A/N: Hello, everybody. This is my first entry in Book Two of the Grimm Huntsman series. A little heads-up, I've added music in there to represent a theme to a certain character that is either current or new, depending on the character. For example, the first music that plays will be Raider's theme. I know Casey Lee Williams didn't write it, but I really felt that it represented him best, so please bear with me.
Prologue: "Insurrection"
At Atlas, a young boy wearing a black hoodie with the insignia of a Grimm on the back and dark grey jeans was walking alone out by the warehouse as he heard grunting from far away. He turned to see a young girl in a red dress and Raven hair knocking a White Fang member to the floor before she gripped him by the collar and held him up.
"Where is your leader?"
"Like I'll tell you anything. The Faunus have suffered enough already. We will never surrender to you!"
Then, Raider slammed the door, catching the soldier and Cinder's attention as he walked toward him, his half human, half Grimm features revealed in the light above them as Mercury and the young Emerald looked on in the shadows.
"Cinder's the least of your worries. What you should worry about... is me."
The soldier stood aghast at his appearance as he tried to speak.
"What the...? What are you?"
Raider gripped him by the throat with his Grimm side's arm before he spoke.
"Someone whose life you ruined trying to make the Faunus superior. Someone who won't rest until the White Fang burns for what it did to me. And more importantly, someone who will expose the White Fang for what it is. Now, for the last time, where... is... your... leader?"
Play Breaking Benjamin: Bury Me Alive (Nightcore)
Later, at one of the SDC's mines, a few guards there were eyeing the Faunus workers before Mercury, wearing the outfit and mask of the White Fang, tapped their shoulders.
"Hey."
Then, he bashed their heads together before they fell to the floor. The Faunus looked toward him in surprise before a female Faunus with wolf ears and a tail spoke to him in hope.
"The White Fang. They've come for us."
Then, Mercury took off the mask before he spoke.
"Not exactly. You should probably get going."
Then, the Faunus took off for the door as he looked over to Cinder, who nodded to him before he understood his task and opened the main door for Raider and Emerald as the soldiers looked toward them before they only saw a foggy mist in front of them. As they grew weary, in reality, Emerald and Raider were walking amongst them passing through before the doors closed. Then, Raider noticed a White Fang member before he glared at him and charged toward him, but not before turning to Emerald.
"Meet up with Cinder. I'll meet you there."
"Okay."
I keep falling out of line
As Raider gave chase, he lurched his Grimm arm to the ceiling and used it to leap forward and land in front of him before glaring his red eyes at him.
I was drained and left behind
"You're not going anywhere."
"Freak!"
All will fade and petrify
The White Fang member got out his sword only to be disarmed with a swipe from his claw before being gripped by the neck and tossed to the floor.
Feed the hate and start the lies
In doing so, the Faunus, especially two of them with red hair and another with spots on the face looked up to see Raider and grew surprised, frightened for some, and awestruck as they'd never seen any one that is half Grimm.
Falling in between
A man holding a camera and disguised as a mine worker noticed it, too.
"What are you?"
I am caught beneath
Suddenly, a wave of Atlesian guards came at him and shot at him, only for Raider to use Armageddon to create a portal before falling from the ledge and into it, much to their shock.
Light the way and let me go
Then, another portal opened behind them before Raider charged at them and in so doing, he shoved them off the edge as they screamed.
Suffocate inside
Soon, Raider turned to confront the leader of the White Fang with white hair and a mask over his face before Raider spoke.
I will break and watch you crawl
"It's over, Caleb. For you and the White Fang."
Bury me alive
Caleb only smirked as he held a small device on hand before Raider noticed small unstable crystals on the mine.
Bury me alive
"Then it's over for all of us."
"No!"
Bury me alive
End Breaking Benjamin: Bury me Alive (Nightcore)
Then, he pushed the button that detonated the crystals, resulting in a massive cave-in scaring the Faunus workers and the disguised man who noticed a woman with red hair and a man with horns on his head about to be crushed by the debris before he was forced to toss his camera away and run to them. He managed to shove them out of the way, but he couldn't save himself from being crushed as the Faunus he'd saved looked on in horror before Mercury spoke to them.
"Get out of here! I'll help him out!"
With that, the Faunus took off, but not before the woman thanked him.
"My daughter would thank you for this."
Mercury nodded to the two as they took off before Raider joined him and tried to lift the rock. They were successful, but by the time they checked his pulse, it was already missing. That meant only one thing: he had perished saving the Faunus. Suddenly, Jacques' voice spoke through the giant rock blocking the way.
"Well, don't just stand there! Unblock the thing!"
Mercury knew they had to go.
"We have to get going."
Then, Raider noticed his camera, as well as the photo of him before he took the picture and put it in his pocket, confusing Mercury.
"What are you doing?"
"They can't know about us, remember?"
Then, they took off just in time for the rock to break as Jacques and his soldiers entered.
In the present day, Raider stood out in the field pondering back to the Battle of Kuroyuri. He closed his eyes, trying to gather all the pieces of the puzzle.
He flashed back to when Ruby fought Yang and terminated her as their voices echoed.
"I know what I did to you, and I'm sorry!"
"It's too late for that! I HATE YOU!"
As they echoed in his mind, Raider couldn't seem to figure that out. He saw what happened, but that didn't mean he knew how they felt when they committed the act. He knew she was angry, that much was true, but what were the feelings behind it? Seeds of doubt planted by Salem, or her own anger let off its leash?
"Why'd you do it, Ruby? How can you be so calm after what you did?"
He looked over to the far window and saw Ruby groaning in her bed with tears escaping her closed eyes as she mumbled.
"No... no. I'm sorry. Please come back. Please..."
That was enough indication as to what really happened to her since then. She never knew about Jaune's semblance before until the end. Her aggravated attack on Yang was something she regretted but never once showed that around her friends to keep them from worrying about her, even at the possible expense of trust. Raider knew all too well about that as he did that up until Cinder tried her effort to get to know him only to use him in the end. He only sighed for her sake before he looked back up at the sky, as if speaking with the god of light himself.
"Please. Don't let Ruby suffer like I did."
