Chapter Text
~Red like blood fills my nightmares and brings me to the place you die~
R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R
The duo danced across the field, white flowers spread across their battlefield like grass, glowing softly beneath the pale moonlight. Their sylveren shine was only sullied by the sprays of blood through the air, dark drops of red staining delicate petals as it splattered amidst their arena, as each fighter traded blow after blow in their duel. Silence hung heavy in the air, only broken by the clang of steel and the sound of blades biting into cloth and flesh. Occasionally there was a flash of bright rose red across one of the combatant's body, a shield against mortal blows, but it appeared sparingly, a tool not to be overused at risk of exhaustion, something that would surely spell their doom in this battle. At other moments a trade resulted in a spray of blood and yet no wounds between the two, each Hunter using old techniques to draw strength and energy from their foe's wounds. No words were shared between the pair as they dashed about, the entirety of themselves focused on this final duel, their weapons speaking for them as sparks flew through the air with every clash.
Side by side the pair seemed unlikely foes. One was a withered old man with a peg for a leg who, at first glance, would seem like his fighting years were long past, if not for the massive scythe he swung at his opponent with deadly precision. The other was a young girl still only barely on the cusp of adulthood, garbed in the long dark clothes of a Hunter, the tattered remnants of an old red cloak across her thin shoulders in place of the dark black shawl that many a hunter had worn in the past. Atop her brow sat an angled tricorn cap, frayed and worn at the back but still more than serviceable for its wearer, resting upon a full head of hair that reached down to her neck, near fully black if not for the streaks of red at the tips.
She was short of stature, lean of body, and wholly unthreatening, if one missed the hefty, long-handled axe-more akin to a halberd, really-which she held in her hands. Said ax's head was buried in the dirt, just inches away from carving through the old man's decrepit body with its thick metal if not for a sudden burst of speed that any man of a similar age (and many younger men besides) would have found impossible to match, dodging out of the way while his scythe turned in tandem with him, cold metal flashing through the moonlight in a counterattack that would have cut down the young girl as easily as it would shear through wheat-if not for the girl suddenly turning into a cloud of misty rose petals, the deadly strike passing harmlessly through air before she reappeared once more beside the old man, axe already moving once again.
The old man was called Gehrman. The First Hunter. Founder of the Workshop of Yharnam, bane of the most savage of beasts, mentor to many and killer of more, one would be hard-pressed to ever find a hunter who's skill could compare to his own. The young girl that he fought was one of those few, though she had not always been. She was his most recent apprentice, and if she had her way in this duel, she would be his final apprentice. Unlike her master and foe, she did not come from Yharnam, was not born in this cursed city. She did not belong in this blood-soaked den of gnashing teeth and depravity, and yet here she was, and here she had been.
Journeying through the ruins of a society gone mad, too drunk on blood to save itself, driven to the brink by those too obsessed with their quests for communion and knowledge and eyes, only to arrive here at this end, the bodies left behind her paving the path to the end of her journey, fighting her mentor in this once-peaceful Dream.
Beside their battlefield, the Workshop that she had grown to call a home, her peaceful haven in the nightmare she had fallen into, burned in the distance, set ablaze by it's creator as a call for her to battle, a statement: the only rest she would find here now, would be the one she met at the end of his blade.
Gehrman did not call her to battle out of malice. It pained him to need to cut down his greatest pupil. She had come to him broken, a shattered girl burdened by past failures, lost on her path...he had told her not to think about it too hard, as she pestered him about where she was and how she had gotten here and if she had died, and just go out and kill a few beasts. He'd not expected much, and had hoped that, with any luck, the poor girl would meet a quick and peaceful end to her worries and struggles here in this cursed city.
Instead, she had stepped out into the city, claiming a Hunter's Axe for herself (she had stared at that weapon, silver eyes wet with unshed tears, seeming to look at something else entirely, though Gehrman had not the heart to ask her what she saw then), silver eyes shining bright with anticipation. It had seemed so simple, so much like her life before Yharnam, before everything there had grown dark and complicated and she had just kept failing and failing and-but here, her purpose was finally clear. Horrible beasts roamed the streets, the people trapped, unable to protect themselves, and here she stood able to save them. She would save them. She could not let herself do anything else.
