Hey guys! Welcome to a massive chapter! 9000+ words. The longest chapter of Branwen's to date! It'll try and edit it every once in a while I write Chapter 8. First things first I want to update you guys on some stuff I've been working on!
Dog Days AU; A RWBY AU filled with a bunch of tropes I like. Includes Faunus!Ruby, Dad!Qrow, Bandit family. More Vernal and Raven, focus on the White Fang etc. Its been really fun writing it. I'll have chapter one posted soon so please keep an eye out!
RWBY x Persona 5 AU; A RWBY AU loosely based around the Persona 5 game! It stars Yang as our beloved protag! It's only in planning stages, mapping out everyone's palaces and how the mechanics will work. Who will be who etc.
Let me know if you have any ideas you'd like to share! See you in the end notes! -Ascher
[9:57 pm] Qrow Branwen: Ruby.
✔️ Seen by Ruby Rose at 9:57 pm.
[10:00 pm] Qrow Branwen: Ruby.
✔️ Seen by Ruby Rose at 10:01 pm.
[10:03 pm] Qrow Branwen: I can see you, you know.
[10:04 pm] Ruby Rose: I'm fineeeee, Uncle Qrow. Let me go to bed.
ERROR: MESSAGE NOT SENT. Retry?
[10:04 pm] Ruby Rose: I'm fineeeee, Uncle Qrow. Let me go to bed.
ERROR: MESSAGE NOT SENT. Retry?
[10:04 pm] Ruby Rose: I'm fineeeee, Uncle Qrow. Let me go to bed.
[10:04 pm] Qrow Branwen: Was that so hard?
[10:05 pm] Ruby Rose: It is when you do it every 20 mins!
[10:05 pm] Ruby Rose: You said every hour!
ERROR: MESSAGE NOT SENT. Retry?
[10:05 pm] Ruby Rose: You said every hour!
[10:05 pm] Ruby Rose: You're being worse than daddddddd
[10:05 pm] Ruby Rose: The signal out here is so bad too. I have to send everything like a billion timesssss
[10:06 pm] Qrow Branwen: These things tend to happen when your niece is nearly kidnapped by a scorpion man, Ruby.
[10:06 pm] Ruby Rose: And now my sleeping time is being kidnapped by a bird man!
[10:06 pm] Qrow Branwen: lol. I can see the error messages.
[10:06 pm] Qrow Branwen: And it's local comms only with the other tower down. You're getting pretty far out so the signals probably really fucking choppy.
[10:06 pm] Qrow Branwen: Which, I'll admit, worries me. Sure you don't need any backup, kiddo?
[10:06 pm] Ruby Rose: GOOD. NIGHT. UNCLE. QROW.
[10:07 pm] Qrow Branwen: Gnight, short stack.
Qrow chuckled, throwing his scroll on to the nightstand. It was pathetic, how quickly he got used to the constant company and chatter of everyone. Most nights he would be complaining about Ruby and Oscar talking too loud and not letting him get any shuteye. Now it was silent, and the Huntsman truly couldn't sleep whatsoever.
He should be used to it. Years he had spent alone, isolated with nothing but a burner scroll to contact Oz if something was worth saying. Nights spent alone in a tent with the Tribe while nasty rumors of his misfortune spread like wildfire, or in a tree after three days of non-stop information hunting. It should be a blessing, to sleep in a warm home and soft bed.
No noise, no company. He didn't know when this intense craving for socialization set in, maybe he always had it. Years of rejection from the Tribe, then rejection from his peers in Beacon. At some point, attention became a goal. Which is probably what lead to his slight infamy during his late school years. He should have noted it sooner, how his disposition brightened whenever he was home in Patch or even when he spent time with the girls before the Fall. He drank less, joked more, and felt less empty.
He soaked in the affection Summer showed him like a starved dog too. Or a bird, in his case.
Her open kindness to him was so unfamiliar to him, but damn had he loved it. And he missed it, every second of the day.
Acting on autopilot, he got up. A walk might do him some good. Nothing positive ever came out of letting his thoughts run wild. And he didn't have near enough hard liquor in the house to recover if he did.
He was still in his PJ's, but if Ruby can go gallivanting in the middle of the night in them then Qrow didn't really see the need to change into his Huntsmen garb.
He jumped up, startled from his introspection at the sound of three sharp raps on the door.
"Yea?", He called out, Summer Solstice in hand as he clipped on his magnetic holster.
"It's me.", Tai's muffled voice echoed through the thin wooden door.
"Come in, then!", Qrow shouted. "You've never once knocked on my door at home in Patch. Why start now?"
"Because I don't pay half the rent here, you pay it. And now apparently Ruby pays it.", Tai opened the door, leaving it ajar behind him. He sent a look Qrow's way, watching as the man laced up his shoes. "What is with you people and late-night excursions?"
"Needed fresh air.", Qrow answered blandly. "Now what's up? Not that I don't appreciate a visit at 10:30 at night but I doubt you just dropped in for a slumber party."
"Not quite.", Tai grinned. "Rather than going outside, would you care to join me for something?"
"I don't like blonds, Tai. Not happening."
"Oh, shut up. Jackass.", The Xiao Long pulled a disgusted face. "No. Just no."
"Then what is it?", Qrow glanced at the time on his Scroll.
"I started telling Yang more about STRQ. I told her about the day before we made it to Beacon. When I met you and Raven? With the big storm."
"I remember. I was there. Why the sudden change of heart? You always pushed off the past before."
"We had a long talk on the boat, and at the hotel. I think it's what's best. And if we're going to… Going to see Raven I'd like Yang to have a little bit more context.", Tai gave a heavy sigh, leaning up against a bedpost.
"I'm fine with it. The girls should know as much as we can say.", Qrow was feeling proud. He never thought Tai would start talking about the past again. Their days as STRQ, at least.
"Yea. Yang's demanding another story. I figured I'd stay linear and tell her about initiation. Forever Fall, the relics. What it was like in our day."