However, contrary to Raider's thoughts that Ruby was suffering from reliving her own kill, she was actually suffering a nightmare involving her own mother's murder. And the one responsible for it was none other than Raven Branwen. She looked through the door to see her trembling while Yang slept like a baby. To know that she killed her mother was bad enough, but to see her suffer for it made it just as unbearable. As Ruby finally woke up startled and cried, knowing her mother was out of reach, Qrow noticed Raven's uneasiness and spoke to her.
"Don't say it. We both know that's not true."
Raven looked at her younger brother and grew ashamed as she held her head down.
"I don't know how else I'm supposed to prove it."
"Here's an idea. Drop dead."
As Qrow walked away, Raven tried to speak to him, desperate to try to set things right.
"I'm serious! I know I can't take back what I've done, but it doesn't change the fact that I regret it!"
"Do you? You sure as heck never showed it when you practically gave Yang up for adoption."
"She would've been a target, too, if I didn't! The instant I killed the Spring Maiden, her powers became a part of me. Since then, Salem got me on her hit list. The last thing I want is more people to die because of me."
There was a moment of silence before Qrow resumed his glare towards her.
"Tell that to Summer. I'm sure she'd believe you. You can try apologizing and making up excuses all you want. But the only reason you're here is because you're the Spring Maiden. Once we get rid of Salem... I'll get rid of you myself. And nothing you do will ever change that. Until then, have fun sleeping at night."
With that, Qrow walked out as Raven was left in the hall as she finally fell to her knees and sobbed her heart out. Pyrrha got out and saw her weeping before she tried to cheer her up, only to remember what she did to Ruby, what she made her into. As much as she hated her, though, Pyrrha's not the type to hold a grudge. She only patted her on the shoulder, catching her attention before the Spartan spoke.
"You can't give up. Sure, you're not the greatest person in the world, but... that doesn't mean you can't change. You proved that by helping us with this. The fact you're even trying says a lot about you. You're braver than you think."
With that, Pyrrha walked away from Raven before she opened the doors to the outside yard. Raider turned to see Pyrrha in her standard fighting armor, but with one notable difference: her red auburn hair was let all the way down. Seeing her new style, Raider grew impressed.
"So, you changed your style?"
"Yeah. I'm not afraid to go all-out."
"Good. Let's begin."
Meanwhile, Yang woke up to see Ruby staring out at the window as Raider was teaching Pyrrha how to properly manage her aura again. This time, Pyrrha seemed to be getting the upper hand as she had appeared to aim for Cinder's heart at one point only to mislead her before she instead tripped her feet before plunging her sword into the Grimm arm. That only made the illusion furious before she retaliated by plunging her illusionary sword through her, scaring Ruby to death. After which, the illusion faded away, leaving no wound on Pyrrha who checked her chest to see if the wound made its mark. Fortunately, it didn't as she sighed.
"Phew. That was close."
"No. That was careless. You had the advantage and then what happened?"
Pyrrha sighed, knowing what point he was making.
"I hesitated."
"Exactly. Even after a critical blow, there's no time for you to hesitate."
As Raider continued coaching Pyrrha, Yang sighed at this, remembering when she trained Ruby back at Patch.
Suddenly, Ruby fell backward to the floor before she complained.
"Ooowwww."
"Come on. You totally could've dodged that."
With that, she held her hand up to lift Ruby up before she reiterated her hand-to-hand abilities.
"Yang, I already told you. I'm just not cut out for hand to hand. Why can't I just use my beautiful Crescent Rose?"
"That's exactly why I wouldn't let you bring it."
Ruby only growled at her Sister's opinion.
"I'm gonna be leaving for Beacon soon. I wanna make sure my little sis can hold her own while I'm gone."
With that, Yang entered her stance again before Ruby begrudgingly agreed.
"Fine."
Suddenly, Yang got the jump on her before she blocked it as she did throughout the spar. However, whenever she saw an opening, she took it, only for Yang to dodge it and trip her before moving in to punch her, forcing her to use her semblance to scatter to the bushes in petals, making her laugh a bit.
"Nice one, sis. You're not always gonna be able to run away from your problems, though. Sometimes you just have to stand your ground and fight, no matter what. Alright, enough rest. Get back out here."
However, Yang heard a rustle from the bushes far away. As the twigs broke, Yang looked deeper in the area before she spoke for her.
"Ruby?"
However, what she saw wasn't Ruby but an Ursa Grimm as it growled, causing her to fear the worst.
"Ruby!"
Suddenly, it roared before darting toward her as Yang got out her Ember Celica to engage it.
Play RWBY Music: "Ignite"
Hello there, my enemy, welcome to my punching spree!
This is where I lay waste and you go home bleeding!
Didn't have to be this way, should've stayed out of the fray!
Now you're heading for a beating!
When they got close, Yang avoided its swipe before she punched it and hit it with her Ember Celica, earning its angry roar as it swiped her back before Yang recovered and used her weapon to fire two missiles at the Ursa who roared before attempting to smash her, only for Yang to hold it back with her arm.
Didn't mother warn you? Now she's gonna mourn you!
Being damaged's How you'll end this day!
You're a big mess, cuz I'm relentless,
I've gotta tell you, I'm on fire today!
As Yang struggled to hold it back, she was able to fire a blast at its face upward before she ran away from it only to Ron underneath it and attack it from behind with her bullets. Frustrated, she ran toward it again and punched it in the face before using her weapon to move quickly to another side, to which the Ursa swiped to only for Yang to block it and fire at it again.
Crash and burn (crash and burn!)
Some lessons are hard to learn!
Scathing Eyes (scathing eyes!)
That see things from only one side
With that, Yang used this lag to maneuver around it and kick it in the face and move away from it swiftly. However, when she tried to attack it again, she thought she saw a familiar face that showed spite for her mother, throwing her off guard and allowing the Ursa to overpower her and defeat Yang as it did a backhand swipe at her, knocking her farther away to the forest.
Yet every misshapen spark suffers the judgment and pain.
Far away, Ruby woke up from the knockout of her retreat and staggered to where she was sparring with Yang before she noticed that an Ursa was present instead. When she did, she let out a gasp, alerting its attention before the Ursa turned to her. Unbeknownst to her, though, a male voice spoke to it.
