A New World
Chapter 25: Lost and Found
A/N: Hear ye, Hear ye. Another chapter has arrived.
Before we begin, I have a message for my reviewers - CajunBear73 and Greer123. Do you two have any constructive criticism that you could give me when you review this chapter? I would like to improve my writing anywhere I can.
That's all. Enjoy the chapter.
The call of a group of seagulls was heard as a ship moved over peaceful blue waters.
Passengers on the ship strolled across both the upper and mid decks.
Blake Belladonna rested her hands on the railing and stared out at the ocean. She blinked and looked over her shoulder, somewhat startled.
Two kids laughed over a joke. Blake almost smiled and turned to look back at the ocean.
"Traveling alone?"
Blake jumped and gripped the hilt of her weapon - Gambol Shroud. She froze in place when she saw the captain of the ship.
"Now, now, no need for that. Just here to chat." the captain said as he held up his hands in a reassuring manner.
Blake hesitated before she relaxed her posture a bit. "And why is that?"
The Captain lowered his arms and then stepped forward to lean idly onto the railing. "Well, not many people travel by boat alone. It can be quite a lonely voyage. Those that do tend to travel alone have some of the more… interesting stories… in my experience at least."
Blake turned away from the Captain. "Maybe it's just… better for some people to be alone."
The two kids from before ran past, behind Blake, laughing, and she gasped again, not expecting the noise behind her. She turned and blinked at them, trying to retain her calmness.
The Captain laughed. "Maybe, but with your paranoia, I think a few friendly faces wouldn't hurt."
"Who says I'm paranoid?!" Blake demanded.
The Captain laughed again. "No one, dear, no one. I'll leave you be."
The Captain turned and walked away, then stopped and looked back at Blake. "Allow me to give you a fair warning: these trips can be awfully boring."
The Captain continued on his way, and Blake stared after him. Once he was out of sight, she turned and looked at the deck for a few seconds before reaching up and undoing her bow.
She held the ribbon out over the railing. "Won't be needing this."
Blake let go and watched the ribbon twirl in the air once before landing in the water. She turned and walked away, going inside the ship's main deck.
She passed inside, but failed to notice a hooded figure watching her from a distance.
She too did not notice the black, red and white skin of a pair of sea creatures which could be seen moving just above the surface of the water. As they passed, the ribbon sunk beneath the waves.
Hiccup was using his scroll to make a search on the CCT when Yang approached his seat on the airship.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"I'm looking for a certain missing Faunus… A friend and teammate of yours, last time I checked." Hiccup replied. Yang glanced at the scroll, noticing that the words "Blake Belladonna" were entered into a search bar at the top of the screen.
"Why are you looking for her?" Hiccup looked at Yang as she spoke, taking in her annoyed expression.
"Why do you think? She's a friend and your teammate. You should be the one looking for her you know."
"I protected her before, lost an arm, and she disappeared without even saying goodbye, or thanks, because I protected her. She's not a friend of mine anymore. Don't search for her, please."
Hiccup looked back at Yang, coming to a decision. "I want to talk to you."
Yang shook her head and pushed past him to take the lead, walking to the back of the airship where Ozpin and Glynda were, and refusing to meet Hiccup's disappointed gaze. Ruby moved beside him. "What happened between you two?" she asked.
"I was looking on the CCT to try and see if I could find out where Blake is, and Yang found out. She told me they're not friends anymore." Hiccup replied.
"Again?" Ruby sighed before she tightened her hands into fists. "I'm going to talk to her later. This can't go on."
"Good luck with that Ruby, and thanks." Ruby nodded and the silence returned. Nothing further was said between them, until the airship landed in Mistral.
They disembarked, with Ozpin and Glynda leading the way, Hiccup and Astrid immediately behind them, while Yang and Ruby took up the rear.
Hiccup then decided to approach Ozpin.
"So where are we going to stay?" Hiccup asked.
"We're going to a safehouse. Qrow would stay at one similar, whenever he was busy with a mission on my behalf," Ozpin replied.
"So that's why he was always away," Yang said.
"He never told you?" Ozpin asked
"No,"
"Perhaps that is partly my fault then. You should know that he went on missions to keep an eye on Raven and find out about Salem's plans."
"Huh, ok," Yang said.
Silence returned to the group before they arrived at the safehouse. Ozpin took out a key and opened the door. They followed after him.
"So what do we do now?" Ruby asked.
"For now, you can do whatever you want. Tomorrow, however, Hiccup and Glynda will meet Leonardo Lionheart - headmaster of Haven Academy."
"Why can't you do it yourself?" Yang asked.
