Author's Note: So here's the updated version of the Prologue. The other chapters should also be updated. The only changes were of course any mistakes I caught upon rereading, expanding certain scenes, minor editing here and there, and minor retcons that have little relevance to the plot so this fic is more inline with the show. That and I've made a pass on all the chapters to make it more open-ended so it's less reliant on events from the show (except potential character deaths). Outside of that, I hope you enjoy this attempt at a "final arc" in RWBY. Questions, comments, reviews, criticism, etc-are always welcome!
March 1, 2019 Update: Went in and did some "routine" proofreading and corrections/improvements. Nothing major, just minor stuff. RIP peoples' inboxes (for those who are following it) lol.
Prologue
Morgan
Ruby roused from her sleep; she yawned and stretched as she sat up. She jumped off the bed as she shook off a headrush. Her head was pounding; not too bad but it definitely hurt. Another headache, she thought. It was the fourth one in a row. She thought nothing of it though. It was annoying more than anything else. She gazed over at the table and smiled at Full Rose. Things were sort of boring now, but at least she could use these missions as an opportunity to refine the new designs.
She put on her bandoleer around her waist, put on her armor-plated corset, tightened it over her long-sleeved undershirt, then rushed over to put on her boots. She walked over to the desk and picked up her scroll. Let's see now. This is near Oniyuri. Haven't been there in years. Just gotta clear out some grimm? She thought. Another boring mission. Things were boring nowadays. Pretty much any huntsman or huntress could do these jobs. If it wasn't for her desire to test Full Rose, she wouldn't have much of a reason to be here. She looked at her scroll again and noticed that she woke up rather late. It was already noon.
There is still so much work to be done, though, she thought. She pushed a finger into her temple. It never did anything, but there was an urge. Usually happened with headaches, she could never just suffer through them without fidgeting. She hadn't tested the design of Rose Thorn yet, so she decided to use that mode exclusively for this mission.
She finished up her morning routine and made a bit of breakfast. She devoured the breakfast, finishing up the last bite out of the omelet she made, downed the cup of milk, and rushed off to her mission. She would be taken to the area by airship, so she just had to remember where the landing was. It has been a while since she was last in Mistral. She hoped that it wouldn't mean she forgot where the landing was, though that's precisely what ended up happening. She scoured the maze that was the city. She had been in the middle part of Mistral, between the Lower and Upper cities. She ran between alleyways, down streets, around food stalls, and through the crevices of the mountainside. Nothing. She stopped here and there for directions until finally, she found the landing. Was it her or did people give terrible directions?
She boarded the airship. Once on, she paid the price for a boarding ticket with the left-over Lien she had from staying at a hotel and rode it to Oniyuri. The airship took around an hour of travel before it arrived. It lowered near the outskirts of the village—safely at a distance from any of the buildings. It dropped her off. "Thanks for the lift!"
"No problem, ma'am! Be careful! You have our number so feel free to call us if you need a lift back," One of the crew members said. The boat-like airship flew off as she stepped off. Did they recognize her? She couldn't recall a time where they would offer such a thing. Maybe it's because she's a big-time huntress now? Guess being famous had its perks.
She looked forward and walked toward Oniyuri which to her surprise had become an actual town with people in it. It seemed like Mistral managed to reclaim some lost territory, which wasn't very surprising to her. The news was constantly mentioning all the different villages, towns, and cities being built outside the safety of the main cities. With how things ended up, practically every nation was dramatically expanding its territory.
She walked up to what seemed to be an authority in the town and greeted him, "Hey mister, I'm here about the nearby grimm, would you know where they are right now?"
The man in the red garments stroked his grey beard and scanned her. "Why yes! Finally, some help arrives! You see with what happened to Oniyuri in the past, the people of the town are more anxious than normal about any nearby grimm. We have defenses, but you can understand the concern. Despite the world these days, old fears don't die so easily."
"Of course," She said, smiling.
He gestured with his thumb, pointing in the direction behind him. "They are currently up north near the lake. You can't miss it. They might have moved a bit, but they should still be in the general area."
She gave a salute and a smile. "Thank you! I'll have them cleared out in no time!"
"Thank you! Miss uh…"
"Ruby Rose, at your service!"
"Thank you, Miss Rose!"
Ruby wasted no time leaving Oniyuri and arrived at the lake area in short order, and she could definitely tell grimm were nearby by the distant growls and howls. She looked out across the lake and noticed a large building off in the distance. Was that always there? Even though it was far away she could still tell it was of Atlesian architecture. Was that a base? Since when did Atlas set up a base here? She recalled hearing about Atlas expanding out into other continents given the lack of farmable land on Solitas. She pushed the thought out of her head; she didn't want to think about Atlesian politics or politics at all for that matter.
The grimm got closer. Enough to where she could see their red eyes flaring in the shadows of the night. She pulled out Full Rose as it transformed into a lance, one that had a long cylindrical spike. She inserted a cartridge of fire dust and pulled the trigger, causing the lancehead to become enflamed. She swirled in their direction like a red flaming bullet—rose petals streaking behind—as she sundered a few of them in an instant. The sizzled, shadowy remains simmered away.
She flipped backward dodging two beowolf claws. Parrying a Beringel's fist with the butt of Full Rose, she—in three swift motions—pierced straight through the Beringel's chest, spun around, pierced through the tough hide of an Ursa, and—as she lined them up—pierced through the beowolves. A good sign, she thought. Some of the grimm had tougher hides than others, like the Beringel and so far, she was piercing through them like butter.
She gracefully spun and dodged between three more grimm that had swiped at her and then blazed through the three of them in an instant, rose petals blowing around her mixing with the remains of the slain grimm. One left. She turned around and noticed a geist had possessed a tree. She didn't feel like bothering anymore if she was being honest with herself. Dealing with the other grimm was easy enough that she barely needed to use her semblance. She lowered her guard and focused her gaze on the geist. Before the white light of her eyes could do their thing, her headache flared up and her gaze blurred. She got dizzy and fell to the ground. Everything went black.
