A Changing World
Act 2
Chapter 3: An Ultimatum
A/N: I have a review to respond to before we get started here.
hirshja: "JFC, this is idiotic if you drag this out. Raven has clearly decided that she has an incentive to take Merlot out. The way that you've written her, she doesn't even need Qrow or Yang present to teleport to Merlot.
Even if you hadn't made her OP, she would still teleport to Yang and Qrow, because there's no way that hiccup wouldn't make the connection of where they were after Ozpin straight up said it."
A few things to cover here.
I added the aspect to Raven's semblance that she can portal to other dimensions, with the rule being that she must end up on land. Other than that, she has no control over where she ends up.
With her canon given semblance, and even the semblance I altered, she can travel to wherever someone who she knows well is.
She absolutely would need Yang or Qrow or Taiyang or even Hiccup to have found Merlot to reach him.
She doesn't know that Qrow and Yang are missing, and while she could easily travel to them and find out, she won't, because she doesn't care about either of them.
That wouldn't change if Hiccup figured out that they're with Merlot and told Raven.
Lastly, if the way my story is going bothers you, you are more than welcome to stop reading.
Rant over, here's the chapter.
…
Ruby was greeted by the sound of metal grinding against metal when she awoke on the bed in the room behind the forge room.
Getting up and standing in the doorway between both rooms, she saw a head of auburn bent over the table by the forge itself.
The head was focused intently on a rectangular piece of metal with a strange looking symbol engraved into it.
"Hiccup?" Ruby asked. The head snapped in her direction.
"Hey, Ruby." Hiccup greeted before a grimace formed on his features. "I woke you up, didn't I?"
"No, it's fine. What-hmm." She yawned mid-sentence. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just experimenting." He answered cryptically. "You should go back to bed, it's still a bit dark outside."
"You're hiding something," Ruby stated, her eyes narrowing. "What is it?"
"The only thing I'm hiding right now would be these runes. And, oh look! I told you about them, so I'm not hiding anything now." Hiccup emphasized his point by showing Ruby the page the book was open at.
"Giant Runic Alphabet." Ruby read the title aloud, seeing a collection of confusing looking symbols below it.
On the right was a symbol that matched the one Hiccup had engraved into the metal. Underneath that symbol was a word in another language and the word fire in brackets below that.
"What is all this Hiccup?" Ruby asked.
"That's what I'm trying to find out, Ruby." Hiccup replied, dryly before his tone changed to inquisitive with his next words. "Want to help me engrave more metal?"
"No," Ruby said flatly, shaking her head.
Before Hiccup could respond, his scroll started to vibrate in his pocket with an incoming call. Confusion marred his face as he withdrew it.
"Hello? Ren? Yes, I'm back. Though, I'm wondering why you're calling me this early, or at all. We don't talk much."
"…Right. I'll be right there."
"What? What is it?" Ruby asked, concerned for her friend.
Hiccup didn't say anything to her, however. Hanging up on Ren, he dialled another number. "Astrid, are you awake?" Getting an answer, he winced before turning to leave. "Sorry about waking you up Milady, but you should get Toothless and Stormfly ready. We need to go. I'll explain on the way to Mistral."
Then he was gone, leaving Ruby behind who stared at the open door, his footsteps gradually quieting. "What on Remnant is going on with him?"
Getting out her scroll, she manually dialled a number. "Ren, I want to know what is going on and you're going to tell me," Ruby said, forgoing greeting him when the call connected.
…
Eight hours, one dragon flight and a stroll into the town of Mistral later, Hiccup, Astrid, Ren and Nora entered the police station.
"We're wondering if anyone has found any news on our missing friend," Ren said to the woman working at the reception.
"What is your friend's name?" The woman muttered, sounding disinterested.
"Jaune Arc. He's our fearless team leader!" Nora eagerly interjected, shoving Ren aside.
"Nora!" Ren grumbled, before sighing as she mouthed a quick apology at him.
The receptionist looked and sounded significantly more interested now. "So you're training to be huntsmen and huntresses? That explains all the fuss. Unfortunately, we haven't got the resources to search for your friend."
The receptionist gave an apologetic smile as Jaune's teammates deflated. "Perhaps the Branwen tribe may have taken your friend. They have been known to do so in the past." She continued.