'Sadly', Gehrman had thought as the poor girl who had only dreamt of being a hero returned to his workshop, the silver shine of her eyes fading as she stared at her bloodsoaked hands, 'Yharnam was anything but simple.'
Yharnam was not simple. It was not kind. It was not a place one girl could save with a smile and a swing of an axe. It was cruel, and broken, vicious and dark, and watching her bleed herself dry, desperate to succeed, desperate to save someone….if he had not helped her, he'd have been no better than the rest of the beasts that prowled the streets.
So he had trained her. Taught her to kill without remorse, taught her to forget the faces and names and see naught but a beast which needed to be put down, taught her to survive in this damned city, in this mistaken, cursed nightmare he had helped create.
And if the light in her eyes and heart had faded, remained dull and cold like the steel of her axe, and if her memories of her old home were buried and replaced with bloodstained duels and monsters from the foulest depths a bit more with each day she spent fighting and dying over and over again, and if he would sometimes see her weeping, held close by that horrible beautiful Doll? A small price to pay, for her to reach him, where he could finally give her a good and proper end to this never ending night she had been unjustly trapped in, and see the light of a new day at last.
Yet…she had declined. She had refused the clean death he had given so many others. He had offered her release from this twisted joke of an existence that they had briefly shared and she had said no. Was it the hunt? The blood? The horrible dream? How could she choose to stay here? It hurt to raise his weapon then at his dearest little pupil, but he could not let this poor flower wither and die in the maddened dirt amongst the beasts, filth, and memories best forgotten like him. Not while he could still save her. He could never understand that these very same thoughts were what had compelled her to raise her axe against him as well.
The girl's name was Ruby Rose. Sometimes it was hard to remember that. Some days the only name she knew was 'The Good Hunter', and the expression on the Doll's face when she failed to respond to her call of 'Ruby' would make her stomach churn, feeling awful about hurting such a sweet and kindly woman. Other days she would beg the Doll to call her Ruby and keep calling her Ruby, so that the name would never slip her mind again. No matter what she may remember or forget however, she would always be Ruby Rose. And while Ruby Rose may have been a failure, a wanna-be hero who had failed to save so many, who had killed so many, who had become a monster in this awful place she had fallen into, she could still recognize someone in need of a saviour.
Standing before her was not just her mentor, but an old man in desperate need of rest. Haunted by the sins of his past, by the unending regrets which weighed on him like a mountain, denied his peace by a force too powerful for him to fight-it was so familiar it made her heart ache, even if she could no longer place the name (or was it names?) of the sometimes silver-haired, sometimes boyish face that she would occasionally see in place of Gehrman's own.
Her mentor, who had helped her survive this dark and endless night, who had saved her from simply collapsing and becoming yet another foul beast, was tired. He had been kept like a pet in a cage for so long, the very idea of escape incomprehensible to him, a far off dream he would never dare to let himself hold, as his body and mind continued to wear away more and more, withering with age until he could only fight at the command of whatever still held his puppet-strings. She understood he wished to save her, and she knew she risked a terrible fate by not taking his offered exit…but she could not bear to let him continue like this. She had failed to save all others she had encountered here in Yharnam, their deaths and broken minds joining the rest of the blood on her hands, but now, now.
She had a chance to finally save at least one person here, and she would be damned if she failed yet again.
And so they fought. Both desperate to free the other from the wretched lives they had been dragged into, both doomed to remain here in this horrible nightmare if they saved the other, and both absolutely incapable of even considering letting the other one remain trapped. Sparks continued to fly as they battled. Gehrman's scythe collapsed into a sword and his rifle barked, bullets whizzing through the air, passing through mist and petals as the art of Quickening and Ruby's Semblance combined to carry her to safety, while her axe returned the favour by sailing towards his head, intent on sending him on to his well-deserved rest. Blood was spilled as Gerhman's blade bit deep into her arm, and blood was spilled again as Ruby's axe tore through his chest, breaking through skin and bone and leaving him gasping for air even as his arms carried his weapon forwards still. Evenly matched, neither combatant was able to gain an advantage, and for a moment, their battle seemed doomed to continue for eternity.
