Somebody pointed out that the timeskip seemed a little unrealistic what with Sun and Blake being on a boat and Weiss and Whitley not talking until just then (which I agree with, that was simply a matter of setting things up) but the timeskip was also a canon thing. Don't ask me what the writers were thinking with that one. Last time I checked, the skip from volume three to four was about six to eight months. Unless they retconned that.
At any rate, please continue to leave reviews! Reviews like that help me know that I should do certain things differently or that something isn't understood!
"Qrow."
"Uh, yeah?"
"Are you really trying to tell me that Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy, gave you and your apparently psycho sister magical powers that he himself got from these Brothers, who aren't just some nutjob's attempt at religion, but are actually gods of good and evil? And not only that, but there's a crazy Grimm Queen who wants to end all of humanity?" Roman asked, hunched over. Neo was patting his back and Chew sat under him trying to comfort the distraught man.
"Uh, technically Gods of light and dark if what Oz said is true," Qrow replied. Roman raised his cane and shot another round into the forest, only to hear his cane click as he was out of ammo.
"You wasted the last shot about fifteen minutes ago," Glynda told. He groaned and lit a cigar instead. Off to the side, Jaune and Pyrrha had been taking turns putting out the fires he started when he shot his anger off to the side. The scorch marks was large and Jaune showed signs of visible distress. Roman took out a few cartridges and loaded them into his cane.
"The poor squirrels... They never stood a chance..." Jaune whimpered. His partner tried to console him but he was too far gone.
"What the hell was Ozpin thinking roping me into this! This isn't what I signed up for!" Roman complained.
"Hey! Ozpin has the best interests at heart! I've seen what he wants!" Qrow yelled.
"Oh and I'm sure you had a good view from your knees while you're sucking his dick!" the thief shot back.
"You two, enough!" Glynda shouted. She went unheard however.
"You can't be seriously expecting this to all work can you!? Ozpin. Is. DEAD!" Roman screamed, poking a finger into Qrow's chest. Qrow growled and shoved the thief away.
"I already told you he's out there!" Qrow shouted, "And we're going to find him!"
"There's no way in Hell I'm going anywhere with what you just told me!" Roman raged, "I'm not doing anything for a dead man!"
"Maybe you should give it a shot. After all, it'd be the first time you ever did something for someone else!" Qrow snarled.
That seemed to be the breaking point for the thief and, by the sound of it, Qrow's nose when Roman reared back and decked him in the face. Everyone winced at the cracking noise.
"Roman, enough!" Glynda called. But he was lost now, following his punch up with another. Qrow was ready this time though and ducked under it, tackling the crook and sending the two flying deeper into the woods.
"Children, we need to break those two up! Anymore fighting and they'll end up attracting—" Glynda was cut off as a low growl came from the bushes. She turned and shot a blast into the underbrush and several beowolves were sent flying.
"Grimm," she sighed. The students and ex-deputy all launched into combat against the encroaching beasts while the two men brawled in a clearing several meters away.
Roman swung his cane out, catching Qrow in the cheek and sending the drunk sprawling. Qrow jumped from the ground at the thief in a spear tackle and brought the two to the ground as Qrow pinned the thief down.
Qrow grunted as he lay into the thief, bringing his fists down in alternating strikes. He lifted both hands above his head and locked them together, bringing them down towards the thief's face. Roman threw his head to the side, causing the drunk to slam his hands into the rocky ground. He winced and gasped as Roman uppercutted him in the chin, sending him flying off of him and landing on his back.
Qrow wheezed as he was winded by the landing, Roman ran over to him and elbow dropped his stomach, winding him further and causing a little spit to fly from his mouth.
Roman held the man down with his left hand on his chest and struck him in the face with his right. Qrow grabbed his arm on the fourth punch and threw the thief off. As the two got back up, they finally brought out their weapons.
They dashed in and swung, cane and sword slamming together with a heavy metallic crash. Sparks flew as Roman turned his cane down and Qrow's sword skittered off Melodic Cudgel, causing the older reaper to lose his footing. Roman capitalized and swing his cane overhead, cracking the drunk on the top of the head. As Qrow groaned he jumped back, dodging another strike from the thief. His sword folded at the hilt and he took aim.
Roman sidestepped when Qrow shot at him, and danced away when he followed up with a slash. Harbinger sung as it swept past the thief's face. Roman tsked and kicked out, catching the drunk in the stomach and sending him sliding back.
Qrow shot a few more times and two of his shots landed, making Roman wince. Qrow swept his sword to the side and a tree was cut, falling down between the two of them. As Roman backed away from the tree Qrow jumped off of it and slashed down on the crook. Roman grunted as he swung his cane up just enough to keep the blade from touching him.
As the thief was put on the defense, he moved backwards. Roman took a breath and steeled himself as he pointed Melodic Cudgel directly down.
Before Qrow could jump back, the ground beneath them exploded and the two were sent flying apart.
They stood across from each other, panting and dirty from wrestling on the forest floor. An unfortunate Ursa wandered into the clearing and looked between them.
The poor thing didn't even get a chance to move before it was obliterated by the two.
As they lowered their weapons again, they sighed.
"Sorry about that. Seem to have lost my cool there," Roman said as he rolled his shoulder.
"Tell that to my nose," Qrow sniffed, wincing as he tapped the appendage. He stopped and rolled his neck.
Sudden shouting reminded the two that there were Grimm attacking and that it was their fault.
"Shit, Glyn is gonna be so mad," the thief groaned. He ducked as a beowolf flew overhead. Qrow swung out and cut the beast in half.
"Damn, I wish you knocked me out now," Qrow sighed, stepping to the side as Roman swung his cane around and swatted a small nevermore out of the air. The small bird had been going for the drunk's eyes.
"ROMAN! QROW! WHEN I FIND YOU I WILL KILL YOU BOTH!" Glynda screamed from beyond the trees. The two men looked at each other and shook hands.
They then both ran in opposite directions.
The game of survival had begun.
