Hello readers, welcome to the next installation of RWBY: Remnants of Another World. Hope you enjoy!
Notice: Please re read the very first chapter so that you can understand the contexts of this one, it has been re written so that this part of the story actually makes sense.
Disclaimer, I do not own RWBY. All rights to the series go to Rooster Teeth, please support the official release.
Speech: "The Reaper"
Thought: 'The Reaper'
Flashback: "The Reaper"
"Hello Brandon, allow me to introduce myself." The woman said as she took off her hood.
Who I saw right in front of me made me question the state of my sanity itself.
This woman looked almost exactly like Ruby, but with much curlier hair on the sides.
"My name is Summer Rose. Nice to meet you." Summer said with a warm smile.
.
.
"What?" I asked.
"I said, my name is-." Summer began.
"N-no, I heard you the first time. It's just...how?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Well, how the hell are you alive?!" I asked.
"That's not a very nice thing to ask a lady." Summer said.
"Answer the question! You're supposed to be dead!" I yelled.
"I can see manners aren't your strong suit." She said.
"You don't have to tell us twice." Caliber said.
"Shut it!" I yelled at Caliber before turning towards Summer.
"You shouldn't even be alive right now! Everyone thinks your dead!" I yelled.
"Just because every one thinks that I'm dead doesn't mean I'm actually dead." She said.
"Okay, fair enough, but how?!" I yelled.
"Same way you were brought back...well, not the exact same way, but similar." Summer said.
...Wait a minute.
"H-how did you-?!" I asked.
"How did I know of your other worldly origins? How did I know you were brought back to life? Well, it's all quite simple." She said.
"You're going to be alright." Summer said.
Why she said this confused me at first, but once the gears started to turn, I nearly fell to the ground in shock.
"Y-y-you're-." I stuttered to say.
"The voice you heard before you died? Yes, that was me. I was the one who brought you here, who brought you to this world." She said.
I just stood there in silence for a few seconds.
"Why?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" Summer asked.
"Why me?! Why did you pick me out of the billions upon billions of people out there! Why am I so special?!" I yelled.
"...Do you remember Alice?" She asked.
"A-Alice! You mean that girl from back on earth?!" I asked.
"That's the one." Summer said.
"I-Is she alright?! Did she make it down?! Did she find her parents?!" I asked, all in rapid succession.
"Whoa, easy, easy, I don't know, I only know what happened before the blast, not what happened after it." She said.
"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to come off as commanding." I said.
"It's alright. Though I'm sure you're wondering what she has to do with all of this." Summer said.
"Y-yeah, that's one of the many questions I have right now." I said.
"Well, how about we do it somewhere more private?" She asked as she started walking over to a dock.
I nodded and started to follow her, Caliber going back into my sword.
Once we were under the wooden runway of the docks, Summer sat down on a nearby log.
"So, where were we?" She asked.
"Alice?" I said.
"Oh! Right! Well, you may not know, but I was actually watching this girl from the spirit realm while I was making my recovery." Summer said.
"Your recovery?" I asked.
"I'll explain that in a bit. For now, I'll give you the crash course version of it. I was dying, I found the temple where Cronus laid, I made the contract, they took me to the spirit realm, and they saved my life." She explained.
"Oh, so you can look at other worlds in the spirit realm?" I asked.
"Yes, the spirit realm is a realm that exists in all world, all forms of reality." She said.
"Why pick our world then? I'm sure there are a bunch of worlds out there that are far more interesting than mine." I said.
"That may be true, but there were multiple things that caught my eye about your world. For one, it's not every day you find out that human kind inhabits multiple worlds, and it's also not everyday you get to witness a war against all of humankind." Summer said.
"Yeah, guess that would be a shock for anyone." I said.
"Would you believe me if I told you that you were not the first person the young girl went to for help?" She asked.
"I'm not?" I asked.
"No, she tried asking everyone for help, but no one even bothered to listen to her." Summer said.
"What the hell?! What kind of asshole just leaves a little girl to die in an explosion?! Where the hell were her parents?!" I yelled.
"I don't know, perhaps they were employees at these 'shelters' you people used to survive the affects from the blast and the radiation." She said as she looked up into the shattered moon.
"Anyone can say they will do noble things, any one can say they would sacrifice there own life to save another's. But once the opportunity presents itself, once your life is in actual danger, more than likely people will look after themselves rather than for others." Summer said.
"Self preservation." I said.
"Exactly. It is a feeling that resides in all creatures. Man, women, child, Faunus, animals, even Grimm have the feeling of self preservation, they won't engage in a fight they know they can't win." She said.
"Yeah, but still, leaving a little girl to die?" I asked.
"Crisis can bring out the worst in us." Summer said as she turned towards me.
"But it can also bring out the best in us." She said.
"You, you were the only one who decided to help the girl. The only who bothered to care for her safety." Summer said with a smile.
"W-well, I couldn't leave her to die, dying from an explosion at that young of age would be heart breaking." I said.
"Is that why you took the bullet for her?" She asked.
"..." I just sat there in silence.
"Not only did you bother to bring the girl to the shelter, you also sacrificed yourself when there was only enough room to fit one more person." Summer said.
"Why? Why save a girl you barely even know? What did you hope to gain from that?" She asked.
"Would you rather me let her die?" I asked.
"Well, I didn't say that. I'm just curious as to why you would save someone you didn't know in the first place from a very painful death." Summer said.
"It wasn't that bad. I think my body went numb when the blast actually kicked in, it only hurt for a second really." I said.
"Still, death is still death, and no matter who you are, everyone is afraid of the void." She said.
"...To be honest. I wasn't thinking really, I just...did it. There wasn't any time to think, no time to think of a plan, it was either me or her, and I apparently choose her." I said.
"Do you regret your decision?" Summer asked.
"Well, I didn't actually die...well, I did, but then I came back. So in the end it worked out for the both of us, at least I hope it did." I said.
"Indeed it did." She said.
"...So, was that the reason why you choose me? Because I saved a little girls life?" I asked.
"That's part of it. The other part of it was because you were one of the many who died from the blast. Spirits can't bring living creatures into the spirit realm, they can only bring souls and spirits in." Summer said.
"...How did you even do it? If I was really caught in the blast then I seriously doubt that I was exactly, fixable." I said.
"It was a...complicated process to say the least." She said.
"Your body was blown to bits, your lower half and arms were basically non-existent, and the parts of you that did remain were unrecognizable." Summer said.
"But your soul still remained, it had not yet passed on so the spirits were able to repair your body. But it was a very time consuming process to say the least." She said.
"How so?" I asked.
"Well, to start off, the spirits weren't able to create a whole new body for you, so they had to repair the broken body you had." Summer said as she lifted her sleeve up.
"...Uh?" I said.
"I lost my right arm during the fight before my death." She said.
"Jesus." I said.
"Repairing my body took a year to do, so how long do you think a body with the damage it took will take to repair itself?" Summer asked.
"...Uh. Let's see, if it took you a year to repair your body, then..." I tried to narrow it down.
"Ten years. You've been asleep for ten years." She said.
.
.
"T-ten?! Ten years?!" I yelled.
"That's what I said." Summer said.
"B-but it felt like a few minutes in the spirit realm!" I said.
"The spirit realm has no flow of time. Think of it like this, imagine if you froze your body in time, your body wouldn't grow, and you wouldn't technically age, you would be stuck like that until the you unfroze it." She said.
"It's how people jumped to the conclusion that I was dead. I hadn't been found in over a year, so naturally they assumed the worst. It was how I was able to hide from Ozpin for so long. It was how I was able to hide from her for so long." Summer said.
"Her?" I asked.
"I could tell you that story, but then you would be here until dawn." She said.
"I waited for your arrival into Remnant for nine years, though it would prove to be difficult due to me not knowing what you looked like. Though after the flames of the spirits emerged within the city of Vale it was rather easy for me to find you, all I had to do was follow the presence of your spirit." Summer said.
"Yeah, looks like you weren't the only one who found me." I said.
"Guess Raven beat me to the punch." She said.
"Yeah." I said.
"So what did she say to you?" Summer asked.
"Well, she didn't really have a whole lot of time to say anything. She just said that we'd be talking again soon." I said.
"Sounds like her." She said.
"...What was she like?" I asked.
"Well, that's another story that's a bit too long to explain. I would like to keep myself under the radar, so I'd rather spend as little time in Vale as I can." Summer said.
"Fair enough. So what have you been doing all this time?" I asked.