What happened? Did the geist get her? Where was she? She never blacked out like that before, so she couldn't be sure if this was worth getting concerned over, but this didn't feel right. She was oddly aware despite whatever it was. She felt like she…hadn't blacked out. Like it was supposed to be a dream, a very lucid dream, yet there was only black. She came to and opened her eyes. Her headache was gone, but she still felt rather dizzy. She bolted to her feet, her instincts flared. Where was the geist? She patted herself down, checking for any wounds.
"Hey there, kiddo. You had me worried there for a sec."
She turned around and there stood her uncle, scythe hanging over his shoulder. "Qrow? What are you doing here?"
"Was in the area and heard you were around. What happened?" He let down his scythe, transforming it back to its sword form and placed it on his lower back.
"I don't know, I've been having a headache for a few days, came here, thought I'd kill the geist with my silver eyes, but then I blacked out."
"That doesn't sound good. Have you been using them a lot lately?"
She shrugged. "Not really."
"Are you sure?" He gave her a look.
"Y-yeah. I mean I may have used them here and there."
He sighed. "You know, you shouldn't be using them so frivolously; that's dangerous."
"I know, I know. I just...sometimes I get bored fighting weak grimm all the time!"
"Hey! Boredom is no excuse."
She pouted. "Alright, alright, fine! I'll try not to use them unless I need to."
"Just to make sure though, I'd like to run this by the others, see what they have to say about it. Make sure it's nothing serious."
"Alright, let me just head back over to Oniyuri really quick to let the town know the grimm have been cleared out."
They arrived in Patch. Oscar was over for dinner, along with professors Port, Oobleck, and Goodwitch. A feast was apparently prepared as she had smelled it all the way outside long before the two of them entered. They walked into a house filled with warm smiles, multiple ongoing conversations, jokes, laughter, and eating.
Qrow walked up to the large table that was set and the revelry stopped to greet the two of them as they entered. Dad noticed them with a side eye and then jerked to face them. "Oh, your back! How went the mission?"
Ruby shrugged. "Pretty much same as always."
"Yeah, well, about that. Probably should mention that I had to save you since you blacked out back there."
Glynda put on a concerned expression. "That's...not a good sign."
The rest of them didn't look too worried, but they did address the news with varying degrees of concern based on their expressions; Yang and Dad looked the most worried.
"Yeah well, it's no big deal." Ruby rolled her eyes.
Oscar turned to her and gazed, brow furrowed.
Ruby noticed the expression. "What?"
Qrow frowned at her. "Ruby, you should tell them the rest."
She sighed. "Ugh, okay fine! See, I've been having headaches for a few days, and I may have been using my eyes a lot lately, and then I blacked out against a geist. Look it's no big deal! I'm fine!"
Raven folded her arms, slouching on a chair beside the main table. "She might have been overusing them."
"Maybe." Oscar concurred.
"Well, that's why we stopped by actually. Didn't know you had this all set up," Qrow said.
Dad looked annoyed. "You should check your scroll sometime then."
"Hey! I check! Just forgot this time is all. Was busying taking care of stuff." Qrow scratched his head.
Oscar fiddled with his tea cup. "Well we can check to see if that's the case."
Professor Oobleck finished taking a sip of his tea. "How so? What do you have in mind?"
"A simple test. She can try and use them again and we can see what happens." He turned back to Ruby. "Are you okay with that?"
She shrugged. "Sure, don't see why not."
Oscar smiled and turned to everyone else. "Then it's settled! If that's okay with you all."
"Hey, the sooner we figure this out, the better. Though let's eat first," Dad said.
Qrow and Ruby sat down to join in on the festivities. She took a glass of milk, a piece of bread, and a large serving of mashed potatoes, made by Yang. It had been a while since she last cooked. They laughed and shared stories, reminisced on old times, discussed how things were changing now. She looked over at Raven who looked solemn yet…happy. Her headache flared, but for just a moment as she returned to eating.
After they finished dinner, they spent some extra time talking and winding down. She was offered a drink, but she declined; even though she was old enough she didn't quite like alcohol. She took in a deep breath and turned around to face everyone. Even though this was her own backyard it didn't really make much of a difference to ease her nerves. She never used her eyes like this in front of everyone. At least, not like this. Normally, if she did it would be because she had good reason to.
She faced back forward and took another deep breath and focused her gaze on the tree in front of her. She wasn't sure what the light was going to do to a tree, but that didn't matter. She gazed, gazed, and gazed some more, but nothing happened. There were no headaches either. She turned around again, noticing their watching eyes, so she turned back forward and tried once more. This time, a light flared from out of her and then quickly receded. It worked! No headaches either!
"Well, that's weird. Looks like it's not the eyes then," Qrow said.
Oscar fidgeted with his cane. "Yeah, that is a little weird. No headaches, Ruby?"
She turned around again. "Nope. I feel just fine." She smiled. She walked toward the group and looked at Yang.
Yang had put her hand on her hip and leaned to the side a little. "So what do you think is causing these blackouts, then?"
"No idea. It's probably something medical." Dad turned to Ruby. "You should go check in at a doctor and get a few medical examinations done just to make sure nothing's wrong."
"Alright."
"And after that, we'll see to toughening you up!" Raven walked up, hands on her hips. "You've been relying on your silver eyes too much. That shouldn't be what makes you strong."
"I do not. I'm strong just as it is." Ruby rubbed her head a little, feeling the headache return.
Raven folded her arms. "So you're telling me you don't ever feel like using your eyes to save time against weak grimm?"
Ruby blushed a bit. "Maaaaybe just a little."
"Heh, and there we have it! A confession. Well, I'll be going with you to the doctor, after which, you and I will be going hunting." Raven walked toward the inside of the house.
Dad turned to them. "Wait what?"
"Yup. Just the two of us and no one else. I figured it's time for my niece and I to do a little bonding, wouldn't you say?" Raven looked over to Ruby and gave a cocksure smile.
She simply responded with her own, though nervous, smile. Her headache still present as she looked at her aunt walking into the house. Bonding? We're going to bond? She thought.
They stopped by the Vale Regional Hospital where Ruby went in to get examinations. Raven waited outside of all the rooms where the tests were being done. After a few hours of several scans and physicals, Ruby went into the waiting room with Raven waiting for the doctor to come in with the results.
