Chapter 25 – Ice and Blood
Kragen
Two thousand four hundred and seventy-six years divide these two souls, one motivated by revenge and the other motivated by affection. Two things that should not ever be able to coexist, and the two Silver Eyed Warriors that stand on the beautiful mountain range show this perfectly.
Kannix stands before his former master, one of his fists clenched and his hook blade folded out from where his other hand was one also clenched. Silver eyes glaring right back at his, and despite how much younger he looks, Kragen is only older than him by half a century…both of them have suffered for all these years. But none have suffered like Kannix, watching his entire people fall and be torn apart either by the Grimm or by each other. Tormented by Vir Nominis Umbra and his creatures of destruction and suffering, but his semblance meant that no matter how much pain he endured…he would survive it all. Repairing the damage by converting pain into aura.
Pain is all the man has.
And yet somehow…despite how much he hates Kragen and how much time has split the two apart…he still looks so much smaller than Kragen. Almost like he is standing before a father figure, feeling like he needs his help…but it is clear that the help he wants is for his revenge to be given. And that will only be granted if he kills Kragen once and for all…but Kragen's purpose in this world has not been fulfilled yet.
Kragen stands with his long staff in his hands, grasping it with both hands, pressing it downwards into the icy snow.
You never could sneak up on me…
"I always tried but somehow you always knew." Kannix remembers as he stares him down, surprising Kragen to see how he is actually just speaking to him. Not threatening him or just firing his gun at him instead. But at the same time Kragen knows that his personality right now shows that it is either impossible or very difficult to bring him back to the light. Because he has let Vir Nominis Umbra consume him.
But it won't stop him from trying.
Kragen chuckles as he softly taps the staff down at the snowy floor, looking back to his old apprentice that he failed. "Even when you were young you would always try and make me jump…but every time you would trip or hit something." Kragen chuckles as he stands there, the cold breeze blowing up against his body as he stands there.
Kannix chuckles, lowering his head as he looks at the snow, gently kicking some of it across the floor with his armoured boot. "There was always something in the way…like a bucket…or that stupid rat Cynthia had…what was it called again?" Kannix inquires curiously, and Kragen chuckles.
"Rexy." Kragen answers, remembering every little detail as he looks up at the stunning setting sun. "To think she was just a friend who liked to make us weapons back then…" He says softly, looking down at the ground and sighing through his nose. He looks at Kannix, knowing that he loved that young woman, he always had a crush on her because she saw him as a person and not as a Squire.
"How things change." Kannix agrees, nodding his head.
"Not everything though." Kragen says as he shrugs his shoulders.
"Yeah…still using that old staff of yours, what is it called again?" He inquires.
"Ebony Duchess." He answers, and he nods his head.
"Was there a reason behind it?" Kannix inquires and he nods his head.
"Well I never named it until I met Yenna…so I wanted to always remember her in the staff that protected us. Ebony – like her hair – and Duchess…because she was a Duke's daughter when she was younger…before Arkhonex was destroyed." Kragen explains, and Kannix nods his head.
"Never did meet her…you know…before now." He admits.
"She was the only one of the Maidens that wanted to stay with me…she nursed me when I was old…and her gift made me younger. We stayed in that cabin for years until the many skirmishes of the survivors arrived at our land." Kragen states, and Kannix sighs.
"I saw a few of those." He admits.
"At least this new Generation is better than we were." Kragen says with admiration in his voice, but clearly Kragen does not seem the same way.
"This Generation is no different, they just show their hate more than we did." For a few moments it actually felt like it was the reunion of old friends, but it was clear that it would not last for very long. "This Generation is nothing like our Empire, everyone is so judgemental of every little thing. Being a Faunus…it is treated like a crime now." Kannix states as he looks out at the mountain range with him, and Kragen nods his head as he looks out at the mountains with him.
"Unfortunately…I believe our Empire had a part in that. Or at least the Congregation of Dawn did with their genocidal campaign." He states, agreeing with him on that, and for the first time in thousands of years, Kannix agrees with his former mentor.
"And yet despite the differences, it seems that this Generation has our flaws and some of our strengths as well." He says as he nods his head. "People are…more accepting…at the same time."
"How do you mean?" Kragen asks.
"No Family House nonsense…I mean sure you have the Schnees, but they are the only ones I have ever seen acting in such a way. The Arcs and the Nikos Family, even now they endure after the fall. And they are nothing like how they once were…if you ask me, I call that an improvement." Kannix shrugs his shoulders, and Kragen nods his head in agreement.
"I have faith for this new generation, they are better than we were. We may have seemed all perfect and proper with our technology and unity…but it was because we ruled over the soil of millions buried. Any that stood in our way we destroyed…it was only a matter of time before our judgement was to be decided. This generation…they have only had one real war, it was bloody…but they learned from it. We never did." Kragen explains wisely to his former apprentice who nods his head, but then he sighs.
"There is no hope for this universe…or any universe." He states.
"I don't believe that…I believe that these people are strong enough to brave any danger…even Umbra." Kragen explains and Kannix scoffs, glancing over at him.