"They use Emerald Forest now, I think."
"Yea, Ruby told me about it over the phone after she made team leader. But I was coming here to offer that you join us. Even just to listen. Figured it'd be a nice way to show we can get along after this morning."
"Not a bad plan. Alright, I'll hang with you guys 'till I can't take it anymore.", Qrow stated, tone nonchalant. "I'll meet you in your room. Gonna grab a snack first. Hopefully, the kids didn't polish off the rest of the kitchen before they left."
"Alright, meet you up there.", Tai left the room, making his way down the stairs and to the makeshift bedroom he shared with Yang.
One snack grab later and Qrow found himself leaning against the wall in Tai's room. Yang already had her hands in his bag of Chisps brand Chips, helping herself to a handful after handful. Qrow didn't remember eating near this much when he was their age. Yet Yang alone ate as much as the entirety of STRQ.
"Okay!", Tai grabbed his daughter's arm as she went for another handful. "You're getting chip crumbs all over my bed."
"Buzzkill.", Yang muttered, wiping her hands, both mechanical and flesh, on her father's comforter before crossing her arms and pouting.
"Don't be like that. Do you want to hear a story or not? I even brought your Uncle.", Tai made a grand gesture towards Qrow, who was weighing if joining story time was a bad idea or a horrible idea.
"I do! Also, hey Qrow! Thanks for the chips.", Yang gave her uncle a cheeky grin.
Qrow put the near-empty bag down in Yang's lap. He was hungry but the petty satisfaction of Tai dealing with a crumb-filled bed all night was too tempting.
Said blond gave both his teammate and daughter a hard glare. Ah, family.
"I'll start this one right after the last one. Qrow, feel free to jump in. So-", Tai started.
"Tell the skirt story and I'll fucking kill you."
"I'll glance over it, but it was damn funny."
"Eh. I've heard it before anyways.", Yang smirked.
The airship landed shakily into a dock. The storms had calmed down just enough for them to finish the trip to Beacon. Yawning, Tai tightened his battle bracers and watched as the other students all filtered out of the vessel and trudged into the main hall.
Rain still pounded down outside, the heavy drops making frightening sounds in the hanger.
Each student was handed a uniform, pulled out of a pile after giving a teacher their respective sizes. He watched Qrow looked completely puzzled by the uniforms, head cocked to the side as he observed a teacher handing Raven one. Seeing an opportunity- aRHFHHHHGH!
-Skirt story omitted for Taiyang Xiao Long's safety.
Tai stared as a rabbit Faunus woman was vaulted off the side of Beacon and down into the forest of Forever Fall. He gulped nervously, thinking over various landing ideas and watching what each person before him did before they vanished from sight.
Beacon was floating much lower than normal, yet it was still easily a 650-meter drop. Forever Fall had short trees, which makes it difficult to lower his incoming speed. Each student was fixed with a parachute, but pulling the string added a harsh penalty. Disqualification from the Huntsmen program. He would have to change his line of study if he used it.
Dust maybe? He had small vials of the most popular elements. Ice, he could freeze himself to something and melt it with fire? There would be a risk- if he only froze his arm and came in at high velocities he could pull it clean out of the socket. Wind, he could slow his descent, give more time to grab one of the trees and safely land on the floor. But the forest would still be soaked and slippery after the heavy rains. If he didn't slow down enough he could slip and break his neck. The sky looked like it would burst open again at any second too...
Another platform shot off, launching a grinning Raven Branwen a few feet into the air before she plummeted downward.
He glanced at the headmaster, who was observing each student fall on a screen. The man nodded as he watched the older Branwen twin approach the forest floor. Tai could faintly watch on the screen as Raven's sword shot out of its holster and the yellow static-charged blade exploded upon reaching the ground. The handle flew back up, and Raven kicked off against it. It slowed her speedy impact just enough that she could roll safely down on the muddy terrain. He could see the disdain on her face as she wiped wilted red leaves and muck off her clothes. If he listened close enough he could hear Qrow (freshly changed into a male uniform (Which still looked out of place- Everyone was in their Huntsmen regalia.)) chuckling in the background.
Said Branwen twin ready his flight stance. Qrow pulled the sword from its magnetic holder and into his hand. His finger twitched and suddenly it was much longer. A whoosh of compressed air was all Tai heard before Qrow held a full-length broadsword in his hand. Most students went for the flashy "last second before" before revealing their weapons capabilities. It was a little refreshing to see another student taking a cautious approach. He didn't feel as lame for his probably pathetic landing strategy.
The platform triggered, and like Raven before him, he went a few feet in the air before weightlessly dropping out of sight. Tai continued to watch the Headmaster's screen. Qrow had twisted his body around so his back towards the ground. His sword arm was extended out and Tai could hear shotgun blasts in the air and see the slightest bit of muzzle flash from Qrow's weapon.
When he reached about 100 feet until the floor Qrow's weapon changed once more (much to Tai's annoyance). More compressed gas shrouded the sword and before it faded there was a massive scythe in his hand. He spun it a few times, managing to slow himself down the smallest bit before digging the blade into the short trees below. The trees themselves split in two as the scythe blade dragged through them. Some students made impressed whistles as they eaves-watched.
Tai nervously looked down the line. There was only one person between himself and the risk of expulsion should he save himself from plummeting to death. A small girl, barely reaching his chest, adjusted her form. He couldn't see a weapon on her. Maybe it was stored underneath the white cloak she was wearing?
A loud boom and the girl was in the air. She gracefully started her fall and Tai watched in wonder as she dissolved into a mass of white petals. The cluster shot off towards the ground, stray leaflets danced in the air behind her. On the screen, he could see her re-materialize and make a gentle landing on the ground.
Oh gods, now it was his turn. Before he could even get into a stance, the platform sent him flying. He didn't even have a chance to adjust to the weightlessness before he was in a nosedive towards the center of Forever Fall. Two-thousand feet seemed like a long way in theory but in practice, those feet went by FAST.
