Thanks to FineChyna for beta editing this chapter for me! You rock!
"Winter! Stop!" Ruby shouted. She activated Crescent Rose and crouched, ready to spring. Just as she was about to propel herself in front of Guts, Jaune stopped her.
"Ruby, no!" He grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back. She glared at Jaune, visibly angry. The old Jaune would have whimpered away and let her go on, but after the attack on Beacon, he didn't want another friend dying.
"Let him handle this," Jaune said firmly. "Now's a good chance to see how he fights. We may be able to use it to our advantage if he betrays us."
Ruby's anger faded. Jaune was right. Why take an attack for someone she wasn't even sure she could trust? No. Ruby would help anyone, if they were in trouble. But they never had gotten a good chance to see Guts fight.
Sighing, she stayed in place and watched Guts and Winter. Nora came up behind her. "Don't worry!" She said. "If he gets hurt, we can all go in there and break her legs!"
"No, Nora," Ren said quickly. "She's Weiss's sister. And we wouldn't want trouble. I'm sure Guts can handle himself."
Mercury and Emerald were observing the little girl.
"Why is she dressed like that?" Mercury said, jumping to another tree. "She looks ridiculous."
"Who the hell knows. Maybe she's an actual witch." Emerald said. "Let's just take her and bring her to Adam. He might know what to do. Especially if this girl is related to that sword guy the White Fang had a run in with back in Patch."
Drawing her weapons, Emerald took careful aim and pulled the trigger.
A bang in the distance startled a flock of birds into flight. As they took to the sky, Winter charged a Glyph at her feet. Guts immediately drew his sword and moved to her side.
Winter lunged towards Guts, pointing her blade at him.
Guts brought up Dragonslayer and slashed at Winter. She barely had enough time to reposition herself while in midair so her blade collided against his. She quickly flipped around and landed on her feet, keeping her stance. She walked around, keeping her eyes on Guts.
"Tell me. Why did you destroy the cargo?" she asked, pacing around like a prowling cat.
Guts didn't answer. He charged at her, Dragonslayer behind his back. Once he got close enough, he brought it around in a horizontal slash. Winter backflipped gracefully out of reach. As soon as she landed, she rushed at Guts, aiming for his face. He just barely dodged, although the saber managed to graze his cheek.
Winter drew the blade back and thrust it again. Guts simply bobbed his head and punched her in the stomach. "Take this, bitch!" he yelled, bringing up his foot and kicking her square in the chin. Winter flew back, stunned, but managed to land on the ground. She quickly got up, the handle of her weapon beginning to spin. A dagger shot out of the handle and into her other hand. She twisted, charging up a Glyph. Guts was about to move, but suddenly, a swarm of white flew at him.
They were white birds, all jabbing at him with their razor sharp beaks. Each strike set off a burst of cold under his skin. Raising his arm, he was able to block some of the birds, before bringing around Dragonslayer and swinging it in a circle. The flock burst apart in a spray of white feathers. Guts glared at Winter, only to notice that she had a look of shock on her face and was staring in a different direction. Guts looked the same way and saw two figures standing in the distance.
One of them was a girl, not an adult, but too old to be considered a child; with short celadon hair and mocha skin. In her hands she held a familiar looking staff and pointed hat, both disconcertingly tattered-looking. The other was a boy with pointed grey hair and an equally pointed face. In his arms, he carried an unconscious girl. She had curly green hair, was wearing a tattered purple robe, and looked disconcertingly like…
Schierke.
Guts's eye widened. The two didn't say anything. Emerald threw the staff , hard, at Ruby and let the wind carry the hat out of her hands. The hat made its way to Guts, who caught it and clenched it tightly. He was very pissed off now.
"Schierke!" he shouted.
Guts dashed towards them, sword ready. However, the instant his sword made contact with the boy's head, all three shattered to pieces, as if he had broken a mirror. "Schierke!" he shouted at the pieces on the ground. He looked back at Winter, glaring.
