Chapter 38: Ivory Forest
Everyone awoke the next day and quickly got ready to make whatever final preparations that were needed. Roland found his father and spoke to him concerning the readiness of the knights of Crealot. "So far," Dak said to Roland. "Everyone is still preparing for battle. I've also called in airships from Vale to transport everyone there since it would take too long on foot."
"When will everyone be ready?" Roland asked.
"Tomorrow at best. Since Beacon is crawling with Grimm, airship activity has been hindered, meaning it will take longer than usual."
"I see." Roland thought for a moment. "Dad, we'll go on ahead. The more time we wait, the more time we give for the enemy to beat us there."
"You sure you guys are ready for this son? This is going to be the toughest battle you've ever faced. It's been months since Beacon fell and not even the finest huntsman and huntresses in all of Vale have managed to retake the school."
Roland shuddered at the thought but his mind was made up. "I'm absolutely sure. I think you forget, everyone has grown stronger and we have a silver-eyed warrior with us. Besides, I have a plan that may lead us to victory."
Dak sighed. "Alright son, I won't stop you. Just know that we won't arrive until about a day after you arrive. You're on your own until then."
"But they won't be on their own," Qrow chimed in. "I'll be there with them."
"Thank you Qrow," Roland said.
"No problem kid." Qrow winked at Roland as he said this.
"Very well, I leave them in your capable hands Qrow. Roland, be sure to say bye to your mother and sisters before you go."
"I will dad and thanks." Roland then gave his father a hug before he and Qrow went off to make final preparations and to notify the others. After about another hour, everyone was ready to leave. Roland then stood before his mother to say farewell. Lilina put her hands on Roland's shoulders. "I'm so proud of your sweetie," she said. "You've grown up to be a fine young man." Her eyes began to tear up as she hugged her son. "Please come home safely."
"I will mom," Roland said, his eyes also getting filled with tears. After embracing for a while Lilina let go of Roland and he looked around for his sisters. "Where are Scarla and Ella?" he asked.
"They were here a minute ago," Lilina responded. "Scarla! Ella!" After a few minutes they were heard coming out of the house to where everyone was waiting with packed bags. "Whew! We made it just in time!" Ella said.
"Ella…you run too fast…" Scarla said, out of breath.
"What do you two think you're doing?" Roland said.
"What does it look like?" Scarla replied.
"We're coming with you big brother!" Ella said.
"Out of the question," Roland said. "You two are staying here."
"Hmph! You think we're going to stay here after all you've been through? Think again!" Ella protested.
"Big brother," Scarla said. "We don't want to be away from you again!" Even Scarla was determined to go.
"This isn't some vacation!" Roland sternly said. "This is a warzone: a place where people will fight and die! I can't take the two of you to somewhere so dangerous!"
"No! We're going!" Scarla protested.
"Even if we have to hold onto your ankles!" Ella finished.
"Mom, tell them they can't come!" Roland said to Lilina.
Before Lilina could say anything, Qrow interjected, "Let them come. Their semblance will be very helpful to where we're going."
"Qrow!" Roland protested.
"Are you certain?" Lilina asked.
"Yeah, these two will help heal our wounded and get them back into the fight," Qrow replied.
Lilina thought for a moment and gave her approval. "They can come," she said. She turned to Scarla and Ella and instructed, "The only condition is you do what your brother says, alright?"
"Alright!" Scarla and Ella said. "Thanks mom!"
"I love you sweet peas," Lilina said as she gave her daughters a hug. "Be careful out there!"
"We will!" The two of them ran to Roland and held both of his hands. "Yay! We get to go with big brother!"
Roland sighed in disapproval but reluctantly accepted. "Bye mom!" The Rigorm children said. They then left the house and soon passed through the gates leading out of Crealot. "So Roland," Yang said. "Are we going through the Mountain of Thunder and Victory Canyon again?"
"If we were going that way, my sisters wouldn't be coming," he replied. "We'll be going the easy way: through the Ivory Forest."
"I remember you telling us about that when we first came through here," Ruby said.
"Is it really as pretty as you say it is?" Nora asked.
Roland smirked. "Just wait and find out," he said. They all walked in silence for the next few minutes, seeing the clearing around the city fade and the path grew thick with trees, blocking out the sun. However, rather than be covered in shade, a white light was seen in the distance. It grew brighter as they got closer and the leaves of the surrounding trees turned white. They emitted a soothing glow and everyone could clearly see their surroundings, as if in broad daylight. Everyone grew amazed at the beautiful sight. "Wow…" Ruby said, stunned by the forest's beauty.
"I told you this place rivaled the Forest of Forever Fall in beauty," Roland said. "The light reinforces positivity, which means there are no Grimm here, nor is there anything to draw them here. This path will be safe, so rest easy." Everyone continued on in silence, still mesmerized by the forest. After a bit, Weiss caught up to Roland and began to speak to him. "Roland? Can I speak with you?" Weiss asked.