"Tear this weakling apart..."
It seemed to have complied with his demand as it acted like a bull and clawed the sand before roaring and running toward her, frightening the young girl just as Yang noticed this. With that, she was forced to use her weapon to get enough speed as Ruby held her fists up in vain. Once it leaped, Yang got in its way and ended up in its mouth before her aura flickered and it shook her around before tossing her away.
"Yang!"
However, Yang opened her eyes to reveal red irises before leaping from the tree and engaging in a Fistfight with the Ursa, causing a shockwave while slowly but surely crushing its hand in the process as it yelped in pain before they broke away. In the process, the Ursa faded away while Yang tumbled to the tree.
Fool, you shouldn't stare into these eyes of fire
You're going to regret this little fight!
You don't want to mess with me, I'm something higher!
Anguish you'll know for your miserable plight!
Soon you'll bemoan your mistake of a life!
You'll watch yourself suffer you'll watch me IGNIIIITE!
End RWBY Music: "Ignite"
"Yang!"
With the battle over, Ruby ran over to Yang, desperate to help any way she could before she knelt down to her.
"Yang! Are you okay? I didn't know how to help without my scythe! I'm so sorry."
"It's okay. I've always got your back, sis."
After remembering the moment, Yang got back to the present and spoke about Raider's methods.
"He's really letting her have it, huh? He's as tough as me."
Then, when she received no answer, she looked over to her sister and could tell that Ruby wasn't looking so relieved.
"What's wrong, Ruby?"
"Just forget about it. It's nothing."
"Doesn't look like nothing. I know that look, and I also know you've been through a lot. So tell me. What's going on?"
Ruby didn't want to tell her about the nightmare she had last night, but she was willing to tell her about her true feelings.
"Honestly, Yang... I don't want you to leave. You just came back to me and... it's like I'm being abandoned all over again."
"That's not it."
"What?"
"I get that you feel that way, and maybe it's what you tell yourself, but it's not the truth. Tell me what's really going on."
Ruby admitted defeat and sighed before speaking again.
"Let me rephrase that. I don't want you to go with Raven. She... she hurt me really bad when I found out she killed my mom. And as much as I want to forgive her... actually, I don't. And I can't. I know she's trying to be a better person or whatever, but that doesn't change what she did to me. What she did to you. So literally nothing she does will ever make me forgive her. In fact, I think I'd rather die than do that. At least then, I'll be able to see her again."
Yang was taken aback by her negativity for a moment, only to remember everything she went through and sighed back to her before asking.
"That's it? That's what's bothering you?"
"Yeah. I wish I could say otherwise, but that's the truth."
"Well, that makes two of us."
"Huh?"
"I may be going with her, but that doesn't mean I'm on her side, Ruby. I don't want to go with her any more than you want me to, but I'm gonna do it anyway. Because I'm not like her. I'm not a coward. And my mom, her whole tribe, they shouldn't have to be either. So I don't like this any more than you, but I have to go."
Ruby, as much as she hated it, knew this was what she had to do before she hugged her, surprising Yang for a moment before she hugged the white and red-haired girl back.
"I just hope you'll be safe."
"Yeah. I can say the same for you."
Ruby and Yang weren't the only ones watching. As Pyrrha and Raider trained, Weiss watched as the latter spoke to his student.
"You've still got a long way to go. You have to work harder if you want to be the Fall Maiden."
"I know."
That made Weiss remember the time when she trained at home while Winter was around. Before her scar...
Play RWBY Music: "Path to Isolation"
Out in the frosty field, Weiss stood in the backyard as snow covered it as she put a small silver crown over her head where the ponytail was.
It starts with the unexpected loss of something dear.
The warmth that comforted and cradled just disappears.
Then, Weiss walked forward as a swirl of snow surrounded her before white Grimm appeared from the haze.
And in its place there's nothing, just an endless, empty hole
The light that showed the way is gone and darkness takes control
As more white Grimm Beowulfs appeared, they seemed to circle around Weiss before one of them ran up from behind her and leaped at her, only for Weiss to stab it through the mouth before it faded away.
Bitterness and anger are quick to fill the void
The path to isolation is is littered with the dreams that lay destroyed
Next, two more Beowulfs began their assault only for Weiss to jump above one of them and slice off the head before summoning a Glyph in the air to leap from towards another as it roared. As it did, a Glyph appeared in front of it as Weiss stabbed through it and the Beowulf before she leaped away and landed near the statue of a snowflake. With that her Myrtenaster turned to a red dust cartridge before it generated fire around the blade and Weiss used it to blow the haze and the Beowulfs away while melting the ice on the tree and building. Weiss looked at her Myrtenaster with pride before noticing another swirl of white Grimm appearing.
The cold seems to grow in my soul, it's consuming me
Confused, and I'm losing myself in the storm.
Growing jaded, being pushed, being pulled, I'm unraveling
Can't find myself when I'm constantly forced to conform!
The Grimm roared at her as they crept up to her before Weiss summoned a black Glyph behind her and used it to launch herself toward them and defeat one of them.
Enemies surround me but the worst appear as friends
Liars and pretenders only seek to reach their ends
With that, Weiss proceeded to attack a Grimm with repetitive stabs before she decapitated another of its arms legs and head before she saw more approaching and attacked them using her Glyph and Myrtenaster to best them.
Everything is breaking right before my eyes
Looking in the mirror, I see someone that I don't recognize!
Finally, she used her sword to plunge it to the ground, summoning a giant ice radius that unpacked the Grimm around her before they faded away. However, a sudden trail of snow seemed to be rushing at her before she was forced to move away. However, she wasn't able to stop Myrtenaster from being knocked away by the trail. With that, more Grimm appeared to swarm around her. Suddenly, one Grimm leapt on her and tried to devour her as she struggled to hold it back.
Mirror, what's this thing I see? Who is staring back at me?
A stranger to my heart has filled my mind
Mirror, help me. Who am I?
Suddenly, countless other Grimm decided to leap at her all at once, forcing Weiss to call out her name.