She kicked her feet up and down as she sat. A few minutes. She whistled. "What's in the bag?" Raven had brought with her a large sack.
"I'll tell you about it later."
"Oh. Okay." She tried to avoid looking at Raven or making eye contact with her. She had never been alone with her like this. It was weird. What was hunting going to be like with her? Relax! She thought. Yang was perfectly fine with her, everything was going to be fine! What's the worst that could happen?
"Listen Ruby…" Raven got off the wall she leaned on, unfolded her arms, and started fidgeting as she paced around the room. "I made my peace with Yang. She's my daughter after all."
Well this is awkward. Well, more than it already was. She didn't know Raven very well. She's not her mother so it never really came up in discussion; who she was, who she is, what she's done—well, that she was aware of.
"I just…" She sighed and turned to face her niece. "Your mother. Truth is, I envied her. I never would have been honest with myself with that. I would have went to my grave before I ever admitted it, but…she had a way of looking at things. A way of seeing the world. A way of seeing I wish I shared." She started pacing again. "You know what they say, hindsight is twenty twenty." Raven tittered. "I look at the past now and think "if only we stuck together, if only I hadn't given up so easily, we really could have beaten Salem. Qrow was right." Raven's face blushed and she seemed like she was straining herself. "Look, I guess what I'm trying to say is…thanks, and that my daughter couldn't have a better sister." She smiled.
For the first time since ever, Ruby saw Raven give her a warm, genuine smile. It made her tear up a bit. She rubbed her head. The pain flared, but only for an instant. "I…it's no big deal. God, I suck at this…" She blushed. "What matters is that we're a family again, or for the first time? I don't know." Ruby returned the smile.
Raven's smile widened and for a second it looked as if the stress on her face, the wrinkles, the weight, all of it just disappeared. It was a smile she rarely saw from anyone. "Yeah, yeah you're right."
Can I forgive her that easily? She thought. The thought was a strange one, one she didn't intend, but…could she? Of course she could!
The doctor knocked and walked in. "So, Miss Rose! Everything came out okay. No lesions, or tumors, no abnormalities of any kind. Your brain and body are in perfect condition. Can't say what is causing these headaches and blackouts except stress and considering your profession, I'd recommend getting some rest and perhaps taking some time off from your huntress duties, as important as they are."
As important as they are… she thought.
"Thank you, doctor." Raven stood there, arms crossed.
"So, is there anything else? If not, you're free to leave, the receptionist will be ready to take your payment. Do take care."
"Thank you, doctor." Ruby got up and left along with Raven.
They walked down a corridor that wasn't very busy. "So, I guess it's not my health either."
"It is strange. Probably is just stress as the doctor said. Maybe it's just how your body is changing with age. You're not a teenager anymore."
"True. Though I don't think I've ever heard of someone my age blacking out like this without there being some sort of health issue."
"Well, I wouldn't worry about it. Unless it worsens, best to just ignore it. Not much we can do if even the doctors can't help."
Ruby continued walking, feeling nervous, anxious, wondering what this could be. It felt like her body was telling her something, but she couldn't quite figure out what. "So where to now?" She looked over to Raven as they moved closer to the receptionists' room.
"We are going to find us an unspoiled mountain." Raven returned her look and grinned.
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Unspoiled mountain?"
"We're going to summon us a dragon. And this time, you won't be using your silver eyes, got it?"
A grimm dragon? A grimm DRAGON? How exciting! It was so boring to fight weak grimm all the time. She could test Rose Thorn again! Or maybe Steel Stem! Or maybe the Grimm Reaper! There were so many ideas flowing through her head!
"Seems that got you excited!"
"Oh, you know it!"
Ruby's arms drooped in front of her. She slouched forward. "Are we there yet?" They had been walking up the mountain trail for well over three hours. Or maybe four hours. She wasn't sure. It was late. Close to midnight, though she couldn't be sure, and she didn't have the care to check her scroll.
"Almost. I want to get as close to the mountain top as possible, preferably in an area with somewhat usable footing."
Her feet ached, and it was the middle of summer and Vale this time of year was a bad place for allergies. She could feel her skin itching. The mountain breeze was nice though. The cold waves that periodically graced her face did wonders as they slowly washed away the sweat. "By the way you said you'd tell me what's in the bag."
"Our bait. We need a lot of negative emotion to draw one of these things out and Atlas just so happened to have developed a device to generate a signal that mimics negative emotions. I got my hands on one a while back."
"You stole it you mean." She gave her an accusative glare, yet not one that carried with it any serious ill-intent. She held the side of her head for an instant, feeling a bit of pain. Of course she did…She caught herself thinking.
"Well, we found it on an abandoned Atlesian transport and having the ability to generate a false signal to distract grimm is useful f—I don't need to explain myself!"
"Fine, fine. At least we have a way to safely draw it out."
They continued walking for what felt like another two hours before they found the ground Raven wanted. Once they arrived, she took out the device and placed it on the ground. "Ready?"
Ruby withdrew Full Rose and decided to go with Rose Petals this time; her weapon split into two, transforming into swords with each sword having twin gun barrels to the side of each blade. "On you!"
Raven activated the device. "It might take a little bit for it to generate enough of a signal, so keep your guard up." She backed up and withdrew a blade of fire dust. She didn't bother to activate her maiden powers.
They stood there waiting for two minutes before the ground shook. It grew stronger and stronger until the mountaintop erupted and from the eruption a loud screech and following it, a large grimm dragon, larger than the one she encountered at Beacon seven years ago.
"Remember! No silver eyes," Raven shouted.
"I know! Don't worry, I won't need them!" Ruby smirked and stood in a battle stance, one sword off to the side as if ready to swing with the other held out in front ready to fire the gun.
The dragon noticed them and swooped down with immense ferocity, shaking the ground as it drew closer. They dodged to the side and…her vision got blurry again, she lost her footing, her vision began to darken. She was blacking out again. No! Not again, not now! She collapsed onto the ground and faded with the sight and sound of Raven shouting her name.
Darkness. Only darkness. What was this? Was she asleep? Was it all a dream? Maybe she'll wake up in her bed this time. Though her head didn't hurt anymore. Like before, she was oddly lucid. She tried to move herself, to open her eyes, but she couldn't. It felt like there was something blocking her. Sort of like she bumped into a wall while stumbling in the dark.
