Note: Hello and thank you for reading the following story. The idea for a RWBY western seemed like a really fun idea to me and I had to write it. This will be series of some length so any input you have will be extremely helpful in shaping it and in improving my writing. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
THE sun was falling beneath the far horizon of Remnant, hinting at the deep cold to come as Roman Torchwick watched the caravan make its way in his direction. He caressed the head of his cane gently, a habit he could never seem to quite shake. Though he hoped he never did, for if that happened than it meant he no longer got the adrenaline rush before a job. And, as his father always told him, why do a job if you don't enjoy it? Of course that had been his reason for never having one, but hey, it still applied.
It was almost time and Torchwick took the cigar from his mouth and put it out with his boot as he moved to join his team a little further along the cliff. They would need to start riding soon if they were to intercept the train of goods and people riding for the next town. This better be a better payout than the last one, was the last thought in his head as he approached and addressed his gang of outlaws.
"Alright, let's do this gentlemen," he paused for a second and glanced over at a dark-skinned girl with red eyes and short, mint-green hair who was playing with her twin pistols "and lady." Torchwick's sarcasm in this nicety seeping through his speech.
"I don't suppose we'll actually get anything of value this time." the girl inquired as she put away her weapons and stood up to face him. "She was not pleased with the last haul Roman."
Torchwick did not like having a boss or having their goons in his gang but the amount of profit he had brought in since accepting their offer made up for the loss of dignity.
"My sources swear that this caravan will hold Schnee assets: workers, dust and weapons." He mounted his horse and the others followed suit before he finished with "All they require to start up this new Dust mining operation. And all that we need to cripple it."
Torchwick took off now at a quick pace, all but two following him. The girl and a boy stayed back though, watching.
"We can't trust him Mercury." The green haired girl said, not looking at her companion. "He resents working for Cinder and having us here."
"Ah, but that makes him predictable, which is exactly what we need." The boy yawned before adding, "Now let's go Emerald. I'm getting bored."
They sped off, catching up with the others.
THE carriage jolted suddenly as it hit a large bump in the make-shift trail and Blake was awake in an instant. She let out a sigh at the fact that she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep before their arrival. Resigned, Blake began to take in her surroundings.
The large passenger carriage was overcrowded with the others, all Faunus recruited to work at the Schnee Dust Company's latest mine. The wages were relatively high so Blake couldn't blame them for wanting to escape the prejudice of the cities and start anew out west. The Schnee Dust Company however she could blame. Nasty rumors were making their way back east about the treatment of workers and the business practices of the company. It was these rumors that led the White Fang, the most prominent Faunus rights organization, to send Blake in undercover to investigate. She needed to uncover any truth in these rumors and do what had to be done from there.
And so, a few forged papers and weeks of travel later, Blake found herself looking at her fellow Faunus as she attempted to regain blood flow in her legs. They had been told that the next stop would be their destination, a small comfort to Blake's mind.
The carriage jolted again, more violently this time, and Blake was about to go have a conversation with the driver when she felt the vehicle slow and eventually stop.
We can't be there yet, she thought while she made her way to the back entrance into the wagon.
Gunshots suddenly filled the air and all of the other Faunus were awake now as well. Fear filled the space as the shooting continued outside. Blake reached for Gambol Shroud, reassured at its presence and continued on. Before she was able to reach the flap to investigate what was happening outside, someone opened it and entered the carriage.
"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen," the man who entered wore a small bowl like hat over his orange hair and carried a cane that seemed to be more for gesturing than actual walking "I am afraid that you are currently in the process of being robbed. Your cooperation, though not required, is heavily encouraged. If you any questions or concerns, I ask that you please hold them until all valuables and the like have been acquired by yours truly. Now" he turned to his side "please exit this wonderfully cramped space and follow the instructions of those outside. Any questions?"
Blake was about to say something when another beat her to it, a large bull Faunus who was clearly not intimidated by the orange haired man. "What are you…"
A shot rang out before he finished and a scream filled the space before it was followed by utter silence. The man's cane was smoking as he kept it pointed to where the bull Faunus once stood.
"That was a test." He dropped his cane "I asked that questions be held until the end and he didn't listen like the rest of you smart folk. But hey lessoned learned right? And now that you are aware of how seriously I take my requests, I must ask once again that you make your way outside and avoid any further confrontation." He left the space now and was followed by the group of twenty or so Faunus, some scared whispers the only sound now.
Blake wanted to act, her anger over the murder nearly forcing her to do so. But she knew she had to wait. There was no way of knowing how many friends of this guy were outside or how well equipped they were. She needed to assess everything and avoid hasty actions, not to mention that her cover would be blown the moment she enacted any sort of plan.
And so, Blake followed the others outside and into a larger group composed of passengers from other carriages. She looked around and saw that there were five men watching the group, all armed with rifles and pistols. There were anywhere from five to ten others ransacking the wagons, it was hard to tell as they made their way in and out of the compartments. The man who killed the Faunus was standing to the side with a girl and boy, smoking a cigar as he observed the proceedings.
