Just as a forward, I would like to make it clear that neither the God of Light nor the God of Dark exists in this version of RWBY. That being said, there are entities similar to them in some respects, though they will be discussed later.
Ranjira1988: Thanks for the compliment, hope you continue to enjoy.
Also, Sorry.
Anima…
"So any questions?" Qrow winced.
"I mean, it's difficult to wrap my head around, but it does make sense," Ruby replied.
Ren shook his head, "Pyrrha told us everything about them before we left. Some of the stuff you said did surprise us, but we mostly heard it already."
"So you completely understand everything regarding the Maidens," Qrow chuckled, though it was pained, "Faster than I got it, anyway."
The group of six continued to sit around the fire, contemplating what they had just heard, before Ruby piped up, "So… What do you know about me?"
"A lot," Qrow replied.
"That's not what she meant, Mr. Branwen," Pyrrha said.
"So what do you want to know?"
"Why's Ruby so special?" Nora inquired.
Qrow sighed, "You know how you and your mom have silver eyes? You know how I said that was special and unique?" Ruby nodded, "Well, that basically means you're one of the most powerful beings currently alive on this planet."
"But… I thought the maidens were…"
"They are powerful, Pyrrha," Qrow replied, "But people with silver eyes are something entirely different, on a whole other level of power. There are a lot of legends about them, fighting armies, ripping apart mountains with their bare hands. And a lot of people don't like that another one exists."
"Which means that there are at least three of us," Ruby said, "Me, mom and Gabriel."
"Correct," Qrow replied, "And if they could take out you, they'd only have to deal with two."
"But… what could possibly threaten a person capable of ripping apart mountains," Ren asked, "And why can't Ruby?"
"Second question first and honestly, I don't know," Qrow replied, "Might have something to do with experience, maybe it has to do with emotional state. I don't really know."
Qrow coughed, "And for the first question. Salem."
"What do you mean?" Nora and Pyrrha simultaneously asked, "Who's Salem?"
"Supposedly, she's the mother of the Grimm, according to Ozpin," Qrow replied, "She's been around as long as they have been, trying to destroy humanity."
"And I'm assuming people like Ruby have been the ones stopping her," Jaune surmised, to which Qrow nodded.
"Yeah, and according to legend, they sorted themselves into five families," Qrow explained, "Each one laying the foundations of what we know as the four kingdoms today. Two, no-one's really been able to uncover anything about them. The other three only have a little information on each, but they are all known to have existed. The information we do have is kept tightly under wraps."
"So what is the information?" Ruby queried.
"Well, Vale's groundwork was laid by a family of Silver-eyed warriors named the Voss family (Voss means Fox in German). Most of the ruins can be found in either Forever Falls or really deep in the Emerald Forest. Other than that, they were destroyed and built over. Most legends depict them as explorers and diplomats, one of the few families to actively interact with the others. In Vacuo, there was a nomadic family which I cannot remember the name of, who somehow found a way to actually rip off Grimm masks and made them into armour. Some people reportedly found tombs upwards of five thousand years old that were littered with Grimm masks."
"And the last one?" Pyrrha asked though it was obvious what the answer was.
"The Rose family," Qrow replied, "Most legends of silver eyed warriors are about your ancestors, Ruby. Some legends even go as far as to pin it as the progenitor of the four other families."
"So what did they help build?" Ren said.
"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure," Qrow replied, "Most stories just describe them as these warriors who constantly fought against the Grimm. They apparently dedicated their entire lives to fighting them."
"So like huntsmen?" Ruby asked.
Qrow shrugged, "Sort of? It's… the legends are weird. Some are inconsistent, some contradict each other, some just don't make any sense. And when I said they fought off armies, I mean it. For whatever reason, the Grimm seem to have a particular vendetta against your family."
"How particular of a vendetta?" Jaune questioned.
"So much so that they used to go out of their way to find and kill them, over just about anyone else," Qrow explained, "According to legend, the families used to have dozens of members. And now, it's just you, Gabriel and your mom, as far as I know. And if they're still around, your grandparents."
"But… well, that's all I got Kiddo," Qrow said with a shrug. The group of six continued to sit around the campfire in silence, Team JNPR eventually set up the tents the group had, falling quickly to sleep. Which left only Qrow and Ruby around the fire.
"So… was all that stuff you said true?" Ruby questioned, "All that stuff about me? About my eyes?"