In the end, however, every battle must reach their conclusion.
It happened in an instant. A single slip upon the dirt, so stained with their blood that it had become slick and muddy, and Gehrman's blade flashed towards Ruby, and in desperation, she raised her extended weapon up high, one last chance to block his killing blow-and as the siderite sword connected with the steel handle, with a horrifying scream of metal, it snapped. Ruby's axe, the weapon that had helped her through this hell, an unintentional reminder of the woman she had always aspired to be like, broke in her hands, and Gehrman's sword dug itself deep into her flesh. Her scream of pain tore through the sullied field of flowers and for a moment Gehrman hesitated, drawing his blade away instead of pushing deeper, pushing for that finishing blow. Ruby's right hand instinctively went to her wounded chest, and was quickly soaked in blood for her troubles, while her left fell limp against her side. Both breathing heavy from the exertion of their fight, master and pupil stared at the other, dull steel meeting tired brown. Silence hung heavy in the air, only the crackling fire of the Workshop audible in the wind before Gehrman broke it with a heavy sigh.
"My dear pupil…Ruby…" He began, his voice thick with exhaustion. "…I do not know why you would fight against this mercy…but please…" With a flick of his wrist his sword was extended once again, and his scythe was raised high into the air.
"Be freed from this terrible hunter's dream."
Looking down at his pupil, bleeding out on the dirt, he could see there was no fear in her eyes as he prepared to end her life. No acceptance, either. All that was contained within those once-shining silver orbs was…pity? Why? As he swung his scythe down, his thoughts were so confused he almost missed the glint in her eyes, but as he was caught in the motion of his own attack, the world slowed down. His eyes widened as Ruby's left arm shifted, having hung limp as he'd begun his swing, before moonlight bounced off the steel of the pistol gripped tight in her hand, hidden beneath the dark cloth of her heavy coat. It seemed like years, as the pistol was slowly aimed at his head, but it took only a second, nowhere near enough time for him to divert his course-and so, instead of a scythe head releasing his pupil from this hell, her pistol barked, spitting out a flash of flame and metal as a quicksilver bullet soared through the air and pierced right through one of his tired brown eyes.
Blood spurted and he staggered-only staggered, while painful a blow like this would not be enough to put him down for good-but the moment of weakness was all Ruby needed. Leaping to her feet once again she dashed toward Gehrman and, with unnatural strength born of the power of blood, stabbed her hand through his chest. It pierced through skin and bone as easily as any blade could have, and Gehrman could only gasp as she wrapped her grip tight around his heart. His hands grew weak, whatever power animating his old bones fleeing him, and with a dull clatter his trusty scythe, his Burial Blade, fell to the dirt before he, too, collapsed to his knees.
Ruby followed him, hand still deep in his chest, as she kneeled beside the old man. His blood reinvigorated her, closing some wounds, but she took no pride in the kill itself. He spoke no words, and could only stare at the poor, foolish girl, unable to comprehend why she would go this far, why she would not let him save her, before he saw just a flash of her silver eyes lighting up with a light he had thought long buried beneath the blood she had spilled as she looked at him, a small smile gracing her features, and he finally understood.
"Oh, my dear girl….you…you were too good for this cursed city." He coughed suddenly, interrupting himself with blood slipping from his lips, but he carried on speaking even as he felt the beat of his heart slow in Ruby's hand. "I think I understand…why you would go this far…but I wish…I wish to hear it from you…"
And so the girl looked at him, silent, thinking, and for a moment he feared he would die before she answered, until at last she spoke.
"I…it's become hard to remember me…before Yharnam. I think I've changed a lot, ever since I came here…I know, though, deep in my heart, one thing that hasn't changed. I would have never forgiven myself if I didn't even try to save someone who needed my help." Ruby then fell silent, taking in one last look at this poor old man who had made far too many mistakes, before she gave him a soft kiss on his forehead, like a daughter kissing her grandfather goodnight. "Now please, Master Gehrman. Rest." It was the final request of a student to her dearest teacher.
And to ensure he complied, she tore his heart out.