"Well, I've been hunting down dangerous Grimm, hunting down bandits, criminals, and rogue huntsmen and huntresses. I've also been going around Remnant helping people in need, though the most I'd do is stop a village from getting over run. I couldn't risk anyone finding out about my true identity." She said.
"Why not tell Ozpin? He's pretty good at keeping secrets. He's kept my other worldly origins a secret from...well everyone." I said.
"So you've told him?" Summer asked.
"Yeah." I said.
"I assume he's told you about the Fall Maiden as well." She asked.
"You know about Amber?" I asked.
"So THAT'S her name! That's been bugging me for the longest time now." Summer said.
"Yeah, I'm actually the one who saved her." I said.
"Saved her?" She asked.
"There was this bug in her head that was preventing her recovery, Caliber removed the bug and she woke up. Now Ozpin, Ironwood, Qrow, and Glynda are seeing to it that she makes a full recovery." I said.
"She must be very thankful to you then." Summer said.
"Well, if she is, she didn't get the chance to express it. I left to meet you before she could." I said.
"Aw, you were so eager to see me? I'm flattered, but I'm married...well, was, but I'm still to old for you." Summer said.
"Can it. So why not tell Ozpin?" I asked.
"Well...I think it's just for the best if no one else but you knew of my existence." She said.
"I'm the only one who knows?" Not even Raven knows?" I asked.
"Nope. Not even she knows, the more people who know of my existence, the more I'm in risk of getting caught." Summer said.
"...Well at least tell Ruby!" I said.
"So, you're familiar with my daughter then, aren't you?" She asked.
"Yeah, we're friends. Doesn't she deserve to know that her mother is still alive after all these years?!" I asked.
Summer sighed and took a photo from out of her pocket.
The photo showed her holding a red bundle of joy in her arms under a Forever Fall tree.
"Believe me, I'd love nothing more than to run to my little girls arms and never let go. But I know my daughter more than anyone else in this world, even after all these years." She began.
"But I could never put such a burden like that on her. Having to keep my identity a secret from everyone, including her own family." Summer said.
"If I told her, she'd more than likely would tell Yang, then Yang would tell Tai, and Tai would tell Qrow. That man would drop everything just to see my face again." She said with a chuckle.
.
.
Wait a minute.
"Hey, mind if I ask you something?" I asked.
"Sure, go for it." She said.
"Is Tai Ruby's real father?" I asked.
"..." Summer just sat there in silence.
"Okay, different question. What is Qrow to you?" I asked.
"..."
"Fine, I'll cut straight to the chase. Is Qrow Ruby's real father?" I asked.
"...What makes you think that?" Summer asked.
"Well, for starters, Ruby shares next to no traits from Tai. One could argue that she got all her traits from you, but children don't inherit everything from one singular parent. Yang was the child of Tai and Raven. She inherited her mothers looks and her eyes to an extent, but she also inherited her fathers hair." I said.
"Ruby practically inherits everything from you, but that's physically impossible. She had to have gotten her hair from SOMEONE." I said.
"Qrow doesn't have her hair either you know." Summer said.
"No, but Raven does. Traits can be passed down through other members of the family, and Raven's hair would fit perfectly for Ruby." I said.
"...You're good." She said.
Though before I could respond, Summer interrupted me.
"Though I wouldn't say you're right. It's a bit complicated. I'd say that he's more of a father figure to her." Summer said.
"...Oh." I said.
"So, any more questions?" She asked.
"Just one. Why did you call me here in the first place?" I asked.
"Hmm, now we're talking." Summer said as she stood up.
"How much has Ozpin taught you?" She asked.
"Huh?" I asked.
"I want to know what Ozpin has been teaching you over the past two years." Summer said.
"Well, he's basically been training me on how to use my spirit properly. Due to his experience with Masamune he knows a few things about the spirits." I said.
"But he only knows the basics of what the spirits are capable. Sure he may know a lot due to his past teachings with Raven, but he can only know so much. Not even he knows everything about everything you know." She said.
I seriously doubt that but okay.
"So what are you proposing?" I asked.
"It's rather simple." She said as she held out her hand.
"Come with me." Summer said.
.
.
"H-huh?" I asked.
"Ozpin can only teach you so much. Why not learn from someone who's had ten years of experience with the spirits?" She asked.
I just sat there in shock before shaking my had and sighing.
"Look, I appreciate the offer but I can't just up and leave the people here. There's still something I need to do here." I said.
Summer looked confused for a second before she started to rapidly shake her head.
"Oh! No, no, no! I didn't mean come with me and never come back! It's that Spring Break is coming up and all, and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to sharpen you up! Turn you into a real force of nature!" She said.
"Wait, so it'll just be for a week?" I asked.
"Just for a week." Summer said.
"You really think you can turn me into a so called 'force of nature' in a week?" I asked.
"Hmm." She hummed as she leaned in so that we met eye to eye.
"Uh." I began.
"Yeah, I can work with this." Summer said as she took off my hat and ruffled my hair.
"Jeez, what's with you people and the hair?" I asked.
"Heh heh, sorry, motherly habits and all." She said before walking off.
"Hey, where are you going?" I asked.
"Well, I can't stay here. I'm supposed to be dead." Summer said before pointing off into the distance.
"That'll be our training ground. Meet me at the bottom of the mountain." She said.
"I'll see you then." Summer said before walking off.
...So, training with Summer, huh?
"Spring break is next week. I should start packing my things." I said before walking off of the beach.
As I returned from my conversation with Summer, a lot of questions started to plague my mind.
I mean, if what she said was true, then she was the one who brought me here from earth.
I know Caliber said he was the one who brought me back to life, but if it weren't for her, then I'd be six feet under right now.
Still, she waited ten years for me, guess it would be pretty rude for me not to come to the mountains like she asked, even for me.
I turned around to stare at the mountains that I would be training in.
They were pretty high, no doubt there are some dangerous Grimm there.
Guess she wanted the perfect place to not only hide, but push me to my absolute limit.
I shook my head and continued to walk down the courtyard of Beacon.
How as she been able to hide from the world for an entire decade? I'm sure at least one person would have found out about her existence by now.
Even if it were someone who didn't know who she was.
Being able to hide from Ozpin of all people, huh? That's sure something...I mean sure Cinder is doing the same exact thing, but only for a year or so, Summer's been doing it for ten years.
Then there's that one thing she said that still bothers me.
"It's how people jumped to the conclusion that I was dead. I hadn't been found in over a year, so naturally they assumed the worst. It was how I was able to hide from Ozpin for so long. It was how I was able to hide from her for so long." I remembered Summer saying.
What the hell was she talking about?
Who else could she be possibly hiding from?
.
.
Hmm, now that I really think about it, there's that one Grimm lady that appeared at the end of volume three and the beginning of volume four.
What was her name?
Sal?
No, that's a guys name.
Selena?
Now, that doesn't sound menacing in the slightest.
...Salem! That was her name, her name was Salem!
More than anything she might be hiding from Salem, I mean if her and Ozpin share a past then she's gotta be just as if not more clever than Ozpin himself.
Though who is she anyway, and how do Ozpin and her share a past?
Damn it! Why did I have to die before the series could finish, would have made things so much easier for me!
I sighed and rubbed my temples with my fingers.
So, I'm the only one who know's she's alive, huh?
Man, now that I think about it, things are gonna start getting a little awkward between Qrow, Ruby, Yang and I.
Well, just so long they don't bring up the topic of Summer, I should be good for the long run.
Still, Ozpin's always been the one to read into me, he'll more than likely figure it out eventually.
Then again, he won't really be alive for too long so I doubt he'll figure it out before then.
Though it doesn't hurt to take a little bit of caution with this.
Now that I think about it, did Ozpin really die?
I mean, sure Cinder did say that Ozpin was dead, but she more than likely told Salem that just to get her off her back.
But if he isn't dead, then where would he be after all this time?
Judging by the length of team RNJR's hair, it's been more than a few months since the fall of Beacon.
Though how was he able to hide from Qrow, Ironwood, and the rest of the headmasters for that long?
Well, I guess it won't really matter right now. Amber is awake now, and the staff are working on getting her strength back.
I'm not really worried about an attack on Amber right now, Cinder isn't stupid enough to kill her in the middle of the school...Okay she did do that in the end of volume three, but a bunch of Grimm were attacking the school, everyone was shitting there pants.
I'm gonna have to rely on Roman getting Cinder to spill the beans about how little she cares about Emerald and Mercury during my trip. Otherwise, things are gonna start getting more complicated for my liking.
Though on the upside, if my memory serves correct then the White Fang are laying low for the time being.
