The City of Ionia

It crept towards someone she loved. It inched closer as if it was programmed to move in slow motion. With nothing in its hand, it towered over Jill, who was on the ground. She must’ve taken quite the beating for her to end up like that.

Ruby couldn’t wait any longer. She pulled out a knife from her waist and flicked it at her target.

It stopped and turned around.

With a balled fist, it marched towards her.

Ruby took a closer look before noticing something important.

“I see your waist is banged up. Well, now I know exactly where to start.”

She drew her sword and got into her stance. Her knees bounced with eagerness. Her face broke into a cold sweat. She wasn’t nervous, but she wasn’t confident.

Her main goal was to save Jill. If it costs her life, then so be it. She couldn’t see someone she cared for die again. Not for a third time.

She gently closed her eyes and took a deep breath, filling her brain with a sense of calmness.

It’s just another opponent.

It didn’t matter who or what this thing was. She was going to make sure it didn’t harm Jill.

Ruby opened her eyes like flashing beams and charged at the hunk of blue. She swung furiously only to get blocked by its forearm. Ruby quickly leaped away.

Did she even scratch it? She swore her hit was strong. If this was the case, then how did Jill rupture its waist?

Oh, that’s probably why.

Jill obtained the power of a demon. Her eyes glared a shining red, allowing her to slash through any opponent. Perhaps that’s what happened here.

But even so, she defeated an entire bandit organization. Even with such power, she could only somewhat damage the waist.

The SCAR agent threw a punch, which Ruby swiftly dodged. It threw another punch. And another.

Though the speed of these attacks wasn’t something an average fighter could handle, Ruby dodged them all easily. Perfecting the art of dodging and timing, it was as though nothing could hit her. She preferred to play the defensive and find a weakness in the opponent’s attacks.

After all, that’s how Lexy trained her.

She analyzed its fighting pattern: quick punches with nothing else. No kicks, no grabbing—nothing—just different variations of punches.

Ruby dodged around twelve strikes with little difficulty. She was always quick on her feet with exceptional reaction time, so this was nothing more than a walk in the woods.

Another strike was thrown. This time, it caught her off guard. Its fist balled up, coming from above—a strike directly to the bridge of the nose.

Ruby didn’t expect it since it wasn’t like the strikes from before. But she quickly made note of something vital. It was a relatively simple strike to deflect. It would be ideal if she could create an opening to attack its already damaged waist.

Its balled fist fell with integrity. Ruby raised her sword parallel to the ground and blocked it clean with one hand on the shaft, the other supporting the blade. It felt like an entire tree came down on her. She had to act quickly before her sword snapped in two.

She tilted the sword so that its fist slid down the blade. There it was—a perfect opening right to the damaged waist. The SCAR agent’s hand was off her blade. Free to move, she quickly placed her off-hand on the shaft, stepped in, and thrust her blade with all her might. Contact was made, and the SCAR agent fell to a knee.

Perfect. Another opportunity to strike. Its nape was exposed and screaming to be sliced. Ruby quickly pulled her sword out of its torso and spun forward for maximum momentum.

She yelled, striking the nape. Even with all her energy, it only left a dent. But it didn’t matter. The SCAR agent fell to the ground, face–first.

Ruby, who was breathing heavily, ran straight to Jill.

“You okay,” she asked as she got down on a knee.

Jill was grabbing onto her arm, straining from the pain.

“You know, I don’t have these scars on my arms for nothing. But this is something different. Heh-heh—Ahgk.”

“Don’t overdo it.” Ruby slightly pulled up Jill’s shirt. Jill had severely bruised ribs. Jill wasn’t complaining about the pain, which stunned Ruby.

“You do know your ribs are bruised or maybe even broken.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she smiled.

A weird response. Ruby didn’t bother questioning it since there were more important things to deal with.

“Here, let me make a cast for your arm.”

“I never said it was broken.”

“You don’t have to tell me. You can’t move it, so I assume it’s broken. At least let me treat it for my own sake.”

Jill didn’t argue and let Ruby do her thing. Ruby took off her shirt and put Jill’s head through the hole. A tank top was the only thing keeping her top half nude.

