I do not own RWBY. I do however own the Original Characters.
Again, super sorry for the wait, but real life comes first. My summer job and visiting family have kept me from working on this chapter a lot, but I also faced a bit of… not really writer's block, more like writer's unwillingness. Don't worry, I haven't grown tired of writing this story, it's just chapter like this one that I find distasteful because I have to pretty much copy a lot of dialogue from the show itself. It is the same reason I stopped Savagery, I hate looking back and forth between my computer and the lines from the original story, it's very tedious and boring. Sorry, I'm rambling. Let's talk about something brighter.
For those of you who don't know, RWBY Volume 4's release date has been announced, October 22. I watched the sneak peek on Youtube, and I am so stocked. I love the new looks they have for the characters, though I kinda was hoping for a longer time skip, (On the panel they said it was between six or eight months since Volume 3). And don't worry about the new Grimm they showed in the sneak peek, I've got it covered.
Answer Time!
Trickster3696: Thank you, I might actually do that, but not for a while I think.
GoreslashDOW: I doubt that would happen, Rojo may be her best friend, but Silver is her sister. Plus, while very shocking at first it would quickly become boring and unbearably angsty. Also, congrats on finally getting the name!
Dragon Blitz 85: That is something that I cannot reveal as of now.
Thorfaxdragonkin: I was actually going to have them go to her actual grave, but after a lot of thought I realize that wouldn't make much sense considering the span of time between killing Summer and abducting Silver. Plus, this way just felt a bit more interesting because we get to see that the Overlord actually respected Summer enough to mark where she died. Do with that information what you will.
Grimmepickles: Oh, I HATE those stories, they are so lame and boring. Every time the protagonist switches to good, the good guys treat him like he was always on their side. What's even worse, they make the protagonist SOOOOO angsty from being raised evil. In truth, I won't mind those stories so much if they weren't so predictable.
NinjaRiderWriter: Thank you for the praise. I worked very hard on the last chapter, (rushed the ending a bit though), but the overall product is something I am proud of. And truly, if one wants to become greater than they are, they must leave a piece of themselves.
Dark RAYQUAZA X: It was and it wasn't. I'll probably go into detail in a later chapter.
Gaara king of the sand: Short? How was this in anyway a short chapter? The thing was over ten thousand words long, well over my usual number. And I disagree with the cloak being a dead giveaway. Yes, it is the same symbol as Summer's, but considering Silver never wanted become a Huntress or grew up around Yang, Yang would have no idea that it belonged to her long-lost sister. If anything, she might assume it to be Summer herself. Remember, the body was never recovered, they all assumed she was dead (which she is), but that one lack of physical evidence could be enough for Yang to think it's her step-mom beneath that hood than her sister.
Miner249er: In truth, I've already decided on where Silver's path leads, I'm just not telling you. They might make some jokes, you all are certainly free to.
Knight7572: He has no idea, but I do... heheheheheh…
LordGhostStriker: You know, it's funny. Originally I was going to have Silver make Grimm versions of EVOLED's monsters, especially the original three. Who knows, I still might.
Phantomwa1ker: Glad to hear your fic is off the ground, I'll be sure to take a look at it when time permits me. And since I am also dying to write the encounter, I will tell you that it should hopefully be ten chapters away from now, at the most.
Guest: Shit indeed.
Donnchadh Bracken: If it is, it will be many chapters from now.
5 Coloured Walker: Thank you for providing your opinion, it has been very helpful.
Hydroplatypus: I understand, but I prefer it this way so people who reviewed it can find the answers to their questions right away. This way, if something from the previous chapter confused them and is present in the next chapter they can be given an explanation to it without becoming even more confused by the time they reach the author's note.
Shadow Walker of Fire: Great! Now eat it to gain its power! I may do something like that in later chapters, thank you for the idea.
ChuckTheEon: Thank you for saying such, it is very kind of you to say.
Trewill91: It would certainly be a sight to behold… But I just can't take any cat seriously when it has wings.
Minesniper: Who you want to triumph is for you to decide, but I have already decided on who shall win this game of… well I guess it isn't really a game right now, more of a preparing for a game.
GameboyNinjaUltimate Icarus: The Gulch is most definitely a RVB reference, from the two cave openings on either side of the canyon, to the massive underground cavern. RVB is the first Rooster Teeth show I ever watched, and is still my favorite.
Grubk1ng: No problem, you always leave funny reviews!
TheHollowClown: I am happy you like what I did, and don't worry, I have already figured out what her corrupted silver eyes will be capable of, and it won't be freezing Grimm, hehehehehehe….
The DisturbedDragon: Does it truly limit my options? To answer your Summer ghost question, the Overlord's presence did not destroy her ghost, only drain its power, banish it from Silver's dreams while also strengthening her mental barriers from future incursions. The only reason it managed to influence her was due to the mental state seeing Yang put her in.
Akshka: Okay, first off, how did you manage to get three reviews in for the same chapter? Second, even if Silver could, it would stick out like a sore thumb, Grimm only come in basic black with red, white, or yellow details. Not to mention Silver would need to be extremely close to the kingdom's borders and each time she released control of it the thing would go berserk. And third, define what you mean by "wifu calling".