She woke up. She slowly perked up and sat there gazing around. There, not too far in front of where she was, the grimm dragon was slowly dissipating, enormous plumes of black smoke shrouding the air, urging her to cough. Its corpse was practically torn to shreds. She saw one of its wings a few feet away from it also disappearing in smoke. Its tail, head, other wing, and one of its claws were scattered about. She felt relief and continued scanning until she saw her. Raven, on the ground and flat on her back in a pool of her own blood, her very own fire-dusted blade pierced right through her chest.
They rushed Raven into the emergency room. Ruby followed closely. The doctors at the Vale Regional Hospital wouldn't let her pass beyond the doors having told her just to sit tight. What happened when she blacked out? Was it the dragon? How did it get her sword? Another grimm? She felt sick. Sick and guilty. What was she going to tell Dad and Yang?
She paced back and forth. She pulled out her scroll though almost dropped it as she sent a message to Dad and Qrow, neglecting to mention exactly what happened to Raven—the parts she knew anyways. Minutes passed, then an hour. The surgeon walked out as Dad, Yang, and Qrow rushed in, Oscar following behind. They stopped right behind Ruby, worried looks on their faces.
"What happened?" Dad shouted.
The doctor addressed them. "Are you Raven's family?"
"Yeah." Affirmed Yang, who's expression was the most worried of them all.
Ruby could only look at her sister, feeling even worse than before. This was all her fault. If only she didn't have those damn blackouts! No, it isn't, she thought. She shook her head.
"She's stabilized but is still in critical condition. The injury affected her heart but thankfully didn't do any permanent damage. Most of the damage was on the adjacent lung. She should be fine, and we will continue to monitor her health going forward. You may see her whenever you're ready." The doctor walked back to the room as they followed.
Inside Raven's hospital room, they settled inside and looked upon Raven's unconscious, still wounded body. The nurses and the doctor left them to cope. Qrow looked over to her, solemn expression on his face. "What happened, Ruby?"
"I-I don't know. I-I blacked out again. We summoned the grimm dragon and then…I blacked out. When I came to, the dragon was dead, but Raven…" She turned to look at her unconscious aunt.
"Was she wounded before you blacked out?" Dad asked.
"No. Her sword. It was in her chest when I woke up." It's not your fault, she thought. She shook her head again.
"An assassin then? Raven must still have enemies. One of them must have followed her, took the dragon's attack as an opportunity to strike," Dad said.
Yang walked up to her mother.
"We don't know that for certain, Tai." Qrow sat down on a bench nearby and leaned forward.
"Well what else could it have been? Grimm don't use our weapons against us like that!"
"I know, I know, I'm just saying. Look, I'll go out and get some information, some leads for us to follow. Who do we got?"
Oscar turned around to face the group. "It could be an old enemy of hers. Someone who has been keeping tabs maybe? It could also be an enemy of her tribe. Maybe even someone upset that she no longer leads them."
Qrow sighed. "The tribe is currently led by some chick named Azure Branwen. Skilled huntress who was quite the prodigy as Raven put it. Quite dangerous too. Apparently, thanks to her, the Branwen Tribe has seen a recent resurgence. I'll go ask around where Raven was likely to travel in the past, see if I can find anything about people she might have known."
Dad's brow furrowed. "You're not gonna check the tribe?"
"I'll check out the tribe," Interjected Ruby.
Dad looked shocked. "Under your condition? That's the last place I'd let you go!"
"I'll go with her, make sure she's alright," Oscar said.
Dad let out a sigh, as he rubbed his forehead. "Alright, fine. Just…talk, don't do anything reckless."
Oscar smiled. "Don't worry, I'll look out for her."
Ruby turned around to face her sister—who was still watching her mother. "What about you, Yang?"
"I think I'll stay here." She just stood there, looking down at her mother.
Ruby could only solemnly stand there, unsure of what to say. She walked out, following Oscar. Qrow had left with them but they split up as they exited the hospital. With the aid of an airship courtesy of Glynda they searched for a few days, staying at a few motels in nearby villages, all in search of the Branwen Tribe. They found clues here and there, statements from villagers as to where they were last seen, but so far, their search yielded no solid results. She felt like she was on a timetable; that at any moment the assailant could come after her family next. Her family next? Wasn't Raven family? The intrusive thoughts were quickly getting annoying.
Eventually, they found clues that the Branwen Tribe was currently staying near the west coast of Anima. They traveled there and indeed found the tribe's base of operations. She noticed the Branwen Tribe was definitely doing well these days. From what Yang told her, their base was supposed to be sort of rundown and primitive as it allowed them to move at a moment's notice. Everything still seemed portable though they now had turrets placed at each of the guard towers. The walls were made of a thin metal with joints placed along several of the sections. They walked straight to the front, stopped by the guards at the front gate as she noticed that there were a lot more people than she expected, and they were more armored as well.
"Hold it! What do you two want?" One of the guards said.
Oscar stepped up. "We're on the lookout for an assailant that recently attacked your former leader, Raven Branwen. Considering her association with you, it's likely they might come after the tribe next. We've come in search of any information your tribe might be able to give us."
The two turned to look at each other and then back to the two of them. "Alright, come with us."
They were escorted to the front of a large building, elegant in design, topped with the symbol of the tribe. They were told to stay put while one of the guards walked inside the tent. After a few minutes, a tall woman walked out, covered in bright blue garments lined with gold, pieces of plating here and there, a long scarf flowing down her back, large lance in her left hand. The woman's expression was stoic.
She flipped her bright blue hair back, letting it flow, and addressed them. "My name is Azure Branwen, I'm told that my predecessor was attacked and that you are in search of the would-be assassin. Is that right?"
"It is," Replied Oscar. "She's currently in critical condition and we have no leads, but it's likely that whoever attacked her was someone she made enemies with in the past, associated with said enemies, or direct enemies of the Branwen Tribe. Is there anything you could tell us? Especially anything recent."
The woman stroked her chin. She looked back at them. "The only notable people we've had a scuffle with lately would be the New Dawn, although I'm not sure if Raven in particular had any beef with them. If this assailant is an enemy of the Branwen Tribe then I'd have to assume they would be a part of the New Dawn."