"Well if I entered the school, everyone would wonder why a fourteen-year-old boy is there. I could walk around as well myself, but nobody would believe a boy claiming to be the headmaster of Beacon. Only the teachers know about my… ability. On top of that - Salem could have spies among the students."
"Salem can't do that, can she?"
"Believe me, she can. In fact, if memory serves, she managed to have a group of three students apply for Beacon successfully. Two of them took part in a crime beforehand, which Hiccup thankfully noticed. If not for that, they would have got in just fine."
"Alright."
"You can go explore Mistral as you wish, Miss Xiao Long. That goes for everyone else as well."
"Ok. Care to go help me upgrade my weapons, Ruby?" Hiccup asked.
"Sure!" Ruby nodded vigorously and rushed to the door in her rose petal cloud form.
"You'll be needing this," Ozpin said, tossing the door key in Hiccup's direction. He caught it and left with Ruby.
"Hey, uh… Astrid?" Yang asked
"Yes?"
"Up for sparring with me?" she suggested.
"I'm up for it. Just don't expect me to go easy on you."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Yang smirked. Astrid mirrored the act.
"There's a sparring room down the stairs over there." Ozpin said, pointing at a side door. "…And I would be cautious around miss Xiao Long, miss Hofferson. She was one of the best students in her year."
"Ok."
The pair then headed for the sparring room downstairs.
"I'm going to keep an eye on Yang, to make sure she doesn't go too far." Glynda said to Ozpin, before following them downstairs.
Meanwhile, Hiccup and Ruby were walking along a fairly empty street on which every building was made primarily out of wood.
"So what upgrade did you want to make to your weapons?" Ruby asked.
"I think it would be useful if my weapons used dust bullets from now on."
"That sounds cool!" Ruby squealed
"Can I ask you a question?" He asked. Ruby nodded. "How did you find out that I had made my shield?"
Ruby looked away, cheeks red with embarrassment as she poked her index fingers together. "Um…"
Hiccup waited for her answer, but it soon became clear that she wasn't going to say anything. "Did you see me go into the forge?"
"Yup!" Ruby immediately seized the helpful answer. "I saw you go in the forge and heard you talking about making a shield with Professor Goodwitch."
"Ok. Do you think your weapon needs any upgrades?"
"Nope! Crescent Rose is perfect already!"
"Are you sure you don't want your weapon to use dust?"
Her eyes narrowed in mock suspicion. "What are you trying to say?"
"All I'm trying to say it would make your weapon more powerful."
Ruby nodded once. "I'll think about it. Now, do you see a forge anywhere?"
Hiccup looked around. "Nope. Can't see any. But there is someone looking at you."
"Really? Who is-"
"Ruby?"
She spun around. "Neptune?! Hi!"
"What are you guys doing here?" Neptune asked.
Neptune was a boy with tan skin, dark-blue eyes and messy light-blue hair in the form of an undercut.
"Well right now, my friend here is looking for a forge to upgrade his weapons."
Neptune looked at Hiccup as if noticing him for the first time. "Hello, I'm Neptune. Nice to meet you…?"
"Hiccup."
"Hiccup" Neptune stated, desperately trying not to laugh but failing spectacularly. "No last name?"
"I have one, but the last time I told my full name to someone, a friend of mine was almost captured. And we've only just met, so…"
"…Wow. Rough life huh?"
"I guess you could say that… Anyways, I don't suppose you'd know if there are any forges nearby?"
"Sure I do! Actually, my team is waiting for me in a forge just a few streets away. Come, I'll show you."
They started to walk again. "So, Neptune, you said your team was waiting for you at this forge?" Hiccup asked.
"Well, technically not my entire team. Our leader isn't in Mistral, unfortunately. We haven't seen or spoken to him in months."
"What happened to him? Hopefully, he's not -"
"He's probably not dead if that's what you were implying. He just wanted to keep an eye on the girl he likes. Sun's his name, stalking girls cross country is his game."
"By a girl, I think he means Blake." Ruby said to Hiccup.
"Wait, is he a monkey Faunus by any chance?"
"Yup. You know him?"
"I met him when Blake decided to leave Beacon. I'm not sure when they first met, but they both decided to stay the night in my forge in Vale."
"Well that's interesting. I'm sure Sage and Scarlet would like to hear that story."
"Sage, Scarlet and Sun? You're the odd one out on your team, aren't you?"
"Yes, it gets annoying being named different from everyone else on your team."
"I know what it's like to be an outcast."
Neptune looked at him. "Is that to do with your name?"
"Kind of. But I don't want to say more about it, it brings up some bad memories."
Neptune nodded in acceptance. "I'll take you to the forge now."