All Taiyang could do was put his arms out in front and hope to catch a branch. He was a close-range fighter, no guns, no blades. Even his semblance didn't really help him in this scenario. This test was so biased.
Tai stared as trees became less and less clustered together below him, and he quickly realized they were becoming very sparse indeed. He could see as a pond came into view. Wilted leaves and debris from the storm sat on the surface and Tai just resigned himself to a shitty, embarrassing landing. Bracing himself, Tai curled into a ball as he collided hard with the water. The stormy skies made the water dark, like swimming through freezing cold ink.
He dragged himself to shore, soaking wet and covered in waterlogged petals.
"Great. Just GREAT!", He yelled out, shaking his boot in hopes to rid some of the water.
"Are you alright?", A soft-voiced asked from the woods. "You hit the water very hard. Is your aura okay?"
Tai looked around wildly for the source of the voice. His gaze settled on a bright white object huddled behind a tree a few feet away.
"Uh. Yea. I-I mean my pride's a little… Dampened?", Tai shrugged, wiping some pond scum off his hands.
The voice chuckled, stepping out from the tree. He had already recognized her as the girl from the platform next to him. The one who burst into flower petals.
"Are we partners now? I believe that was the rule. I don't mind if you'd like to seek out other options though.", She had such a soft, gentle tone. Tai couldn't possibly say no. Especially if she was still willing to be his partner after he had crash-landed into a pond in front of her.
"Yea. Yea, that sounds cool. Uh- I'm Taiyang. Xiao Long. I'm from a village in Mistral. Close-Ranged fighter. I like dogs.", The best intro. EVER.
"Haha. Okay. I'm Summer Rose. I was born outside of the Kingdoms, in the mountains far from here. I prefer dogs to cats, too? More of a bird watcher, though.", She remarked in a polite way. One that screamed "I think you're weird but let's just roll with it" kinda way.
"Nice to meet you. So off to these Relics then!", As soon as the words left his mouth the clouds opened up and rain began to pour down from the Heavens.
"Perhaps we should find a dry spot first? Plan for Grimm encounters and our Relic search plan?", Water harmlessly beaded off her cloak. It must have been hydrophobic. Lucky.
"Yea. That sounds better."
One quick started fire in a dank cave later, the new teammates began forming battle plans. And by that, Summer planned, and Tai nodded along hopelessly. If it wasn't punching stuff, then Tai got lost quickly.
"-We should be able to tear through this area fairly quick! The professor said the Relics are at the far end of the forest. We landed in the center so if we move quickly we can grab a Relic fast!", Tai didn't expect how bouncy this woman could be. He thought shy, humble, and earnest. Which, he got the earnest part but overall his was just astounded how she could make trekking through a Grimm-filled forest sound like a stroll in the park.
"So, how'd you meet up with Uncle Qrow and mom?", Yang butted in, carelessly throwing the chip bag on the floor.
"I'm getting there! Be patient.", Tai held his hands up. "I can only story tell so fast, Dragon."
Yang just shrugged, looking indifferent but using every chance to keep an eye on her Uncle as her dad told the story. She watched every distant look in his eye, and each attempt to shake it off while Tai talked about Summer. She wanted to ask right here and now. It wouldn't exactly be groundbreaking news to her, at this point.
They had been walking for about an hour, Summer constantly had to keep slowing down for Tai. He didn't have any cover, unlike Summer's hydrophobic cloak, so his hair kept falling into his eyes and causing him to stumble. He was still soaked to the bone and was really missing that cave right about now.
As it turned later in the day, it got cold. Really cold. Wind ripped through the forest and froze him damn near solid. Summer offered small worlds of encouragement.
"We're getting very close. Luckily no Grimm.", She lagged back next to Tai, drawing her cloak over his head.
"Thank the- URGH!", Suddenly, a tree branch snapped above them. They barely had a second to pull back as it fell, splashing mud on them. Dark stains set into Tai's already ruined uniform, while Summer who had her cloak open to shield her new teammate had gotten dirty for the first time.
"That was… Odd?", Summer, attempted to wipe some of the dirt off, to no avail. Laundry would be at the top of the team mission list after this.
In the distance, a short cry could be heard. Pained, and nearly drowned out by the sound of downpour. Following that, there was a deep howl. Beowolves.
"And now the Grimm. So much for luck!", Tai sighed, shoulders dropping in defeat.
"We should go help whoever screamed. Follow me!", Suddenly she evaporated into petals, leaving a white trail for him to follow in her wake.
Summer arrived on the scene in record time, however, it took Tai a bit longer. The mud was easily six inches deep. Not good for running.
He could see a figure, their posture radiated exhaustion as they used their scythe to keep an offending pack of beowolves. There was only one scythe user at the school he knew of…
As he moved in even closer, he could clearly recognize Qrow Branwen. He was equally drenched, and Tai could make out the blood seeping out of an unseen wound on his side. No aura then.
With a flash of white, Summer was already stabbing into one of the Grimm. A quick twist of her wrist and the glint of silver was all he saw before one fell, slumping into the muck and disintegrating.
Qrow looked up in shock, watching this tiny figure take out the pack around him. Her semblance allowed her to fight without touching the ground and getting slowed by the difficult terrain.
Before Tai even managed to reach Qrow, Summer had managed to fell the entire group. Now standing the mud a few feet away, panting behind her drawn up hood.
Qrow looked at Tai, expression puzzled as if he had no idea what had just happened. He was hunched over, one hand on his knee and the other around the wound on his side.
"My partner just saved your ass. You're welcome.", Tai huffed. Watching as Qrow looked over to Summer, who was now walking towards them.
She approached slowly, holding her hands up as if to say "not a threat" to Qrow. Summer grabbed the arm he had around his injury, carefully moving it out of the way so she could see it. Wincing, she looked at the deep horizontal gash and allowed him to re-wrap his arm over it.
"We'll need to stop and patch that up. Will your partner mind?", She asked, taking a few steps back from Qrow. She could tell he wasn't used to contact or socialization, so it would be best to keep her distance for his comfort.