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: That they are!
SlurpthisStuff: Yeah, I don't expect a lot of people to tear up at the Toro family grave segment, writing it was a bit of a challenge because I didn't want to make it sad for the sake of being sad. And also, I don't think I'll do the alternate endings thing, sorry I didn't respond in a PM.
Jawsrule321: I cannot answer those questions just yet, you must wait and see for yourself.
Deathleader: Sabaton is the shit, man! I listen to a lot of hard rock and metal bands, and they help me visualize a lot of the battles I write, Sabaton, Volbeat, and Disturbed are just a few. Miracle of Sound is another one I listen to, they aren't hard rock or metal, but the songs they sing in tribute to games are amazing, Wake the White Wolf especially. Disturbed's Conflict is what I listen to when I read the Overlord's assault, the energy in that song is just gets the blood pumping!
Rooperx: Raven will be arriving soon enough, I haven't use her in my story yet simply because not much is known about her and I don't believe myself qualified to provide a suitable personality for one such as her, though if I did it would likely be something similar to the Raven in NaughtFiction's Longest Hunt crossover. Don't worry though, I have plans for her in the near future.
Ultra Nebula: Thank you for the praise, much of the reason behind the indiscriminate death is due to Game of Thrones which I am a huge fan of. Funnily enough I actually toned down a few chapters for being over the top in terms of dark, like in the Penny chapter. Originally, I was going to have Atlas experience riots due to the news about the attacks but figured that was too much. Anyway, thanks for saying you enjoy it.
Ralyx: A good opening is the key to a good story, draws the readers in.
Dylan: That's what I was going for!
WangthePhoenix: If I end up doing that, It will be for an April Fools chapter… or not, still too early to decide… or is it?
Knightofgardevoir: I also think it would be great to have the RWBY crew do a reading of this, and I've also entertained the idea of Ruby's family reacting to it. If anyone wants to do a RWBY react of Summer, Qrow and Tai-yang to Grimm Heir go ahead! Just give me a heads up first.
Mysterious Man: ….. dude….. little much….
Thegreatandpowerfulozzie: Don't worry, Ozzie. Deep down, we're all terrible people.
Guest: Hahahahahahaha! I never actually thought of that! Good joke, man!
To the people who simply wanted to express their liking of the story: Thank you!
To the people who only mentioned their excitement for Yang/Silver reunion: Wait and see!
And come on, guys! Nobody called out the references? The Edgar one I get, but nobody saw the Hateful Eight reference?
Now, onto the story!
Grimm Heir
Chapter Twenty: Know the Enemy
The fleet had arrived at Beacon, at last.
It had been a long flight from Atlas to Vale. Even with the state of the art engines each ship boasted, the trip had taken them little under a week, not counting the better half of a day spent deliberating with Vale's governing council to allow his ships access to the city's airspace. The hundreds of students and soldiers were eager to feel solid ground beneath their feet again after being cooped up in the ships for so long.
The massive warships began the process of depositing their passengers onto Beacon's skydocks as soon as the green light was given. The students exited via the airships' landing ramps, while the majority of the vessels' soldiers left from the hangar bays in VTOL gunships and Bullhead assault transports.
These men and women had been assigned with ensuring the perimeter around the Academy was safe and secure before locating and claiming ideal lookout positions to fortify and establish outposts.
This was in no way meant to undermine or insult the Beacon staff's ability to defend their school and students, they were all seasoned Huntsmen and Huntresses after all; this was done to… lighten the load, so to speak.
Beacon Academy was easily able to house and feed the hundreds of additional students visiting from the other three Kingdoms, no question about it. Its massive campus had entire dormitories set aside for the sole purpose of housing the foreign students, but that did not mean they possessed a large enough staff to handle this influx of trainees while also making sure nothing dangerous got too close to the school grounds.
Again not meant to imply anything negative towards the Beacon staff or the students of the other academies, only that with Atlas military assistance the hosting Academy faculty may focus their attention on the students instead of their borders.
And with the Vytal Festival just around the corner, the Vale council certainly wouldn't mind a little extra help with preparations for the event considering the recent… activates that have left a majority of Kingdom's police occupied.
Of course, that is if they actually accept the offer. The Vale council was made up of civilian politicians who cared about keeping their positions in government almost as much as they cared about the people they were sworn to protect and represent. The presence of a foreign army could mean any number of things to those bureaucrats, be they beneficial or damaging.
For now the Vale council was willing to allow the army within their Kingdom's borders, so long as the soldiers stayed clear of the main city unless given permission by Kingdom officials.
However the Vale council, and its bureaucratic agenda, where the last thing on General James Ironwood's mind. No, what was on his mind was the current state of Vale and how his old friend and fellow headmaster, Ozpin, was dealing with it.
For months the general had been receiving reports from undercover operatives in Vale informing him on the increase in crime, White Fang activity, even the thousands of Outlier refugees camping outside the walls, (Ironwood would need to have another chat with the council in regards to them later), and they left him rather… concerned.
