RWBY: MRRN
Volume 4, Chapter 14: New Weapons
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.
Nasser sat in his home, tired from the fighting to retake Beacon. For once, he was having peace and quiet instead of the constant clashing of weapons against the Grimm that had overrun the school. He was enjoying his mother's famous jambalaya at the family table, taking the sweet relief from the months having to endure Goodwitch's behavior.
"Hey," Ezther greeted. Nasser looked over and gave a weak smile.
"Hey," he replied. She took out a necklace of seashells from her pocket and held them to him.
"I made this for you," she stated. "I hope you like it." Nasser was never a necklace person or a seashell person, but there was no way he could turn down his sister's gifts. He wouldn't be a jerk to her as their brother had secretly been.
"Thanks," he replied as he took it.
"Where's Shafarnasr?" she asked, noticing that he didn't have his weapon any longer.
"I lost it at Beacon," he answered. "I got reckless and they broke."
"Are you going to make new ones?" she asked.
"Maybe," he sighed. "But not right now. I…I just need a break."
"Ezther," Nasser's mom addressed. "I need to talk with Nasser. Do you mind leaving the room for a little bit?"
"Okay, mama," she responded before leaving to go her room. She sat down at the table and placed her hand on her son's shoulder.
"I found out about Cassim," she replied, making Nasser's eyes widen. "Is it true?"
"Yeah," he reluctantly admitted. "I was going to tell you, but…since he died, I…" He exhaled before putting his head on the table.
"I just can't believe everything he did," he stated. "Everything he said was a lie. All he wanted was a way to make more money for himself, even if we were the ones paying the price so he could roll around in it."
"Do you plan on heading back to help retake Beacon?" Ritsika asked. "Or maybe we could send you to one of the other Academies."
"We wouldn't have the money to get me there, other than Shade," Nasser replied, raising his head. "Besides, I haven't checked in with my teammates. I can't just turn my back on them and leave. Even if I did, I don't have a weapon."
"You could," Ritsika suggested, much to Nasser's confusion.
"I don't have the money or resources to make another weapon," the former knife user stated.
"Your father…wanted to give something to your brother, but since they're both gone…" She stood up from her seat and gestured for her son to follow her. She led him to her bedroom and to the closet. There, she reached under her drawers and pulled out a large brown box.
"What is that?" he asked. Ritsika lifted the lid and pulled back paper to show new weapons; an axe-shotgun hybrid and a square shield that appeared to have a function of sorts.
"Your father made these before he died," she explained. "I was going to give them to you, but I decided not to since you already made Shafarnasr. However, since they're gone…" She brought the box over to her bed and placed it down, allowing Nasser to fully view it.
The first weapon had a large axe blade underneath the shotgun barrel, perfect for chopping into anything. It was a great length and weight to be held with either one hand or two hands. The square shield covered up his forearm, appearing more as an offensive weapon rather than defensive. The handle had two buttons on it, making Nasser wonder what they were for.
He pressed the first one and the center of the shield pushed out like a drill, delivering a powerful blow. It made Nasser stumble back a little due to the force of the attack, but he was able to quickly recover.
The second one made the side edges of the shield burst out in all four direction, similar to a radial attack. Unlike the first attack, this one didn't make Nasser stumble back from its force.
He then held up the axe with his free hand. To his amazement, it had an excellent balance that gave him great swinging power and the ability to hold it with one hand without straining him. He swung it a few times, but because of it being a weapon he was unfamiliar with, he didn't recover it efficiently.
"You had these?" he asked Ritsika.
"Your father had these made for Cassim at first, but after he died and then…" Her voice sounded conflicted. She wanted to give Cassim a second chance to reunite with their family, but instead, he betrayed their trust and tried to sell them out for money. She felt stupid for blindly giving her eldest son a second chance; if that explosion hadn't happened, odds are they'd be on the streets.
"Thanks, mom," Nasser replied. "I'll definitely need to train with these before I'm ready."
"Then perhaps we can find a way to get you to one of the other Academies," Ritsika suggested. "It's what your father would want."