Ruby and Oscar turned to each other, then Oscar spoke up again. "Could you tell us about this "New Dawn"?"
"They're a recently formed mercenary organization and our biggest competitors in the industry. Originating from Atlas I hear. They've been particularly aggressive as of late and have been moving in on our territory unprovoked. I can't tell you what their motives are, but if you're after an assassin that targeted one of our own, that's where I'd start. They've been operating all around Anima lately, I'd check nearby in fact. Our scouts suggest they set up camp near a town called Oniyuri."
The name surprised her. That, and the fact that the Branwen Tribe was now a mercenary group. Perhaps she was right. Raven was the old leader, so maybe the assailant thought she still had ties to them. Maybe they were seeking information, or they were out for vengeance, or to send a message. Whatever their motives, it bothered her. In fact she found herself more upset about it than she expected.
Oscar rubbed his chin. "The New Dawn, eh? Thanks Ms. Branwen." He bowed. "We'll take our leave and rest assured, we'll try and find you again to inform you of whatever we find on the New Dawn that could be of use to you. Consider it a trade for the help you've given us."
Azure gave a smirk. "How diplomatic of you. Very well then! Safe journeys, although I won't be telling you where we'll be going, I'm sure you understand."
Oscar nodded. "Of course."
With that, the two of them freely walked from out of the tribe's hideout and traveled straight to Oniyuri. During the trip Ruby left a message for her uncle via scroll about the New Dawn, asking him to keep a heads up. Once they reached Oniyuri, Ruby noticed that four soldiers clad in white-gold armor were roaming through the town. The both of them looked directly outside the town, to the left of it to find a large airship parked right in sight. It seemed Atlesian in design and even had its color scheme save for the blue bits replaced with gold.
Ruby walked up to the man she had talked to several days before during her routine mission, "Hey, who are those soldiers?"
The man recognized her. "Ah! Miss Rose! You've come to visit again? Oh, I wouldn't worry about them. They come here now and then to gather supplies and information."
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Are they Atlesian military?"
"No, they're part of a mercenary group. New Dawn, I think."
She turned to Oscar and nodded.
"They wouldn't happen to have a camp nearby?" Oscar asked.
"I do believe so."
"Thank you," Oscar said.
The man bowed, and they walked off, waving goodbye. They walked toward a building and stood by it, watching the soldiers.
"Should we follow them?" Ruby asked.
"That's the plan. We'll watch them, and follow them to their base, although let's stay inconspicuous."
"Got it."
They watched them, and it was as the man said: they went from store to store, seemingly peaceful, picking up box after box. They practically cleaned up the town's supply of dust. But the strangest part was that a number of youths began following the four soldiers. Recruits perhaps?
Ruby and Oscar nodded to each other and followed them at a distance at the edges of town, trying to stay near buildings that were far away from them yet still in sight. They used parts of the building as cover as a way to help disguise the fact that they were trailing soldiers. The soldiers didn't seem to notice. They kept stocking up on supplies. They dropped off a few crates of dust, picked up crates of food and water, purchased some metal and wood, and payed without issue. Thankfully, none of them noticed they were being trailed. As they finished their supply run, they exited the town and left via the airship as it flew off in the direction of the base.
Ruby and Oscar followed the airship's trail, speeding toward the direction of the base. As they traversed through the small forest, they noticed a looming structure off in the distance across the lake. Definitely the one she saw a few days prior. Although the building looked big, as they got closer, she noticed that it looked makeshift. High-tech sure, but still like it was set up quickly. There were lots of jointed parts, the type of parts one would see in something that could fold up and be put away. Whatever they were doing here, it seemed like they were ready to pack up and leave at a moment's notice. Oddly, it was eerily similar to what the Branwen Tribe had got set up. Perhaps they had the same supplier?
Upon reaching near the front of the base, they both stopped and took a path around the base, trying to find any weak spots in the camp. They walked near bushes, through bushes, behind trees, through tree branches—all in an attempt to avoid the spotlights scanning the forest as the moonlight shined over the area. Eventually, they spotted a nearby stack of crates by the gate at the back of the camp. They waited for the search lights to wander away and sprang into action the moment it did. Once inside, they stayed under the cover of the shadows, making sure to stay behind whatever cover they could find.
Before they could continue on, commotion sprouted from one of the camp buildings. They turned to look at it. From out of it a man in a lab coat stumbled out, practically trying to grab the heels of the other man—a man cloaked in an Atlesian uniform.
"Please, Colonel! You have to reconsider," The scientist said.
"I'm not a colonel anymore, Dr. Riesling." The officer continued his stride forward, walking toward the front entrance to the camp.
"Commander, then! The research will be lost without interested minds available to record and further them. The grimm can be of use! With Salem gone, the creatures are without a master. Think! Think what humanity, what Atlas could do if we became their new masters! It is our destiny!"
The former colonel stopped in his tracts and paused for a few moments. "I've spent years, decades—despite my youthful appearance—playing politics in Atlas." He turned around to face the desperate scientist. "I understand your desires and concerns, Dr. Riesling, but understand that the rise of Atlas comes not from the claws of darkness, but by the strength and ingenuity of humanity. No, our strength lies in the other direction! I ask that you leave your research behind and focus on more productive matters. There have been a number of openings within the New Dawn that need filling. I ask that you consider the position; it's not grimm research but empowering research nonetheless. The maidens are still out there, remember?" The Atlesian officer turned back around and continued his walk toward the front entrance.
"But, Col—Commander Ravus! I—of course. I'll do as you say." The scientist gave a lazy Atlesian solute.
"I'm not sure I liked what I just heard," Oscar said.
"Yeah, tell me about it. Seems like these New Dawn guys are more serious than we thought." Ruby turned to look over at the scientist who—now alone in the middle of the camp—took out a scroll. "Hey, he's calling someone." This man is a problem, she thought. She pushed a finger into her temple again as a reflex from the spike in head pain.