But as Kannix stares at him, his eyes narrow and that glare returns on the Spectre, that look of resentment and desperation to find closure to his own suffering. What Kragen does not even realise is the level of risk that stands with Kannix coming after him like this, against Umbra's orders.
"And here we stand…talking like old friends…when I am here to kill you." Kannix states, as he stares right at him.
Kragen hardens himself as the breeze of the cold mountain storm blows across his face, making his cloak billow gently. The silence between them is so apparent that it bites harder and sharper than the cold air of the mountains. Kannix lifts his cybernetic hand, shifting the hook back into his hand of five digits – the very same one that Jaune Arc cut off when they first ever met him back at Vacuo five years prior. "You figured I would come." Kannix presumes, looking back at the old Silver Eyed Warrior once more. Kragen nods his head as he taps his staff against the floor.
"Of course…I know you…perhaps better than you know yourself." Kragen explains, and Kannix scowls at him as be begins to circle him with his hook blade folded out from where his metal hand was once clenched.
"You think you can talk to me like I am your student? After how you abandoned me to die on those godforsaken islands?" Kannix questions with stern judgement in his voice, scowling right at him with anger in his voice. Kragen circles him in return, holding his staff in his hand very carefully as he walks. He taps Ebony Duchess into the floor with every step, and he looks completely heartbroken to see what that young boy has become.
"I never left you on those islands, Kannix. I searched for you, for decades! Forty-six years in fact! I went back to the islands, and I nearly lost every single man that followed me that day…because I was looking for you." Kragen explains, but Kannix does not look comforted in the slightest as the wind from the coming storm blows across him. The snow sticking to his hair and the long black cape that blows with it as the wind starts to pick up.
"Well either way…it was still too late. Do you know what those monsters did to me?" He questions with gritted teeth and rage in his eyes. "They tore me apart, every minute of every day…pulling me into the depths of a dark, tight cave! It was like they knew I was claustrophobic…feeding on my fear…my flesh…making me suffer. And my aura just kept repairing me, fixing every snapped limb, every piece of meat ripped from me. And it hurt like you couldn't believe. For three years I suffered like that!" Kannix yells at him with tears in his silver eyes, and he must be covered in so many scars now that it is hard to tell if there are any.
"And now…you come after me…because you think that will make the pain go away?" Kragen questions him, and Kannix narrows his angered eyes at him.
"I know what you're trying to do, Kragen. It won't work, the boy you knew is dead. He died in those caves and only the Spectre of who he once was came out. You can't bring me back to the light…because only the darkness surrounds me now." Kannix snarls, pacing in the same circle as Kragen, the snow crunching under ever step that he takes.
"You never answered my question – how will killing me save you from your past?" Kragen asks him, and Kannix bites his lip as he finds his answer.
"I just know it will – it has to – because there is nothing left for this world to give me! I tried…I really did. I wandered Remnant for years, trying to move on. I ate, I drank, I ran, I walked, I fucked, I married and whored, and nothing ever worked! I have lived more lives than most people can count, and I don't feel anything anymore! I hold a woman and I don't even feel anything anymore! All because you ran and left me for dead like a coward!" Kannix yells with rage in his voice.
"That's not what happened!" Kragen argues.
"Oh, yes, it is – old man." Kannix snarls. "Because I saw you when you ran, because do you know where that Grimm dragged me off to? When it pulled me into the grass?" Kannix asks him, and as the snowy wind blows through the bushes beside them, Kragen remains quiet as he listens, his grey hair blowing in the wind just like his long brown hair. "It dropped me a few yards from where it grabbed me…I was still in the grass. I screamed out to you, I was next to you…literally three feet from you in that grass when you chased after me. But you didn't see me…didn't hear me…the storm was too loud…and then you abandoned me." He growls with anger, but Kragen stammers, shaking his head with disbelief.
"N-No…I…No! We chased after it, we followed it into the caves." Kragen states, remembering the path he and the other warriors took when they searched for him…the Knights of Grimm included when they came here in search for Axzura Vex.
The day that would spark the beginning of the Knights of Grimm.
And the end of Arkhonex.
"It wasn't me, it was the other Knight who was attacked by the Nightwraith that was lurking in there. It pulled him away into the caves to feast on him…and when you abandoned me? That's when the Grimm came back and dragged me into the caves. They savaged me…but I managed to crawl away, my leg torn apart…throat cut open. The last thing I saw before they dragged me back into the darkness…was you boarding that ship…and leaving me for dead." Kannix explains, and it makes Kragen shudder…feeling emotional that when he looked back at those islands…his chosen son was staring back…being eaten alive constantly.
Kragen cannot even find the words, he always wondered how he became the man he is now…but he never expected it to be so horrific. "Lost for words?" Kannix questions as he continues to circle him, catching a snowflake on his hook blade before slashing it away into tiny shards of snow.
"I…I was there…If I had just…"
"If you had just paid attention and used your head, maybe you would have found me. You can create a sob-story all you want, it doesn't even matter. I am the man I am now because of that mistake you made." Kannix states with anger in his eyes.
"I wanted to find you! I spent years looking for you!" Kragen defends.
"So, you say, yet here we stand." Kannix states, and Kragen sighs, nodding his head, accepting his defeat.