"Every bit of it, Ruby," Qrow coughed a bit, "If the legends are even a bit true, atleast."
"And how true do you think the legends are?"
"... Honestly, I really don't know," Qrow replied, "Legends come from somewhere, but they aren't always exact representations of what actually happened."
Ruby sighed as she moved over next to Qrow, leaning her head on the huntsman's shoulder, "Do you think mom is proud?"
"Very," Qrow nodded, "Tai is. I know I am."
Ruby smiled softly, "When you were back at Beacon, what was mom like?"
"She was a good person, a bit stubborn and bratty sometimes, but she was a good person," Qrow sighed, "She always wanted to be like her parents, like a hero from a fairytale. She was sorta like you in that way."
"Did she ever tell you about her parents?" Ruby asked, intrigued. She had never actually gotten to meet either her grand-father or grand-mother, so hearing about them would be nice.
"Yeah, not too much. I only ever got to meet her mom, Mariam," Qrow said, "Cool lady. Took us out on a few missions in our first year."
"What about grandpa?"
"He was always busy," Qrow explained, "He was a huntsman, and a damn good one to."
"Oh," Ruby muttered, slightly disappointed, "Well, what was grandma like?"
"She was… again, sort of like your mother. Kind, caring, the like, though she was a bit playful," Qrow reminisced, "That being said, you wouldn't have wanted to get her pissed. She was a damn good shot with that bow of hers."
"So why didn't they ever visit? Even if grandpa couldn't, she could, right?"
The black reaper's face darkened, "I don't think so. Not extensively, at least. Early in fourth year, Summer got a letter from them telling her she couldn't come home because it was too dangerous. It broke her heart."
"Oh…" Ruby sighed, "Do you think they're still out there?"
"Like I said, kiddo, maybe," Qrow replied. The two sat together for a while, before Qrow patted her on the shoulder and motioned towards the tent, "Alright kid, it's time we get to sleep. We've got some big days ahead of us."
As Ruby went back to the tent to sleep, Qrow took his hand off of his abdomen, revealing the hideously purple wound to the world. His hand was stained with a similar, deep shade of purple miasma.
"Fuck me…" Was all he could murmur before he fell into a semi-conscious slumber.
Fort Rift… A day later…
Summer stood in the Command deck of the Avenger, looking over the holographic display projected by the center terminal. Almost as soon as the majority of the first wave of soldiers came through, she had assigned them all tasks, a quarter were on guard, a quarter scouting the first few dozen kilometers from the base while the last half, plus all the SPARK focused on construction of the base. Bradford had taken to command the guarding troops along with some other high ranking members of XCom, whereas Shen had elected to aid in the construction of the base's defences. Which ranged from artillery implements to the main walls.
Unfortunately, that meant she had to micromanage the entirety of the scouting parties.
"Commander, a call from one of the scouting parties," an automated, and totally not AI, voice spoke, "Rogue Squad, to be exact."
(AN: Think of Failsafe from Destiny, but the cheery personality, not the Emo one.)
"Put it through."
"Commander, Grimm nest reported one click to the west, Engage?" A male soldier's voice spoke over comms.
"How big, Rogue Leader?" She said, shifting the table to the scanned area, revealing the area where the squad of a dozen or so soldiers.
"From what I can see, Commander, around four dozen tangos, mostly ground-based," the man replied.
"You said mostly, what are the flyers?"
"Two big bird-like things and ten or so gryphon looking fuckers."
"So two Nevermores and ten Griffons, alright," Summer mused, "Ground?"
"Half of them are the wolves, third are the bears, and the rest are the scorpions," the soldier replied, "And… wait, one of the elephants."
"So eighteen Beowolves, twelve Ursa, six Deathstalkers and a Goliath…" Summer said, holding her chin, "Have they seen you?"
"Not yet, Commander," the man stated, "Our Templar friend here has managed to mask us from 'em while we're moving up on them."
"Heavy ordnance?"
"Yeah, we have some. Two Blaster launchers and two Minigunners."
"How far out are you?"
"Four hundred meters out right now, Commander."
"Then you are clear to engage," Summer responded, "Deal with the flyers first, preferably the Nevermores-"
"The birds?"
"Yes, the birds," Summer facepalmed, "Then take care of the Goliath. Those are your biggest threats. And remember, be careful."
"Understood, Commander."
