Hey there folks, another chapter here of Reap What You Sow...now on Saturdays! It feels kinda weird admittedly. On with review responses. Lone Gundam: well, perhaps Ozpin may be more innocent than I let on...or I could be messing with you...we will never know. OutlastTheDark: Yeah, technology is a bitch these days. As for the whole '76' thing, I think it's an inside reference to a comic book entitled 'Soldier 76' made by Chris Metzen (The voice of Soldier 76) in which the main hero bore remarkable similarities to the Overwatch version. And could Reaper attack the school...perhaps he could. And finally Enth WhoaCreeper: nice catch with the Overwatch lore point and thank for the compliment about the assassinations. I can promise you the fight scenes are only going to get more bad-ass as the story progresses. Now, on with the show!
WARNING- CONTAINS SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR VOLUME THREE!
00000000
Chapter 10- Digging up the Past
To say that Beacon was in chaos at this moment in time was considered an understatement. Students were panicking as Atlesian forces landed via drop ship to tend to their wounded General, who was lucky to be alive. Of course, the lack of communication between the two Academies had led many to believe that the Atlas military were attempting to take Beacon by force, which wasn't helped by the aggressive nature of the Soldiers.
After a few minutes of explaining by Ozpin did the students finally begin to calm down, and now instead opted to watch in curiosity at the scene playing out before them. General Ironwood had been found on Beacon grounds nearly dead at least half an hour ago. By the time a medical team had arrived he was barely clinging to life. It was by shear luck that the medics had managed to pull through and resuscitate Ironwood, who was to be sent back to Atlas Academy for further treatment.
The students watched as Ironwood's body was carried away on a stretcher, with two groups paying particular interest to the scene before them.
"Damn...the Reaper did that to him?" Mercury muttered as the ship carrying Ironwood slowly turned and left Beacon. "Guys got balls, I'll give him that..."
"He's gotta be pretty tough to take on an entire battalion by himself..." Emerald silently replied, before turning to face Cinder. "You sure we should be trying to kill him? Sounds like he could be pretty useful..."
"Do I detect a hint of fear, Emerald?" Cinder silently asked, turning to face her 'comrade' with narrowed eyes.
"Just a suggestion...I'm not sure we can take him otherwise..." Emerald nervously replied, turning her head to the left slightly as the Atlesian ship soon left their line of sight.
"You said that about the Maiden, yet we still managed to beat her...this Reaper is nothing more but a man in WAY over his head." Cinder replied as she turned to leave, followed closely by Mercury and Emerald.
"Gotta admit," Mercury interrupted, rubbing his head as he spoke. "Emerald does have a point. The Reaper is spreading more fear in Vale faster than we could have during the Tournament."
"I didn't ask for your opinion, Mercury, nor do I care for it." Cinder sternly replied, causing the silver haired assassin to gulp loudly. "The plan remains the same. Use Team RWBY and JNPR to find out what you can about the Reaper so we may make our move..."
As Cinder turned the corner out of sight, Mercury huffed loudly as he shook his head in annoyance.
"This wasn't in my contract..." Mercury muttered, before turning to face Emerald, who was looking at him with an unimpressed stare.
"You don't HAVE a contract dumb-ass!" Emerald replied as she turned to follow Cinder, leaving Mercury alone before he too turned to leave.
00000000
"Oh god, this is bad!" Ruby said as she looked nervously to her left and right where the rest of her team were standing.
"That's putting it lightly sis'..." Yang muttered as the blonde brawler turned to head back into Beacon, followed closely by the rest of RWBY.
"How could one man effectively destroy nearly half of the VPD and Atlas token force in a single strike?" Weiss asked, attempting to make sense of the chaos. Ozpin had mentioned that the Reaper was responsible for Ironwood's condition, so it didn't take much working out to link the Reaper and the attack together.
"That's why we need to find Morrison." Blake replied. The rest of Team RWBY looked at the Faunus in confusion before speaking.
"Err...Blake? You do realise Morrison is dead, right?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion as the Faunus turned to face her.
"Maybe, but maybe there might be a clue at his grave." Blake replied, causing even more confusion.
"Blake, face the facts. The guy at the warehouse wasn't Morrison." Weiss retorted, earning nods from the other Huntresses in return.