"Yet here we stand." He agrees.
"However, of course, my suffering was rewarded with my semblance. Where I convert my pain into aura – a pretty powerful concoction when you think about it. I have aura as thin as paper, but it heals as fast as you can snap your fingers. That coupled with the curse Vir Nominis Umbra gave me, where I may never age so long as I do his bidding whenever he commands it – I became a hell of a warrior. Trained a bunch of students once at Beacon, created some terrible bodies in the process…surprised the old man and his sister don't even recognise me." He reveals, causing Kragen's eyes widen with disbelief, remembering the story that Qrow told years ago about the teacher that was also a serial killer who was never caught.
"That was you?" He questions with disbelief.
"Aye, Umbra ordered me to become a Professor at Beacon. He wanted me to provide information on its infrastructure for Cinder and Salem…helped us cause the Fall of Beacon in the first place. After they had all the information, they needed from me, Salem allowed me to leave the school. I did, but I wanted to do it my own way. Have a bit of fun on the way out." He chuckles sinisterly, smirking as he circles Kragen.
"You murdered all of those people…for fun?" He questions, like the judgement of a father to a son that has wronged him.
"Now you're catching on! At the end of the day that boy you rescued from a life of petty crime all those years ago…that savage never left. But suffering just made him crawl out from his little hole in the desert and become a man." He explains, and Kragen shakes his head.
"Did you never return to Arkhonex after your master freed you? Did you not ever find Cynthia and tell her how you felt? Did none of that ever help you be a good man?" Kragen questions, and Kannix glares into his eyes with hatred, pointing at him with his blade.
"Don't you ever mention her name! That girl meant everything to me! EVERYTHING! And do you want to know what I saw when I finally got free? When I finally got to the hills which overlooked our proud Empire?" Kannix questions.
"What did you see?" Kragen asks him.
"Nothing more than a smouldering ruin, with Grimm infesting in everywhere, devouring any stragglers inside and leaving nothing more than smoke and fire behind. I was trapped on that island for three years, and in those three years, I lost everything I had ever cared for. My parents were devoured…Cynthia's home collapsed! Everyone I ever knew was dead! So why the hell should I care about these people now from a whole new generation who have forgotten about all of us?" Kannix questions with disgust in his voice, and Kragen shakes his head.
"Cynthia never died that day, she joined the Silver Eyed Warriors and became a valiant Huntress. Paved the way for the Nikos family to become what they are now." Kragen states, and Kannix looks at him and then at the floor.
"Then I hope she found someone who loved her…because she deserved it." Kannix states. "Because she wouldn't have ever recognised me…I didn't even recognise myself."
"Arkhonex fell in the first year of the war against Umbra…Ephai not long after…all the smaller cities collapsed too. Everyone else just went into hiding, all the families built their forts in their own locations. Whilst others went into savagery without any kind of real leadership." Kragen states with a sigh, looking down at the floor.
"I know…I wandered Remnant for years…fought in some of the battles…but…I was trying to find you. I gave up after a few centuries of course, tried to find new purposes. Joined the Acolytes of Lien during the Great War and stayed with them ever since. But I never forgot…and I will do my duty." Kannix states with a snarl in his voice.
Kannix stands there, and with his other arm he suddenly extends the blade and the cannon opens up, loading fresh fire dust into its chamber, his silver eyes staring him down. Kragen breathes slowly and softly, grasping Ebony Duchess tight. "Please…it doesn't have to be this way, Kannix." Kragen begs, but Kannix glares into his eyes with hatred.
Not spite.
Not anger.
Hate.
"You seem to have forgotten – Kannix Volantis – that boy? He died in those caves, and only his spectre walked out!" Kannix yells, reciting the statement he used earlier, before he unexpectedly leaps towards his Former Father Figure.
And despite how much Kragen wants him to not do what he is going to do, he spins Ebony Duchess through his fingers, and he blocks the attack from Kannix, holding him back. The sound of steel impacting Isomacium is unlike anything heard by the people of Remnant. Like two massive chunks of titanium colliding at once, creating an earthquake. Kragen presses his leg back, immediately activating his aura and starting to fight like the warrior he is. He takes the staff and spirals it round, through his fingers in fact, smacking Kannix across the jaw to make him stagger back.
Kannix snarls in anger as he stands there, the bruise swiftly being healed by his dark red aura and he grins quite maniacally at him. "I've waited a long time for this moment." Kannix snarls, pacing through the snow as he charges his cannon up and fires it straight at Kragen. The fire dust fuelled projectile flies directly towards the old man, but Kragen spins the staff through his fingers so fast he basically creates a shield out of it. The shell explodes upon impact, the flames coursing across the barrier formed from his Isomacium Stick.
Kragen steps back, and his silver irises begin to glow, passing their powerful energy into the glyphs engraved into the staff in his hand, glowing bright in his grasp as he taps it into the ground. Kannix rushes forward and Kragen mirrors him, quickly blocking the first strike from Kannix, sparks bursting from the impact. The Spectre ducks down then slashes his blade across the stomach of Kragen, his aura protecting him from the wound. The white energy that protects him glows as it repairs the damage, but Kannix strikes again, and much like the fighting style of the passed Tyrian Callows, he attacks fast and ruthlessly.
