Finally some damn votes! Two chapters I waited for someone to remember that I still need to decide what the gender of CFVY are, other than Velvet. Still need some people to vote for the maiden Idea though.
Coco - Female: 9 - Male: 2
Yatsuhashi - Female: 6 - Male: 2
Fox - Female: 4 - Male: 9
Just cast your votes in a review, as I can't seem to get the Poll's on my profile to work properly.
My Idea to be revealed later: 2
Female Maidens and Male Knights: 1
Now then! RatedRSuperStar87, don't stop commenting on Winston, merely because I take notice of it. I love that people are conflicted over him, he isn't meant to be likable at the moment. I want Winston to be one of those characters that starts out as an antagonist, but then slowly make his was to anti-hero. Be certain that I will never write a chapter with Winston being absurdly polite to someone other than Weiss.
My first few dozen attempts at FF writing suffered from much of the common issues. Be it bad grammar, bulky paragraphs, or overpowered OC's, and I'd like to think I've done a half decent job with Winston, despite the power spike he's going to get with the gloves.
Keep a close watch on what I say about the gloves over volume two by the way, I want to make it's clear just how powerful they are.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own RWBY or any of it's affiliated characters.
Mall Street
There was a thundering boom as Winston crashed down on the street below, scattering the paramedics and police, and startling the crowd gathered around the store. Pulling his feet from the cracked concrete below him, Winston allowed for the white wings on his back to disintegrate into snowflakes before stalking towards the entrance to Vetements.
"Mr. Schnee, I'm afraid we can't let you past." One of the Atlas soldiers said as two of them stepped into his path.
"Out of my way!" Winston snapped as he flicked his hand to the side, causing a spire of ice to erupt from the ground and knock the two men to the ground several feet away.
"Freeze!" Another soldier shouted as he raised his gun and took aim at Winston.
"An excellent suggestion!" Winston growled as he clapped his hands together before spreading his arms and releasing a white pulse that froze the soldiers where they stood. "Maybe now I can have some quiet."
Winston pushed past the frozen soldiers and stalked into the Vetements building, only to be met with a feeling of immediate exhaustion. Quickly stepping back into the open air, he drew Destiny and slashed the nearby windows, allowing for the gas to exit the store. Ever the patient man, Winston froze several bubbles of air onto his back before entering the store again.
A quick scan of the room made him realize that the gas was still being pumped into the building. 'Useless guards. They never even found the source.' Winston thought as he hit each of the vents with a blast of ice dust from Destiny. Walking over to Jean he knelt down and placed one of the air bubbles over her face before lifting her bridal style and carrying her out of the building.
As he exited the store he was met with several angry soldiers and concerned paramedics.
"The Princess! Quickly, get her onto the stretcher!" One shouted as he and three others raced over to Winston. Allowing him little time to decide himself, they took Jean from his arms and raced her back to the ambulance. Winston watched them load her in before he heard the tires start to squeal. He quickly reached for his weapon to stop the vehicle, but was beaten to the punch as a massive great sword planted itself in front of the car.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Jaune asked as he tore the drivers side door off and yanked the man from his seat. "There are still other people in that store! Get more ambulances here and treat them!" He roared as he threw the man to the ground and walked to Winston. "Mind if I borrow this?" He asked as he took one of the bubbles and walked into the store.
Moments later he emerged with Nora and several employee's in his arms. Strolling towards the ambulance, he spared a quick look down to Winston. "There's still one person in there, better get her before the gas does any more damage." Jaune said before turning to place Nora in the arms of a medic.
Winston nodded and turned towards the store, hoping that the final one was his sister. Walking back into the store, Winston noticed that the air was becoming slightly more breathable, but still refused to remove the mask, lest the gas catch him off guard. Taking a look around he noticed a familiar red cloak poking out from behind an overturned table in the back.
'If she's the last one... Then where the hell's my sister?' Winston thought as he took one final look around the room before walking over and removing the table from atop his unconscious leader. He placed one arm under her knee's and another behind her shoulders and pulled her to his chest before standing and walking out of the store. Several paramedics rushed over to take Ruby from his arms, but a quick glare from him stopped them in their tracks.
"You have enough to transport. I shall take this one myself." Winston stated as he pushed past the paramedics into a clearing in the center of the street.
"She could have serious damage to her lungs! You will never make it to the hospital on time by foot!" One of the paramedics snapped as he tried to take Ruby from Winston by force.