There was next to nothing being done to deal with either the crime rates or the confirmed White Fang presence, and the Outlier refugees were being forcefully denied any entry into the city. In fact, it was the reports regarding these refugees that the General found the most worrying; one report in particular especially.
Because if what the report said was accurate, and the Outliers had indeed been driven from their homes in order to survive, then these "Red Wolves" could pose as much a threat to Vale as the Grimm do. They might even be worse than the Grimm.
The operative who submitted the report had been working under the guise of a journalist from Vacuo. In the report was an interview with a village elder who had lost several of his people to Red Wolf raids and sought help rescuing them. A bounty was issued for bringing the prisoners back and delivering the ones responsible to justice. The elder explained that a Huntsman arrived a few days after the bounty was posted, vowing to save the kidnapped villagers and make the Red Wolves think twice before attacking innocent people again before vanishing into the wilderness.
A week later, the Red Wolves returned and razed the village to the ground.
As the survivors sorted through what was left of their homes, they stumbled upon something. The corpse of the Huntsman they had hired, which had been so terribly mutilated it barely resembled a human body. Only his face had been left alone, contorted into, as the elder put it, an expression of the purest terror and pain that it still gives him nightmares.
The next day, the remaining villagers left for Vale.
Though this was the most alarming part of the report, there was a quick mention of how this was only one of many disturbing interviews conducted with the Outlier refugees, most of which the operative described as "too graphic" or "more or less the same" to write about.
If that wasn't unsettling enough, the operative then mentioned the lack of justification behind Vale's refusal to allow the Outliers sanctuary into the city. Since Vale closed its gates to the fleeing Outliers fourteen months ago there had not been a single explanation to why. There were several theories suggested by both the operative and the refugees, but they were all just speculation.
The report as a whole was distressing, not just because it showed how strong and ruthless the White Fang's militia had grown, but it finally cleared up the message Qrow had sent him months ago… while also making it all the more mysterious.
Wolves with bloodied fangs and snapping jaws rejoin the white fanged pack.
Until reading the operative's report, James simply thought Qrow had been referring to a small group of White Fang deserters who attacked someone or someplace they were not supposed but were allowed to return unharmed despite it. It was a partially correct assumption at the least, the Red Wolves had been a splinter faction of the White Fang, but they were an extremely large faction that may have even been able to compete with the White Fang if they hadn't returned to them.
But why had the Red Wolves left in the first place, and why rejoin the White Fang now? When did they split, how did they grow so large in such a short time and with the reputation they held? Why were they abducting people? What did Qrow mean by 'snapping jaws'?
James frowned. So many questions and no answers. He needed to speak to Ozpin about this. If the White Fang had psychotic soldiers that even Outliers were afraid of and were capable of taking down Huntsmen warriors then they needed to strike first and strike hard.
Especially if those 'pawns' the 'Queen' acquired were who James feared they were.
The elevator chimed as it reached the top level of Beacon Tower, alerting the general that he had reached the top floor of the tower and snapping him out of his somber thoughts. He pushed these dark thoughts from his mind, not wanting them to blacken mood and ruin what should be a happy reunion between old friends.
James walked out of the elevator and into a small and sparsely decorated lobby room. A few chairs, a painting and a small coffee table were all that occupied the space, save for the metal door parallel to the elevator. At the door's right was a keypad that when pressed alerted the occupants on the other side of the door that they had company.
There were elevators that opened directly into Ozpin's office, but they were for Beacon professors or emergency situations only and required special clearance to use, something James did not have at the moment.
Right now, James felt it was somewhat appropriate that before he saw his good friend he be invited in first. He had surprised everyone already with his fleet so the least he could do is be polite towards Ozpin.
The general approaches the door and presses the alert button on the keypad, providing Ozpin with the knowledge that he had a visitor.
"Come in," the familiar voice of Oz called out through the intercom. The metal door slid open, and General Ironwood walked into the office of Professor Ozpin with a smile on his face.
"Ozpin," the general greets in a cordial voice as he strides into the office, doing his best to appear as relaxed as he could.
Ozpin stood in front of his desk as James drew closer, dressed in his standard black and green ensemble, looking every inch the part of a wise mentor. When he was only a few steps away, Ozpin straightened up and shot his chin into the air, imitating a soldier at attention.
"Hello, General." He greets James using his title rather than name as a show of respect, but James was called sir by enough people already as it is and did not wish for a man such as Ozpin to be among.
"Please, we're both headmasters, no need for formalities." Ozpin relaxes his stance and closes the small gap between them to grip James' hand in a strong handshake. "It's been too long," James remarks as the two release their hands. Then he spots his other good friend approaching and smiles brightly to her. "And Glynda! It has certainly been too long since we last met."
"Oh, James!" She says half-heartedly, her voice carrying a sarcastic mocking tone that she reserved solely for situations such as this. The blonde Huntress leans towards her superior and says, "I'll be outside," before promptly making her way to the very door James had entered through.
James' eyes follow her as she passes him by but return to Ozpin before Glynda enters the lobby room. "Well, she hasn't changed a bit," James remarks, knowing full well that she could hear him and was no doubt rolling her eyes at the comment or glaring at him for it, maybe both.