Nora's energy and eagerness were back. "You're right! He might be there! Come on Ren!" She grabbed her partner's arm and ran out of the station.
Hiccup and Astrid shared a look before proceeding to hastily catch up with the pair.
"Wait a minute Nora!" They called after the ginger-haired girl, which thankfully drew her to a halt, to their (and Ren's) relief.
"There's something we need to tell you about the Branwen tribe." Hiccup said.
"What is it?" Nora asked.
"We're… members of the Branwen tribe." Hiccup said, not looking forward to their reaction to the news.
…
The Bullhead painted white with the snowflake emblem painted atop at the left rear side of the aircraft, titled forward the slightest amount as it came into land.
Then the engines on the wings slid into their horizontal position, concealing the design while landing gear deployed before the vehicle made contact with the concrete landing pad at the school.
The door before Blake Belladonna slid open and a small staircase unfolded automatically.
Then the faunus girl cast her gaze on the single person in the welcoming party. "You said you spoke to Ren when you told me to meet you here. What did he tell you?"
Ruby sounded solemn when she spoke. "Jaune is missing."
Blake hadn't expected that answer. "Missing?!" She exclaimed.
Ruby nodded. "My sister and uncle too, though my dad doesn't know that I know about that."
"Alright, I'm going to call Weiss about it. Maybe she can help find them. Have you told your dad about it?"
Ruby stared flatly at Blake. "Ozpin then?"
"He probably already knows." Then Ruby's expression brightened. "Hiccup, Astrid and Gobber came back a few days ago."
"That's good news. I'll tell Weiss about that as well."
"I hope this means you'll talk to Yang when we find her. I want team RWBY back together."
"Ruby I ca-" Blake began
"I don't want to hear it, Blake. I gave you an order as team leader." Ruby said shortly, stamping a foot.
"You know we have chocolate chip cookies in the bullhead," Blake added.
Ruby shook her head with a sigh. "Blake, I like chocolate chip cookies but I'm not stupid. You're trying to change the subject. Do you think Yang hasn't tried to do the same thing before? Call Weiss." With that, the leader of team RWBY turned and left, passing Cardin as she headed back to Beacon.
"Did something happen between you two?" Cardin asked Blake.
"I have a call to make. The bullhead is all yours though." Blake said, avoiding his questioning gaze as she brought out her scroll.
Cardin simply shrugged in response and entered the bullhead.
…
"So Jaune, Yang and her uncle are all missing?" Weiss asked.
"Yes," Blake confirmed. "What are you going to do?"
"I am going to speak with General Mondschein," Weiss replied.
"The head of the Atlas Military? Didn't he make an appointment to see you about something?"
The shuffling of paper was heard down the line. "He did. He's due here in an hour."
"That doesn't exactly answer my earlier question, Weiss," Blake replied.
"You'll find out later, Blake. Is Cardin on his way now?"
The Bullhead behind her rose into the air at that moment and the din of its engines became deafening. "You telling me you can't hear that?!" Blake yelled, trying to be heard over the noise.
"Point taken. Have fun in Vale."
"Thanks, Weiss!" Blake replied, still shouting before she ended the call.
…
"You want more light Dust - the rarest Dust in all of Remnant - to resupply the weapons and power the shield for a single mech," Weiss stated, blinking in disbelief at the General who was in a chair sitting in front of her desk in her office at the SDC's headquarters.
General Mondschein nodded. "Its weapons were depleted while defending the town of Argus from a Leviathan class Grimm and a swarm of nevermores and griffons that accompanied it."
"That won't be cheap," Weiss responded curtly.
"The military is prepared to pay whatever is required."
"I wasn't just talking about lien. I have heard that Mistral has the least amount of Huntsmen and Huntresses in its History. So much so that some friends and relatives of a friend have gone missing. I would like some of your soldiers to travel there and help out."
"Are these missing people Atlesaian citizens?" The General asked, folding his arms.
"No," Weiss admitted, after a pause.
"Then it is out of the question." He got to his feet, turning to leave before Weiss' next words stopped him.
"Even if I were to cut off all Dust to be delivered to the Atlas Military? Very well."
He turned to face her again as the threat, not one he could risk, even if it were a bluff.
If it wasn't a bluff, he would be out of a job, or in trouble at least and both knew it.
