A/N: Early release for chap 2 i guess. Just some more set up and those who are kinda confused as to whats happening this may put a little bit of clarity in the picture I hope.
Chp 2. Longing for the Past
Queen sighed as she walked alone through the trail leading back to Vale. Why the boss pulled her from the mission she didn't know but she wasn't going to question it. It had been a while since she relaxed so she hoped her replacement would be there for a while. She seemed to skip at one point due to boredom which ended up causing her hood to bounce with every step. Once she reached the boundary she looked up and grinned. "I'm back."
She walked past the invisible wall and immediately felt relieved as she no longer had to worry about having to fight. She continued walking but noticed someone was leaning against a motorcycle. It was a man with light blue almost white hair. He wore a white jacket over a black shirt with an insignia on it. She ran over and crossed her arms in amusement as he pushed himself up and signaled to the vehicle. "I figured you'd be tired of walking. So I brought your bike, and don't worry no scratches." She ran over and jumped onto her bike and started it up.
"Yeah I'm beat. I just wanna go home and crawl into bed now." The man laughed and hopped on the bike behind her. "No touchy feely. Just letting you know." He laughed and simply wrapped his arms around her waist. "If you drive like I remember then I won't be able to be touchy feely." She smirked and sped off causing the man to yelp as he pulled himself close. He mumbled something about irresponsible drivers and being denied. "So why'd you pull me out Lin?"
The man chuckled and relaxed his grip. "I need your help with recruitment. I'm looking at about five students from Ozpin's academy. The Vale Academy for Excellence he calls it." He sighed as they turned a corner causing the man to hold on tight once more lest he fly off. "One of the recruits I want is one Ruby Rose. You should be familiar with the name." Queen simply nodded as she pulled into a relatively small part of town and parked her bike. "Rest for now Yang. I'll go talk to Ozpin for now then I'll talk to you later. Ok?" She nodded as she pulled back her hood revealing her golden hair and lilac colored eyes.
"Linzer. I don't know how useful I'll be. As far as I'm concerned I'm dead to the world." She pulled up her sleeve revealing the remains of a large burn mark. "I should have died in that fire but you saved me. I'll always be grateful but I don't know if I want my sister being part of this." The Blonde fighter bit her lip as she looked down at the ground. She was waiting for some form of backlash but her eyes widened as he placed his hand on the top of her head with a warm smile.
"I understand you don't want to expose Miss Rose to the dangers of the Grimm but knowing who your uncle is, I know she's been fighting. I even have a couple of recordings of her in case you want to see what she's been up to." The blonde raised an eyebrow at the statement but decided to keep her witty remarks to herself. He rubbed the back of his head and pulled out his scroll which opened up. He held it out to her and she quickly sent the files to her own scroll. "Just get some rest. I'll ping you when I head over there."
Yang nodded as she walked into the rather large house and climbed up the stairs leading to a room at the end of the hall. She unhooked her coat and let it slide down her frame before removing her gauntlets. She set them down on the dresser and removed her boots tossing them to the side. She threw herself on her bed and pulled out her scroll which had three different videos on it. She clicked play on the first one and watched.
A hooded girl walked through a snowy plain, a man wearing a black cloak followed her as they looked for something. When they made it to the center, they stood at a single grave marker. The girl spoke as she knelt down to leave a small bouquet of roses. "Mom. How are you today?" She rubbed her eyes and continued to talk. "I took down a Boarbatusk and an Ursa the other day. I had uncle Qrow watching my back the whole time and then I took out a horde of Beowolves by myself." Tears were forming on the corners of her eyes as she continued speaking. "I wish you and Yang were with me mom. I wish Yang didn't die. I miss you both so much." Tears slid down her face as she rested her head on the ground, her body shaking with each sob.
A deep voice broke her out of her sorrow as a pitch black weapon was brandished. Ruby looked up, her tear streaked face stared at the horde of Grimm that had followed them. "Ruby. Stay behind me and do not engage. I'll take them o-" He was cut off by the red petals that drifted past him. "Damnit Ruby! You had to be as stubborn as Summer and Taiyang combined." He twirled his scythe and ran after her in a flurry of black feathers. By the time he reached the girl, she was taking down each Grimm one at a time. He looked on but decided not to stay on the side lines as he focused and disappeared in a flash.
