Velvet and Nebula continued to trade rapid-fire blows.

“Feel free to quit anytime,” Nebula taunted.

“I’m tired of you all thinking you’re better than us,” Velvet said between gritted teeth. “While I was defending Beacon, where were you? Oh, that’s right. On the first transport to Vacuo.” She swept the broken staff toward Nebula’s head, then jabbed at her with the tip. Nebula spun away gracefully and turned the dodge into a roundhouse kick to Velvet’s back, knocking her forward.

“Velvet still gets a point on that one for her snappy comeback,” Scarlet whispered to Coco, and his new teammate nodded.

Nebula wasn’t letting Velvet off the hook. “But I am better than you,” she said. “We left Beacon because we knew it was a lost cause. Just like you.”

Velvet knelt, gasping to catch her breath. Nebula brought her right leg high and then kicked downward. Velvet thrust the two pieces of her spear upward and crossed them, catching Nebula’s leg. The force of the blow pushed her into the sand.

Nebula launched herself upward with her pinned leg to free herself. Velvet dropped the broken staff and tried to pull herself out of the sand, but she was stuck.

Nebula landed behind Velvet. She walked calmly around her and picked up the pieces of her spear.

“We’re done here,” Nebula said. “You should go back to Vale.”

Velvet kept scrambling in the sand, but she couldn’t dig herself out. Finally her shoulders slumped and she stopped moving.

- RWBY: Before the Dawn, Chapter 7