Gosh darnit I was ready to upload this before Fanfiction decided now was a perfect time to freak the hell out. Anyways, I'm back!
I want to thank you guys again for reading. It's been really inspiring for me to see new reviews, new followers and new favorites. I'm also glad that I'm working on NaNoWriMo because it's an excellent motivator for continuing on the pace that I am right now. The progress within the story itself is now finally at a point where I want to be and it's far from over.
Anyways, I kept you guys long enough. Enjoy Chapter 25: Ending a Chapter.
Chapter 25: Ending a Chapter
Silence hung in the air as Ruby and Qrow still embraced each other. Within herself, Ruby felt something stir. It was as if a great burden was lifted from her, mentally and physically and she was finally able to breathe freely.
"You okay there, kiddo?" Qrow asked as he continued to slowly stroke Ruby's hair, in his mind, like a father would.
With a heavy sigh, Ruby let go of Qrow. "Yeah. I think I was too shocked about it at first and now finally accept it, truly." she said, wiping away the leftover tears on her cheeks and smiling at Qrow.
"I'd still like to know what happened that you two decided to break up.." Ruby said.
Qrow let out a sigh and a chuckle. "I was stupid, that's what. After Raven had left, Summer helped out Tai a lot since he was alone with Yang. We never really truly said we were together so we were kind of more like lovers. But we knew we loved each other." Qrow said, scratching his beard in thought. "In the end, we grew apart as Tai and Summer grew closer because I was away a lot. I got jealous and I overreacted. When I tried to stop her from going on 'the mission', she wouldn't listen to me."
"What.. exactly was she supposed to do on that mission?" Ruby asked. This time.. She didn't really feel the sadness over the loss of her mother anymore. She just wanted to know the truth, what really happened.
"The only thing Ozpin gave us, was a 'grave danger'." Qrow said. "And I know when Ozpin uses those words, he has no idea what it is. But he knows that if it isn't dealt with, all of Vale could be eradicated."
"I tried to warn Summer at first. She was approached by 'them'. I still have no clear clue of who they are, but Cinder was certainly working for them. She tried to bargain." Qrow said with a sigh as he clenched his fist. "They knew of you and Yang. So she told me she wanted to trade her own life for the safety of her children."
Ruby's chest tightened as Qrow spoke, but again the feeling within her pulsed, giving her an odd sense of comfort. "So she sacrificed herself for us..?"
"Yup." Qrow said. "Listen Ruby.. when they tried to kill your mother.. They did the same thing as Cinder had done. I haven't told you this before but, whoever they are, they know how to extract the maiden's souls. It's how Cinder became the Fall maiden."
Ruby breathed in deep as she looked at Qrow.
"And I'm going to be completely honest with you. They're hunting you too." Qrow said, as he looked serious at Ruby. "They're hunting the Maiden's souls. I don't know why, but it's not good. It's the second reason why I requested you and Jaune go to Mistral. To try and hide, but also prepare you for what is inevitably going to come."
"But how can I prepare for an enemy I don't even know about?" Ruby asked, looking slightly confused at her father.
"Simple." Qrow said, smiling.
"You learn to improvise."
After speaking with Qrow, whom she could now call her father more earnestly, Ruby made her way to the infirmary. On her way to Blake's room, where the nurse had said Weiss, Yang, Neo and Blake were, she walked past Raven's room. Something in her compelled her to stop.
She looked at the door, it was the same thick heavy wooden door most of the school used, but this one was locked with an extra measure, a keycard slot and number pad. Ruby looked around, checking if someone was coming before flipping open the pad on her arm.
"Salutations, friend Ruby!" Penny said, giving a salute and a large smile.
"Hey Penny. How's everything at Atlas?" Ruby asked, realizing she hadn't seen her friend in a while.
"Wonderful! I've been doing surveillance on important areas around Remnant, so I've had a little bit of time to myself. I was able to uncover a little bit of information regarding a note on your profile, something called 'project Valkyries'. General Ironwood doesn't know, so please don't tell him." Penny said, whispering her last few words.
Ruby smiled. "I'll have a look at it later. Could you help me out? I want to get in this room."
