Chapter 7 – Rogue


Ruby


When going rogue against the Government, the shadows become your best friend.

That is something that Ruby, Yang, Nora and Ren will need to learn tonight, but luckily they have Qrow and Eryka with them – two warriors who have had to use stealth on many occasions. They stay close to the ground as they drop out the window from the dorm room together, meeting the two Hunters outside, weapons at the ready in case this goes south. Nora holds Stormur Skeggox close to her body, looking around slowly as she feels the cold night air against her skin, and Ren holds Stormflower tight, the green blades sharpened and magazines filled up with dust bullets. Ruby holds Crescent Rose in rifle form, her red hood pulled over her head and Yang with her orange balaclava over her mouth and nose.

They need to be extra careful, due to how colourful they are, something that Eryka thought of, since she is now wearing a hood over her head with her bow in her grasp. "You four ready?" Qrow asks them all, as they hear a Black Gallows airship slowly patrolling the skies of Beacon Academy, so they take cover behind a building in the darkness. The ship floats over their heads, most likely scanning the area, making sure that there are no individuals trying to break the rules.

"Yeah…but we still need to get past the Black Gallows." Yang whispers with Ember Celica at the ready in case this goes bad.

"Don't worry, we've got eyes in the sky." Eryka assures, looking up at the starry night to see the black silhouette of an Altum Eagle gliding overhead, which is when her eyes glow gold and she sees through Dulcis' eyes. Not a Semblance, but merely an ability she learned when bonding with such a rare and devoted creature. As he glides, he looks around, able to pick up the locations and movements of the soldiers from all the way up there. "Crap…" Eryka softly says, and Ruby looks at her with worry in her silver eyes.

"What's wrong?" Ruby inquires with concern.

"There's a lot of Black Gallows soldiers around the area. They have lots of defences set up too…even some tanks." She states as she looks around, and Qrow raises a brow with worry.

"What the hell? Why would Killian bring tanks to keep people in?" He questions, and Eryka returns back to her own eyes as she holds her bow tight.

"I dunno…The guy may have Remnant's future in mind but he's a little too paranoid." Eryka states, in which Ren chuckles.

"Well…we are trying to sneak out when he specifically told us not to. So maybe he's not wrong on that front." Ren points out, making Eryka shrug her shoulders in agreement since he is also one hundred percent correct on that part. Qrow touches the side of the building and he peers round slowly, seeing that the soldiers are still on patrol, then they suddenly spin round and aim their rifles in a particular direction.

"Out! Now!" The soldier yells with an intimidating voice, then the suspects emerge with hands over their heads, and the soldiers all sigh and lower their rifles. They are two third years – a couple by the looks of things – who seemed like they were wanting to have a little fun. Clearly they must have forgotten the curfew that the Black Gallows have set into place over their heads right now. "Having fun?" One of the other soldiers asks the scared couple.

"I-I'm sorry…we…"

"It's alright. Get back to your dorms." The soldier says with a heavy sigh, turning away from them with his rifle in his hands, shaking his head as they remain on patrol. Qrow scoffs as he leans back against the wall, turning to the others.

"Who was it?" Nora asks.

"Two third years – wanting to lose their virginity together by the looks of it." Qrow chuckles, and they shake their heads, well except for Eryka who just chuckles.

"I like their style." Eryka chuckles, and Ruby shudders.

"Gross."

"Hey, kiddo. One day you'll have a boyfriend – or girlfriend – either way is fine." Eryka shrugs as she crouches down beside her, and she shakes her head like a little kid.

"I'm good." She assures, and Yang just rolls her eyes at Eryka before she returns back to the mission at hand.

"What about you, blondie? Anyone special in mind?" Eryka asks her curiously.

"Nope." She answers bluntly.

"Fair enough." Eryka replies, and Qrow just gives Eryka a deadpan at her choice of moment to discuss the love life of these Graduates.

"How's it looking out there?" Ren asks, getting back onto the more appropriate subject at hand right now. Qrow peers round, but the Black Gallows are still in great force inside of the Academy Grounds, and will shoot on sight if they try and leave the grounds.

"A few more minutes until we have a window." Qrow answers with a soft yet gravelly voice, rubbing his aching knees from being crouched down for so long. The Agents of the Black Gallows continue their patrol with their glowing red visors so bright that they can be seen from all the way over here, right by Oobleck's old Building where he would teach them history. Ruby looks at the wall and she closes her saddened eyes, seeing the memorial plaque on the wall to honour him.

Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck

Loved Doctor by all, and even better teacher

(And lover of coffee)

- Never Forgotten in our hearts

She forces her silver eyes away from the plaque, focusing on her surroundings as Qrow waits to move. Qrow's red eyes watch the patrolling Soldiers walking across the courtyard, and then they turn down one of the pathways. He looks at them, and finally they can advance with the thanks to his nod that he gives them. Staying low to the ground, they move across the courtyard, footfalls almost silent as they traverse the cobblestone ground, avoiding the puddles from a recent rainfall.

