Chapter 11: "Revenance"

A week later, almost everyone at Menagerie had been transported to the Branwen Tribe's camp. Given that they weren't Huntsmen officially, the Faunus from Menagerie blended in well with the crowd, despite their obvious... differences. When they weren't sending reports to Ghira, they trained with their chieftain as well as Raven and her tribe. As for Atlas, their soldiers were split in half. They were divided between Pro-Huntsman and Anti-Huntsman. Those that chose to fight with the Huntsman stayed with Winter, Penny, and their faction. Those that chose to fight against Huntsmen engaged rebellion against Ironwood and Klein, who had his hands full enough with the riotous angry mob, only to deal with them as well. Abraham and his men were informed of this crisis by Raider, so they engaged in espionage within the forests to report updates to the situation. Amidst the circumstances, Cinder was struggling to get used to her new Grimm upgrade just as Raider came in to check on her.

"You okay?"

"I don't know. I have... mixed feelings about it."

"Yeah. So did I. Well, in my previous situation."

"No. I mean, I'm happy that I saved Ruby, but... did I really have to become... this?"

Raider sighed before he spoke.

"Well, I never asked to be born with that, either. But it happened anyway."

This made Cinder close her Grimm hand before speaking to him.

"Tell me something. This... 'situation' of yours. How did you get used to this?"

"That's the thing. I never did. But I had to deal with what I had."

With that, Raider walked out of the door before Qrow cleared his throat, catching his attention before he spoke to him.

"Let me guess? Another pickup?"

"Yeah. Hopefully the last one."

"That's what you said yesterday. But, if it'll help speed it along..."

As Raider opened another portal and left for Menagerie, Oscar walked over to Qrow before he spoke to him.

"Hey, Qrow? Skye wants to tell us something."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Her story. About everything she's been through."

This made Qrow's eyes widen before he spoke.

"Is that right?"

As Qrow walked over with Oscar, Neo spoke to Vernal with Yang, Nico, Winter, Logan, and Weiss about her role as Winter Maiden. Upon hearing this news, they just couldn't believe it.

"What? You're the Winter Maiden?"

"For real?"

"How did that happen?"

"Aren't Maidens usually good guys?"

"This is just hard for me to believe."

Neo only smirked at them.

"It's true. Vernal, do you mind showing them?"

Vernal looked at her skeptical group before she spoke.

"Well, the idea is to stay hidden, but if you insist..."

With that, Vernal's eyes gave off a blue flame as she held her hands out. With that, the clouds started growing bigger before the wind started blowing toward them. As it felt that they were getting close to being literally blown away, Nico spoke to her.

"Okay, stop! We get it now."

With that, Vernal stopped the winds before Neo spoke.

"See? Told you."

As this happened, Qrow, Karse, and Ozpin/Oscar were around Skye as the first of the three spoke to her.

"So, from what Ruby told us, you had a friend before? Is that safe to say?"

"Yeah. But I never told anyone about him. Not even my parents. They... wouldn't have understood. Mom was the quiet one. I think she was afraid of me. And Dad... I was afraid of him. But it was okay. Because I had my friend waiting for me in the woods. We played together every day after school. I was happy. I thought it would last forever. Nothing lasts forever. The other kids still hated me. But one day... they took it too far. It hurt. It wasn't anything new, though... but it was different this time. This time... I saw red. I didn't even know my friend was nearby. It was like he knew I was angry and came running. I know he only wanted to protect me... but my friend was angry, too. I felt it. He was gonna make sure they never hurt me again. I calmed down. I begged him to stop. We weren't monsters. He listened to me... but it was too late. People knew about me."

Karse can imagine how well it worked out for her.

"And I assume that at some point, news spread all the way to your parents."