"Ah, Weiss," Roland replied. "What can I do for you?"
"Everyone keeps talking so highly of you so I want to get know you better. Plus, I want to see if you truly are good enough for Yang!"
"Well, you certainly know how to make demands. I guess that's the Schnee way," Roland muttered under his breath.
"Beg pardon? Did you say something?"
"It was nothing. What do you want to know?"
"Well…" Weiss began to ask Roland about his family, his interests, time at Beacon, and his sword. She grew impressed upon hearing the legend behind X-Calibur and his excellence in academics. "By the way," she asked. "Jaune mentioned that you suffered the same pain as he did. What did he mean by that?"
Roland grew silent and looked away. "That's not something I like to relive, but since you're so close with Ruby, Blake, and Yang, I'll tell you. Just don't go repeating this, alright?"
"On my honor as a Schnee, I will not tell a soul."
"Very well, here's what happened…" Roland went into further detail about his team at Beacon and what happened to them. "This scarf is all I have left of Lyla since she made it for me. It's a reminder of the pain I went through when I lost my team and to make sure that doesn't happen again."
Weiss was stunned by his story. Roland continued, "Still, good still did come out of what happened. I wouldn't have met everyone here, especially Yang." Roland looked back at her and smiled.
"Well, after hearing your story," Weiss said. "I will permit you to continue to interact with my friends, even Yang."
"Heh, now I see why everyone calls you the Ice Queen."
"Hey!" Weiss then walked away, done with the conversation.
Roland simply laughed as Weiss left to walk with Ruby. Yang then caught up to him and began to talk. "So, you need warmth after talking with the Ice Queen?" Yang asked, giving a wink.
Roland then pretended to be cold. "Brr! I-I need s-some warmth. I-I'm freezing over h-here!"
"Aw, poor baby!" Yang then wrapped her arms around him, as if to give him warmth. Roland in turn put his arm around her as they walked. They both laughed at the shared banter. Everyone continued to walk for a little while longer and stopped to take a break. After a few minutes, a twig was heard being snapped. Roland then stood ready for battle and gripped X-Calibur. Blake, Yang, Jaune, Ruby, and Qrow did the same. "Get ready everyone!" Blake announced. "We've got company!"
"What?" Sun asked. "I thought there wasn't any Grimm here."
"There's always a first time for everything," Qrow said. "Keep your distance from me everyone!"
Everyone stood ready and spaced themselves from Qrow. The forest was quiet, save for the wind blowing through the trees. Another stick was heard being broken. Scarla and Ella got behind Roland and readied their weapons. Ella carried what looked like a Western-style healing staff that protruded a blade at the end, like a lance. Scarla had an Eastern-looking healing rod that bent into a bow with an energy string that discharged energy arrows. More twigs were heard and soon, Grimm ambushed everyone from all sides. "Ambush!" Roland shouted. Beowolves attacked everyone but mainly targeted Scarla and Ella since they were the weakest fighters. Roland however, did not allow any Grimm to touch his sisters, though they showed themselves as capable fighters. Ella impaled the Grimm that got within range and Scarla shot any that she sighted.
Scarla noticed that everyone was beginning to take damage and turned her bow back into a healing rod. She then raised it and a white barrier formed around her and everyone that was within a five-foot radius. Her hands and rod then began to glow red, the same color as her hair, and everyone noticed that whatever damage they took was slowly beginning to heal, giving them the strength to keep going. The barrier then dissipated after a few minutes and Scarla resumed fighting. Ella then noticed a Grimm coming at Roland with his back turned, so she rushed to his side and put her hands on him. Her hands began to glow yellow, the same color as her hair, and a protective yellow coating surrounded Roland and blocked the attack for him. He noticed the Beowolf and then cut it down. He then thanked his sister, and resumed battle. The protective coating vanished when she took her hands off of him. The Grimm began to thin out before long and a Beringel and an Alpha Beowolf appeared. Qrow took on the Beringel and dispatched it with ease, while Roland and Yang easily took out the Alpha. Everyone looked around and saw that the Grimm were routed.
"I thought you said there'd be no Grimm here," Yang said to Roland.
"I know," he replied. "This is the first time this has happened. Hmm…" Roland thought for a moment and realized, "We're being watched!"
Everyone stood ready and looked around. Blake then looked to the right and said, "There!"
She sprang into action in the direction she was looking. "Sun, back her up!" Roland commanded, and Sun took off after Blake. "Whatever it is, don't kill it!" Roland called out. "I want to see what we're dealing with!" A scuffle was then heard, followed by a weird shriek. Blake and Sun then returned, carrying a jellyfish-like Grimm. It was immobilized by Blake's weapon, wrapped around its tentacles, and held down by Sun. "What is that?" Nora asked.
"I haven't seen a Grimm like this before," Ren said.