"Winter!"
End RWBY Music: "Path to Isolation"
Just like that, all of the Grimm disappeared as Weiss got to her knees before her Myrtenaster was unpacked to the ground in front of her to show Winter standing over her with a sad lookonher face as she sighed.
"I'm not always going to be around to save you, Weiss."
"I'm sorry. I'll get better."
"You'll have to if you ever want to leave."
With that, Winter walked away as Weiss took those words to heart.
Just then, Logan's voice spoke to her.
"Weiss. Weiss?"
As Weiss was brought back to reality, she noticed Logan and Mount next to her.
"What?"
Logan grew nervous for a moment before explaining himself.
"Nothing. Just... wanted to check on you. You looked pretty dismal for a minute, there."
"Oh. Sorry. It's just... this reminds me so much of Winter. I wasn't always alone at home with Whitley. She was there to help me become better. To keep me focused on my studies, so I can be strong enough to leave."
Then, Logan remembered how cold she was previously, always worrying about studying.
"So that's why you were so distant. It's because you wanted to be strong."
"Yeah. A lot of good that did, though. Even with all that work, I couldn't stop the Fall of Beacon. I couldn't stop the team from being divided. I... I was weak."
Sensing her need to sob, Logan placed his hand on hers before she could.
"You're not weak, Weiss. None of you guys counted on the enemy from the inside."
Weiss only pulled her hand away from him as she held her head down.
"Winter did."
What none of them knew was that Winter was listening to their conversation and grew saddened to hear Weiss like this and tried to comfort her when Qrow spoke to her.
"So, Ice Queen... your family hit rock bottom, too?"
Winter would normally be flustered with his words, but she knew it was the truth. The Fall of Beacon was bad enough, but Weiss was the one who had the worst of it and Winter couldn't do anything other than her duty. Unfortunately, even that wasn't enough.
"In a way. And you?"
"The lowest. You think you know family, and then they stab you in the back. If I never see Raven again, it'll be too soon."
Winter couldn't exactly relate to his situation, but she could tell he found himself in a whirlpool of raw and pure rage at Kuroyuri.
"That bandit. She was your family?"
"She was. Now, she's just that. A bandit."
"And what about you?"
Qrow felt as if Winter was accusing him.
"What about me?"
"What makes you think you're any better?"
"Because I never killed my friends. Because I'm choosing to be a better person."
"Exactly."
Qrow is beginning to understand Winter's point as she spoke onward.
"Now Raven's trying to do the same. You don't have to forgive her, but once you... get rid of her, you'll be no better than she is."
Qrow was clearly not on the mood to let her go after it's over as he spoke.
"I'm getting tired of this conversation, Ice Queen."
"Don't call me that."
"I'll call you that whenever I want to. You don't know the nightmare I went through."
"I can make a guess. You lost the person you cared about, so you decided to lose your family altogether. Makes perfect sense to me."
"RAVEN IS NOT MY FAMILY!"
Then, Qrow and Winter heard Penny clearing her throat nervously out of awkwardness and turned to see the young cyborg by the corner before they cut their act as Winter spoke to her.
"Yes, Penny?"
"Um... can I check on Pyrrha? I heard she went through a lot after... you know."
"Well, what's stopping you, kiddo?"
"You are kinda in the way."
Then, they noticed how close they were to each other and backed away to the walls before he spoke again.
"In that case, by all means. Go ahead."
Then, Penny resumed her walk toward the courtyard before Winter spoke to him again.
"She may not be your family anymore, but if you kill her... you'll just be giving Salem what she wants. At least that Raider guy figured that out."
Then, Winter went in the room to see Logan and Weiss looking to her before she asked Logan.
"Logan... can I speak with Weiss alone?"
Logan didn't want to leave Weiss after what she went through. It'll take more than a request to keep him from her.
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"Whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us."
Winter, not wanting to escalate the situation took a deep breath before she spoke.
"Fine. Weiss... I... owe you an apology."
"For what?"
"For being so strict with you. I just wanted you to be strong like I was."
"Winter. You don't have to be—"
"But I went about it all wrong. You needed to be stronger in your own way, and I tried to make you stronger like me. A lot of good that did us."
Logan felt that Winter didn't need to go on any further.
"You can stop, Winter. I get it. You just wanted her to be strong because she's herself, not because of her family name. And while you did go about it the wrong way, you still helped her be a Huntress. So, what I'm trying to say is... thank you, Winter, for pushing Weiss to be the best she could be."
As he took in the simple boy's words, she felt grateful for him as she shed a small tear and smiled while wiping it away.
"You're welcome."
Then, she reached for her sword and swiped it quickly near his foot, forcing him to lift his legs up quickly as he exclaimed.
"That's for speaking out of turn."
Logan only smiled at her, learning to get used to that.
"I'll keep that in mind, ma'am."
With that, Winter got up and walked out of the room before turning to the two.
"Oh, one more thing. You two better play nice."
That made Logan and Weiss blush madly as Winter walked out before they looked to each other and then away as they try to figure out how to go about it.
As they did so, Winter turned to see Qrow with a wide expression on his face as she grew curious.
"What is it, Qrow?"
"Uh, n-nothing."
Then, Raider's voice spoke up.
"Okay, everyone! Out in front!"
Later, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Logan, Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren, Penny, Qrow, Raven, Winter, Abraham, and Mount along with Ironwood's Atlesian soldiers and the Grimmites that fought by Abraham's side were in single file outside and within the hotel's gates as Raider spoke.
"I know you all have plans to convene with your specific groups immediately. And I'm sure you need overdue rest. But I'm afraid that'll have to wait. Above anything else, we must reach Haven Academy and protect it. The journey would no doubt be perilous, wrathful, and painful. But remember that you're doing this not just for Remnant, but for your families. For all of the loved ones you have that were lost to you or that you have yet to lose. Above anything else, we can't let Salem win again! We won't let her win again! If we fight together, we'll win or die together! Who's with me?!"
With that, the whole group cheered in uplifted abandon as Ruby felt very crowded.
"Wow. He sure can work up a crowd..."