"BACK!" Winston roared as he snapped his fingers, causing a spire of ice to appear from the ground and slam into the mans chest, knocking the wind from his lungs and forcing him to his knees. "I never said I was going by foot you fool, but I did say I was taking her with me. The next time you try to go against what I say, I'll have you fired."
"You... You don't have that authority!" The man wheezed as he slowly got to his feet.
Winston shot the man an amused look as he spoke. "Oh really? Just who do you think funds the hospitals in this city? Ask your boss what will happen if the SDC pulls it's funding because one EMT decided they wanted to stand up to Winston Schnee." He hissed as he spun around and continued on with Ruby in his arms, leaving the paramedic with a stunned expression on his face.
"Winston!" Winston turned to see Blake running up to him with a confused expression on his face. "What's going on!?" She asked.
"I don't know." He growled as he shifted Ruby in his arms so his arm was around her waist. "But you can be sure I'm going to find out." He finished as he wrapped his other arm around Blake's waist.
Blake blushed as she turned to Winston with a confused and embarrassed expression. "Winston! What are you-" Blake started before Winston cut her off.
"Just watch." He growled in frustration as two glyph's appeared on each of his shoulder blades. Moments later snow shot forth from the them before wrapping themselves into tight wings. After a few more seconds feathers began to form.
"When did you learn to do this!?" Blake asked in surprise as Winston's wings finished forming. Exhaling, Winston opened his eyes and clenched his hands, causing the wings to start to beat. As they started to rise, Blake grabbed onto Winston tighter.
"Winston! I'm not good with heights!" She shouted as she hugged herself closer to him.
Winston kept his trademark scowl on his face as they rose above the building. He leaned forward and they began to fly towards Schnee Manor.
Undisclosed Location
"Throw them in there." The thin man said as he walked past a large cage. The men behind him turned and tossed the unconscious forms of Yang and Weiss into the cage and slammed the door.
"CAREFUL YOU IDIOTS!" The boss shouted as he stalked up to the cage. "My employer doesn't want the merchandise damaged. Those wings need to be in perfect shape when she goes out on stage." The boss peered into the cage and narrowed his eyes on Yang's wrists. "What are those?" He asked as he pointed down at Ember Celica.
The thin man scratched his chin before shrugging. "Who knows? She's foreign, maybe they're some kind of jewelry."
"Take them away from her." A voice from behind them said as Silas walked into the room. "She won't be needing them where she's going."
"Who're you?!" The thin man asked as he drew his gun and aimed it at Silas's head.
The boss turned sharply and smacked the thin man's gun aside before shouting at the man. "He's my employer you incompetent boob! Now take those things off of her before he has to ask again!"
The thin man shot his boss a glare and turned to the cage with Yang and Weiss. He gave the door a sharp tug, causing the hinges to make a loud screeching noise before colliding with the wall behind it.
The man stalked toward Yang and turned her over before an explosion knocked him into the ceiling above. The people in the room turned toward the loud noise and saw Yang climbing to her feet.
She took a quick glance around the room before grabbing the thin man by the neck and hauling him into the air. "Anyone moves and this guys loses his head!" She shouted as she placed her other gauntlet under his chin.
The boss scowled as he took a step forward. "You ain't really in the position to be giving orders beast. Case you haven't noticed, your surrounded." He said as he waved his hand around the room. A dozen men raised their weapons and aimed them at Yang, each one flipping the safety off as the red dots covered her back.
Yang tightened her hold on the thin mans neck and narrowed her eyes at the boss. "I've got Aura to protect me from those long enough to kill this guy and escape. You really want to see if you can keep me in a cage?"
The boss scowled as he reached behind himself to grab his gun.
*Clap. Clap. Clap.*
Yang and the boss turned to see Silas walk around the boss into full view of the rest of the room, a sickening smile on his face as he clapped his hands.
"Bravo miss Xiao-Long, bravo. I would expect nothing less from a huntress in training." He said as he placed his hands in his pockets.
Yang narrowed her eyes at Silas as he became visible. "Who are you!?" She demanded. "How do you know who I am!?"
The smile never left Silas's face as he walked closer. "I make it a point to learn all that I can about my property. You grew up on Patch, a small and pathetic island off the coast of Vale, your father and uncle are teachers, and you and your little sister were invited here by the Princess herself to attend the royal wedding."