Jill wore the shirt like a necklace. Ruby carefully stored Jill’s arm, her elbow resting tight on the shirt. She pulled out Jill’s hand through the right armhole.

“It’s sloppy, but it’ll work for now,” Ruby said.

“Ruby, can I ask you something?”

“Is something wrong?”

Jill couldn’t contain eye contact, almost as if she was embarrassed. “What made you risk your life to save me?”

Ruby sat on her legs in a relaxed manner.

“You know, I used to be cold. I wouldn’t talk much. I wouldn’t celebrate during bonfires or even eat with others. A big part of that was losing Lexy. She was everything to me. A sharpener to a blade, if you will. She took me under her wing, trained me alongside Randy, fed me, and told me stories. She was basically my mother. I loved her with everything. She always used to joke about death, saying how this job was “too dangerous” and our lives were “temporary.” My blood boiled whenever she joked around like that. She smiled and laughed, but to me, it wasn’t funny. My ignorant little self thought she was only joking. Turns out, she was right. She died in my arms. I was declared the Bariac’s cult leader. It’s not because I wanted to, but because that was the last thing she asked of me. I reluctantly became the leader and refused to personally connect with anyone, fearing that I could potentially lose them, too. Long story short, things changed when you came. Not because of you, though, but because of Harley. When she asked me to come to Clueknicks with you and her, I was happy—yet hesitant. She’d been asking to go somewhere with me, and I’d always turned her down. I was afraid of gaining some sort of connection. I wasn’t close to Harley, but I knew her well enough to steer a conversation. I’m so glad I ended up going. I don’t think I would’ve become friends with Harley, you, and even Jeremy if I didn't. I don’t think I would’ve become close to any of you guys. I’m so happy I spread my wings and took a chance.” Tears slowly began to roll down her face. “But after losing Lexy and Harley—I can’t lose anyone else. I had to make sure you were safe. Because… because… I wouldn’t be able to live knowing that I can’t save the ones closest to me.”

“Ruby…”

“Sorry,” she sniffed while wiping her eyes. “I know I said a lot that probably doesn’t matter to you. In short, I can’t lose you—not after losing Lexy and Harley.”

Jill’s smile expressed a light yet genuine warmth. “Thank you.”

They shared a brief hug. For Ruby, it felt like a warm compress on her body, and she didn’t want to let go.

Ruby helped Jill up. It took her a bit, but she stood with a little wobble.

“Are you sure you can walk?”

“Ya… ummm… Ruby…” She pointed with a shaky finger.

“What?”

She turned. The scene in front caused shivers to run throughout her body.

The SCAR agent slowly got back onto its feet.

“Jill.”

“Ya?”

“Run.”

“No.”

It was a straightforward response, but not the one Ruby wanted to hear. She held her sword out, using her body as Jill’s shield.

“You are not in any condition to fight.”

“I’m not going to leave you.”

Ruby turned her head, locking eyes with Jill. A wild, frantic gaze, as if begging with her eyes to free, would change Jill’s mind.

“I wasn’t able to save them. Please, at least let me save you.”

Jill licked her lips and made a troubled face. She looked around as though a solution was written in the surrounding wildlife.

Ruby knew Jill wouldn’t obey, especially for a request like this. That’s not who Jill was, but she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was save her, no matter the outcome.

Jill finally spoke up. “I’ll stay out of your way. But I am not leaving you.”

Ruby checked the status of the SCAR agent, which was headed towards them at a marching pace. There wasn’t any time to argue, so Ruby gently pushed Jill out of the way and charged at the SCAR agent.

A swing and a block.

They exchanged attacks. Sometimes, the SCAR agent was on the offensive; other times, it was Ruby, though she fought more aggressively than usual.

She knew what could potentially happen. Her life was at stake, but so was Jill’s. She didn’t mind if she died. All she wanted was to save her friend.

Something she couldn't do before.

Ruby fought with more purpose with each swing. Every move was a testament to her oath.

No matter the outcome, I will protect her!

