The docks smelled of fish and saltwater and Blake found herself leaning over the wooden railing just breathing it all end. Bells tolled and boat horns sounded as the busy port saw another day of fishing and sailing. This was Blake's second favorite spot in Vale and Yang smiled as she propped herself against a lamppost. The faunus was a sight for sore eyes, and seeing her this free and happy made Yang feel just as happy—which was a big deal for her.
Black and gold shimmered on her wrists as the new Ember Celica gleamed in the light. From her perch, the sun caught Blake's new weapons, glinting off of the stark blades. They were strapped to her back in an X shape, one handle extending over her right shoulder, the other hung lower, jutting out over her left hip. They were twins in all regards, and Blake wore them with pride.
"I need you to forge me a weapon," she'd told Cole. The professor had laughed and laughed until he saw her face. Her serious look had silenced him and he searched those deep amber eyes.
"I thought the shadows were your weapons now," he said, not understanding.
"Shadows can be whimsical things, professor. I need something solid."
And so it was that Flynn Cole, professor, hero, and father, forged another weapon worthy of its place next to Caliburnus and Myrtenaster. When he'd finished, he'd presented the twin sickle-pistol-swords to Blake, kneeling in front of the Dark Paladin. She'd grabbed one in each hand. The grips were angled slightly so that the she could fire the pistol with a more ergonomic touch and were contoured in a way that let her carry them in a standard or a reverse grip without losing comfort or functionality. The blades themselves were blacksteel, a rare meteorite metal that very few weapons were forged of. The metal would flex under enough stress, but would only break if something akin to a planet landed on it.
In all other respects they were exactly the same as her old Gambol, folding into a small sickle that she could throw and re-throw with the aid of two ribbons dangling from her bare biceps.
Which snapped Yang's attention elsewhere. While Yang preferred her old hunting outfit with its long duster, tank top, and short shorts, Blake had elected to change. She wore a solid white muscle shirt which was cut in such a way that it allowed Yang an enticing view from the side. It stood in stark contrast to Blake's black skin-tight combat pants, which had six pockets sewn down each side.
A single purple sash cinched around her waist, and with a tug, Yang pulled the faunus to her. She didn't resist as Yang kissed and nuzzled the soft flesh of her neck.
"You smell wonderful," the brawler breathed.
Gasping lightly, she pushed Yang away. "You're incorrigible..."
"Mmm," was all Yang said in response, her soft pink lips tracing lines down the curve of Blake's slender neck. Dark locks were brushed aside and a hand found its way to Blake's bare midriff.
Yang had managed to get her pinkie finger down that cursed boundary, slipping under the soft cotton undergarments that Blake favored, when Ruby coughed loudly behind them. The two women straightened quickly, blushing intensely.
Behind the red and white clad huntresses were four gangly teenagers. The one in front was a perfectly average-sized girl who looked painfully short compared to her three teammates. She was fair skinned with a slight tan, and freckled with long, creamy blonde waves of hair. Suspenders rose from teal shorts, folded at the hem to reveal a stark crimson flipside. Her cream colored shirt fell off of one shoulder and her long striped teal socks left only a small patch of bare leg exposed. Two large leather pouches dangled on either side of her waist and a slight metallic clink sounded as she walked.
Dwarfing her on either side were two boys. One was tall and fair with long brown hair and a purple coat over leather breeches and donning a purple scarf. The other was also brown-haired, but instead of stopping at his shoulders, it fell all the way to his mid-back. He wore a skin-tight, sleeveless muscle shirt, blue jeans, and a large leather fauld. Two bandoliers criss-crossed his chest and, oddly enough, four spikes jutted from his shoulders. It took Yang a moment to realize these were gigantic piercings, cutting straight through each shoulder joint to form a sort of devil horn pauldron. He bore a bandana and eyepatch over his left eye with a thin golden chain that dangled from where his iris would be to a small ring on his left ear.
But even they were short compared to the nearly seven foot tall armored giant that brought up the rear. With dead grey eyes, the boy stared ahead unemotionally past greasy tangles of black hair. His grey and maroon armor stood in contrast to his lightly clothed teammates, and the large weapon on his back was even taller than he was. A long maroon cap fell to the ground, dragging behind him.