They pass by the alleyway that the soldiers just entered as they look around, their rifles in their grasp as they shine lights down different paths. Each of them quickly roll past the alley, avoiding it and any possible detection at all costs. Yang keeps close to her sister and her uncle, with Eryka, Nora and Ren behind her, their weapons still at the ready. Qrow pushes his shoulder against the wall of another building, peering round the corner to see more Raven Talons walking through across the pathway, more of them around the colonnades. "There's soldiers everywhere…we need to make this quick." Qrow whispers.

"We can't risk going for a car, they will have the car parks on tightened lockdown." Eryka states, then Ren notices something and he narrows his eyes. Across the courtyard and near the entrance to Vale is an Forward Operating Base that the Black Gallows deployed. And stationed there right now is a Black Gallows wasp, one that they could steal.

"There's a Wasp over there, we could take it." Ren suggests, and Nora gives Yang a glare.

"Shame Raven's not here…y'know…could've opened a portal for us." Nora teases with a grin, but Yang is not in a joking mood, as she just gives Nora a pretty hard glare. That defuses Nora's attempt to annoy Yang, and the blonde haired daughter of the Branwen sister stares ahead.

"It's risky, Ren. They will hear it take off, and they probably have a tracker onboard." Qrow explains, which is when Eryka comes up with an idea.

"Can we break the tracker? Or scramble it?" Eryka suggests, and they all look at each other.

"We could, but we'd have to find it. And I don't know how long that Wasp will stay there." Qrow explains, giving Yang the chance to grow a grin on her face.

"Then we'll make sure it stays there." Yang states, cracking her knuckles. "One way or another."

"We can't risk detection, Yang. They have tech and weapons that could reduce us to ash in seconds. Do not underestimate these guys, they could put down Huntsmen in seconds. It's their job." Qrow reminds, and the mere idea of that is quite scary. It also does raise the question of the point of having Huntsmen in the first place if there is already something stronger to control them – but perhaps that is why. To have that weapon to use in case things get bad, a contingency plan.

"Then we do it quiet. Any Raven Talons get close, we knock them out quick and hide their bodies in the dark. As soon as we can, we take off and escape, maybe even find some launch codes so then we can get out of there without being chased." Ruby suggests, and Eryka nods her head.

"If the pilot is close to the ship, we can force him to let us fly off." Eryka states.

"You think a Raven Talon would? These guys…I dunno…They call them Stockholm Troopers for a reason. They are people who are completely loyal to them, they would die first." Ren states, and Nora looks around as they keep discussing it.

"I can get him to talk, don't worry." She says, and Qrow sighs, scratching his stubbled jawline.

"Let's just go, and pray that this doesn't go to hell." Qrow states, and the six of them move forward to begin this little stealthy operation they have come up with. Qrow rushes ahead of them with Eryka beside him, leaving the younger Hunters where they were, waiting for his and Eryka's call. Eryka slides across the stones, pressing her hand against the wall, peering round the side to check the area. She nods her head to them as she stands tall, patrolling the area some more as she keeps her bow nocked, making each step precise and silent.

But as she keeps moving, Qrow grabs her by the shoulder and pulls her down behind a crate, just in time as well. Because the heavy metallic footfalls of something new emerges. Towering above them, standing nearly eight feet tall, is a Robot. Unlike the inferior Atlesian Knights, these things are more rectangular in shape, heavily armoured and bulky machines with massive guns in their hands, alongside a few gadgets in places. And inside of a glowing visor, it has a single spherical camera-like eye that looks around, glowing red as it scans the area. "Sector Secure." The computerised voice of the robot says.

These machines – known as Trojans – are extremely deadly, things that Qrow has seen before in his time out there in the wilds. The Trojans are known for being a challenge for any Huntsman, let alone a student and especially not when there are five of them walking around the outskirts. Qrow keeps his hand up to Ruby and co, trying to come up with an idea of how to distract the Mechanised Soldier. Every footstep causes the floor to vibrate, and they can hear the metallic groaning of every single movement of the jet black robot. It paces back and forth, scanning the area repeatedly to make sure there are no signs of company.

Eryka exhales, looking at Qrow. "What do we do?" She asks him, and Qrow peers round the crate, and he checks inside to see what is inside of it. Just some food supplies that were left behind, so he picks up a bag of chips and he stares at the machine. Luckily they already have some food in their bags for the journey, they thought of that part. He takes that bag and throws it, ducking back down, and as soon as it hits the ground, the Trojan spins round. The machine aims in the direction of the sound, instantly switching to high alert as it investigates the scene.

They cannot risk making a sound, these things have extremely advanced hearing for robots, better than their sight allegedly. The camera may be good, but it does make them easier to sneak past, because it can only look one way. The four keep low as they make their way to their older friends, crouched behind the same crate. "Those are new, right?" Ren asks.

"No, I've seen the Gallows use them before, but never in this force though." He states, and they quickly advance past the robots that patrol the area, the one that investigated the packet crouches down and picks it up. It turns and returns it right back to the crate, since it scanned the bag and knew which container it would have come from due to the code on the bag. Nora holds Stormur Skeggox tight, ready to bury the blade of her axe straight into the power core of one of these bulky machines that walks around the area. For each one, they wait, wait for an opportunity to get past them, and then they rush to the next piece of cover.