Weiss considered herself fortunate in that she was gifted with great self control. Fortunate for that, but not much else at the moment.
"... and it's incredibly important that you sing at the upcoming charity event. Just think of it! 'Student of Beacon; Weiss Schnee, who fought for the kingdom of Vale' assisting in the efforts for the school," Jaques Schnee had a way of making everything into a business venture.
"Father, why not just donate from our incredibly large wealth?" she asked. He sent her a scowl.
"Don't be silly, I don't want to spend my money. I'm much better for getting other people to spend theirs," he claimed with a wave of his hand. She sighed and rolled her eyes, but he ignored it.
"Now then, you will be performing at the event, and that is final," he said as he tented his fingers. She glared at him. Her signature Weiss glare.
"And what happened to my say?" she asked. He sent her the same look. She swore internally as she realized she got it from him. Now she'd have to stop glaring. Her! That was like, her favorite facial expression!
"You're 'say' went out the window with you when you left for Beacon," he said lowly. She held her tongue. She was far too used to Neo and Yang, since she was about to tell him to go fuck himself.
"If you want to earn back some of the privileges that I allowed you, then you will have to earn them," Jaques said as he poured himself a small glass of whiskey. He took a sip and his eyes widened, quickly slamming the cup back down and pinching his lips.
"Father?" she asked tentatively. He held up a hand and coughed for a spell. When he finally got ahold of himself, he adjusted his suit.
"Pardon me, it appears I forgot to put away the pine scented wood cleaner. While I go get assistance from a medical professional, you are not to leave," he said as he stood and stalked out the door, waiting for her to leave his study before he closed and locked it. Weiss stood in silence as he disappeared around the corner.
Why did he swallow if he realized it was wood cleaner?
"Did father just swallow wood cleaner again?" Whitley asked as he stepped towards her. She turned and sent him a look.
"Again?" she asked. He sighed and waved his hand in a circle.
"That's the sixth time this month. He spat it out the first two times and then started keeping it down the next four. I think he might have acquired a taste for it..." he explained, mumbling the last part. Weiss sighed deeply and held a hand to her face.
"What the fuck?" she asked. Whitley laughed.
"Quite," he answered. The two shared a brief laugh before departing towards the library together.
"So what shall we talk about today?" he asked, an excited gleam in his eyes. He'd refute as such if she brought it up but she could tell.
"That's up to you really. What would you like to hear about?" she asked. They had decided to meet for tea in the library to talk more. It seemed Whitley was more starved for attention than she first thought.
"Well I'm no expert in the huntsman field but I know you often work on teams," he began as they seated themselves on two plush armchairs, "so what was your team like?"
She hummed as she tried to think of how to describe her friends. She also took into consideration that she had work alongside teams JNPR and MMMN a lot as well.
"Well, I suppose I can start with my team leader," she stated. He tilted his head and waited.
"Her name is Ruby and she's... an interesting individual," Weiss said. He snorted and she smiled as well.
"Interesting is hardly a description but please, go on," he said. She laughed at his reply and continued. She told him about her skilled yet immature leader, her leaders boisterous and headstrong, yet caring and almost motherly sister, and their mysterious and sarcastic faunus member. She left out that Blake was part of the White Fang once upon a time. That wasn't a can of worms she wanted to open.
She went on to talk about team JNPR as well. Whitley seemed fairly amused when she told him about her first impression on Pyrrha. She weathered it with only a small blush. Finally she got to team MMMN.
"Team MMMN is..." insane? Incredibly corrupt? Morally and philosophically damaged?
"Intense," she said after a while. He raised an eyebrow and she continued, looking around to make sure nobody was listening.
"The most noteworthy thing about their team is that they're all technically registered felon's," she said quietly. He made a face and tilted his head to the side, confusion clear on his face.
"The twins are probably the least criminally active, but the most crass," she started, "Miltia and Melanie. The two of them make up for their overall lower skill with outstanding teamwork."
"Secret twin connection?" he said with a smirk. She smiled back and shrugged.
"With them? Who knows," she answered. She thought about how to describe the next member.
"Mercury is definitely the most... forthright about his criminal history," she stated.
"Proud?" Whitley questioned. She shook her head.
"Aloof more like it," she shot back, "he knows what he did and he's not afraid to talk about it. But he doesn't say it like it's an achievement, more like it's just a fact that he doesn't really mind saying."
Whitley shook his head. His sister seemed to have quite the diverse array of companions.
"And the last member?" he asked. Weiss smiled as she thought of the mute.
"Neo Politan," she stated. He laughed.
"Like the ice cream?" he asked.
"Exactly like the ice cream," she answered. He laughed again.
"Neo is perhaps one of the most baffling people I've ever met," she claimed, "and she's the daughter of Roman Torchwick."
"The spectacle thief from Vale?" he asked, confused about how a criminal's daughter made it into the school.
"Ah, I forgot about that," she coughed, "Roman Torchwick was actually one of our professors during our second semester."
Whitley looked well and truly confused now. Not that she could blame him. While Roman had proven himself to be an ally over time, she and many others had their speculations.
"Yes that normally earns a few looks," she laughed. He shrugged and crossed one leg over the other.
"Well it seems you've got quite the crew of friends now," he observed. She laughed lightly and looked into her cup of tea.
"Yes well, they have their moments," she said. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, both enjoying their tea and the warmth it brought.
"You don't plan on staying," he said suddenly. She looked to him, eyes wide. He was still smiling but his eyes were closed now.
"I..." she didn't want to leave him again but it wasn't like she could just bring her untrained, defenseless brother with her all around the world!
"Please sister, don't stress about it," he stated. She gave him a look and he opened his eyes, smile still present.
"There's clearly something important that needs your attention. After hearing about all your friends, I can't blame you for wanting to get to them again," he continued. Her heart went out to her brother. He'd never really had the chance to make friends, much like her until Beacon.
"But I refuse to leave you alone with father again," she claimed.
"Mother is here too," he returned.
"Hardly," she said with a small growl. He placated her with a raised hand.