Gehrman's eyes widened, but he did not despair as he died. Instead, Ruby watched as, for the first time since she had met him…Gehrman smiled. It was old, yellowed, and brittle, just like him, and some would call it an ugly smile for an ugly old man.
To Ruby, that smile, the smile of someone she had actually successfully saved…it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.
"Oh…the night, and the dream, were long…"
With a final sigh of relief as the weight of so many years and so many sins finally left his old bones, so died Gehrman, the First Hunter, finally truly freed from the Nightmare that had held him for so long. Ruby carefully laid his body down on the dirt, closing his eyes and placing his heart back in the hole she had torn in his chest, breathing her own sigh of relief as she stood from the corpse of her mentor.
'It's finally over…' was her first thought as she stood there in the pale moonlight, alone in the field of flowers with only the crackling flame and a corpse as company, just as she had been left many times as she had fought through this nightmare. Some of her wounds still bled, her Aura only capable of healing her so quickly, but she had not felt this content in a long, long time.
'Maybe I can take a rest too, now…' was Ruby's vain second thought, a miniscule hope in the face of all the darkness she had battled, but as the light shifted and Ruby turned to take in the sight of the moon bleeding red once more, just as it had in the Waking World, her heart plummeting in her chest, this hope was soon discarded…
A̶̛̪͔̜̺̲̎̈́̀͋n̵͉̽͆̇̂͝d̸̥̮̩̂̕.̴̤̩̈́ ̵̺͉̏͊͠
Ţ̸̲̮̟͈̫̅̈͑̊͘̕ḩ̶͔̟̒̍̀̋̉̚e̸͙͎͍̩͔̘̎̿n̸͎͉̺̮͊̎̃
S̴̨̖̳̲̱̈́ͅh̵̛̺̯͕̐e̸̡̧̛͇͗̐̐.̷̧̺̟̍̐͛̕
̴̢̙̞͎̖̥̒̌̋͘̚D̷̨̯͇̣̄ȩ̴̢̹̝̋s̴̩̜̐̔̐̽͗̆c̷̘͕̤̈̑̕e̶̞̓͋ṋ̸̼͍́̿͐́̍d̸̢̺̀͛́ḛ̸̗̜̝͆ͅd̵̡͎͇͆͊͒͠.̶̟̹̙̖̉̀͑̾̈́͝
Ruby's mind, inundated against the eldritch by the monstrosities she had faced in this brutal hunt of hers, throbbed with pain as she looked upon the being that came down from that bloodstained moon. It S̴̨̧͎̞͎̼̀h̴̡̭̥͈̄̂͛̚͜ë̷̡̡̡̙͉́̾͠ͅ was horrifying b̶̧̙̩͎̭̎͗͊̀̄̈́̓͌e̵̦̜͖̺̠̺̓͌̕̚ả̵̢͔͇͖̻̥̔͗̚̕̕u̴̜̳̓̐̊͆͐̌͝͠t̸̘̩̬̼̟̏̓̈́̆́̈́̍̔͠ͅi̸̥̳̟̰̯̜͊͛͜f̶̖͙̬͎̥̻̜͓́̓̋̿́͋͘̚͝u̷̢̢̼̗͑͛̽̍̀̓l̶̺̇̾̂̏̀ to witness, a mass of tentacles placed atop an exposed spine and ribcage that stretched on for longer than it ever would have or should have in nature. Its face…wasn't, simply a hole in place of any features, and yet more tentacles flowed behind it like fleshy tails. This monstrosity G̸̢̜͇͋o̵͔̰̜̣̓d̶͍͋͐ that had appeared should have repulsed her, should have had her drawing a weapon, any weapon she could find, and attacking immediately. Yet as this presence from the Moon F̴̙̫̤͓̎ͅl̴̹̯̙͇̅͑̚͝o̸̧̨̖̠̘̐̍͝r̴̡̟͚͖͕̊̊̇͝a̴̙̱̙̔̀̊̿͘ alighted upon the bloodied earth, all Ruby could do was walk towards her, entranced…her hand reached out to this beast f̵͎̝̹̙̪̊̋̏̅̽r̸̲̲͙̄͗̎i̸̻̣͓̻̓͆̉e̸͔̪̟͑̈́̀̏̄n̵̖̤̻͖̥̈́d̶͚͌ as if in greeting. It….S̴̨̧͎̞͎̼̀h̴̡̭̥͈̄̂͛̚͜ë̷̡̡̡̙͉́̾͠ͅ grabbed hold of her w̶͈͎͎͗͆̑̇͌r̸̰̳͆̽̈́͝a̴̩̎̈́́̈́̕p̴̳̀p̴̨̧̲͉̞̽͐ě̸̢͉̗̰͌d̶̘̙͂ ̸̹͓͉͔͈̅ḩ̸͂͒̓́ê̵̻̗̐̊͝r̵̪͙͍̳̯̀̾͑ ̸̪̰͔͙͙̿͂̓i̵̹̜͚̦̒̑̽̅ṇ̵̖̻̤̊̑̿ ̶͓͍͎̒ȧ̴̺̳͖̙̙́̄̕͝ ̸̧̬̰̃̆̓̌ḽ̶̲̃̍͑̽ͅo̵̼͙̖͑͝v̴͖̩̱̥̀͆ì̴͇͛͂͗ǹ̵͇̙̀̓g̷̖̜̱̙͛ ̴͉̞͉̜͊̂͂͝͝e̷͇̭͚̫̝͆͌̂͆̈́m̸̥͐͑͂̈́b̶͇̪̱͒̅͑͘r̶̨̉̈́̀̐ä̸͎́̉̋̂c̸̱̄ẹ̸̈͛͑ with its h̴̬̮͊̐̊̉͘ͅe̸̛͉̘̘̅̔̃ͅr̷̛͔̳̼̖̣͛̕ long fingered