Author's Note: (By the way, this story is rated T for possible future violence and language. Odds are it won't get into the sexual zone, but if I do, know that I'll keep it with making out being the maximum.)
OwO What's this? It's the result of a bored teenage girl! Wait, no, please don't go! I'm more intelligent than the average person my age. Also, I'm a yuri lover. But don't expect too much shipping in these, I like to be neutral. However, I might change that if someone asks~ Also, I have a very strict NO OC policy, so you can count on there being no important characters that don't exist. If I'm desperate though, I may make a very insignificant one, someone who just doesn't do anything.
This story is going to take place in an altered Remnant, which is going to be a non-existent country that is much like the U.S. I still think it is appropriate to call it Remnant though, as it is the remnant of humanity. There aren't any semblances, but Dust does still exist to an extent, although not nearly as powerful. The main crew consisting of Team RWBY will get together first, and if requested, I may add in JNPR as well (personally, I LOVE their team dynamic, even more so than Team RWBY's! Which makes it all the sadder that they couldn't stay together forever. (I'm going to avoid spoilers, but seriously, if you haven't seen the finale way back in SEASON THREE, WHY ARE YOU HERE!? WATCH IT!).
Overall, I just consider this a mini project, and I am actually using decent editing software to write this, so you can count on there being almost NO GRAMMATICAL ERRORS! Or spelling errors! Which seem to riddle half this site... So I decided to be one of the more educated people here (dons mustache and monocle for effect) and write a very cultured story.
I welcome any and all feedback, regardless of what it is. Unless you're just being mean for the sake of it. But if you do have a genuine complaint, I'll take it and try to improve my story.
Well, onwards to the story! I hope you enjoy~
Chapter One: From the Ashes
The world was in an age of peace. The kingdoms of Remnant were united, and there was no hint of any sort of unrest to change that. That is until the dark beasts appeared, destroying all in their path. These creatures, which were later appropriately named Grimm, seemed to have only one goal: destruction in any way, shape, or form. The entire city of Vale was in tatters, but the place that appeared to be the main target of this sudden attack was the most famous school in all of Remnant, the prestigious Beacon Academy. Because of this, the carnage caused by the Grimm during those times was soon given the name of "The Fall of Beacon."
In spite of the damage caused, not all was lost. Ruby Rose lived on the much safer small island of Patch at the time of The Fall of Beacon with her half-sister Yang and their father, who was in charge of the local Fire Dust mine, the island's main source of ammunition. Almost all of it was destroyed, however, in a rather... explosive incident with a certain clumsy cloaked individual. The mysterious crystals seemed to blow up with any contact with a significant amount of energy or force, but they weren't quite powerful enough to be considered magic either. Since the island was off the mainland, there were no Grimm and only a few other people on the island for the most part. With the remaining supplies on the island and some food they got from scavenging, they managed to survive for about a month, but they would soon have to start risking their lives out on the mainland. And so they began to prepare for the journey ahead.
"Ugh, why do I have to be the one to go harvest the Fire Dust? Yang, you're way stronger than I am!" Ruby complained, her eyes tearing up in an attempt to look pitiful so she could get out of work. She was struggling to carry a crate of Fire Dust from what remained of the mine near their house. "C'mon sis, the entire reason you're carrying it in the first place is because I'm way stronger than you. I'm ready to go to the mainland and kick some serious Grimm ass! You, on the other hand, would be eaten up faster than you could get to the mainland in the first place," Yang responded with a sigh as she attempted to fix Ember Celica. The gauntlets were barely intact after Ruby dropped them onto their Fire Dust stockpile while trying to "give them an upgrade." Apparently, Ruby was hoping that adding fire would make them hotter. That it did, but not in the way she wanted it. That was more of one of her joking experiments than anything though, she was usually much better at taking care of her weapons.
"Yaaaaaaang, you know I'm strong already, after all, look at all my precious creations over there!" Ruby whined, pointing at her weapon stock, which somehow managed to grow even larger since The Fall happened. Her favorite weapon in her arsenal was her sniper-scythe, Crescent Rose. Due to its large size, it had to be made of a lightweight material so Ruby could actually lift it in spite of her lack of strength, but Ruby refused to admit that was the reason.