So I really don't have to worry about any White Fang attacks on Vale anytime soon.
But then there's Raven.
Not really a whole lot to be said about her at the moment, she just wants to talk to me.
Don't really know what about, but hey, a talks a talk.
As long as she's not trying to stab me into little bits and pieces then we're good.
This worlds Raven is already a pretty far cry from the Raven in the actual series.
...Well I didn't know anything personal about her other than she was Yang's mom and...no, that was it. She was Yang's mom.
While I still don't know a whole lot about her, I at least have a handful of things to go off of for when we eventually talk.
For one, she's the wielder of the Enchanted Katana, Masamune.
That on it's own threw me off guard.
Really hope she's not a major antagonist in the future or else we're definitely going to have a problem here.
I mean, she was able to wipe the floor with Adam like it was nothing! How the hell am I supposed to fight that?!
We'll worry about that later, for now let's focus on the other things we know about Raven.
She's the mother of Yang...but we knew that already.
She MIGHT be the Aunt of Ruby, but that's only if either her or Summer spills the beans.
...Then again, I think she would be pretty suspicious as to why I would be questioning who Ruby's biological parents are so let's leave that out of the conversation...along with everything and anything about Summer.
She was the previous student of Ozpin, which explains how familiar he is with the spirits.
Raven had a fairly large falling out with her team, and it had something to do with the test Masamune gave her.
She's the leader of this tribe her and Qrow were apart of, and more than likely, she's ten times stronger than she is in the actual show.
While it still isn't a whole lot to go off on, it's more than what Rooster Teeth gave us.
Though I'm not sure how all this will help me with my inevitable confrontation with Raven.
But hey, it's better than nothing.
Man, it's gonna be weird to explain this to Neo.
Hey Neo, I need to spend an entire week in a Grimm infested forest to train...alone. Now I know this sounds like the dumbest idea in the world, and on paper it is, but my whole life is just a series of dumb ideas. You could probably make a book about it called "A series of stupid decisions staring Brandon Kim.".
So yeah, I'm not looking forward to THAT conversation.
Ozpin will also be curious as to why I'm going into a Grimm infested mountain by myself.
Which is why I won't be telling him!
I'll pack my things and high tail it out of here!
I mean sure I'll have to tell him when I get back, but at least I'll have a week to come up with a reasonable excuse.
But for now, I need to-.
My thought process was cut off as I felt someone tug at my jacket.
"Hmm?" I hummed as I turned around to see who it was.
To my surprise, it was Ruby.
.
.
Because you know, that's was the person I was REALLY looking forward to talking to.
"Hey." She said.
"Oh, hey. What's up?" I asked.
"Nothing really. I just wanted to talk you know?" Ruby said.
"Shouldn't you be prepping for the Vytal tournament?" I asked.
"Well, with everything that's happened with the Fang, Penny, and Yang's mom-." She began.
"You mean Raven?" I asked.
"Yeah...wait, how do you know her name?" Ruby asked.
"Qrow told me about her." I said.
"Why would he do that?" She asked.
"Well, she IS the user of one of the twelve spirits, Masamune." I said, causing Ruby's eye's to widen.
"Really?!" She asked.
"Yeah, I would have thought Yang would have told you. Would have thought she would have told you what happened with Adam." I said.
"What happened to Adam?" Ruby asked.
"Well, Raven gave him a good old fashion a-." I began, only for Ruby's glare to cut me off.
"Butt kicking." I corrected.
"Wow, Raven sounds so cool!" Ruby said with stars in her eyes.
She sure is!...You don't wanna meet her though.
"I wonder if all the spirits have users? If so, I'd totally like to meet the scythe wielder!" She said.
Okay, now I'm getting a metaphorical middle finger!
"Y-yeah. Sure." I said.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.
"Hmm? Oh, no I'm fine." I said.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Ruby, I'm fine." I said.
"You know you can talk to me, right?" Ruby asked.
"Ruby. I. Am. Fine." I said slowly.
Ruby just stood there for a couple of seconds before nodding.
"Okay, just talk to me if your not feeling well, okay?" She said.
"Why the sudden concern?" I asked.
Ruby shuffled her feet around before taking a deep breath and exhaling.
"Before we went to the Mountain to investigate a lead we found, we heard about what happened with Doctor Merlot." She said.
"...Okay...and?" I asked.
"Well, Coco told us what you did in the labs." Ruby said.
"She tell you how we stopped Merlot from unleashing a horde of mutant Grimm into the city?" I asked.
"Well, yeah...but she also told us how you killed the man responsible behind it all." She said.
"Yeah, I did." I said.
Though as I said this, Ruby's expression saddened.
"What's up with you?" I asked.
"Why?" She asked.
"Hmm?" I hummed.
"Why would you kill him?" Ruby asked.
"...Does killing the enemy warrant a reason? We were on separate sides, he was trying to kill me, and I was trying to kill him. It was only a matter of who got who." I said.
"But what if he could have changed?!" She asked.
"People don't change unless they want to change, Ruby. Torchwick changed because he wanted a better future for him and Neo. Neo changed because she didn't want to lose me. If Merlot wanted to change he would have done it when the Mountain fell." I said.
"You don't know that for sure!" Ruby said.
"Yeah, I don't! I never do whenever I fight an enemy. But it's either them or me. Do you want to know what would have happened if I left Merlot alive?" I asked.
Ruby just stared at me for a couple of moments before nodding.
"More than likely, he would have attempted to kill more people, causing more people to die." I said.
"But-." Ruby began.
"I know that it's not guaranteed he'd do that, but that's not a chance I'm willing to take." I said.
Ruby was about to say something, but I quickly cut her off.
"Look, I don't like killing, I do try and avoid it by doing things like I did with Roman and Neo. But you need to ask yourself this, Ruby. Are you willing to put your friends at risk? Sometimes they do change, but sometimes they don't. Sometimes they just don't want to change." I said.
Ruby just stood there in silence, her gaze falling.
"Look, I'm not telling you to go on a killing spree or anything. It's like I said, I don't like killing, and I try to avoid it whenever I can. But sometimes you need to take lives to make sure the ones you care about are safe." I said.
"..."
"I'm not telling you not to give people second chances. I mean, look what I did with Roman and Neo. Just saying don't expect to leave this world without some blood on your hands." I said.
"..."
"I know you don't like what I'm saying. You don't have to like it, but it's something that all huntsmen have to deal with. I'm sure Blake had to deal with the same thing." I said.
"You think Blake is a killer?" Ruby asked.
"No, I'm saying she's more than likely had to take lives with her line of work. Whether it be in self defense or for a different reason. You can still care for lives, but take them as well. Sometimes you don't have time to think, the only thing you can do is act, and your body will do the one thing it's made to do." I said as I put my hand on Ruby's shoulder.
"Self Preservation." I said.
"..." Ruby just continued to stand there in silence.
"The world isn't some sort of fairy tale, Rubes. Things are more complicated than that." I said.
"I know." She said.
"...Wait what?" I asked.
"I know. I thought that because we had Roman on our side the White Fang would stop attacking Vale. Clearly I was wrong." Ruby said.
"Don't be too hard on yourself. There's no way you could have predicted it." I said.
"I know. But I guess this only proves your point. Not everything is as clear cut as we'd like it to be. Someone else is operating within the White Fang, someone with a larger influence than Roman." She said.
Boy you have NO idea.
"But we'll figure this out one way or another." Ruby said.
"Yeah, hopefully this will all be over soon." I said.
Oh who am I kidding? I know it won't be over anytime soon.
"Hey." She said as she grabbed my jacket.
"What's up?" I asked.
"I'm sorry." Ruby said.
"...Uh, why?" I asked.
"Well, to be honest, when I first heard Coco's story, the respect I had for you only grew, I even started to admire you." She said.
"O-oh! W-well I'm flattered but I...Damn, why is this so hard?" I asked myself.
"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.
"Well, it's just...I'm...not looking for a relationship right now." I said.
Ruby tilted her head in confusion before her face turned beat red.
"N-no! That's not what I meant!" She said.
"Oh. Whew! I dodged a bullet right there. You had me scared there for a second Rubes!" I said.
"Jeez, you don't have to sound so relieved." Ruby mumbled.
"What was that?" I asked.
"N-nothing! Anyways, I meant I admire you as in you're what I always dreamed of being. The hero who comes in, saves the day and beats the bad guy." She said.
"Why are you apologizing for that?" I asked.
"I'm not. But I was also scared of you." Ruby said.
"Scared?" I asked.