hands, and pulled her close to the face that was not there, and Ruby could feel her presence, like the weight of a warm blanket from an old friend, calling to her, asking her to sit down in her chair, accept her purpose…be a friend to Hunters just as her old, poor mentor had happily done for so long, and her mind yearned to accept, begged to accept, and take Flora's offered rest…but something pushed back. A light welled up within her, a burning behind her eyes and Flora pushed back, telling her to obey ordering her to cease and the eyes inside screamed yet the burning only grew more powerful as an intense force of eldritch power welled up and Flora was forced away from her in an explosion of silver light.
When Ruby's feet were once more firmly on the ground she could sense that there had been a shift. Her heart beat so fast she could have sworn it had stopped, and in the deepest parts of her soul she could feel something was churning, waking up . Her mind felt sluggish, and yet she had never been more aware. Something was changing in her, something that had been changing in her as she had delved deeper and deeper into the darkness of Yharnam and the ancient secrets that had led the city down its tragic path. In her brief communion with this Great One she had seen her. Flora meant no harm, not truly. To her alien intelligence she was kind, benevolent even. Flora could not understand the fragility of man, even as she used them as pawns for whatever purpose she had in slaughtering her Kin. She meant no harm…yet as Ruby glanced to the side and saw her mentor's corpse, still lying in the dirt where she had put him to rest, Ruby was able to look past the eldritch truth and Flora's unholy beauty. She saw Flora for what she was, no matter her intentions: a beast that had caused harm. A beast which would continue to cause harm if left alone. A beast which needed to be put down.
Ruby almost dashed forward immediately, reaching for her axe-before she recalled Gehrman had broken it in two in his attempts to break her resolve. Not only that, but she could not even see the pieces nearby, scattered by the wind as she pushed Flora back. She was a hunter without a weapon…before her eyes caught the glint of steel in the red moonlight at her feet.
There lay Gehrman's masterpiece, his greatest companion and the weapon whose bite she had felt many times tonight. Burial Blade rested at her feet, the scythe almost beckoning to her, and for a moment Ruby saw a different weapon, a scythe of black and red, metal replacing wood and intricate mechanisms overlapping with Gehrman's simple efficiency. She reached out for it but paused for a moment, hand shaking. It had been so long since she'd wielded a scythe, so much had changed…was she ready to take such a weapon up again, even if it was not that one?
One glance at Flora, silent if not for her tentacles writhing around her in anger, gave Ruby her answer. It mattered not if she was ready for this battle. Her prey would not wait for her to emotionally prepare herself. Resolved to see this through as she was, she could not accept this weakness. So she steeled herself, forced her hand to stop, and wrapped her grip around the long wooden haft.