As they hide behind another crate, they duck further down, as a huge Armoured Personnel Carrier, with up to twenty Black Gallows Stockholm Troopers inside, drives right past them. The engine growls like a Goliath, the huge bullet-proof tires roll across the cobblestone and eventually tarmac as it heads down towards the deployed bases. Yang looks up at the sky, her eyes focusing on the Shadow of Broken Promises overhead. She can just make out the outline thanks to the odd glowing red or white light in the sky from the internal compartments.

That and there are some drones hovering around the area, returning back to the bases to be recharged. They must have had those little drones on and investigating the Academy at night. They really do have this place on lockdown. The soldiers keep marching up and down the streets, some of them Raven Talons and others are Ebony Sabres, the heavy weapons soldiers in those huge mechanised suits. They can be seen exiting them as they go to the Barracks to get some rest for the night, and the Night Shift Patrolmen are now out here, Airships patrolling the skies as well.

But luckily, they do not know that they have a breach on their hands yet. As the six of them move past the Trojan Bots, Ruby looks at the wall and she moves ever so carefully, her heart pounding. This is the moment of truth, if these feathers really will let them leave the Academy Grounds without being blown to kingdom come. She slowly and carefully crosses the border marked by the bombs, and luckily there is no detonation beep. Just silence, meaning that they are all safe. The feathers must be loaded with some kind of beacon that informs the bombs that these people are allowed to pass.

Using the shadows as their ally, the Rogues rush ahead, sticking to the darkness as best as they can. They head down towards the deployed base that the Black Gallows set up. Entire buildings dropped down from Airships so then they can act as temporary operating stations for their men when in tricky situations. A great idea, allows for faster base building times and more time to lend to their men on missions. That and it is very convenient, can build a base pretty much anywhere.

Ren lifts his pistols as he walks forward with Eryka and Nora beside him, moving ever so softly, Qrow, Yang and Ruby behind him with their weapons raised. They still stick to the shadows, avoiding the light.

As they walk towards the Wasp, suddenly a Soldier emerges from one of the buildings in front of them to check on the files. They hear the other end of his conversation through the voice distorter used in the helmet. "Heard the Wasp over there is in need for some repairs. Where's the engineer at?" The soldier asks, and over the radio they can hear the response.

"Not sure, he should be back by now. Maybe he got lost." The other soldier says on the other end of the radio. The soldier stands there, and they gasp as a spotlight shines upon them, so they duck down into the shadows. The Airship hovering over gleams the light around the area as it searches for any trespassers, but luckily it did not spot him. As the Airship passes, the others remain ducked down into darkness, whilst Eryka gets up and she swings round and kicks him in the face. So hard that he collapses to the ground with a heavy thud, and she drags him into the darkness to avoid detection. "That was close…" Ren softly says to her, and Eryka winks as she shoves him up against the wall, tapping his nose like Nora does to her boyfriend on occasion.

"Nicely done, Eryka." Qrow says to her, and Eryka nods.

"He'll wake up with a hell of a headache in the morning." She chuckles, but then, she gets an idea as she looks at his body and the armour. She looks at Qrow and she chuckles. "Wait…Qrow you could fit in this."

"Huh?" He asks her.

"The helmets use voice changers, right? Hide identities of their soldiers? Make them all operate as one entity?" She asks him and he nods his head.

"Then why don't we just use that as a reason? You get in the armour and get to the cockpit." She suggests.

They all look at each other before looking at Qrow, since it could work. Killian's whole logic of having every soldier be taught and fight the same way will now be shown as the flaw it really is. Since anyone could just take the helmet and armour and get aboard. "Alright…give me a second." Qrow says as he drags the soldier's unconscious body into the building. The rest of them wait outside as Qrow changes his clothes into this armour, and they all look around.

To say Ruby feels absolutely terrified is the understatement of the century, she has never done anything like this before. The stunt they pulled with Torchwick years ago, not telling Ozpin, Glynda and Ironwood about what they had learned was one thing, but going against the Unified Remnant Council is something else entirely. They will hunt them to the ends of the Earth. As Ruby thinks about that, she gets living proof of that fact, and the photograph on the table is living proof of that. It is an old Wanted Poster from four years ago, when the world was hellbent on tracking Neopolitan down and bringing her to justice.

But nobody ever found her, still hasn't.

Little do they know she is currently in a Black Cell right now, in Killian's custody. Yang gently taps her sister's shoulder, seeing her touch her belly for merely seeing her face gave her a few faint phantom stabbing pains from that night. "Hey…you okay?" She whispers. She can still remember how scared she was, when she was pushed face down, and felt Neo's hand grabbing her hair and yanking her head back, to cut open her throat like a butcher. It was the most scared she had ever been in her entire life. She is scared now, but not in the same way…not in the I don't want to die like this kind of way.

There was so much blood…so much pain.

But Ruby shakes her bad memory away and turns back to her supportive sister. "Mhm…just…remembered is all." She says and Yang does not decide to press any further, seeing her touch her stomach and the picture of Neo was enough. The loving sister gently puts her arm around her, kissing the top of her head as she holds her close. She will never leave her side, they are sisters forever, and will never leave one another's side.

