Team JNPR returns.
Four terrified diplomats waited in the back of a transport, they had effectively been sent to die. After their meeting with the Branwen Tribe, they had returned to Mistral. The Mistrali government had refused to accept the tribe's demands, and sent them back with the bad news. Chief Branwen had told them what would happen if they returned with bad news, so they prayed that she would be merciful.
"We're done, it's game over for us." a defeated Jaune said to the others, as he hung his head and stared at the floor.
"Don't think that Jaune, they might spare us." Pyrrha tried to reassure, while rubbing Jaune's back.
"Why would they? They're bandits, they have no reason to keep us alive." Jaune responded, without looking up.
"What if we ask to join them? They might let us live if we do." Nora interjected.
"We can't join them Nora, we can't betray Mistral for some bandits." Jaune told her.
"Screw that, Mistral sent us to die." Nora snapped at Jaune, in a rare display of anger.
Jaune sighed "I know, but we can't be bandits. They're evil criminals." he said, sparing Nora a brief glance.
Ren spoke up "I don't believe they are as bad as you think." he told Jaune.
Jaune was angered by Ren's attitude "How can you say that? They kill people Ren." he demanded, as he glared at him.
"Hey, don't talk to Ren like that. He's right." An angry Nora told Jaune, after jumping to her feet.
"Why are you defending them? They're going to kill us." Jaune questioned, still angry at Ren and Nora.
"Don't you think they were just trying to scare us? Just threatening us into agreeing to their terms?" Ren asked, hoping Jaune would listen.
"No I don't, they've killed thousands of people." Jaune angrily snapped.
"They're fighting slavers, terrorists, evil corporations, and dictators, Jaune." Ren explained, trying to make Jaune see sense.
"What about the SDC, it was the Branwens who destroyed it and killed all those people." Jaune responded, shaking his head dismissively at Ren.
Pyrrha sighed "No Jaune, it wasn't the Branwens. It was the White Fang that destroyed it, the tribe was allied with the SDC." she explained, as she became slightly annoyed by Jaune's inaccurate statement.
"What?" asked a confused Jaune, as he stared at Pyrrha.
"Yes Jaune, so don't fucking shout at Ren." Nora said, as she looked down on him.
"So, they're actually the good guys?" Jaune asked, still unsure of what to think.
Ren shook his head "Not exactly, they just do what they think is right." he said.
"That doesn't help us, if they think killing us is right." Jaune reasoned.
"I'm sure it was an empty threat." Pyrrha said, trying to make Jaune feel better.
"So what's going to happen to us?" Jaune asked.
"I don't know about you guys, but I want to join them. Mistral doesn't care about us, so screw them." Nora said.
Ren sighed "If Nora joins the, then I'm staying with her." he said.
"What if they don't want you?" Jaune asked them.
"We'll find something else to do, we're done with Mistral." Nora said, Ren nodded in agreement.
"What about you Pyrrha? What are you going to do?" Jaune asked the redhead.
"Whatever you choose to do, I'll stay with you." Pyrrha told him, giving him a smile when she finished.
"Thanks, I hope you're right about them just messing with us." Jaune responded, returning Pyrrha's smile.
A short while after the heated conversation, the diplomats' transport landed. All four of the diplomats were nervous about what was about to happen, there was a high chance that they would soon die. They did their best to hide their fear, not wanting to appear weak in front of the tribe. They all took deep breaths before the door opened, trying to calm their nerves as much as possible.
When the door did open, they were greeted by a familiar face. Coco was there to greet them, just like the first time they visited. She smiled at them "Welcome back, I hope you've got good news for us." she said.
"Hello again Coco." Pyrrha said, not wanting to let on to the fact they had bad news. The other three nodded to Coco, but remained silent.
"Alright, you know the drill. Follow me." she said, as she led the four diplomats past the guards. She took them to see Vernal, who was waiting for them in the room where the security checks were carried out.
Vernal stared them down as they entered the room "Any of you going to try anything stupid?" she asked them. The diplomats all shook their heads, none of them would risk attacking Chief Branwen or anyone else aboard the ship.
"Great, now go through the scanners like you did last time." she ordered, as she pointed to the security scanners behind her. They complied with the order, walking between the scanners as they had done of their previous visit. To their relief, they all made it through without any problems. At least they we're going to killed before they got to see The Chief.
"Time to see The Chief. For your sake, you better have some good news for her. The "Birds" are ready to take you down if you don't" Vernal said, as she led them out of the room and into the hallway. Her words made it harder for the group to conceal their fear, but they still managed to hold themselves together. They hoped that the tribe was still just messing with them.
After walking for a short while, Vernal said "You guys are lucky, The Chief is in a pretty good mood today." The diplomats weren't sure how lucky that made them, Chief Branwen seemed to be in a good mood when she threatened their lives. But Vernal's words did reassure them slightly, at least they weren't going to face an angry Chief Branwen, not yet at least.