Penny looked at the door, then back at Ruby. "I'm not supposed to break protocol, Ruby. And breaching the Beacon defense system is a breach."
"I'll own up to it, if we're found out. Don't worry. It's just, very important I get in." Ruby pleaded, showing Penny mock puppy eyes.
"Oh, all right!" Penny said as the lock flashed white a few times before turning to a solid green. "I was undetected, but get in quick because it'll lock by itself again."
"Thanks Penny." Ruby said before closing the pad again and entering the room. Only the lights above the bed were on and the blinds were shut, leaving the largest part of the room shrouded in darkness.
Ruby felt Crescent Rose being touched before her sword was put to her neck forcefully as she was held against a wall.
"Don't try anything and listen to me." Raven whispered in Ruby's ear. "If you do decide to do anything, I will cut your throat. Understood? Nod if you understand."
Ruby slowly nodded, careful to let the blade not nick her neck.
"Good. Now I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen to me. You will not say a single word, you're going to sit down and listen to me. Nod if you understand." Raven demanded again.
Ruby nodded again.
"I'm going to let you go at three. If you pull your weapon, what I said before applies again. I will cut your throat. Nod if you understand."
Ruby nodded. "Good. Now.. one.. two.. " Raven started before letting go of Ruby, holding the sword up to her still. Ruby slowly turned towards Raven. The image Ruby had of Raven was wildly different to what she looked like. To Ruby, she looked more like Yang, but with black hair (and longer due to Adam's doing).
"Sit. And I remind you to shut up." Raven said before walking over to the bed again to lean on it. Ruby hesitantly sat down in the corner of the room on the same chair Qrow had used.
"I'm going to preface a few things to you. One, I'm not going to escape. I'm here now, the damage is done. Two, I have no intention to hurt anyone here unless I have to. Three, and listen closely because this is the most important one of them all." Raven said, "You are the only thing standing between the survival or death of Remnant.
Ruby looked confused at Raven before opening her mouth, causing Raven to immediately hold the sword up to Ruby again. "No words. Listen. I don't need your drama or bullshit."
Ruby closed her mouth again and Raven laid the sword down. "You'll get this back later. I just need you to be a bit more complacent. Knowing Qrow trained you, I'm also not very keen on dueling you while I don't have my weapon and you still have yours." Raven said.
"I do have to say, you look exactly like Summer. Tai gave you that cape, probably. Always a tad too sentimental. Reflects in Yang." Raven idly remarked before clearing her throat. "I'm going to explain you completely what is going on in the world right now, and what is going to happen."
"Your friend, the Schnee heiress, she has taken some very sensitive plans. Plans I intentionally left out in the open. Those documents are strike areas. What that means is that they're carefully planned blueprints to completely destroy the defenses of each kingdom." Raven said, twirling Ruby's sword around idly.
"And those aren't the only copies. In fact, these plans have been worked on for years. Vale was first to fall in order to capture the Fall Maiden. In the end, it ended with Cinder being more of a burden than an asset. She was too weakened by whatever the hell you did to her."
Ruby furrowed her brow as she looked at Raven.
"Now you're probably wondering, how do I know Cinder? Well, it turns out who I worked for found everything to be going too slow. So she sent Cinder. When Cinder failed miserably in taking out Beacon for good, it reinforced their trust in me. Slowly, I was trying to figure out a way to defeat her." Raven said, before looking at Ruby with a smug grin. "And now you're wondering who she is. And she is the end of Remnant. Also the one that killed your mother."
Ruby breathed in deeply as Raven cruelly laughed.
"Summer always was a bit naive. I figured it would be her downfall in the end. All that power, wasted. But you're not Summer, are you? No, you're much more clever. Stronger. Determined." Raven mocked. "For all our sakes, I hope whatever Qrow thinks is true."
Ruby angrily peered at Raven as she balled her fist angrily in her cloak.
"But you can't defeat her. Not alone. But if you're even half the person Summer was, then you'll have no problem doing what needs to be done." Raven said, combing her hand through her hair. "You have to unite the Kingdoms. Only then will there be a fighting chance that we can defeat her. They've lost one of their largest assets, the Maiden of Fall. But at the same time, they're getting ever closer to the Maiden of Winter and the Maiden of Spring. You will also need to find them as you collect all the allies you can get."