"Let's talk details." He grumbled.
The smirk that formed on Weiss's face at his words was blinding.
…
Hiccup had his axe-pistols aimed at Nora, who had her hammer ready to swing at Astrid's stomach, who had her axe pointed at Ren who had his full-auto bladed pistols aimed at Hiccup.
"Explain," Ren said. "Now."
"Raven was my only way home. I work for her, but I am planning to help two members of her tribe leave for revenge."
"Revenge for what?" Ren pressed.
"Glynda Goodwitch. She killed her, in case you don't remember."
"So where is Jaune?"
"I don't know. Until you called me, I had no idea he was missing." Hiccup replied. "I came here as quickly as I could. I even brought my fiancé to find him, who can attest to having been woken up by my call."
"Fiancé?" Ren asked, his expression and tone quizzical.
"Astrid, whom your friend is currently about to hurt. You should know that if Nora does hurt her, I won't stop until she goes down, hammer or not. I've killed someone for that very reason before." Hiccup's warning was crystal clear.
Ren glanced at Astrid's middle and realisation dawned on his face. "Nora, stand down. He's telling the truth." Ren ordered.
"Prove it. Take us wherever the Branwen tribe is camped." Nora said, her eyes narrowed and tone not allowing any argument, though she did remove her hammer away from Astrid's mid-section.
"And then what? If Jaune was there as a prisoner, do you think Raven Branwen would let you just leave with him?"
"I wouldn't be asking," Nora replied, hefting her hammer for emphasis.
"She would kill you, Nora. She killed both Adam and Glynda. Could you have beaten either in a one on one fight?"
Nora opened her mouth to reply. "That was a rhetorical question. Now, have either of you got a plan to find Jaune that isn't suicidal and will get us closer to finding him?"
"No," Ren reluctantly admitted. "We haven't even told everyone that he's missing. His parents, the police, and the headmaster of Haven know though."
"Didn't you tell Ruby as well?" Nora asked.
"I did." Ren confirmed, nodding.
"So what are we all going to do now?" Astrid queried.
As if in answer, Ren's scroll vibrated as it received a message.
"Ruby has informed me that Jaune has been missing for a few weeks, according to you Ren. Rest assured that I have negotiated with General Mondschein and he is willing to send men to search for Jaune. They should be in Mistral by the day after tomorrow your time.
P.S. I hope you, Nora and Jaune decide not to go quiet again." Ren finished reading the message he had received before staring blankly at his scroll for a few seconds.
"When I told Ruby that Jaune was missing, I didn't think Weiss would get involved, much less the Atlas Military."
"Be happy she's on our side, Ren." Nora giggled.
"Oh, I am. But I am wondering how she did it."
"Me too." Hiccup and Astrid replied in unison.
"So since you both are part of the Branwen Tribe, I'm curious how you handle knowing about Shion," Ren said, his voice gaining an edge.
"Shion?" Hiccup asked.
"What is that?" Astrid added.
"You don't know? That's a relief." Ren responded.
The pair shared a look. "Why is that a relief?" Both asked.
It was now Ren and Nora's turn to look at each other. "Come with us." Nora then said.
…
"Shion Village destroyed, Branwen tribe to blame." Hiccup read the title of a past news article that was currently being displayed on Nora's scroll.
Then Nora proceeded to scroll down, letting pictures that displayed the aftermath of the attack come into view.
Blackened houses, smashed glass, bullet holes, corpses littering the street. All in all, not a pretty sight.
…
"So when is the deadline for all of these?" Asked Hiccup, staring at the large pile of guns that needed to be cleaned.
"By next week. Preferably sooner than that." Said Raven
"One would think a bandit tribe would have people who know how to clean their guns on their own."
"Oh, they all do. But they've chosen to celebrate tonight. They're all preparing for a party."
"Celebrating what exactly?"
"One would think you would know what a bandit tribe usually does and what they would celebrate." Said Raven, throwing some of his words back at him.
Hiccup sighed. "I do know what bandits usually do, but I was hoping it was something else. I'll get started on these now."
"That's what I like to hear." She left the forge tent and Hiccup reached for a wire brush and the first gun on the pile before he started cleaning it, focusing on the barrel most of all, making sure to do so thoroughly.