"You fucking did this!" He accused. "If you hadn't gotten in my way, I would have been able to save her!" He charged, eye burning with white-hot fury. Winter seemed stunned, and made no move to avoid the attack. Guts surely would have run her through, if not for the small burst of red that materialized in front of him.
"Guts, stop!" Ruby pleaded. She gripped his arm. "She didn't have anything to do with this!" The small girl was nowhere near strong enough to hold Guts back, but her intervention made him pause. This allowed Ren a moment to bring Schierke's staff forward. There was a note tied to it.
Sheathing his sword and gritting his teeth, Guts ripped the note from the staff and read it.
"Come to Vale and we can talk for the girl…" Ruby read aloud over his arm. She looked up at Guts. His face was a twisted tangle of emotions-rage, sadness, and concern, all at once. "We can get her back," she said.
Guts shut his eye and looked away.
"Just what is going on out here?" A new voice complained.
Every head shot up. Two new figures were stomping towards the group-an austere looking man with white hair, a white mustache, and an impeccable white suit, and a young girl, presumably his daughter, who was just as pale.
"Weiss!" Ruby cheered.
Weiss stared, clearly shocked. "R-Ruby?" Before she could say anything else, the red girl had pounced on her partner. Now reunited, they were on the ground, laughing, oblivious to the glares of the older man.
"Winter," he said sternly. "I thought I ordered you to take care of this man."
Winter hung her head, silent.
It was then that Weiss noticed Guts. She pushed Ruby off of her, brushed the snow off her clothes, and spoke. "Who in God's name is that, Ruby? And why is he with you?"
Ruby's scratched her head awkwardly. "Ehh. Well, you see… his name is Guts, and, umm… He's kinda lost and not from around here and he needs to speak with my uncle Qrow who should be in Haven, but then we couldn't get to Haven, only here...So then we came here to see if you could come with us, but it looks like now that little girl is in Vale, and we need to go there to save her before we can get to Haven…Soo yeah."
Weiss just stared blankly at her partner. She suddenly caught sight of Ren, Nora, and Jaune. "And why are you with them?" She demanded.
Ruby cowered. "Uwahh! They came to my house and since I didn't have anyone to travel with and they were missing a person and-" She was cut off when Weiss' father interrupted.
"You! Black Swordsman! I will have you arrested for trespassing and destroying my property! Winter, have your men place him under arrest!" he ordered.
Winter shook her head. "I cannot do that, father," she said softly.
Her father huffed. "And why not?" He snapped. "Are you defying me?"
"She knows that I'd just kill your men," Guts interjected. "She's not defying you; she's trying to keep your men alive."
Winter looked at Guts, who was glaring at her. "Sir. I apologize. I didn't mean to have your daughter kidnapped." She bowed her head. "I can have a Bullhead arranged to take your group to Vale, and can also send search parties to rescue her."
Winter's father growled, mustache bristling. Without a word, he turned on his heel and walked away. Weiss watched him go. "That's strange," she muttered.
No one seemed to hear her. "We'll take it," Jaune said determinedly. "We need that Bullhead now. Guts? Are you ready?"
Guts nodded. "...Yeah. But don't send out a search party. It'll cause more attention."
Winter nodded and pulled out her scroll. Tapping on it a few times, she gestured to the house. "The ship won't be ready for a few hours. Please, come in. Clean yourselves up and have a meal. It's the least I can do."
"Alright! I'm starving!" Jaune said as they walked inside.
"Me too! I could eat a million horses right now!" Nora said.
The group stepped inside and was instantly filled with a sense of awe. The house was impeccable and stately-clean white walls and elegant arches, silver trim, paintings done in royal colors and weapons and trinkets wrought of the finest materials. "Whoa! Weiss, it's like a castle in here! How do you not get lost!?" Ruby asked, observing every trinket they came across.
Guts was impressed to say the least. This house reminded him of a standard castle in Midland. Big walls, long halls and paintings of people he didn't care for. They headed up the stairs and were walking down a hallway with many doors. "Each room has a bed and a bathroom with necessities. Please stay here until dinner is ready." Winter said crisply, before turning on her heel and walking away.