Ozpin smiles at the general's quip, and asks James a question that was unavoidable as he turns to his desk. "So, what in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas?" Ozpin asks, picking up the stilt-legged kettle that sat on its top and pouring its rich brown contents into one of the two mugs that sat on the desk. "Headmasters don't typically travel with their students for the Vytal Festival." The Beacon Headmaster walks back over to his Atlas counterpart and hands him the mug which James accepts.
The mug clinked softly as its ceramic handle was grasped in the general's metal hand, but it was barely noticeable, and seeing his guest was now with a beverage Ozpin returned to his seat behind his desk.
As he did, James reached for his personal flask and poured a generous amount of Atlesian brandy into the drink. "Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year," James reminds him. When enough brandy was added, the general returned the flask to his coat's inside pocket and said, "Besides, with you hosting, I thought that this might be a good opportunity for us to catch up."
Ozpin looks up at him from his seat with a smile as he pours himself a mug of coffee, minus the brandy. "I can certainly appreciate quality time between friends, however, the small fleet outside my window has me somewhat concerned."
James frowned at the way Ozpin phrased his statement. "Well, concern is what brought them here." James spoke carefully and calmly, hoping his answer and tone would get across the seriousness of the fleet's purpose.
But it does not, and Ozpin continued to speak as if there was some other reason for their presence. "I understand that travel between kingdoms has become increasingly difficult."
James needed to stop this façade now if they were going to get anywhere. "Oz," he says seriously, all humor gone from his voice. "You and I both know why I brought those men."
That seemed to get to him. Ozpin lost his friendly smile to the statement but did not answer immediately, instead he took a long sip from his mug before setting it down on the table with a sigh. "We are in a time of peace." He reminds James, though James knew far better than to believe that. "Shows of power like this are just going to give off the wrong impression."
"You think I brought my fleet here to show off?" James sets his own mug on the table, his gaze hard. "To show everyone how superior Atlas is to them?"
Ozpin raised an eyebrow, maybe he was surprised, but otherwise did nothing.
"This isn't about shows of power, Oz. This is about ensuring the safety of every man, woman, and child in this kingdom."
"The Vale council already has appointed a head of security for the Vytal Festival..." Ozpin begins but is interrupted by James.
"And what about the Outlier refugees?" He asked, eyes narrowed at the Beacon Headmaster. "What about the people the council refuses to let in the kingdom? Who will protect them when our enemies finally strike? If what Qrow said is true then-"
"If what Qrow said is true, then we will handle it tactfully." Ozpin tells him, holding up his index finger as to emphasis his words.
"How in the world can you hope to handle something like this tactfully, Ozpin?" James rebuked. "Just wait until they show their hand? By then it could be too late to stop them! We need to be ready for when they attack."
"And we will be, but we need to be cautious." Ozpin says, his own features hardened as he and the general stared one another down. "Our enemies have always been one step ahead of us, James. We've only managed to find out more about them recently because of what happened to Autumn, but we must remain careful."
The Beacon Headmaster leans back into his chair, hands interlocking beneath his chin. "I appreciate the concern you hold for the people, James, I truly do. But when our enemies see your fleet they won't be frightened, they'll simply become all the more difficult to actually locate."
A silence fell over the two Headmasters after that, neither of them willing to continue their discussion as thoughts raced through each's head.
James did not want to admit the logic in Ozpin's words. Not just out of pride, but because he knew this was the right course of action. Things remain in the dark for only so long, and if his soldiers made them stay in it a little longer than good, it would discourage them from trying anything that could draw attention to themselves.
But if they do leave the dark, and something told the general that they would soon, they would have not only Huntsmen and Huntresses to contend with but an army of disciplined soldiers armed with some of the most advanced weaponry on the planet.
Could it be seen as risky? Of course. But fortune favors the bold, and James Ironwood did not attain the rank of general by shying away from opportunities. Besides, what could the White Fang do against a fleet of Atlesian battleships?
"Still, despite the army, I am glad you're here, James." Ozpin says, breaking the silence and jarring the general from his thoughts. "There is something I need to show you."
James raised an eyebrow at the statement, watching the gray-haired man's fingers dance across the holographic keyboard on his desk. The general removed his hands from the desk when the digital model of a Grimm materialized just above the desk's top.
It was a kokushi, a species of Grimm discovered only a few months during Beacon Academy's initiation test. From what James heard, these creatures wiped out a fourth of all the initiates in under an hour of the test starting, and looking at this image James could understand how.
The eyeless beast's maw was wide open in a frozen shriek, providing a good look at the intricate glowing patterns that lined the inside of its massive mouth. The jaws were massive and jagged, easily capable of tearing through flesh, maybe even body armor too. Its hide was bare of any bone or red marks making it a difficult target to spot when in dark areas or at night. Its small size and short legs gave it a good center of gravity, though how it stood up without something to counterbalance its large head was a mystery.
James had never seen one in person himself, though there were rumors of packs of kokushi roaming the Mantle wilderness, their shrill cries riding the wind and chilling men to the bone.
The thought of facing a swarm of these Grimm was a rather unnerving one, even for a battled hardened warrior like himself.
