stomach.

Ruby passed out due to the stress. Blood trickled down her mouth and eyes, her body sparked with electricity each one going off made a muscle twitch in response. Though despite everything her body still stood strong, refusing to be brought down by anything 'Come what may!' nothing would ever bring her down.

A small muttering could be heard from Ruby's unconscious body, one would have to lean in close or have sharp hearing in order to pick it up. Despite her body proudly standing tall and still imposing due to her needles still superheated by her magic, more due to muscle memory and instinct than anything else. Her voice sounded small. Fragile. Almost like a child's. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry.... I'm sorry. Mama. Peter.... I'm sorry I was so weak.... I'm sorry."
 
Xena's eyes widened in horror as Ruby slowly started moving towards her. She was somehow resisting the Shocking Grasp, which led Xena to increase her power, Ruby needed to go down, if she didn't then Xena was screwed. From the look of things, Ruby wanted to kill Xena, her needle was poised to strike at Xena's heart, but fortunately she passed out on her feet before she could nail the finishing blow.

The Secretary's arms fell limp at her sides. Her entire body was burning in pain, actual electric burns scarring her arms all the way up to her shoulders and all down her legs, though those were concealed by her clothing. She called out weakly to her girlfriend on the sidelines. "Vikki, she's out cold. This match is over. Help us please." Afterwards her legs gave out and she fell to the grass, unable to move her body.

Both girls were completely spent, there was only one difference between them that made Xena the victor. Xena was still conscious. "Welcome to the student council, bitch." She called out softly.
 
Viktoriya remained a silent observer. Yet, her eyes were analytical. Ruby's initial spell was at least C-level spells by each segment but combined, they created a B+ potency, if not A level. She handles her pyromancy as if it was a part of her body. A rare talent that wasn't to be spoiled, this plan was hanging on Xena's backs, and she had complete trust in her Angel. As she eyes kept watching the fight, she couldn't help but bring her hand to her mouth in surprise. Jupiter's Wings from the get-go? And used in an offensive manner? And further, she paired it together with Shocking Grasp. It'll fry her circuits if she wasn't careful. Terrifying move as it gave your opponents a minuscule moment to react.

As the Shock Grasp landed, the entire arena lighted up with static blue. Ruby's screams and her body convulsing was cruel to watch, yet, it was her perseverance that surprised her. She had determination and willpower. Blood pouring from her openings. And yet, she pressured on in an attempt to defy her opponent. She was about to step in herself, preparing to Mana Burst her way to Xena and Ruby to prevent Ruby from mortally wounding a student. But it was over. They both passed out, but Xena being the final one to do so, was declared the winner.
____________________________________________________

Ruby and Xena would wake up later on hospital beds. Oxygen mask attached to their mouth. IV-drop and the healers had just left after repairing their burnt out ley lines within their body. Viktoriya sat by the end of the private hospital room. She kept a vigilant watch, while at the same time, working on her ORB, as she still had a couple of duties to perform as President of both the Council and the Disciplinary Division.

In a way, she was proud of both of them. Neither of them let the Academy down. They displayed skills beyond most grunts serving in the military. And if Ruby had fought Vikki, the scenario would have been very much different. "...With the number of talented pyromancers lately... I may need to go back to training once again..."
 
Ruby opened her eyes, her vision blurry making everything looked ethereal. Just light and dark meshing together attempting to create recognizable matter. The painkillers and drugs the healers used in tandem with their healing magic made her mind foggy. "uhhh...." Rising from her bed in a manner you'd see a zombie rise from its grave in a B movie. Her head was killing her, her eyes inched really bad, there was a god-awful ringing in her ears, and worst of all her insides felt like they were squeezed so tight that Ruby felt they would be evacuated from her mouth. She would get over this... It wasn't the worst thing she's ever endured. Her training could get pretty intense so she was used to having her body almost destroyed, eh she was a fast healer so this wouldn't bother her.

Taking in her surroundings her vision starting to return to normal, she noticed a black shape at the end of the room, it seemed familiar.....! Her hair instantly turned back to silver as she extended her right arm out her fingers close together in the form that she used to shoot out her fireballs. "Emily!? You sent me here once, now I'll send you to the morgue you bit-" It was then her vision returned to normal. No. Emily was dead, Ruby should have known. She was the one who burned that damn Homunculus.

No, this Homunculus was her own student body president. Viktoria.... She still wanted to shoot her. but how would it look if she just murdered the Concile president?. Even if to Ruby, Vikki was just faking her benevolent ruler act. "Oh." She lowered her arm the light at the tips of her fingers fizzled out and her hair returned to its crimson color. It all was coming back to her....... She lost. Ruby grimaced but not with anger or annoyance, she was embarrassed. Both at losing to Xena and at that outburst she had. She really did not want to talk about Emily so Ruby had to quickly change the subject. "You won, I lost....... So what now?" Her tone was hard and low at the same time. 'Alright, you abomination against nature! Give me your best shot! I didn't come all this way, didn't train till my bones broke and my body quit just to be sent home! I've been the target of assassins half my life, I've been through hell itself! So Come on you Cunt! You bring the thunder and I bring the fire!' Her body language was neutral wither due to her muscles still not fully recovered from the shocks or from holding back her passion. Her eyes, however, burned like a star.
 
Xena had been awake for a while. Every time she tried to sleep and recover, her body would send more pain through her. It was how she knew she was healing, the shocks lessened the more healthy she got, so eventually, she'd reach point where she could sleep through the pain. If only somebody could do something about that damned headache she had right now. Ruby sitting up and screaming bloody murder did nothing to help her pain.