Jaune opened a door and looked inside. It was like they were in a fancy hotel. The bed was enormous, with luxurious sheets and blankets. The television on the wall was big and also standard for every room. The bathroom was bigger than average, with enough space for a tub and a separate shower.
"Hehe. Wow Weiss. I wasn't expecting this." Jaune said, keeping his sight on the room. "It looks to fancy to touch."
"Well, you are in the Schnee residence. What did you expect?" Weiss said proudly.
"Welp! Ren and I taking this room! Get out!" Nora said, pushing everyone out and shutting the door.
"Sheesh Nora!" Jaune complained, regaining his balance. "Welp, I guess I'll take this one." Jaune pointed across the hall and entered his room.
"I'll take here," Guts told the two girls opening the door next to Ren and Nora's room.
"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed. "Guts do you need help with knowing how to use the-"
"No. I should be fine." he said, letting a soft smile.
Ruby was shocked. That was the first time she had seen him in such high spirits. "Well, okay then. See ya later!" She chirped.
Guts entered the room and shut the door.
"That man is strange," Weiss commented as they walked down the hall.
Jaune opened the bathroom door, releasing a cloud of steam. "Ahh," he sighed, walking out in nothing but a towel covering his lower half. He pulled on his clothes, latched on his armor, and observed himself in the mirror. He brushed his chin and smirked at his reflection. A hot shower was much needed after days of being in the cold. Grabbing his sword and sliding it onto his hip, he walked out the door and into the hall. He heard Nora's voice coming from the other door and knocked on it.
"Come in," Ren answered. Jaune opened the door and walked in the room. Ruby and Weiss were sitting on the chairs while Ren and Nora were on the bed. "Hey Jaune! We were just catching up!" Nora greeted.
Jaune smiled. The sight of all his friends united again warmed his heart. Sure, some were missing, but this would have to do. Jaune stayed standing as the group continued the conversation.
"So Weiss! How have you been?" Ruby asked.
"Well, I've been fine, of course. But what about all of you? I didn't expect you to be fighting in the garden of my house." The last part came out in an annoyed, huffy tone.
"Well actually Weiss..." Jaune trailed off. The group turned to face him. "We were headed to Haven. Ruby's uncle gave us a lead on the people who attacked Beacon. And we wanted to know if you wanted to come with us."
Weiss's expression darkened. "Sorry. But I can't.."
"What! Why?" Ruby asked worriedly. "Weiss, we need all the help we can get! We need your abilities and your skill!"
Weiss sighed. "My father won't let me. And I highly doubt that I would be of much use. That big man should be more than enough, shouldn't he?" She titled her head, a curious look spreading across her face. "Who exactly is he, anyway?"
Guts walked out of the bathroom in his own room. Taking a hot bath was refreshing. It took him a bit to figure out how the knobs worked, but it had all been worthwhile in the end.
Once he was dry, Guts began storing his weapons. On the small table in the corner, he laid out his throwing knives and mini bombs. He placed his armor in a chair next to that. His sword was left leaning against the wall. If it was in a glass case and put on display, it would look natural in the big house; as if an old ancestor once wielded it. He began to tinker with the television. It was interesting, but after a while of searching for something decent, he grew bored of it. Tossing the remote onto the bed, he gathered his things and walked out the door in search of his group.
The atmosphere in the room grew tense. "Well…" Jaune began. "He needs to speak with Ruby's uncle. He said he's from a different continent and all, but I'm starting to think he's from a whole other world. On the boat we took, his bag fell and some of his stuff fell out. It was weird."
"What kind of stuff did he have?" Weiss asked. "He seems like an amazing fighter. Maybe better than Pyr-" She snapped her mouth shut.
She noticed the depressed expression on Jaune's face and hastened to correct her mistake. "Jaune, I'm sorry. I-"
He held up his hand. "It's fine. This is why we're going to Haven. To find the people who did it." He smiled tightly at Weiss.
"Anyway," Weiss said hastily, eager to change the subject. "What stuff did he have on him?"
