Chapter 10: Qrow's New Friends: Part 2
"So, Qrow. I couldn't help overhearing that Yang destroyed that guys club. What was that about?" asked Clayton as they made their way down the street. "I don't know kid, but Yang can be a real firecracker when she wants to be. So, I'm assuming that Junior either hit on her, tried to throw her out, or she wanted something from him." replied Qrow.
"Weird how he seemed so concerned for her after what she did. I'm sure most people would be pissed about having their business destroyed" said Clayton.
"I don't get it either, she can be beating someone to the verge of death one minute, and the next minute she can be their best friend. We should be thankful for that though, if she wasn't so friendly she'd be just like Raven." responded Qrow.
Qrow's scroll started vibrating, it was Ozpin calling "Hey Oz" he said. "There has been a slight change of plan, we've dealt with the Grimm from the tower. So, we can stay here rather than finding something in Vale." said Ozpin
"Does that mean you want me to bring these guys to Beacon?" asked Qrow. "Yes, I'm sure we can find a room for them here." replied Ozpin.
"Alright then, we'll be there as soon as possible. Is there anything you want us to get on the way there?" Qrow asked "Hmm, we have a severe shortage of ammunition. Get as much of that as you can carry." said Ozpin
"What kind of ammo do you need?" asked Qrow. "Well, there are a lot of students here with various projectile weapons. So, we'll require a variety of rounds." he responded.
"I'll see to that, but what's this about a lot of students?" Qrow asked, "Well, we have Team RWBY, the remaining members of Team JNPR, Team CFVY, and a number of other students from all over Remnant." came the reply.
"I see, what are they all doing there? I thought they were sent home after the attack." said a confused Qrow. "They, were sent home. But, they have returned to help clear out Grimm and rebuild. Please excuse me Qrow, I have other things to attend to." said Ozpin before hanging up.
Qrow turned to his companions "Looks like we're going ammo shopping" he said to them. "Great, that sounds like fun" said Samson. "It sounds like fun now, but when we have to carry it all. You won't be saying that" Qrow said. Rex laughed "Don't worry about him Qrow, he loves lifting things. He can carry it all for us".
After a short walk, the five of them arrived at a gun store. "Damn, I'm impressed. I've never seen so much weaponry in one place" said an excited Rex as he looked around. "Rex, you don't even use a gun. Why do you even care" said a semi-conscious Amber. "Well, I could start using one Amber. A gun is just a louder crossbow after all" he replied.
"Dude, you're a stealth guy. It defeats the whole purpose of your semblance if you use a gun. If they can hear you firing, they don't need to see you to find you." said Amber.
Rex looked sad "I guess you have a point, but still you've got to admit that this place is cool." Qrow shook his head as he walked over to order the ammunition "For trained killers, you can be pretty damn childish at times."
"You'd think a guy who hangs around with heavily armed kids all day, would be a lot more understanding" said Rex. "You seem to be forgetting who his sister is, if he's anything like her then of course he won't be understanding" said Amber. "Be nice Amber, he's not like Raven at all. I mean when was the last time she bought us breakfast? Never." said Samson.
"Samson come with me, we're going to get the stuff from the warehouse!" shouted Qrow as he followed one of the employees through a door at the back of the store. Samson ran after him "I'm guessing you want me to carry it then" he said when he caught up, Qrow nodded "Did you really have to ask?" they walked over to a large wooden crate "Stupid question I guess" said Samson after looking at the box.
A few minutes later, the five of them were walking down the street again. But this time was carrying the large crate above his head, so he could see where he was going. They were heading to the nearest airship dock, so they could catch a ride to Beacon. "Where are we going exactly?" asked Rex. "We are going to Beacon Academy, which is where we will meet up with the others, and where we will be staying for the foreseeable future." said Qrow.
"Are there more people there? Because if not, I think you went a bit overkill on the ammo." Clayton asked. "Well, according to Ozpin, some students from Beacon and other academies have turned up to help with clearing out Grimm and repairing the damage." replied Qrow.