Just then, Ironwood walked up to him and motioned him to go with him using his hand before being led to Dr. Polendina.
"Ah, Raider! It's good to see you again."
"The feeling's mutual, old timer. But what's wrong?"
"Well, uh, you see..."
"There's a catch, isn't there?"
"Before we go... we have to pick up one more passenger."
"Passenger? Who?"
At Menagerie, Blake and Sun were out looking for an informant of the White Fang as she looked at the scroll to see a brown-haired man with spots all over him as well as a necklace with three teeth around it before she looked to Sun who nodded to her. With that, they walked forward to look for him as the informant made a purchase.
"Just charge it to my card."
With that purchase, he acquired a new dagger as he noticed Blake and Sun before he grew irritated and drew out his gun and proceeded to fire at them, only for Blake to block the gunfire amidst the frightened crowd. With that, he took off as Blake and Sun gave chase. As the chase began, the informant stopped midway and fired again twice before he found out the gun ran out of ammo and ran again. Forced to take drastic measures, he used his dagger to cut the chains that held a box of crates and the car. This forced Sun use his aura to create two more copies and hold the crate before he spoke to Blake.
"Go!"
As Sun joined in to hold back the crates, Blake used her Gambol Shroud to inpale the boxes, using it to run on walls with the momentum before she then used it to trip and catch the informant. Before she could pull him in, a long fingernail snapped it, forcing Blake to fall to the ground before she got up and saw Illia looking at her with remorse while Crimson was looking at her with a dark smile on his face. This time, though, his face had gotten worse. The human part of it was now pale silver with another red eye in place. As Crimson smiled, he spoke to her about Illia's involvement.
"You can't blame her for trying to keep her best friend alive, can you?"
With that, Crimson fired his fingernails at a crane, causing it to drop near her, creating smokescreen before Crimson then gripped the informant and stabbed his claws into him, causing a black substance to overtake him as he shrieked in pain before his skin had now become pale with red eyes and black coating over his arms and legs, to Illia's horror before he spoke to his victim.
"Welcome to the club, pal. Now let's move."
With that, Crimson, Illia, and their informant vanished in a white haze just as Sun caught up to see Blake alone.
"What happened?!"
"They got away. I'm sorry."
With that, Blake turned back and walked away before Sun did the same. As they did, Blake remembered Illia's reason for joining the White Fang.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Why'd you join the White Fang?"
"Same reason as you."
"But—"
"But, why fight when I pass for human? It's okay. You're not the first person to ask. I know I look just like any other human girl. And for years... that's how I was raised. We lived in Mantle, with the other Faunus working the mines. But my parents wanted something better for me. They managed to enroll me in an Atlas prep school. Imagine that. A little Faunus girl from Mantle going to the city of dreams. Ah, I felt like a princess. But, I had to follow a set of rules. No bringing friends home, no talking about my parents, and absolutely, under no circumstances, was I allowed to change colors. No one else could know I was a Faunus."
"That... sounds terrible."
"It wasn't. At least as time went on. It was confusing at first, but... it wasn't hard. Especially if it meant being in Atlas. Sometimes the other girls would say things about the Faunus. That they were animals, that they were dirty, or they lied, and... I'd say those things with them. Because I felt like I was one of them! And then... one day... there was a cave-in at the mines. For some reason, they talked about a Huntsman that's part Grimm. He was there when it happened. Some say he caused it, and that it was covered up. I was at school when the news broke. Apparently, one of the workers tripped while handling some agitated dust crystals. The explosion caused a chain reaction. And my... 'friends...' snickered. Well, most of them did. The one who didn't? She knew better than to make fun of any death in general. She knew better than anyone what it was like. But that didn't stop me from losing control. Every inch of me turned Blue as I wept. And suddenly... all the girls that I'd laughed and played with... were scared of me. It didn't help that I turned red and broke their teeth shortly after. When one of my friends tried to calm me down... I hurt her... so I ran. That way, I'd never hurt her again."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Despite what I just put her through, she came running to me. But... later after, I found out what she could do."
"So she's a Faunus, too?"
"Not like one I've ever seen. The Grimm... she... she played with them. The joy I saw in her eyes when she did, and the way they went along with it... That's when I knew I wasn't alone in what we're going through. But we also knew that we had to split apart. But we each swore that we'd never forget each other. So, that's one good thing that came out of what happened."
"Your friend. Who was she?"
"Someone who could relate. She had special markings all over her. I could've sworn she was a new Faunus, but there were... Just markings. As blue as her hair. The main reason I joined the White Fang was because of her. Her name... was Skye."
Meanwhile, in Mistral, a blue-haired girl who wore a blue hood and tape wrapped around her arms and legs was seen in chains, tied to the pole of a tent as her captor came in. He had a silver mohawk and a purple robe on, as well as a wicked smile to the girl who tried in vain to break her chains.
"So, Skye. Comfortable?"
"Not even a little."
"Oh, hush. You should be grateful to me. After your escape from Atlas, you had nowhere to go, so I took you in. And how did you repay me? By summoning Grimm! How's that even possible?!"
"I never asked for your help! I could've been fine on my own!"
"That's beside the point, missy! The point is, you gave us the advantage. Once we use those Grimm of yours, we'll decimate anyone who dares to defy the Black Dagger. Especially that Raven Branwen. If I never hear her mocking voice again, it'll be too..."
Suddenly, the loathsome voice of which he spoke called him out.
"Korihor!"
That made Korihor's face blanch as he then grimaced in anger.
"You see? This is exactly what I'm talking about. She's been the bane of my existence for 10 years. She's always hounded me. But not for long..."
Raven's voice continued calling him out.
"You better come out and face us like a man, coward!"
"Oh, yeah, Raven?! You and what army?!"
As Korihor opened the tarp, he noticed Raven as well as the Huntsmen, Huntresses, Grimmites, and Atlesian soldiers as his eyes dropped in shock while Skye looked outside to notice them and grew fearful of their presence, as well as the meaning. However, her fears were put to rest as Dr. Polendina spoke.
"You better release Skye Volare at once, or so help me I will tear you limb from limb!"
Ruby grew confused at the doctor's behavior as she turned to Penny, who knew the girl quite well before she was called to Mistral.