Qrow opened his mouth, with a few false starts before saying, "No. She-She went ahead."
"Is your partner your sister? Why the hell did she go ahead? It's literally a TEAM-BUILDING mission.", Tai shouted. Gods, those two were so out of place. He'd just came all the way from Mistral and they felt more foreign than he could ever be.
Qrow ignored him, still gazing at Summer (who sent him a very lethal glare for his crass outburst).
"Let's go find somewhere dry. We still have about 3 hours left before initiation is over. That'll be plenty of time to grab out relics after we get some rest.", She could see the remnants of a cabin in the distance. Probably destroyed by the Grimm. "This way."
Following behind her, Qrow and Tai held a silent glaring contest. Qrow losing each time when he got distracted by a flash of white in the corner of his eye from Summer's cloak. What a short attention span.
The rain-
"Aw, I wish I got to know baby Uncle Qrow. All quiet and nervous. I can tell he's totally lovestruck.", Yang interrupts, a mental movie playing in her head of an antisocial, shy lil' Qrow and his heroine Summer who brought him out of his shell. Sounded like a proper romance flick.
Qrow, who'd been taking a sip out of his flask at the time, promptly choked, covering his mouth and painfully swallowing the sip of Baijiu he'd taken. He coughed several times afterward, before glaring at Yang.
"Thank you. For nearly killing me.", Qrow hacked, his voice rough.
"You're welcome!", She replied, smiling.
"Yang-", Tai started, full dad-voice.
"Nope. We're not playing any games anymore. I'm an adult now, remember? I get to know everything you know. No buts, no nothin'," Her patience was completely broken with these two. Did every guardian she had have to be completely emotionally stunted?
"Fair enough.", Qrow shrugged. He trusted Yang more than he trusted himself at this point. She'd surprised him every step of the way throughout her life. She was everything good from Raven and Tai.
"So. Qrow loves Summer, hence Ruby Rose. Their kid and technically my cousin but let's face it- She's never not going to be my sister. Uncle Qrow is a depressed alcoholic and constantly working for Ozpin to save the world and what not and felt too irresponsible to take care of Ruby so Dad took over the position. Got it thus far?", It was all pretty self-explanatory.
Qrow and Tai nodded, wordlessly listening and wondering when they got so bad at keeping secrets that this eighteen-year-old was able to figure everything out.
"During his life, Qrow has gained a lot of powerful enemies, not affiliated with dad, and decided not to let his young daughter be a target by hiding her under Dad's reputation as a Huntsmen out of action."
"Still in fear, for multiple reasons, Qrow refused to tell Ruby who his is to her and poorly covers it up because he's a huge baby and loves us too much to stay away.", Yang finished. There where more details she could put in but then, she'd rather just hear the story from them.
"Tai, your daughter's terrifying.", Qrow had given up, going over to Yang's empty makeshift bed and laying down face first. "Ughhhh."
"So, like, we're talking about this right? Or do you need a five hour depression nap, Qrow?", She laughed, grabbing a pillow from her dad's bed and chucking it at him.
"A drink is what I need."
"Can't help you there. Apparently, we're broke. Dad says he forgot international banks are down and only brought a finite amount of Lien."
"Noooooo.", He whined, voice muffled from his face being in the comforter.
"You guys are children.", Tai sighed, putting his face into his hands.
"If Uncle Qrow is broken for the rest of the night, can I still hear the story?"
"No. Part One is over. You get Part Two later. Punishment for startling us."
"Not fair!"
"Too bad, young lady. Qrow, get off Yang's bed. We need to get some sleep and then we are going to have a very long talk tomorrow."
"Mfmm. Fmmk mou.", Came from him, his hand raised to flick Tai off.
"Hey- Language."
"Aw, you two can bunk together. I gotta go tell Ren about the big reveal.", Yang bounced up. "We all pretty much figured it out. Us, a bunch of teenagers."
She was rubbing it in HARD. Qrow let out a miserable noise. And with that, she skipped out, towards the JNR room.
Tai let out another big sigh before awkwardly clearing his throat. "In my defense, I blame you and Raven for the girl's candid-ness."
"WAKE UP, REN! GUESS WHAT-", Was heard from upstairs followed by a short 'thunk' noise and teenager chatter. Mostly on Yang's part.
Qrow felt strangely torn between awful and relieved. With a start, he pulled out his scroll and sat on the edge of Yang's bed.
[12:14 am] Qrow Branwen: Hey Yang. Don't tell Ruby alright? I want to be the one to tell her.
[12:14 am] Yang Xiao Long: You got it, Uncle Qrow. Secrets safe with me. But don't take forever. It'll only be worse the longer it takes.
[12:15 am] Qrow Branwen: Somehow, I'm proud of you firecracker. Be up bright and early tomorrow. We got some stuff going on. Could use a sharp mind like yours.
[12:15 am] Yang Xiao Long: Got it! Gonna have a slumber party with Ren. Tell dad.
"I invited Yang to our Raven – Haven conversation also. Figured she should be in on it now that she can completely shut both of us down.", Qrow tucked his scroll away. "Also, she's spending the night upstairs harassing the other kid. So you're Yang free tonight."
"I almost feel bad for- What's his name again? Rin? Ren?"
"Lie technically but goes by Ren. He's used to the craziness around here, I assure you. The most balanced kid out of all of 'em. Kid's been a damn good housewife too. Between Ruby and Nora, this place usually is a gods damned mess at the end of the day."
"I know all to well that you don't clean so it's good that some here does."
"You're the best housewife of all, Tai. Don't feel like your title is challenged.", Qrow joked, idly taking another sip from his flask. Which was almost empty.
"Any word from Ruby?"
"Nah, she's sleeping. She doesn't have to check in any more until morning."
"I hope their mission goes well. Not that I doubt it won't. Ruby was the best huntress-in-training at Signal."