"While mother is... occupied," he tried, she groaned at the weak defense, "she still comes around from time to time."
Weiss sighed. She really didn't want to leave Whitley with her father, and she knew that her mother would barely offer the boy the attention he needed. If it weren't for the fact that Winter despised the Schnee mansion (not that she could blame the woman) she would've asked her sister to keep an eye on the boy. She'd have to figure something out soon. She had no idea when her friends would arrive in Mistral and she had to meet them there as soon as possible.
"Sister, relax," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I've survived this long. I can go a little longer. Besides, you're not leaving forever, are you?"
She shook her head. No. She had too much to fix here. There was no way she was running away from her father forever. Somebody had to clean up his mess.
"No. I'll definitely be back," she stated.
"Then go when you can. Brothers know I'd take the chance if I had it," he mumbled. He stood and stretched, looking down at her in her seat.
"Just as long as you promise to come back," he asked. She stood and took a tentative step forward. When he didn't move away, she stepped forward and embraced the boy. He tensed for a moment, before relaxing and returning the gesture.
"Promise," she said. They broke and laughed. Weiss was thinking about how she'd get out of Atlas. For now though...
She was okay doing this.
"Ahhh! Land!" Sun sighed as he stepped off the boat. Other faunus stepped past him, a little girl hugging his leg and thanking him for saving the ship once again.
"Welcome to Menagerie," Ilia said as she strode up next to the blonde. They both looked along the shoreline at the bustling crowds of faunus.
"It's just as crowded as I remember," Blake said. Ilia sighed.
"It's actually more crowded now," she said softly. Blake hummed. That made sense. With increase White Fang activity more faunus felt compelled to return home or leave the kingdoms they weren't welcome in.
"It looks like a postcard," the young man observed. While obviously the city wasn't some resort spot, it was a fair observation. People in loose clothing, many in bathing suits, waterside bars and people playing in the ocean. It looked like something out of a commercial.
A guard was walking toward them. He didn't seem to be wearing an actual uniform, more like a regular citizen with a spear and a badge. Blake and Ilia tensed.
"You three," he called, "what business do you have in—"
He stopped and his mouth hung open when he got closer to them.
"M-Ms. Belladonna! Y-you've returned!" he cried, a look of disbelief on his face. She sighed and her ears folded back.
"Uh, hi," she said slowly. He scrambled around for a walkie talkie and yelled something along the lines of 'alert the chief' into it.
"Uh, you wanted here or something?" Sun asked, leaning between Ilia and Blake, a hand on each of their shoulders.
"No. Much worse," she groaned. The guard gave her a thumbs up and a huge smile before running back the way he came.
"Welcome home," Ilia mumbled, walking down the dock and into the town. Sun followed and Blake, not wanting to be left alone, caught up as well.
"So like, what do you do around here?" Sun asked, ducking and weaving through the crowds and allowing a group of playing children to pass by him. He couldn't help but notice the White Fang troops freely wandering around. Made sense since they started here.
"This isn't a vacation Sun, we're here to deal with the remainder of the Fang," Blake whispered to him. Ilia shot her an unamused look that said she'd heard her.
"I'm pretty sure the Fang can handle itself Blake," the chameleon faunus humphed, crossing her arms.
"Last time somebody claimed that we got Adam to lead a faction," Blake said back. Ilia winced and blushed a little, turning and stalking deeper into the crowds.
"Let her go. We have somewhere else to be," Blake said as she grabbed Sun and dragged him away from a fruit stand.
"Hey! I was in the middle of something!" he said. She reached into his pocket and pulled out a small apple. She placed it back on the stand and sent the owner an apologetic look.
"Uh, how'd that get there?" Sun tried. She growled and dragged him off towards the biggest house in Menagerie.
"Uh so where are we going?" he asked. She let go of him as they reached the steps leading up to the building.
"The chieftains house," she said, not looking him in the eyes. He looked up at the building. Menagerie didn't have large houses so this one definitely stood out. Likewise, it looked like the kind of place a chieftain would live.
"So is this chieftain like a tyrant or something?" he asked. She sent him a glare and he put his hands up.
"Easy there, no need to bite my head off," he said. She hissed at him and stomped up the stairs. He followed after and stopped at the large door.
"So do we knock or..." he waved his hands around. She sighed and took a few deep breaths. He noted that she looked like someone who was confronting a deep fear. She finally steeled herself and pressed the doorbell, a loud ring sounding from inside.
"It better not be the girl scouts again! Kali said I was one box of thin mints away from being fat!" a deep voice called from inside, slightly muffled behind the door.
Suddenly an absolutely mammoth of a man hauled the doors open and looked down on them. He had black hair, a full beard and a broader chest than am ursa. He wore a loose dark top with a lot of clavicle exposed and a tuft of chest hair sticking out.
"I told you to leave me alone! We can't be seen here or my wife will—" he froze as his yellow eyes found Blake. Sun tensed as he watched the two state each other down.
It was silent for a long time. Nobody said anything and Sun was starting to worry. He heard another person coming and turned. It was a woman, presumably the aforementioned Kali. She wore an ornate and quite frankly liberal dress. She had two cat ears atop her head and piercings through one of them. Her face showed only a few signs of aging.
"Ghira I swear to God if you're getting another box of thin mints I'll drop kick you into next week! The guards said that we had a very important visitor and we need to be ready to greet—" her eyes landed on Blake alongside the now named Ghira, "... them."
"Um. Hi... mom. Hi dad," Blake finally said, looking away as her ears flattened all the way down.
"Wait what?" Sun asked. He didn't get an answer when the man ran forward and threw his forearm out into the blondes chest, sending him flying into some bushes. He crushed Blake in a hug. Quite literally at that; several things that shouldn't make noises definitely made noises. Cracking noises.
"You're back! My baby is finally back!" Kali shouted, jumping into the embrace and smothering the younger girl into her bosom. Blake yelped as she was rushed between the two adults.