The red head continued cutting down the Beowolves one by one until an Ursa Major knocked her away causing her to bounce across the floor before skidding to a stop. She grit her teeth and pushed herself up but the Ursa was already on her. She closed her eyes but the killing blow never came, instead she stared at a man with light blue hair stabbing the beast through the throat. A second later, he snapped his fingers and blades made of ice pierced through the rest of the Grimm. Qrow looked at the man and rushed at him.
The two clashed and knocked each other away but the blue haired man winced as pain shot up through his arm causing him to run off. The recording cut off after he left causing her to sit up and stare at the image of the man who had stopped the Major from killing her baby sister. The hair, their frame, everything aligned well enough. She would have to question Linzer once they met up whenever he was ready. In the meanwhile she would look at the other two recordings.
The area where the video was recorded was dark but after a few seconds, the area was lit enough to see what was going on. The room was simple with a large table in the middle. At the table sat five people with two people behind each. The first person shown was a woman with pitch black hair and burning yellow eyes. She wore a red dress that looked like it was made of fire. Behind her stood two people, one wore a hood to cover their face but from the body she could tell it was a girl. The second person was a man wearing a suit with a Grimm mask over his eyes. On the top of his head was a pair of horns which would define him as a Faunus.
The second person was a man in a business suit. He had the insignia of the Schnee Corporation and he leaned back into the chair he was sitting in. Behind him were two women, both with white hair neatly brushed and arranged in a ponytail. The one to the left of the man wore a jacket that was white on the outside and red on the inside. She had a noticeable scar on the right eye but she still had an air of nobility to her. The one to the right of the man was similarly dressed to the first but instead of a jacket she wore a long coat which went past the length of her skirt. A sword hilt was noticeable on her hip as she stood elegant and tall.
Linzer sat next to the Schnee head with Queen and Knight at his sides. Knight looked over at the Schnees with a playful smirk earning an eye roll from the daughter with the scar and a blush from the other. Linzer shot a glare to the blonde causing him to straighten up earning a chuckle from Queen.
Next to Linzer was another man but he was probably the shadiest in the group. He had bright orange hair which covered one of his eyes. He leaned back into his seat and rested a cane on his lap. He wore a white suit and a hat which he tipped forward playfully. Behind him was a woman with brown and pink hair who wore a suit in the same color scheme as the man. In her hands was a parasol which was closed at the moment but she gave the group a playful smirk before leaning against the man's seat. On the other side was a person in rugged clothing and a mohawk. The man played with a pair of knives as he tossed them up and down playfully.
The final person was Qrow and next to him were two people. The one to the right of him was a cloaked girl who had her hood covering her face and hair. She held her hands in front of her in a dignified manner and kept her head down. The other person was a man with armor covering his chest, arms and legs. He had burning orange hair which was brushed back neatly. Over his shoulder was a mace which had a dust crystal in the middle.
Qrow spoke first as he pressed a few buttons on the table causing a holographic map to appear. He then spread it and pointed to an area at the edge near the sea. "The ports in Vale are fine and all but any trade that can be done outside of the kingdom has settled or stalled. We need more port side towns in order to keep trade open." Linzer nodded and he pointed at a specific point on the map. "That's Amir, the port city that leads straight to Mistral and Atlas." The blue haired man nodded once more and then spoke.
"I can have my hunters initiate a scouting mission to the port side town but they'll have to pass through the second boundary to get there. Specifically the Emerald Forest." The rest of the group nodded in agreement while the hunter expanded the map once more. "We've already taken most of Dorme and from there we can establish a base of operations." The city that was on the map was the one he mentioned with the image on the map being mostly green. "This is where the Schnee come in. I need you to set up a linked barrier which can be used on the surrounding towns in order to create an oasis of sorts."
The elder Schnee nodded and slid a container across the table towards Linzer. "Done. Take that as a way to settle the deal." The hunter opened it and raised an eyebrow. Inside the box was a series of vials with multiple types of dust as well as dust crystals. "Once Dorme is stabilized I will send Winter and some of my technicians to install the large crystal which will create the barrier for the city of Dorme." He then manipulated the map to show Vale. "We will need people to escort the new residents of Dorme once the barrier goes up."