Qrow finally returns, his normal clothes all folded up and he shoves it into Nora's rucksack, and they look at him as he holds the helmet in his hand. "How do I look?" He asks.

"Like a scary Black Ops dude." Yang answers.

"Awesome. Wish me luck." Qrow says, as he puts the helmet on, and his voice is all distorted into the same one that all Black Gallows soldiers have. Even women, they all sound the same because of these helmets. A massive flaw in their design, in an attempt to make their soldiers more equal – they have made them even riskier. Qrow moves just like them, rifle in his hands as he approaches the Wasp, and he looks at the pilot who is inside.

"Talon, what's your business?" The Pilot questions as he steps forward.

"Engineering, heard the Wasp needed some repairs?" Qrow asks as he stands there.

"Oh, about time you showed up. Go on, have a look. Got your tools already in there." The Pilot says as he steps aside, and Qrow walks right past him, he quickly looks around and then he punches the soldier in the back of the head so hard it drops him. Qrow waves them over, so they rush to his position, running into the open Wasp as Qrow rolls him out, and Eryka drags his body over to the shadows, hiding him there. They all enter, and Qrow closes the rear door.

"Wow…I can't believe that actually worked." Ruby giggles, and Qrow takes off the helmet.

"Was there any doubt?" Qrow chuckles as he and Ren crouch down in front of the electronics where the tracker is located, or at least where they think it is. "So…which one do you think it is?" He asks, until Nora suddenly stabs the entire thing with a screwdriver, shredding the electronics inside, and eventually breaking the tracker inside.

Tracker Disabled.

Air Conditioning Disabled.

Wi-Fi Disabled.

Speaker System Disabled

A few other things shut off, but they are merely things they have absolutely no clue about. Qrow looks at Eryka and she nods as she sits down. "Ever flown a Black Gallows Wasp before?" He asks her.

"Uh-huh…well…we crashed it." Eryka remembers, as they used one and flew it into the side of a Goliath during the Battle against the Black Smog four years prior.

"Eh, that's good enough." Qrow says as they start priming the engines whilst the others start strapping themselves in. Ruby looks back, through the window as the stealth red lights turn on around them, and Ruby exhales one last breath – knowing she will never be allowed back in Beacon ever again after this.

But they have to.

She needs to know the truth.

The Wasp rises up into the air, thrusters glowing blue and long triangular wings moving like wings as it rises above the ground, and suddenly, they hit the afterburners, blasting off into the distance. The Black Gallows soldiers turns sharply as the ship leaves their area and they all stand with disbelief.

"Dark Eclipse? We have an unauthorised launch. We can't track it." A Raven Talon tells Killian, and on the other end he gets a calm response.

"Understood." Killian says to him, whereas on the other side Killian sets down his scroll and he clenches his hands into fists. He punches the wall and yells in anger. "DAMN!"

This was the last thing he wanted…if he cannot get the Huntsmen and Huntresses to fall in line…

…Salem will go on to massacre thousands.


Sun


A cold artificial wind blows across his pained cheek, laid on the ground as the Praetorian Knight from four years ago stabs down at the ghostly ground beneath him. Sun yells with terror, punching erratically at the towering titan of metal and rubble, swinging that Sceptre at him with great rage. The demonic and dark voice of the Praetorian Knight howls, as it picks him up and throws him with one hand, sending him crashing across the smoky terrain.

"Sun!" Blake's voice cries out as she runs to his aid, desperately attempting to aid him, as the hot sticky blood from his wound blinds his eye.

"Blake…get out…of here…" Sun weakly begs her, as he looks past the black haired Feline, the Praetorian Knight paces back and forth, before spinning the Sceptre through its fingers and charges towards them. Blake spins round and she slashes Gambol Shroud across the bladed Sceptre, sparks burst out from the impact and she ducks down from the spinning attack it threw towards her. She slides past it and cuts her blade across its side.

Until a shrill scream of agony erupts from Blake, as the Praetorian Knight swings that Sceptre round, and the curved blade digs into her eyes. It slashes her horizontally, cutting her eyes out completely and blinding her in the process. Blake screeches in agony and Sun gets up to try and save her. "BLAKE!" Sun screams with terror, sprinting towards the Praetorian Knight, only for it to catch him by the throat and lift him off the ground, choking him in its powerful grasp. It turns and silently stares at the shrieking Blake Belladonna who still pushes her hands into her ruined eyes.

And then…it takes the Sceptre and stabs it straight through her heart, right in front of Sun. Sun screams in horror as he reaches for her, only for the Knight to slam him down beside his dead girlfriend. It takes the Sceptre and stares down at him, its sharp and sinister voice burning into his mind. "There are more…many more…this…is just the beginning." The Praetorian Knight promises, and then stabs Sun straight through the chest to finish the job.

That was when he finally woke from his nightmare, in a cold sweat he gasps, sitting up suddenly and panting with terror. He looks at his chest, only to see the buttons of his comfortable sleeping shirt on, buttoned up to hide that scar he has across his torso, but not the one on his face. But thankfully there is no hole in his chest, no blood – and he is still alive. But it all felt so real, so he gets up and sits forward, pressing his hand against his forehead as he ponders on that nightmare.