"Wait, what damage? What happened here Qrow?" asked Amber. "Shit, I guess I should probably explain. Well, there was a festival being held and during that festival the city was attacked. It was total chaos." he paused for a moment "Atlas had a lot of their stuff hacked, so there were robots killing people in the streets... An Atlas warship was hijacked and opened fire on everything... The White Fang released Grimm into the city and into Beacon… A giant Grimm attracted more Grimm to the city… A lot of students died trying to fight back… Ozpin's body died so he possessed Oscar… Communication with the rest of Remnant was stopped… Yang had her arm cut off by the guy who hired you… Ruby almost killed Cinder and turned the giant Grimm to stone… So many people died."
"Fuck, I'm sorry Qrow. We had no idea." is all Amber could say. "What happened to Cinder?" asked Clayton. Qrow sighed "She was working with Raven to attack Haven, during the fight they snuck off together to get something. Eventually, Yang chased after them but when she got there. Cinder was gone, apparently Raven killed her but we don't know for certain. Raven was gone before we could confirm what happened to Cinder. That's not really important though, Cinder was only a pawn, it's Salem we need to worry about."
Clayton put his hand on Qrow's shoulder "Whoever this Salem is, you can count on us to help bring her down. Right guys?" Samson said "Of course" Amber said "Damn right we're helping." and Rex said "That bitch is going down."
"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but Salem isn't exactly a pushover. She's basically a God and she controls the Grimm. I don't know if we'll be able to take her down, even with the whole of Remnant united against her it would be a challenge. What makes it worse is that thanks to what happened here, a united Remnant isn't really a possibility. She's trying to divide us so we can't fight back, if we can't change things soon. It will be too late." said Qrow "We can at least try" said the other four simultaneously. "We sure can, we cure can" Qrow quietly replied.
They arrived at the airship dock a short while later, and boarded one of the airships. Just before the doors closed, they were joined by a girl well-dressed girl with hair reminiscent of ice cream, mismatched eyes, and an umbrella. She didn't say anything but she walked up to Qrow and handed him a letter.
The letter read "Hello, my name is Neo. I was drugged, tortured and manipulated into working for Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall. They are dead now, and I am finally free. I am a wanted criminal, but I want to atone for my crimes by assisting the Huntsmen. I know you are related to Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long. I have fought them in the past, but now I want the opportunity to explain my actions to them and make things right between us. Please, consider taking me to them. I would have explained this in person but I am mute, thank you."
Qrow looked at her "Are you serious about this? Because if not you just made a big mistake". She nodded at him and smiled. "Alright then, but you won't get out alive if you try anything" he said. "Who's that?" asked Clayton. "This is Neo, apparently she wants to join us." replied Qrow. Neo waved at Clayton "Oh, I like her." he said before returning the wink. "I would warn you to be careful around her, but I'm sure you can handle anything that comes up." said Qrow.
"Hi Neo, I'm Clayton." he said as he walked over to her. She pulled out her scroll and quickly typed something out, before showing it to Clayton. It said "I can't talk to you I'm mute. But hi." Clayton smiled at her "Don't worry about it Neo, as long as you can type on your scroll we can get to know each other". She smiled back at him and type another message "I like you. So, are you a Huntsman?" Clayton shook his head "No, I'm a mercenary or something like that. Or at least I was. We kinda helped someone we shouldn't have and now we've agreed to work with the Huntsmen." Neo's eyes widened and she typed another message "I made some mistakes myself and ended up working for the wrong people. I'm here for a similar reason to you, if they'll accept me. But I messed with a few of them before, and they might not forgive me."
Clayton patted Neo on the shoulder "Don't worry Neo. We attacked Huntsmen as well, while we were working for someone who turned out to be one of the most wanted people in Remnant". Neo typed another message "We seem to have a lot in common, and I have to admit you're also pretty cute. If things work out for me with the Huntsmen, maybe we can get to know each other a bit better. If you know what I mean". After Clayton read that Neo winked at him again. Clayton winked back and said "You know what Neo, I hope things work out. That sounds like and excellent idea". Neo jumped up, wrapped herself around Clayton and kissed him on the lips. She let go just as the airship came in to land.