Inspectre OnliCHOO. *sniffle* Sorry 'bout that. Think I have a cold again.. My last one was like two months ago and I rarely ever get them. What the fuuuuck.
Inspectre Online.
Ermahgerbil he SWORE. Internet police! Wait this is an M rated fic. All good.
Yeah I refrain from that outside of lower rated fics 'cause I don't need the cyber cops knocking down my front door. To be honest I don't know if anyone even moderates this place, maybe they just handle cases when they're reported, but better safe than sorry.
So what is this story aptly labeled Red Snow: Lost in the Light? The sequel of the critically acclaimed (shaddup, let me fantasize) Red Snow?
NEIN. ..Godammit I'm still so disappointed by Neinhart's appearance in Fairy Tail. The silhouette made him look like he was gonna be some silent badass knight or something. I mean the name alone (German? Neinhart = No heart? Maybe I'm wrong) was a high coolness factor but then he ends up being a wierder case of WTF than Rustyrose, and Rustyrose was one wierd freakin' guy. Talking about fragments and whatnot. HIs magic wasn't even as cool as RR's. Arc of Imagination FTW, he just sucked at it. Anyway.
This is gonna be the interquel (go away proofreader!) story. Takes place before Red Snow but meant to be read AFTER so if you have NOT READ RED SNOW, then DO SO NOW. I suppose you don't actually have to but there are spoilers and it won't make as much sense.
If you don't like any of the following you should probably jump off this ship now. Gore/blood, violence, language, adult situations (not all at the same time), or having your feels hurt. If you're okay with these then carry on! But you might want a life preserver and some floaty arms in case I run this thing off the end of the world.
So what IS this story about specifically? Without spoiling much it's about Summer and Qrow. Their meeting, their histories, their place in the world, and unfortunately for you guys their eventual demise. Hey don't say shit because I warned thar be spoilers. There are a few questions from Red Snow answered too so like I said I recommend this be read BEFORE the sequel of Red Snow. - For people reading this by the time Red Snow's currently unnamed sequel is out. What ye might think be plot holes actually be cleverly hidden/as of yet explained secrets. Most of them anyway. No telling if I made a mistake somewhere but I'm pretty sure I don't have any.
Also as a reminder this is a RWBY AU and some of the location names are used but the geography isn't exactly the same. Vale's a sorta urban/suburban city (did I ever name the region?), Atlas is both country and a city, more of a metropolis and more developed but also features a cold climate, Vacuo is middle-eastern/mostly desert in theme, and Mistral I'm not sure. Maybe I've mentioned this before?
Okay so that out of the way it's time to d-d-d-d-duel! Do reviews I mean. ..What do you mean there's no- Oh right new story! There are no reviews! Yet. Hopefully. I don't plan on this being as long as Red Snow was but who knows. It might get some attention.
Now let's get this train rolling!
A cloudless sky brightened by the full moon above illuminated the streets of Vale for the few that were out shopping or heading home for the night. One person in particular was walking along to their own rhythm apart from the hustle and bustle of the others, eyes closed and wrapping red cloak swaying along to her strut as music played in her ears. A pair of expensive headphones matched her medium length hair, a good length of the ends being bright crimson and the rest jet black. Tapping one set of fingers against her thigh as the other clasped around a bag of groceries to be dinner for the night she was lost in her own little world walking down the sidewalk. A world that was suddenly jarred by the buzzing of something on her person and the automatic lowering of her music as a notification popped up.
She felt a pocket inside her cloak and then her skirt, taking out a phone before flicking the touchscreen. 'New Message from: Raven Branwen.' Tapping the open button she smirked. Raven was her kind of girl. Not in that way although sometimes she caught herself having stray thoughts about the black-haired babe. A total party animal, someone like her but less ditzy and more wild. After opening the message a brow raised in curiosity.
"okay so i may have had a bit to much holy water (lol) & snagged my bros phone. Qrow doesn't know i know about his stash, bastard thinks hes so slick. aslo sorry if my text is hard to read cuz i can barely hold this thing anyway i found this on there and copied it. captures your good side haha." Cue 'Incoming File from: Raven Branwen'. What was- Oh good lord.
The two of them at the beach, a few months back when they went on a high school road trip together. They were standing in front of Qrow's buddy Taiyang, side by side with arms around eachother's shoulder and posing for the blonde's camera. Raven was holding up the sign of the horns while the other was doing a sideways peace sign by her head, each of them in bikinis that showed off their late teenage figures. The picture wasn't from Taiyang's angle though but from someone else's, zoomed in on the mixed brunette/redheaded female's ass..