This has not been the first one of these nightmares he has had of the Praetorian Knight, that monster still haunts him. What it did to Oobleck and so many others – what it did to him…

He never forgot and it is a certainty that he never will be able to forget what happened that night. Every now and then he sees it, stood there like it is about to finish the job, to kill him and everyone he has ever held dear. He itches his head with tears running down from his eyes, traumatised by his memories. So he gets up and takes Ruyi Jingu Bang with him, and he quietly opens the door and exits the dorm where the rest of his team are currently asleep. He closes it behind him and he leans against the door, controlling his breathing.

"Alright Sun…just…breathe normally…" Sun mutters to himself, as he simply breathes in and out, controlling his heart rate. He looks at the heart monitor watch on his wrist, and it is sky rocketing. But luckily the more he controls his breathing, the better the rate gets, decreasing slowly to a steady number. "…she's okay…you know she is. The Praetorian Knight is gone…it can't hurt us…" He stammers, but the final words that thing spoke before destroying itself all those years ago…they still eat away at him.

This is just the beginning.

But the beginning of what?

Sun looks at his Bo-Staff in his hands, clutching it tight with shaking hands, he is sadly not the unbreakable Huntsman he used to be. He struggles to see the best in things anymore, and all he tries now is to make others happy, instead of caring for his own mental health. So Sun huffs and he walks down the hallway, to the place he always goes when he gets woken up by a nightmare.

The Gym.

Upon arrival there he opens the door, and sees that his trusty boxing bag is still hanging exactly where he left it. Hanging there motionlessly, so as he approaches it he sets Ruyi Jingu Bang down against the wall, staring at it as he wraps some cloth around his knuckles. He raises his fists, and he starts to throw punches at it, over and over again, his anger building with every strike he sends into the swinging punching bag.

But as he fights, a memory comes into his mind, of when he had a recent event like this a few months ago.


A few months prior…

Sun punches the bag over and over again, the shockwaves from the impact of his fist ripples the sweat from his skin, blowing the dust from the old punching bag too. The chain rattles as the bag swings back and forth, and then he swings round and punches it so hard it swings right back and bumps into him. He staggers back from it and he sighs, until the pleasant giggle of Blake gets him to turn, seeing her standing in the doorway. "Bag giving you trouble?" She coos softly as she walks over to him, looking at him as he rubs his tired eyes, eyes that really need to get some sleep.

"Yeah, just one of many things." Sun sighs as he touches the black medical filament in his scar that stabilised the bleeding from his wound. He winces, since the sweat can sometimes inflame the skin, but this is the only way he can stay active and fit, even though his muscular tone has decreased due to his mental problems. Blake approaches him, with a towel over her shoulder so she throws it to him.

"You keep forgetting to take one." Blake says to him, and he sighs, holding it and he daps the scar with it. It has been four years now since he got that injury, and even though it has healed now, the filament does cause problems. The sweat is only one problem, but sometimes it causes him to suffer from aching pains and not only that – the worst – is a similar case of muscle atrophy on that side of his face. Or a slight case of paralysis, something Blake has actually seen, which is a very frightening experience, since she keeps thinking he is suffering from some form of stroke.

But now…he has to live with these problems for the rest of his life, because that stuff saved him, and now cannot be removed without doing worse damage to him than the initial injury itself. "I keep thinking maybe cauterizing my face would've been better." Sun sighs, and Blake shakes her head as she holds his hand with one hand, and the other gently pressed to his shirtless body.

"No Sun, you know why they had to use this stuff." Blake says to him, and he sighs, nodding his head.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. The blade damaged some of my organs and the wound would have worsened too." Sun sighs as he wipes the sweat from his face with the towel. "I just wish it wouldn't give me so many problems." Sun states as he touches the metallic filament in his body. She gently caresses his chest with her finger, before she kisses him on the lips, giving him a big hug.

"I'm…always here for you Sun, if you want to talk you know I will be there." Blake promises her boyfriend, since she feels she needs to remind him sometimes. It has never stopped being upsetting for her, to see Sun this way. The guy who has always been so optimistic and happy, seeing him depressed and broken in a way like this – it hurts, and worries her.

"Yeah…I know." He gently says as he caresses her black hair. He steps away from her and stares at the punching back, stopping the swinging thing with his hand. But then Blake pulls him away from the bag and she raises her fists after quickly tying her black hair up into a ponytail. "Uh…what're you doing?" Sun asks her with concern.

"You're never gonna win against a Punching Bag. Come on, spar with me." She says, and Sun raises a brow.

"That why you came down here? Is that why you're awake right now?" He asks her, and she shakes her head.

"You're not the only one who still has nightmares of the Black Smog, Sun. But I woke up because Ruby had a nightmare of Neo." Blake tells her, and Sun sighs and closes his eyes, feeling for her because she never deserved to be attacked the way she did by Neo. They nearly lost her that night, because of a crazy Assassin driven by a rage fuelled hunger for revenge. "I stepped out, and saw you walking down the hall. I…didn't want you to be alone." Blake says to her boyfriend, her words touch him and he smiles. "So come on…" She says as she lifts her fists again.