"We don't have the money to send me to either Atlas or Haven," Nasser pointed out. "The only Academy I could go to is Shade…and I don't know how my teammates would feel about going, considering Vacuo's reputation."
"I thought you said you wanted to go back to Vacuo," Ritsika brought up.
She had a point. Nasser had wanted to go back for a very long time, not wanting to leave behind his friends there. He had voiced going back ever since, but ultimately went to Beacon instead of Shade.
That worked out for the best. He had gained many friends during his time there. Mathdon Kendrick, his team leader and a good-hearted and straightforward swordsman who always had his teammates' backs. Robin Kendrick, a cocky and vain, yet intelligent and understanding archer who often looked on the bright side. Ruo-Jian Bai Hu, a White Tiger Faunus who wanted to do what he felt was right for himself and others.
To just say they were his teammates was an understatement to him; they were his brothers. Each of them had strengths and weaknesses just like him, but he had grown accustomed to them and even went as far as to reveal their hurtful pasts of abuse, betrayal, and heartbreak.
"My teammates…they're my brothers," Nasser stated. "I wanted to go back to Vacuo…but now, not without them at my side."
"They really mean that much to you?" Ritsika asked.
"Yeah," he responded. "But first, I need to train with these new weapons." He pecked his mom's cheek and headed towards the door. He stopped before turning back and looking at her.
"Thanks, Mom," he replied before heading out to start training with his new axe, Hafashahn, and shield, Lildifae.
-0-
Math beat the steel with the hammer, forging out the blade he wanted for his new sword. The wolf features were a little more difficult, so it was being left to Bungo and Glaucus.
These past two weeks of forging their weapons had been long and tiresome for Mathdon and Pyrrha, but it felt good to be on their way to resuming their training as Huntsmen. They had made some slight alterations to their original designs, such as Math adding a wolf head crossguard that gave the appearance of the wolf holding the blade in its mouth. For Pyrrha, she had etched angel wings onto the blades of her spear, appearing as if they were flying.
The blades of Pyrrha's new spear were done; now she was working on the shaft and alternate rifle mode of her weapon. As she was doing so, Math gave her a bottled water, seeing her sweat from the work.
"Thank you, darling," she spoke with a smile.
"Have you decided on the names for your weapons?" Math asked.
"For my spear, Ekdikeo," Pyrrha answered. "For my hoplon, Agapas."
"Ekdikeo and Agapas?" Math asked.
"They're words from an ancient Mistrali language," she answered. "The word 'avenge' was actually made from Ekdikeo, meaning 'to protect', 'to do justice'. And Agapas means 'to love'." She looked over at the design of her shield and Math caught onto the significance of the names.
"What about yours?" she asked.
"For my sword, Dochas-Mhadaidh," he answered. "For my shield, Torrach."
"What do those words mean?" she asked, curious.
"Dochas-Mhadaidh is a very old term for 'Hope of the Wolf'," Math answered. "Do you remember when I said I saw that wolf chasing down an elk?"
"Yes," she confirmed.
"Oddly enough…I learned from it," he stated with a chuckle.
"So that's why you changed your emblem?" Pyrrha asked.
"Exactly," the swordsman answered. "For Torrach, it means 'Whirlwind'. I'm going to adjust my shield so I can throw it like you do."
"When we're done, I can show you how," Pyrrha offered. Math smiled and placed his hand on Pyrrha's torso.
"Thanks," he replied before kissing her. "I should get back to it. I hope to get the blade of my sword done today." He then walked back over to finish the blade of his weapon, ready to quench it today and hope everything went well. He took some tongs, picked it up and placed it in the quench tank.
He pulled it out…
"WHOO!" he cheered. No cracks, no warps, no delamination's, nothing showing any kind of damage. What made him even happier was the Sharktooth Damascus pattern that appeared on his blade, which had come out as good as he hoped.
He then proceeded to sharpen the edges of the blade and would test it on fruit every fifteen minutes. After six tries, he finally had the edge he wanted.