Summer closed the line, shifting her attention to a small settlement where another two squadrons of a dozen each had previously helped in fending off a Grimm attack, "Banshee Leader, report."
"The Grimm attack is off, Commander," the female squad leader reported, "Locals are asking us if we're from Atlas, what should we tell 'em?"
"Say we're here to help, Banshee Leader," Summer replied, "Injuries?"
"Ten civilians, one… Huntsmen, I think that's what they said were," The woman said, "Happened before we got here. Most of the wounds don't look that serious. Our squads are fine, though, Hound leader is just talking with the mayor. No injuries on our side."
"Good," Summer nodded to herself, "Did your squad bring medical supplies?"
"Of course Commander," the woman responded, "I already have some of the troops treating the wounded. Hound squadron is currently patrolling the area."
"I'll leave you to it, then," Summer said as she cut the channel, "Oracle, enlarge the viewing area to just sixty kilometers in radius."
"Of course, Commander."
The holographic table's projection enlarged to just reach the edge of Vale, which was just a bit more than sixty kilometers northwest from the Fort.
"Highlight all known settlements within that range, coloured blue," Summer spoke, "And all possible Grimm nest in Black."
"Understood, Commander. I do like colouring," Oracle replied.
"I'm going to regret having Vahlen bring you online," Summer muttered to herself.
"Pardon, Commander?"
"Nothing," Summer said, "What are the numbers?"
"Of the scanned area, six settlements, ranging in prospective population from one hundred to one thousand," Oracle cheerfully stated, "Twenty two possible Grimm nests… Oh, never mind, Twenty one. It would appear as if Rogue squad completed their task flawlessly."
"Excellent," Summer said with a smile, "How far along is the Base?"
"Base perimeter walls are being erected, and will be done by nightfall, if I am correct," the AI responded, "Basic housing for the current amount of troops will be completed by mid afternoon."
Summer's smile widened, "That's good to hear. Have you managed to locate Alpha yet?"
"While I am capable of tracking Psionic energy, it can prove difficult," she said back, "But I'm sure given some time we will be able to locate them."
"How much time are we talking about?"
"At most, a two days, Commander," Oracle replied.
Summer nodded, "Then keep scanning. I'll check back in soon," she turned to leave the Command deck but as she did she remembered something, "Oh, and if any squad needs to report in, ping it to me. I'm going to go do some stuff so that I'm not totally bored out of my mind."
"Understood," the AI said, "I'll let you know if the situation changes."
Summer resumed her walk to her room, nodding in acknowledgement as she passed by some of the Avenger's crew complement, specifically some of the scientists still aboard the ship. She got to the room, going over to her closet to pull out her cloak and a black corset and skirt. Quickly, she changed out of her uniform into her regular clothes for Remnant. Draping the soft yet deceptively sturdy fabric over her shoulders, she pinned the cloak in place with her rose broach. Spinning once in a mirror, she strapped her sword to her waist.
Satisfied with her outfit, she then picked up her datapad, swiping through the many books she had downloaded onto the device. Some of almost every genre available, and though she had read a good number of them, there were still many more to finish. Content with her choice of book, she placed her datapad on her belt, moving herself over in front of her mirror.
She sighed, "How am I gonna do this…" she muttered to herself, "Should I rip the bandaid off…? Yeah, that would probably be best…"
She took a deep breath and faced herself dead in her reflection's eyes, "Hey, Ruby. So in case you weren't told about this before now, Qrow's actually your dad, Tai's actually your uncle, Yang's actually your paternal cousin and… that doesn't sound right…"
Summer sighed, "That's probably just going to make her more mad… maybe… maybe I should get Qrow to sit down with us and we talk it out in private. Like in the bar or something… having Gabriel talk to her might also work. She trusts him."
"Or Tai, she trusts him to," she mused, "Would he be the best to break the news?"
She nodded to herself, "I mean, I do have to be the one to tell her, but if one of them is there if might make it easier on her."
"Oh gods, I don't know what to do…" Summer keeled over into a kneeling position, "I wish dad was here…" some tears fell from her eyes, "He'd know what to do… he always knew what to do."
She huffed, "He did always suggest meditating on these things, maybe that might help."
Once again, she unclipped her datapad from her belt, "Oracle, I might be unavailable for the next little while, could you contact Merek or Ferris to take over?"
"Sure thing, Commander," Oracle cheerfully answered back.