"As I'm certain you're aware, the recently discovered kokushi Grimm species was first sighted in the Emerald Forest during Beacon's initiation." Ozpin said, tearing the general's eyes from the hologram. "Along with the fact they were responsible for the loss of over two dozen recruits."
Carefully, James nodded his head yes.
"What you may not be aware of is what stopped that number from reaching three dozen." Ozpin pressed another button and the Grimm was replaced with the image of a pair of Huntsmen recruits being overrun by a swarm of kokushi. Another button was pressed and the image revealed itself to be a paused segment of a camera recording from Beacon's initiation.
The audio of the recording was dominated by shrill shrieks and barks of gunfire. The two children fought valiantly, but it was clear that they would not make it. Then, one of the recruits loses his footing and stumbles to the ground and the Grimm rush towards him. His partner tries to help him up, but in doing so takes his eyes off the Grimm in front of him. A kokushi leaps up and snaps its jaws down onto the standing boy's arm. James could see the sharp jagged beak dig into the arm, and knew that if that boy didn't have an aura he would have already lost the limb.
Then it happened.
Just as the boys were about to be added to the body count a sound louder than all the screaming kokushi fills the camera's audio feeds, almost blowing them out. James couldn't make out what it was either, it was so chaotic and loud, it was like hundreds of artillery shells going off at once.
Then the truly unbelievable happens…
The kokushi run away. They abandon the two recruits they were moments away from killing and run off to god knows where, leaving both the two boys in the recording and James himself baffled.
"When that happened, every single Grimm in the Emerald Forest stopped whatever they were doing and ran north with a single goal." The holographic display changed again, showing a group of eight initiates gathered around a ruined temple with hands covering their ears, "kill these children."
The recording then went on to play the group's flight from the ruins, running further into the ruins with the horde of Grimm closing in behind them. The general noticed how the lead initiate, the boy in the duster and stetson hat, stopped when they reached an old bridge to let the others on first before dropping a dynamite stick and running across himself.
Quick thinking on the boy's part, now the Grimm couldn't reach them. Or so he thought.
Out of the tide of blackness, the camera zoomed in on a nevermore lifting off the ground and start a strafing run on the now trapped initiates. The view switched to another camera, this one in the ruin itself, where the general saw something that stunned him for the second time today.
Every one in three feathers the nevermore threw at them had several kokushi latched to it.
Ozpin paused the recording there, freezing the image of kokushi dropping off the feathers and charging their surprised victims. James stared at the image with an open mouth, his mind trying to process what he just saw and a small part of him trying to deny it.
The Grimm were mankind's largest and most obvious threat. They were savage, relentless monsters fueled by fear and anger. But they were single-minded beasts, charging headlong into any situation if it resulted in killing someone. They did not possess the intellect to formulate strategies and tactics like man could, even the older Grimm weren't capable of anything more elaborate than basic flanking.
But this… this changed everything! This showed that Grimm were capable of more than just rushing their opponents in massive hordes, but of something never thought possible for them: teamwork. These Grimm were displaying, for the first time ever, the ability to work together in order to solve a problem. What was even more staggering, they were able to do so with different species of Grimm.
James suddenly remembered the rumors of kokushi sighted around Atlas. The general did not doubt the skill of the men and women he left behind to protect the kingdom, but seeing this… he needed to alert the Atlas council of this development.
James' thoughts returned to the children frozen in this battle of the past. The quality of the recording allowed the general to see the determined expressions on their faces, the ones facing the camera anyway. Despite what must have been their last stand, they faced it with courage not common among many people. He looked over at Ozpin, "They would have made excellent Huntsmen, Oz."
For the first time since this started Ozpin's grim expression gave way to a knowing smile, "They will indeed," he remarked with pride, surprising the general.
Seeing this, Ozpin elaborated. "Glynda managed to retrieve these eight students just before they were overwhelmed. Since then, teams RWBY and JNPR have been two of our highest ranked first year teams." The smile on his face fell. "Sadly, only two of them could offer explanations to why they were targeted."
Though surprised they managed to escape the Grimm, James' attention was on Ozpin's last sentence. "And those explanations were…?"
Ozpin let out another heavy sigh, "Even more worrying than Autumn's condition."
James felt his eyes widen in shock when Ozpin said that. What happened to Amber months ago had put them all on high alert. It was their enemy's boldest move yet, and if it hadn't been for Qrow, it could have ended far worse than it did.
But if this was even more concerning than that…
"And with what was discovered after the initiation," Once more, Ozpin brought up another video file, "I can only come up with one terrifying conclusion." He opened the file.
The recording showed a shattered moon looming over the Emerald Forest, casting the tree tops in the palest of light, peaceful and serene. Then a massive nevermore shot out of the trees, breaking the tranquil image with its massive wing beats and loud screeching. Just as the Grimm was about to fly out of the camera's frame Ozpin paused the video. Four corners blinked to life around the motion blurred nevermore before zooming in on the Grimm, then did so again around the area where the nevermore's neck connected with its body.
And what James saw chilled him to the bone.