"Right. They didn't understand. Just like I thought. They called me a monster, too. I tried to explain that my friend was different. That made Dad mad... really mad... and he... he... I don't know what he did, but the next thing I knew, I saw red again. And my friend was there. Just like before. But this time— this time I wasn't fast enough to stop him... or at least that's what I told myself at the time. But deep down I think I knew. The Grimm has only attacked because I told it to. I didn't want this. Did I? Regardless of whether or not I did, the reality of what I'd done froze me up. And that was the opportunity they needed. Mom screamed for help. And the men with guns came in."

Qrow knew it meant one thing.

"Atlesian soldiers."

"They'd been waiting for a signal. My parents had a trap set for me."

Karse can easily guess what else came next.

"And the soldiers. They tried to take you away?"

"Yeah. My friend didn't like that. He wasn't going to let anyone else hurt me. But there were too many. I told my friend to run. But he wouldn't listen. He wanted to protect me. My best friend..."

As Skye hesitated for a moment, Ozpin spoke softly.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell us everything."

"No... it's fine... they murdered my best friend in front of me. But that wasn't the worst part. We had been linked after all. Ever since that day in the forest. I felt what he felt, and vice versa. And I felt everything. Anger, fear, pain, death. I didn't take it well. Do you know what it's like? To be connected to something in a spiritual level? To have it be part of you? And then to have that part ripped out of your own mind?"

Knowing the question was directed at him, Ozpin answered honestly in spite of his reincarnation process.

"No. I don't."

"I didn't think so. I didn't know what I was becoming. I felt something inside myself awaken. Something old. And angry. But... in the end... I guess it didn't matter what I was turning into. Like I said before. I was just a little kid."

Qrow knew what Crimson meant by having shot her in Chrysallium now as he spoke.

"So that's how Chrysallium became a ghost town. Those Atlesian soldiers picked the wrong day to take charge. Crimson was there, too. In fact, he was the one who shot you."

"Yeah. I remember that. That should've been it. My story should've ended then and there. It... would have been for the best... for everyone. But as everything started to fade away... I reached out for help again. And something answered. That thing was sleeping deep down inside me. I don't know why it did what it did. I wasn't exactly in a position to ask, but for some reason, it decided to save me. And I was never able to call upon its power again. I almost would have been thankful... if it hadn't left me right in their hands. I don't remember much after that. But my eyes never forgot what I saw. Now I saw them for what they really were. But my story wasn't over. Like you, they wanted answers. And frankly, so did I. Atlas was where we'd find them."


Speaking of Atlas, Ironwood and Klein were having difficulty trying to deal with their situation as he spoke to the general.

"I've never seen such an angry mob in all of my life!"

"Barak. His message practically brought us and our kingdom to a crawl. What could possibly be worse?"

As he asked that, a door opened before Klein and Ironwood turned to see Whitley walking toward them with a devilish smile.

"Hello, gentlemen. I believe you have something of mine. And I'd love for you to give it back."

"Oh, yeah? Or else what?"

"Well, I'll just let my friend explain."

With that, a tall Paladin armor coated in black coloring with red eyes on the helmet of it as it spoke.

"Long time no see, Jimmy!"

Ironwood knew who was in that armor.

"Barak."

"For 30 years, I've been holding you up!"

Suddenly, Barak lunged toward them as he thwacked Klein away before gripping the General.

"Nothing is going to stand in my way."

With that, he slammed him to the floor before he pointed his guns at his face.

"Least of all, you."

As Barak held him at gunpoint, Whitley calmly walked over to Klein before he spoke.

"Now. I'd like to have my throne back, if you please."

Klein only retaliated as he spoke.

"Not on your life, boy. Weiss is the true heir. So if you want it, you'll have to contend with her."

"Hmm. Interesting. Perhaps I will."


At the camp, Skye had told them her experiences at a place in Atlas named 'The Spire' where deadly secrets of Remnant were sent there before she broke out. Ozpin could tell she was working up her last nerve remembering it as he spoke softly to her.

"If... you need to take a moment before contin—"

"I went back, you know."

"Hm?"