Ruby continued to stare into the eyes of Raven, but her expression had changed from anger to determination. Ruby again didn't feel fear or anxiety at the prospect. Raven gave her a lopsided smirk as response.
"Weiss also has document which holds the names of those close to her alongside descriptions. Her lieutenants if you will. I never spoke to her directly as I never got too high in the hierarchy because of my connection to Qrow. But she has all the information you could possibly need. The White Fang is out of my control." Raven said. "And that's all I have to say to you. Now get out of here."
Raven flipped the sword around and held the handle towards Ruby, whom took it and slid it back into Crescent Rose. Ruby opened the pad on her arm again and unlocked the door before turning as Raven laid back down in the bed.
"Why did you tell me all of this?" Ruby asked, looking confused at Raven.
"Because I owe Summer, and as I said, you're probably the last hope for this world." Raven said as she crossed her hands behind her head and laid back down. "Now get lost."
Ruby looked at her for a moment before closing the door and making her way down the hallway towards her friends' room.
Raven used the silence to calm herself down. Well Summer, that's one favor down. Let's hope she'll be ready.
Afterwards, Ruby had texted Jaune before moving on. The both of them went to join Weiss, Yang, Blake and Neo. Ruby was glad to find them all okay, albeit a bit shaken up. But she felt a little more anxious as she shared what Raven had told her.
"So.. What now?" Yang asked, looking concerned at Ruby.
"Well, considering she threatened me to tell me that and Qrow's been working through the night to figure out what she's been talking about, I'm fairly certain she's serious." Ruby said.
Weiss was putting all the intel they had gotten from the base on the bed and quickly analyzed and sorted them. "Did Raven say anything about when the attacks would take place?" Weiss asked as she briefly glanced at Ruby before continuing to scour them for any information.
"Nope. Nothing." Ruby replied, sighing heavily.
"Let's just calm down. For all we know, they're just a distraction. I believe you Ruby, but Raven still isn't someone who we should blindly trust. It could all be a hoax." Blake said.
"Blake has a point. However, we should be ready in case there's an attack. I'll send some pictures to all of your scrolls so we at least have some information in case there's an attack." Weiss said as she opened her scroll to take photos of the different maps.
"So.. how are you doing now Ruby?" Yang asked as she looked with concern at her 'little sister'.
"I'm fine. I talked with Qrow before I went here." Ruby said with a small smile. "It's strange and I can't quite explain it. But I think that I can honestly call him my father now. In a sense.".
Yang stared at her with wide eyes. "Qrow..? Really?"
"I asked him for the truth. And that's what he gave me. He regrets a lot of what he's done and isn't proud of it. But he's trying to better himself. Winter, especially, has been helpful with that. So I guess I also have to thank your sister." Ruby said as she smiled at Weiss.
"Well, Winter has also changed a lot. She's opened up more, a bit like how I did when I started hanging around with you guys. I do have to agree that at first I thought Qrow was a scoundrel but my sister does seem to better him." Weiss said as she finished taking the pictures, putting the maps on a neat stack again before rolling them all up.
"So.. what about Raven, Yang?" Ruby asked as she returned a compassionate smile.
Yang looked down at her hands again. "I don't think I will be able to reconcile with her. After everything she's done to me, everything she's said to me.. I think I'll be far happier not caring. I've still got you and Dad as family and that's enough for me. Besides, I've found her. I can finally end that chapter of my life. I wish I could've finished it in a better way." Yang said.
Jaune chuckled before the five girls looked at him with confused expressions. "Oh. Sorry. I just heard the words of Ren ring in the back of my mind, when we went to the market to pick up groceries and Nemory came along with us, Ruby. We were looking at their little 'mini-me' as Nora put it and Ren told me the story of their return to Vale."
Weiss perked up before looking even more baffled. "Wait, Ren and Nora have a child?"
Neo subtly shushed Weiss before looking at Jaune again.