He spins through the air, slashing his hooked hand across the aura of Kragen, causing him to stagger from the impact, but he quickly rights himself, jabbing the staff into his enemy with great speed, before roundhouse kicking him in the side of the head so hard that it throws him down to the ground. He closes his eyes as he uses his Silver Eyes to his advantage, being more aware of his surroundings. He backs up and walks over one of the rocks under the snow, and as Kannix rushes towards him, he trips into it, falling face first into the ground, crashing into the snow and scraping his face across the snow.
Kragen approaches him from behind, wrapping his arm around his neck, pulling him back as he tries to get him to listen. "This is not the way forward, Kannix! I know that there is still a good man in you somewhere! Just see past my mistakes to become it!" Kragen begs, but Kannix snarls with a scowl on his face.
"You misunderstand…this is not going to end like all those fairy tales you read me when I was a child." Kannix yells, as he fires his cannon into the ground, creating an explosion that throws them both up in the air. Kannix lands on his feet, then catches his elder by the throat, smashing him down into the ground. The snow explodes around them, and Kannix immediately stabs downwards with the blade that extends from his arm, gritting his teeth in fury and what seems to be madness as he presses it down into the staff he wields. "Your old body will give out, Kragen…and I will finally be free." Kannix snarls, and Kragen stares right back at him.
"I still have a purpose in this world." Kragen states, disputing his point.
"We all do…until we don't." He states, but Kragen kicks him in the chest, then takes his staff and he smacks it right across the side of his head. Kragen is no fool to his odds, multiple people against Kannix is one thing but one man? It does not matter how many years of experience you may have above him or not – you will never be able to take him down because of his Passive Semblance.
"You know that Vir Nominis Umbra will not stop until every living thing in our Universe is wiped out. Is that what you want?" He questions as he paces around him.
"Enough talk, Kragen!" Kannix roars, firing his cannon three times at him, Kragen backs up and he takes the shells out of the sky with multiple well-placed strikes. Each one collides into the shells, creating powerful fiery explosions that ripple across the air with crackling flames rupturing out from it. Smoke trailing from the surface of Ebony Duchess. Kannix takes that time to attack again, ducking under the swing from his Former Father Figure, and slashing across his legs to try and bring him down, but Kragen jabs the staff downwards at where his head was lowered to deal some damage. He slides out of the way then darts forward, swinging the blade again, landing behind him.
Kannix reaches back and connects his metal fingers together around Kragen as he performs a powerful German Suplex on him, lifting him over him and smashing it down into the ground. As Kragen gets up, Kannix fires his cannon and the shell explodes into his chest, throwing the older man across the battlefield that they have formed. Kragen crashes into a rock, breaking it upon impact and Kragen growls in anger…he is getting his arse kicked.
"You can't bring back that boy you loved! He died a long time ago!" Kannix reminds, and Kragen grits his teeth as his silver eyes ignite.
"You're right…" He sadly admits, then the silver energy forms around the shattered boulder that he crashed into, and he launches them all towards Kannix at great speed and force. His eyes widen, and he gets hit straight in the face with one of them. The rock throws him, and he crashes straight through a tree, then he stabs his hook down into the ground to stop himself from falling off the edge of the cliff.
But then he sees that same energy wrap around his metal hook, and Kragen pulls him up and he is met immediately by the fist of the old man. The impact knocks him down to the ground and temporarily broke his aura before it quickly regenerated. Kannix rolls backwards and slashes his blade at him once more, but Kragen deflects the blade with Ebony Duchess, then he blasts the full power of his eyes at him, blowing the snow everywhere around them, causing a cyclone of snowflakes around the heated light. The snow melts in the air but Kannix rolls out of the way just in time as Kannix uses the beam to cut down a tree with ease.
Kannix rushes towards him again, sliding under his legs and kicking him right in the spin. He stabs forward with his arm, but Kragen pushes the blade aside and smacks the staff across his jaw, before bringing it back round and clattering his back with it. Kannix jolts from the attack, and immediately gets hit across the cheek again, so hard it breaks the skin, blood leaking from the wound. "Seems like you still got it, old man." He chuckles, before running forward and performing a backflip that kicks Kragen up the jaw and makes him stagger back.
Kannix takes the cannon on his arm and he slams it downwards into the ground, firing as he blasts a heated shockwave through the frozen stone, causing it to suddenly expand and shatter beneath him. Kragen jumps up in the air and he lands on the other side, using his silver eyes to lower his gravity. Something Ruby has not learned yet, he flips through the air and lands right behind Kannix, kicking him in the chest.
Kragen grabs the clip that holds his cloak together and he undoes it, letting his cloak blow off in the wind. Kannix rises back up and glares at him with narrowed eyes, seeing that despite his old age he is still built like a Spartan, carrying some scars visible on his shoulders. Underneath the cloak he still wears his old battle armour from Arkhonex, and he stares at it, seeing the glyphs have also been branded upon there with magical insignias. Many can forget that he is more than just the Silver Eyed Warrior.