"Back home. Heh. It feels strange using a word like that to describe that place. Homes are supposed to be places you feel safe. It was about a year ago, I think. I don't know what I experienced to find there. Closure, maybe? But all I found... was a massacre I'd been six years too late for. I later found out that the entire town had been wiped out by a Grimm horde. One that just happened to show up an hour after I was taken. Doesn't take a genius to guess what brought them there."

Qrow can easily guess whose horde it was.

"Much less who. Crimson. The guy hates humanity as much as he hates Raven. At this point, nothing would surprise me."

"It was called one of the most devastating Grimm attacks in decades. A village that size disappearing overnight was unheard of. He stood mourned my hometown of Chrysallium. It was labeled a disaster. Mortifying. A tragedy. Unjust. Undeserved. And I agree."

As she tensed at this, her eyes glowed red as she spoke.

"Because they'd deserved so much worse."

Karse then spoke to Skye about that topic as he stamped his cane to the floor.

"Don't even dare think it, child! Thoughts like that are what made Crimson the monster he is today. And you know what I said about this before."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Ozpin then got back to the conversation.

"You said six years had passed. Where were you during that time?"

"Heh. I was enjoying the hospitality of the Atlesian Military. You can guess how well that worked out."

Qrow felt it was true.

"Yeah. Like heck. Uh, thank you, Skye. For opening up to us."

"Really? That's it?"

"For now. Oz, Karse, and I are going to talk about this for a while."

Ozpin then spoke to Skye next.

"In the meantime, why don't you gather everyone else to discuss our plans?"

"Okay."

As Skye walked away, Qrow then spoke to him.

"Things aren't looking good, Oz."

"Ever the optimist. While I would not say our current predicament is... ideal, I think we can both agree that the situation could be much worse. Humanity is a resilient force."

Karse then spoke about the downsides of it.

"In goodness, yes. But, unfortunately, just as resilient in wickedness. This is because they change their path to good or evil. Always constant. But from what we've been told, not even that stalemate can last forever."

"The old guy's got a point, Oz. Pro Huntsmen don't just bite it all at once. It would've made sense after this anti-Huntsman business started, but before? Salem's powerful. It seems like her reach is growing by the day, all the way to Ruby, even. What does that say about humanity?"

"That there are indeed a misguided few who have filled their hearts with malice, like Crimson. It doesn't take a great number of people to cause harm. But I still believe there are far more people in this world willing to prevent it."

"Yeah? Tell that to Skye. Her life is no happy story."

"And perhaps you should tell that to everyone else here, Qrow. Their stories aren't any happier either."

Just then, they heard Skye coming back with Ruby as the latter cleared her throat.

"Um... excuse me?"

Skye then explained the short number of students as she stepped up.

"Ruby has something to say, Professor. She needed me for support."

"Ah, Miss Rose. Join us. We were just about to gather everyone to discuss our next steps."

"Oh, uh, great."

As she and Skye walked closer, Qrow spoke to them.

"Something on your mind, kiddo?"

"Listen... I'm sorry about everything I did."

Karse then spoke softly to her.

"None of us blame you, Ruby. None of it was you. It was the comet's corrosive and venomous influence. You have nothing to apologize for."

"Okay. And, um, it's... if it's okay to ask."

"Of course."

"Well, uh... we've been talking about the Relic at Haven, the Spring Maiden, and the Winter Maiden, But... what about the Fall Maiden?"

Ozpin knew who she was talking about.

"Cinder. And Pyrrha. Two halves of a single whole."

"Right. Does that mean... Salem has the Beacon relic?"

"Very astute, Miss Rose. I was wondering who would be the first to ask."

"So, does she have it or not?"

"No, Skye. Thankfully, she does not. It's true that the Relic at Haven is very much at risk, and for now, that should remain our primary focus."

"So, what about the Fall Relic?"

"Let's just say I made finding the Relic at Beacon a... bit more challenging than at the other schools."

This made Ruby and Skye sigh in relief.

"Oh. That's good to hear."

"It is. But let's not forget the challenges that still lie before us."

Ruby and Skye nodded to him before Ozpin spoke again.