"Oh, and while you're at it, watch my vitals," Summer continued, placing the datapad on her bed, "Don't want anything too serious to happen while I'm meditating."
"Of course."
With that, Summer dimmed the lights down by half and sat in the center of her room, cross legged. She closed her eyes, laying her hands palm up on her legs as her breathing started to slow down.
"In…" she took a long, slow deep breath, "Hold…" a few seconds past as she waited, holding tightly to the air in her lungs, "Out…" she breathed, slowly releasing the air.
"In… Hold… Out…" the voice in her head thought as the breathing patterns became more rhythmic and less forced.
"In… Hold... Out…" around her, Summer felt the world slow. She could hear the footfalls of soldiers and scientists throughout The Avenger. The distinctive sound of a Plasma Rifle discharging it's payload of raw energy at whatever unfortunate sack that happened to be on the wrong end of the weapon.
"In… Hold… Out…" it was slow, but she felt herself drifting into a trance-like state. She could practically feel the world around her peel away.
"In…"
"Hold…"
"Out…"
"In… hold on," she thought, her nose twitching a slight bit, "Lavender?"
Her eyes blinked open and she was greeted to quite the familiar sight. No longer was she in her room aboard the Avenger, rather she now sat in her old living room, the one back home. Summer glanced around, looking at all the old furniture, the embroidered pillows on the three red and white chairs and and the similarly coloured and embroidered couch. According to her father, they were made by his grandmother a few decades before the Great War broke out between the kingdoms. In the center of the room there was a coffee table, around which the chairs were arranged in a semicircle, with the couch facing one of the long sides of the table.
"Why… why am I back here?" Summer thought.
"Because this is where you needed to be, little bloom," a voice, which Summer keenly and almost immediately recognized as her mother's, spoke from behind her.
Summer flicked around, cloak flapping behind her as she did. She locked eyes with her mother, who was holding a tray with a tea pot and some small, ornate, handcrafted white clay cups, adorned with decorative red roses. She stood there, facing her elder doppelganger, until her mother broke the silence held between the two, "Well, are you just going to stand there, slack-jawed or would you like to sit down and have some tea?" the old lady scolded.
"I… I… of course," Summer said, sitting on one of the chairs as Mariam sat on the couch. The older silver eyed warrior poured out two cups of the lavender tea in the pot, "Thank you."
"You're very welcome," Mariam replied, "You look a lot older. A bit more like your father with that scar there," the older woman gestured to her face.
"Thanks, I guess," Summer said, "I mean, it's only one scar."
Mariam smiled, "He'd be proud if he saw you now."
Summer's face turned pale with worry for the old man's health, "Is he-"
"Don't worry about your father," Mariam laughed, "We may be old, but you know your father is as stubborn as a mule. He wouldn't stay down even if Salem impaled him on his own sword. But I'm assuming your father isn't the reason why you're here now, correct?"
"Well… yeah, sorta," Summer replied, "I… I need some advice."
"About?"
"Breaking the news to Ruby," The younger woman said, "I… I don't know how to tell her about Qrow and I."
"You could always ask the blond one, Tai. He's raised her for the past decade and a half," Mariam suggested, "Or you could ask your brother."
"Yeah, I thought about that- hold up," Summer said, confused, "You know my brother is on Remnant?"
"Your father and I sensed him the moment he came home, yes," Mariam nodded.
"And that his name is Gabriel, right?"
"So that's his name. Gabriel. Hmm, I like it," Mariam mused, speaking the name a few more times, "When he was born his name was Solis. But I digress, yes, I knew. Not the name specifically, but we knew who he was."
"And you didn't go talk to him?!"
"Of course not! I highly doubt he would've actually believed either of us," Mariam chuckled, "That said, I did make a few trips at night to check up on him. You know, just after Vale fell."
"But… wait, why didn't you go? You could've prevented Vale's fall, Mom! I know you could've!" Summer exclaimed, somewhat annoyed at her mother for not intervening to protect Vale.
"And in doing so, we would've condemned many more people to die in much worse a way," her mother calmly replied, "Summer, you must understand, your father and I have been working tirelessly to protect the whole of Remnant. Salem has numberless hordes waiting for the one moment that we let our guard down."