Seeing this she would turn as red as the tips of her hair, immediately about to text Raven back when she got a new message.
"yeah hes such a horndog i know, totally has the hots for you if that hasnt been obvious. Probably faps to it too but i mean that is a pretty good pic." A winking emoji was at the end, making her grumble and curse under her breath. With how shamelessly flirty she was it didn't help matters at all. "so can you come over tonight? I got the new Revengers movie~"
While typing back a reply that she couldn't do it tonight because of work early in the morning before school the girl changed the song playing on her headphones to something louder, drowning out the rattle of the elevated railway cars going overhead. Thank the gods she didn't live near the damn thing.. Putting her phone away she then started walking normally, still a little pink about just now. Her home wasn't too far away and a few seconds later she was back to her rhythmic strut, snapping fingers to a beat as she closed her eyes.
When the next song ended her phone was about to be retrieved once more to put something else on when she heard the sounds of a scuffle coming from up ahead behind a store. Didn't people know by now the alleyways of Vale were dangerous at night..? With a reluctant groan a place was found to hide her groceries and then a brisk course set for where the fighting was coming from, muting her music and bringing her headphones to down around her neck as she lifted her hood.
Coming around the corner revealed a sight all too common for her, a small gang of supernaturals ganging up on some poor defenceless sap and kicking the stuffing out of them. Him, actually. As the shirt and tie wearing businessman bunched up and attempted to shield himself with his briefcase the wannabe heroine would strike a heroic pose, pointing directly at the group with a wide stance. "Alright jerks! Party's over! Get lost before I call the cops!"
They all turned, blinking at the would-be rescuer before bursting into laughter and revealing their dark eyes and oddly pointed canines. Vampires. Who woulda thunkit?
"All the little piggies are sleeping in their pens girly. Ain't no fuzz bustin' this party! You wanna be the next VIP?"
Again they all let out a chorus of laughter, one giving the man a good kick to the stomach before they started advancing towards her. Shaking and slowly stepping backwards the once brave female stuck her hand inside her cloak. "I'm serious! D-Don't come any closer or you'll regret it!"
"What'cha gonna do about it? Cry to papa? Why don't you let me be your daddy heheh."
There was at least nine of them, the smart-mouth at the front coming closest first with a lecherous grin in his eyes. Fear seemed to be rooting her to the spot so when she finally found the courage to run that vampire could grab her arm and attempt to pull her in for a bite and a drink of her blood.
What he got after turning her around was not the frightened face of a damsel in distress but a confident grin as the hand inside her cloak lashed out with a streak of silver, a split second later his head falling off his neck before both it and the body it'd been attached to exploded into ashes.
"Told ya sucker."
Summer Rose was her name. Entering the prime of her life with the mindstate of a daredevil who didn't care for it she was a spunky dude(tte) with an attitude, cocky but not arrogant, brash but not stupid, and often humorous without a lick of discipline. It was a wonder to some how she managed to live as long as she did in this city, much less survive as what she was. And that was.. A vampire killer.
Not just a hunter or slayer but a killer, a title reserved for only the most elite hunters of the supernatural monsters that plagued the human world. The bad ones anyway. She had no grudge against their kind for being what they were, something they couldn't control. What they could control was their behavior and when they stepped out of line.. The exterminators were called in. With silver blades and gifts bestowed by silver eyes her sharp tongue was backed up by the sharpness of her skills. The only reason some of her contractors put up with her was because Summer knew how to play the big game she talked.
Plus, though there were a few myths and legends about silver eyes a confirmed fact was that they had awakened something within her as she continuously slew undead after undead over her career, particularly vampires as her family went back many generations of an order of vampire hunters. The ability to see a being's aura, discern whether it was 'good' or 'bad' and had malicious intent, and imbue holy energies into things as well as sense supernatural presences.. They came in handy when hunting the creatures of the night. Though never truly proven to be a result of having silver eyes a rare few up the family tree had awakened similar abilities. Summer got hers early around the age of 12 as merely slender fragments of the potential they had, instantly qualifying her to become a full-fledged member of White Flower.
White Flower was the unified order of the Rose and Branwen families, the Branwens being another family that practiced in hunting vampires. Together they were a prestigious order protecting the innocent and weak from being drained of blood where the local authorities were inadequate and where the special task forces weren't enough. Even if some of their members at times acted not like the professional hunters they were supposed to be, case in point her two friends Qrow and Raven, and herself being guilty of the same.