Both the man with the orange hair and the woman with the fiery dress nodded. The woman spoke first. "The white fang will take the surrounding area and eliminate the Grimm on the day of the evacuation. We'll need Roman's mercenaries to actually escort the people to the city safely." She gave the man a stare which knocked him out of his stupor and he leaned forward with his hands on the table.
"Well my dear Cinder I am deeply hurt we won't be business partners for now." He pointed at the path and crossed his hands. "I can send my men to protect the movers easily. We'll just have the city of Vale repave a path for larger vehicles to drive on without getting stuck. I will also have a couple of bullheads to spare just in case." The others nodded in agreement until Qrow spoke up.
He leaned forward and tapped a few coordinates into map revealing the port city of Amir. "Linzer this will be your priority until Dorme is rebuilt. If only there was a survivor to the Arc family maybe we would have more knowledge of the way the Dust seals work." He placed a book on the table. "This is the only thing we know about them but the information that even one person had could trump this. It truly is a sad thing that the family was lost during the opening days of the fall." Knight clenched his fists but a look from his leader caused him to relax.
The video cut off soon after and she lay there remembering that day and thinking that there was something strange happening with that hooded girl. It was like she was hiding her face but then again so was she. "The girl next to Qrow must have been Rubes." She chuckled as she debated on playing the last recording but from the look of it, it looked like she was fighting something.
She looked out the window and noticed that the sun had nearly set. "I wonder how Jaune's mission is going." She removed her vest leaving her in a tank top and shorts as she turned onto her side and proceeded to close her eyes. Her breathing steadied but as she remembered the first video, she couldn't help letting out a few sobs as she thought about her sister mourning her.
Knight winced as he avoided a swipe from an Ursa and followed up by slashing its neck, severing the head from the body. He sighed in relief as he turned and watched the others finish dispatching the Grimm around them. He looked over at Blake who winced with each step but not as bad as when she first hurt her leg. "Hey Blake your ankle feeling any better?" The Faunus looked over then immediately turned away. "I'll be fine." She hid the faint blush spreading across her cheeks causing one of her allies to tease her.
They now stood at the entrance to the city and the smell caused the members of the white fang to tense and ready their weapons. "Blood." One of the members called out as they readied their weapons. "Be careful from the looks of it there's Grimm and people. Knight nodded and readied his sword as he charged into the city. He channeled aura into his eyes and was able to see in the dark as well as the Faunus as he stabbed a beowolf in the chest followed by cutting down an Ursa. He continued walking until he saw a large fire. His eyes widened as memories flooded his head.
Everything was on fire and there were creatures everywhere. He looked around and noticed a person slumped over. "Dad?" He walked over and shook the person but no response but when he looked up, his eyes widened. "S-stay away!" He looked around for anything when he remembered the sword and shield above the fireplace. He sprinted for it when a pair of arms embraced him. "Mom?"
She smiled as her brown hair slid down her shoulder. "My little Jaune. Please take this and run. Run while I hold them back!" In his hands was a sheathed sword which he held close to his chest as he ran as fast as he could. The woman smiled at her son once more before looking at the dust crystal in her hand. "Be safe my child." She held the crystal out which enraged the flames and finally exploded, destroying everything.
Jaune stared at the explosion as he collapsed to his knees as he screamed at the loss of his mother and father. Tears streamed down his face as he mourned the loss of the only family he knew. "Mom…..Dad…" He finally let sorrow corrupt him as he fell forward, his body shaking as he sobbed into the ash covered ground. His sorrow too much to realize that a group of Grimm slowly closed in on him with the intent to kill.
The small broken body of Jaune was easy prey at least if the Grimm could see what was coming. Blades of ice pierced through all of them then shattered leaving the boy alone among the group of dead creatures. "Poor child." The man knelt down and raised the head of the boy whose eyes were now lifeless. "My name is Linzer Arterius. I'm a hunter." The boy simply looked down at the sword and looked back up at the man who smiled warmly. "I can teach you. If you learn then this will never happen again." The boy nodded and looked up at Linzer who smiled before picking up the boy. "Alright. Let's move out so we can let the little one rest."
Knight blinked and noticed he was surrounded by his allies. He shook his head and sheathed his sword. "I'm okay. Just some fleeting memories." He continued exploring the town, walking through the streets and seeing similar fires every time he turned a corner. Upon making it to the docks, he noticed a large ship at the port. "That wasn't there last time." He signaled for the team to follow him towards the large ship until a loud snap caught his attention. "Down!" He quickly shot his hand up and formed a barrier to stop the bullet from hitting anyone. He grit his teeth as the bullet seemed to be pushing through the barrier which caused him to strain. "Damn it!" Before the barrier shattered, Blake dove and pushed him out of the way causing the bullet to crash into the ground leaving a small crater.