"Where have you been!? Adam went silent once he reached Vale and when we heard about the attack on Beacon we..." Ghira trailed off, and seemed angry at the thought of the fanatic man.
"I was at Beacon when Adam and the rest of the Fang unit there attacked. As a student," she said slowly. The two parents faces went through a variety of emotions before landing on what looked like a combination of sadness and relief.
"When and how did you get into Beacon?" Ghira asked. Kali gave her a look that said if she lied she'd be beaten.
"I'll explain inside. And Sun, stop sleeping in that bush and come introduce yourself!" Blake called towards the side of the stairs where the monkey faunus had been tossed aside.
"Hah?" he mumbled as he wobbled up the steps.
"Blake? Is this your... boyfriend?" Kali asked, eyeing the blonde up and down.
"No. He's a stowaway," she said, not looking at the boy when he made an offended face at her remark.
"Really? We're not even just friends?" he asked. She briefly shot him a sly smile which she hid just as quickly. He rolled his eyes and stood up straight before the two.
"I'm Sun, Sun Wukong! Nice to meet you!" he said as he stuck his hand out. Kali took it and shook it gently, a motherly smile on her face. He noted how soft her hands felt. When she let go he immediately missed that softness as a hand larger than his face gripped his shoulder.
Ghira leaned in as Sun stood frozen with a smile on his face and his hand outstretched. The larger man leaned in close to the blondes ear and growled.
"Have you done it?" he asked quietly. Sun slowly turned his head to meet the man's panther like glare.
"What?" he asked just as quietly.
"It?" Ghira ground out. Sun blushed a little and shook his head. Just like that ghira let go of the boy and gave him a pat on the back. It nearly sent the boy sprawling again.
"Then welcome to Menagerie!" he boomed, walking back to stand next to his wife. Sun looked to Blake who was checking her nails. He gestured to his surroundings with his arms and she gave him a raised eyebrow.
"Mm?" she said, going back to her nails. He sighed and his body drooped. Kali clapped her hands together and smile crossed over her face.
"Let's get inside and talk then! I'm sure Blake has a lot to tell us about!" she said. Ghira grunted and turned away, walking back into the large house. Blake pushed Sun forward a little to get him moving before following after. When they were inside, Kali shut the door.
"Now let's start with all the reasons I was right about Taurus being a failure!" Kali said with a smile. Sun noted that the smile was a lot less friendly. Next to him, Blake let out a whine.
That was her mom's 'don't fuck up' smile.
And Blake had definitely fucked up. A few times by this point.
"Reason number one; that awful choice in wardrobe! So much black! You're already gloomy enough sweetie, you need a man with color!" Kali lectured. Blake shrink in on herself and blushed. She really didn't want dating advice from her mom.
Sun laughed. It was kinda funny watching Blake deal with her parents!
"Like Sun here!" she said, waving an arm over him. Behind her, Ghira slid a finger across his neck.
Okay, less fun now.
"You can't be serious," Oscar said as he lay on a stack of hay bales. He'd arranged them to form a small makeshift bed. Currently he was draped across it, staring up at the ceiling and talking to a voice in his head.
Sounded about as bad as it was.
"Speak for yourself," Ozpin mumbled.
"Stop reading my thoughts!" Oscar whined. Ozpin made a huff of indignation.
"If I could I would. Believe me, after repeat nine I want nothing more than the power to stop others thoughts," the wizard said. Oscar continued to wonder what the hell 'repeat nine' was and why it had scarred the voice so.
Oscar had been thinking about all the things the voice had been telling him. Could he really leave home just like that? And if he did, was it really a good idea to meet another strange person that he'd never heard of? Some guy named Crow?
"First off, my name is Ozpin. Secondly, listening to me is to both of our benefits," Ozpin said. Oscar hummed.
"Ehh, I dunno. It seems very... not safe," he tried. Ozpin blew a raspberry at him.
"Nonsense, I've been doing this for a very long time," Ozpin assured.
"Okay but I haven't. What if I die?" Oscar asked.
"Don't worry about that, just listen to what I say and go to Haven Academy," Ozpin groaned. The repetition was beginning to wear him down.
"But—"
"Listen, what sounds better; an adventure around the world, stopping crime, seeing new places, and meeting new and unique people? Or dirt?" Ozpin finally snapped, letting loose his full sarcasm on the boy.
"Hey, it's... more than just dirt," Oscar argued weakly.
"My apologies. Dirt and manure," Ozpin said in a way that sounded like he was rolling his eyes.
Oscar fidgeted in place for a little. Could he really just abandon his home and parents and fight monsters and criminals all at the behest of a voice in his head?
He had a good thing going on here! He had... the horses. They were nice! And then there were the other farm animals that were also okay. And he had... the market he supposed.
"Too riveting."
"Okay I'll pack my bag," Oscar sighed.
Looks like it was time for an adventure.
"Explain to me again why I shouldn't throw you off the next cliff we find?" Glynda asked the two men. It hadn't been hard to find them after the Grimm had been dispersed. Qrow was trying to hide in another bird's nest, to which the larger momma bird had clawed him out. Roman had just tried running, but quickly found that Glynda had strong legs, like most natural predators, and was suited for chase and subduction.
"You love me?" Roman asked, a wince on his face. She hummed and tilted her head back and forth as though considering it. He let out an affronted scoff and she tsked.
"I suppose that's reason enough to at the very least keep you around," she agreed as he visibly relaxed as she turned her glare onto Qrow, "and you?"
"Uh... you love me too?" he tried. She snarled and he winced. Ouch, way to make a guy feel inadequate.
"At any rate, neither of you are getting out of this without some form of lesson. You're both grown ass men and need to act as such," she said, her disciplinarian nature showing itself. Meanwhile the kids all sat and watched, sitting on a nearby tree that had fallen in the fight. The fight between Roman and Qrow that is, if the clean cut was anything to go by.
"What are you gonna do? Tell us to 'do better in the future'? We already sorted it out... kinda," Qrow grumbled. Glynda raised an eyebrow and hummed.