The moment her hand touched the wood instincts dusty with time and disuse lit up in her mind, and Ruby took a moment to feel the weight of her weapon. Flora had no patience left for Ruby however. She let out a sickening screech and charged forward, ready to rip Ruby to shreds. It mattered not, however. With a flourish, Ruby spun the scythe about, twirling it as she posed, the butt of its haft held behind her head, scythe blade hovering gently behind her legs.
Tonight, the Red Reaper joined the Hunt.
Ruby moved, meeting her prey's charge head on. Leaping high into the air, she sailed over the enraged god, flipping through the air. Her scythe flashed in the moonlight and with the swing went two of Flora's tentacles, the writhing flesh dropping to the dirt with a dull thud. Ruby landed gracefully on the field as Flora stumbled, tripping through the dirt and carving a furrow through the field.
"Hehehe…still got it." Ruby snickered to herself, a bit of childishness resurging as she re-aquainted herself with her weapon before once more twirling her scythe as Flora climbed to her feet behind her. The beast screeched once again and leapt forward like a feral hound, but as her swipe slammed into where Ruby stood, instead of blood and gore, Flora saw only misty rose petals flowing past her. The petals coalesced in the air above Flora and Ruby reformed from her Semblance, Burial Blade raised high. She let gravity take her then, and the scythe slammed into Flora's too-long spine, biting into the creature's back while Ruby balanced herself on the bony length. Ruby's hand then gripped around her scythe's trigger, ready to use the force of a bullet to propel herself forward-and as her finger squeezed only open air, Ruby was reminded that this scythe was not also a gun. Flora's flowing appendages slammed into her moments after, throwing the Hunter from her brief perch, and it was Ruby's turn to crash through the dirt, rolling across the bloodstained ground before coming to an aching stop. Ruby groaned as she pushed herself to her feet, bones creaking from the impacts.
"Ok…maybe I'm a little bit rusty…" She was quick to ready herself as Flora once more charged towards her though, brushing off dirt and bringing her scythe forward. "You'll help me practise though, won't you Flora?"
Flora's only reply was a deep growl as she leapt into the air and slammed into the dirt. Ruby quickly stepped to the side, only a spray of dirt hitting her, and returned the favour with another swipe of her blade through Flora's body. Flora gurgled as her blood sprayed across her foe, and she lashed out with a flurry of blows. Swipe after swipe whistled past Ruby, the force of Flora's blows ruffling her coat in the wind, but the reaper kept moving, dodging past Flora's wild, animalistic attacks. Each missed swing earned Flora another cut, Burial Blade carving through flesh. The scythe felt bloodthirsty in Ruby's hands, like it was repaying old grudges, and Flora howled every time the siderite edge passed through her alien being.
Gurgling in frustration, Flora ceased her savage assault and for a moment Ruby thought this was an opportunity. Then Flora brought her hand to her faceless face and glowed a dark red as energy coalesced before her. Faster than Ruby could have hoped to react, a pulse of blood-red power washed over her and pain erupted through Ruby's body. She coughed up blood, the droplets splattering onto the ground in a wet heave, and for a moment Ruby saw light in the corner of her eyes. She had died before, too many times, but never had she been dragged so close to the cusp of death without going over the edge. She nearly collapsed to her knees before her eyes caught a glimpse of Flora. Instead of pressing her assault in her opponent's moment of weakness, the monster merely stood still, and Ruby's silver eyes lit up with vicious glee. It hurt to move, every step aching, and she knew she was taking a risk when even a stiff breeze could finish her off. Flora was still frozen in place as Ruby ran towards her however and with another swing of Burial Blade she felt her strength returning.
Ruby kept swinging and Flora merely took the blows, each attack wounding her further while Ruby's strength returned with every cut she inflicted.
"Nice trick Flora, but it won't work on me!" Ruby taunted the beast even as Flora's hands once more swung towards her, finally breaking out of whatever brief stupor she had put herself into.
"Nothing you do will work on me!" Burial Blade swung through the air and lopped off another of Flora's twitching limbs.
