Ruby vs Dust

Ruby vs Dust is ZackAttackX's third BAFW battle.

## Description

*RWBY vs Dust: An Elysian Tail! Speedy leaders of factions clash blades - don't blink or you'll miss it!*

## Fight

Location: Streets of Vale - RWBY.

"OH MY GOOOOOOSH!" Ruby squealed, rushing over towards Dust, eyeing the Blade of Ahrah with intense focus. Dust and Fidget glanced at one another. "That sword is only the second coolest weapon I've seen today!" she continued, practically bouncing off the walls in excitement. She then skidded to a halt in front of Dust. "Where did you get it?!" she asked. Dust again looked towards Fidget, hoping she could fill in the blanks for him. "It's... um... where *did* you come from, Ahrah?" he asked.

"I am one of the five blades of Elysium, of that you are aware." Ahrah explained. Ruby failed to control her excitement once more. "IT TALKS! THAT'S SO AWESOME!" she screeched. Dust rubbed his eyes with his spare hand - he was starting to get a headache. "Come on, Fidget. We're getting out of here." he said, preparing to leave. Ruby followed behind him. "Are you guys here for the tournament?" she asked. Dust shook his head. "What tournament? You mean the Vytal Festival?" Ruby nodded. "Huntsmen and huntresses from all over are competing. Myself included. And might I add that I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of winning it for Team RWBY." she announced proudly. Dust stopped and turned to Ruby. Before he could say anything, Fidget took the words from out of his mouth. "No offense, but you don't really seem like the monster-fighting type." the nimbat said.

Ruby smirked and pulled out Crescent Rose in scythe form, much to Fidget's surprise. "Whoa!" she exclaimed. Ruby giggled. "Surprised? I'm pretty good, if I do say so myself." she said, twirling her weapon in a rapid motion. Fidget pointed towards Dust. "Pssh. I bet Dust is better." she grinned. Ruby faced Dust, scythe at the ready. "Whatd'ya say, Dust? Wanna back up her statement?" Dust grumbled. "I don't have time for frivolous requests right now." he insisted. Ahrah spoke up once more. "We are to meet with the Moonbloods in an hour." Ruby smiled. "Don't worry, it'll be over in a minute." she said confidently.

(Cues Out of the Dark)

Dust sighed. "Alright then, kid, you're on." Dust said, getting into a battle stance. "But don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a child." Fidget flew off to the side, leaving Ruby and Dust to face off.

**FIGHT!**

Ruby immediately fired a blast of Gravity Dust behind her and lunged for her opponent with a crosscut, to which Mithrarin answered with a quick twirl of his blade, dragging the attack aside and slashing for Ruby's chest. Ruby parried with the hilt of Crescent Rose and twirled her weapon in a circular motion to repel all of Dust's followups. Eventually, Ruby used her Semblance to rush up the wall of a nearby building, still firing lead at her foe, who either blocked or dodged each incoming round. She then fired down several shots of Fire Dust, which the Moonblood prepared a counter for. He used the Aerial Dust Storm to bring the Dust rounds back, turning him into a vortex of fire that Ruby had to rush away from.

The huntress dropped back into the street, but Dust looped back around and went for another attack. This time, Ruby rushed and met him halfway, the two clashing blades as they passed by. This continued for a while until Ruby caught Dust out by planting the tip of her weapon into the ground, then swinging around and kicking Dust in the ribs, knocking him off balance. As Dust tumbled, Ruby rushed again, cutting at Dust from multiple angles and dealing a fair amount of damage. Ruby then slashed Dust into the air and leaped up at him. Dust recovered in time and caught Ruby out with a quick parry, dazing her. Dust then followed with From Whence It Came in the air, then bringing her back down with The Fallen technique. Ruby crashed to the ground hard on her back, but rolled away from Dust before he could finish her off.

Dust attempted another Aerial Dust Storm, wanting to close the gap quickly, but Ruby stood firm and blocked with a buzzsaw motion with her weapon. She continued to fend Dust's ruthless offense off with repeated parries, but realised she couldn't win on defense alone. She waited for Dust to hesitate and when he did, she fired a Gravity round behind her again and bashed Dust in the chin with a stiff headbutt, then began her own offense with rapid slashes with a mix of shots fired from her rifle. Dust held his own for a while, but one shot to the leg with a blast of electricity quickly paralyzed him for the moment, giving Ruby enough time to attack. She slashed her foe multiple times over before shooting him with a blast of Gravity, launching him into a wall. Mithrarin collapsed in a heap, with Ruby standing several meters away.

"Had enough already?" Ruby taunted, twirling Crescent Rose and resting it on her shoulder. Dust slowly staggered to a vertical base, to Ruby's surprise. "Sorry kid, you've not won yet." Dust uttered through gritted teeth. Ruby quickly loaded more Electric Dust to her rifle and fired at her foe, who used the Dust Storm to catch them mid-flight, redirecting them towards Ruby. Out of instinct, Ruby used her Semblance to flee from the incoming lightning bolts, but she had made one slight miscalculation - Dust was still using the Dust Storm. Ruby was pulled into the vortex, along with the rose petals left behind and Dust struck her with the Rising Phoenix to slash her into the air, where he followed up with his patented Undoing combo, slicing her several times in the chest before grabbing her by the neck and dragging her down to the ground hard, fully depleting her Aura to zero.

(Music stops)

**K.O!**

Ruby's Aura fizzled away, signalling the end of the battle. Dust landed next to her, clutching his injuries. Fidget, who watched the fight through her fingers, flew towards her friend to help him out. "You did it, Dust! I had full faith in you!" she smiled. "Jeez, that was close..." she whispered to herself immediately after. Dust smiled. "Thanks for cheering me on there, Fidget. Really appreciate your help." he said, kneeling next to Ruby and shaking her awake. "Kid? You okay?" he asked.

"That... was... TOTALLY AMAZING-ow." Ruby exclaimed, clutching her chest in pain. Dust reached into his inventory and pulled out a Feeble Fruit. "Here, this'll help you recover." he said. Ruby gratefully accepted to fruit and ate up. "I'll admit, you're not half bad. With a few refinements in your technique and strategies, you'll do well in this tournament of yours." he said. Ruby grinned. "You think so?" Dust and Fidget both nodded. Dust helped Ruby up and the two shook hands.

"Hey, how about we have a rematch after I win it?" Ruby proposed, determination in her eyes. Dust couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Sure thing. Just don't expect me to sit around and wait for you to get better, alright?" Ruby nodded her head. "I wouldn't want you to." she replied.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but shouldn't we be getting a move on soon?" Fidget chirped in. "Yeah, we probably should." he replied, turning back to Ruby. "Take care of yourself... uh..." he started. "It's Ruby. Ruby Rose." Ruby filled in the blank. Dust nodded. "Take care, Ruby. I look forward to hearing about your victory." he said, and he, Fidget and Ahrah turned to leave the city. Their destination: the Blackmoor Mountains. Ruby decided to head back to Beacon Academy - there was work to be done.

(Victory theme)