"She is no longer our only threat…" Was all Ozpin said as both he and the general stared at the red splotch riding the nevermore.
~o0o~
The Beacon Academy library was an impressive vault of knowledge. Massive bookshelves filled to the brim with tomes both old and new filled its silent halls. A high glass ceiling let the sun's natural light shine down into its interior, providing the students within natural lighting for any daytime study sessions.
Or it would be if a certain team of first years hadn't decided to play their board game here.
The game in question was Remnant Conquest: 4th edition. It was a four person game where each player took control of one of the four kingdoms and try to conquer the other three. It was a game of strategy, deception, and luck.
"What!? How can one unit of soldiers destroy an army!?"
And a certain white haired heiress was discovering she wasn't very good at it.
"Vacuo desert ranger squad special ability, Weiss. When on Vacuo controlled areas, desert ranger squad may cripple or destroy invading armies if a ten or higher is rolled; damage to enemy army is increased by how high the dice roll is," Rojo said as he read aloud the unit's effects before smirking at a slack-jawed Weiss. "And I rolled an eighteen, meaning you just lost all your veteran units and your army general. Bring into account the leadership penalty of losing said general and the fact they are in foreign territory; if you don't roll a five or higher on this leadership save you can kiss your army bye-bye!"
Weiss glared at him before snatching up a six-sided die and rolling it. "If you think one group of raiders will be enough to defeat the disciplined soldiers of the Atlesian military than you are-!"
"Completely right!" Yang finishes, making Weiss whip her head around to stare at the brawler in outrage and shock. Yang only smiles smugly and points to the die Weiss had just rolled.
A single black dot greeted her.
She had just lost her only remaining army on the board, leaving the kingdom of Atlas an easy target. Or at least until her other army was finished rebuilding, but that would be in… "How long does it take for an army to replenish again?" The heiress asked Yang, one of the two players who actually had experience with this game.
"Well, it should take about four turns to fully replenish, but since you're playing as Atlas and still have control of Mantle, you should have most of your soldiers back by the next turn."
Weiss's heart soared. There was still hope for her kingdom to bounce back and-
"But you won't." Yang tells her, crushing the hope in the heiress's heart. "My turn now, and I deploy the Mistral naval fleet! Without an army to retake it, Atlas is ripe for the taking!" Yang laughs triumphantly as she moves several models across the board and into Weiss's territory. "Congratulations, Weiss Schnee! You have just ben conquered!"
Weiss's mouth hung open like a fish as her mind shut down, unwilling or unable to process her defeat. Yang had helped her through the entire game until now, explaining how the game's rules and strategies. Had it all just been a ploy to have her lower her guard? The feeling of betrayal was great, it sent the young heiress to tears.
"I hate this game of emotions we play!" She exclaimed as the tears rushed down her cheeks.
"You're the one who played right into Yang's hand, Weiss." Her partner said, his voice carrying a tone of 'I told you so' despite him never warning her prior to Yang's deceptive nature. "If you hadn't decided to 'help' her by intercepting my invasion force you might have gotten your armies back in time to be an actual threat. That, or just blow yourself up again."
Yang laughed at the mention of that embarrassing moment. "Still can't believe you did that."
Weiss wiped her tears away with her sleeve and glared at the traitorous blonde but said nothing. Yang returned it with a bright smile before turning towards the only one in their group who had not joined in on the roasting. "Your turn, Blake."
The hidden faunus looked up when her name was called, pulling her from her thoughts. "Oh, um, sorry, what am I doing?"
'Has she been paying any attention?' Weiss thought. Even though the heiress herself was still trying to grasp the fundamentals of this confusing game she was at least paying attention to what was happening.
Unperturbed by the question, Yang cheerfully answered, "You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the kingdoms of Remnant!" But the answer doesn't seem to help Blake understand what she has missed.
"Right…"
Something was up with Blake. She had been very distant lately, more so than usual. It was honestly starting to bug Weiss. She had promised she would talk to them if something was troubling her, but it seemed the faunus girl did not want to stay true to that promise.
Weiss would need to confront her about it later, back in the dorm where they had privacy, something that was very lacking in a school library.
"Hey! Can I play?" Case and point, Jaune Arc. The blonde leader of JNPR, along with the rest of his team had decided to do some "studying" just a table down from where team RWBY was. However, from the times Weiss chanced a look towards their fellow first-years it was clear that only two of them were actually studying.
"Sorry Jaune, we've already got four players and we're too far in for substitutes." Rojo replies. "Maybe next time."
"Besides, this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt you possess." Weiss added in. Jaune might be a team leader, but that didn't automatically mean he was a good one.
"Says the girl who just lost." Yang reminded her, earning a glare and huff from the heiress.
Jaune was not deterred. "Bring it on, Ice Queen!" he challenged, his voice surprisingly confident. "I'll have you know that I've been told that I am a natural born leader!"
Weiss rose an eyebrow at that. "By who? Your mother?"
"And Pyrrha!" He added quickly.
"Hello again!"
Jaune then turned to Rojo, "Rojo, let me play your hand for a turn!"