"Excuse me Vernal, may I ask you something?" Pyrrha asked, as they continued on their way to the throne room.
"That depends on what you want to know." Vernal told her.
"Alright. What can you tell us about the Birds of Prey?" Pyrrha asked.
Vernal shrugged "I hope you aren't asking about their identities, because I won't tell you." she responded.
"No, I was just curious about why they exists and what they actually do." Pyrrha told her.
"Fine, I'll tell you. The "Birds" are the six best fighters in the tribe, after the Chief and Qrow. They directly serve the Chief, and do whatever she orders them to do." Vernal explained, not going into too much detail.
"Thank you. Can you tell me how the selection process works?" Pyrrha asked.
"It's simple, there isn't one. Those six arrived, and the Chief turned them into what they are now." Vernal answered.
"They must be really good if that's all it took." Pyrrha commented.
"They're more than good. They're the six deadliest people in the galaxy." Vernal responded.
"How many people have they killed?" Jaune asked.
Vernal laughed "Between the six of them, there must be a few thousand." she said.
All of the diplomats were shocked by the figure Vernal gave them. "How can six people be responsible for that many deaths?" Ren asked, when he overcame his initial shock.
"They're just really good at killing, and they have a lot of enemies." Vernal replied, just as they arrived at the entrance to the throne room. She then turned to them "You ready?" she asked. They all nodded, so she led them into the room.
Like the last time, the Chief was on her throne with Qrow at her side. The "Birds" were also there, as they had been during the first visit. As they entered, the diplomats were immediately hit by a wave of fear, it was highly likely that they wouldn't be leaving alive. It didn't help that Chief Branwen gave them a menacing smile when she saw them.
"It's good to see you four again, I hope you have some good news for me." she said to them, once they had stopped in front of her. As she spoke, she picked up her katana and placed it across her lap. Her eyes stayed on them, almost overwhelming them with fear.
"It's good to see you too, Chief Branwen" Pyrrha said, the others just nodded along with her.
"Enough with the formalities, what was Mistral's response." Chief Branwen asked, becoming even more menacing than she already had been. Even after facing countless Grimm, when they weren't on diplomatic missions. Jaune and the others had never felt as threatened, as they did in that moment.
Pyrrha gulped "We explained to them that you were making a very reasonable offer, and that our lives depended on their decision. But they still rejected your offer, and sent us to our deaths." she said. As soon as she finished speaking, her strength left her and she collapsed.
Chief Branwen got to her feet, and approached the diplomats. She gripped the handle of her sword, but didn't draw the weapon. Nora and Ren embraced as they accepted their fate, while Jaune went to Pyrrha's side and held her hand. "How disappointing, Mistral just brushed us off. No matter, we will take our revenge." the Chief said.
Jaune looked up at her "So you're going to kill us, for something that wasn't our fault?" he asked. Before she answered, he put himself between her and Pyrrha.
She smiled down at Jaune "That's what I promise, why should I break my promise?" she asked him, as she tightened her grip on her sword's handle.
"Mistral doesn't care about our lives, so we hoped you would let us join you." Jaune said, as his anger at Mistral started to grow.
The Chief laughed "Oh, you want to join my tribe do you? Well, we are recruiting right now and I know you are all experienced at fighting Grimm. Though I can't just let you in, you have to prove yourselves to me." she said.
Jaune's eyes widened "You mean, you'd actually spare us and let us join you?" he asked, trying to clarify the situation.
Chief Branwen nodded "Yes, but only if you can prove yourselves worthy of a place here. If you can do that, then you can stay. If you can't do that, then I will kill you." she explained.
"Okay, what would we have to do to prove ourselves?" Jaune asked, worried about what he might have to do in order to survive.
Chief Branwen took great pleasure, in her response to Jaune. "Simple, you will each have a one on one fight with one of my "Birds" and you have to hold out for a set period of time. The only catch is that if one of you fails, then all of you fail." she explained.
Jaune struggled to process what she had just told him, but eventually he managed a response. "So we can refuse and died, or accept and potentially survive?" he asked.
"Yes, that should be a pretty easy decision to make. Accepting is the only chance you have of surviving." she said, suddenly becoming serious again.
"Pyrrha, Ren, Nora. Are you willing to fight for a chance to survive and join the tribe?" Jaune asked his friends.
"If it's the only chance we have, then yes." Pyrrha responded.
Ren simply nodded, while Nora said "Yeah, if we have to."
Jaune nodded, then looked back at Chief Branwen. "Alright, we accept the challenge." he told her, though he wasn't confident that they would survive.
"Good choice, the fights can be held in a combat arena." Chief Branwen responded. She then addressed the other people in the room. "We're going to one of the combat arenas, let's go."