Sun lifts his fists, but he has this notion to never hit her. He stands there, and he looks at her as she paces in a circle with him. "I…don't feel comfortable punching you." Sun says, until suddenly she punches him square in the face, and he staggers back. "Ow…my brainbox!" He squeals, and Blake giggles.

"I doubt I'll be the bruised one." She states with a grin, in which Sun turns and the old Sun seems to return when she challenges him like that.

"Oh-ho…you're in for a treat." He says, raising his fists, circling his girlfriend who takes the first swing again. She swings towards him, but he pushes her hand aside and swings right back. She blocks the punch with her forearm and then she slides past him, swiping him onto his back. He grunts as he hits the floor, but rolls aside when Blake goes to sit on him, but as he gets up, he pounces on her, holding her down against the floor. "Ooh…so what're we gonna do now?" He asks her, and she softly bites her lip, before wrapping her legs around his torso, and twisting round, forcing him down to the ground. She gets up and keeps her fists up, walking around him as he gets back up.

Sun swings at her, but she pushes his fist out the way, but then he nails her in the cheek. She flinches and staggers, immediately making Sun's eyes widen and he gasps with upset. "Oh! I'm so sorry, are you okay?" He reaches out to her, but she swings round and roundhouse kicks him, sending him bouncing off the punching bag. He groans, only to hear Blake giggling away as he stands there.

"You are so predictable." She says as she walks over to him.

"Sorry…for…loving you, I guess?" He asks her with a chuckle, then she lies down next to him, holding his hand as she then turns and rests her cheek on his warm body, caressing his chest.

"Right answer." She giggles, making him chuckle too.


Back in the present day.

He keeps punching the boxing bag, alone, sweat bursting from his body from every single punch made towards the bag, his teeth gritted together with every punch. He keeps picturing their faces, the faces of his enemies: Adam Taurus, The Praetorian Knight, Killian, Neopolitan, Cinder, Mercury, Emerald!

He punches it hard, but this time he moves out of the swinging path of the boxing bag. He sighs as it swings back and forth next to him, pressing his hand to it to make it stop as it comes past. He turns when he hears a voice clear their throat, and he sees Neptune standing there. Also looking rather tired, but seems like he must have heard Sun get up and leave the Dormitory. "Hey, Neptune." Sun says as he stops the swinging bag.

"Hey, buddy." He says as he walks in there, and Sun turns to the towel he remembered to bring with him this time, picking it up and wiping the sweat from his brow. Neptune looks at his friend as he keeps getting ready, staring at the bag and raising his fists, never wanting to stop, and always aiming to stay in shape no matter what. "You really need to get some shut eye man, you're gonna burn yourself out." Neptune asks him.

"I can't…not yet." He says, punching the bag again.

"So the bag's gotta suffer? Look at it, it's had enough." Neptune chuckles, and Sun stares at him before looking at the bag, the many dents in the leather he left behind. "I know you had another nightmare, I saw you leave."

"You did, huh?" Sun scoffs.

"We're worried about you, Blake too. Everyone is." Neptune states, and Sun shakes his head.

"I'm fine." He growls.

"The hell you're not. You can't sleep, you barely eat and all you do now is beat up a punching bag. I know that Praetorian Knight thing messed you up –"

"I'M NOT MESSED UP!" He argues, punching the bag so hard that the back breaks off the chain and crashes across the room. Sun pants with anger, but that anger turns to tears as he falls to his knees, and Neptune crouches down beside him. "I'm not scared of the Knight…or dying…" He admits, looking at his friend. "I can't lose her…or any of you…"

Neptune smiles softly as he pats his shoulder. "The Ripper's attack…I thought that was it…we lost Glynda, Peony, Yatsu, Ironwood. I can't lose anyone else." He tells him, then Sun feels his shoulder get squeezed by his brother by choice.

"You won't. C'mon, get some rest. You'll feel better in the morning." He assures.

Sun sniffles, wiping the tears from his face and he picks up his shirt and towel. "Yeah…alright."


Ruby


The Wasp Descends through the clouds towards the Island of Patch, beautiful trees everywhere, emerald green from the summer weather and the lack of Autumn's wilting on their leaves. Ruby looks past her Uncle's shoulder to see her father's house beneath them, Yang standing beside her. "We're here." Qrow says as the Wasp slowly descends towards the ground, the landing gear unfolds and the long splayed out wings fold together behind the ship, the rear ramp door folds out onto the soil. Nora and Ren step out first and they look around, remembering when they came here for the sleepover for Yang four years prior.

"Been a while since we were here…" Nora says and Ren nods his head.

"Yes it has…though I wish it were under better circumstances." Ren states as Ruby, Yang, Qrow and Eryka walk over to them. Qrow does not say a word, he just walks straight past them and moves towards the door, seeing it open and Taiyang standing in the doorway. They can tell that she is here merely from the look on Taiyang's face. Qrow steps aside so then Ruby and Yang can hug their father lovingly, who gently kisses the top of their heads. Qrow looks at them and Eryka walks over to his shoulder.