…
"I know when this happened. I- oh Thor. I helped her clean their guns afterwards." Hiccup groaned before his hands suddenly burst into flame.
"Do you both have a place to stay?" He asked them.
They both nodded. "Good. Text me where we can meet up to help you look for Jaune some more. Right now though, I have someone to find." Hiccup then set off.
Ren, Nora and Astrid watched him go, the former with some concern. "Is he okay?"
Astrid sighed. "He will be after he calms down a little bit. I pity whoever he decides to go fight. But, knowing Hiccup, they'll have done something to deserve it."
…
Roman held up a cigar in one hand and brought out his lighter in the other. His cane was hooked onto his left arm at the elbow while he stood in the middle of the camp.
"Roman, are either Neo or Raven around?" A voice behind him asked.
Turning, Roman found Hiccup standing there.
"Raven is, but I haven't seen Neo lately." He replied.
"Good."
Roman barely had the time to contemplate Hiccup's word choice before the Viking's flaming left fist acquainted itself with his chest.
"There won't be anyone around to help you escape me." Hiccup said.
Following up, he dealt an uppercut to Roman's chin with the same flaming fist that had the man stumbling back a couple of steps, his cigar and lighter falling from his grasp.
"What are you doing?!" Roman shouted. At least, that was his intention. It instead came out as a wheeze, his lungs not yet filled with air.
"Two words Roman: Shion Village," Hiccup responded.
"Ah. Right. Well, there is one thing I need to do." Roman moved his cane into a proper grip.
Before he could make a move however, three beams of golden light hit his aura from behind.
The man cried out in pain as a voice rang out.
"Neither of you make another move," Vernal ordered, approaching while holding the most inconveniencing weapon Hiccup had ever seen in his life.
However the only open section of the circular weapon exposed a gun barrel which happened to be glowing red hot, so he was glad Roman had experienced it and not him.
Hiccup snuffed out his flaming hands just as Vernal stopped walking. "Raven's tent. Now." She barked, her tone firm.
Hiccup immediately complied, brushing past both people and heading in the tent's direction.
…
"Junior, any news about Merlot?" Raven asked after emerging from her portal.
"Nothing so far, but one of my men claimed he saw a group of faunus arrive in town as four and leave with three; he thinks they may have brought a hostage somewhere."
"And?" Raven pressed.
"And there was some lady who came in here yesterday, claiming her son was missing. His name was Jaune Arc."
"So at least one person missing recently." Raven noted. "I guess Merlot could be capturing them."
She turned away and swiped another portal to life. "I'll be making enquiries. If I don't come back, you can stop searching for Merlot as I'll have found him." Then she was gone.
Elsewhere, she emerged, finding herself in a room with Yang and Qrow both present and restrained.
She looked at the room and both of its occupants. "Huh, wasn't expecting this. How does it feel little brother?" She asked, smirking at Qrow.
Before he or Yang could respond, the door opened. "Who are you?" Merlot demanded before suddenly finding Raven's sword against his neck.
"Someone who owns you now. Let's talk Merlot." Raven suggested sweetly.
…
Some time passed by with both he and Roman waiting inside the tent. Finally, the tent flap opened and Raven and Vernal entered.
"We need to talk about some things," Raven said. "Let's start with something simple. Why were you both fighting?"
"Shion Village. Heard about what happened. Got angry. Took it out on him. Next question."
"When were you going to tell me that Yang and Qrow are missing?"
Hiccup quirked an eyebrow. "You care about them?"
"No, but you haven't noticed how close those two things happened? We get Grimm with Aura and both my brother and daughter go missing at around the same time."
"If you think Merlot is the reason they're missing, why haven't you gone there already?" Hiccup wondered.
"Oh, I did. He promised not to send more Grimm here, not that he had a say in the matter, being at swordpoint and all. As for Yang and Qrow, I have an ultimatum for you."
Hiccup stared at her. "What is it?"
"Find Merlot and rescue them however you wish. Just know that I won't help you in any way. That means no portals and more work in the forge tent. Do you accept?"
"I accept. So what happens now?"
"Both you and Roman get out of my tent. I don't want to hear about any more fighting between you two or anyone in my tribe. We can certainly do without the Grimm coming here."
After both left the tent, Roman finally spoke. "You owe me big time for what you did. Watch your back kid." He then walked away before Hiccup could respond.
…