The next day, Math got started on his shield and Pyrrha finished up Ekdikeo. Math had hoped to get a receiver gauntlet to attract his shield back, but he wasn't able to get one. Instead, he was able to ask Bungo to make a magnetic gauntlet that would attract the shield back to him.
The first few tries had…less than favorable outcomes. The first try, it attracted every bit of metal to Math and he nearly got his head split open by a hammer. The second time, all metal repelled from him. After adjusting on the fourth try, Math was finally able to use his gauntlet effectively.
Math and Glaucus worked on the handle of Dochas-Mhadaidh while Bungo helped Pyrrha with her armor. While Pyrrha worked on her circlet, Bungo worked on her breastplate, carving the emblem into it.
When Math's sword and shield were done, he took them outside and swung them around. The blade was a great balance, allowing him to use it one handed so he could put the shield in his other or two handed for stronger attacks. He used his gauntlet on Torrach, allowing him to magnetically bring it back to him.
After that, Math was done, resuming his training at home in their front yard while Pyrrha went to finish up her armor. On the last day she was going to finish, she asked Math to come with her.
"Is she finishing her armor today?" the swordsman asked as he and Glaucus stood outside Bungo's shop.
"She is," the Gray Wanderer confirmed. The door opened and Pyrrha walked out in her armor. Instead of her usual ponytail, she wore most of her hair in a braid over her shoulder. She held Ekdikeo in her right hand and Agapas in her left, going beautifully with her outfit.
The part that really got Math's attention was her new circlet. The angel wings swept upward and away on both sides, which looked stunning and fittingly on the redhead Amazon.
"Well?" she asked, blushing faintly. "What do you think, Math?" Glaucus bumped Math's shoulder, which snapped him back to reality.
"You look amazing, Pyrrha," Math complimented. "That armor looks really great. It came out great."
"Thank you," she replied. "You're looking good yourself."
Math's new outfit was comprised of a green jacket with a symmetrical hook closure, long sleeves, brown leather epaulets, a v-neck collar and brown linings. The rest of it included gray khakis, a black belt and black boots that were completely laced up. The final piece was Math's new wolf emblem on the front of his jacket, painted in brown.
After that, the two trained together every day, getting used to their new weapons since they lacked features from their old ones; Dochas-Mhadaidh lacked the shotgun feature Claiomh Solais possessed and Ekdikeo lacked the xiphos mode Miló had. Math's only means of ranged attacks now were using his Aura Swords and throwing Torrach, which he was still learning from Pyrrha. The Amazon, on the other hand, only had a spear to rely on now, but with blades at both ends of her weapon, she was still very effective.
Later that night, Pyrrha sat on the front porch, not being able to get to sleep. Again, the haunting words from the murderous devil rang in her mind.
"It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours. But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could never have imagined."
"It wasn't yours, either!" Pyrrha snarled, clenching her fist. Cinder stole those powers by maiming and killing an innocent girl for her own selfish desires. The way the she-devil acted, behaving all superior and above judgment, infuriated the redhead even more.
"Pyrrha?" Math addressed, walking out in his sleepwear with shoes on. He sat on the hanging bench next to Pyrrha and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I want to fight her again," she informed him. "I want to make that monster pay for she's done. Those Maiden powers…she only has them because she maimed and murdered an innocent girl."
"Hopefully, we'll get our chance again," Math responded. "But you don't have to do it alone. Cinder and Nachtfel are all our problem, not just our own. We both saw what happened when we try to take them on alone; my arm was injured and so was your ankle."
"Yes," she agreed. She moved around so she was sitting on Math's lap, snuggling her head into his neck.
"I can't wait to introduce you to my family," she whispered. "They'll love you. Before you ask, they won't judge you for your Asperger's. My mom, my brother, my sister…they'll all love you."
"What's it like in Argus?" the swordsman asked, holding Pyrrha close to him.