"But you said you managed to…"
Mariam nodded, acknowledging her daughter's point, "I only got the chance because Salem's attacks were somewhat smaller over the few months following the invasion of Vale. She has more forces, but she was trying to build them up. She sent countless hoards against us as Vale was attacked. Believe me, my child, if I could have stood by my homeland's side in that fight, I would've, but we would all have suffered for it."
"But…" Summer sighed realizing that her mother was indeed correct, "Fine, you're right. Back to the thing I wanted to know."
"Ah yes, how to tell Ruby that her father is the man she thought to be her uncle. Well, as I said, you have people who can help you break the news," Mariam thought out loud, "Like I said, Ruby trusts Tai and I assume she trusts her other uncle just the same. Yang, your niece-"
"I still consider her my daughter, mom," Summer adamantly said.
"I know, Summer, I know. I simply state fact," Mariam replied, "Regardless of who helps you to tell Ruby, she will feel at least a bit betrayed by the fact. You'll need to give her time to adjust to her new life and she may never truly forgive you."
Summer's expression turned sorrowful, "So that's it. She'll hate me."
"I never said that, little bloom," Mariam lifted Summer's chin up, their eyes meeting, "Forgiveness and hate are two very different things. You didn't hate your father and I for hiding your brother, but you never truly forgave either of us. Ruby will not hate you, but forgiveness for the lie that was her life will be harder to obtain."
"Are you sure?" Summer timidly asked.
"I am positive," Mariam replied, "Now go. Save us all, little bloom."
"Wait, shouldn't we come and get you? We could save the world together!" Summer exclaimed as the world slowly started to fall away.
"When the time is right, we will seek you out, my child," Mariam whispered as she placed a single delicate kiss atop her daughter's forehead, "Now is not that time."
"MOM!" Summer screamed as she began falling through the floor of her old home. All her mother did was smile her kindly old smile.
Summer woke from her trance with a start, a meter and a half in the air. Summer sighed, planting her feet back upon the ground.
"Leave it to mom to just tell me the obvious," she muttered, "How long was I out?"
Summer turned to her datapad, flicking it on with one hand, "Ten hours… huh, longer than I usually meditate for. Hey Oracle!"
"Yes, Commander?"
"How are the squads doing?"
"So far, so good," The AI cheerfully responded, "So far, more than half of the major Grimm nests that were left before you started meditating have been wiped out."
"How many exactly?"
"Seventeen of the twenty-one have been wiped out so far."
"That's lovely to hear," Summer said, "Were there any injuries?"
"None major, Commander," Oracle commented, "None of our troops were injured, at least. Some of the towns that were attacked had wounded civilians. Three quarters were minor enough to be treated on sight, the rest were severe enough to warent transport to our medical facilities."
"Have we been able to keep up with the influx?"
"Only fourteen actually had to be transported back to the Fort, Commander. They are currently in the fort's Infirmary."
"Good, good," Summer said, as she walked towards the door of her room, "How are local relations?"
"Mostly good," Oracle replied, "Some of the so-called Faunus aren't exactly trusting, but most came around. A few even thought we were new Atlesian soldiers, Knights, some of them said."
"Really, they thought we were those rust buckets?" Summer chuckled.
"Reports say they were quite surprised when one of the soldiers took off their helmet," the AI stated.
"Of course they were," Summer rolled her eyes, "Made any progress on Alpha's exact location?"
"Somewhat. I was able to trace their general direction to Vale, but I couldn't pinpoint their exact location."
The silver-eyed woman nodded, "Well, that makes sense, seeing Gabriel was near Beacon when I contacted him. I doubt they went all that far."
"Hmm, maybe Tai knows where they are…" Summer mused, "Hey, Oracle do you think we could get in contact with Tai from here?"
"It is possible, yes. Who is Tai?"
"He's an old friend," Summer said, "You'd probably have to hack the CCT network, if it still exists."
"I will see what I can do," Oracle replied, "I am very good at hacking things."
"That does rely on the network to be present, right?" Summer queried.
"Possibly," Oracle stated, "Or I could just run their old network through our own."
"You think we have the bandwidth?"
"I am almost certain."
Summer nodded, "Oracle, get that set up, I need to make a call."
Xiao-Long Household… Six hours later…
"Keep it up, Yang, come on!" Darren shouted, slipping under one of Yang's punches while parrying another thrown just seconds after, "You're doing great!"