"Well, you killed someone. You took a life. I was always taught that all life was precious, and that there was no excuse for killing. So when I found out you took a life, it...scared me." She said.
"But during my time at Beacon, I've learned that sometimes you can't help it. Sometimes there are situations where you can't avoid it, whether it be self defense or to save someone you care about." Ruby said.
"So, I'm sorry, this whole thing was just one big misunderstanding." She said with a bow.
"...Um, I didn't really notice it." I said.
"W-what?! Are you kidding me?! I had that whole speech planned and everything!" Ruby yelled.
"Heh, well I do appreciate the apology." I said, scratching the back of my head.
"Well, I got the general point across, didn't I?" She asked.
"Yeah, you just misunderstood my motives and all. It happens to the best of us." I said.
Ruby nodded and gave me a bright smile.
"Heh, guess I know where she got that from." I mumbled, remembering the same smile Summer gave me.
"What was that?" Ruby asked.
...I said that out loud?!
"N-nothing! Just thinking out loud is all!" I said nervously.
"Hmm, well okay then." Ruby said before yawning.
"Geez, I am tired. I must have lost track of time." She said, rubbing her eyes.
"Yeah, it has gotten late." I said.
"We should probably get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." Ruby said.
"Actually, I'll be heading out tomorrow." I said.
"Out? Where to?" She asked.
"Training trip." I said, trying to be as vague as possible.
"Why?" Ruby asked.
"To prepare for the tournament." I said.
"But you don't have a full team." She said.
Shit!
"W-well, it never hurts to get some more training, right?" I asked.
"Hmm, I suppose that's true. Hey! How about I come with you?" Ruby asked.
"No!" I shouted, causing Ruby to move back a bit.
.
.
"Uh, I mean no. You should train here with your team, it's always good to have your friends close, am I right?" I asked.
"But you're my friend to you know." She said.
"I'm one guy. You'll get more training out of multiple people." I said.
"Hmm, I suppose that's true." Ruby said.
"See? Now, don't you need to go to sleep?" I asked.
"Who are you, my dad?" She asked.
"Just go to bed." I said.
Ruby chuckled before walking off.
I sighed and rubbed my temples with my hands.
"I hate to lie to ya Rubes. But this is for the best." I said.
"E-excuse me." I heard someone say.
I turned around to see none other than Amber herself, sitting in a wheel chair.
"Should you be out by yourself?" I asked.
"I'm not defenseless you know." She said.
"With the state you're in? I seriously doubt-." I began, only for smoke to start coming off of my head.
I look up to see that the front of my hat was completely engulfed in flames.
"Gah! What the hell?!" I yelled as I started to shake the hat to put the fire out.
"Told you." She said.
"Okay! You've made your point! Now put the fire out, this hat is expensive!" I yelled.
Amber chuckled and snapped her fingers, putting out the fire.
"I may not be as physically fit as I was, but that doesn't mean I've lost control of my powers." She said.
"I see your stutter is gone now." I said.
"It comes back from time to t-time. See? But it's been getting better." Amber said.
"Yeah, I can tell." I said.
"So, what's a child like yourself doing up so late at night?" She asked.
"I could ask you the same thing. You did JUST wake up you know." I said.
"I was more curious about my savior than anything." Amber said.
"You're curious about me?" I asked.
"Of course! It's not everyday you get to see one of the twelve enchanted weapon users." She said.
"If you're me then you're seeing more of them everyday." I mumbled.
"What was that?" Amber asked.
"Nothing. So how old are you?" I asked.
"Don't you know it's rude to ask a woman her age?" She asked.
"I pulled a parasite out of your brain, bite me." I said.
"Fair enough, I'm twenty...well, it's been two years since I was last awake so I guess that makes me twenty two." Amber said.
Hmm, younger than I originally thought.
Then again, they DID say young women so I guess I shouldn't be to surprised.
"But I didn't come here to talk about me. I came here to know more about you." Amber said.
"Well can we at least sit down first?" I asked.
"I'm already sitting down." She said.
.
.
"Okay, smart ass! Can I sit down?!" I asked.
"Sure." Amber said with a chuckle.
Guess SOMEONE likes jokes!
"Okay, so what do you want to know first?" I asked as I sat down on a nearby bench.
"Well, first I want to know how a child like yourself got his hands on one of the enchanted weapons." Amber said.
Okay, what was the story again? Been awhile since I've told this story.
Hmm...oh, right.
"My dad gave it to me." I said.
"Oh! So you're father was the previous user?" Amber asked.
"Something like that, he cut off the contract after I was born and hit the road, leaving the sword in my mothers hands." I said.
"Why would he leave such a weapon behind like that?" She asked.
"Don't know, don't care." I said.
"You don't care? But he's your father, not only that but he's the previous wielder of Caliber!" Amber said.
"No he wasn't." Caliber said.
Shut it, it's for the sake of our cover story.
"He lost all right to be my father when he left for fifteen years and never came back." I said.
Amber just sat there in silence before nodding.
"Very well, I can see that it is a sensitive subject for you. What did you mean by 'contract'?" Amber asked.
"Guess it's no surprise that you don't know about it. Really the only one's who do know about the contracts are spirit users." I said.
"A contract is a something a spirit makes with it's user. The spirit helps the user get it's one true desire, and in turn the spirit is allowed to run wild to it's hearts contents." I said.
"Interesting. What was your contract?" She asked.
"A persons contract is there own business hun." I said with a smirk.
"Oh! I guess that makes sense. Forgive me for prying." Amber said.
"Nah, you're fine." I said as I waved my hand.
Though before Amber could continue, she gripped her temples and groaned.
"Hey, what's wrong?!" I asked as I rushed over to Amber's side.
"N-no. I-it's fine. Just the pain is all. It fades after a few seconds." She said.
"We should probably get you to bed. You need to rest." I said as I started to push her chair.
"I've been asleep for quite some time already." She said.
"That was due to a toxin that was injected in your body. If anything you'll need more sleep than you ever did before." I said.
"It's that way." Amber said.
"Oh. I knew that." I said as I started to move towards where Amber was pointing.
"I can move by myself you know." She said.
"Well, I don't want to risk you passing out in the middle of Beacon so just enjoy the ride." I said.
.
.
"Amber?" I asked as I looked over at Amber.
Though as I looked down at her, she was completely out cold.
"Heh, told ya so." I said as I continued to walk down the courtyard of Beacon.
I continued to walk across the various fields of Beacon until I eventually stumbled across the medical wing of Beacon.
"Looks like this is your stop." I said as I entered the building.
"Hello?" I called out.
"Ah! Brandon! So good to see you." I heard Peach say as she walked up to the two of us.
"This belong to you?" I asked.
"Oh! Yes, I was wondering where she went. I'm gonna have to keep a closer eye on you." She said as she took the wheel chair.
"Well, I'll get out of your hair for now." I said as I started to walk away, though before I could, Peach grabbed my shoulder.
"Hey." She said.
"Hmm?" I hummed.
"I just wanted to say, I'm really proud of what you did today. It makes me happy to see one of my best students learning from his experiences with me." Peach said.
"Heh, I learned from the best." I said.
"Oh stop!...I wasn't being serious, keep talking about how great my medical skills are." She said.
"Goodnight, Peach." I said as I walked off.
"Goodnight, Brandon." Peach said as she walked off with Amber in tow.
I walked out of the medical wing and gazed out into the night sky.
"Well, guess it's time to get packing." I said as I started to walk down into the dorm rooms.
I passed a few students who were getting ready for the festival, whether they be students I've yet to meet, or students I've met in the past.
Eventually, I made my way to my dorm room.
Well, guess now is a better time than any to start explaining myself to Neo.
I opened the door and started to mentally prepare myself for the barrage of questions that would follow once I had finished packing.
Though as I opened the door, the only thing I could see was Neo walking across the room wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her, her hair dripping wet.
.
.
Neo smirked and winked her right eye at me, causing me to close the door as fast as humanly possible.
My face was beat red as I scrambled for my scroll and started to rapidly type in it.
"What the hell?!" My message to Neo said.
"Aw, is someone embarrassed?" She asked.
"Where the hell are your cloths?!" I said.
"In my drawer. I just got out of the shower, normal people typically don't wear anything while they bathe." Neo said.
"You mean MY drawer?!" I asked.
"Your drawer, my drawer. What's the difference?" She asked.
Though before I could respond, she had already sent another reply.
"The answer there is none." Neo said.
How the hell does she type so fast?
"Would you please put some cloths on already?!" I asked.