Weiss watched her leader bring his cards close to his chest at the request. "No way, Jaune." He said. "I don't trust anyone but myself when it comes to cards."
"Why not? You've trusted me with way more important stuff before. I mean, you told us all that Blake is secretly a fa-" To the relief of everyone present, Jaune's sentence is silenced by his quick thinking partner who manages to slap her hand over his mouth before he said something that Weiss was truly starting to regret telling him.
"Fun-loving person, whom we all admire and respect." Was what Pyrrha said to cover up her partner's near mistake, and the death glare Blake sent his way was certainly enough for Jaune to understand what he almost did.
He awkwardly apologizes to the group and returns with to his team's table with his partner. However, before Weiss's teammates can continue the game another distraction appears in the form of Sun Wukong and a blue-haired boy she had not seen before.
"Sup losers." He greets them, his hand raised with fingers held out to form a V.
"Yo Sun!" Rojo says back, tipping his hat at the two newcomers.
"Rojo, Yang, Blake… Ice Queen."
"Why does everyone keep calling me that!?" Seriously, it was so annoying! She wasn't a cold person… most of the time…
Her question was ignored however as Sun directed all their attention towards the stranger standing next to him. "I never got the chance to formally introduce you to my old friend."
The friend in question looked at team RWBY for a moment before turning to address Sun. "Uhh, aren't libraries for reading?" He asked, prompting Ren to throw his arms up in the air and yell thank you, which caused a sleeping Nora to bolt awake and shout pancakes.
But Sun didn't answer his friend's question, and instead dismissed it. "Shut up. Don't be a nerd."
The to-be-named friend rebutted with shaking a finger in Sun's face, "Geh, geh, geh, geh! Intellectual." He corrected Sun, then waved to everyone else. "I'm Neptune."
All eight students returned the greeting in their own way, but it was Weiss who decided to strike up a conversation with their newly acquainted guest. "So Neptune, where are you from?"
"Haven," he answers, casually walking up to her. "And I don't believe I caught your name, snow angel."
He spoke the words with smooth confidence, which surprised Weiss a bit. It wasn't a boastful, obnoxious pick up line that a certain blonde someone sitting right behind her used when they first met, but a question to her identity with just a hint of flattery to it.
"Um, I'm Weiss." She hid the embarrassment she held for speaking so humbly to this stranger, but for some reason she couldn't help but feel a mite timid.
Jaune mumbled something angrily behind her, but she didn't pay attention to it, instead focusing on that handsome face and courteous smile.
"Pleasure to meet you." Weiss had heard the phrase a million times growing up at balls, art galleries and other public appearances, but this time it actually sounded… genuine.
But before Weiss can continue this enjoyable conversation, the sound of chair moving drew her away from Neptune and towards her recluse of teammate as she stood to leave.
"I think I'm done playing actually." Blake says as she walks away. "I'll see you guys later."
Everyone watched as the secret faunus disappeared behind a bookshelf corner. This was becoming a serious problem. Blake was hiding something from them again, which was a violation to the promise she made at the docks last semester.
Weiss wasn't about to let such a violation stand. A team needed to communicate both in and out of the battlefield. If they didn't, how would they be able to trust one another? She was going to find out what was troubling Blake, even if it was the-
"Women."
Weiss's train of thought was completely derailed as she, and everyone else present, turned to Nora with confused looks on their faces. Not so much because of the comment itself, but because of the person who said it.
Then Weiss remembered who Nora was, and promptly shook her head for reacting the way she did.
~o0o~
Blake couldn't understand it.
No matter how hard she tried she could not wrap her head around. Even after weeks of pondering, the answer to her question remained out of reach.
How could they all be so calm?
Ever since the night at the docks, Blake tried to figure out who or what could drive the White Fang to work with degenerates like Roman Torchwick and why they were stealing so much Dust.
What were they planning to do with it? Use it themselves? Make weapons? Sell it on the black market? There were so many possibilities for why they were doing this but no proof to back up any of them.
All she knew was that something was coming. She didn't know when or what, but it was coming.
And no one seemed worried about it!
Even after what happened at the docks, Sun and her teammates acted like nothing was wrong. It boggled the mind. Did they think Ozpin and the police would be enough to stop the White Fang? Did they actually believe they could just wait until graduation to fight whatever it was that was coming for them?
By then it might be too late…
The sound of the door opening alerted Blake to the return of her teammates, finally back from playing that board game in the library. When all three were inside, Blake stood up to leave, certain they would be too busy arguing over whatever they were arguing about. But just as she was about to grab the doorknob she was spotted.
"Stop." Weiss's voice cuts through Yang Rojo's arguing like butter and forces Blake to turn and face her teammate. "Lately you've been quiet, antisocial and moody!"
"Uh, have you met Blake?" Yang joking askes, both her and Rojo now focused on the two girls.
"Which I get is kind of your thing, but you've been doing it more than usual! Which quite frankly is unacceptable!" Weiss places a hand against her chest, "You made a promise to me," She removes the hand from her chest and gestures towards Yang and Rojo with, "To all of us, that you would let us know if something is wrong!"