"Jesus Christ, would you shut the fuck up?! You're like a human scream factory." She yelled out from her bed, slowly inching her way up to a sitting position. "I mean come on. You got issues, we get it. Welcome to the fuckin' real world where everyone's got something wrong with their lives. Get over yourself. Anyway, since I kicked your ass, you get to be on the student council. If you don't shape up and drop this homicidal maniac persona of yours, you're getting expelled, and probably doing time. We clear?" She summed everything up in her usual blunt manner.
 
Viktoriya was as composed as ever. Her eyes gently closed for a moment as she clapped her ORB device together before standing up. Despite Xena's yellings and Ruby's questions, Vikki merely advanced towards the redhead on the hospital bed.

"Let me tell you something, Ruby. Certainly, the most destructive vice if you like, that a person can have. More than pride, which is supposedly the number one of the cardinal sins - is self-pity. Self-pity is the worst possible emotion anyone can have. And the most destructive. I think actually hatred's a subset of self-pity and not the other way around - It destroys everything around it, except itself ."

Viktoriya took a small pause, letting her words sink in as she looked deep into Ruby's eyes. She could almost taste the hate and revenge.

"Self-pity will destroy relationships, it'll destroy anything that's good, it will fulfill all the prophecies it makes and leaves only itself. And it's so simple to imagine that one is hard done by, and that things are unfair, and that one is underappreciated, and that if only one had had a chance at this, only one had had a chance at that, things would have gone better, you would be happier if only this, that one is unlucky. All those things. And some of them may well even be true. But, to pity oneself as a result of them is to do oneself an enormous disservice."

She wondered how Ruby would take her words. Like a reprimanding? Would she resent her more or see a spectrum of truth behind her words? It was hard to tell, as Ruby had so much hatred within her that it was burning herself and everyone around her into ashes.

"You ask me where will we go from here. But the real journey is when you will let go of your pride and hatred. Once you are ready to make the step. Come see me at the Council Halls."

Vikki turned around to leave without a word afterward.
 
Ruby only sat there, her eyes never leaving the artificial humans, almost like she was expecting Viktoriya to strike her down while she was weak.... But she didn't. instead, Vikki talked to her about the sin of self-pity. About how it destroys everything around it burning all to nothing leaving only itself.

Ruby was almost flabbergasted by the way Viktoria seemed to eloquently pick the right words, in fact for but a second the Scorcher forgot that Viktoria was a Humonculus. Yet though her words did ring true in their meaning and even though Ruby could admit, not consciously. Deep down she did hate herself, she hated what she become, hated always being angry and sad and lonely, hated how she felt trapped by her own stubbornness, hated how her paranoia kept her from going outside when she was home. The list kept growing and growing and her heart just kept getting heavier and heavier.... But what she hated the most right now out of everything.... Was that she couldn't let it go.

Her hatred and depression was like a prison and her past was the weight that kept her down. 'Sweet words. But I'm not falling for that again, I know how it is. You act sweet and lure me in with hollow words that sound like you care... But when my back is turned, is when you reach for the knife.' Watching Vikki walk out of the room, Ruby gave a sigh of relief. She was holding her breath and she didn't even notice it. '..... I'll go. Not like I have a choice as long as you have that damned papers.' Looking over to Xena Ruby shot out a tired glare, the drugs in her system kicking in and making her drowsy. 'You don't know me.' She laid her head down. 'You don't know what I've been through.' She raised her arm in the air as if trying to grab the light. All the while she started to hear noises that sounded so distant, yet she could make them out. Her mother and her brother all of them together, setting out on a warm summers night watching the stars. Laughing and talking about happier things.... 'You don't know what I lost. So why don't you all stop the sanctimonious crap.' Her dreams were for once in a long time. Happy.
 
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Xena could only let out an exasperated sigh as Vikki's overly long speech about self pity was met with no response from the Scorcher. Stupid bitch probably didn't even hear a word Vikki said. When Ruby looked at her with that tired glare, Xena proceeded to calmly get out of her bed, walk over to Ruby, and smack her with the back of her right hand. "Wipe that stupid look off your face. The real world has consequences, so put on your big girl pants and stop being stupid or you're fucked."

With that she turned and followed Vikki, every part of her body burning with pain from not having fully recovered. She draped an arm over Vikki's shoulder and slumped into her girlfriend. "Don't you dare leave me alone with her. I helped you, now you get to help me." She said as they left Ruby alone. They headed off to either Vikki's or Xena's room, whichever one they wanted to spend the night at.
 
Just when she was about to get some sleep. Just when for once in a fucking blue moon her dream actually seemed like it would be pleasant. Ol'Microphone mouth had to walk up and slap her across the face, the resulting action made Ruby instantly burn through the drugs in her system making her wide awake. Luckily for Xena the slap didn't hurt, just about her entire body was numb but unluckily for Xena she slapped Ruby in the fucking face. "Keep pressing your luck, see what happens!" Xena was already gone..... "That's it." If she was denied sleep than she would do a little research.

Her ORB was with her and luckily didn't suffer any damage, they might have been small but these little doo-dads could take a hell of a beating. "Let's see what your deal is." she said the light turned off by Ruby telekinetically flipping the switch. She would be looking up old files and threads on Xena throughout the night trying to understand what the hell was that girls deal.
 
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