"Aw, but wouldn't you like to see me in just this towel? Or perhaps you would rather see me in something more...revealing. ;)" She said.
"I swear to god, I will melt the entire pantry of ice cream we have if I come in there and see you are buck ass nude!" I said.
"Fine, fine. You're no fun today." She said.
As she said this, I could hear the sound of foot steps coming from the other side of the door.
After a few seconds the foot steps stopped.
"Alright, I'm dressed." Neo said.
"How do I know you're not messing with me?" I asked.
After a few seconds, the door opened, causing me to fall over onto the ground.
I looked up to see that Neo had her crop top and her pants on.
"Thank you." I said as I got up and walked over to my bed.
"So...are you okay?" She asked me.
"Well I'm not dead am I?" I asked.
"Well, I just heard from Roman that you and the Blondie had a encounter with the leader of the White Fang...What was his name again?" She asked.
"Adam?" I said.
"Right! Adam!" Neo said.
Though before she could continue our conversation, she looked to see that I was putting various supplies into my bag.
"What's with you?" She asked.
"Hmm? Oh this? I'm going out for the break." I said.
"Out? Where?" Neo asked.
Hmm, maybe I should refrain from telling her WHERE exactly I'm going. More than likely she'll follow me without realizing it and the last thing Summer wants is for more people to find out she's alive.
"Just heading out of the kingdom for the week. Not really staying in one specific spot." I said.
"Why are you going out of the kingdom to begin with? Aren't Grimm more common now with all the commotion going around?" She asked.
"Exactly why I'm going." I began.
For some reason.
"This will be the perfect opportunity to sharpen my skills for Cinder's big plan." I said as I dug through my cabinets.
Gonna wanna take these.
I picked up a few dust crystals and placed them inside of my bag.
"I'll come with you then." Neo said.
"No." I said as I continued to pack.
Neo blinked for a few seconds before typing her response in her scroll.
"Do you want to consider it?" She asked.
"No." I simply said as I continued to pack.
"You'll be going out of the kingdom...alone." Neo said.
"Yeah, I took that into consideration. Answer is still no." I said.
"...Okay, you've come up with a lot of stupid plans before, but this is by far the dumbest idea you've ever had." She said.
"I know." I said.
"Then let me come with you!" Neo said.
"I said it once and I'll say it again. No." I said.
"Why?! This is suicide!" She said.
"I'll be fine." I said.
Damn it, I hate to lie to her, but no one else can find out about Summer.
...Wait, I don't HAVE to tell her about Summer, but I can tell her that I'm going with someone.
"I'll have backup." I said to her.
"Caliber doesn't count as backup." Neo said.
"I strongly disagree." Caliber said from within my head.
Shut it.
"It's not Caliber." I said as I gave her the letter that Summer gave me.
Neo tilted her head and grabbed the letter.
Her eye's moved from left to right as she continued to read, her eyes widening as she got further down.
"This is-." Neo began to type.
"Yeah, it's from the wielder of Cronus. They want me to come with them for the break to train me." I said.
"Who are they?" She asked me.
"That's the thing, they want to keep there identity a secret from everyone. The only reason why they revealed it to me is because it would be pretty awkward to train someone who didn't know who you were." I said.
Neo nodded before typing her response.
"Are they strong?" Neo asked.
"Well they have a decade's worth of experience with the spirits so you tell me." I said.
Neo closed her eyes for a few moments before nodding.
"Alright, I won't follow you. But just try not to get yourself killed." She said.
"I make no promises." I said.
Neo nodded before typing her response.
"So what do you want me to do while your away?" Neo asked.
"Well first off I want you to help Roman in getting Cinder to spill the beans about Emerald and Mercury." I said.
"What else?" She asked.
"I just need you to stay here just in case the Fang or Cinder tries anything on Vale." I said.
"Where will you be?" Neo asked.
"...I'll tell you, but you CAN'T follow me. Got it?" I asked.
Neo nodded, causing me to walk over to the curtains and push them aside.
"I'm going over to that mountain." I said, pointing at the mountain Summer told me about.
Neo stared at the mountain before typing her response.
"Don't a lot of powerful Grimm nest in that mountain?" She asked.
"Well that's there plan. They want to push me to my absolute limits." I said.
"Okay but how are you going to get passed the guards? We are on a lock down you know." Neo said.
"I'm still thinking about that part." I said.
Neo looked skeptical, clenching her scroll in her hand.
"I'll be fine. I'll keep in touch okay?" I said.
She looked down at the ground before nodding.
"You better come back." Neo said.
"I plan on it. Besides, I don't really plan on leaving till tomorrow." I said.
Neo nodded before yawning.
"Guess it's been a pretty long day for everyone, huh?" I asked.
Neo nodded and crawled into her bed.
I chuckled and turned off the lights.
As I laid in my bed, I couldn't help but think of the kind of training Summer had in store for me.
What could she teach me that Ozpin couldn't?
.
.
Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough. In the mean time, time to get some Z's.
(3rd Person POV)
"Ah!" Adam gasped as Naomi treated his wounds.
Naomi was just putting a new coat of disinfectant on Adam's cuts, along with a new pair of bandages.
"It should be done in a few moments." She said.
Adam nodded and splashed some water on his face.
"Tch, that woman." He said.
"Do you know of her?" Naomi asked.
"No, but knowing of her existence in this world is enough to put me on edge." Adam said, clenching his fist.
"Will she be a threat?" She asked.
"...For now, not yet. She only seemed interested in the boy." He said.
"You mean Mr. Kim?" Naomi asked.
"Yes she was only be a threat if-...Mr. Kim?" Adam asked.
"That is his last name, is it not?" She asked as she dabbed another dose of disinfectant into Adam's wounds.
"I'm...not sure. Was it?" He asked as he scratched his head.
"Rhetorical question, it is." Naomi said.
"How do you know that?" Adam asked.
"How anyone else figures out the names of the people around them. They ask." She said.
.
.
"What was he like?" He asked.
"Why the sudden curiosity?" Naomi asked.
"That women was clearly trying to protect him. He must be of value to her in some way. I want to know why someone so strong would be interested in that boy." Adam said.
"Well, if I had to make a hypothesis then I'd assume it had to do with those spirits they posses." She said.
"The spirits." He said.
"Indeed, perhaps these powers of their's have made some sort of connection between them." Naomi said.
"Those spirits aren't anything I've seen before. They're fast, strong, precise, and even sentient." Adam said.
"Sentient?" She asked.
"It was for brief moments, but it seemed like the child and the woman were talking to the spirits they possessed." He said.
"Interesting. It's as if they have another soul residing within them." Naomi theorized.
"Two souls in one body? You mean like the book the man with two souls?" Adam asked.
"Something like that. I've been meaning to read the sequel how. How is it?" She asked.
"It's not as good as the original in my opinion." He said.
"Interesting. I'll have to read it sometime." Naomi said.
"Well, the mission comes first." Adam said.
"Indeed. Now to answer your question, I am unable to make a generalized description of his personality due to my lack of contact with the boy, though given the proper circumstances-." She began to ramble.
"Naomi." He quickly stopped her before she could.
"I mean, he is...nice...for a human." Naomi said.
"Nice? He's been the source of most of our troubles for the last year. What made you think he's nice?" Adam asked.
"Well, he didn't attempt to attack us when we were standing guard at his cage." She said.
"That's because she couldn't, Naomi." He said.
"That may be true. But if he truly did resent us then why would he engage in conversation with us?" Naomi asked.
"You talked to him?" Adam asked.
"Correct." She said as she put down the disinfectant.
"What did he say?" He asked.
"Well, it varied between the Phantoms. Alerio said that he listened to him when he told him about the past of himself and his sister." Naomi said.
"While our conversation was short, it was one I am truly thankful for." She said.
"What happened?" Adam asked.
Naomi's only response was to pull out the ocarina that she had in her pocket.
"What does the rock you always carry around have to do with the conversation at hand?" Adam asked.
"This is more than just a rock. It is a flute of some sort." She said as she blew into it, causing a high pitched whistling to echo through the warehouse.
"Gah!" Adam grunted as he covered his ears.
"Oh, terribly sorry." Naomi said.
"Just don't do it again." He growled.
A few moments of silence passed before Adam broke the ice.
"What does this 'flute' have to do with him?" Adam asked.
"It's more than just a flute. It's a piece of my past." Naomi said.
"Your past?" Adam asked as he slowly turned to face Naomi.
"Yes, for the longest time I had come up with no logical explanation as to why I would keep this around with me. Now I know, it was something I made before my time at the facility." She said.