He was also the Wizard.
Flames ignite in one of his hands as he spins his staff through his fingers, using his silver energy in that hand and the elements of fire and ice in the other. Similar to the Maidens but nowhere near as powerful as they are. "Seems age has not made you weak, old man." He states.
"And time has not made you the wiser." Kragen replies, as he blasts a fireball towards Kannix, but the Silver Eyes Warrior forms a shield of dark red energy that causes his armour to glow as well. Only then does Kragen really recognise the look of that armour, and Kannix smirks.
"No…but I know when to go for an upgrade." He states, now holding the flame that he blasts straight back. Kragen spins his staff through his fingers to destroy the fireball and he walks towards Kannix, who sprints towards him. Kannix jumps up in the air and he spins through the air as he thrusts the blade downwards towards him, igniting it with flames as he drops down. He slams the blade down at him, but Kragen jumps back, just avoiding it, the impact blasts cracks into the floor again and he swiftly hooks onto one of the rocks frozen in the ground, recently thawed from his attacks, and launches it straight at him.
Kragen ducks down and he dashes forward, spinning the weapon through his fingers at stunning speeds, creating a blur of black and white all at once. The impact nearly knocks Kannix over as Kragen slides past him, then Kragen reaches down to the roots in the trees, eyes glowing white as he rips them from the ground and uses his power to wrap them around the arms of the cybernetically enhanced assassin. Kannix grits his teeth in anger as the roots tighten around his hand, squeezing the metal and he strains in anger as Kragen walks around him.
Kannix snarls with anger as the roots continue to tighten, so he closes his eyes and the dark glyphs on his black and gold armour begin to glow bright red. He roars as he throws his arms back, creating a pulse of dark red magic that incinerates the roots to nothing more than ashes in the wind. He drops back down and smirks at Kragen, and he thrusts towards him again and connects the hook to his neck, swinging him round and slamming him up against the upturned soil where a tree was torn from the ground. "How the hell…are you using the Onyx Phantom's magic?" He strains.
"A little gift for honest work." Kannix replies, taking Kragen and throwing him across the ground. Kannix charges towards him again and he jumps up in the air towards him, stabbing his blade downwards, then slamming it straight into the structure of his Isomacium Ebony Duchess, glaring down at him with a deranged pair of eyes and smile.
He cannot hold off against Kannix for much longer.
Not alone…
Qrow
Unaware of the conflict that has just taken place…
Qrow is sat down on a log that they managed to find out there in the wilderness, a toppled over tree in fact. Luckily since Ruby has Crescent Rose, chopping it up into pieces for people to sit on was not very difficult. As Qrow sits there, he can feel his hand almost twitching for his flask…he has been sobered for years now since he threw it away into the ocean after they saved Ruby from Salem and Tyrian. Just drinking a bit again managed to bring is addiction back, but he can do it again, and it is nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
It is more like just an action of going to get it, opposed to withdrawal.
He sits there, and most of the people on the team right now are asleep, Raven is finally asleep, but it took her a while…it may take her quite a while to sleep properly after losing the man she loved with all her heart. Ruby and Blake are now asleep, Pyrrha is asleep on Jaune's shoulder and her legs over his lap. Nora and Ren are asleep, Yenna and Cinder too. The Architect however is not, and neither is Ozpin, both of them talking to each other with Winter sat down brewing some coffee for the people who would like some. Oscar is awake too, caressing Ruby's hair ever so gently as he talks to Jaune, holding the love of his life close, never wanting to let her go either.
Qrow is sat there daydreaming, remembering all the times he once had with his team. With Summer and Taiyang, the fun crap that they would always get up to in the background. And now two of them are just memories, both of them gone and buried. Winter approaches Qrow and she offers him a metal mug of coffee she has brewed. "Found the stuff in the Prowler, some milk and sugar. You still take yours with milk and two, right?"
Qrow softly chuckle, accepting it and nodding his head. Winter approaches him and she sits down right next to him, crossing one leg over the other as she looks at the flames. They dance shadows across Ozpin who holds the mug of coffee that she made for Ozpin and Jaune holds one in his hand too. Oscar was happy without, being the tepid young lad that he is, it is not overly surprising to her. On the other hand, Qrow is the one that has her filled with concern – the two are confused of where they stand, whether or not they are gonna end up together or not…the question has been on both of their minds for a few months now.
They've tried but every single time Qrow struggles to connect to her, because nobody has what he had with Summer…a love that was undying…and even in death he still loves her and would never move on. "Things have been pretty bad recently." Winter sighs as she takes a sip of her coffee, and Qrow nods his head slowly.
"It has…" He softly agrees.
"First everything with the Kingdoms…then Menagerie…and now…" She sighs, having to massage her brow as she sits there, flicking her longer white hair from her eyes. She no longer is actually keeping her hair all Atlesian and looked after anymore…she has just let her hair fall…and she looks really pretty with her hair long. But it is more the fact that is unlike her to do this, she has always been obsessed with her appearance, not in the same way as most think. She always feels she needs to look presentable after being raised in a Militarised Academy, smart clothes and hairstyle with acceptable perfume on.