"Yes, hello. I was unable to convince the commander of the value of our research. I don't understand! He was interested before, what changed? Yes. Yes. I understand. Do you think it could be the influence of the New Dawn's new benefactors? Intel suggests they have little interest in the fate of grimm. Yes. Of course. I'll be sure to contact our little field agent shortly." He closed his scroll.
Field agent? Ruby watched as Dr. Riesling walked back to the building he exited earlier. She looked over at Oscar who was ensuring that no one had spotted them. "Everything clear?"
Oscar nodded. "Not sure what we could gleam from that call, but that field agent is someone we should look into."
"How would we do that? Interrogate Dr. Riesling?" Among other things, she shook her head. What was with all these intrusive thoughts? She brushed off the worry and assumed it was anxiety. It often did that.
"Yes, I think that's currently our best bet. We'll try to sneak into the building and quietly knock everyone out save for the doctor. We'll have to be quick to avoid any noise however. No telling how many people are in that building, however small it might be."
So be it. They signed up for this, She couldn't help but think.
They snuck over to the building where Riesling was and entered it swiftly, in the cover of the shadows. Inside, Ruby flashed toward two guards stationed near the back end of the building with semblance-fueled speed and knocked them unconscious with the help of her momentum.
Oscar knocked out the other two guards with his own inhuman speed. "Glad I still got it!"
Before he could even react, Dr. Riesling was pushed up against the wall at the end of Full Rose in its sheathed state.
The doctor's eyes widened. "Y-you! I know you! You're Ruby Rose!" He didn't seem to recognize Oscar.
"How do you know who I am?"
"Are you kidding?" He let out a nervous laugh. "The legendary silver-eyed huntress? Everyone knows who you are."
Oscar moved closer to the doctor, letting his cane stand propped up in front of him. "Tell me doctor, do you know Doctor Merlot?"
Riesling turned over to Oscar and grinned. "Yes, I do. Colleague of mine from way back. Unfortunate what happened to him."
"The field agent! What is their mission?" Ruby cut in, raising him higher with the end of her weapon, ready to transform it into Rose Thorn with him at the end of it.
It seemed the doctor noticed her intentions. He squirmed. "I-I. A spy! Maybe an assassin, it's not important, I swear! We were not messing with anything we shouldn't have!"
"Anything you "shouldn't have"?" replied Oscar. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Salem, now would it?"
"N-no! I—"
She pushed up against him harder. "I don't care about that! Who was this agent sent to spy on? Who were they sent to assassinate?" It doesn't matter, the thought slipped in her mind.
"Ruby, perhaps you should ease up a bit."
"I—there was a long list of people! People who were of interest. If they couldn't be tagged as a potential resource—ally or otherwise—they were tagged to be assassinated!" He squirmed even more.
"Ruby…"
"Raven! Were one of those people Raven?" She ignored Oscar. This was all her fault. Her aunt, Yang's mother almost died, because of her. She wouldn't let anything like this happen again! Her anger surged as she waited for him to reply.
"Y-yes! She was one of the people on the list, but there were many others! The spy reports to us after every mission, they never targeted Raven! They—"
"Liar! She's in the hospital now, because of your agent!"
A hand was put on her arm. There was strength to it. It forced her to lower her weapon. Naturally she resisted. Who would try t—it was Oscar. She turned over to him as her anger dissipated. His face concerned. Why would he do that? She turned over to the doctor, who in the moment had hit the alarm.
"Security!" He ran over to the side of the building and hid behind some crates.
"We have to get out of here!" Oscar bolted toward the entrance. She followed. As they exited the building her vision became blurry, the world spun, and she struggled to keep her balance, though before she knew it, she collapsed.
"Ruby!" She could hear Oscar yell her name as everything went black.
Again. Another blackout. How was she aware? She had been knocked out before and it was never like this. This whole thing was frustrating and for some reason her body hurt all over.
Wake up.
What?
"Hey! Wake up!" A voice? Whose was it? It sounded…odd. Like she couldn't recognize it. It was a woman's voice though it was almost like there wasn't a voice at all.
She opened her eyes. The walls were torn and battered. She could hear the howling wind, thunder, and pounding rain slamming against the building. It looked old. Abandoned. She turned and faced the person who had spoken.
"Seems you're finally awake." The woman was around her height and cloaked in black battle wear, with red and gold laced throughout, face shrouded by a hood and grimm-like mask—one that looked like the face of a geist. She noticed her eyes. They were golden.
Ruby rubbed her head. She could swear she had a headache, yet she couldn't feel any pain. "Who are you?"
The woman stepped forward. There was a long pause. "…my name is Morgan. We need to talk."
Ruby stood up and tried to catch her bearings. She noticed Full Rose was missing. "About what?" She glanced around the house and noticed Full Rose placed behind Morgan by an unlit fireplace.
"About you. I've been watching you for a while now."
Her eyes widened. Someone who had been watching her, just so happened to have taken her here, and had effectively disarmed her? It had to be. Who else could it be? "It was you. You attacked Raven!"
"I know what has been happening to you. The blackouts, your issues with your eyes."
For some reason, there was no anger in her. This was the assassin, yet there was nothing. "Did you do something to me? Did you drug me? What do you want? Why does the New Dawn want Raven dead?"
"You're jumping to conclusions. I never said I was the one who attacked her. I was certainly there. From my perspective, it seemed the assailant took advantage of your issue to attack Raven, then fled before you could awaken."
"Convenient. So how do you know what's wrong with me?"
"I've…encountered this before. This isn't the first time I've seen someone with silver eyes blackout from using their powers."
"So, what you're telling me is that you're completely innocent then. You just so happen to be a benevolent bystander, watching me from the shadows, never doing anything wrong or helping out, is that it?"
"Innocent? No. Bystander? No. Never doing anything wrong? Yes. Helping out? I do from time to time. It seems this is the first time we've formally met. And I can help you. Cure you of what ails you."
"Fine. I'll humor you. How can you "cure" me?" She couldn't be certain, but the way Morgan's eyes narrowed seemed proof that she had smiled at the question.
"Follow me. There are a few people we will need to visit. Those with silver eyes can gain mastery over their abilities by going on a certain sort of pilgrimage. We won't have a lot of time and you'll have to minimize distractions. I promise you. I can help." There was concern in her voice.