It was now dusk, and the ship continued its journey on the smooth water. There was a peaceful bird call, and Blake found herself once again on the middle deck looking out at the ocean. A Faunus couple walked behind her and she watched them, slightly less twitchy than before.
It's when she was about to leave that she finally sensed that she was being watched by someone on the upper deck. Seeing it was a hooded figure, she immediately drew Gambol Shroud.
"Who's there?!"
The hooded figure turned and ran for it. Blake stared up at the deck, no longer watching the ocean. She didn't notice the dorsal fins of sea creatures momentarily surface. She did, however, feel the boat rocking on the wake they created, grunting as she tried to keep her balance.
Blake turned around to face the water. Looking down, she finally saw the creatures breaching the surface.
They resembled very large dolphins, with the bone plating of Grimm covering most of their bodies. Eerie red eyes narrowed as they focused on Blake, before disappearing under the water.
The ship then lurched, as both creatures rammed the ship.
"RED ALERT!" the voice of a crew member shouted.
The alarm immediately sounded, followed by a shout from a crew member. Two red lights next to a speaker pulse with the noise. The Captain and his First Mate came running out to look at the situation from the upper deck, just above Blake. The Captain murmured as he watched the creatures surface again.
"Oh no!" The captain turned and called out to the ship. "All hands to battle stations! We've got a pod of Isonade's to deal with!"
"Yes, sir!" Came the reply from the crew.
"Let's hope no more pods show up. We could capsize! Keep 'er steady boys!"
Blake sprang into action, jumping off the boat and into the air. She activated her semblance, creating a clone to step off of and give her some more momentum while flinging Gambol Shroud downward in its kusarigama form. Attached to the ribbon on her wrist, it embeded itself into one of the two Isonade's backs.
In response, the Grimm dove, and took Blake with it. Blake attempted to fire a shot but was rammed by the other Isonade before she could.
Meanwhile, the captain was busy keeping the ship stabilized in the Grimm's wake. He stepped outside to get another look at it when he could, but moments like those were rare. The Grimm leapt out of the water, yanking Blake in an attempt to dislodge her from its back.
Blake pulled the trigger, managing to shoot it before it plunged back into the water. The side of the ship opened up and the cannons came out.
When the Isonade surfaced once more, Blake ripped her weapon from its back and jumped back to the ship, hearing it cry out in pain. The ship's cannons fired and hit the injured Isonade that Blake had attacked earlier, killing it. Missing the other Isonade, she watched it dive back into the water unscathed.
Blake landed back on the ship, bounced, and quickly got herself back onto her feet. Her left shoulder was hurt apparently, yet she forced herself to stand.
The captain was steering again. "Hold steady men, we're not done with it yet! GET THE HEAVY CANNON LOADED!"
The largest cannon on the ship rose up through a trapdoor on the deck, extended itself, and took aim at the remaining Grimm. As if it could sense the danger it was in, the Grimm rammed the ship. Blake cried out as she hung on with her inconveniently injured left arm.
"Heavy cannon, OPEN FIRE!" The captain ordered, the moment the Grimm surfaced again.
The heavy cannon fired a shot, striking the Grimm just once to kill it. The captain stepped out onto deck to look at the water once more. "The Grimm is dead. Keep the canons loaded in case more appear!" He ordered.
Blake made to stand but was knocked aside by the same cloaked figure from before. "Hey!"
The figure grunted and the cloak fell back, revealing one Sun Wukong.
"Sun?!" Blake exclaimed in surprise.
"Heya Blake!"
"What are you doing here Sun!?"
"Keeping an eye on a reckless Faunus I saw. Diggin' the new outfit, by the way!" He pointed at her ears which were open to the air. "Never did like the bow."
Blake slapped his hand away. "Sun!"
"Geez! I was complimenting you! Relax."
"Have you been following me?!"
He didn't reply for a few seconds too long, and she quickly became impatient. With a cry, she swung her arm around to slap him in the face. "Answer me!"
Sun clutched his cheek and looked a touch abashed. "I saw you run off the night Beacon Tower was destroyed… Once we landed in Vale, you made sure everyone was okay, and then you just took off without saying anything!"
"I had to! You wouldn't understand..."
"No, I get it! The moment you left, I knew exactly what you were doing!"
Blake smiled at him, pleased at feeling understood.
"You're going on a one-woman rampage against the White Fang!"
Blake's briefly happy feelings fell. "What?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"You always felt like the Fang was your fight. They show up, trash your school, and then hurt your friends… It makes perfect sense!"
Blake face-palmed and let out a frustrated groan. "I can't believe this is what you actually think."