"And he helped you discover this piece of your past." He asked.
"It wasn't intentional. He just told me what it was, not that it was related to my past." Naomi said.
Adam just sat there as he processed this information.
"Then there was Ilia." She began.
"Ilia actually talked to that human?" He asked.
"It was surprising to me as well. Due to her past experiences with the humans I would have thought she wouldn't want to speak to them ever again." Naomi said.
"What did he tell her?" Adam asked.
"It was interesting to say the least. The boy told her about something called the Civil Rights Movement." She said.
"The Civil Rights Movement?" He asked.
"You would have to ask her about it. I do not remember all of the details of that conversation as my mind was else where at the time." Naomi said.
"What're you two talking about?" Adam and Naomi heard Alerio ask.
They turned there heads towards the source of his voice to see that Alerio, Aleria, Ilia, and Veronica were all walking towards them.
"Where's Osvaldo?" Adam asked.
"He's...relaxing." Alerio said.
.
.
"I'm sorry could you run that by me again?" He asked.
"No! I'm serious! Last I saw of him he was relaxing!" Alerio said.
Adam was about to question it, but decided it would be best to question the Faunus himself.
"What do you want?" Adam asked.
"Hey, we just wanted to see how our leader was holding up." Alerio said.
"I'm fine." He said.
"So what's on your mind?" Veronica asked.
"A lot of things." Adam said.
"Like what?" Aleria asked.
"Today, the kid, that woman, the spirits, everything." He said.
"Who was she?" Aleria asked.
"I don't know." Adam said.
"She had powers like that kid, right?" Alerio asked.
"Yes, while the woman's spirit didn't do exactly what the boy's spirit did, it still felt as if they were one of the same." He said.
"Well then it can't be a semblance, people don't share the same semblances. Even then it has minor tweeks to it." Aleria said.
"I'm not really familiar with this so called 'spirit' like you guys are. Mind filling me in?" Veronica asked.
"Well, these two people Adam encountered have these guardian angels of some sort. They protect there user from harm, give them special powers, and even help them during a fight." Aleria said.
"...What?" She asked.
"I know how stupid it sounds, but it's true. These guys aren't people you want to mess with. One of them managed to take down Adam...no offence." She said.
"None taken." Adam said.
"Whoa! Seriously?!" Veronica asked.
"Yeah, we only thought there was one of them, but now another one of them has showed up out of the blue." She said.
"There's no telling how many of them are out there. I thought this would be a clear cut problem with a clear cut solution, but that's only because I thought that kid was the only one." Adam said.
"And if the others are just as powerful as that woman, then we've got a serious problem on our hands." Aleria said.
A cold sweat started to form on Veronica's head.
.
.
"Ilia." Adam called out.
"Hmm?" She hummed.
"What can you tell me about the Civil Rights Movement?" He asked.
"The what now?" Alerio asked as he turned to his sister.
"...Don't look at me! I don't know what he's talking about!" She said.
"Right, the human told me about it." Ilia said.
"What was he talking about?" Adam asked.
"To be honest, I don't really know if he's crazy or if he was lying." She said.
"What was it?" He asked once more.
"Hmm, I'll try to re tell it, but I'm a bit fuzzy." Ilia said as she cleared her throat.
"If what he told me was correct, then the Civil Rights Movement was a mass movement to secure rights for these group of people so that they have equal access to and opportunities for the basic privileges and rights of citizenship." She started to explain.
"So it was a fight for equality?" Adam asked, now interested in what she had to say.
"Not a fight, so to say. They didn't actually spill any blood, these groups of men and women, along with the people of the opposite race organized and led the movement at national and local levels. They pursued their goals through negotiations, petitions, and nonviolent protest demonstrations." Ilia said.
"So they didn't actually fight for there freedom?" Aleria asked.
"No, they asked for it." She said.
"Yeah? Well how'd that turn out for em because CLEARLY that worked for us." Alerio said sarcastically.
"Actually, it worked." Ilia said.
"...What?" Everyone except for Naomi asked.
"The Civil Rights Movement was largest social movement in his kingdom. It influenced the modern women's rights movement and the student movement." She said.
"How the hell did they...Wait, wait, wait. Even women had trouble gaining equality at the kids kingdom?!" Aleria asked.
"That's what he said." Ilia said.
"...Damn, what a bunch of assholes. Faunus weren't enough so they had to drag women into it?" Alerio asked.
"Jeez." Veronica said.
"The civil rights movement centered on the South part of his kingdom. That was where the population was concentrated and where racial inequality in education, economic opportunity, and the political and legal processes was most blatant." She explained.
"Even education?!" She asked.
"Yeah, I was surprised to." Ilia said.
"So what did his kingdom do about it?" Aleria asked.
"The counsel and local governments passed segregation laws, known as Jim Crow laws; they also imposed restrictions on voting qualifications that left the black population economically and politically powerless." She said.
"The what laws?" Alerio asked.
"Um... Oh! Right! It was a law that mandated the segregation of public schools, public places, and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms, restaurants, and drinking fountains for the two races." Ilia said.
"They couldn't even drink from a fountain?!" Alerio asked.
"Why is THAT the one thing you're surprised at?!" Aleria asked.
"How can I not! I mean, it's a drinking fountain for Monty's sake! How are you gonna make TWO separate drinking fountains?! Not even Vale or Vacuo or...ANY of the kingdoms do that!" He yelled.
"What else did he tell you?" Adam asked.
"That was all he really told me. In the end they did get the rights they wanted." Ilia said.
"There has to be more to it than just that." Adam said.
"Do you believe him?" She asked.
"I'm not saying that. Though if this were a lie, what would he have to benefit from it?" He asked.
"But it's sounds impossible! There have only been four kingdoms! Vale, Vacuo, Atlas and Mistral! None of these kingdoms deal with problems like these!" Aleria said.
"But if this were a lie, it would be one VERY specific lie. Even you said he didn't tell you everything he knew about this movement." Alerio said.
"Still, I would have thought the counsel would have found a fifth kingdom out in Remnant." Naomi said.
"You'd think the counsel would do a lot of things." Aleria growled.
Though before the group could continue there conversation, the sound of footsteps cut them off.
"What do we have here?" A female voice asked.
The figure was revealed to be Cinder Fall, as well as her two right hand men, Mercury and Emerald.
"Tch, what do you want?" Adam growled.
"I am simply here to congratulate you on your successful operation. Though from the looks of it you ran into some...difficulties." She said as she stared at Adam's wounds.
"Tch." He said.
"Would you care to enlighten me on how you got such wounds?" Cinder asked.
"...It was one of them." Adam said.
"...One of who?" She asked.
"The spirits. It was one of them." He said.
"Spirits? Did this child that has been causing you so much trouble get the better of you?" Cinder asked.
"No, the child was no trouble to me. It was that woman." Adam said.
"Woman?" She asked as she raised her right eyebrow.
"She was...infuriating!" He said.
"It was as if she were toying with me! I wasn't even able to land a single strike on her!" Adam said.
"Seriously?" Mercury asked.
"Now, now Mercury. Let's hear what Mr. Taurus has to say before we make our judgment." Cinder said before turning her head towards Adam.
"What did this woman look like?" She asked.
Adam closed his eyes and started to remember what the woman who did this to him looked like.
"She had long black and red hair. She was tall, maybe as tall as I am. Then there was that sword, that burning red sword." He said as he clenched his fist.
"Doesn't that kinda sound like the drunk?" Mercury whispered to Emerald.
"That was a man! This is a female we're talking about!" Emerald said.
"Hmm, what weapon did she wield?" Cinder asked.
"A katana. Unlike any other katana I've seen before." Adam said.
Cinder pinched her chin for a moment before it finally hit her.
"This woman. Could you possibly be talking about Raven Branwen?" She asked.
"Who?" Alerio asked.
"Raven Branwen...Yes, I remember the child saying that name once he saw the woman." Adam said.
"Who?" Aleria asked.
"So Raven Branwen is here. This could be troubling." Cinder said.
"Who?" Emerald and Mercury asked.
"Let's go you two. I hope your recovery is smooth and successful." She said as she walked out of the warehouse.
Adam grunted and turned away from her.
Emerald and Mercury ran up to there boss, a few questions plaguing there minds.
"Who's this Raven chick?" Mercury asked.
"Raven Branwen is the twin sister of the famous Qrow Branwen." She said.
"You mean that drunk we fought in the forest?" He asked.
"Indeed." Cinder said.
"From what Adam said she had the same powers as Brandon." Emerald said.