Now?
She does not wear makeup, she does not tend to her hair, and she is not even wearing perfume. Qrow and everyone has said they like seeing her loosen up a bit, but it is still concerning when it comes from her. "I'm worried about Weiss…" She sighs as she drinks more of her coffee, and Qrow looks at her, seeing that concern. She looks like she has not been able to sleep a lot of nights lately.
He sighs as he looks down at his reflection in the coffee, exhaling as he stares at himself, steam rising from the warm coffee as it rises to his face. "I know…I'm worried about everything…Umbra really showed us how small we really are." Qrow states as he drinks the rest of his coffee, sighing as he tips the rest of it out and throwing the residue into the corner. Winter does the same, flicking it out to the corner, then she gets up and offers her hand to Qrow to help him up.
"What're you doing?" Qrow asks in confusion and almost fear.
"C'mon, let's take a walk for a second. Storm has calmed down, may be able to do a patrol." Winter states with the shrug of her shoulders.
Neither of them aware that Kragen is fighting Kannix right now.
Qrow sighs, holding her soft hand as she pulls him back up, he nearly bumps into her as he gets up, and he nods, walking past her as he picks up Harbinger, sheathing it on the back of his belt. Winter picks her sword up and sheathes it, looking back at Ozpin. "Qrow and I are gonna do a quick patrol." Winter tells him, and Ozpin stands up as he pats the Architect's shoulder.
"Are you sure?" Ozpin asks them.
"Yeah, I know Kragen's already out there but maybe we could catch up to him. See what we can see, who knows what's lurking around here." Winter explains as she shrugs her shoulders, looking back at Qrow who stands there with his back leant to the wall with an apathetic look on his face, exhaling through his nose again.
"Alright, stay safe. We don't want you lost if that storm hits again." Ozpin says as he takes a seat again, picking up his mug and sipping it again. Jaune looks at Qrow and he just nods to him, and Qrow does the same.
"We'll be back soon." Qrow assures, walking with Winter down the Mountain Path in the same direction as Kragen. But they both had faith in him, so why should they be worried? They are not…but if they find him in time, they may be able to help him, because despite all his skill, he does not have the semblance of his former student…meaning he is outmatched. The wind is calmer at the moment but there is the hint of it starting to pick up, but the storm has not arrived yet.
But as they walk, Winter glances over to him as they follow the path, then she sighs. "There…is another reason I wanted you and I to have some time alone." She says to him as she walks, keeping her eyes on the tight path. And Qrow looks at her, and he is not blind to it, he knows why she has asked him to come with her.
"I think I know what this is about now." He agrees.
"You and I…Qrow…is there any point to this? Us trying to…find something?" She asks him, and he sighs, walking ahead of her, unable to give her the answers. He has always believed she deserves someone better, someone her own age she can spend her life with…without them dying on her from an older age. "Or are we just wasting our time?"
"Winter…I…"
He walks ahead of her again, but her words cause him to stop. "I'm worried about you Qrow…don't think I didn't notice you hiding that flask from everyone." She states with narrowed blue eyes, and he sighs, turning to face her…and the tears in his eyes truly does shock her. "I'm scared…for you…for Weiss…for everyone. But not me – never once have I ever given a damn about my own life. If dying could help people survive then I would jump in the path of bullets to protect them. Because that is who I am." She explains to him.
She stares at him as he looks back at her, asking a very good question. "So…who are you?" She questions, and the words cut deep as he stands there, and he sighs.
"Who am I?" He scoffs, scratching the back of his neck, pacing back and forth on the path. "Wanna know who I am, Winter? I'm a scared and broken old man! An old man who was too much of a coward to raise his own daughter, a coward who can't even protect the woman he loved with all his heart. And that same coward can't move on and will never look at any woman the same way ever again. Because every time I ever see someone, I have a shred of affection for…I see her." Qrow explains, his voice breaking when he pictures Summer's beautiful face once more.
Those stunning silver eyes, her soft black and red hair…the warmth of her touch…the calming nature of her voice whenever she sang. She was everything he could have ever asked for and far beyond anything he could ever deserve…and she died…just like everyone he cares for. "I am not…whatever it is you think I am. Because I am fucked up! Bad shit happens to the people I care about, Winter." He states.
Winter truly is feeling so sorry for this man, because she cares but can see why he has avoided love ever since he lost Summer. "Look around you! Ruby, loses her eye and is tortured for months! Then her home gets destroyed and loses all her childhood memories. Then my niece gets infected with a damn plague. And now…Oobleck…gets his head smashed in…in front of them all. That was unnecessary! They shouldn't have seen it, it was wrong! Then Roy and Nolan! And…Tai…" He whimpers as he turns away from her, voice breaking when he finally says his name.
The one that has been tearing him down from the inside for so long now. "Maybe…maybe I could've done something…that's on me! Me!" Qrow yells as he smacks his chest in anger, but not directed at her…more at himself.
"Wanna know who I am?"
He walks towards her, tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm a fucking failure." He states, then he turns and walks ahead of her, wiping those tears from his eyes, leaving Winter behind. She sniffles as she wipes the tears from her eyes. She follows him and looks up at him. "It can't work between us, Winter…I'm sick of people dying because I get close to them." He states with anger in his eyes.