"But there's no way I'm letting you do this alone! It's an honourable approach, sure, but you're going to need someone to watch your back. And that's where I come in!" Sun put his arm around her. "Us Faunus have got to stick together, after all."
"You're wrong, Sun." Blake shook her head and pushed his arm away. "You're so, so wrong."
She turned her back on him and walked away.
"What are you…"
"I'm not going anywhere near the White Fang. Not yet." Blake stated.
"Seriously?" Sun was now looking at her in disbelief.
"I need to sort some things out first."
"Then why not do it with your team? Your friends? Or the teachers at Beacon?"
"You're one to talk about not bringing your team! After all, I assume Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet aren't hiding below deck!" Blake snapped.
"You really think I could get Neptune on the ocean? Have you forgotten he's terrified of water? They flew back to Mistral! I told them I'd catch up! It's not the first time I left them to take a boat!" He shuffled a bit uncomfortably. "So, if you're not going after the White Fang, where are you going?"
"I'm going home. To Menagerie."
"Well I'm coming with you. Just because you're not going after the Fang doesn't mean they won't be coming for you! Besides, I'm kinda already on the boat, Blake."
"There's really no stopping you, is there?"
"Nope! This is going to be great! Never been to Menagerie before! It'll be a regular journey to the East! I like the sound of that!"
Despite herself, Blake found herself smiling at Sun's antics. "Alright then, Sun, you can come with me... But I'm hungry, and it's time to eat."
Hiccup and Ruby were on their way back from the forge with Neptune's team. Hiccup had left his weapons back at the forge to be worked on by the weaponsmith after Neptune had introduced Hiccup to his teammates, Sage and Scarlet. As they walked, Hiccup glanced at each of the people in the trio.
Neptune was wearing a white dress shirt and black tie under a red jacket. The jacket was adorned with a wide, upturned, black collar and a silver reticle across the back.
He also sported a pair of grey jeans with black padding strapped to the sides as well as black shoes fastened with velcro straps instead of laces.
In addition, Neptune had a pair of yellow tinted goggles on his forehead and black fingerless gloves.
Meanwhile, Sage had dark skin and yellow eyes. His hair was appropriately sage green, and he appeared to have tattoos of wings on his chest as well as tattoos of Roman numerals, matching those on his sword, around his neck.
He wore a white long coat with asymmetrical sleeves, a green wing design similar to his tattoos and no shirt underneath, displaying his tattooed chest. His jacket also has a golden pauldron on his right shoulder and a golden cuff around his left wrist. He also wore a pair of dark pants fastened by a white belt with a yellow buckle.
Lastly, Scarlet had - appropriately - red hair that came down over his right eye, with a complete undercut. There were several red markings around his left eye. He wore a green, mulberry, navy colour feather earring on his left ear and had a red military pelisse-like jacket draped over his left side. A grey bandanna hung around his neck.
On Scarlet's right hand was a fingerless glove, and on his right bicep, was a grey band. He wore a white sleeveless shirt and light grey pants. A pair of long, brown, laced boots ran up his shins. Around his waist, he wore a brown belt and another, slightly slanted grey belt that his weapon holster is attached to.
They arrived back at the safehouse where the others were staying and Hiccup opened the door. Entering, Hiccup was greeted with the sight of Astrid holding an ice pack to her forehead, while Yang had a victorious smirk on her face.
"Uh… what happened?" Hiccup asked.
"Miss Hofferson and Miss Xiao Long decided to spar." Ozpin said.
"Isn't that the voice of Professor Ozpin?" Neptune asked.
"Yes it is, and you know what? He can explain how he's alive because I'm not doing it. He can also explain and show them Toothless. Where is he by the way?" Hiccup asked
"He's taking a nap downstairs," Astrid said.
Ozpin shot Hiccup a look of betrayal. "Oh shut up. You let someone who is definitely not huntress level when it comes to fighting, spar with one of the best first years at Beacon. It's a miracle she isn't seriously injured. So consider that punishment."
"Astrid is fine though. What's the issue here?" Yang said.
"I believe I've already said what the issue is Yang... Try to keep up." Hiccup snapped. Yang wisely remained silent.
"You don't need to worry Hiccup. I had an idea of what I was getting into. We all saw Yang fight during the Vytal festival."
"She put someone much stronger than you in the hospital you know, Astrid." Hiccup said, ignoring Yang's protest at his statement.
"Glynda kept an eye on them as well. Miss Hofferson wasn't in any danger." Ozpin protested.
"Then I will make sure to thank Glynda later. For now I've got a call to make.." Hiccup took out his scroll and dialled a number.