Adrenaline kicked in harder than ever. It felt as though she was moving faster than a fish swimming. Her attacks were firm with maximum power. Her foot placement was precise and strategic for the next move.

Shifty, intelligent, decisive. Every swing, block, step, and maneuver must be perfect.

Keep going.

Neither of them gave up a strike. The SCAR agent’s movement slowed, probably because of its previous injuries.

Ruby was on the upper hand. She was the one throwing strikes. It was like fighting with a moving dummy. She bombarded the SCAR agent, leaving little room to counter. It was almost too overpowering.

That was until she messed up.

“Ahgk—!”

The SCAR agent squeezed a punch right to the abdomen. Ruby, forced to hunch over, grabbed her stomach. Still on her feet, she stumbled, catching her breath. Trees began to swirl and blur up. She shook her head, spit-vomiting mucus and blood.

Such a force had never punched her. It felt like the combined strength of a hundred soldiers.

How did this happen? She made sure not to end up square to the SCAR agent. Every move was calculated and executed to perfection. So, how did it find a gap?

Her sword supported her body, leaning her weight as the tip dug into the soil. That one strike alone had her winded. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stand upright. Her stomach begged her not to.

Vulnerable as ever, the SCAR agent used this moment to its advantage. Its metal hand gripped her chest, and the burning strength in its arms told her they weren’t going to let her go. She tried pulling its hand off of her, but she failed miserably. Her arms held the strength of a toddler. She let out a guttural yell as it flung her with immense force into the trunk of the nearest tree. The SCAR agent towered over her. It raised its foot and stomped her chest. One stomp equaled a hundred men. It was a chore to breathe. With her body pinned and her mouth still coughing up a mix of mucus and blood, she wondered one thing:

Is Jill okay?

She heard a yell. Someone called her name. It was so close, yet so distant.

Oh… it must be Jill.

She tried to muster any strength to get up, but it was like squeezing paste from an empty tube.

Her muscles gave up. She couldn’t move. Her vision fixated on the ground. The grass swirled like a whirlpool. Weird…

Since when did grass move?

Ew…

With each breath, she tasted the metallic flavor of blood in her mouth. With each breath, she approached an inevitable fate.

But before she could think about that, she forced her head up. It was like moving a stubborn boulder, but she did it. It rested against the tree trunk.

Jill…?

Squinting, she noticed Jill holding a sword.

No…

“What do you think she will do?”

She slowly turned even though it ached to do so.

It couldn’t be true.

How was this possible?

As Ruby’s breath grew weaker with each passing minute, a woman with a clean bun sat next to her, her arms used as two pillars.

Ruby knew exactly who it was. She could pick out that voice from a crowd full of a thousand people.

“Lexy?”

“Shhhh. Let’s watch what will happen.”

Ruby turned her head back, ignoring the burning pain.

The SCAR agent headed to the armed Jill. She stood in a stance but then dropped the sword. Jill ran away and disappeared into the forest. The SCAR agent didn’t bother chasing after her.

“Wow! And here I thought she would put up a fight. That would’ve been pretty stupid of her.”

“Heh—I did it.”

“Hmmm?”

Ruby turned her head. “I did it, Lexy. I… I saved… her.”

Lexy smiled broadly like a proud mother. “Ya, you did. I’m proud of you, Ruby. You did good.”

“I… I did good?”

“Of course! I couldn’t have asked for a better leader to succeed me. You did good.”

“But… I let you…”

“Don’t beat yourself up for it. Sometimes, we are so caught up in what we did wrong that we don’t see how much we’ve done right. You led the cult better than I could ever. You gave so many people fresh lives in this cruel world. How many people have done that?”

Even though her body was numb, Ruby somehow had the strength to smile, though it was as faint as ever.

“You did what you came here for. You saved Jill. She’ll remember you forever and appreciate the life you gave her. Everyone will.”

Ruby’s eyes began to close. Wanting to speak to Lexy for a bit longer, she fought to stay awake. But she couldn’t.

A distant voice whispered in her ear.

“You did good. I’m proud of you.”

As Ruby drew her last breath, all she could do was faintly smile.

“I did good,” she repeated before death carried her away from the world.