"I was struggling with the ending of a chapter to my story as well when we came back to Vale. And I shared that with him. We talked and he told me about what happened with him and Nora. But then he gave me the best advice I could've gotten." Jaune said.
"That whatever happens and whatever has happened, you have to keep moving forward."
After discussing the information of Raven with their friends, Ruby and Jaune had decided to share it with Qrow and Ironwood. The both of them had been surprised and Qrow had later tried to visit Raven again, but Raven had held her tongue for the most part. Ironwood had taken the words seriously and requested Ruby to focus on her own safety as well.
Unfortunately, Ruby and Jaune's time in Vale had once again come to an end. They had decided to take another night-flight back to Mistral, to make sure Ruby could continue her training on time.
As the flight would still take a while and Jaune was sleeping, Ruby decided to check out the information Penny had dug up. Most of it was pretty normal. Profile on her history, psychology and health. Some minor details, like Jaune and her relationship had been added, but nonetheless her record was pretty normal. Ruby tapped on the assigned projects and saw the specialist and Atlas-Vale program listed under it. Curiously, she tapped on the Atlas-Vale program to reveal a plethora of documents and made up news stories about them.
Ruby sighed to herself as she put it away again before opening the hidden project, 'Valkyries'. There was a small flash on her scroll before a lot of the usual secret terminal code came up before revealing the folder with a few documents inside. Every file was coded with an element, Fire, Water, Earth and Wind. Ruby tapped on the Fire document to reveal pictures of a girl unknown to her before switching over to pictures of Cinder. Mentally, she made the connection. These are the files on the Maidens. Let's see what Atlas knows.
She returned to the root of the folder clicking instead on Water. Vague hints and blurry pictures faced her, a white-haired girl with a staff being in most of them. One of the pictures was an aerial picture of a large piece of forest struck by ice. Ruby guessed it must've been at least two miles big. At the end of the page, there was a note. Extremely dangerous, avoid if at all possible. Non-cooperative. Last known location - Atop Mount Lyht. Ruby mentally said to herself as she read. To her, actually living atop the mountain near Atlas was impossible. But then again, she had no clue to which extent that girl's powers actually were. Or to what extent her own powers went.
She returned again to the main folder, this time going to the Earth file. Ruby guessed this was the Spring Maiden and within the first few pictures she was proven right. These weren't as bad as the Winter Maiden and mainly focused on rows of brightly colored flowers. There were only sightings of the effects of the Spring maiden's power and those seemed to be mostly tame. The 'largest' offense was a wall that had heavy stone spikes protruding from it. But they in turn had grown flowers as well.
Finally, Ruby checked out the Wind file. She wasn't surprised as she found a link to her profile, but there were also older pictures. Pictures of her mother. Ruby looked confused at them before scrolling through the file. There were some old pictures of Summer, more specifically using her powers. There were a few notes at the bottom again. Manifestation incomplete. Problem most likely psychological. Recommend confrontation with trauma. Ruby looked at the words. She didn't feel angry, however it stinged to see the words. Sighing to herself, she was glad that there had been a lot of positive things about coming back to Vale however.
Yawning, she put her head to Jaune's shoulder. But a noise caught her attention before the airship shook. Again Ruby heard the dulled sound before the airship shook. She tapped Jaune on the shoulder as she stood up. "Wake up. Something's wrong." Ruby said, grabbing Crescent Rose and holding it in her right hand as she moved towards the cockpit.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked as she stepped into the cockpit.
"I don't know. There were some explosions. Probably some fireworks of some kind." the pilot said, seemingly calm. "I'm sure it's no-"
The pilot's words were silenced as the night sky lit up as the CCT Tower exploded. Ruby's eyes grew wide as more and more explosions came into view. When the shockwave of the explosions hit the airship, the pilot could no longer hold it as they started to twirl around. Ruby felt the stirring within her again and this time embraced the feeling. Using her semblance, she scattered into countless petals and quickly she grabbed the pilot and Jaune, making her way out of the airship before quickly descending to the ground.
Jaune was ready now as they landed and looked at Ruby. "What happened?"
Ruby stared back at Jaune, swallowing the lump in her throat as she realized what was happening.
"Mistral is under attack." Ruby said.