It was now night-time on the middle deck of the ship. Blake was at the railing again, staring out towards the couldn't see much, but she enjoyed the peace and quiet of the night.
Then her scroll rang in her pocket, interrupting the calm moment.
"Hello?" Blake said when she responded to the call.
"Greetings, Blake." Blake's eyes widened.
"Hiccup?!" Blake suddenly heard a shout in the background.
"Uh… hold on, Blake." The line went quiet for a few seconds before Blake heard the sound of footsteps receding.
"Sorry about that. A certain teammate of yours heard me mention your name, but Ruby is dealing with her. I really need to get her some cookies… Anyway, where were we?"
"Y-You were in a coma."
"Really? I hadn't noticed."
"How are you able to call me?"
"Well obviously I'm not in a coma, and the CCT was fixed." Hiccup drawled.
"I don't remember you being this sassy when we last talked." Blake said dryly.
"I don't remember you being nervous enough to vanish into thin air. That's my thing. But we don't get what we want, do we?" Hiccup said
"I wasn't aware that being nervous is your thing." Blake replied
"Being nervous isn't. Being nervous enough that you leave without anyone knowing, is. Well not exactly, someone did find out before I could leave, but that doesn't matter. Where are you?"
"I'm on a boat. I'm going back home to see my parents in Menagerie."
"Ok. Is Sun with you?"
"He's on the boat, but he's sleeping below deck. Why? And how did you know that?!"
"Ruby and I came across his team earlier."
"You're in Mistral, aren't you?"
"Yes. How'd you know?"
"Sun told me he sent his team there."
"Why didn't he bring them with him?"
"Well, Neptune is afraid of water, and he told me he would catch up with them later."
"What are you going to do after you've gone back home? Are you going to stay in Megnarie forever?"
"I don't know. I'd like to tell you that I have an idea, but I don't. I don't even know if I can continue being a huntress after this. Adam attacked Yang because of me. How do I move on from that?"
"Well, you could start with facing the fact that this isn't your fault."
"How can you say that?!" Blake shouted into her scroll. Hiccup winced and held his scroll at arm's length for a moment.
"Please don't do that again. I'd rather not go deaf."
Blake winced but did not apologize. "But it's true! Adam cut Yang's arm off, right in front of me, because she was protecting me!"
"Did you tell him to cut off her arm? Did you do it yourself?"
"N-No, but that's not how it works."
"Then how does it work? how is it your fault? What makes it your fault, and not Adam's?" Blake had no reply to give Hiccup.
" I'll take your silence to mean I'm correct."
"Don't act smug." Blake grumbled.
"Hey, I'm the one keeping team RWBY together right now, or at least what's left of it, since Yang's said you're no longer her friend, and Weiss is still stuck in Atlas. You should be thanking me."
"I will when I get back. Good luck with Yang."
"Thanks. I'll be needing it, I think. Goodnight Blake."
"Goodnight Hiccup." The call ended, and Blake continued to stare out at the water, before eventually heading below deck to sleep.
Putting his scroll away, Hiccup was approached by Ruby and Toothless, the latter of which attempted to tackle him. "Thanks for the help with Yang, Ruby."
"You're very welcome."
"Are you okay? This must be hard on you, with your sister not wanting to hear or see one of your mutual friends."
"I don't like it, but I'm sure I'll be able to make them make up again when we see Blake again… and hey if not, I'll get Weiss to do it. She'll be willing to help."
Hiccup laughed. "She'll definitely help. Anyways, it's getting late, so I'm going to head to bed. You should probably do the same."
"Not yet, I need to see how Jaune and his team are doing first." Ruby said, taking out her scroll.
"Just don't stay up too late." Hiccup looked around the room. "I'm going to assume Neptune and his teammates left already?
"Yup. They left a minute or two ago."
"Ah, that makes sense… Well, goodnight Ruby."
"Goodnight Hiccup." Ruby giggled as she watched Toothless tackle Hiccup once more, succeeding in knocking him over and licking him thoroughly, ignoring his human's protests. Hiccup then managed to stand up when Toothless stopped the action, where he was able to go to sleep under Toothless' wings.
A/N: Another chapter done. Next chapter will involve a trip to Haven Academy, as well as something that I think will be interesting. It will be happening over in Atlas by the way. This event in Atlas will involve a few characters that haven't got much focus in my story, so I hope you all enjoy it when the time comes.
I know I don't get many reviews, but a few more reviews from people other than CajunBear73 and Greer123 would be nice for a change. (That isn't to say I don't like their reviews mind you) More reviews would let me know if everyone is enjoying what I'm writing, and if there are things that could make the story better. So please review if you can.
Until next time everyone.
Silvolde