"No. I will do no such thing," she stated simply. For a moment the two men thought they were off the hook.
A foolish thought, life told them as the woman stepped to the side and allowed Ruby, Yang, and Neo to stand before the two men.
"Oh please, what're they gonna do? Puppy dog eye me to death? I'm already blind from alcohol poisoning! Aha! I've already made the first move in this game of chess!" Qrow slurred. Roman just sighed and waved his hand in a 'get on with it' motion to the girls.
Yang and Ruby grabbed Qrow and dragged him away, already telling him how he shouldn't have instigated the fight and then engage back when the thief made a move.
Neo meanwhile stared at Roman. He rolled his eyes.
"Really Neo?" he asked. She huffed and crossed her arms. Chew looked up at her and sat down, sticking his nose up in the air away from the man. He scoffed.
"Getting it from the dog too huh?" he asked. She turned away a little more and he sighed.
"This doesn't work on me like it used to, you know," he quipped. She still did nothing and a small pout appeared on her face.
"You can give me the silent treatment all you want but I've grown immune to it," he claimed, crossing his own arms and tapping his foot. She remained still and blew a small amount of air out of her nose.
"Noooope! Not working on me!" Roman said loudly, sticking a finger in the air. Chew opened one eye to look at the girl, then closed it again and resumed his part of the silent treatment.
Roman stared at her and she remained where she was. She didn't once move or even acknowledge that he was talking. She'd always done that when he did something she didn't like, but he'd grown to endure!
He was stronger! He was more patient! And he wasn't falling for it like he always did!
"..."
"Okay, you listen here you little rugrat!" Roman began. As he went off into a rant, the others all watched in complete confusion.
"Are we serious right now?" Mercury asked, rubbing his eyes, then rubbing them again as he watched the thief go on.
"He can't... he can't really think this silence is any different from her normal silence, right?" Pyrrha asked. They continued to watch the thief as he started pacing and waving his arms around. He was practically talking to himself!
"Fascinating," Glynda mumbled, watching in awe, "to disarm him so easily with nothing but silence. Truly I need to try this."
"Okay okay I get it!" Qrow groaned as Ruby jumped on his back and repeatedly told him to grow up. He tossed her off and smacked Yang's hand away as she tried to tug on his ear again.
"I'm old! Jump on my back like that anymore and I might cave like drywall," he stated. The sisters high fived and they all turned to see Roman still yelling at a pouting Neo.
"... and another thing!" Roman shouted, pulling out a cigar and lighting it. Before he could continue, Neo finally looked his way and raised an eyebrow.
"Ugh," he groaned and hunched over. She blinked once. Then again.
"Fine! I'll be better in the future! Happy?" he whined. She immediately smiled and skipped over to him, giving him a tiny peck on the shoulder, about the only place she could reach without jumping.
"Ugh, love you too kiddo," he grumbled. As they wrapped up, the group began finally moving again.
"Um, what's the next stop?" Jaune asked. Ren took out a map and Nora tore it from his hands and scanned it.
"It says we're heading towards Oniyuri!" Nora said. Ren hummed.
"You know the place?" Miltia asked. Ren hummed again.
"Somewhat. My... parents talked about it once upon a time. From what they said it seems like this was Mistral's version of Mountain Glenn, or at least like my..." he trailed off. Nora swiped her hand past her neck in a 'don't say anything' motion. They nodded and dropped the subject.
As they came about the old gates Roman looked around and sniffed the air.
"Hm, place is a wreck like you said," he stated. Ren nodded and they all looked around the ruined village. They split up to see if there was anywhere they could stay.
"Okay kiddos! Don't get any splinters ya hear?" he told. They all gave him various forms of 'yeah whatever old man' and broke up. He and Glynda separated from Qrow and looked towards the other side of the village.
"It's quite a bleak reminded what world we live in," Glynda said quietly as she lifted an old wagon and moved it away from the door of what looked like somebody's home.
"And apparently there's even worse out there," Roman said in annoyance. She lay a hand on his arm.
"We'll find a way to stop whatever this Salem is planning. She is just another thing to add to the list," the blonde said. He chuckled and kissed her quickly.
"Way to make the supposed 'Queen of Grimm' sound like a chore," he chuckled. She laughed with him and they both forgot about the sad environment around them.
"NEO!" Ruby screamed from across the long main street. They both wasted no time dashing to the source and readying their weapons.
"I'm looking for a particular person! My queen demands his presence!" a voice sang, sounding twisted in nature.
"Get off of her!" Ruby snarled. It was strange hearing such vitriol from the normally sweet girl.
The two adults rounded the corner onto the main street and saw a lanky man in a long dark coat pinning Neo to the ground and looking Ruby right in the eyes. The position looked painful but he hardly looked like he cared.
Roman wasted no time in firing a flare into the man's side. As he flew off, Ruby dashed in and swept Neo away. When the were standing Neo brushed herself off and gave the three a thumbs up.
"Is everything okay over here!?" Jaune asked as he and the others all finally showed up. The strange man now stood in the center of all of them. Then he began to chuckle.
"You," he breathed, pointing a hand at Roman. The blades attached to his arms didn't go unnoticed by any of them.
They all dropped into a ready stance but the man seemed unconcerned. He took slow steps towards the thief and spread his arms out wide as he stalked his way.
"My queen has requested your presence! Please join me, and we will meet her in her castle!" he announced, waving his body and arms around theatrically.
"And just who is this 'queen' exactly?" Glynda asked. As the man's eyes landed on her his twisted smile disappeared and a snarl took its place.
"You! The Grand Defiler! You who stands in my queen's path towards true happiness!" he proclaimed, pointing at her and stabbing his finger her way with every syllable.
"The grand what?" she asked. Before she could move, the man pounced into action, tackling the blonde woman into an old storefront and collapsing the building.
"Oh goddamnit!" Roman said as he and the others ran towards the store. The pile of rubble suddenly burst as Glynda floated backwards, a line of debris following her. The man leapt from the pile and jumped along the floating pieces of building.