Blake wasn't sure if she would be able to take out all of them or even trust that the scared Faunus would aid her. If all they were doing was stealing from the Schnee Dust Company, then it wasn't worth the risk of more getting hurt. She stood there now, staring at the man and waiting for the next development to occur.
"I've got to say Roman," Emerald said next to him "your source actually came through." She paused "This time."
Torchwick scowled slightly before adopting his cavalier smile. "I am a professional darling; things have a tendency to work out when I'm involved."
"So then why did you make the passengers get out, we're going to need them in the wagons if were going to move them." Mercury asked, curious.
"Heh," Torchwick tapped his cigar "I thought it would be prudent to weed out the troublemakers. Luckily we've only had one so far."
"So, now that we've confirmed the contents of this caravan, can we move on to the next step? Emerald asked, clearly not dressed for the plummeting temperature.
Torchwick took a moment to relish her discomfort before walking towards the group of about forty Faunus. He stopped in front of them and simply watched, waiting for all them to focus on him. When he was satisfied he had their attention, he spoke.
"Now, some of you may have noted that I am a criminal. No. No. Don't deny it, I'm not offended. You see, I bring this up to drive home a point. As a criminal, society affords me certain traits, characteristics, tendencies, whatever you want to call them. The point is that as a criminal I lie as part of my day." He paused to light another cigar when he noticed a particular Faunus on his right. She didn't seem to possess the fear the others did. Her eyes were focused and conniving -a problem. Torchwick signaled to Mercury and Emerald to look in her direction, they would notice the same thing and be ready.
"And folks, I'm afraid that you are now a victim of one of my lies. Unfortunately, we did not cause this little detour for your trip to simply steal goods. An operation I am a part of also has need for some services. Services that you are all uniquely qualified to provide."
Talking began to spread through the group as they realized what he was getting at. Torchwick sighed and fired into the air. Animals, can't even pay attention and be quiet for a few minutes.
"There's no need to be alarmed, you'll be performing the same job as you set out here for, you'll just be doing for a different employer. And slightly less wages. Don't worry about the math."
"You're talking about slavery!" The Faunus he spotted earlier burst out. Great, trouble.
"No my dear, this is business." Torchwick tried to step back as the girl lunged at him even as he realized she was too fast. Right when he expected her to impact him though, there was nothing. He hid his surprise and looked at where she had been. Mercury and Emerald were now holding her down as she struggled violently. At least they listened to him this time Torchwick thought as he approached her.
"Now why would you go and do that?" he asked. Mercury and Emerald stood her up now.
"You're a monster! How can you treat Faunus like were not even people!" Her angered radiated from her body, a firecracker this one.
"Like I said, it's just business. And you've become an asset we simply cannot afford to retain."
"Cinder isn't going to be pleased that you're killing her workers Roman. This will be two in one night" Emerald cut in, ever the voice of her dear mentor.
"She will just have to get over it in this case." Torchwick snapped as he raised Melodic Cudgel and aimed it at the girl. He blinked. "What the fu…." He began as he stared at the shadow that occupied the space where the girl was a second before.
Emerald and Mercury noticed as well and were now looking around as the shadow figure faded. The three of them noticed at the same time – in the distance they could see the girl running. Emerald made to go after her when Torchwick grabbed her arm to stop her.
"We don't have time. Let her die out there. Its miles to the nearest town and these parts are crawling with Grimm." Torchwick turned back to the group of remaining Faunus. "Let's wrap this up."
Thirteen miles away, a girl in a black and red outfit with a red hood and ammo belt watched the sun set on the horizon. Performing maintenance on Crescent Rose at the end of a day always helped her relax. Ruby Rose often took this time to reflect on the changes that had occurred to the town of Vale since she and Yang had arrived. When they had first stumbled upon this town it had been crime ridden and poorly defended from the Grimm of the wild. But after a year of hard work and constant vigilance, Vale had become what it was today: peaceful and prosperous.
The people of the town were grateful to the wandering hunters and offered them positions as law keepers if they stayed. Ruby had accepted, the prospect of a badge and action to much to pass up. Yang had declined the offer, but stayed behind with her sister. She put her time towards running a local tavern, the best and only one in the town. All in all, they were both fairly happy for a time. But now, after nearly a year of this peaceful town, both had grown bored with routine.
The fact that quickly became apparent was that they had done a damn good job of cleaning up the town. The only things law related that occurred were small disputes between its citizens and the occasional Grimm on the outskirts. Both Yang and Ruby were left here to watch the days pass and perform maintenance on weapons that rarely saw use outside of training.
Ruby found her mood suddenly worsening as she reflected over these things. She shook her head violently to try and force them from her mind. We are happy here she reminded herself. This town needed us. They still need us. But maybe it was time to move on and find something different? Maybe there was another town out there in need of some help…
This thinking was interrupted as Ruby saw a figure running towards from a distance. She stood up and squinted as she attempted to get a better look. Crescent Rose was ready for the threat when Ruby relaxed and realized who it was.
She waited for him to be closer before asking "What is it Jaune?" Crescent Rose was in its compact form now, Ruby had a feeling she would be rushing off to whatever Jaune was here to inform her about.
"It's….It's…" Jaune was struggling for breath but he was eventually able to say "It's Yang."