"It was him Weiss, and I can prove it!" Blake said, turning sharply to face the Heiress.
"How?" Weiss questioned, stopping in her tracks alongside the others.
"After Ozpin found us, I did some digging." Blake explained, looking around in case any unfriendly eyes were watching. "Morrison and his team were buried in a crypt at the local graveyard. We might find some information about him there."
"What sort of information are we talking about?" Yang asked, crossing her arms as she spoke.
"I'm not sure, but if you're right and Morrison is in fact dead, there's bound to be some form of memorial from an admirer." Blake replied. As she spoke she was sounding less and less sure of herself, but she wouldn't forgive herself if she at least didn't check it out.
The rest of Team RWBY looked at one another, looks of doubt clearly etched on their face. It was nearly a full minute before anyone spoke.
"Well then," Yang said, a clear smirk on her face. "Let's go dig up some old bones."
"It's a crypt, Yang. You're not buried in a crypt." Weiss corrected, sighing loudly to herself. "Not to mention it's still illegal!"
"Only if you get caught." Yang quickly rebutted, grinning widely as she turned to walk towards the ships that transported students to the streets of Vale.
"It's still illegal!" Weiss shouted, quickly catching up with the blonde brawler, followed closely by Blake, who stopped when she noticed Ruby wasn't following.
"What's wrong Ruby?" Blake asked, turning to face the young reaper, who was looking from side to side, concern clearly written on her face.
"Shouldn't we go tell JNPR or even Mercury and Emerald what we're doing?" Ruby asked, looking around warily as she slowly joined the rest of her Team.
"Too many people looking around in the graveyard will only attract attention. Besides," Blake paused, looking around before continuing. "I don't trust them."
"Who? Mercury and Emerald?" Ruby asked, tilting her head inquisitively. Blake merely nodded in response, causing the other Huntresses to look at Blake in confusion.
"Why don't you trust them? They seem nice enough." Yang asked, causing Ruby to nod in agreement.
"I can't say for sure, but they seem...familiar somehow." Blake replied. She swore she had seen them somewhere else before, but couldn't quite place it.
"I will admit," Weiss added, causing the group to turn in her direction. "It is rather odd that they'd be so eager to help us."
"Look, we should focus on it another time." Blake quickly interrupted, not wanting to get knocked off track. "Right now, we have a tomb to visit."
The other three Huntresses nodded in agreement, turning once again towards the airships, not caring for the eyes watching them.
00000000
Soldier 76 moved quickly through the backstreet's of Vale, hidden from the view of the citizens of Vale. He quickly vaulted over a wall, making his way closer to his destination. He hadn't meant to disappear on Winston like that, but he knew he would have asked questions he wasn't all too comfortable answering.
He glanced up at the air as the sound of a Bullhead's engines became louder. He quickly hugged the wall as the Military grade airship passed overhead before continuing. The sound of a crow cawing soon caught his attention as he soon spotted the black feathered bird, which in response swiftly flew away.
He was getting closer, that much was obvious.
He continued forward when a thin black rail came into view. Quickly vaulting over the obstacle, he continued to move, though admittedly slower then he had been before. The dead deserved his respect after all, most were innocent men and women that had died before their time. In the centre of the graveyard was a stone statue of a hooded, faceless being wielding a scythe whilst a pair of angelic wings were opened widely either side.
He continued along the dirt path, dipping his head low as he passed multiple gravestones. He continued until he came across a small crypt sitting upon the western side of the graveyard. The crypt was closed with no names written upon it, but he didn't need the names to know who was inside.
He gently grabbed hold of the door knob, pulling it softly as the great doors groaned. Light immediately beamed into the crypt, showing a flight of stairs that descended deep underground. He quickly flicked a switch on his visor, a beam of light quickly emitting from the right side of the mask. Slowly he descended the stairs, making sure to watch his step on the decrepit stone whilst his hand felt along the side of the wall.
Eventually, he made his way to the bottom of the crypt, where four stone sarcophagus' rested. No matter how many times he did this, it never got easier. And with what was going down in Vale right now, it was only going to get worse.
He sighed loudly as he clasped his hands together and bowed his head in silent prayer, reading the names on the sarcophagus' in his head.
Amélie Lacroix...Reinhardt Wilhelm...Gabriel Reyes and...John Morrison.