"What's he talking about?"
"Skye Volare was actually a friend I had in Atlas Academy. I've only known for her about a year, though."
"Wow."
Korihor glared at Raven with great malice at this.
"Raven. You have some nerve to show your face here after what you put us through!"
That confused Yang as Raven justified herself.
"You know why I did what I did. With those powers, Summer would've been hunted her entire life! What I did, it was mercy!"
As Ruby glared at her, not believing anything she has to say, Korihor flouted it just as spitefully.
"And look what happened to the rest of us because of your so-called 'mercy!' We have Crimson after us like bloodhounds! All of this is because of you!"
Then, Qrow spoke up.
"Alright, alright. Look, I feel for you, pal, but right now, we need a passenger to pick up on our way to Haven. So we're just gonna liberate her if you don't mind."
Korihor only denied the request.
"Hah! Not a chance! Especially not to a Branwen!"
Seeing the opportunity, Ruby stepped up.
"How about a bet?"
That caught Korihor's attention quickly as he smirked.
"A bet, you say?"
"Yeah. A bet. Me against your best man. If I win, you give Skye her freedom and let her go with us."
"And if I win?"
"Well... then you get me, too."
That made Qrow and Yang concerned while Raven widened her eyes.
"What?"
"Are you serious, Ruby?!"
Korihor chuckled at such an offer from a child.
"And what's so special about you?"
Having heard this, Ruby remembered what Ozpin said when she first got to Beacon.
"My silver eyes. Legend has it that even the Grimm are scared of them."
"Ooh, is that right? Very well. You've got yourself a deal."
As Korihor chuckled, Yang turned to Ruby.
"Why would you do this, Ruby?"
Ruby only replied sarcastically.
"I don't know. Maybe because I actually care about others, unlike some people."
Having heard herself, she covered her mouth in shock.
"Where did that come from?!"
Then, Korihor named the terms of the battle.
"We will begin the challenge immediately. Anything goes..."
Ruby responded proudly to that.
"Good idea!"
"Except for one rule: no weapons allowed!"
That made Ruby shrink to the ground.
"Bad idea."
Yang felt that she knew what Korihor was doing and spoke against it.
"Hey! Don't we get to practice first?"
"No! I'm sorry, but she's the one who made the challenge. It's not my fault she didn't prepare for it!"
Qrow felt it was unfair as well.
"Now, that's a dirty trick and you know it!"
"Far from it. Unlike you, we actually have honor to spare!"
"Yeah, well history proved otherwise, Kori."
"Don't you dare call me that!"
Knowing her experience in hand-to-hand combat, Yang walked up to Ruby.
"You don't have to do this, Ruby."
"No. But I'm gonna do it anyway."
That made Yang realize what that she was using her own quote against her and smiled.
"You smart aleck."
Ruby smiled back at her before she hugged Yang before the latter spoke to her.
"Just be careful, okay?"
"You got it, sis."
Then, Ruby stepped up to the center of the hideout before she spoke.
"Alright. I'm ready when you are."
Korihor felt it was too rich as he laughed before he spoke.
"Of course I am. I'm ready to win! Rex the Giant! You're up!"
Then, hollow footsteps came from Ruby's opponent as he stepped toward her. When the crowd moved away, Ruby noticed the red markings on her foe that seemed to resemble an Ursa's as well as the skull on his head. Seeing the size of the opponent, Ruby grew frightened and gulped as he looked down at her.
"I'm dead."
At the stands, Nora could agree.
"Well, she's dead."
That made Yang punch her in the shoulder.
"What?"
"Ruby will make it. She's got to."
All the while, Qrow and Raider looked at Korihor and his tent before the former turned to the latter.
"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"
"Yeah. But we better hurry."
With that, Rex the Giant spoke to Ruby in the arena.
"You seem too decent a girl to fight."
"Really? Well, uh, that's nice."
"It's too bad I have to destroy you."
That made Ruby scared before she asked, thinking about the worst he could do, ranging from squishing her into a pancake to sending her flying to another kingdom.
"And, uh... h-how are you... gonna do that?"
With that, Rex stood in place with his arms out.
"Hit me!"
That caught Ruby and her group off guard.
"Huh?"
Jaune blinked his eyes in confusion.
"I'm not the only one who heard that, right?"
"I don't get it. You want me to hit you?"
"Yes. As soon as you do, you'll understand why I'm named 'Rex the Giant.'"
Yang knew that he must be up to something.
"Be careful, Ruby! Don't let him get to your head!"
"Okay. J-Just remember. You asked for it."
With that, Ruby darted toward Rex and began punching him in the chest repeatedly until she had to take a breath. As she did, she tried to act tough.
"Well! How did that feel?"
Rex only smiled at her before he answered.
"Just pleasant."
Suddenly, a red light came over him as he started to go twice the size of an Ursa as Ruby blanched.
"Oh. So, that's why they called you 'Giant.' Well-played."
With that, Rex smiled as he prepared to squish her.
"Thank you. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that you won't live to tell the tale. It's nothing personal."
As his foot prepared to go down on her, Yang called out to her.
"RUBY!"
However, Ruby wasn't giving up yet as she used her semblance to avoid his foot, catching Rex by surprise before she spoke.
"I'm not done yet. I'm just getting started."
"You just keep deluding yourself."
Play RWBY Music: "Die"
As Rex attempted to punch Ruby, she was forced to dodge away from his incoming fist before she took advantage of the lapse and headed toward his face, only for her to be swiped away with a backhand to the ground. Still reeling from the pain, Ruby pondered to herself as Korihor spoke.
"You can't defeat Rex, girl! The brute is three times your size!"
"Come on. What would Yang do?"
Where did it go?
Our peaceful youth seems to be gone forever
And in its place, a life of war
Every truce has severed
Then, it hit her. The brute can withstand every blow and grow in size to accommodate them, but if that was supposed to be a semblance, then it would only last as long as his aura would. That was all she could piece together before Rex began another attack with his swinging foot. With that, Ruby dodged that kick and used her semblance to zip behind the other one and land a hard punch to it, forcing it to pitch forward and causing him to trip.