Yang growled as she tightened her hold on the mans neck and shook him. "The hell do you mean your property!?"
Silas stopped a few feet before the cage and spoke. "Quite simple really, I own you and that little white bastard beside you." Silas said as he looked down at Weiss.
Yang glanced down at the still sleeping form of Weiss before glaring up at Silas. "You can't own a person!"
Silas raised a hand to stop her as he started to speak. "Ah, but your not a person! Your some Faunus trash that walked into my kingdom attached to the boot of the Princess. Like some kind of gum wrapper that you find on the street."
Yang growled. "So your a racist, go figure. But do you really think you can get away with this? Think the police will allow you to kidnap someone like this? They're gonna find you and your going to be spending the rest of your life behind bars!"
Silas chuckled. "Oh I think not. You see, here in Atlas we still have slavery. Your species pathetic revolution never made it up here, and whatever did, was captured and put to work. The police know full well what I'm doing, they just don't care!"
Yang yanked the thin man down to eye level and gave Silas a glare. "Then I'll just have to force you to let us go. What's going to happen now, is I'm gonna grab Weiss, then your going to move out of the way and we're gonna walk right through those doors. Otherwise I'll break this guys neck." She finished as she shook the thin man.
Silas began to laugh harder as he heard Yang's demands. "Oh you pathetic creatures always thinking you have the power to make demands of your betters. Did you honestly think that the only precaution to keep you in there was some thin metal bars?" He asked as he pulled a remote out of his right pocket.
Yang looked at the remote with confusion. "What's that for?" She asked warily.
Silas pointed at his neck. "Helps to train the hounds not to bite the masters." He said as he pressed the button on the center.
Yang immediately felt a tingling and burning sensation run through her body as the collar on her neck lit up and began to shock her. She dropped the thin man to the ground and fell to her knees's in pain as she grabbed at the collar. Small bolts of lightning streaked across Yang's crippled form as she fell onto her side, each strike lighting up the dark room a little more. Silas's grin never faltered as he took a knee beside the cell and spoke to Yang.
"You still think you can make demands of me?" He asked as he released the button. Yang let out several ragged breaths before attempting to get to her feet, only to feel a sharp pain in her side as Silas's foot connected with her ribs, sending her sprawling across the stone floor. She felt her wings hit the bars on the opposite wall hard. "You Faunus are nothing more than a failed product of Ohm's great vision. A mistake meant for no purpose other than to server your betters."
Yang coughed some blood as she glared up at Silas with hazy vision. She whispered something under her breath.
Silas crouched down beside her and placed his ear near her head. "What was that? Got something else to say to your new master?" He asked smugly.
...
...
...
*Spit*
Yang spit blood across Silas's face as the man fell back and recoiled away from the crimson liquid pooling around Yang's mouth. "I said, wait until my team catches you." She said with a ragged laugh.
The smile finally left Silas's face as he grabbed the remote from the ground and pressed the button causing Yang's screaming to resume as the collar shocked her relentlessly.
"I can see we're going to have to teach you some manners." He growled as he wiped the blood off his face.
White Castle
The ground shook as Winston landed in the courtyard, his knee's buckling as they met the ground, causing him to drop Ruby and Blake as the three tumbled across the courtyard.
Ruby's unconscious form bounced across the grass before coming to a stop gently before a great tree, while Blake managed to roll into a crouch along a stone path. Winston was not so lucky as his wings threw him off balance in his roll, causing the Schnee to bounce past Ruby into the side of the tree with a loud crack.
Blake watched as Winston crumbled to the ground. "Graceful as ever." She said sarcastically as he began to pry himself from the dirt, groaning as he stood to his full height.
"I'll admit I need to work on my landings. Can't fault me though, I've only flown with them twice. I'm not Yang." He grumbled before crouching down and collecting Ruby into his arms.
"How can you even fly? Yang's bones are genetically enhanced by her Faunus DNA to allow them to be light enough to fly. Even if your Glyphs can create them, they don't have the power to lift you for extended periods of time." Blake said as she picked up Crescent Rose, grunting slightly as she realized just how ridiculously heavy it is.
"Shocking how heavy it is ain't it." Winston said as he saw Blake struggle with the compact weapon. "Amazing a girl her size can swing it around like she does. Absurd strength must run in the family."
Winston motioned for Blake to follow him as he took Ruby through the gardens.
"The gloves."
Blake raised an eyebrow as she turned to Winston. "Pardon?"