"Blake, Yang, we'd like to introduce Team OAQE," Ruby started, staring pointedly at Yang's hand, which had somehow wandered back to the forbidden territory of Blake's ass. The woman snatched her hand back and Blake rolled her eyes.
"Team, introductions!" the blonde called out. "I am Opaelia of the o'Ifreann clan, Northern Atlesian Highlands. Graduated from the Ironwood Preparatory School with honors and chose to apply at Beacon." She beamed and honestly, the world seemed a little brighter for it. Her accent was there, but not thick, meaning she'd been away from her clan for a while. She still bore the clan markings, however, in the form of three thin lines underneath each cheekbone, stretching from mid-eye level back to her jaw line.
The shorter-haired brunet stepped forward and, in a slightly thicker accent, introduced himself. "Greetings. From the Albain clan, I am Duncan. Northern Atlesian Highlands as well. Though let's not confuse me for this jakey hackit, eh?"
Opaelia elbowed him. Hard. He grunted but continued to grin ear-to-ear.
"Escalus Valentine, at your service," said Valentine, his voice surprisingly posh. He thumbed the trimmed goatee the grew solely from his chin. He saw everyone staring and then laughe heartily. "You wish to know why I would see fit to pierce my flesh with obscenely large amounts of metal. 'Tis a simple answer," his right eye twinkled, an odd thing with solid gold irises ringed with black scleras. "I was bored." He laughed again at the reaction of the black and yellow warriors who stood slack-jawed at the boy. The metal rings through his shoulders were easily as wide as their fists.
Their team leader waited a full five breathes before turning and tapping her manicured nails against the giant's armor. He gazed down at her then stared past team RWBY. "Romulus Janus Quinitilis. Mistral born. Vale native. Sanctum." His sentences were short, like he was biting off the end of each one.
"Sanctum?" Blake asked. "We have a friend who went there. Pyrrha Nikos?"
No sign of recognition or acknowledgment passed over Janus's features. He remained as stoic and silent as he was before.
"He's kind of a...brute, huh?" Yang said, then swallowed as those dead, grey eyes stared into hers with a hidden malice.
"He isn't just any old brute," Lia said, a twinkle in her eye. "You're looking at this year's Champion!" Janus tipped his head very slightly, still displaying no emotion in his dull grey eyes. Ruby laughed and Blake sighed softly.
"How's it feel to be the one filling my little sister's shoes?" asked Yang.
Janus eyed the tall, fit huntress and her long red cape then shrugged. "Vale favors the color red."
Team RWBY stared. "Did he just...?" Duncan started.
"...make a joke? Yeah...weird," was Escalus' response.
Team RWBY and Team OAQE shared a look before everyone, save Janus, busted out laughing. The young man only grunted and fiddled with his cape clasps.
"Well," Lia said in her slight accent, "now that we've introduced ourselves, I t'ink it's only fair for ye to do the same."
Valentine elbowed her and she grunted before grudgingly adding, "—teachers," to her statement.
"Bah, yer barmy, Lia. Like they need a'y introductions! They're famous!" chimed Duncan.
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long," Val said with a laugh, pointing at each huntress in turn.
"I knew that," Lia hissed at Val and Duncan who shared a grin. "I swear to me ma, I'll knock yer gabbers together, ye idjits."
With a blush, Ruby rubbed the back of her neck and grinned. "We're not that famous." Weiss tapped Ruby's shoulder and she opened her eyes. There, in each of Team OAQE's hands, were tiny Team RWBY action figures.
"Oh gods..." Blake said, mortified.
"They captured your ass perfectly!" Yang said with awe.
Blake turned the color of Ruby's cape and Weiss buried her face in her hands. Val grinned from ear to ear, his one bare eye twinkling black and gold as he whipped out a notebook and let it fall open. A long piece of folded plastic fell to the wooden floorboards of the dock and revealed a huge collecting of Remnant: The Game cards.
On closer inspection, Ruby made out several new Third Edition cards that she'd never seen before. "Yang has three different cards..." Ruby said with a whine.
"Booyah! Brawler, Berserker, and Pyro!"
"Ahem." In Janus' hand was a translucent holographic Yang card. Yang almost drooled over it and rushed over to the tall centurion.
"That's...that's..." she stammered.
"Super Saiyan Yang Xiao Long," Janus said. "Rare. Very rare."