Seeing what he was going for, Glynda encased all the debris together and trapped the man in a dense but small sphere of the old collapsed shop.
It was in vain however as the sphere exploded and the figure of the man flew skywards, his coat flying off of him, before landing perfectly on the ground.
He dashed forward again and met opposition. Jaune and Pyrrha had run ahead, shields out and weapons poised to strike. But the man jumped and landed with a foot on each of their shields. He jumped again and landed behind them.
"What—" Jaune was cut off, as was Pyrrha when a tail lashed out from behind the man and slashed across both of their heels. They both screamed out at the unexpected strike and toppled.
"That's two," the man smiled a toothy smile. He dashed again and entered a dance of blades with the twins and Ren. He slashed to and fro, parrying strikes from the three of them and stabbing out with his tail. They deflected the extra limb each time but the man was unpredictable and would follow each block with a heavy strike. Ren crossed his guns together as the man lashed out and slammed his hands into the boys defense. He slid back and the twins jumped away.
The man cackled but was quickly shut up as Nora slammed down and a cloud of dirt and dust was kicked up.
Not a moment later, the girl was thrown from the cloud of dust, weapon still luckily in hand, but crashed into Ren and through the wall of a house. The two groaned and tried to get up, but the wall collapsed, trapping them inside.
"That's two more!" the man laughed, his long tight braid flailing about as his head shook.
"Who the hell are you!?" Mercury asked as he, the twins, and Yang all prepared to close in on the man. Glynda had lifted Jaune and Pyrrha and carried them away, not wanting them to get hurt any further.
"Ah! How rude! How shameful! How absolutely careless of me!" he said, aghast at the boys question.
"I am Tyrian Callows! And I am here to claim that man for my queen!" he shouted, his tail pointing towards Roman. He readied himself in case, watching the scorpion tail wave and prime itself, as though ready to stab.
"He's with Salem!" Qrow called out. They all tensed as they realized just what kind of power they were dealing with.
Neo and Ruby stood with Chew, who was growling and baring his teeth. This was the most aggressive he's ever looked, so they knew this guy was real bad news. Especially if he'd dispatched team JNPR so easily.
"Well we're not really in the mood to give him up!" Yang said as she finally dashed in, launching herself forward with a blast from her gauntlets. His knees bent, his body going horizontal in an I start as the blonde soared over him. He fell back and propped himself up on his tail as the other three close combatants descended on him. Standing on his tail, he spun around, blocking all of their attacks and jumping every now and then when they would strike low. Finally he flipped and landed on Mercury's shoulders. Startled by the sudden weight, the boy stumbled backwards.
As he fell, the man jumped up. When Mercury landed on his back, the man came back down and slammed his boots into the boys stomach. Mercury heaved as the ground below him cracked and caved a little. The man leapt off of him and wrapped his tail around Melanie's neck. Miltia stopped her advance as he held her sister in front of her. As Melanie's face began to turn blue and she grabbed the tail, the man spun twice and launched the girl into her sister, sending the two flying back and landing on Mercury.
"Ahahahahaha! I thought that your merry crew would be stronger than this!" he said. He pouted and Drew small circles in the dirt with his tail.
"I was really looking forward to a good fight..." he mumbled. He turned around and came face to face with a startling realization.
He'd forgotten about the blonde girl.
She'd reminded him of her presence when she uppercutted him square in the jaw, slamming his teeth together as her eyes glowed red. He flew up and grabbed the side of an old water tower, hauling himself on top of it.
"An amazing display!" he said as he clapped wildly. The red in Yang's eyes slowly faded and she looked very confused. In an instant the man threw his arms down and the bracers that held his blades shot a blast each, striking the bottom of the water tower. The structure fell quickly and Yang was about to run when she remembered the other three that were behind her.
Running their way, she hauled them all over her shoulder and threw them out of the way. Shortly after, the top of the water tower slammed into her and everything went black.
"Yang!" Ruby cried. She and Neo prepared to fight but Roman put his as up and stopped them both.
"We are not fighting this guy here," he said. After the day they had, him and Qrow already slightly drained from fighting each other and the rest of them tired from the horde of Grimm that attacked as a result, there was no way they could win. Especially after he'd taken care of so many of them already.
"He's right children," Glynda said as she finally returned, "we have wounded and we must not waste time fighting a losing fight."
"Are you gifting yourself to me then!? A smart choice!" Tyrian said as he bowed deeply. Before Roman could say otherwise, the faunus put his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp and loud whistle causing the remaining conscious fighters to cover their ears.. As the thief shook his head to rid the noise, a loud screech was heard.
"Oh shit," Roman sighed as he looked up. He and the other three plus one dog tried to dodge out of the way, but they were too late. The absolutely giant nevermore swept down and grabbed at the thief's general area. Unfortunately for the women and dog near him, they too were grabbed.
"RUBY!" Qrow shouted as the bird took off. Tyrian cackled as he watched the bird soar away. Qrow snarled and dashed towards him.
"BRING HIM TO OUR QUEEN MY AVIAN FRIEND!" he called. Too focused on the quickly departing bird was he to realize the mistake. It was one that would cost him.
"ARGH!" the scream tore from his throat as he fell forward. He scrambled up and saw Qrow, scythe out and stuck in the ground where he once stood. Beneath his blade lay the severed half of his tail.
"YOU CUNT!" he cried. His tail had been cut by almost half its length, more of it attached to him still, but not nearly the amount he wanted on him.
"Where are they being taken!?" Qrow shouted. Tyrian snarled at him and leapt away, over the wall of the village and into the trees. Qrow made to follow but a tug at his pant leg stopped him.
"Don't... chase him..." Jaune mumbled. He looked pale and Qrow swore as he saw that his girlfriend was pale too.
"Get the rest... and get moving!" he gasped out before finally succumbing to unconsciousness. Qrow swore and spat as he lifted the two and propped them up against a wall. He ran over to the collapsed building and found the other couple. They had luckily been awake, only stuck.