He sighed as he read out the last two names. If only he had done something different, if only he had been there for them things could have gone differently.
"Gabriel...I'm sorry I didn't listen..." He quietly muttered, moving his hands to the mask on his face and removing it. His eyes adjusted to the sudden change of lighting as he moved closer to Gabriel's sarcophagus, planting his hand on the corner of the lid and squeezing it tightly.
"I just pray that this isn't you causing all this death, but if it is...know this isn't easy." Soldier 76 admitted, rubbing his eyes as he turned to leave the tomb. As he turned however, something caught his eye. The lid of his sarcophagus was slightly ajar.
Confused, he turned to the lid, pushing it further ajar as he looked inside. As he gazed into the crypt, he froze. His hand reached down into the stone coffin and grasped a hold of one of the objects hidden inside.
A white tulip that had begun to show signs of decay.
His eyes widened as he looked at the near dead flower in his hands. He quickly placed the flower back in the coffin and his hand reached for the second item, a folded piece of paper. Before his hand could reach it however, he heard something. Footsteps and muffled voices in clear debate.
There was no time to investigate further it seemed. He quickly clipped the mask in his hands back on his head, the device locking onto his face with a hiss of compressed air. He then moved to place the sarcophagus' lid back on with all his strength as the sounds got louder. As the lid slid back into position, he turned to run up the stairs, but he felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
For now, he could find peace.
00000000
"I still think this is a bad idea." Weiss complained as she stepped over multiple rocks and roots that were sticking out of the ground.
"Oh come on Weiss! Where is your sense of adventure?" Yang shouted back as she hopped over a decrepit log that was covered in fungus and lord knows what else.
"Don't you think we should be a little more careful?" Weiss asked as she carefully followed the rest of her Team through the graveyard. "Especially after what happened to FRYA?"
The other Huntresses went quiet at Weiss' statement. Team FRYA had barely been a minute out of Beacon when they were snatched. Eye witness accounts stated that a black shadow descended upon them before disappearing, taking FRYA with them.
"Meh..." Yang muttered as she continued on her path unabated.
Weiss sighed loudly at her Team-mates careless behaviour. As she stepped over another fallen log, she felt her foot squish on something soft. Looking down, she saw her shoe caked in what she hoped was mud. Weiss cringed as she wiped the 'mud' on the floor before continuing.
"I hate graveyards..." Weiss mumbled as she continued to walk forward.
The four Huntresses continued through the graveyard, making sure to not disturb the dead buried there. It didn't take long before they found themselves in the centre of the complex, looking around for any sign of a crypt.
"This place always gives me the creeps..." Ruby whimpered as she gazed at the statue, shivering slightly as she hurried along. All four Huntresses stopped when Blake spotted something out of place.
"What is it?" Yang asked, leaning forward as Blake knelt on the floor, her hand stroking the ground lightly.
"Tracks, Military Grade Boots by the looks of it." Blake replied as she quickly rose. "Someone's here, and judging from how fresh these tracks are, they've been here recently."
Before any of the other Huntresses could make a comment, the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching caught their attention. Turning to the sound, they found a man rapidly exiting a crypt before skidding to a halt upon spotting them. A man Blake immediately recognised.
"It's him!" Blake yelled, her eyes wide in shock.
The man quickly bolted to the right, heading towards the fencing of the graveyard.
"Don't worry, I've got him!" Yang shouted, activating Ember Celica as she quickly ran forward to cut the man off.
"Yang! Wait!" Blake shouted as she attempted to grab the blonde brawler, but she was already out of reach.
"Don't worry, she can handle herself." Ruby replied, causing Blake to begrudgingly nod before turning to the crypt the man had ran from.
"You're right, let's see what he was doing here." Blake finally said, turning to rush towards the crypt, followed closely by Weiss and Ruby.
00000000
Yang sprinted off ahead as Blake attempted to call her back, but she chose to ignore her. She had already nearly caught up with the man and she wasn't going to give up now. With a burst of Ember Celica, she leaped into the air and barrelled towards the man, landing on his back with a grunt and causing him to fall onto the ground with a grunt. As he hit the floor, Yang rolled off and resumed a fighting stance as the man did likewise.