Jaune's head perked up almost at once. "Oh yeah! He had a weird egg! It was red and warm… I think it also had a nose on it."
"Okay, I am officially creeped out!" Ruby admitted. "He has weird gear. Doesn't know about a lot from Remnant. And his sword doesn't change into anything!"
Jaune heard a footstep outside the door. He walked to the door and opened it, only to see the man they were talking about looking into the room. Jaune gulped. "U-uh. Hey, man." he stuttered weakly.
"Hey," Guts said. His teeth were clenched, his jaw set in a harsh line. "I guess none of you trust me."
The group all cringed at how loud they had gotten, and the fact that the very person they were gossiping about was near them. Walking into the room, Guts sat on another empty chair.
"Give us answers," Ruby suddenly demanded. "We should know who you really are. Where you're really from. Especially if you're going to be traveling with us. If you don't tell us, we won't have you."
Guts sighed heavily "...Fine, but beware. You won't like it," he warned, as a last effort to avoid talking about his past.
None of them showed any signs of backing out.
"Great. Even in this world I'm still being haunted by him. Having to talk about it to some group of kids."
"As Jaune already suspected, I'm not from this world." Their brows were slightly raised.
Before anyone could interject, Guts continued. "I somehow ended up here while walking through a meadow. The world I'm from is called Midland. As you can tell now, where I'm from, I don't have all your new technology and weapons. Not even Dust."
Their expressions were still the same. But Jaune blurted out a question. "So, are you from the past? Like, a long long time ago?"
Guts shrugged. "...Sure. I guess."
"What about your scar? On your neck? And your arm. Why do you have a prosthetic? And what happened to your eye?" Weiss asked.
Guts brushed his fingers over the brand, still able to recall the searing pain he felt on his neck the moment he got it. He brought his hand up to his face. "Even if I told you… You wouldn't believe me. I've been to hell and back. There are no gods. Only demons."
Jaune practically oohed as he heard those words. "Badass," he whispered to himself.
"Tell us," Ren said.
Guts sighed. "Back when I was younger, the kingdom was split into mercenary groups. I went around serving whoever would pay, for as long as I can remember. I have been killing all my life."
The group paid close attention, hanging off of every word. Even Nora, usually so distracted, was listening intently.
"Eventually, this group recruited me. They were called the Band of The Hawk. Led by a man named Griffith." He spat out the name through gritted teeth. He had already given up his dream of chasing revenge, but with a friend of the God Hand in this world, he knew Griffith was somewhere close by.
"I joined them, and got to know them for three years. They were the first friends I ever had." The faces of Judeau, Corkus, Pippin, Rickert and Casca came to mind.
"Casca…"
Guts shook his head, as if to clear it. "Over the years, we quickly rose to the top. We won every battle we faced and were recognized as the main army for Midland."
"One day, I wanted out of the Hawks. I talked to Griffith and he wouldn't let me go. So we fought. I won, and was able to resign myself from the Band."
He got more than one confused look at that. "Why did you leave?" Jaune asked. "From the sound of it, it seems like you liked the Hawks."
"I just wanted out. It was fun while it lasted, but it wasn't my style. I left for a year, but while I was gone, Griffith made a bad decision. I don't know the details, but the king took offense...which led to him being tortured."
Ruby and Jaune grimaced. "H-how bad did he e-end up?" Jaune asked, trying to hid his fear, but failing to do so.
Guts, like a shark scenting blood, honed in on this fear and continued. "Worse than you can imagine. He couldn't walk, talk, hold a sword, or even stand up. His tendons were severed, his muscles had wasted away, and his tongue was cut out. He was nothing at that point."
They all seemed to cower a bit. Weiss and Ren alone managed to keep straight faces, but Guts could see that even they were close to cracking.
"After we got him out. He did something that I'll never forget." Guts's anger was building. It didn't burn as much as it used to, but it was still there. He reached into his bag and pulled out the Behelit.
"He used this." He held it up. "It's called a Behelit. The owner can use it when they're feeling complete despair, or on the verge of death. They will be transformed into a powerful being, a demon-at the cost of what they love and who they are."