A few minutes later, the group arrived at one of the ship's combat arenas. Chief Branwen, took Qrow, Vernal, Kite and Vulture to observe. The four diplomats were left in the arena, with Eagle, Hawk, Falcon, and Owl. Speaking to the group form the observation area, the Chief said "This is going to be a series of four one on one sword fights. Jaune will fight Owl, Nora will fight Falcon, Pyrrha will fight Eagle, and Ren will fight Hawk. The aim of Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren will be to hold out for two minutes. The aim of the "Birds" is to defeat their opponents without killing them. Jaune and Owl are up first."
Owl grabbed a katana and threw it to Jaune, he caught it and pulled it from its sheath. He held it in front of him, ready to defend against her attack. But Owl didn't attack, she stood there with her sword sheathed, resting her hand on its handle.
"Aren't you going to attack me?" he asked her.
"You wouldn't stand a chance if I struck first." she told him.
Jaune was surprised by how young Owl sounded, he immediately felt more confident. The Tribe must have just been lying about her abilities, there was no way someone so young sounding could be one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy. With that in mind, he charged at her with his blade ready to slice her across the chest.
Owl just stood there, not drawing her weapon until the last possible second. With unbelievable speed, she was able to remove the weapon from its sheath and block Jaune's attack. Jaune almost dropped his weapon, completely stunned by her overwhelming speed.
"Did you think I was just going to let you hit me?" she asked, as they stood pressing their blades against each other. Jaune didn't respond, so Owl went ahead and attacked. She dodged to the side and moved behind Jaune, swinging for his back. He only avoided the attack, by diving out of the way. Still, the blade was close enough to slice his shirt.
Jaune managed to roll and get back on his feet, he turned to face Owl. He barely had time to raise his weapon, as Owl covered the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Their blades met just in time to stop Owl removing one of Jaune's arms. "You're lucky I'm going easy on you." she said, before jumping back.
Thinking he had an opening, Jaune took a swing at Owl's arm. She effortlessly parried the strike with her sword. In that split second, Jaune was left open to attack. Owl went for him, putting a large gash in his forearm. Jaune would have lost then and there had he not stayed on his feet and kept hold of the weapon. But to his credit, he didn't let the injury stop him.
He went to attack Owl as soon as she finished cutting, and while she had her back to him. His sword got dangerously close to her back, but she was able to spin around in time to block the strike. The force of the impact, rattled Jaune's bones and almost knocked the sword from his hands. He expected Owl to attack him, but then Raven said "Time's up, Jaune held out."
Jaune and Owl stared at each other "You owe me one Jaune, I held back to save your life." she told him.
"You would say that, you can't accept that I'm good at sword fighting." he responded.
Jaune blinked and when he opened his eyes again, the end of his sword was missing. Owl had sliced it in half with a single strike. "No Jaune, I was holding back."
With Jaune and Owl finished, Chief Branwen said "Nora and Falcon, you're up." Falcon nodded, grabbing a sword and throwing it to Nora. Nora drew her weapon and prepared for the fight. Falcon drew her own sword, pointing it at Nora.
"En Garde." Falcon said, before approaching Nora.
Nora ran at Falcon, holding her sword over head. She swung it down with all her might, only for Falcon to dance to the side and dodge the blow. Falcon proceeded to cut into Nora's arm. Fortunately for Nora, it wasn't a deep wound and she was able to continue.
Nora turned to face Falcon, who was now standing directly behind her. She had to jump back, when she found herself staring down the length of Falcon's blade. "You're making this too easy." Falcon said, as she advanced on Nora.
Backing away from Falcon, Nora said "I'm not used to fighting with one of these." She then slammed the side of her sword, into the side of Falcon's. She was pleased to see that the sword was knocked away, but then things backfired. Falcon spun around and went low, going under Nora's weapon and almost slicing into her legs. Nora had to jump to dodge the attack.
"You need to block." Falcon told Nora, before continuing her advance. The two fighters then started swinging their weapons at each other, they repeatedly slammed into each other. At last, Nora stopped retreating and they became locked in a stalemate.
Falcon suddenly started to pick up the pace, making it harder and harder for Nora to block her strikes. As soon as Nora caught one hit, she immediately had to catch another coming from the other side. The speed and regularity of the attacks, made it impossible for Nora to attempt an attack.
Although unable to attack, Nora was still able to get into a rhythm. She was ready for every attack, even when Falcon continued to increase her attacking speed. "Good, you're starting to get the hang of it." Falcon said. Then Falcon proceeded to completely throw Nora off, she swung low and lunged. Falcon's blade sliced across Nora's abdomen, before Falcon jumped back out of range.