"It's just a Search and Destroy. I doubt anything could go wrong on a mission that simple."
Things were not going well for Team DART (or rather, ORNG), as they sat awkwardly outside of the village head's office. Beyond the closed door, two distinctly male voices shouted at one another. Ruby felt bad for eavesdropping, but it was hard not to when the voices were arguing over you.
"Feels like home.", Ruby thought sarcastically.
"Should we… Knock or something?", Oscar asked, feeling awkward.
"I say we barge in. Show that guy whose boss now.", Nora glared angrily at the door.
"This is a traditional town. Of course, some people would be upset that we came here. We're huntsmen from the Kingdoms.", Jaune shrugged it off, despite feeling unnerved by their less-than-friendly welcome.
They had arrived earlier in the village than they had expected. Determination (and a little bit of childish excitement) carried them fast and left them exhausted upon reaching the gates. They met with the Village Elder who had called them in for this mission. It was a strictly formal meeting and soon after they had been ushered to a spacious room by a young housemaid.
Quick enough, the sun was rising in the sky and they journeyed back to the Elder's office to get some intel on the offending Grimm population.
And that leads them to now, sitting outside of his office whilst listening to the muffled shouts inside.
The sound of glass shattering echoed out, making Ruby and Oscar jump.
Suddenly, the door was thrown open. The paper slide jumped out of place with the force. Everyone startled to attention and stood up, hands tense on their weapons as a stern-looking middle-aged man stormed out.
"Out of my way, foolish children! 邪恶的蛇 will kill you all!", The man yelled as he shoved his way through the students.
"Well… That was weird.", Nora shrugged as she watched the man leave the building.
Silently, Team DART walked into the office. There was a broken vase with an ornate pattern on it, likely the source of the shattering noise they heard earlier.
"Ah, young Huntsmen. Sorry about that er- event that just happened.", The Elder certainly lived up to the name, greying and frail looking. Black hair had long turned silver with a long well-groomed beard trailing downward. He wore a blue and gold Changshan.
"Mister Du has had a hard time accepting help from the kingdoms. And was jerked into a fury when he discovered you were all so young.", The Elder went on. "He did not think you capable of the task at hand."
"It's alright. Thank you for sheltering us for the night. We should get started right away, so we'll be off now.", Oscar (As Diggs), pulled on his best leader voice when addressing the Elder. Ozpin was chuckling in the back of his mind as he sounded pre-pubescently squeaky.
"Come now. I am not dismissing your value as soldiers but at least stay and enjoy breakfast. Young people need a healthy start to their day.", He remarked kindly, getting up and ushering them out of his office.
Everyone followed along, ignoring the stiff stares of the village people as they moved towards a grand dining hall. Ruby snapped a few photos of the towering blue and gold building, making sure to get some good shots of the white marble Feilong Grimm statues. She posted them in the group chat, hoping they would send.
People bowed and parted for the Elder, letting him pass through the crowds and lead the young huntsmen team into the banquet area.
"Please grab anything that you would like. On the house.", The Elder smiled, patting them forward.
Ruby's eyes lit up as she grabbed a big platter and started shoveling stuff on without a hint of regret. She couldn't even read the labels on everything. Her knowledge of the eastern languages in Mistral was near zero. Sure, she tried to pay attention when Dad was teaching Yang but overall her focus drifted off during those lessons. There were just so many dialects and different languages all together it was impossible to learn any of it.
Before she knew it, her dish was full, stacked high with traditional pork buns, sauce-covered meats, and seasoned noodles. She sat down at a nearby table, ignorant to the aghast looks sent her way.
Nora tactlessly did the same as her but picking out mostly items from the dessert table. Red Bean Buns and egg tarts piled up, a few pieces of jelly slipped off onto the floor. A maid came out and began quietly tidying the mess. Smiling sheepishly, Nora apologized. The young maid looked at her with a kind expression, saying something in a foreign language and walking away.
Though he sorely wanted to mow down like the girls, Jaune opted for a lighter meal. Ren always talked about the effects of the food you eat before combat and ate foods that looked like the dishes before him in the buffet. He opted for a more modest meal. He could read the labels, slightly able to make out the words. At least he wasn't failing his Dialects of Mistral class as he loosely translated each item in his head before dragging a small steamer basket of Xiao Long Bao dumplings onto his platter. Coupled with a bowl of shredded tofu soup and two of those egg tarts Nora had piled high on her platter, his selection was complete. He put his plate down on the table, sitting next to Nora and across from Ruby.
Oscar went up next, holding the dish and looking over everything and reaching a hand out to grab a bright red plate of… Something?
"Be careful, that's spicy.", Ozpin's voice echoed through his mind.
Hesitating, he moved to another bowl of greyish, thick soup. "Not the dish I would choose, especially for your first mission."
Oscar groaned. Ozpin had an objection to every dish he had wanted to try thus far. He had a sneaking suspicion the man was just messing with him. He didn't want to talk to Oz yet either. He hadn't mastered the ability to talk just with his thoughts and had to speak aloud to be heard by the headmaster. He hesitated but reached out and grabbed a delicious-looking bowl of beef noodle soup. No comments, besides a small background chuckle. Victory!
Sitting down next to Ruby, he took a bite. He sighed contently. Having lived far away from others, and not being from a tradition Mistral family, he never had a chance to eat anything like this in his life.
He picked a pork bun off Ruby's plate, ignoring the offended "hey" he received upon doing so, and bit down. It was all so good. Oscar wouldn't mind just this being their payment.
They ate in relative silence. All too enraptured in their food to hold a conversation. Which was fine, they had discussed all battle tactics and formations prior and had practiced them for a short amount of time.
Plates polished, everyone full and happy, they waved goodbye to the staff.
Outside, a young man in a formal uniform flagged them down. Wordlessly, he handed them a scroll. It was neatly wrapped up in a golden thread. The man bowed to them before walking off back towards the Elder's main compound.