"Try impossible," said Val. "Been trying to find that one for years now. They don't even sell them in stores anymore. Super Saiyan Yang, White Mage Weiss, Black Shadow Blake, and Crimson Typhoon Ruby are the only cards I'm missing from my collection."
"Evan would kill for this," Ruby muttered and her team agreed, though Blake was still frowning at the 'White Fang Hitgirl' card that bore her likeness on it.
"IF you're done standing around, I believe you all have a boat to catch," came Glynda's stern voice, scaring nearly everyone except Janus, who simply put his things back in a small pouch on his belt and adjusted his straps. As the teams began to board the small transport vessel, Ruby caught a glimpse of Glynda pulling Janus aside. Ruby frowned as the headmistress put her hands on the young man's shoulders, stared into his eyes, and then kissed his forehead.
Odd...
Then they were all on the boat and slowly pulling from the large harbor. Gulls circled the air and beside their boat swam a pod of overly-friendly dolphins.
"Well," Yang said, her arms around Team RWBY, "we're back!" She smiled wide and Ruby realized that it was the first time in years she'd seen her sister genuinely happy.
"We could all die," was Weiss' comment and Ruby glared at her. How dare she ruin the moment?
"True, but," Blake inhaled deeply and smiled, the sea air cool and refreshing, hair whipping in the wind as Vale faded behind them, "it's the start of a brand new adventure. Just like we dreamed of when we were little."
Together, Team RWBY stared out over the expanse of ocean towards Mistral. This was it.
Gavin White stood before the Jade Throne of Mistral. He tugged at the baggy white shirt he wore. The torn and patchy material matched his baggy, patch-work black trousers in terms of quality. The only piece of finery he bore was the black and white striped scarf that draped over his shoulders. For all intents and purposes, he looked like a street urchin. Though that façade was ruined by his stark white hair and pure white eyes.
Behind him stood his Prisms, the eight elite members of his movement. With a few solemn steps he ascended the marble steps to the throne and ran a hand along the hard edges. He turned and faced the hallway—bright white marble with black obsidian accents and green livery.
He sat.
As he placed his hands along the armrest, the throne room flashed Green, the light running just under the surface of the stone. Gavin began to glow as he closed his eyes and concentrated.
A heartbeat later, his eyes flashed open, glowing with White light. The color pulsing through the throne room faded from Green to Yellow to Orange to Red until it faded from the visible spectrum. As it reached the lowest tiers of Pre-Red, Gavin let loose his energy. The walls glowed a radiant White and the throne itself, bleached of the Colour, became a beacon.
There, Gavin White sat, and he felt connected. He closed his eyes once more and reached out, no longer seeing the Colour, but feeling it instead. Then, with a small smile, he let it go and the world faded once more into Black. From his left came a soft voice, "We've brought him, milord."
"Thank you, Lilla. Show him to me."
Gently, the dark-skinned woman placed her hand upon Gavin's. Through her, he saw the shades of Violet and Post-Violet. He turned his eyes up and saw between the pillar of Red and Indigo, a man. He was portly, and in his late fifties. He wore a ridiculous hat that was many times too small for his head, held only by a thin strip of leather to his double-chin. A thin mustache and goatee fell from his face.
The pulsing waves of Post-Violet lit him up similarly to an X-ray. But Gavin could see more than that. He saw the Violet in the man's sash, and the Violet light reflecting from his bruises. He even saw the slight shades of Violet within the man's body as Red blood flowed through Blue veins.
"Emperor Jovius," Gavin said, his voice soft and underspoken. He did not project loudly, but every person in the room could hear his words. The glass-armored Prismgard and their Phalanx prisoners all looked up at the man who shone with divine Light. "You stand accused of harboring fugitive hunters and huntresses, aiding and abetting in unholy hunting schools, and waging war most violent against the new rightful rulers of this great land. But perhaps your most heinous crime is the deifying and worship of the false idols of your pantheon. How do you respond to these accusations?"
"I say that you are not the rightful ruler of this land and that you have no right to judge me." The Emperor's chin quivered slightly then he steeled his jaw and gazed up at the man on his throne. "I say this to you: You make take my life, but you will not take away the burning passion of my people. We will take back what is sacred to us. Your cult shall not last."