We'll live our lives watching our backs
Not knowing who to trust or fear
As that happened, Ruby took advantage of the opportunity and tried to pin him to the floor, only for him to get up effortlessly as he grew 1/2 that size morebefore he smirked.
"You gave me a mighty blow, but I'll hit it right back!"
The hate just swallows all the love
And truth will disappear
As Rex plunged his fist to the earth, Ruby used her semblance again to speed up to his face and punch his forehead, knocking him back a bit before he started growing by 1/4 with his red aura flickering. Korihor saw what she was doing and grew worried.
"Oh, no! Come on, Rex! You were supposed to squash that girl, not let her make a fool out of you!"
With that, team JNPR, Weiss, and Yang cheered her on as Raven smirked at him, earning his angry growl before he turned to three more men beside him.
"Axe, Venunem, Nico, take care of her!"
Axe (the man with claws and a black cape over him similar to a Geist), Venunem (the man with wrist blades in the style of a Lancer), and Nico (the man with the wings of a Nevermore on his back) took off toward the battle. All the while, Ruby prepared to hit one more punch to his chest.
"Okay. One more should do it."
Before she could move, Ruby was suddenly knocked back by Nico as he did a flying kick to her stomach and sent her tumbling back before Axe moved in to kick her away before Venunem fired one of his Lancer stingers at her, only for it to just graze her cheek before her aura began to flicker.
Lost and blind (Oh-Oh-Oh)
Seems our dreams of peace have all been left behind
It's always said white clouds aren't always silver lined
But the future's looking bleak and a storm is set to rise
Yang and Nora noticed this before declaring foul play.
"Hey! They just ganged up on her!"
"You guys are cheaters!"
Raven knew otherwise, given his "rule."
"Not entirely. He only said 'no weapons allowed.' Beyond that, anything goes."
That only made Jaune more determined.
"Well, if that's the case, what's to stop us from helping her?"
However, Ruby spoke against it.
"Don't you dare!"
"What?!"
"This is my challenge, and my fight! You don't need to get involved in this!"
Yang felt she was getting overconfident and voted against that.
"Are you crazy, Rubes?! What are you trying to prove?!"
As Weiss gasped at figuring out the answer, Rex made an assumption of his own as he laughed before speaking.
Say goodbye
Time to die
Say goodbye (Just say goodbye)
Time to die (Time)
"If this is your way of trying to be a Huntress, don't bother! Just go home to your mother and read some stories!"
That comment as well as their laughter made Ruby widen her eyes before sporting an angry look on her face before her eyes turned silver.
"What did you just say about my mom?"
Suddenly, she darted toward them with a shout in a white streak of light as she caught Nico in it, creating a black and white swirl before it caught Axe and Venunem in it before sending them flying away from the arena. As they landed on the hard ground, Logan grew surprised.
"What the heck is happening?!"
Feel it everywhere and you see it growing
Enemies arise and the hate is flowing
Shattering the moon and bloodying the sky
Korihor could ask the same thing.
"What the heck is happening?! Did I take her too lightly?!"
Suddenly, the white streak of light landed before it revealed Ruby with glowing white eyes before Rex snarled.
"Your light show doesn't scare me!"
With that, Rex thrust his fist toward her only for Ruby to dash to his feet and appeared to have gripped one of them before he ended up flying to the sky with it.
The machines of war will fill both sides and the greed will only grow more lies
Farewell to days of peace, 'cause now it's time to die!
Sensing what was about to happen, Yang called out to the crowd.
"Everyone back up!"
With that, the crowd sensed what Yang did and ran for cover.
Die!
As the Giant got lifted higher and higher, the white streak of light finally stopped before Ruby spoke.
Die!
"Never talk about my mom again."
With that, Ruby thrusted herself to the giant, landing a crucial blow that shattered his aura and forced him to shrink in intervals before he ended up back to normal just before he collided with the ground, triggering a massive shockwave that blew the trees away as well as spreading the dirt all over the radius.
Die!
End RWBY Music: "Die"
As the dust settled, Korihor coughed trying to get the dirt out of his mouth before noticing Ruby standing on top of Rex in horror.
"AAH! Oh, no, Rex!"
Then, Ruby's silver eyes flickered back to normal, the glow dissipating before noticing that she was atop her opponent.
"I... I won?"
As the crowd came back to see the result, they noticed Ruby atop Rex and gasped in shock while Yang, Weiss, Logan, Raven, Team JNPR and the others ran over to her as Ruby's sister spoke.
"Ruby! What did you do back there?"
"I-I don't know. I was just..."
"That... was... awesome! I didn't know you had it in you, Rubes."
Then, she looked to Weiss before she spoke.
"So, uh... how did I do?"
Weiss had figured out what Ruby was doing it for. It turned out Ruby was trying to prove herself to Weiss that she was good enough to be their leader. She never knew it bothered her, because she felt Ruby didn't really care about her opinion. She could only assume that the team splitting apart made her think long and hard about the way she led the team. With that, she responded to her question matter of factly.
"Well, you were just fine the way you were, Ruby. Though, I gotta admit, I haven't seen you do that before. How did you do that?"
"Dunno. Once he started making fun of my mom, I just... lost it, I guess."
Before Ruby could explain any further, Korihor spoke.
"So... that's the power of those silver eyes, huh?"
"Yep. Now let Skye go, Korihor."
"Hmm. I could do that, or... I can take the both of you for myself!"
However, Qrow begged to differ.
"Or you get neither."
As Korihor looked to Qrow, he noticed that Skye was with him and Raider before he started yelling in anger.
"Aah! Young lady, you get back here right now!"
"Why should I? You're not my dad, and he's even worse than you!"
That caught Raider and Qrow's attention as the latter spoke up.
"Oh, snap."
"You won't take away my only chance to survive Crimson, Branwen! Rex, destroy him!"
However, Rex couldn't move as he was critically injured from Ruby's overdrive. Noticing this, Korihor then turned to Axe, Venunem, and Nico, only to find them all knocked out by the shockwave.
"Rex? Uh... Axe! Venunem? Nico? Anyone?"