As soon as she effortlessly dusted that male the others' eyes widened in surprise. Especially when that shortsword was raised and her other hand's palm covered with a white glow. The blade came down, was clutched, then drawn along from base to tip with a grinding sound and flying sparks. It miraculously didn't cut her flesh and instead lit her shortsword with white flames that soon dispersed. That in turn left it with an effect akin to molten steel but the silver was glowing white like her hand instead of yellow/orange/red. Sticking the tip straight into the ground with a powerful thrust the process was repeated, her enemies too stunned to do the smart thing and attack her already. With both silver weapons now enchanted with holiness her confident grin became a smug smirk as she then held them out at her sides, walking forward like an assassin of a particular creed.
All at once they hissed, fangs growing in full as their faces became visages of true vampires. Claws came out but rather than approach things like dumpsters and other containers were picked up and thrown at Summer in an effort to knock her down. Despite the barrage of oversized projectiles she wasn't halted. Those blades either split them apart or deflected them, leaving a little pile to collect behind her. When they were out of ammo the vampires decided to go all in. One after the other it was a Zerg rush of undead and with that smirk applied to her face like makeup that rush became a one-sided massacre.
The first tried a most basic swipe of its hand for her neck, easily dodged as she leaned back and kicked them in the shin forcing them on one knee. A straight jab through the forehead instantly put them down and two more would take their place. "And another one gone.." With a spinning slash that ripped through swinging arms a sudden double reverse grip stab behind her after she moved past finished them off. "Another one gone.." Flying through the ashes quite literally to try and get the jump on her a fourth almost managed to latch on before she ducked, leaving them to grab thin air and then get a face full of concrete. One of the silver blades was thrown like a knife to embed in their heart through their back, possible and plausible only because of their size.
"Another one bites the dust."
The few that remained immediately came to a screeching stop, snarling and leering at Summer with hate in their eyes. Over half of them had been wasted with clearly little effort causing them to seriously reconsider their next plan of action. Though they greatly loathed the idea of retreating it seemed to be the only solution that resulted in not dying. Leaving her with a multitude of curses and derogatory remarks they vanished onto the rooftops. Eying the rather battered and bruised man laying near the end of the alleyway she'd sheath her blade and immediately start walking towards him.
"Hey pops, you alright? Need me to call an ambulance? They haven't bit you have they?"
"Ooh, ouch.. I think I'll be alright.. They just started chasing me from nowhere and ran me into this place. I think one broke my foot though. C-Could you walk me home? It's only a few minutes, please."
With a smile Summer nodded and reached down, helping the man up as he clumsily grabbed onto her shoulders for support. When he was finally up all the way she did the most strangest thing and snickered. Right before pressing the ends of her fingers to his chest and then watching his shock as a hidden stake blade made of hawthorne jutted from a wrist mechanism in what looked to be a vambrace on her arm.
"Nice try guys but your tricks won't work on me. My eyes can see right through 'em." *fwoosh*
The disguised vampire exploded into ashes and her stake retracted with a thunk, her discarded sword retrieved with a shunk, and her music turned back on with a click as she lowered her hood. Walking towards the exit of the alley she casually kicked aside the dumpsters and boxes, ready to grab her food and go home already. Yet when she was about to reach the sidewalk.. Something pulsed and let off a wave of demonic energy that she could feel throughout her entire form.
At first it was an instant sensation of needles piercing every inch of her skin, next a full-body surge of energy like she was being electrocuted. With a loud grunt and a hiss then a scream that echoed in the night she convulsed as red arcs danced all around her amidst an evil sigil shining underneath her. When had it been put in place and how had she not sensed it before?! The torture ended after several seconds of exposure, dropping her flat on her face as she gasped for breath with eyes open wide.
Immobile and paralyzed she could only listen for the approaching footsteps of someone heading in her direction at full speed about a minute later while they shouted her name at the top of their lungs. Who was..? Qrow? Not someone she was usually eager to see and why he was looking for her at this time of night rather suspect in this situation he was to be her knight in shining armor. Skidding to a halt and kneeling at her side the male tried to lift her, recoiling when those same red arcs zapped his hands.
"Ow! Shit that stings. Hold on dollface, I'm gonna think of somethin'."