"This is gonna be big, right?" Eryka asks, and Qrow scoffs.

"To put it mildly." Qrow agrees as he follows them into the house, Nora and Ren at the rear as the Wasp engages its stealth systems to hide from any potential followers from Beacon Academy. They walk through the open door, and Qrow stops as he sees her sat there on the chair, her Odachi resting on her lap as always as she looks at them all. Taiyang walks past and looks back at them.

"So he's back…truly?" Taiyang asks Qrow.

"Yeah, he attacked Beacon. Killed Glynda and James." Qrow tells him, and his eyes widen with disbelief at hearing that two old friends of his are now long gone.

"This is bad." Taiyang says, and they all look at the adults in the room.

"Will you please just tell us what is going on now?" Yang asks, and Raven holds her hand out to the large sofa against the wall, looking at the children.

"Take a seat…this will need some, explaining." She tells them, and the four of them look at each other and they squeeze together onto the sofa, looking at Raven whilst Taiyang sits down in the other chair. Eryka and Qrow remain standing, Qrow leant against the wall with his arms crossed and Eryka against the doorframe with her hand on her hip. Raven looks at Yang and her daughter just sighs.

"You were right." Yang admits.

"You made your choice, it's all any of us can do, right?" Raven asks her.

"I guess." Yang sighs as she ruffles her blonde hair. Raven leans forward and she clasps her hands together, blowing out a shaky breath.

"You wanted to know about our past with Jack the Ripper. You're not stupid you can deduce we have history with him – but it is more personal than that." Raven begins to explain as she squeezes her hands together.

"Why?" Ruby curiously asks her, so Raven looks directly at Yang.

"It's because…he is your Uncle." She reveals, and Yang gasps as her eyes widen. "He's our oldest brother…his name is Jackdaw Branwen." Raven finally unveils the truth upon the four of them, and their eyes widen with pure shock and awe at this reveal, because that was something they never expected, even though there is the clear link between names. But yet again, they just assumed that was not the full link.

"What?" Yang questions.

"It was always the three of us, back when we were part of the tribe, unified. There was Qrow, who was more idealistic with his beliefs from the start. There was me, and I was always more loyal to the tribe than anything else." Raven explains, glancing at both her brother and Taiyang who just look away from her when she says that. Clearly there are still some open wounds from that topic that have not fully healed yet. Especially since she chose the Tribe of Criminals over her husband and daughter when she was a new born. "But Jackdaw? He was the weapon that the Tribe used. He was the strongest, most violent – and most dangerous."

"Is…he the reason you ran?" Ren asks, since he knows about what Yang told Blake, since she eventually opened up on this story to Teams J.N.P.R and S.S.S.N.

"Yes. Not long after Yang was born, when I was still recovering, I saw him watching us. In his Corvid Form, I knew it as soon as I saw him. Because his Jackdaw Body is covered in scars and is greyer than the rest of us." Raven explains to them, and the mere idea of being related by blood to this madman gives Yang the chills.

"He was always filled with rage, something at times he could never control." Qrow explains, and hearing that does not really ease her nervousness over the idea of being related to this monster.

"Jackdaw – was always messed up, ever since he was born. Some believed he was cursed, because he was prone to violence more than any Branwen. He would always find enjoyment in breaking things, tearing things apart. First it was small things, ripping paper and leaves – then it grew into more sadistic things, like insects. Then rats…rabbits…even a puppy at one point." Raven explains, and Ruby's eyes widen with heartbreak, her love for life and cute animals will always be hurt whenever she hears of someone who hurts them. "Eventually that hunger grew to the same deal with people, but he found greater pleasure in tearing something else apart…can you guess?" Raven asks them all, and Nora is the one to deduce it, not Yang, who is still a bit shell-shocked from learning he is technically family to her.

"Family…"

"Precisely." Raven sighs as she closes her eyes, and Yang finally lifts her head and speaks.

"What do you mean? What did he do to you all? Qrow always described you all as family…what changed?" Yang inquires, and Raven seems to go cold, giving a look to her brother and Taiyang. Her Ex-Husband nods his head to her and Qrow just looks at her, so she answers that rough question, looking at Ruby as well.

"Jackdaw was never pure evil, and I don't believe he still is. The things he does are monstrous, I know that, but he has had no one around him to help ease that anger in him. There was someone once though…not someone romantically involved with him though, just a very close friend." Raven begins to explain as her breath becomes shakier, looking at Ruby. "Your mother, Ruby – Summer Rose – was his best friend." She reveals and Ruby gasps, her silver eyes widen. The three of them look at her with concern, since her mother's fate has always been quite the mystery to her.

"She was his friend?" Eryka asks, since she does not know everything about the Ripper, end of the day that was all she knew. His title, not his name, and most certainly not the relationship he had with the Branwen Family.

"Best Friend. She always listened to him, could calm his rage and managed to help him do things other than kill and hurt others. She taught him how to paint, helped him with his studies. But most of all – she listened to him." Raven explains, and Ruby smiles softly, knowing that her mother was always one of the kindest people in the entire world. "But…it wasn't enough for Jackdaw, it was never enough…and one day…he snapped."

"What happened?" Ren asks.