"Now, is there anything else we can help you with?"

"Oh, uh... well, I did have one more question..."

"No, my cane is not a relic."

"I have no more questions."

This made Ruby, Ozpin, and Skye laugh before he spoke again.

"Yes, while this cane is indeed very precious to me, it is also just that— precious to me. While I admit it still has a few more tricks up its sleeve, I can firmly say that bring a Relic isn't one of them. Now why don't you run and get the other students?"

"Okay."

As Ruby and Skye took off to get them, Qrow turned to Ozpin before he spoke.

"You know going back to Haven will most likely result in a war zone, right?"

"Yes. But there's no other choice to get the Relic of Knowledge."

"Things aren't looking good, Oz."

"I know. I just hope Abraham and his men can find a way around this."

Suddenly, Raider opened a portal to the camp and walked out with Mata, Lavender, and Adam before he noticed the professor looking to him.

"Well, that's just about everyone. I gotta say, it's looking really cramped at the moment."

Then, Karse stood up before he spoke.

"Not everyone. There's one more left."

"Really? Who else could be left?"


Far away, a blue portal opened in Atlas to reveal Raider and Karse walking out of it before noticing a store labeled "Tukson's Book Store" with the catchphrase "Every new and used book under the sun". Before Raider stated his confusion.

"Wait. I only remember seeing that in Vale. How is it...?"

"All can be explained in due time, my friend."

As Raider and Karse walked in, the owner of said store turned to see Raider and Karse as he spoke to them.

"Welcome to Tukson's Book Store. Every new and used book under the..."

Upon seeing Karse, Tucson greeted him with a smile.

"Good to see you again, old timer."

This made Karse chuckle a bit before speaking.

"Oh, you youth and your flattery."

"Wait. How do you know this guy?"

"Tukson and I go as far back as when you were born."

"Okay, but what makes him so special?"

"In light of his difficult past, I gave him a few special gifts."

"And what are they?"

"The first is merely a book: the Third Crusade, authored by myself. A detailed history of the first Grimmites that contained valuable key information that mustn't fall into the wrong hands. As for the second? Well, let's just say this cat has more than nine lives."

As Tukson laughed at this, Raider widened his eyes.

"You just had to rope that one up, didn't you?"

"Wait. Are you saying he's... immortal?"

"By technicality, it is known as Revenance. It allows him to recover from any otherwise fatal injuries. But it varies depending on the extent of them."


As Karse explained, a flashback showed him first walking to Vale before seeing Mercury and Emerald walking out of his bookstore. Upon seeing this, Karse had an uneasy feeling before looking in to see Tukson lying on the ground to his horror as he ran over to him.

"As I said, we went way back. I was planning to bestow my second gift to him when I had noticed that something disastrous was afoot. Once I looked in his shop, I found him... slain. I could not let my dear friend leave this world with his duty unfinished."

Then, Karse put his cane over his fresh corpse before incanting a prayer over him.

"O Great Spirit from the heavens, I beseech you to renew this man's life with everlasting vigor!"

Suddenly, a yellow light came over him before his broken flesh instantly regenerated and he gave a sudden gasp of air before he painted heavily to see Karse above him.

"K-Karse?"

"Long time, no see, my friend."


"In short, he will be a valuable asset to our cause, assuming, he's willing to make the choice."

"What does that mean?"

"When we first met, he'd just strayed from the White Fang's path. He'd been used to kill for many years. He wanted out of that life. So, when I renewed him with Revenance, I still offered him a choice. Either to fight for a just cause or to retreat to Atlas and be a man of peace."

"And let me guess: he chose option number two? Can't say I blame you, Tukson. I wondered what that would've been like, too."

Then, Tukson spoke about their presence.

"Forgive me for asking, but why are you here?"

"We're here, because this time, we need your help. If Haven Academy falls, things will only be worse for you and your kind. Whether you like it or not."

Tukson hesitated for a moment before he spoke.

"I appreciate that you want my help, but... I can't. I left that life for a reason."