"...Tell me, are you two familiar with the tale of the twelve enchanted weapons?" Cinder asked.
"Yeah?" Mercury said.
"Well, what if I were to tell you that the weapons were real?" She asked.
"...Wait, do you think Brandon is one of-?!" He began.
"Indeed. I had my doubts at fist. But now I can say with one hundred percent certainty that Brandon is one of the twelve enchanted weapon users." Cinder said.
"...Well damn." Mercury said.
"Yeah." Emerald said, equally as shocked as her partner.
"And from the looks of it, Raven Branwen just so happens to be one of those wielders as well." She said.
"Is that going to be a problem?" He asked.
"Dealing with the child wouldn't be so troubling to our plan. He is still only learning the basics of what his spirit is fully capable of. But Raven? That is someone I would like to avoid fighting at the moment. She has decades worth of experience with the spirits." Cinder said.
"What should we do?" Emerald asked.
"Hmm...for now, we stay the course. As long as she doesn't interfere with our plans than all should go fairly smoothly." She said.
"Wait, you said there were twelve, but you only mentioned two. Where are the other ten?" Mercury asked.
"Excellent question, Mercury. But to be honest, I don't even know if the weapons have wielders." Cinder said.
"So what you're saying is...we could possibly have twelve serious problems on our hands." He said.
Though before Cinder could respond, a sudden jolt went down her spine, stopping her in her tracks.
"Cinder?" Emerald called out.
"No. That isn't possible." She said, a cold sweat starting to form on her forehead.
"W-what's wrong?" She asked.
"Oh this isn't good, this is really not what I needed right now." Cinder said.
"Cinder?" Emerald called out.
"Yes?" She asked.
"What's wrong? What happened?" She asked.
"Well, you know that parasite I used to drain Amber of her power?" Cinder asked.
"Yeah, what about it?" Mercury asked.
"Well, before Qrow eventually stepped into stop the draining process, I quickly planted the bug inside of Amber so that it would not only keep her out of trouble, but it would also allow me to track it to it's exact location." She said.
"Okay, so what's the problem?" He asked.
"Well...it's gone now." She said.
.
.
"What?!" Emerald and Mercury asked.
(My POV)
The next day came pretty quickly, this was the day I was supposed to meet Summer for her little training exercise.
I'm not entirely sure what this training she has in mind will involve.
She must be pretty confident in this training if she thinks this will turn me into a so called "Force of Nature" in a week.
I was walking down the streets of Vale, my bag over my shoulder as I headed towards the walls that kept the Grimm out of the main city.
Neo had followed our agreement and stayed back at Beacon academy.
How do I know that she isn't just following me while using a disguise to hide from me?
Well, I may not be able to sense her or see through her disguise, I have Caliber to make sure Neo doesn't follow us.
He's fairly good at sensing the presence and aura's of others.
Fortunately for me, no one I knew seemed to be following me at the moment. Hopefully it stays that way until we can get to the checkpoint that leads to the other side of the walls.
Be pretty awkward of someone I knew saw me hanging around someone who looked identical to Ruby.
Yeah, I don't even want to think of THAT conversation.
You know, if the one person who found me just so happened to be Ruby, Yang, or Qrow.
I'm mainly worried about Qrow because clearly he and Summer have some sort of past together.
Whether it because they're lovers or something a little more deeper is beyond me.
Though if it's because they were lovers, then why did Qrow leave Ruby with Tai and Yang?
Qrow has to be the father in this situation because I seriously doubt Tai would be the kind of guy to have an affair with someone.
Then again the only scenes I did see of Tai were the one's at the end of volume three.
Though he seemed like a fairly nice guy to me.
From the looks of it him and Qrow have some sort of bad blood with each other.
Maybe it has something to do with Raven.
Speaking of which, that's another person I need to be careful around.
I know she won't try to kill me...at least for now. Hopefully it stays this way.
I'm mainly worried of what she'll try to do if she finds out that Summer is still alive.
From what I've gathered all of the members of team STRQ didn't exactly leave on good terms.
Summer...well died.
Tai got dumped twice by his own teammates and was left with the kids, more than likely having to pay full child support for two children.
Raven left to go join a murder gang.
Qrow...not really sure what he did but he must have done something.
Maybe I can narrow it down when I have my chat with Raven and Summer.
Now that I think about it, I've talked with Qrow, Summer, and Raven...to an extent but still, we talked.
All that's left is to talk to Tai and get his side of the story.
Though considering the one thing keeping me from talking to him is a giant pool of water, I'll probably have to wait a little while before I can actually do that.
I doubt his story will be any different when it comes to there time at Beacon, but when it comes to Raven herself, I'm sure he knows a great deal.
After a few more minutes of walking, the view of the checkpoint leading to the outside of Vale was now in my field of vision.
Now time for the most tricky part of this plan.
Convincing the guards to let me leave in the first place.
Ever since the breach the kingdom has been on lock down, no one comes in and no one comes out.
That was before the jail break, now the security is even tighter than before.
Hell, I've heard that huntsmen and huntresses aren't even allowed to leave to go on jobs outside of the kingdoms.
So convincing them to let a kid out of the kingdoms are gonna next to impossible.
Luckily for me, there's only one guard.
If he's a stupid one I can easily persuade him into letting me out.
I walked over the guard who was currently reading one of the Vale's local newspapers.
Who the hell uses newspapers anymore?
"Uh, excuse me." I said, causing the guard to put down the paper.
"Hmm? Oh, hey kid. What'd you want?" The guard asked.
"Just passing by." I said.
"Okay, well then how about you move on ahead. I'm a bit busy at the moment." He said.
"Busy? You're sitting in a chair doing nothing." I said.
"Welcome to the life of a security guard. Most of our time is spent doing jack shit." He said.
"Well I can't argue with that logic." I said.
"So is there a reason why you're still here, bugging me?" He asked.
"Uh...I wanna get past." I said as I pointed at the gate.
The guard looked at me, then looked at the gate, then back at me.
"...Yeah, give me ONE good reason why I should." He said.
"Well, I wonder how your boss would react if he knew you were sleeping on the job." I said.
"Okay, one, I'm not sleeping, I'm just not doing anything. Two, he already knows I sleep, why do you think we have that?" The guard asked as he pointed at a bed that was on the other side of the booth he was in.
"Jeez, I've heard the term of sleeping at work but this is just ridiculous." I said.
"Meh, I don't mind. Sleep is sleep, and I LOVE me some sleep." He said before turning his head towards me.
"So why don't you stop bothering me, and go bother someone else for a change?" He asked.
Tch, this is gonna be a lot harder than I thought.
Maybe I should use a more direct approa-.
Though my thought process was cut off as a figure appeared from behind the security guard and slammed his head against the desk, knocking him out.
.
.
"Uh." I began as I gazed at the unconscious man.
"Well, he was quite the rude one if I do say so myself." I heard Summer say from the other side of the booth.
"Could have done that sooner." I said.
"I could have, but I wanted to see how well you did in these types of situations." She said as she typed a code onto the console, causing the door to open.
"Glad to see you actually came." Summer said as she walked out of the booth.
"Kinda hard to refuse an offer like that." I said.
"Yeah, I guess so." She said, scratching the back of her head.
"So, where to?" I asked.
Summer walked out towards the other side of the wall and pointed at the same mountain she did last night.
"We're going to head to the top of that mountain. I'll tell you the rest as we make our way up." She said.
"What about him?" I asked.
"Oh he should be up in a few minutes, I didn't hit him that hard." Summer said.
I looked at the unconscious man before shrugging my shoulders and making my way towards Summer.
"Well, let's get going. They're bound to have noticed the unauthorized access to the doors by now." She said as she started to walk into the forest.
"Yeah, let's head out. There's a lot more I want to ask you." I said as I followed Summer into the forest.
"Well, I've got all the time in the world." Summer said.
.
.
"Grif!" A rough and gruff voice said.
.
.
"Grif!" He yelled once more, causing the newly named Grif to jolt awake.
"Bah! W-what?!" He asked.
"What the hell are you doing opening the doors?! We were given strict orders to keep these suckers under locks!" The voice said.
"H-huh?!" Grif asked as he stared at the newly opened doors.
"What in the hell were you thinking?!" He asked.
"N-no! They were closed when I last saw them I swear!" He said.
"No excuses! I want your ass back to base pronto! That's an order!" The voice said.
"Ugh, yes Sarge." Grif grumbled as he closed the doors and walked out of the booth.
"Tch, I don't see him yelling at Simmons like this." He said.