"A strong person wouldn't be struggling with a single crate of Dust, Ruby," Yang exclaimed. Ruby opened her mouth as if to speak, but she soon closed it knowing her sister was right about her physical weakness. "W-well yeah, I guess... But I can still handle myself!" Ruby pouted, puffing out her cheeks like a small child. "Just take a look at my Crescent Rose for proof! C'mon, you have to admit, the idea of a sniper-scythe is AWESOME!" Ruby dropped the Dust that she had just brought out to their shed, yelling directly into Yang's ears during the last bit of her "confidence speech." Suddenly, a sound like a piece of flint striking steel was heard, and the Dust hissing like the fuse on a stick of dynamite. The sisters knew what that could mean after the last time it happened: Dust explosion. "RUBY, WHY DID YOU DROP THE DUST SO QUICKLY!?" Yang roared, picking up Ruby and carrying her away from the crystals before they would explode. They cowered behind their small concrete emergency wall made for this exact situation, covering their ears and waiting for the incoming explosion.
pop.
The sisters opened their eyes, confused at the small sound. Was that all? No explosion? They waited for five minutes longer to be safe, then peeked over the edge together. The Dust was glowing slightly, but nothing seemed to be harmed, other than a small bit of wood on the wall of their shed that was slightly burnt. "YEAH!" Ruby screamed in triumph. "That was totally me, the magnificent magician Ruby Rose! I used my mind to stop the Great Shed Explosion!" As Ruby struck a pose, Yang sighed in relief. "Well, whoever or whatever caused the Dust to stop exploding, I'm just glad we aren't a pile of ashes right now. Now, I hate to say it as much as you do, Ruby, but we have to be getting back to work now. Dad is already getting a boat so we can get off this island and head to the coast of Vale, and maybe get some resources from what's left of Beacon.
Ruby groaned and collapsed to her knees. "Why must I do this, cruel world!? You try to blow me up and I still have to get back to work!?" Yang just stared at her as she continued to complain, but she had to admit, she was starting to get tired of working like this as well. "Okay, we'll take a break and see how Dad is doing with getting a boat."
"Yay! The world may not be as cruel as I thought it was after all!" Ruby quickly jumped up off of her knees, taking off towards the direction of the docks of Signal Academy. "Well, maybe you could thank your sister for not being cruel..." Yang mumbled dejectedly as she followed her enthusiastic sister.
After about an hour of walking (and Ruby complaining about doing so) they arrived at Signal Academy Harbor. It was fairly small, and there was only one small boat left as all of the other citizens of the island had already left for the mainland as the sisters soon would. Ruby picked up the pace from her drudging gait and began to dash at surprising speeds towards the boat. The boat itself was a speedboat, and was fairly modest in size at around fifteen feet long but seemed to be fairly fast with its large motor on the back. Ruby immediately jumped into the driver's seat of the boat with an excited look on her face, that soon turned distraught. "Yang... you need to see this..." Ruby said, her words barely audible. Yang saw the look on her sister's face and started dashing towards the boat.
When Yang arrived at the boat, she saw what Ruby was so disturbed by. A piece of paper taped to the steering wheel of the ship read:
Hello to the children of Taiyang. In times like these, one must do what they can to survive, and survival sometimes requires making a necessary sacrifice for the greater good. I've been told you are more capable than most at acquiring resources, so
The rest was written in what looked to be blood:
IF YOU EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR FATHER AGAIN, BRING 1,000 FULL-SIZE CRATES OF DUST TO THE WHITE FANG HEADQUARTERS
At the bottom of the page, there was an insignia of what looked to be the sideways face of some sort of big cat with a claw mark over it. It, like the words on the ransom, appeared to be drawn in blood.
Yang, however, reacted in a manner different than Ruby. Her eyes were aflame with sheer rage, and she tore the paper off of the steering wheel. "Don't worry Ruby," she growled, "We'll get our father back no matter what it takes." In spite of what her sister said, Ruby was still in tears and seemed to hardly be able to speak through the sobs wracking her body. "B-but I blew up almost all of the Dust we have... We're not gonna be able that much Dust, not in our entire lifetime!" She began to sob even harder, her tears falling from her face onto the paper in Yang's hands.
"No," Yang said, her voice filled with pure determination. "There is a place where we can get as much Dust as we'll ever need. But there's going to be a lot of other people there, especially by the time we get there."
Ruby stopped crying and looked up into Yang's eyes. "Wherever it is, I'm willing to go." Her voice was as determined as Yang's in spite of the tears still in her eyes. "Where do we need to go?"
Yang looked directly back into her younger sister's eyes, meeting her determined gaze. "The Schnee Dust Company."
Well, I know that was a short chapter (actually, was it? I'm not really sure about the average chapter length on this site), but I just wanted this to be an introduction of sorts more than anything. I also wanted to possibly get more motivation to continue writing, so please tell me if you liked it! And I also welcome any new ideas for my story as well. Hopefully I'll see you here next time!