"It's a trap curse.. They wear off.. Shouldn't take long-Agh!" Summer winced. The initial activation might have finished its job but the aftereffect still hurt quite a bit and jolted painfully every once in a while. Unfortunately until the majority of the curse faded she was going to be stuck, and under his 'protection' in the meantime. Of all the people to come to her rescue it had to be the pervert, constantly calling her pet names or getting touchy-feely, winking and whistling at her..
Though she had to admit his annoyingly frequent advances were his only fault. That and he was an underage drunk that enabled his sister to follow in his footsteps. As a huntsman like she his skills were hard to contest though he had the wierdest fascination with scythes, and though not even a soul aside from hers would know she secretly thought him to be actually pretty damn handsome. The way he feathered back his hair, had the barest bit of peach fuzz growing in, the way his voice sounded kind of husky and rough.. Stupid sexy Qrow.
But she didn't like him like that, or so that's what she told herself. The second her muscles were working they'd be made to take her out of sight as fast as possible.
"Hey hey hey, easy. Relax. I'll make sure nothin' happens to ya so don't stress until you're better alright?" Qrow asked, looking rather worried. Summer would huff and fall silent. "..Stubborn hardhead. So uh.. Umm.." He scratched his head, looking around and unsure of what to say. "Raven's got a movie picked out that we were gonna watch. You wanna come with?"
Was- Was he seriously trying to pick her up at a moment like this? Already fading the trap curse didn't hurt nearly as much so when she flat out refused it was coherent as she asked if his only reason was so he could somehow take more perverted pictures of her. Which had him sputtering and trying to explain himself. A second rattling of the elevated railway train started to drown him out as it came into view though so he was left to rub his face while she glared at him. All of a sudden there was another pulse of demonic energy, this one much stronger than the last. It came from above and subsequently caused a large explosion up on the track. With the connection broken the train immediately put on the breaks, inevitably derailing when it reached the gap.
How inconceivably convenient it was that when it left said track the cars all tumbled and smashed into the street below to start rolling right for Summer and Qrow. Her face was one of utter shock, her voice used to scream and beg that he forget her and take cover. He adamantly refused and would try to pick her up, failing when the residual effects of the curse took hold and started shocking the both of them. The brick and mortar of the nearby buildings was hardly a speed bump for the runaway train and in seconds they were right on top of the two. It looked like there would be no escape from certain death..
But did (s)he died? That's the fun part y'all can theorize on 'cause if Summer died now then how did she die again after Ruby was born? Or is that really Summer? Or is this real life? Maybe it's a dream or a vision. Maybe it's an alternate timeline. Who knows?! ..Except me.
So yeah. Meet Summer Rose. My version anyway. Kinda based on what I think Summer was actually like. Confident, spicy, wielded dual blades (daggers maybe?), was the type to be playful/jokester-y and dissonant in combat. Thought herself uh.. Female variant of Billy Badass. Then when she became supermom AND slayer of giant monsters she started being more like the adorkable sweet Ruby we know and love. I know maybe some people have differing opinions on her personality and that's cool and all but we really don't know jack yet by way of canon so.. Artistic liberty.
Then there's Qrow. We also all know and love Qrow. Before the obvious questions come out like 'if Qrow's supposed to be a reaper and that makes Raven a reaper by biological relation if he was born with the power how are they living human lives?' let me finish the story 'cause there's a lot to explain but it will all be explained.
As for the text.. Yeah I figured I'd try my hand at writing terribly like a drunk person would.
Now what's the general deal behind this here? Summer, Raven, Taiyang, and Qrow are all in their late high school years while living simultaneous jobs as hunters of dangerous non-humans. Taiyang's sort of a monster/dragon slayer though, has yet to earn his killer wings. I woulda put that in the pre-story A/N but I didn't wanna spoil that surprise. It's not until they all settled down later on that Taiyang quit it as a main source of income and opened his own cafe. Don't think I've contradicted anything from Red Snow but I'm gonna re-read it just in case. If YOU dear reader spot anything amiss it is your constitutional right to inform me because while I try, I'm not perfect and my memory can be shoddy sometimes.
So with that out of the way, enjoy the prologue! I know I did and I'll enjoy writing the rest of this too.
Edit: Barely 4k words including A/Ns.. Sheesh. Well it's a solid prologue I feel.
Double Edit: Sorry for the crazy notifications y'all probably got! I went ahead and uploaded the story but then had to delete it and reupload it because I forgot to format and italicize my stuff properly first like a moron! Derpotatoes.
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