"You asked how I can fly. It's the gloves. They give me the ability to fly." Winston said as he kicked the door to the main gate open.
"How could gloves do that?" She asked with a confused look on her face.
Winston grunted as he shifted Ruby on his shoulder. "My great-great-great grandfather created them while he fought alongside King Geppetto in the Great War. They greatly increase the power of my family's Semblance. The power boost they give is so great in fact, that his grandson, my great grandfather, had them sealed away in the family Vault."
Blake frowned. "If they were sealed away, how did you get them?" She asked.
Winston shot her a quick glance before turning to walk down a stone path towards the main entrance of White Castle. "As the head of the Schnee family I have access to the Vault. It had all manner of powerful weapons, magical artifacts from my family's great legacy, and treasures that trace all the way back to the founding of the original four kingdoms."
"So your family's been hoarding powerful weapons since the time of the Great War?" Blake asked with a sarcastic tone.
Winston flinched as he glare over his shoulder at Blake. "I suppose you could look at it that way... Another way you could look at is that the Schnee family has been keeping very powerful artifacts in a safe and secure area."
Blake scoffed. "Please. I don't trust the Military with super weapons, why would a private company with enough of a foot hold in each of the four kingdoms to take them over diplomatically in a night be any more of a worthy owner?" Blake demanded as they approached the steps leading to the main door.
"It's just as you said." Winston said as he pushed the door open. "Why would I need to use the weapons if I can just dominate them without them even knowing?"
"MASTER WINSTON!"
Winston and Blake turned their heads to the left and saw Sebastian sprint into view.
"Where have you been!?" He demanded. "One minute you were tearing the castle apart, the next I hear a wall fall over and your gone!"
"A wall fall over?" Blake asked confused.
"I jumped through a wall when I couldn't find a nearby door or window." Winston said flatly as he adjusted Ruby in his arms.
Sebastian took notice of the girl in Winston's arms and moved closer before removing his glove. He took his glasses from his nose and held them under her nose. After seeing the fog on the lenses he cleaned them then placed them back on his nose.
"Can you help her?" Blake asked as she starred at the tall man.
Sebastian kept his eyes focused on Ruby as he placed his glove into his right palm and quickly slapped Ruby across the face with it.
"COOKIES!" She shouted with a panicked cry as she tumbled out of Winston's arms.
"Ruby!" Blake shouted as she watched her leader slam face first into the marble floor.
"Thank you Sebastian." Winston said as he stepped over Ruby and started down the hall. "This way girls."
Helping Ruby to her feet was a task in and of itself, as she was still quite dazed from the gas and the slap. Once Blake had finally gotten Ruby moving, she had to wrap her arm around her neck to help support her. Eventually, with guidance and help from Sebastian, Blake and Ruby managed to find their way to Winston's study. The room was massive, with one large bay window on the far wall, and a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Bookcases line each wall from floor to ceiling, one ladder on each side with a track that wrapped around into a storage space at the end of the wall.
"About time." Winston grumbled as he shuffled some papers around. "Please, sit." Winston said as he guestured to the chairs before his desk. "Sebastian, you may leave us."
Sebastian bowed as he turned to exit the room. "Shall I have the maids prepare and refreshments sir?"
"No. I have urgent business to discuss with my leader." Winston said as he waved Sebastian away.
As Sebastian closed the door Winston turned to Ruby and Blake. There was a quiet pause as the two took their seats across from Winston.
"Now then, either of you care to tell me where my sister is?" Winston asked calmly.
"Your sister?" Blake asked with a confused tone.
"Yeah... She was with us at the store before I collapsed. I'm not sure what happened next." Ruby said as her brow furrowed.
"So Jean wasn't lying to me then." Winston said as he began to frown. "Where did she go Ruby?"
Ruby placed a hand on her temple as she tried to remember, her mind still hazy from the gas. "Last I saw her, Jean was taking her to the counter to buy her a new shirt. Then I told Yang that I heard some kind of hissing noise, and then everything went dark."
Winston's frown deepened. "Yang wasn't at the store when I got there."
Ruby looked up at Winston in confusion. "What do you mean? Yang was standing right next to me. She's way to overprotective of me to leave my side if I faint."
Winston clenched his fist as his frown began to change into a glare. "When Jaune and I arrived at the store, the only people inside were the employee's, Nora, Jean, and you. Yang wasn't their, my sister neither."