"A sacrifice?" Ren asked.
Guts nodded. "Yeah. Like that. I found him in a pond holding a Behelit like this one."
"What happened after that?" Jaune asked hesitantly.
"We were transported to another dimension. It was everything you thought hell would be. It was hell-mountains of bodies, enough blood to drown the world, things you couldn't dream of in your worst nightmares. We were branded-all of us-marked as sacrifices for demons." Unconsciously, he scratched at his brand. "My comrades were eaten alive by demons. I remember one of my friends was split in half right in front of me. I tried to fight, but one of the bigger ones caught my arm in its mouth. And the only way to escape was for me to cut it off myself." He pocketed the Behelit again.
"And my eye? I'd rather have your scar." He looked pointedly towards Weiss. "It was gouged out by a demon. I got pinned to ground trying to kill that bastard. He betrayed us. Left us as demon food to chase his dream."
At this point, the teens were understandably freaked out. Jaune was holding his knees and shaking in his seat; next to him, Ruby was cowering with her hood over her head. Ren managed to keep his usual calm face, but his eye was twitching slightly. Nora was hiding behind Ren, and Weiss's face was like a mask of glazed ice-thin and ready to crack.
Everything was silent for the most part. They were all speechless after what they just heard.
"Thank you… for telling us." Ren broke the silence. "Now we can trust you."
Guts felt a slight pang of guilt at that.
"I never mentioned Casca."
"What about you guys?" He said quickly. "You said your school was attacked. But what happened exactly?"
They were all silent. They all didn't want to think about it but it wouldn't be fair to Guts if they didn't tell him. Everything Guts had mentioned did make the school attack seem like it was nothing.
"The Grimm," Jaune began. "They were too strong, and there were so many."
Guts chuckled. "You think the Grimm are strong? That they can end the world? You haven't seen anything. All the shit I've seen in my world make the Grim look like child's play."
Ignoring his statement, Jaune continued.
"The White Fang was also there. They were releasing Grimm and then the Atlesian Military robot things started attacking innocent people! Everyone was trying to get to safety. People were hurt and dying. There was a woman, who killed our headmaster."
They were silent for a moment at the mention of Ozpin.
"He was strong, and if she was able to take him out. She had to have been really strong." Jaune recalled. "And not just him...this woman also k-killed-"
"Cinder...It was Cinder!" Ruby yelled out.
"Could she be the one I dreamt of? The evil in this world?" Guts thought.
Ruby slammed her hands on the desk. "If I wasn't so slow I could have helped her!" Despite her clearly making an effort, her eyes were swimming with tears. "It's all my fault!"
Guts looked around. The group was suddenly much more somber. Weiss put her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "No, Ruby. It's not your fault," she comforted. "No one could have helped her, not in that fight." The younger girl cried into her shoulder, muffling her voice.
"Helped who?" Guts asked. "Who is 'she'?"
Jaune sniffled slightly, drawing Guts's attention. "She was, um...She was my p-partner." He swallowed hard, then spoke again, emboldened. "And an amazing fighter. She taught me a lot. Taught me how to become a better fighter, and helped me with my...girl problems." He cringed at the last part. "She did all of that for me, when I didn't know that she had feelings for me. And when I realized it, she was already gone. Her name was Pyrrha. She was the kindest person to be around and she always had encouraging things to say."
"And that Qrow guy," Jaune continued, wiping the tears in his eyes, "he gave us a tip. That whoever was behind this was in Haven. That's why we're headed there. And then you just happened to come along and join us."
There was a moment's silence. Guts abruptly rose from his seat and headed towards the door. Before opening it to leave he turned his head. "Even if she's gone, you have to keep going. Don't get sad about this anymore. She probably wouldn't want it. You just have to get up and keep moving." They were silent for a moment before Guts continued.
"Keep moving forward."
Guts opened the door and left the room. The rest of them sat in silence for a moment, thinking about his words.
Finally, Weiss broke the silence. "Come on. Dinner will be ready soon," she said, standing up.