"Yang?" Ruby was worried now "What's wrong? Is she hurt?"
"No," answered Jaune still trying to catch his breath "She's doing the hurting. Well her and some other girl down at the tavern."
"I'm on it." Was all Ruby said before speeding off, her semblance would get her there faster than any horse. This sort of thing wasn't terribly rare but Ruby wanted to get there before Yang hurt someone too badly.
The tavern was only about half a mile from where Ruby lived. She and Yang had once shared the residence above the bar room but she had moved out after weeks of non-stop noise had finally gotten to her. She approached the building, located in the center of the town – right in the middle of the second of three streets.
As Ruby entered, she couldn't help but notice the redecoration since she had last seen it earlier today. Tables were strewn everywhere and several pieces of what used to be chairs littered the floor. All of the patrons must have fled as only two people were in the bar room that Ruby could see. The first was her sister, Yang, frowning and panting slightly. Her bright blonde hair gave the appearance of fire as she was clearly pumped for the fight that had caused this.
The second one, a girl, was standing on the other side of the room. She had pure white hair and was wearing a combat skirt similar to Ruby's but white and with a snow motif. She had a dueling rapier raised in the air as she faced Yang.
"What is going here?" Ruby asked loudly, both of the fighters turned to look at her. The girl in white was the first to speak though.
"Finally, the authorities have arrived!" she said while walking to Ruby, having noticed her badge. "This, this miscreant attacked me and I would like to press charges."
"Uh, charges?" Ruby asked, confused.
"Oh, hey sis!" Yang chimed in, now standing next to the new girl "What brings you here so late?"
The girl looked back and forth between them as Ruby answered.
"Jaune came and told me there was something here that needed my attention. What happened?" Ruby motioned to the mess.
"Nothing much." Yang answered "Just trying to teach some manners to little miss princess here."
"Manners?!" the girl burst "I am Weiss Schnee, I was taught "manners" when I was three. What you have been doing is assaulting a customer who merely pointed out the lack of quality in this place."
"You compared my tavern to a back alley box stand!"
"The description seemed apt."
They made to go at each other again when Ruby jumped in between them.
"Stop. Stop. Stop. There's no need to make a bigger mess." They seemed to calm down and relax their postures. "Why don't you apologize, uh Weiss?"
"Apologize?"
Yang's hair seemed to catch fire again at her words and Weiss quickly spoke again.
"Fine. I apologize for what may have been an overly harsh criticism of your beautiful and top of the line establishment." The sarcasm was flowing but Yang seemed to ignore it.
"Thank you." She stated simply, the fight must have relieved her boredom because she seemed pretty happy now.
"Great, all settled and everyone is happy." Ruby said to them both "So, um, I guess I'll go now?" Her voice rose at the end of the sentence making it seem like a question.
"Wait!" the girl, Weiss, stopped Ruby "I need a place to stay while I'm in town and it is your job as sheriff to accommodate me." She looked very uncomfortable now, clearly unused to having to ask for anything like this.
"Uhhh, you're in a tavern." Ruby stated flatly "That's what they're for."
"She can't stay here." Yang said, smiling at the discomfort she was inflicting "It's far too below her standards."
"I never…I may have said something along those lines." Weiss stated lamely. "There has to be somewhere else…"
"You can stay with Ruby!" Yang chimed in once again. "She needs to make new friends."
"I don't need friends." Ruby muttered to herself. She had Yang after all.
"That will have to do then. Come help me with my bags." Weiss began to walk towards another room. Her orders were beginning to get out of hand.
"But I never…" was all Ruby got out. Weiss was already in the other room, gathering her belongings.
"Trust me, this'll be good for you." Yang wrapped her around the shoulder with one arm and squeezed "Besides, you need to find out what an heiress to the largest company on Remnant is doing in our little town."
Ruby let out a sigh. Maybe the quiet wasn't such a bad thing.
Weiss' head poked out from the door. "Are you coming or what?"
"Yeaaahhhh."
Blake was going to make it. She had to make. There was no other choice but to go on. If she stopped now, the Grimm would catch up. She had been able to make short work the first ones but then they kept coming. The Grimm seemed to be attracted to the violence and emotions surrounding her when Blake killed their kind. She had eventually decided to simply run, doing her best to avoid them when possible.
A town had to be close. After getting a fair amount of distance from the man and his cronies, Blake had moved back towards the trail and began moving. The town had to be close, if only because if it wasn't she was dead. And Blake refused to die when something like what the man with the cane had been talking about was going on. She may not have been able to stop him there but she would get help, regroup and strategize. One step at a time though, one step at a time.
A noise in the distance, they were getting closer. Blake pushed on, struggling but managing to increase her pace. It had to be close. It just had to.
Part 1 End
Note: Hey, remember me? From the beginning? C'mon we go way back. No? Oh, well then hi again. Thank you for making it this far and I hope you enjoyed this first part. Please let me know what you thought and feel free to check out my other stories if you get a chance. Also, I'm sorry for the slight cliff hanger, but I felt this was an appropriate stopping point. There are a bunch of ideas just floating around my head at the moment and I am very excited to put them to ink. I hope to be seeing you again.