"Not your attacks!" Another swing carved off yet more of the Great One's flesh.
"Not your stupid, cursed Dream!" More tentacles fell to the dirt as Ruby shouted. Flora could do little more than keep grabbing at the Hunter, trying desperately to get even one hit in, to smash Ruby to pieces.
"There's only one way this ends Flora. I am the Hunter, and behind all that power…you're just a beast at your core." As Ruby's scythe claimed one of Flora's longest tentacles, Flora's screams only grew in volume. Her hands slammed into the dirt again, not aimed at Ruby now, but more akin to a toddler's tantrum. She raged, smashing apart the flowers beneath her, dirt spraying through the air like a fountain, before she shrieked again. Her hand once more went to the hole in her head, red energy pulsating once more, but Ruby was prepared this time.
Burial Blade shined in Flora's light, and before Flora could release the energy Ruby separated Flora's long-fingered hand from the rest of her body. The red light fled as the weighty claw fell to the dirt with a meaty thump and Flora's horrific cry of pain would have driven most men mad within a moment of hearing her, so pained was she by the loss of this limb. Ruby only watched as the Great One gurgled and collapsed onto her shoulder, unable to stand properly without her hand. It made one more swipe at Ruby with her last remaining hand, a weak and pitiful attempt compared to the rage-filled rampage she had performed just moments ago, and Ruby silently relieved her of the last appendage. Flora squirmed on the ground, its alien howls and screams sounding more like whimpers now to Ruby's ears. Shaking her head at the sad sight of a being brought so low, even if it was by her own hand, Ruby slowly strode towards Flora. Stepping onto the beast, Ruby flipped Burial Blade, the butt of its handle pointed towards the moon, while the curved blade hooked around Flora's neck.
"And a Hunter must hunt."
With a single pull Burial Blade parted Flora's eldritch flesh for the last time, its blade tearing through her neck. She squirmed and gurgled beneath Ruby, trying to shake her off and force her executioner away. Ruby stood firm atop the beast however, and with one final heave, Flora's head was separated from her body. Her removed head flew through the air, falling onto the dirt and rolling to a stop amidst a patch of flowers that had managed to go untouched throughout the fight. Flora's decapitated body spasmed, death throes wracking it as Ruby stepped off the freshly made corpse. It too, however, soon fell still, and once more Ruby was left alone in the blood-strewn field, only the moon and the corpses she had made for company.
She stood there for a moment, half expecting yet another monstrosity to descend from the heavens hunting for her head, but as the seconds ticked past and she remained alone, Ruby allowed herself to relax. Her shoulders slumped as the weight of the Hunt slipped from her. There were no more beasts to kill. No more foolish old men to release into death. No more cosmic gods to slay. It was just her. Just Ruby Rose.
"I…can finally…" And alone in a field of flowers Ruby Rose collapsed, while above her the moon was washed clean of the blood that had darkened its shine, its silver glow growing brighter with every moment as it looked down upon herself.
The Doll stepped across the cold cobbled stone of the little pathway to the Workshop. The fire had long since ceased, and as the burning stopped the building had looked as if it had never been set ablaze in the first place. She had wondered what had occurred, watching as the moon had turned red and Flora of the Moon had descended upon her dear Good Hunter. She had heard cries in the distance, and watched as the light abated, blood replaced by beautifully gleaming silver, and so the Doll came to this little pathway. Before her on the ground, shivering on the cold stone, lay a large, slug-like creature. A newborn babe, if she had a mouth the Doll was certain she would be crying out.
"Oh, are you cold?" She bent low, scooping the poor thing into her arms. "Good Hunte-"
Suddenly, bright light shined like the sun had descended to the earth before the Doll. She was blinded, something she had not known could even happen to her, and so her ceramic eyes were forced shut.
When the light finally faded, the Doll's arms felt empty, and when she looked to her hands she saw that the creature she had picked up had disappeared. The Doll looked around, thinking she had dropped the poor child, but no matter where she looked she could see no sign of her.
"Good Hunter?"
"....Ruby?"
Only silence answered the Doll, left alone in a cold dream.
R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R
~White and cold beneath the moon, with strength befitting a royal crown~