Winter nods her head softly beside him, it hurts for her to finally accept that there will never be a future for either of them…but she is strong…and she knows she has to be. So, she hides her own upset of this fact and she finds something to joke on. "Well…maybe I can find a guy who's actually the same age as me." She jokes with a smile, making Qrow chuckle.
"Yeah…that'd be better for you." He assures, nodding his head. As always, he will push people, he could care for away to keep them safe from any harm.
The two of them keep walking up the path, and the more they move, a thought enters her mind…her worries for Weiss are still as strong as ever…so she decides to tell him why. "I'm worried about Weiss, Qrow." She admits, and he glances over at her, he can tell she is changing the subject from their breakup – which does help – so he engages to help change it.
"Why?" Qrow asks her.
"The sickness…and I know it's obvious why…but there is another reason. One about Weiss herself." She states, and Qrow raises an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" He asks her.
"When she was younger, she was sick from a pretty bad flu, she was sick every day. And it got to the point where she thought that eating less would keep her from being sick. But…that never left after she got better. She developed an eating disorder, she would hardly eat anything, basically small salads and that was hardly enough for a growing girl like herself. I bet it is half the reason behind why she lacks in stamina nowadays." Winter explains to him, and Qrow nods his head, starting to understand what she is getting at.
"You're worried it will happen again, aren't you?"
"Yes – it could have killed her, Qrow." She states. "And without me there to make sure she eats normally…"
"She still has Yang, Neptune and Sun. Neptune is her boyfriend, remember…he will always look after her. The kid's an idiot but he loves her with all his heart. And trust me – Glynda will make sure she eats. I'm nearly fifty now and man…I'd never go against her word." Qrow chuckles, making Winter softly chuckle too as she nods her head.
"I…I…I guess you're right." She sighs.
"I'm not always…but trust me. She will be fine." Qrow promises, the two of them reach the edge of the mountain and the clouds pass, revealing the beautiful view of the mountain range…and in the distance the City of Mistral that the moon now looks over.
"Wow…"
They both stand in awe as the mountains roll past them, making Winter's heart flutter. "It's…so beautiful." Suddenly Kragen crashes down into the ground right next to them and they both gasp with shock.
"Kragen?" Winter screams, as Qrow turns his eyes widen as Kannix rapidly attacks Qrow, slamming his blade right into Harbinger that he swiftly drew. They both stare into each other's eyes, Qrow with utter disbelief to see Kannix perfectly fine somehow. Kannix grins with a maniacal voice as he speaks.
"I told you, you should have killed me when you had the chance!" Kannix reminds with a laugh, firing his cannon into Qrow's chest that blasts him back and he slides across the ground, and Winter draws her sword as she paces back and forth to protect Kragen.
Kragen
"Leave him alone." She demands.
"Get out of my way, sweetheart. This won't be pretty." He advises with a smirk.
"Winter, Qrow! Get out of here!" The bloodied Kragen demands, he has been losing this battle opposed to his Apprentice.
"What the fuck are you doing out here, Kragen?" Qrow yells, but Winter stands strong with her eyes narrowed at him.
"I said. MOVE." He repeats.
"No." Winter reminds, and he rolls his silver eyes.
"Fine." He groans, firing his cannon straight at her and she forms a Glyph that stops the explosive from hitting, but what she was not expecting was for Kannix to suddenly leap and shatter the Glyph, slamming his blade up against hers, forcing her towards the cliff face. "This is not you're business, honey! Why don't you run on back to your little ice cube?" He asks her curiously, Winter snarls in anger, forcing him back and slashing him across the face with her sword, but the aura repairs it immediately. He comes around and punches her right in the face, so hard that it knocks her off the cliff face, she screams as she falls, and Qrow's eyes widen as Kragen is at his mercy.
"Winter!" He roars, Kannix stands above Kragen then he pushes him off the cliff as well and he falls. But Qrow snarls and he sprints directly towards Kannix, and he tackles him with a howl. They both plummet off the side of the cliff, and they fall towards the sloping snow that Winter and Kragen both tumble down the side of. Kannix punches Qrow in the face on his way down but Qrow deflects his blade with Harbinger, only for Kannix to take both his enhanced legs and kicking him right in the chest.
Qrow crashes down into the snow and he tumbles with them down the snow, all the cold sticking to their skin like glue. He looks back at Kannix to see him tumbling then crashing straight through one of the huge trees standing on the surface of the mountain. Qrow turns to see Winter forming a Glyph that she can balance on, and she jumps straight towards Kannix, spinning through the air as she slashes him with her sword. He grunts as her hit deals some impressive damage on his aura, but he grabs her by the hair and scrapes her cheek through the snow, clipping some rocks on the way down.
"Get! Off!" Winter yells, kicking him up the jaw with her heel, he grunts, and she rolls with him down the mountain, punching him every chance she can get. He does the same, pounding her head into the snow as they fall. The snow sticks to their bodies constantly, then she uses her glyphs as best as she can, surfing across the snow with it as she blasts icicles towards him as he falls. He fires one shot from his cannon, but she forms a protective barrier with the swing of her sword, the flames rippling across the barrier she had formed. Kannix crashes into one of the huge rocks that sticks out from the ground and he barks in pain, a shoulder pauldron shattering upon contact and a flash of red, which quickly repairs itself.