Ruby frowned, glared at Morgan, gauging her. "How do I know I can trust you?"
"You'll just have to. Ultimately you have final say, but I urge you to follow me."
Should she? If she really wanted to, she could just defeat her, right? Who could stop her now, with how powerful she was? She just needed the element of surprise. Especially with her blackouts. "Fine. I'll follow you on this so-called pilgrimage. Under one condition. I get to keep Full Rose with me at all times."
Again, Morgan's eyes narrowed in that same, creepy way as if smiling. "So be it. I wouldn't have it any other way."
They left the house though they waited for the storm to stop. What time was it? How long had she been out? It was night time. She checked her pockets for her scroll though couldn't seem to find it. Did Morgan take it? She gave Morgan a look. "So what sort of pilgrimage is this? What needs to happen for these blackouts to stop happening? And how do you know they're connected to my silver eyes?" She walked close behind Morgan as they trudged on foot on the roads of Anima.
Morgan didn't talk. She paused for a few moments before she spoke up to respond to her questions. "Because I've seen it before. Like I said. Overuse of silver eyes leads to blacking out. I've even seen cases where the blackouts don't happen immediately after usage. I've seen powerful warriors bearing those legendary silver eyes lose their lives because they assumed the two weren't connected just because they happened at seemingly unrelated times."
Is that so…She had never heard anything about blackouts before. "So, you didn't answer my questions about what sort of trip this is and how it'll help me."
"When you first manifested the power in your eyes, when did it happen? In fact, every time your eyes flared up, in what emotional position where you in? What did you perceive?"
"Stress and great danger. It always happened when I perceived great danger directed toward my friends."
"That's right. There has to be a darkness. A darkness in the world. That darkness has to fill your heart for the light to burst forth. Purity won't cut it."
A darkness? Before it had been light. Though she didn't doubt that there could be another way. Then again, what she said did make sense. If there wasn't a darkness then she probably wouldn't have the desire to protect anybody. "So, what do I need to do?" Her expression became stern.
"Like I said before. We need to visit a few people. You've gained control over your powers to the point where you can use them almost freely, but there is a cost. You've vanquished most of your own darkness and thus an imbalance has been created. We are going to restore that balance." She stopped and turned around to face her. "The balance of light and darkness in your soul. Darkness is the fuel for your power. Without it you draw from your own life."
She stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened. "What? I never heard anything about that!" Did Maria know about this? Probably not. Morgan was probably lying.
"Why would you? Who could've told you this? Most silver eyed warriors themselves don't even know this fact. I only know from observing many of them, studying them." She turned back around and continued walking.
Ruby followed along. "How convenient," She muttered under her breath. She was obviously lying, though why she didn't know. What was her game? If she wanted her dead, she could have killed her while she had been unconscious. At this point, she needed to just keep following her to figure this woman out. She never dropped the idea that this woman could be the one who almost killed her aunt. Perhaps that was it. For whatever reason, she needed her alive. Maybe to hurt her family. Perhaps she needed information. Whatever the case, she'd humor Morgan until she couldn't afford to any longer. She could at least give her that much; the last thing she would want to do is harm an innocent.
As they reached each town they came across, Ruby took the time to help people. Nothing too time consuming, but while Morgan searched around for the people she was looking for, Ruby herself took the opportunity to help around town. From small things like helping restock storehouses and killing grimm near the outskirts of town, to bigger things like small escort missions involving trade caravans. Although the work was never too time consuming, it always seemed to bother Morgan. Every time she helped somebody it would seem like Morgan would get distracted by it.
The tone in her voice was always restrained and aggravated. She couldn't be certain why Morgan was getting so annoyed, although she could probably guess; it didn't matter though. If Morgan had such a problem with it, then she could just ignore her.
They reached another village. Again, Morgan scanned around, searching for someone. "I'm going to check the tavern. Try not to get in my way, we don't need to be here long."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Ruby said.
"It means we don't need to waste time giving a damn about everyone's problems. You're supposed to be a huntress, not a babysitter. We're supposed to be creating darkness in you to balance out the light, remember?"
"Well huntsman and huntresses are supposed to help people. That's literally why we exist." She sassed. "Besides, if I have to give up helping people to restore my power—like you claim I need to—then I'll just live without them."
Morgan stopped in her tracks and paused. She turned around. "You are still so naïve. Of course, you are." She scoffed.
"What is your problem?" Ruby yelled. "Why is it such a big deal if I help people? Why are you in such a hurry?" She didn't seem to care that she was yelling in the middle of town, nor did the townsfolk.
"My problem is that it's a waste of time." She hissed. You help them, great! Wonderful! Amazing! Their lives are just sooo great now! No more problems! Oh wait! They're weak, Ruby. That's why they need help. Their weakness dooms them. They'll squander your aid, and they'll need help again, and again, and again, and it'll never end till they get eaten by grimm or die in some other way!"
Did she really just say these things? She hated people like that. People who couldn't see the value in helping others, giving them a chance. "You're wrong! They may not be able to defend themselves, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth helping them. It isn't my business what they do with their lives afterward; if they squander it, then fine! At least they had that choice to begin with!"
Morgan's fist clenched. "You have got to be kidding me! I literally can't understand that! Help me understand that!"
"Then what should we be doing? You haven't done anything except criticize me and get in my way so far!"
"Get in your way? Get in your way?" Now Morgan was yelling. "Y-you ignorant little girl! Fine, I'll tell you!" Morgan pointed outside the village, leaning forward toward Ruby. "We fight. We hunt down the monsters that cause the problems in the first place!"
The villagers gave passing glances toward Morgan, seemingly uninterested though some of them were giving her odd looks. One of them walked up to her. "Is there something wrong, miss?"
"It's nothing. I'm fine," Morgan said.
"Oh, alright." The villager paused and cautiously walked off.
Ruby waited for them to be outside of earshot. "There's more to being a huntress than killing grimm. That's why I help!"
Morgan paused, her arm returned to her side, and her posture relaxed. "I wasn't just talking about the grimm…"
Ruby's eyes widened.
"Tell me. When was the last time the grimm did anything to hurt you or your friends? When was the last time the grimm were solely or mostly responsible for any major tragedy?"