"It's a very beautiful and friendly city," she started. "It tends to snow there a lot, considering it's on the northern coast of Anima, but it's a very thriving city. It's the primary trading center between Anima and Solitas. The first attempts by Mistral to colonize the area didn't do so well, but with help from Mantle, they eventually managed to make Argus. The Atlas Military base is there to help keep trade between the two nations steady, but also help keep peace between us. We did have a year of bad tensions though."
"What do you mean?" Math asked.
"Three years ago, the Commander of the Atlas Military in Argus, Caroline Cordovin, actively tried to put Argus under the rule of the Atlas Military," the Amazon answered.
"Like a dictatorship?" the swordsman asked.
"Similar to that, but more so under the rule of Atlas itself," Pyrrha continued. "Things almost got violent until General Ironwood arrived and stopped a war before it happened. Cordovin was demoted and a new commander was chosen. Ever since then, things have been more steady between Argus and Atlas."
"How do you think the Dust Embargo is affecting Argus?" Math asked, giving a small kiss to Pyrrha's cheek.
"My mother told me that Argus was angry about the Embargo," she answered. "To make matters worse, Atlas will be closing their borders."
"What?" Math gasped. "They're actually doing it?"
"I don't know what's going on with the General, but he's acting very paranoid," Pyrrha stated. "He's going to let the other kingdoms suffer and keep all of Atlas's resources to themselves. If Cinder comes for Atlas, then they'll have no allies to support them."
"Especially since your mother told us that some Atlas people openly mocked Vale for what happened," Math snarled. "How can people honestly poke fun at this? People died that night. I swear, the people of Atlas are just so selfish…well, except Weiss. Do you think she's doing okay up there?"
"I don't think so," she replied. "Her father's infamous for his corrupt practices of the company and using PR to cover them up. She's been suffering for his father's actions for years."
"Then I hope she finds a way to turn things around for the company," Math responded. "Should we head inside?"
"I'd like that," she replied. The two of them walked back into the house, towards the living room where the two of them laid down on the couch together. As Math pulled the blanket over them, they felt a weight jump onto the both of them.
"What the-?" He turned on his Scroll light to see Siocled on top of them and then plop down with a snort. She rested her head on Math's right shoulder while Pyrrha rested on his left.
"You're really okay with Siocled sleeping with us?" he asked.
"I don't mind," Pyrrha spoke before falling asleep. Math sighed.
"Easy for you to say," he whispered. "You're not the one being slept on by both your lover and your dog."
-0-
Cinder threw another wave of fire at the Grimm attacking her, splitting them in half. She then threw a fireball at another Grimm, burning through them like butter. After throwing another attack, she fell to her knees, gasping for breath.
"I thought you said you were the girl who wanted the power of the Four Maidens," Salem brought up as she commanded the Grimm to back away. "Did you lie to me?"
Cinder looked away from Salem, feeling her disappointment burn on her. She hadn't recovered much, but she was still trying her best to make progress. She had become more accustomed to her powers, but she knew that because of her weakened state, she wasn't using them at their fullest potential.
"Answer me!" Salem demanded, frightening Cinder. She looked over to the Grimm Queen and shook her head.
"I want to hear you say it," Salem demanded. Cinder gasped a few times before saying in a very raspy voice "No."
"Then stop holding back," the Grimm Queen instructed. "You must not be afraid to use your powers to their fullest potential if you wish to master it. Just because you're powerful doesn't mean you're invincible."
Cinder hated hearing that. She wanted to be strong, to be feared…to be someone that no one could equal. To her, that meant being invincible, which she could only achieve by taking the powers of all Four Maidens.
"Like it or not, even if you take all four powers, you will still be vulnerable," Salem stated. "Ruby will learn to use her Silver Eyes. If she does learn to harness that power, then you must learn to protect yours. All it takes is a moment of overconfidence to give her the advantage. Do you understand?" Cinder nodded her head; as they made eye contact, Salem could see a lot of anger and resentment in Cinder's amber eyes.
"You're still angry in my decision to keep Ruby alive," she deduced. "But whether you like it or not is not my concern. If you try to kill Ruby…" Salem extended her arm and clenched her fist, causing Cinder to feel immense pain in her left arm, causing her to gasp and breath heavily in pain.