Oscar unbound the parchment, unfurling the two sheets of paper inside. There was a cover letter, and behind it was a map of the area. Hand-painted, by the looks of it. He cleared his throat and started reading off the contents.
"Dear Huntsmen,
Enclosed in this letter is a map of the immediate areas that require your services. Each is circled in blue where these dark creatures' attacks have occurred. We do not know if these beasts travel in packs or how they operate and will be solely relying on your ability as Huntsmen to protect our borders.
There are three distinct districts on our outskirts that have been suffering. Two are poverty camps, and the third is our staple rice farm. Please handle this issue swiftly.
Sign, 偉大的長老."
"Poverty district? Rice farm?", Ruby asked, questioning.
"I guess it's a bigger problem than just a pack of Beowolves. Better head out if we want to get back in a reasonable amount of time.", Jaune sighed, grabbing the map from Oscar. "Qigai- Beggar's District Number One, is the closest. We should head there first, I guess."
While Oscar pouted childishly about not getting to give team orders as team leader, he agreed and they all started for the gate.
It wasn't a long walk. The villages had been knit closely together and surrounded by thick stone walls as an attempt to protect from Grimm. It was shocking they had made it this long without being more heavily attacked. The landscape was full of massive, beautiful trees and the terrain was slightly hilly. Overall, a pretty sight. Jaune and Ruby snapped a couple pictures on their scrolls, while Oscar filled the silence with plant facts and stories.
"Back home we- well I actually used bamboo to make charcoal. It burned really good. We used it for cooking fires and my aunt would bake her pottery with it.", Oscar retold fondly. "There was this huge thicket of it just off short walk off from the farm."
"I keep forgetting you're a farm boy. It's pretty adorable.", Nora teased, striding forward with her arms behind her head.
Oscar just shrugged it off, rather than becoming embarrassed.
Quickly enough, the shabby sign labeling the first compound was in view.
The Beggar's district was… What it sounded like. It looked like a slum. Garbage bags taped over makeshift homes. Cheap tin was used as building materials for the homes.
Claw marks and wreckage stood out, littered through the streets as a few children sifted through it. Ruby froze, eyes locked on the destruction. Dried blood was spattered on the street, cheap white cloths had been thrown over bodies fallen to the latest Grimm attack.
Behind her, she heard Jaune swear under his breath as he walked forward and began talking with a villager in their native language. Slowly, she followed his lead, prompting Nora and Oscar to move as well. None of the people spoke the universal language of Remnant, so communication with them was near impossible as she relied on Jaune solely for translation.
The blond parted from the villagers, who looked at the huntsmen with hope in their eyes as he went over to his teammates.
"We can help with the pickup for now. The Grimm usually attacks around this time. All this damage is from the last couple of mornings. So, we gotta be on guard.", An old woman patted Jaune on the shoulder as she walked past, smiling sweetly. He gave a kind smile back, before addressing DART once more. "Rub- Rowan. Can you help those people over there tie their tents back up? Your semblance lets you get high places pretty easy, and you can keep an eye on the horizon for incoming Grimm."
Jaune noticed the green look on her face anytime her gaze drifted to one of the bodies. Getting her away would probably be the best for her.
The air smelled like blood and infection and death and this town was suffering. Ruby's heart stung as she watched the dead be loaded onto a bamboo stretcher and all she can think of is their family being torn apart and then she can see Qrow on the stretcher in their place and how she would feel—And the air was abuzz with negative emotion. It was almost a physical feeling, and she could feel it. It's no wonder the Grimm keep coming back. Everyone is just… So scared and so sad.
"Rowan?", Ruby jerked up suddenly, unaware that she just went quiet for a solid minute. Everyone looked at her with worried eyes.
"Aha- Yea. I'll… I'll go do that.", She stuttered before taking off towards the tents.
Her teammates watched her go with an empathetic gaze.
Jaune dished out orders to the rest of them, not even bothering to keep the pretense of Oscar being the leader due to the urgency of the situation.
Ruby was greeted by a thin older man, who spoke weak Remnant Standard. They didn't understand what she could do as she gestured up to the great trees around them.
"Here just let me-.", She grabbed the thick rope used to tight the tents up and wrapped it around her arm a few times, just to be safe as she stepped back a couple of feet.
Getting a running start, she let the wind take her as she dematerialized into vibrant petals and zipped up as far as the rope would go. Planting her boots on a high branch she set on tying the knot. This way no average sized Grimm could tear it down. Smiling to herself, proud at the sturdy knot she jumped down.
She was greeted with the awestruck stare of the villagers as they chattered and crowded her.
"Haha, it's just my semblance.", Ruby responded to them, assuming that was what they were asking. Maybe she should have paid more attention in Eastern Languages.
The frail man from earlier held out another rope to her. She laughed lightly, taking the rope in hand and doing a little salute before taking off in a slightly showier fashion.
It felt good. Children smiled and collected the petals she left behind, throwing them up in the air before they ran after one another. Soon enough, all the ropes had been tied high and out of destruction range from the next Grimm attack.
Nora, paired with a taser, lifted most of the building back into place. Now she was baking with one of the village mothers. Lifting ten sacks of rice in one arm and ten stacks of flour in the other one. By the looks of it, they were prepping a feast. She'd been so well-fed on this mission.
Jaune was nailing up wooden panels, reconstructing the couple houses that were salvageable. He was chatting idly in their language, his sentences smoother and more confident compared to earlier as he got into the swing of it.
Oscar was helping in the only way he really knew how. First, he assisted in the rice paddies. Now he had moved on to assist in their cotton field. The garden had been destroyed by the Grimm. The plants that hadn't been ruined had to be moved into another small clearing while the ground was reworked. He moved in tandem with the other farm workers, easily replanting the field.
He looked over his shoulder, wiping the sweat from his brow as they planted the last of the crop. Ruby and Nora, having finished their pre-given tasks managed to make setting the table into a game. Children flocked to the two girls, admiring every little thing they did.
Ruby used her semblance to fly over the long makeshift banquet table, leaving a dusting of petals over it. The kids cheered at the display.