She didn't have a response. Morgan was right—technically right—but still right. That didn't mean she was morally right, though. All she could do in the moment however was furrow her brow—her way of putting her foot down.
Morgan's eyes narrowed, but it wasn't the creepy smile sort of narrow she saw before; it seemed she didn't like the look she was getting. "I'm going to check the tavern. Please don't get in my way." Her voice was…sincere? Or was it sad? She couldn't tell.
Ruby capitulated; she didn't say anything, but she dropped the look, and Morgan seemed to respond by turning around and walking toward the tavern. Guess she should at least follow if nothing else.
Inside the tavern, Morgan walked up to one of the waiters who greeted her as she entered. "There might be an altercation. Just thought I'd warn you."
The waiter's eyes widened, his arms rose as if to cower. "Please don't make a scene, we don't want any trouble!"
"Don't worry. I have business with…a rogue agent and there's the possibility it might get dirty." She looked over at a table in the far back as she spoke, having turned her head from the waiter.
Ruby was behind her and partially obscured by the wall to see who it was, so she kept her gaze on Morgan.
"A-alright, just please, try to settle things peacefully!" The waiter was clearly on edge now, sweat poured down his face.
Morgan didn't respond, neither verbally or with a gesture. She simply walked toward the back of the tavern where the table she was looking at was placed.
She followed her, scanning the tavern as she walked; she looked at all the tables and people. Her gaze turned toward the table and noticed the man sitting at it. A familiar face—a man in a drunken stupor, clearly not having had a good day in years. She could only express shock as she recognized the man as a worn out Tyrian Callows. "Tyrian? Why are you here?" She turned to face Morgan. "Is this the person you've been looking for? Why?"
Tyrian ignored Ruby, but raised his head to look at Morgan, whom he didn't seem to recognize. "Who the hell are you?" He slurred.
Morgan turned to Ruby. "He's one of them. I've had…business with him in the past. Good to see he hasn't changed. Still the broken husk he was back then. Only less disguised…" She turned back to address Tyrian who surprisingly ignored her comments. "Tyrian…" Morgan raised her hand to her face and took off her mask.
She tried to take a look but couldn't see as her face was still obscured by the hood. She glanced over at Tyrian whose eyes widened in disbelief. Morgan put her mask back on as Tyrian's face turned from disbelief to one of pure rage.
"You! It's you!" His eyes filled with bloodlust. He lunged from the table and assaulted Morgan but tripped over himself.
Morgan withdrew a sword—one Ruby didn't recognize, like it was blurred—and flipped over Tyrian, landing behind him. In a swift movement, she sliced off his tail as close to the tailbone as possible.
Tyrian writhed in agony, tears streaming down his face. "Y-you're a monster! A monster!"
Ruby felt frozen, unable to react. She stood there and gazed as Morgan took the sword and plunged it deep into his chest as the commotion that she just now noticed erupted into an outburst of screams and stampeding feet. His chest. The act called forth the memories of a bloodied Raven with her own sword plunged into her chest. She looked at Morgan and glared. An accusatory glare as she pulled out Full Rose.
Morgan looked at her. "Please don't. Don't interfere. Not here, not now. It needed to be done. You need to see this!"
"He wasn't a threat to anyone! He was drunk!"
"And this is your problem! You're too damn merciful! You don't know that! He could have been on a few killing sprees by now! He's skilled enough to hide from the authorities!" Morgan looked around and relaxed her posture. "We need to leave. Now." Morgan bolted outside through the front, dodging the crowd.
Ruby felt compelled to follow. She couldn't let this woman get away with hurting anyone else!
The both of them ran and ran, far outside the village and deep into a forest, trees close together. She could hear grimm closing in, yet as they stopped, the grimm didn't draw any closer. Morgan turned around and faced her. "There was no other way, Ruby. This is how evil is stopped! Not by helping the weak, but by destroying the source of the suffering! By becoming that which evil fears!"
"There's a better way! You don't need to be the greater evil just to fight it! All that does is perpetuate a vicious cycle! There needs to be some light in the world and not just a cycle of death!"
"Did you save the world by helping people? By stopping and helping every broken old man unable to pick himself up? By giving candy to every crying child and stopping every small-time thug? I don't think you did! You did it by destroying your enemies! By defeating them in combat!"
"That's because those people never gave me a choice! Besides, they were misguided, not evil!"
"It doesn't matter what the motivations are! Evil is evil!"
"Right now, the only evil here is right in front of me." Ruby withdrew Full Rose, ready to pull out the Grimm Reaper. Her weapon extended, the moving parts began to protrude out into a long lance which then released a blade on both sides of the head as it curved, transforming into a large scythe blade.
"I do what is necessary when no one else can! When everyone else is too damn afraid to try! When they give up too easily!"
There was no point arguing anymore. She needed to be stopped. She wouldn't kill her of course, but she had to stop her.
Morgan seemed to relax. "It's your choice, but you know I'm right. Deep down, you know. Please, don't get in my way. Not now. We have one more person to meet and then I'll give you what you want, even though I don't understand it. Please, just…follow me for a little bit longer." Her voice was shaken, like she was desperate.
She couldn't ignore it. She knew that Morgan was probably trying to take advantage of her kindness. Evil people always did, but they always got what was coming to them. She retracted Full Rose and returned it to her lower back. "Fine. But no more killing."
Morgan stood there. A moment passed. And then another. It felt like almost a minute before she spoke up again. "Fine. As you say. No more killing. I can live with that. I'll find another way then."
"Good. Now where are we going?"
She turned around. "Follow me."
They walked and walked and walked all the way till sunrise. Her feet didn't hurt though. She was oddly still wide awake and high-energy. Exhaustion never set in. She noticed Morgan getting droopy from time to time. It was obvious that she was forcing herself to go on, to stay awake. "Hey, why don't we get some rest—"
"No! We're almost to the next village. Just a little longer. Or don't you want this to be over?" She looked over her shoulder.
Ruby scowled. "Fine. Have it your way. Just saying. Looked like you needed it."
There was a pause, a long pause as Morgan kept walking with her following close behind. "I don't have that luxury anymore. Not right now anyway."
She raised an eyebrow. "You're weird you know that."
"Right back at you."