Then, Weiss does something rather unexpected. "So, Blake Belladonna," She flips into the air and lands atop a nearby chair where she points accusingly at Blake. "What is wrong!?"
Blake doesn't answer at first, a bit too surprised by the heiress's acrobatic display to respond. Weiss seems to pick up on this, and quickly dismounts the chair, (while also somehow returning it to its proper place by one of the dorm room desks,) and goes to stand by her two shocked teammates.
Her agility aside, Weiss was right. Blake had promised to let them know if anything was bothering her, but she didn't think they would understand, or that they might judge her for it.
There was no way of getting out of this though. "I just, I don't understand how everyone can be so calm." She confessed.
"You still hung up about what happened at docks with Torchwick?" Rojo asked her.
"Torchwick, the White Fang, all of it!" She shouted, letting weeks of frustration heard through her voice. "Something big is happening and no one is doing anything about it!"
"Ozpin told us not to worry." Yang reminded her, trying to calm her partner down. "Between the police and the Huntsmen, I'm sure they can handle it."
"Well, I'm not!" Blake barked. "They don't know the White Fang like I do! They don't know how they operate, recruit or, or anything about them that could help stop them!"
"So tell them."
All three girls snapped their gaze towards Rojo the second those words left his mouth. But before any of them could question his idea, he held up both hands and elaborated.
"Look Blake, you're ex-White Fang, that means you know how they operate better than any Huntsmen working on this case. If you tell Ozpin what you know instead of keeping it to yourself, we could stop this whole thing before it gets out of hand."
Blake was shocked by her leader's suggestion, by how… naïve it was. "Rojo, if they found out I was a White Fang member I would be arrested for what I've done!" She almost shouted at him, angry he would even suggest something like that, but Rojo simply folded his arms over his chest and looked at her.
"Do you really believe Ozpin doesn't already know?" He asked, making Blake hesitate from responding. "Because if you do, then you're underestimating not only him, but every Huntsmen out there. I mean, for God's sake, all your using to hide your ears is a freaking bow!" Blake felt her ears twitch subconsciously at the remark, which Rojo gestures at with his right hand. "See? We didn't notice it because we weren't looking for it, but Ozpin's been a Huntsman for years! Do you honestly believe he hasn't figured out you're not what you say you are?"
Blake didn't answer, she couldn't answer. She wanted to rebuke him, tell him that she'd never become a Huntress if they found out her past, but she also knew he was right. Ozpin was Headmaster for a reason, and her disguise could only fool so many people. She didn't want to admit that though, and she didn't know why.
Rojo answered that for her though.
"You're scared, Blake." He told her, "I get that, I really do. But if you can't trust the people who run this academy, people who put their lives on the line every day to protect this kingdom and its inhabitants, then you don't belong here."
His words were harsh, but true. She was being selfish and ungrateful. Ozpin had admitted her into Beacon without even batting an eye at her lack of formal training, which she admits must have been suspicious with how well she did on the entrance exam. Her team had spent hours searching for her when she ran off last semester, welcoming her back with open arms and not even the slightest ounce of resentment for hiding what she was from them, (even Weiss).
She couldn't keep the burden of what she knew to herself anymore, not if it meant stopping the White Fang from whatever it was they were planning.
With a heavy sigh Blake responded to her leader's statement.
"Okay… Let's go tell Ozpin."
Author's Note: SORRY, SORRY, SORRY! This took way longer than I thought it would and I am very ashamed by that. Now, some of you are probably a bit confused by a few things, so let me clear them up.
First off, the video of the nevermore. If all you recall, there was something akin to it hinted at during chapter 11, Suspicions, when Glynda is speaking with Ozpin. I was originally going to use it at the end of that chapter, but decided to use it later. Sorry, if you all think it should have come earlier or not at all, but I wanted to give a little more suspense to this chapter.
Second, Ironwood. I like Ironwood, and as we all know, he is well aware of something strange going on with both the Grimm and White Fang. And considering Ozpin has Qrow as his informant, I thought it would only make sense for Ironwood to have his own spies. But I wanted to take into account his military background. The spies are sort of meant to be like scouts for the General, informing him of the current state of the land before the main force arrives.
Third, Queen. For those of you who have the RWBY volume 3 DVD, and have listened to the director's commentary, you know the Queen is not Cinder. Gonna leave that there for you all to digest.
Fourth, the board game scene. Not going to lie, I suck when it comes to card games. Too much remembering what each card does, how it does, when it does, and so on. So I decided to take a bit of liberty when it came to the game. I am a big fan of Warhammer 40,000, and I dabble a bit in the game for a while, along with Dungeons and Dragons, so I decided to make the game a bit more like them: leadership rolls, 20 sided die, ect.
And finally, the ending. This is an alternate universe story. What happens in the show, (while awesome) may not play out exactly the same here. Also, I never really got why they tried hiding this from Ozpin. That guy would have just gone, "Okay, go do that!" I mean, he lets them go to Mountain Glenn even though they really shouldn't go there.
Anyway, I've ranted enough. Again, sorry if this chapter isn't as good as you hoped for, hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter out faster.
As always, Please Fav, Follow, and Review! Thank You!
DeadRich18 Out!