Seeing the situation, Qrow spoke to him again.
"Sorry, Kori. Looks like your best men are down and out."
"Grrrrrr! I told you not to call me that! You will pay for this humiliation, Branwen! We'll all be coming for you! And your little silver-eyed girl, too!"
As Korihor started shouting vengeance upon him, Qrow felt it was getting old.
"Whatever. Come on, everyone. Let's go."
As they walked away, Korihor spoke angrily.
"Oh, don't you think you can ignore me, Branwen! The Black Dagger will come for you when you least expect it!"
As the others walked, Yang and Raven remained behind as the others passed them by before the former inquired of the latter.
"The Black Dagger, Mom?"
"It's a long story. And he's going to tell it to us on the way."
This made Korihor quiver a bit before he asked.
"Huh? On the way to where?"
"Back to our camp."
All the while, Ruby caught up to Qrow, Raider, and Skye before she spoke to her.
"Hello!"
Then, it occurred to her that she had no idea what to say to her.
"Uh... it's nice to meet you. My name's Ruby."
"I'm Skye. It's nice to meet you."
"Thanks. So, uh, what's your story?"
Skye, remembering the tragic incident that happened to her, didn't feel the need to talk about it.
"That's... not really any of your business, so..."
"Nah, it's cool. I get it."
As Raider tried to look into her life with his gazing semblance, he ended up seeing Skye being bullied and picked on before he saw her meeting a Grimm Beowulf before she turned it blue and white. Up next, he saw her trying to stop it from attacking the other kids before it showed another scene where the Beowulf attacked her father and murdered him before she tried to tell it to run away, only for it to be shot dead, as she felt a pang in her chest before her hair turned red and her skin black before she summoned a Grimm-like dragon that decimated her own hometown before being shot. After which, two red eyes appeared in Raider's consciousness before speaking.
"Raider..."
In reality, Raider's eyes suddenly turned bright red before he shouted in agonizing fury, catching Ruby and Skye's worry as well as Qrow's surprise.
"Raider!"
"What's going on with you, man?"
Suddenly, Raider lunged at Qrow, as he was able to get his Harbinger in time before he started practically clawing at him before Ruby grew frightened.
"Stop it, Raider! Why are you doing this?!"
Skye knew what to do as she ran to Raider and jumped onto him before he calmed down, though his growl was still present.
"It's okay, Raider. Calm down."
Suddenly, the black part of his body turned white as his eyes turned bright blue before he got off of Qrow and took a deep breath before turning to Skye.
"What... what happened?"
Qrow felt it was obvious to ask as he replied.
"That's what we wanna know. When did you ever start flipping your lid?"
"I... I don't know. All I know is that I was using my semblance to look at what she went through, and..."
That made Skye very nervous.
"You were going through my whole life?!"
As Skye started to back away, Ruby tried to calm her down.
"It's okay, Skye. We know you're not a bad person."
"You don't know anything about me!"
"You're right. We don't. But I can imagine what you went through. If it was enough to make Raider flip out like that... I can only assume you had the worst of it."
Skye was still weary about prying eyes as she spoke to Ruby.
"You're not even going to ask what I did?"
"No. Because... I did horrible things, too."
That made Skye grow surprised at how someone as sweet as her could possibly have done terrible things. Although, it's fair to make a guess with her silver eyes, but it was beside the point.
"What did you do?"
"I'd rather not discuss it. Any more than you'd discuss what you've done. Because we both know what we've did..."
With that, Ruby tensed her fist before she spoke.
"And we... we just have to live with it."
As Skye looked at her, she realized that Ruby could have a lot more in common with her than she would even imagine. With that, Ruby spoke up again.
"Let's go."
As they started walking again, Dr. Polendina places his hand on Skye, who looked to him.
"See? Even the Huntsmen understand you."
"How can I trust that? They kill Grimm."
"They do what needs to be done. They've just never known the proper solution... until now."
Then, Penny, Logan, Winter, and Weiss caught up to them before Skye turned to Winter and glared at her before Mount followed them. When she noticed him, she widened her eyes before she asked it.
"Who... who are you?"
"My name Mount."
As he knelt to her, Skye gave Mount a hug, turning his color white and turned his markings blue before Mount spoke.
"That feel good."
"I know."
With that, Winter spoke to her solemnly.
"Skye... I've been informed about everything you went through in Chrysallium... and Atlas."
Weiss and Logan grew confused about Chrysallium, having never heard of it.
"Chrysallium?"
"And while I know my word isn't good enough, I want to say that... I'm sorry for everything you went through. If you don't want to go with us, I understand."
Looking back to Ruby, Qrow, and Raider as well as Team JNPR, Skye replied to Winter.
"Thank you for understanding."
As Skye ran over to Ruby and the others, Winter took a deep breath before Weiss spoke.
"What exactly happened at Chrysallium, Winter?"
Winter gave a sad look before she replied.
"That's classified."
"Oh."
Meanwhile, Ruby heard Skye's voice before she turned her head.
"Ruby!"
Once she saw her, Ruby smiled at her.
"I gotta be honest. I didn't think you'd come around."
"Well, I can't blame you. So, where are we going?"
"To Haven Academy!"
As they stepped closer to their destination, none of them noticed that Salem had been watching through one of her special drones that did surveillance on them from there to Evernight Castle as she spoke.
"So, you're convinced things didn't go my way. But, on the contrary, Raider, they're going just as father planned..."
A/N: Say what?! Who would've thought that Salem had a father?! Well, technically, I did. As for her father's identity, it's none other than the God of Darkness himself. To reiterate those who have forgotten or those who skipped Book 1, The God of Darkness is voiced by Lee Tockar for his Makuta approach. If you want to know who voiced what original character from Book 1, I suggest you read it. In this book, though, Skye Volare (who I got permission from LongSean22 to use, and if you're wondering about her look her Grimmwalker in DeviantArt) will be voiced by Elise Baughman, Korihor by Derick Snow, Rex by Marcus Stimac, Axe by Jeff Plunk, Venunem by Chris Guerrero, and Nico by Jason Ritter. Beyond that, I will explain in future chapters. Have a nice day. :)