Nora was angry at being tricked, so she charged at Falcon. She swung a violently as she could, aiming for Falcon's arm. Falcon was able to knock the blade to the side and launch a counter attack. Falcon's blade stopped an inch from Nora's throat, as the fight ended "Time's up, Nora just managed to hold out." the Chief said.
"You have potential, not many could stand up to my attacks." Falcon said, gaining a nod from an unusually quiet Nora.
With the arena clear again, Chief Branwen said "It's your turn Pyrrha and Eagle." The two women nodded, the stepped out into the middle of the arena. Eagle threw a sword to Pyrrha, who plucked it out of the air and removed it from it's sheath. Eagle drew her own sword "Sorry id I have to ruin that beautiful body of yours, but I have to draw blood every time a draw my blade." she said.
The two women went for each other, their blades slamming into each other. They moved close to each other, both of them were pushing their swords forward. "I've got to give it to you, you're pretty strong. But not as strong as me." Eagle said, as she pushed with more force and sent Pyrrha stumbling backwards.
Pyrrha managed to steady herself, and run at Eagle. She leveled the tip of her sword, at Eagles throat. She was able to get close to landing a hit, but Eagle use one hand to parry the attack with her sword and use her other hand to punch Pyrrha in the face. Pyrrha was sent stumbling backwards, for the second time in the fight. "Try to kill me again, and I will cave your fucking skull in." Eagle snarled.
Pyrrha nodded. She was used to fighting and killing Grimm, so her killer instincts had accidentally kicked in. She ran at Eagle for the third time, Eagle swung for her shoulder buy Pyrrha managed to duck under the blow. Pyrrha tried to cut into Eagle's leg, but Eagle sidestepped and sliced her across the back. "Nice try." Eagle said, as Pyrrha retreated to a safe distance.
The fight soon became more like the fight between Nora and Falcon, the two women went blow for blow with ever increasing speed. Pyrrha couldn't believe how strong Eagle was, though she did notice the prosthetic arm. "Doesn't your arm give you an unfair advantage?" she asked.
Eagle laughed "Fight don't have to be fair, but I'll be fair and fight one handed." she said, before putting her arm behind her back. Even with only one arm, Eagle had no issues with her speed and strength. Pyrrha was unable to best Eagle, even when she was using both arms. All she could do was defend against the brutal blows that Eagle was throwing at her.
Pyrrha was caught off guard when Eagle changed her approach, she started knocking Pyrrha's blade downwards. In the split second Pyrrha's blade was out of the way, Eagle would lunge forward and stab Pyrrha in the upper arms. Pyrrha struggled to push through the pain, and couldn't comprehend how Eagle was moving so quickly. Eagle was a truly overwhelming enemy, Pyrrha wouldn't have been able to hold out much longer.
Fortunately, the two minutes soon came to an end. "Time's up, congratulations Pyrrha." Chief Branwen said. Eagle immediately stopped her attacks and sheathed her blade. Pyrrha did the same, and they bowed to each other.
"You're lucky I didn't want you to die, I could have destroyed you right off the bat." Eagle said.
It was time for the final fight "Hawk and Ren, you know what to do." They both nodded and made their way out into the middle of the arena. Ren caught the sword that Hawk threw to him, though he left it in the sheath. The two fighters bowed to each other, and simultaneously drew their blades.
They ran at each other, and Ren prepared to cut into Hawk's abdomen. But when he reached the point where he should have cut into her, she had already jumped and flipped over his head. He turned to face her and they pointed their blades at each other. Ren went in for another attack, but Hawk flipped over him again.
This time, slashed across Ren's back when she landed. He swung around try to catch her in the arm, but she parried the attack and sliced along one of his arms. He winced in pain, but he wasn't going to stop fighting. He went straight into another attack, Hawk knocked his blade up and slashed across his thighs before jumping back.
Ren's new injuries almost took him down, but he forced himself to push through the pain and remain standing. Walking was painful, so he stayed in place and went on the defensive. Hawk started circling him, pointing her blade at him but not striking. Ren turned with her, ready to block any strikes that came his way. She continued to circle him for a while.
Suddenly, Hawk changed direction. With lighting speed, she ran around behind Ren and slashed across his back again. Ren spun around to face her, but she flipped over his head and landed behind him. Having to spin around again, Ren almost lost his balance and pain shot through his legs. He managed to steady himself and took a stab at Hawk.
Hawk jumped back to dodge the stab from Ren, then she went back to circling him. She didn't attack because she knew that he was on the verge of collapse, and he would go down from another strike. If she hit him one more time, four skilled fighters would die. So, she ran down the remaining time by walking around Ren. Both she and Ren were relieved when the time came to an end.
"Time's up, you just made it Ren. That means all of you get to live and join the tribe." Chief Branwen said.
The Birds and JNPR will get to know each other in the next chapter.