"Then where did she go?" Ruby asked as Blake began to shiver slightly.
"I don't know." Winston growled as he crushed the pen he was holding in his hand. Blake watched as the black ink dripped down onto the desk before freezing solid.
"Maybe Yang woke early and took Weiss to safety?" Blake offered, hoping to calm Winston as she realized that he was causing the temperature to drop.
"Why would Yang need to wake up? I'm the one who fainted." Ruby said as she turned to look at Blake.
"You must have been the first one affected then." Winston said. "With your heightened senses I suppose it would make sense that it would affect you the fastest."
"What affected me?" Ruby asked as she failed to notice the mist leaving her mouth in place of her breath.
"Gas. Someone released a knockout gas into the vents at the store. You and everyone inside was knocked unconscious in minutes." Winston said as he rose to his feet and placed Myrtenaster and Destiny on his desk.
"We were attacked? But by who?" Ruby asked.
"I think that I know exactly who. Or at least I know WHAT they were." Winston growled as he turned to the window.
"Who?" Ruby asked.
"Slavers." Blake spat. "How could I have forgotten? Atlas never gave Faunus any rights, our revolution never made it up here. Any Faunus who came up here was either executed or capture and forced into literal slavery!" Blake shouted as she glared at Winston. "It's how his family business can get away with what they do to our kind!"
"We're not going to get into this right now." Winston growled as frost began to creep up the edges of the window.
"You think that Weiss and Yang were captured by slavers?!" Ruby shouted as she leapt to her feet. "That's impossible!"
Winston was about to respond when the scroll on his desk began to ring. He glanced down at before letting out a deep sigh and pressing the answer button.
"Good to hear from you my King." Winston said as he placed on a VERY false smile.
"WINSTON! Good to hear from YOU lad! I haven't seen you in months! Not since you left for Vale." The voice bellowed over the speaker.
"I would have visited sooner sire, but I'm afraid I've had my hands full since I returned. Running the SDC can be quite taxing." He said with a fake happiness.
"Nonsense! I'll hear none of it! We're to be relatives soon, no excuse for you after that. I trust you shall attend the wedding?" The King asked.
"Of course Sire, someone needs to give the bride away while my father rots in prison." Winston said with a scowl.
"He was a foolhardy man Winston. You did the country a great service by imprisoning him." The king replied. "But that's enough of that unpleasantness. I've been told that you will be attending the auction this weekend before the wedding, yes?"
Winston froze and starred down at the scroll. He paused for a moment then answered. "I have been toying with the idea, yes. Why? It's not often that the royal family will attend an auction. Usually you simply take the ones you want and leave the rest for us to fight over."
"Have you not heard of the line up?" The King asked.
"What line up?" Winston questioned.
"Oh a great many big catches this time around. A tiger from the slums of Vacuo, a Lion from Menagerie, a White Wolf from Atlas, and a Dragon from Vale! It's the most incredible line up I've seen since I was a boy! A Mythological class! I must go now my boy, but I hope that I will see you there this weekend."
The line went dead as the three people in the room stared at the device. Ruby's eyes were wide with horror over what she had heard, while Blake looked furious. She turned to shout at Winston before she stopped completely. Ruby followed her shocked gaze and noticed Winston glaring down at his desk, his hands clenched into fists that were shaking violently. He was growling as his hands began to glow.
Without warning, Winston spun around and glared out his window at the small mansion on the other side of the city. As he shouted, Ice and freezing cold air burst from his spot before encasing the entire room and shattering the windows. Ruby and Blake could hear only one thing shouted over the roaring wind he was creating in his rage.
"SILAS!"
This chapter took way too damn long to complete. I intended to have this done over a month ago, but I had run out of ideas. I took some time off to watch some shows and read some books, and now I have a fresh set of Ideas to use.
On a different note, Have you ever created something you thought was original, then it turns out that you inadvertently copied it from someone else? As fate would have it, Winston, who I thought was original, actually bears shocking resemblance to 'Eis', a gender bent Weiss created by 'Reveriesky' on Deviantart.
In that same thought, he also created Jean and Pyrrhus. And here I thought I was being different. Take a look at his Deviantart page and you'll see it. Only difference is my Jean has short-shorts, and my Pyrrhus has a red overcoat, rather than a red cape.
As always, leave a review if you like the story, or if you didn't like it. If you do check out the person on Deviantart, know that any similarities between their characters and my own, are completely coincidental.