"You're teammates need help, fast! Get the others up and let's get moving!" Qrow said urgently. The two wasted no time in moving and getting the twins and the bruisers awake. Yang was still down for the count, but Mercury opted to carry her until she woke. They all scavenged around the village quickly, looking for and medicine they could use. When they found none, they made makeshift stretchers and hoisted the two onto them. The twins had Pyrrha, and Ren and Qrow had Jaune. Nora would be the only thing defending them if they got ambushed, so they had to hope Yang would wake up soon.
"Where'd the others go!?" Mercury asked. Qrow winced and gestured for them to start moving. As they hustled out of the town, he answered.
"Some giant nevermore came and snatched them up like bugs," he stated. Mercury swore and adjusted Yang on his back. He had the girl piggyback style and was keeping pace with them.
"We have to believe in them. If it's those four, they can escape. Trust them," Ren claimed. Qrow sighed deeply but nodded. He had to think positive right now. Roman was crafty, he'd get them all out of there.
Now to just figure out what Salem wanted with Roman...
"Oh Watts! Is there any word from Tyrian yet?" Salem cried out to the man. Watts coughed into his fist and shook his head as he bowed a little.
"Er, not yet my liege. I apologize," he said. She sighed and pulled out a framed photo of the man she'd been obsessing over. It was a photo that was clearly taken without the man's knowledge, as he was just getting out of the shower and it was obviously taken from outside his window if the reflection in the frame was to go by. What a brave little rabbit faunus that girl was to take such a picture.
"My queen? Perhaps you should forget about this man and focus on our original plans?" he tried. A spike pierced the wall next to his head.
"I'm immortal Watts! I can enact my plan whenever I want! But this? This is a once in his lifetime opportunity!" she claimed. He sighed and nodded, excusing himself from her throne room.
He was set to leave for Mistral soon to meet with Lionheart, but Salem had been rather... antsy as of late. As he closed the door to the throne room, he turned and saw Cinder, Emerald, and Hazel all looking at him expectantly.
"Well?" Cinder asked. He raised an eyebrow and she sighed.
"Is she still..." the scarred woman waved a sleeved arm in a circle next to her temple. He scoffed and nodded.
"That is... unfortunate," Hazel said. The scientist agreed. With Salem so focused on this, all of their collective reasons for joining her in the first place were at risk! If Salem just decided to wait until after this Roman fellow died, after a long life with her, that was, then there was no reason to have joined Salem's faction in the first place! Years of work we're slowly melting in front of all of them!
"Can't we just..." Emerald made a buzzing noise with her lips as she pantomimed rubbing something on her crotch. Watts choked.
"Are you suggesting we get her grace a vibrator!?" he spat. Emerald shrugged. Much to his dismay, Cinder had a hand on her chin and was nodding.
"No, no, she's right," she ignored how emeralds face lit up in joy, "maybe she just needs an outlet."
"It can't hurt to try," Hazel said. Watts wanted to argue, but the scientist in him silenced him.
Any experiment was worth a shot, right?
"Not it," he said as he placed a finger on the side of his nose. Hazel followed shortly after, and Cinder after him. Emerald caught on too slowly and by the time she'd realized it was too late.
"Son of a bitch," she grumbled. Watts walked in front of her and placed a card in her hands.
"Use that as freely as you'd like. Assets are of no concern to us," he said. She nodded and opened her scroll.
"And what am I looking for exactly?" she asked. They all shrugged.
"Anything," they said. She shrugged as well and simply typed 'adult toys' into the search bar.
Time to go shopping.
"Urgh, is everyone okay?" Roman asked as he hauled himself up. Behind him, the dissolving body of the large nevermore faded away. He helped Glynda up and looked around.
"Up here!" Ruby called from above. They looked up to see that the girls and Chew had landed on top of a small outcrop. Unfortunately, their landing had not been as smooth as he had hoped. Not exactly his fault.
Upon being swept away, Roman had taken initiative. It was better than being bird food, or being taken wherever that madman had wanted them to go. The crash was fresh in his mind. After all, it only happened about ten minutes ago.
/\-/\-/\
"Roman do not shoot or we will die!"
"It's the only way Glyn! When I see the mountain, I'm shooting!"
"AHHH! AT LEAST I WON'T DIE A VIRGIN!"
"WHAT!? NEO! I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T TAP IT YET!"
"Goddamnit Ruby!"
"Oh. Uh, eheh. Sorry Neo."
"Arf arf!"
"Brace for impact!"
BOOM!
"SCREEEEEEEE!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
\/-\/-\/
And thus, they ended up in this predicament, who knew how many miles away from the others.
Roman and Glynda decided that meeting the girls on higher ground would be more beneficial, and so they both made their way up the small cliff. As they pulled themselves over the ledge, they made sure Ruby, Neo, and Chew we're okay too.
"Nothing broken girls?" he asked. They shook their heads and Chew even barked happily. Figures he'd be having a good time.
"How are we gonna get back to the others?" Ruby asked. Roman looked out over the treeline. He couldn't even see the village they'd been in, let alone any other village around.
"What a stellar question Red," Roman answered. Glynda sighed and looked as well. Just in case, she checked her scroll. She swore quietly.
"Still no signal. Which means we're still nowhere near Mistral, and we can't get a read on where we are," the woman said. They all groaned and searched the area.
"There's a cave over here," Ruby said, pointing to a shallow cave against the mountain face. They all peered inside to make sure it was clear, before entering. The cave only went back about fifteen feet or so, about the size of a bedroom.
"This will do for now. We shouldn't travel as we are right now. We'll need to set out tomorrow," Glynda said.
"It's like camping!" Ruby said. Neo giggled and Roman rolled his eyes. Glynda coughed to get their attention.
"We'll need some materials to set up a cp then," she advised.
Neo and Ruby took Chew and went to find wood for a fire of some kind. Glynda stayed in the cave so that she could lift what was found up the cliffside. Roman went to find food.