"He was sent to Beacon with us, same mission as my brother and I. Learn how to be Huntsmen, and return back to the Tribe so we could strengthen our forces against Huntsmen attacks on our raids. Jackdaw was put in a different team than us, and Summer helped teach him how to be a leader. He did a good job for a while too, his team were good to him, but Summer was always his friend. Until one day Qrow was ordered to lead his team into a battle, since Jackdaw was injured in a fight." Raven explains, looking at her brother when a glass falls from the table and smashes next to him.

They all look at him and he sighs. "That was my mistake." He states.

"Qrow's semblance – is to bring Misfortune to all those around him, like a Bad Luck Charm. Mine is the opposite, where I bring Good Fortune. But Jackdaw…his is more complicated than that." Raven explains.

"How so?" Ren asks.

"His semblance – is to have good luck until he doesn't." Raven reveals, and the name of it really confuses them.

"Wait, huh?" Ruby asks.

"He will always win, be unstoppable – up until he is inches away from achieving his goal, and then it will be snatched away. Every. Single. Time." Qrow clarifies, and now they can actually see why he lost his mind, Ruby looks down at the ground as she imagines how much that would hurt.

"He can never get what he wants?" She asks.

"I've seen him smash through entire exams, know everything in them – until the final. And on that day, he will lose it all. I've seen him fight through hordes of Grimm, decimating them all, but then the artefact he needed to collect fell into fire." Raven explains to them, and Taiyang nods his head.

"Summer and I always wanted to help him, but there was nothing we could do. No matter how hard he tries, he will always fail. Can you really blame him for losing his mind?" Taiyang asks them all, and none of them really answer that, but when looking at Qrow's mannerisms, it is very clear that he is nowhere near as forgiving as his friend. Ruby and Yang though look at one another, and then they look at Raven, because they need to know.

"What happened…to my mother?" Ruby asks with a choked voice.

Raven looks at her and she closes her eyes sadly. "When Qrow was with Jack's team, a Grimm attack happened, and they were slaughtered. Only Qrow came back from the hunt, and Jackdaw went berserk. He went on a killing spree and he disappeared. But when I saw him again, years after – when you were born." Raven explains as she looks at Yang. "I ran, because I knew he did not forget. And I was right, because when Tai and Summer married and had Ruby, Summer went to see Qrow and I."

Her breath stammers and she bites her lip. "When we found her, we saw him over her…crying…blood in his hands, and she was…she was gone." Raven reveals, and Ruby begins to cry with anguish.

"He killed her to get to me." Qrow tells them. "Because…" Qrow looks at Taiyang and he answers for him.

"Because your uncle loved her…but she didn't love him. He vowed to watch over her…but none of us expected he would return. And hurt her, of all people." Taiyang explains, and the three remaining members of Team S.T.R.Q just stand there with pain in their eyes. Time has very clearly not healed their wounds.

"He looked terrified when we found him. But it was on that day that he vowed to hunt every last Branwen down. To cleanse the world of us, and our curse. But not only that, to see if he can beat his own semblance…so then he can finally win." Raven explains, and they all look at them.

"That's why he's back, isn't it? To win?" Ruby asks.

"It seems that way." Raven agrees, and they all look at each other after Raven finally concludes her story of Jackdaw Branwen, and what happened to Summer Rose.

"So…what do we do now?" Nora asks.

"I am here to propose an alliance. I have already spoken with my tribe and they have agreed to help me track down and kill my brother, put him down before he kills anymore innocents. We will have to break the law, do things you have never had the displeasure of doing. But we will have your back. It will not be glamorous…but we have let our brother live for too long now." Raven explains as she stands up, whilst Taiyang remains sat.

"Dad?" Ruby and Yang say.

"I'm too old for this business, girls…I never wanted you involved in this…but now Jackdaw has made you involved." Taiyang sighs as he wrings his hands.

"So…do we have a deal?" Raven asks as she looks at them. Nora and Ren look at Ruby and Yang, since they are basically following their lead. Yang and Ruby stand up and stare directly at Raven.

"One condition." Yang states.

"And that is?" Raven asks.

"I want you to tell me everything. I want to know, who my mother is." Yang states, and Raven softly smiles. "Who you are."

"I was hoping to do that anyway." Raven states, and the four of them nod. Eryka nods to Raven too, clearly an old friend and Qrow does the same.

"Then you have a deal."


Author Note - The Adventure Begins...

I loved having Raven tell the story of Jackdaw, and his semblance is such a cool idea my brother and I came up with. Luckily fits into the Branwen style really well, being an amalgamation of both Branwen Siblings. And poor Summer, she never deserved that, but I doubt many of you expected him and Summer to have been best friends in the past.

And before there are any confusions, yes Taiyang is the biological father for Ruby not Qrow like in KoG, Qrow just loved her in this

That stealth part at the start was difficult to write, stealthy stuff is always difficult for me XD And that Sun part was so sad, but I love writing Sun in this way. I have always enjoyed flipping characters on their heads, making Sun quite shy and self conscious opposed to what he usually is, is great fun.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!

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Stay tuned for the next chapter - The Branwen Tribe

- Matt