"Back off kid! I don't wanna hurt you!" the man warned, raising his fists slowly as he brought them close to his chest.
"Whatever you say pal..." Yang smirked, before charging towards the masked man.
The man quickly spun around and flipped her over his back, sending her to the floor. Yang quickly recovered and fired Ember Celica again, the force sending her forward towards the man. The man followed suite and charged forward as well. Yang quickly fired a burst from Ember Celica which was easily dodged by the assailant, who quickly flipped into the air and delivered a kick to Yang's jaw, sending her to the ground with a thud.
The man landed soon after and turned to run again. Yang quickly jumped up off the floor to see the man turn a corner into a nearby alleyway. Yang smirked at her good luck, she knew this place like the back of her hand and knew that led to a dead end. Yang quickly spun around the corner to see the man...gone.
"What the..." Yang muttered as she looked around for any sign of the mysterious individual. But so far, there was nothing. Not even a sign that he'd been here. Yang narrowed her eyes as she slowly backed away, before turning around and sprinting back towards the graveyard.
00000000
Blake, Weiss and Ruby approached the crypt, looking down the darkened hallway that descended underground. Quickly taking her scroll out, Blake activated the device's torch app, lighting up the passageway before them. Slowly descending down the stairwell, they found themselves in a large room with four sarcophagus' inside.
"Who are they?" Ruby whispered, leaning forward to inspect the plaques on the front.
"Let's see..." Blake replied, scanning the plaques on the front of the sarcophagus'. "Amélie Lacroix...Reinhardt Wilhelm...Gabriel Reyes...and John Morrison."
"JAGR..." Weiss whispered back, causing Blake to silently nod her head. Blake then went to move forward, only for Weiss to grab her. "What are you doing?!"
"Checking the coffin..." Blake replied, turning around only for Weiss to pull her back again.
"Don't you think that's a little disrespectful!" Weiss hissed, only for the Faunus to brush her hand away.
"We've not come this far just to stop!" Blake retorted, turning to the lid of Morrison's sarcophagus and pushing it open with all her might.
Eventually, she managed to push the stone coffin open and looked in shock at what was within. Not the body of John Morrison, but a decaying white flower and a folded piece of paper.
"What is it?" Ruby asked as she leaned closer to Blake. Blake replied by simply passing the two items to the young reaper.
"That's a tulip...but why is it all decayed?" Weiss asked, taking the dead flower from Ruby's hand.
Ruby shrugged as she unfolded the piece of paper in her hands. As she unfolded it, it soon became apparent it was a photograph. The picture showed John Morrison and who she could only assume was Gabriel Reyes standing side by side with wide grins painted on their faces.
"They look...happy..." Ruby commented as she passed the picture to Weiss, who then passed it to Blake.
"His body isn't here..." Blake replied, gesturing to the sarcophagus. "Now do you believe me?"
"This doesn't prove anything." Weiss huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "For all we know-"
Weiss was cut off when the sounds of footsteps descending caught their attention. As they turned, they were met by none other then Yang, who was clearly out of breath.
"Yang! You okay?" Ruby asked, rushing up to her sister who quickly nodded as she took a deep breath.
"The guy got away." Yang explained, looking up to face Blake and Weiss. "One second he was there, the next he was gone."
"What were you thinking running off like that?!" Weiss scolded, sending a glare towards Yang who merely rolled her eyes in response. "You could have gotten killed!"
"Look, it doesn't matter now!" Blake quickly interrupted, intercepting the two Huntresses in an attempt to calm Weiss down. "We should get going, it'll be dark soon."
The other members of Team RWBY nodded as they ascended the stairwell, ready to leave the god forsaken crypt and hopefully not come back. Suddenly and without warning, the crypt doors suddenly slammed shut, the sound of a lock sliding coming soon after.
"What the hell?!" Yang shouted as she pounded on the crypt door, attempting to pull the door open.
"What just happened?!" Weiss frantically asked as Yang continued to hit the door, yet to no avail.
"Guys..." Blake whispered, causing the other three Huntresses to turn their attention to the Faunus, who was looking around warily, fear clear in her eyes. "I think we're trapped."
00000000
Dun dun dun! What will happen next? Find out next time. If you liked the chapter, feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Leave in your review and I'll answer them next time around.
Raging Archon out.