Aaaand that's a wrap.
Summer has temporarily taken me under her wing and we're currently heading to the top of the Mountain she had mentioned.
Turns out that the falling out of team STRQ is a lot more complicated than I originally expected.
Still, maybe I can piece together this elaborate puzzle.
Now all that's left to do is prepare for the big day.
Hopefully Roman and Neo can do something about Emerald and Mercury while I'm gone.
But that's a story for another time. Let's get to the reviews.
Review Responses
Something321: Nah, a reviews a review. Doesn't matter the length.
Fiction Fan 369: It's not that hard to keep secret. I mean all I've gotta do is keep my mouth shut about my world and I'm set.
Cinderfall201: Well the A.I was based off of the spider man A.I.
EzioIsPIRATE: Glad you think so.
xanothos: I'll go into specifics later.
rocketmce: Well, if you didn't see it coming, then I'm still good at surprising you guys.
CraazyReader:
1. I re wrote the Amber section. Being a cut scene would imply that this is a game of some sort.
2. That was for this chapter and the ones to follow.
CraazyReader: Some people like long fights, some people don't. It's a matter of taste in my opinion. I saw the fight between Adam and Raven as a long one because Raven didn't need to even try during most of it. She was just taunting Adam.
Million Arthur The Yuri King:
1. I agree.
2. I plan on changing that in this fic. Think like Rick Sanchez from Rick and Morty.
3...No comment.
4. Yeah.
5. Who?
6. Just a flesh wound.
7. I'm sorry?
8. Isn't that for men though?
9. Knock knock, open up the door its real!
10. Indeed.
11. You mean Kali? And what about her?
12. With what?
13. From what?
14. Indeed.
15. I make no promises.
16. So did everyone else.
17. Summer is 38. Brandon is eight teen...I can't even begin to describe how wrong that would be.
19. Maybe.
20. No.
21. Indeed.
22. Literally.
23. It got more like that scene after the recent rewrite I just did.
24. That's a good name.
25. The spirits.
26. Summer is British?...I like that idea.
27. I like tea.
Energy Dragon Slayer: I know, I'm terrible.
olTran: Glad you think so.
TheoMidnight: Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Donovan: Bite me.
fanficcyberman: That sounds like something Nora would do, not Brandon.
Shadoki: Maybe.
AmethystPone: It's not Excalibur.
AmethystPone:...Why would he realize that?
AmethystPone: Yeah, let me make a Naruto crossover like half of every fanfic writer on the planet.
AmethystPone: I know the difference between a Psychopath and a Sociopath.
AmethystPone: That's why it's not becoming canon in this story.
SMV Aria2: It's his way of reviewing the chapter.
Dinosaurchicken: Glad to hear.
AmethystPone: That seems to simple.
AmethystPone: It's part of his weakness. Once he actually discovered he could actually use the arm his cockiness skyrocketed through the roof, putting him in bad situations. It's for a writing purpose.
AmethystPone: Difference between catching and deflecting.
GOH426: Yeah, the tale of the various wars back on earth will be an eye opener for a lot of people in this fic.
luluvibritania: I died, I went into the void, I came back, I wound up in a world that isn't supposed to be real and met a character that was only mentioned of...every other Monday am I right?
AmethystPone: Later.
luluvibritania: Nope, no portals for him.
luluvibritania: Oh how wrong you are my good sir.
luluvibritania: I know lots of fics that do that with there Omakes.
luluvibritania: Yeah, it's not like there's a huntsmen that specifically does solo missions...certainly not one with the name of a bird.
luluvibritania: I realize that now, and it's been established that Brandon isn't exactly what you would call intelligent. Clever sure, but not really intelligent. I'm also just going by what the games do.
luluvibritania: Changes do eventually happen, they just take some time is all.
luluvibritania: Actually, taking Jaune out of JNPR would change the story. Pyrrha and Jaune wouldn't have that connection, Jaune wouldn't have his teacher, and he would never have learned how to stick up for himself.
Doing something as big as that just for the sake of laughs is bad story telling.
SPDefender: Believe me, sometimes this shit is hard.
Gabriel H. Sapphire: Interesting.
Guest: As a pairing or parent/child chapter. If pairing then abosultely not, if the other than yeah, I can do that.
Greatazuredragon: That's why I specifically referred to the WEST COAST.
Omake: Best friends forever (Non-canon)
"Guess Raven beat me to the punch." She said.
"Yeah." I said.
"So what did she say to you?" Summer asked.
"Well, she didn't really have a whole lot of time to say anything. She just said that we'd be talking again soon." I said.
"Sounds like her." She said.
"...What was she like?" I asked.
"Well, she was like a sister to me...in a way." Summer said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, she was very...skeptical towards some of my other friends." She said.
"How so?" I asked.
"Well..."
25 years ago.
Today was Summer's birthday, so to celebrate she had invited over a group of her friends.
"Today was my birthday party. It was so moving I cried!" Summer sang.
"I had a super happy good time, until most of my best friends died." She sang as Raven stood over the corpses of her friends, Masamune dripping with blood.
"So I ran into the bedroom where there was still some folks alive!"
"We had a pajama jammy pillow fight! But tragically no one survi-ee-ived." Summer sang as Raven stood over the corpses of Summers friends with a bloodied pillow in her hands
"Hey there Raven Branwen!"
"We're awesome together!"
"You know that I'm not lying!"
"Best friends forever!" Summer sang as Raven pressed her sword against her throat.
"But if you wouldn't mind, there's...One thing I'd like to request."
"It'd sure be great if you could please stop murdering all of my other friends." She sang as Raven stood over the corpses of Summers other friends.
"That's a dick move, bro. Dick move." Summer said.
"This morning at the dog park, I met a cool new bunch of guys!"
"Now we're hanging out together and everything...damn it, Raven!" She yelled as Raven killed all of Summers new friends.
"A few deaths I could look past, at three hundred I was concerned!" She sang as she looked through a list of Raven's kills.
"Fifty thousand murders later I'm starting to think you will never lea-a-earn." Summer sang as Raven killed her psychiatrist.
"Hey there Raven Branwen!"
"Just always remember!"
"Through the good times and the homicides, we're best friends forever!"
"I think that I can solve our problem!" She sang.
"Meet your new friend, Tai Yang!" Summer sang.
"I know you guys will get along great, except for the fact you just murdered him." Raven said as she stabbed Tai Yang.
"Really, Raven? During the chorus?" She asked as Raven drove over Tai's corpse.
"Heh. I can't stay mad at you." She said.
"Our rock jams! we'll reign supreme!" Summer sang!
"As long as you don't stab me, we'll be a legendary team!" She sang.
"And that's how Raven and I became best friends." Summer said.
.
.
"Wait, if Tai died then how did Yang come to be?" I asked.
"Some of the parts of that story might have been made up." She said.
Suddenly, Raven appeared behind Summer with her blade drawn.
"Raven, what are you doing? What is that?" She asked as she stared at Raven's sword.
"Is that a sword? Oh, it's a sword."
"I can tell by the way it's stabbing me." Summer said as Raven stabbed her through the chest.
"Sigh. Good talk buddy." She said as she died for the second time in her life.
Summer Rose
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 158 lbs
Age: 38
Strength: A
Speed: A
Endurance: B
Perception: B
Semblance: A
Semblance: Weapon Spirit.
Weapon Spirit: Agnus and Lupus
Appearance:
Agnus: She wears a white trench coat with a hood of some sort with a blue aura coming off from the bottom of the coat, various jewelry dawning the coat.
She wets long black dress jeans with boots of some sort, along with a pair of leather gloves.
Though the most noticeable part was her outfit was curved top hat she wore on her head, and a mask of some sort covering her face.
Lupus: Lupus wears a lot more armor than his sibling, his helmet looking like some sort of demon head, horns and everything.
He dawns demon like armor on his chest, arms, and his lower legs, the center of his chest glowing with a blood red aura.
He wears a pair of red loose clothed shorts with a belt wrapped around it, he also dawns some sort of sash around his waste.
Agnus
Destructive Power: C
Speed: B
Endurance: C
Precision: A
Potential Growth: A
Range: A
Lupus
Destructive Power: A
Speed: D
Endurance: A
Precision: D
Potential Growth: A
Range: D
Poll Progression
Silent Enchantment-(Neo/Brandon): 77
Enchanted Jewel-(Emerald/Brandon): 55
Scarlatina's Magic-(Velvet/Brandon): 41
Fashionable Enchantment-(Coco/Brandon) 22
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See you guys in the next update.
Have a good one!