Out of all of them, Roman had the hardest job. Finding food? Not the hard part.
"We are not eating this," Glynda said. In front of them was an adorable baby deer that Roman had stolen from its mother. It was still alive and was shaking as it backed away into the back of the cave.
"It's us or it, Glyn," he claimed. Neo covered her eyes and Ruby actually cried a little. Roman slowly approached the small animal.
"Okay, here... here we go," he gulped. He slowly raised his cane and pointed it at the fawn. Glynda turned away and Chew watched just as happily as ever.
"Aaaaaaaand, nope. Can't do it," he sighed. As he stepped aside the little thing dashed out the cave and down the side of the cliff.
"Well, I did see some colorful bushes below us. I think they may have been berries," she stated. He threw his hands in the air.
"Why didn't you say that before I kidnapped the deer!?" he asked. She shrugged and he slumped over, walking to the edge of the cliff and scaling back down to retrieve the berries.
He came back up using his coat as a makeshift basket to carry all the small fruits.
"How do we know if they're edible or not?" Ruby asked. Roman hummed before licking one up and tossing it just outside the cave. Shortly after, a small bird came and ate it. It looked for more but Chew ran forward and scared it away.
"It's safe. Bird wasn't afraid to eat it," he said. Neo sighed. That wasn't the concrete logic they were looking for but it would have to do for now.
"Anybody here have an extra map?" Roman asked. As Ruby and Neo started to panic when they realized they had no such thing, Glynda unfolded one from her breasts.
"It pays to keep things in your bra," she said with a small blush. Roman gave her a thumbs up and Neo and Ruby were in awe. They didn't expect the proper Glynda Goodwitch to keep things in her boobs!
"I'm sure you girls do the same," she claimed. They both blushed a little. Ruby pulled out a small charm that looked very similar to Zwei, Neo pulled out a small knife. They all looked at the girl and she put her hands up in a 'what?' motion.
"Didn't I tell you not to keep knives in your tits?" Roman asked. She blushed and slowly slid it back between her cleavage. They all laughed at that and Roman started the fire.
"That was quite fast," Glynda pointed out. Indeed, Roman had started the fire quickly, using just his lighter and some dry leaves.
"Oh yeah, I've been charged with tons of arson—" he stopped as she glared at him and he laughed nervously and coughed.
"I mean, I was in the boy scouts or something," he said. She sighed. This was the man she had feelings for.
"So we just follow the map? To where though?" Ruby asked. Roman hummed and looked over the landmarks.
"Well if this is the mountain nearest to that last village, then it looks like the closest village is... Kuroyuri," he stated. They all observed where it was. Closest was... a generous statement.
"Yes I suppose that is technically the closest village," Glynda sighed. The village of Kuroyuri was actually quite far away from them. In terms of proximity, though, none of the other villages were as near as that one.
"Okay then," Roman sighed as leaned back against the cave wall and tried to get comfortable, "next stop; Kuroyuri."
Well that settles that! Yes I took off more of Tyrian's tail, but in return, he took out Jaune and Pyrrha! Now they are the ones who are poisoned and Qrow is the one who is fine!
And also I separated the big group because let's be honest, what would threaten them if they were all together the whole time?
I actually had a pretty fun time with this chapter, and I would really appreciate your reviews on it! Favorites and follows also appreciated but hardly necessary.
Oh and my birthday is in a week, so happy early birthday to me! Nineteen and living the dream!
At any rate, please have a wonderful time!
And don't bite off more than you can chew!
Omake: Roman gives Ruby a stern talking to
"..."
"..."
"..."
"... Um, Roman?" Ruby asked.
Roman held a hand up and the girl went silent again.
"..."
"..."
"For the love of God Roman, you can't just—" Roman turned to Glynda and gave her a look. Never had she seen the seriousness that he was displaying right now. For the first time, he startled her into silence. She continued observing.
"So what was that you said back on the nevermore?" Roman finally asked after five minutes of peering into Ruby's soul. The girl stammered at his question.
"Um, I don't, uh—"
"Because it sounded like," he continued without letting her defend herself, "you said you had sex with my daughter."
"Um, I—" Ruby was blushing harder than she ever had before. Talking about how you and your girlfriend had hot lesbian sex with your girlfriend's dad was not something that Ruby ever saw herself doing.
"Who was on top Ruby." he stated. There was no question there, it was a demand for information. Alongside that, he'd never said her actual name before and she was pretty sure she went herself a little at the sheet intensity in his eyes.
Don't I get a say here? Neo's scroll asked. Roman shushed her and returned to the reaper.
"Answer me," he said.
"I-i-i-i-i—" Ruby stuttered hard and Neo felt genuinely bad for her girlfriend.
"You?" Roman drawled, same intense, serious look on his face.
"I-I w-was on b-bottom," she stammered, red and trying not to cry. Roman hummed and made a face, clearly trying to expell the image of his daughter having sex out of his mind.
"I see," he said as he closed his eyes. Ruby was ramrod straight, every muscle was tensed, and she was sure that if she made it out of this alive, she'd put a padlock on all of her underwear until Roman died and she was safe.
Unless he haunted her. Then she was screwed.
"You have five minutes," he said, turning and facing the wall of the cave. They all looked at one another, confused.
"F-five minutes for what?" she asked. He was still looking at the wall as he pulled out a cigar and started smoking it.
"Five minutes until I'm done smoking this and I come and beat your ass more red than that cape," he said calmly. That calmness was more terrifying than any rage she'd seen the man display.
"Wh-what!?" she asked. He hummed.
"If you were on top, it'd be thirty seconds, but I'm being generous since you weren't," he said, "also, you're closer to four minutes now."
"B-but that was only the first time—" Ruby quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Only... the first time," he said quietly.
Babe, please run, Neo's scroll toned.
From a distance, Mercury squinted at a faraway mountain.
"Huh, must be a forest fire or something," he commented as they all kept moving. From where he was, it looked like some cave was exploding fireworks or something.
But that'd be ridiculous.