When they looked at the ship, they noticed that there was a flame moving back and forth. Knight winced and pushed himself up then helped Blake stand as he grabbed a plank and lit it on fire before waving it in the air. The flame on the other ship waved wildly followed by an explosion of pink light. The swordsman chuckled as he reached into his bag and pulled out a flare. He covered his ear as he fired it into the air, lighting the sky in a red glow.
About half an hour later, a group of people walked towards Knight and his team. The leader of the team was a woman with red hair which was tied into a ponytail. She wore a headdress which circled her head only partially covered by her bangs. She wore bronze colored armor, a shield at her hip and a spear in her hand. Her emerald eyes caught the eyes of the males as they sent playful smiles towards her. She simply nodded in order to acknowledge them at least until she noticed Knight looking at them.
Behind her was a man and woman, the man had black and magenta hair with thin eyes which seemed to catch the attention of those who looked at him. He wore oriental clothing which was a green top with golden embroidery and plain white pants. The woman had orange hair and a large grin on her face as she walked side by side with the man. She wore a white and pink clothing with her chest having an opening in the shape of a heart which gave the men an eyeful. The rest of the group wore various forms of clothing and/or armor along with their respective weapons.
Knight stepped forward and held his hand out. "On behalf of Vale, my name is Knight and I as well as the white fang welcome you. Although it is rather inconvenient that you guys chose this port instead of Vale's docks." He chuckled as he rubbed his head. The red head took his hand and nodded. "Well then I think now that the sun's down. We should all get some rest." The members of the white fang nodded as the group walked towards the large ship together. "By the way I never got your name." The red head turned and scratched the back of her head nervously.
"Pyrrha Nikkos." She looked over at Knight which caused him to fix his hood. Her eyes glowed slightly as his hood slid back a little revealing his blonde hair. "Thank you for showing up. The passengers were getting scared that they would never have any form of relief in the form of reinforcements." She walked side by side with him giving him the long version of what happened that they ended up at Port Amir. "So essentially we were attacked by Grimm that are able to swim and they killed the captain of the ship. The man in green, Ren, was able to steer the ship into the dock by sheer luck. Afterwards we sent in parties to clear the town of Grimm but we're running low on dust crystals which is why we're using firewood."
Knight nodded as he continued his walk at least until they reached the ship. "Alright in the morning we can arrange a supply drop as well as aid for your injured. We'll find a place to stay at least a place not burned down to the ground or destroyed by the Grimm." The red head nodded as she signaled her team to get on the ship. Once they were gone, she looked around and noticed a hotel a block down that looked in good condition. "Excuse me. Knight was it?" The blonde nodded as she pointed to the hotel which the group agreed to going to. "Thanks Pyrrha. Maybe we'll see each other again while we work on some solutions." He smiled at her which caused her heart to flutter a bit before turning away and running into the ship.
Blake walked over to him, the limp in her step now minimal. "So we heading out lady-killer?" The knight blushed a bit as he nodded and led the group to the hotel which was unlocked. Once they stepped inside, the place looked like a mess but mainly due to the amount of dropped luggage and bags. Adam looked around and drew his katana. "Everyone on guard." All of a sudden, a man stepped out with eyes wide as he threw his arms up. "Just a person. Go and find rooms, we'll talk to him and see what he's doing here." The others nodded and left leaving only Blake, Adam and Knight. "Adam you can go to sleep as well. I know you've been carrying my weight while I was injured." The man grunted but he sighed and followed her orders and left the three alone. The three simply stared at each other until the man sighed and sat down on the ground
He opened up a carton of cigarettes and was about to pull something out but Blake's hand landed on the packet and lowered it. Knight simply nodded in understanding with the man rolling his eyes. "Well if you want to know who I am then I'm Russel Thrush. Roman sent me to meet some kid named Knight. Something about a supply drop." Blake looked at him then at Knight who nodded. "Well you found me Russel. Now tell me about this supply drop Roman is gonna give us."
There's chapter 2 Hope you enjoyed.