Gavin smiled, his teeth sparkling in the light. With a nod from the Prism Lord, the Yellow stepped forward. Jovius knelt, facing the usurper, with his arms being held by the Indigo and the Red. With defiance, Jovius lifted his head. "My people!" he shouted, "Never forget this day! Fight for you homeland! Fight for your loved ones! Fight for your honor and the honor of your ancestors! Fi—" His voice fell short as Yellow's golden sword pierced his neck and buried itself to the hilt.
The Emperor shuddered once, twice, thrice, then stilled. The Yellow left the blade there, perpendicular to the floor, acting as a second spine to the corpse. The Indigo and Red let go of the arms and the corpse leaned forward slightly before balancing on its own dead weight.
The Phalanx wept openly and the Prismgard cheered. Then the throne room erupted into chaos. The weeping Phalanx guards grabbed their imprisoners' weapons and turned them on their owners. Gavin leaned back in his throne and gestured slightly. The Colour left him once more as his Prisms stalked forward to deal with the threat.
With a sigh of contentment, Gavin relaxed ever so slightly, allowing himself only a brief moment of respite before he began formulating the next plan of attack.
Today, Mistral belonged to him.
"Lilla," he asked, "do you know why I killed him?"
"To make an example of him?"
"No, no, nothing like that. I'll ask again: why would I kill him, if I knew his death would make a martyr of him, rallying our enemies to his banner?"
Her violet eyes widened and she stopped playing with her purple-tipped twin white ponytails. "You mean to exterminate them," she breathed.
"Exactly." With a hand outstretched, a map of Mistral shimmered into view. Colour danced around and formed the terrain with little white pieces marking the Prism armies. Pillars of color shone from the Eternal Palace, marking the full Spectrum as present. Tiny black marks began to appear across the land and Gavin concentrated, his hand on the throne. The connection to the land was amazing, mind-boggling even, and Gavin struggled to comprehend it all at once. Slowly, however, he could pick out small pockets of those resisting his rule. He couldn't explain how, it was just something within the throne itself.
"I shall gather them," he said coolly, and the map shimmered again. Black spots began to infect the outer regions, spreading closer and closer to the palace. "I will let them wage their war." Blackness encroached on the beacon of Light. "Then..." with a clenched fist, the beacon brightened, blinding Lilla momentarily. When her vision cleared, no blackness remained on the map. Mistral was cleansed. "I will destroy them utterly."
Lilla was speechless. It was brilliant. Let a few escape now, and reap the rewards in a few months. "You're amazing, milord."
The man laughed softly and cupped the young woman's cheek. "Thank you, my dear, but I am hardly that. What I am, is practical." With that, his expression hardened again and Lilla winced. "I need Iris to find me the False Emperor's brats. Bring them before me so that I may accelerate the rallying of our rebel army."
The Violet swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "As you wish, Lord Prism."
Gavin waved her off and then snapped his fingers. In the darkness he saw the seven pillars of light. Drawing forth his energy, his white eyes pierced the Black and he saw in truth.
"Drake Dumas, the Pre-Red. Ferrin Flint, the Red. Marigold Greer, the Orange. Xantha Pallas, the Yellow. Ponderosa, the Green. Yahto Dakota, the Blue. Alex Steele, the Indigo. You are my Spectrum, my most trusted agents. See to it that at least a dozen leave the grounds, wounded, but alive. I wish for what happened here to spread like a wildfire. When I turn my gaze to the other kingdoms, I wish for their leaders to quake in fear."
Each Prism clasped their right fist over their heart and bowed. "Yes, Lord Prism!"
Gavin relaxed back into the Black and summoned the map once more. With a smile, he spun the projection, admiring his new acquisition.
Author's Note: SO IT BEGINS! The brand new story arc! "The White War Arc!"
I apologize for the delay but I had a serious bout of depression. Thankfully, with the help of a friend and my dear uncle, I've been able to kick it in the butt and start writing again. So shout out to Sara and my Uncle Ken. You guys rock! ^_^
I suspect you all will have many, many, MANY questions, and for those, I direct you to our Facebook page "RWBY: Sunshine and Shadows" or my Twitter " rwby_ss". We'll be posting pictures, official artwork, and much more! We've already got an official original artwork of Team OAQE on the page, drawn by Loki Love!
As always, thank you so much for reading, reviewing, and sticking around to deal with awful cliffhangers and needless writing slumps. You guys are so amazing. Love you all!