Qrow starts to control his descent, the terrible thing is that they are getting extremely far down the side of the mountain now. He looks around and sees Kragen struggling to find some grip as he tumbles, but there is also a layer that looks flatter than the rest, where they could rest. "Winter! Get Kragen over to that flat area!" He calls out, and Winter nods, gliding across the snow on her Glyph towards Kragen, reaching out and grabbing onto his hand.
Qrow however, glares at Kannix who fires his cannon behind him to try and attack Kragen again, so Qrow transforms into his Crow form, flying towards Kannix and then returning back to his human form. He tackles him out of the air, and he smashes him back into the slope, swinging his sword across his aura and punching him straight in the jaw. Qrow grunts as Kannix slams the hook into his shoulder and throws him across the slope, causing him to fall again.
Kannix rides the recoil of his cannon once more as he lunges towards Winter and Kragen. Winter throws Kragen to the platform just in time as Kannix grabs her, and he fires his cannon into her chest, blowing her down the mountain again, and now missing that platform that Kragen is on.
And to make matters so much worse…
The storm has returned.
Kannix and Kragen both turn when the howling returns, seeing the wall of frost hurtling their way, biting cold. Kragen groans, limping on a broken leg right now that was broken from the fall. He spins his staff round and stops the cannon that was blasted his way. Qrow suddenly appears behind him as he transforms from bird form to attack Kannix from behind.
Kannix spins round and fires, knocking Qrow out of the sky, and sending him tumbling down into the snow with Winter, making it impossible to fly in his Crow form due to the storm…and lost in the white as well.
Kannix smirks as the storm continues to blow against him as he extends the blade from his arm, staring down at Kragen. "Finally." He snarls, walking towards him.
"If you kill me…then you will be just as weak as everyone you look down on!" Kragen warns, but Kannix kicks him in the mouth, causing him to spit out blood in the process.
"Enough begging!" Kannix yells with fury, as he pulls his arm back and snarls. "Your time ends now."
He pushes the blade towards his heart, until a dark red portal suddenly opens behind Kannix and they both realise that Vir Nominis Umbra has found him. The Lord of the Wood emerges, the huge Leshen rises from it and wraps the roots around his arms, pulling him towards the portal to serve his punishment for defying his orders and breaking his promise. But Kannix fights against the Lord of the Wood in anger. "No! I will not be denied this! I have waited for two thousand four hundred and seventy-six years for this moment! I will not wait one more day!" He cries out as he punches the Lord of the Wood up the jaw.
The Lord of the Wood growls as it pulls him back harder this time, now his legs are in the portal, whilst Kragen watches with horror.
Kannix roars, aiming his cannon straight at Kragen, and firing.
Kragen gasps in pain from the flash, feeling the hot pain in his side, knocking him back against a rock. The portal closes as the Lord of the Wood pulls him through, leaving Kragen behind.
Kragen collapses in shock…bleeding out from the serious wound to his side, burned straight through the armour plating. He gasps…barely able to keep his eyes open.
Then…
His eyes close as he loses consciousness, knocked out from the shock.
Left alone…
As the blizzard builds and builds, leaving him beneath everyone.
Qrow and Winter both lost in the storm…
With Kragen dying of blood loss and potentially hypothermia.
And nobody knows where they are…
Author Note - Oh no...
Will Kragen survive this battle? Or will he die alone in the snow by the hand of his Former Apprentice? What will happen to Kannix? What will happen to Qrow and Winter. Find out after the holidays are finished because I am taking a break for Christmas now. Hopefully I will be able to improve on my update times. I aim for one per week now, and not one per 2 weeks. Just been busy lately, BUT we have the newest chapter out and I loved how this turned out. Finally got to show off Kragen Vs Kannix for once without others interfering until later, because mostly Kragen has someone else alongside him. Thing is, Kragen is formidable, but against Kannix? He has you beat at the fact he can keep fighting, whereas you will run out of strength eventually.
And Kannix might be one of the more tragic villains (I know there are a lot in my stories) but he has suffered so much. And the stuff with Qrow and Winter was heartbreaking but necessary, I had been wondering if Snowbird would happen or not and honestly...I didn't think it would work so I felt it would be better for them both to stop chasing gooses. They still care, but not in the romantic way anymore, because Qrow cannot move on from Summer. He simply can't, nobody makes him happy the way she did, and if anyone could he would just see her everywhere.
He does need to cut himself some slack though, not everything is his fault.
And that cliffhanger, I bet you hate me for that. But...XD It is RWBY after all, RWBY is notorious for its cliffhangers.
I hope you enjoyed! If you would like to join my server then PM me and I will send you the link (it will be the last half since Fanfiction hates links XD) There we can chat and discuss ideas about Knights of Grimm and Eclipse, your own stories or just have random chat!
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Stay tuned for the next chapter - Lost and Alone
- Matt