"I don't doubt that. But now, every Faunus in Menagerie is willing to fight for it."

Raider then spoke up about them.

"And believe me, he does mean every Faunus."

Hearing this, Tukson widened his eyes before Karse spoke.

"This is a time of such a dire crisis that not even the pacifists can ignore. We need your help."

Tukson looked at the two of them before he spoke.

"Alright. Maybe I will help. But let's get one thing straight: I'm not a killer. Not anymore."

Karse smiled at him proudly as he gazed upon the tall Puma Faunus.

"That's what we're counting on."


Meanwhile, Oscar decided to train himself as he thrusted his staff and swung it as if it were a sword before panting in exhaustion as Ruby spoke to him.

"You're really getting better, huh?"

When Oscar looked behind him, he noticed Ruby and Skye before the latter spoke.

"Everyone's gathered at the campfire. They're waiting for Oz."

Oscar then explained the reason for the stall.

"Well, Ozpin is waiting for Raider and Karse to come back. It'll be a while. So..."

"Oh. I see."

Ruby then complemented on Oscar's training as she giggled.

"Wow. You look like a natural."

"It's strange. I have only had this cane for a few weeks, but... I felt like I've had it for a lifetime. Longer, even."

This made Oscar paused as he realized the words coming out of his mouth.

"I sound like a crazy person."

Ruby felt otherwise.

"I mean, uh, yeah just a little. But at this pace, you'll be combat ready in no time!"

Hearing this, Ruby covered her mouth before giggling.

"Oops. Looks like Pyrrha's got me saying it now."

As she giggled to herself, Skye felt confused.

"You know, I really thought I had a handle on your personality."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, after everything that's happened... how are you handling all of this?"

Oscar then spoke up next.

"Yeah. I could ask you the same. I'm... scared. I've more scared than I've ever been in my life, than I ever thought was possible. I always knew I wanted to be more than a farmhand, but this? Who would ask for this?"

Seeing where he was coming from, Ruby walked over and spoke to him.

"We all went to Beacon because we wanted to help people. But, you're right. None of us asked for this either."

Skye then spoke to Ruby again.

"Then how are you handling this? It's just... people have tried to kill you or make you like them. Literally, the whole world is going to go to war all over again. At least from what I heard. How can you be okay with any of this?"

Ruby then held her head down before she answered.

"When Beacon fell, I lost my best friend. It would've been two if it wasn't for Raider. Penny Polendina and Pyrrha Nikos. I didn't know them for very long, but that doesn't change the fact that they were two of the most kind-hearted people I've ever met. Though, I can't say that's what saved them. Pyrrha thought if there was even the smallest chance of helping someone, then it was a chance worth taking. And because of that, she could've died in a battle she knew she couldn't win. The only reason Raider saved her was because he felt Pyrrha was the better Fall Maiden. And Penny... was killed... just to make a statement."

This confused Skye before she asked her.

"Then, how is she...?"

"Raider convinced her father to fix her up. Sorry. I thought I mentioned that. But, even that's not the worst of it. I... I never got to know my mom. She was killed in battle against Raven, trying to get the Spring Maiden back. And it didn't stop there. Salem had me convinced that she was the Spring Maiden. I got so angry at her for that that I tried to hurt Raven the way I was hurt: by taking away the person she loved most: Yang. I was... cruel. Heartless."

As Ruby remembered what she did, she began to shed tears.

"Once I killed Yang... I enjoyed it. And I hated it. I hated what I was becoming. And I took it all out on Raven just to get even. If it wasn't for Jaune and Raider... I wouldn't be seeing her again."

Then, Oscar spoke to her, feeling bad about what she went through.

"I'm... sorry."

"I am scared. But not just for me. What happened at Beacon, what happened at Kuroyuri, they show that Salem doesn't care if you're standing against her or not. She doesn't even care about her own people! She'll kill and/or corrupt anybody, and that scares me most of all. Pyrrha... Penny... my mom... I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt to think about what could've happened, that I didn't think about them every day since we split up, that I didn't wish I'd spent more time with them. If it had been me that was killed, and if no one had been there to save me, I know they would have kept fighting, too, no matter how dangerous it was. So that's what I choose to do — to keep moving forward."