Bowls of rice were dished out just as the sky started turning dark. Jaune took a seat, using a rag to wipe the day's sweat off. He pulled out the map from earlier, asking a townsman to help him figure out the regular pattern of the Grimm attacks.
The lack of anguish helped, obviously. This morning the negativity was so strong. Ruby even had a sensory response to it, if her lockup earlier was any hint of how bad off the town had been.
Based on what the villager was telling him, it was one major pack. It swept through each district before circling back to wherever it's den was.
"Earlier, a man mentioned '邪恶的蛇'to us. What is that?", Jaune asked.
The townsman started, before gesturing his arms in a big motion. "It is- Big. Evil beast. Dragon."
"A dragon? Like Feilong?", A dragon Grimm? The damage didn't come from above, by the look. It seemed more like a truck plowed through the town in a figure eight path.
The man shook his head. "No wings. It is like- Tiger."
"Uh. Okay?", Yea, he had no idea. Whatever it was, it was big. "Hey, Rub-Rowan?"
"Yea?", She padded over, leaving her child following and coming over.
"I think we should text Qrow. This looks bigger than just a pack or two. Oscar's still inexperienced and…", It would be a good idea to get a more capable huntsman out here. Even Taiyang, maybe. If Qrow was still indisposed for combat.
"No no no. We don't need any help. We got this. What's the point in going out on a mission if we need to call for an adult before we even see what we're up against?", Ruby complained. They could handle it. She didn't need to run to Uncle Qrow every time things looked down.
"Maybe we should do-.", Jaune started before being interrupted by a shrill scream from the district entrance. The map was left on the table as he jolted up, turning around to see a swarm of Creeps approaching quickly.
Ruby already had Crescent Rose drawn and was now making a mad dash towards the crowd of Grimm. Effortlessly, she twisted the weapon around to shield the person who was at the gate. One of the children, a girl, she'd been playing with earlier. The blade was facing her, point dug firmly in the dirt as she shot the front line. Several of the beasts crumpled to the group, leading another few to trip over the bodies of the fallen.
Terror-struck, the girl stayed frozen behind the blade, ignoring Ruby's shout of "Run!".
Jaune wasted no time running in and pulling the girl out, moving back to the citizens and guiding them away to shelter.
Oscar drew his- Er- Ozpin's cane, ready to strike down the Grimm that started making it past Ruby's sniper fire.
Nora already jumped into the thick of it, smashing Creeps down left and right with a wild grin on her face. Ruby stopped her shooting, now twirling her scythe around with ease leaving a rain of body parts.
It took about ten minutes between the four of them, Jaune focused on protecting the townsfolk from few Grimm that went straight for them. Then Ruby, Oscar, and Nora's merciless slaughter-fest took the rest down.
Hands on his knees, Oscar panted heavily at the effort while the girls didn't even look remotely phased. Embarrassing.
Cheers rang out from the civilians, all of them crowding around the huntsmen with adoring expressions of gratitude.
"It's really nothing- aha.", Ruby saluted, standing tall. "All in a day's work."
"We need to start worrying about the big one.", Jaune mentioned. "Sir?"
He reached out for the villager he was discussing the patterns with moments prior. "When does the er- Tiger Dragon one come usually? After we take care of that one, the Grimm shouldn't be as attracted to this area."
"Shortly.", Was the only answer he received before a chilling flat roar echoed through the conifer forest.
A gust of wind followed, shaking the treetops. Jaune started regrouping everyone, leading the villagers back into the safe area. Rapid and loud noises started getting closer. He could see the trees tilt to the side as if whatever this was- was jumping from each on to get here.
There was a boom. The structures at the village gate disappeared under a massive black body. The tent rope Ruby had put up prior snapped under the force of this creatures landing.
"A salamander?", Was the only dumb remark he could make come out of his mouth as he stared at this monster. He'd never seen a Grimm this big, or rather the Grimm Dragon from Beacon was the only creature comparable.
The man was correct. It had a close look to a Tiger Salamander. Body pressed close to the ground with bone plates that looked similar to tiger stripes. It let out another dull yell before lashing out its thick tail. Trees fell, sending them crashing down on the village. He didn't even need to focus on the damage to tell there was no rebuilding for them now. The destruction too much to fix.
"Jaune!", He couldn't tell what teammate it was, screaming his name as a shadow overcame him. There wasn't even a second for him to turn around as he heard a sharp crack.
His eyes were closed, accepting whatever harm was going to befall him… Only for it not to come. He could hear white noise, and slowly the sounds of fighting came into focus.
He inched his eyes open, seeing Ruby stand in front of them, hood blowing in the wind as she fired shots off at the Salamander Grimm. There was no obvious wreckage around them. What happened?
"Ruby, are you okay?", He heard Oscar's panicky voice. No more codenames, then.
Ruby rubbed her face, wincing at the sting. Blood was stained on to her hand as she pulled back. Oscar rushed over to her side while Nora held off the Grimm.
"Oh man.", He sounded worried. He pushed her hair back gently, looking at the damage.
She moved as fast as she could to protect Jaune and the civilians from an oncoming swat from the beast. A hard slash to the hand had it falling back but a stray claw managed to slice right through her Aura, across her face.
"How bad is it?", It hurt a lot.
"Oz says not bad, but you should hang back and let your Aura recharge. And that it might scar.", Oscar responded, pulling out the flannel rag he kept in his back pocket and pressed it to her face. It was a deep diagonal gash, running from just under her bottom lip and up to the corner of her right eye. Just missing it, thank the Gods.
"Thanks, Oscar. I can still fight though.", She wiped the blood off, holding on to the rag and pointy ignoring the deep sting of her wound.
"You don't have any Aura.", He fretted, watching more red stream down her face. Even during training, they had never drawn blood. It was… Frightening.