"Do not forget that it was I who gave you the ability to steal the Maidens' powers," the Grimm Queen reminded. Just then, the Seer Grimm floated into the room with a voice asking 'Your Grace'. Salem walked forward and approached the Grimm before waving her hand to clear the red fog to reveal Valkoin Viisaus.
"Hello, Valkoin," she greeted. "Do you have something to report?"
"Yes," he assured. "Goodwitch is losing the support of her allies. She has become erratic, irrational, blind to reason-"
"My orders were for you to kill her," Salem interrupted. "Why hasn't that been done?"
"It will be," Valkoin assured, indirectly avoiding the question. "I'm arranging to ambush them. But before I launched the ambush, I needed to know if you had heard anything about Ozpin's cane. It's our only way to find the Relic."
"I've heard nothing from anyone about it," Salem answered. "Ozpin would've only left it with one of his lieutenants."
"That leaves only four people: Ironwood, Goodwitch, Qrow or Glaucus," Valkoin deduced. "I'll see if Goodwitch knows where the cane is before I kill her."
"You intend to torture her?" she asked.
"Yes," Valkoin replied with pleasure. "If I can get her to tell us where the cane is, then the Relic will be all ours."
"Do what you must," Salem responded. "But before you leave Vale, I want Goodwitch dead. Understand?"
"Of course, Your Grace," he responded before the red fog clouded his image. Right after, the door to the hall opened and closed. They heard a whimpering voice that belonged to Tyrian as he wallowed his way to Salem.
"She'll forgive you…I'm sorry…" he wept as he crawled. Salem immediately noticed that Tyrian's stinger was nowhere to be seen.
"Why, Tyrian," she addressed. "What happened to your tail?" He knelt before her and looked up with regret in his eyes.
"That silver-eyed bitch…she took it from me," he growled.
"Speaking of which, were you successful in your task?" she questioned.
"N…no," he reluctantly answered. "They got away." Salem frowned as she walked past the Scorpion Faunus to walk down the hallway.
"But it's not a complete failure," Tyrian tried to assure. "I poisoned Qrow Branwen. He won't cause us anymore trouble. Are you…have I pleased you, Your Grace?"
"You're certain Qrow is dead?" she asked.
"I didn't see him die, but they're too far from Mistral," Tyrian assured. "They won't make it in time on foot. The poison will kill him before they get there."
"The last eye is blinded," Salem remarked. "Did you see Ozpin's cane on him?"
"Ozpin's cane?" Tyrian repeated, then scratched his head for a few moments, but it didn't ring a bell.
"I never saw it," he claimed. "Either he was hiding it or he doesn't have it." Salem kept walking away.
"Your Grace, have I pleased you?" Tyrian asked once more. Salem stopped and turned around to look at the Faunus with her blood red eyes.
"No," she coldly replied. "You've disappointed me."
Something snapped in Tyrian as tears started to roll down his cheeks. He fell to his hands and knees and wept before suddenly hearing an Ursa behind him. He let out a cry and pounced on the creature, then started stabbing it over and over again.
His cries of anguish turned into sadistic laughter and cheers of relief as his grief turned into violent sadism. Cinder's eyes widened at this sight, wondering just how insane he was.
This was reinforced when Tyrian kept stabbing into the floor, even though the Grimm evaporated. He acted as if he was still stabbing and slashing at the dark creature, ignoring the sounds of his blades hitting the floor.
From afar, Salem could hear the cries of her henchman and already made plans to give him a new tail. She was smart, smart enough not to get rid of those who were still very useful to her. Considering his blind loyalty and willingness to do whatever she pleased, Tyrian was very useful.
Author's Notes: I based Math's new outfit off of Bucky's from Infinity War with color changes. If you were confused during the forging scenes, look up Damascus Steel Patterns and defects in blades and such. I hope you're enjoying the MRRN series so far. If you wish to give constructive criticism, then write a review or message me! Keep on reading!