As Oscar nodded to her, Ruby nodded to him back as she wiped her tears before she put her hand on Oscar's shoulder and spoke.

"C'mon. Everyone's waiting for us."

As she walked over to the fire, Ruby stopped before she turned to Oscar.

"Hey, Oscar? The fact that you're even trying says a lot about you. You're braver than you think."

Just then, a portal opens to show Raider, Tukson, and Karse as the Elder spoke.

"What she speaks is the truth, lad. You've done remarkably well in spite of our current circumstance. If that isn't the mark of the champion, I don't know what is."

Then, as Ruby nodded to them, she, Raider, Tukson, Karse, and Skye walked back over to the fire before Oscar walked with them as he heard his voice.

"She really is remarkable, isn't she?"

"Yeah. She must've been one of the best Huntresses at Beacon, huh?"

"In some ways, yes. But in many others... no. She has her quirks, her faults, just like everyone else. But she also possesses something unquantifiable. A spark that can inspire others even in the darkest of times. One that Salem tried to snuff out in hopes that their spirits would be broken."

"This must be really hard for her."

"It most assuredly is. But she understands her role and the responsibility that comes with it. And if I were a betting man, I'd wager she's not done yet."

With everyone present at the camp, Raider spoke out to the outstanding number of allies in the campsite.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Raider Serose. In the past week, following a string of events on both sides, I've never been so surprised by the number of people that chose to stand with us against Barak. Yet, at the same time, I'm disheartened by the number of people that chose Barak over us. I'm just as torn about it as all of you must be. But we mustn't forget that they have their agency. As do all of you. That's why before we press on to Haven Academy, you need to know why it's worth fighting for. No doubt all of you know about the Fall of Beacon, whatever opinion you have about it. But what you don't know is who caused it. And her name... is Salem. My father, Solomon Serose, worked with her for a time until she met my mother Cynthia. When I was born, Salem and her forces saw me not only as a threat, but an asset. They turned to Team STRQ for help to hide me from her. But it didn't work out. When I was 15, they were killed by the White Fang. For a decade, I had the amount of hatred toward them. Not towards the Faunus, or any of their men, but to their leader: Caleb Taurus. He was the extremist responsible for the dust mine cave in at Atlas that cost the life of a human trying to snuff out that hate, a man who gave his life to save them. And I know... because I was there. After that, one day, I fought him and before he fell, I demanded to know who he worked for. That answer was the same person trying to destroy Haven: Salem. The dust mine incident, the Fall of Beacon, and now this whole civil war. They're all being orchestrated by her for one reason only: to divide humanity. Faunus, Humans, Grimmites, all of us. And I can assure you all that Salem is very real. But for all of her attempts to divide us, we've never been more connected. As victims of hate and spite, as brothers-in-arms, as Remnants! Salem tried to divide us because she knew that together, we would be her greatest fear! And while I'm not sure if we'll win this war, we'll send a message that they will never forget! That this is our land! Our kingdoms! Our families! Our people! We belong to no one but ourselves! So I give you one last choice. There's no right or wrong when lives are at stake. So I acknowledge that not everyone has the desire to fight. If you want to leave, I won't stop you. But know that as Blake said before, if you do nothing, others will act in your place. And remember that your homes are at stake everywhere. Whatever you choose, though, we will all stand with you."

As the crowd was silent for a moment, Oscar then raised his hand as he spoke.

"I'll fight. While I can't say I'm not scared... I'm more scared of what'll happen if we don't."

Then, everyone else raised their hands one by one before Raider spoke.

"Is this everyone's final decision?"

Everyone either nodded their heads or replied with a strong and resounding "yes" before he spoke.

"Then everyone knows what they have to do. Everyone in Remnant will remember this, however it ends. This is our stand."