"I'll be careful! Come on, we can't just leave the fight to Nora.", With that she vaulted up. Using her bullet recoil, Ruby hit the trigger to transform Crescent Rose to spear form, stabbing into a small black gap in the plating of its face. After nearly being thrown, and satisfied with her hold, she started unloading an entire clip into its face. Screaming a battle cry as she rapidly pulled the firing pin.
It bucked and howled as she switched between every single clip she had on her. Fire, lighting, ice, and gravity created a myriad of effects over the target. The bone cracked, spider webbing across its face as it screamed.
Shaking her head, Nora jumped into action. Taking advantage of its rapid motions to buck Ruby off, she waited until it was throwing up its body in an effort to escape the bullet onslaught. Clicking the lightning charge trigger, Nora leaped forward.
She smashed Magnhild into its chest, sending it flying into the forest. More trees snapped, this time falling away from the village.
Ruby was an after-thought. Crescent Rose was lying flat on the floor a few feet from the disoriented monster. No Ruby in sight.
Taking a deep breath, Nora jumped forward again. Sending every bit of strength through her hammer, she nailed it dead-center in its skull.
The bone shattered, splintering out over the floor before evaporating. Its neck seemed to crush into its body. It let out another flat roar, in anguish before falling limp.
Like with the Grimm from Kuroyuri, it died in a plume of black smoke. Reaching up towards the Heavens as if to grab the Gods.
Jaune took a step forward, disappointed he didn't get to help once again, but overwhelmingly proud of Nora and Ruby for taking down such a beast on their own.
Oscar was blown away. Was this what huntsmen were truly capable of? Incredible.
"Oscar.", Ozpin's voice startled him out of his reverie. The stern tone instantly putting a little bit of fear into his heart. "Find Ruby."
Without another moment wasted, he ran up to the dissolving monster. Ruby was on the front of it, right? Did she get thrown off during Nora's hit?
"Nora, where's Ruby?", Oscar yelled, clearly panicking.
"I-I dunno. She was dug in deep on that monster. I shouldn't have sent it flying.", Nora rattled off, searching through the wreckage.
A few feet away, covered in some separated branches, Oscar saw a flash of red.
"Ruby!", He yelled, running over to his pseudo-sister.
She was face down, blood sluggishly seeping out of the wound from earlier as dirt clotted it. Her eyes were closed. Just before he reached her, the beat of a bird's wings broke his focus.
Suddenly, he was staring into red eyes, carefully hidden behind a white mask. Ozpin made a small noise that sounded suspiciously like "shit" as he looked over this figure.
"You!", Jaune's voice shouted from far behind him, still within the confines of the village.
The woman ignored it, giving Oscar a quick look. Finding him nothing of significance, she moved over to peer at Ruby.
"Oscar. Very carefully, put the cane away. Under your shirt and out of sight.", He was starting to worry even more at Ozpin's cagey attitude. But, he did as he was told. Placing the cane underneath his shirt while keeping an eye on this mysterious person. It wasn't hard to hide the motion either, the cane having already been in its holster beforehand.
Jaune seemed to recognize whoever this was, if the accusing yell was anything to go by. He couldn't consult Oz without talking out loud, so he kept his mouth shut.
"I'll be borrowing this.", The figure spoke, knocking some branches off Ruby before lifting her up by the midsection. Picking her up like a lifeless doll, Ruby was completely limp in her hold. Oscar wanted to draw his weapon and fight her off, but he hadn't received any word to do so from Ozpin. Rather he had received the opposite orders.
"You're not taking her!", Oscar stood defiantly, taking a step closer to Raven. Not that he looked very intimidating. He was barely five feet tall and was still horribly inexperienced.
"Oscar-", Ozpin warned.
Raven snorted. "Says who? Qrow?"
"W-well- I mean he'd probably be upset? W-wait you know Qrow?", Oscar was pretty bad at the whole hostage negotiation thing.
"Unfortunately-", Raven straightened out, probably recognizing her accidental pun. Had he not been frazzled from the events of the last hour, Oscar probably would have laughed at her. "I doubt he'll mind. Just borrowing my niece for a bit."
"Borrowin- Borrowing? She's a person!"
"More like a marionette at the moment, no?", She jostled Ruby in her hold, still unresponsive and limp.
"Oscar!", A brief pain flashed through Oscar's head as Ozpin shouted.
He held his mouth shut, glaring at Raven who now had her sword drawn in her free hand.
"We can talk about this later. I don't want you fighting her. Make sure the others don't engage. We are going to follow her. In a moment, a red portal will open when she swings her sword. I need you to jump in before it closes, which will be right after she walks through it.", Ozpin instructed. "Make sure the others stay here and contact Qrow."
He turned around as told, making a cut-throat motion to Nora and Jaune. They nodded slightly, understanding that Oscar had Ozpin giving orders. They stood down, and he readied himself to be… Transported or whatever?
Oscar tensed, setting himself into a running position. He watched as Raven raised her arm to bring her sword down and open a rift.
A "woosh" sounded as she brought her weapon down, channeling her bond to Vernal. A bright red portal opened up, casting the area in an eerie light. Everyone watched wordlessly as Raven (with Ruby) turned to enter it.
He saw an opportunity, probably a bad idea but he couldn't stop as he rushed forward. He placed a hand on Raven's back, then another. Tackling her through her own portal.
Raven let out a startled noise before tumbling through her rift, it shut behind her as three people vanished from the dense forest.
Face pale, Jaune watched as they disappeared.
Nora looked equally unnerved, looking at the townspeople gathered behind them and then back to the now empty space where Oscar, Ruby, and some random kidnapper had just been.
"Well, that just happened."
Fun fact: The whole reason this mini-arc was called Final Hazard was I was playing Sonic Adventure 2: Battle while pondering the idea of a massive Grimm. I keep forgetting how 0 to 100 that game gets. One day you're escaping the city and the next youre in space killing a giant salamander fused into a government space station. Life's crazy man. See you next time! Dog Days AU will be posted before chapter 8 so I'll see you there!
Thank you for reading! - Ascher