"Hmm, is that what I think it is?" Qrow said.
"A Seer," Oscar chimed in.
"A Seer?" Roland asked.
"It's like a scout for the Grimm," Oscar said, being fed intel by Ozpin. "It can relay what it sees to other Grimm, or…someone else, and help coordinate attacks."
Roland then realized what it was doing and plunged X-Calibur into its head. "Did you see THAT Salem?" he taunted as the Grimm faded into black mist.
"Just as I thought," Qrow said. "She now knows we're coming."
"This also explains what happened to us on our way here," Roland said. "I thought it was too convenient that we ran into all the obstacles we faced: going through Victory Canyon, over the Mountain of Thunder, and facing that monstrous Nevermore. She's been watching us the whole time and did what she could to try and get rid of us. Who knows what else she's seen? Everything could be compromised."
"Yeah, you're right," Qrow said.
"Well, what are we gonna do?" Nora asked.
"We keep going," Roland replied. "Regardless of what Salem now knows, Vale is still in danger. I'm just going to have to adjust my strategy a bit."
"Alright, let's keep mov- Ow!" Jaune said, cut off from the pain of a sizable scratch on his arm. Even with his aura, the wound would take a while to heal. Ella then came over to him and put her staff above the wound. Her hands and staff also began to glow green as the scratch quickly healed. "Whoa!" Jaune said. "Thanks Ella!"
"You're welcome!" she cheerfully replied.
"Speaking of your sisters, Roland," Ren interjected. "The red barrier and the yellow coating that protected you, was that their doing?"
Roland nodded but Ella began to speak before he could say anything. "Yep!" she replied. "When I touch someone, my aura then helps protect them from physical attacks! Though, I do get tired if I do that too much. My aura also combines with my staff that heals people that I touch!"
"I-I can create a b-barrier with my aura that deflects projectiles," Scarla nervously said. "W-With my rod, I can heal people within my b-barrier or a short distance away, but I-I can slowly heal w-wounds over time. I'm n-not as fast as E-Ella…"
"No need to be modest Scarla," Roland said. "Both of my sisters' semblances combined create a powerful method of healing and defense."
"And this is why I asked them to come along," Qrow chimed in. "Healers are invaluable these days."
Everyone looked at Roland's sisters in amazement of their abilities. "Now, shall we continue?" Roland asked, breaking the silence.
Everyone agreed and continued through the forest. With the Seer gone, no more Grimm appeared in the forest. While initially nervous for the upcoming battle, the light from the forest comforted everyone and strengthened their resolve to keep going. The path was easy and only curved a few times. Due to the light, it was impossible to tell the time of day. After several hours of walking with a few breaks, Roland found a small clearing and told everyone to make camp for the night. "According to my scroll, night has fallen," Roland said. "We still have a ways to go until we reach the town where the train station is. This is the safest spot for us tonight. Sun, you mind taking the first watch?"
"I don't mind, but why?" Sun asked. "There aren't any Grimm here."
"That won't stop bandits from coming. Plus, we already got surprised earlier today, so I don't want to take any chances."
"Alright, you got it Roland!" Sun then found a tree to perch on and hung by his tail. Everyone else then set up their beds and went to sleep for the night.
Everyone awoke the following morning and found that the night passed without incident. Qrow, who took the last watch, walked around and roused everyone who was still asleep. The unchanging light of the forest threw everyone off, as if no time passed. After a quick breakfast, they set out once again. After about an hour, they saw the pass that was blocked before and left the forest. "I have to admit," Weiss said. "That place was beautiful. Better than the way Qrow took me."
"Wait, Weiss, which way did you go?" Ruby asked.
"He took me through that dreadful canyon and over that harsh mountain. It did provide a much-needed challenge. I feel much stronger than before!"
"Yeah, it's a great place to train! Everyone else has grown much stronger now." Everyone continued through the Vale countryside, but its beauty was marred by a gray sky, as if darkness was approaching. The reached town after a couple more hours and boarded the train headed to the next town. While on the train, Yang asked Roland, "So what's the plan once we get there?"
"Still working on it, and I'll brief you guys when we're closer," he replied. "Who knows what other eyes Salem has looking for us." Yang then began to look at the other people riding the train until she heard Roland instruct, "Don't stare. You'll only attract more attention."
"Actually, you'd be surprised what you notice people do when they're looked at. It's a way of weeding out spies."
"Well, that only works sometimes," Qrow interjected. "Don't worry. There aren't any spies here looking for us, at least from what I see." They all arrived after an hour and Roland and Qrow began to look for an airship that would take them to Vale. Roland located a small patrol ship that was heading back to Vale. Roland flagged down the pilot and asked if he would take them all to Vale. The pilot accepted and everyone loaded up in the airship and was off. As they ascended into the air, Vale could be seen off in the distance and dark clouds were gathering over Beacon.