Yang grunted, lashing out with her fists, with a left hook to her opponent's head. Darren easily batted the strike aside, wacking the blonde brawler in face with the back of his hand. Yang took the hit, throwing an uppercut at the man's gut with her cybernetic arm. Darren caught the strike, shifting his weight to reap the blonde brawler's legs from under her, which he accomplished quite easily.
"You give?" Darren queried with a wide Cheshire grin.
"Like hell I will!" Yang growled in response, placing one of her feet on Darren's hips. She rolled back, monkey throwing Darren two meters away. However, in one fluid motion, Darren rolled out of the fall, standing right back up.
"Well, you seem to be getting better," Darren remarked, patting the dirt off of his shirt, "How's the arm?"
"It feels… interesting," Yang said, "But it doesn't feel the same, y'know? Like it feels natural, but… I dunno, something's different."
"Well, no I don't know, but I get the concept," Darren shrugged, "Hey Tai, wanna step in and give your daughter a round?"
"Sure," Tai replied, putting down his trowel and removing his wide-brimmed hat, "I don't see why not. You good for another one, Yang?"
"Yeah, just gimme a minute," Yang said, grabbing a bottle of water and drinking at least half of its contents, "We've been sparing for an hour straight, I could use a break."
Darren grabbed a towel, tossing it over to Yang, who wiped down her forehead. Darren himself sat down on the ground, patting Zwei upon his head, "I gotta say, kid," Darren chuckled, "You're getting back into the swing of things easily."
"Well, I'm still not you or dad," Yang replied, "I still got a long way to go."
"Well, then we keep training," Tai commented, "I gotta say though, dragon, you're able to keep up well enough."
"Well, keeping up and fighting on the same level are two very different things. Besides, you guys are going easy on me."
Darren rolled his eyes, "Well, if you want me to go all out, I can. You might just be in pain for a few days. And honestly, kid, I've been doing this sorta thing since I could walk. Muay Thai, kickboxing, MMA. Honestly, I'm surprised that you were able to keep up with me at all. Even without your semblance and all."
"It probably wouldn't even help," Yang smirked, "I mean, even back at Beacon when I sparred against you with my Semblance, you still beat me."
"Y'see, that's your issue," Tai said, "You rely on your semblance too much to win fights. You don't think, you just hit things."
"Yeah, so what? Ruby does too, but no one criticizes her."
"Well, Ruby's isn't just a flat power boost," Darren said, "Sure, yeah, Weiss, Blake, and Ruby use their semblance extensively in most fights. But with you, it's a bit different."
"How so," Yang queried, cocking her eyebrow.
"Well, think about it," Tai explained, "Your semblance is basically just a big temper tantrum. You get pissed, and you start hitting people harder. You lose control, effectively."
"Yeah, so? Gabriel's lost control before," Yang replied, "How am I any different than that?"
"Hell, all four of us have lost control," Darren said, "Angela almost vapourized a UFO once, Anne caused a storm system that covered the entirety of Paris. Hell, I fought a Berserker Omega once with my bare hands. Thing was a bit bigger than that Paladin Torchwick stole. Main reason you're different, Yang, is that we don't lose control all the time. You use your semblance like it's nothing."
"So you're saying I use my semblance too much, right?"
"Sorta, yeah," Tai shrugged, "Think about it, your semblance should be a trump card. With Ruby, it's speed, not a trump card in any sense of the word. When you use your semblance so often, it'll become easy to predict and people will start baiting it out."
"It's sorta like Ruby's psionics, really," Darren commented, "Usually, newer psions tend to feel emotions more intensely which she needs to learn how to control, otherwise she could hurt someone."
"But I won't hurt people I care about," Yang growled angrily in response, "I'm not that bad."
"You never know, Yangalang," Darren chuckled, "That said, I doubt you would intentionally hurt anyone you care about."
"Thanks," Yang smiled.
"Anyway, you still do need to learn how to reign in your semblance."
"OH COME ON!" Yang shouted,cupping her face in her hands, "I've gotten better! So much better! Can't you both see that?"
"Like I've been saying for years, Dragon," Tai said. "You can't just go through every problem you meet."
"He certainly can," Yang dejectedly pointed at Darren, "So why can't I?"
"First, I never said I go through every obstacle I come up against," Darren firmly said, "Just cause I could if I hit it hard enough doesn't mean I should. I could win a war with my fists, but that would put me in danger, so I made armour, weapons modifications. I might fight with my fists, but no battle is won without this," he pointed at his head, "Some problems you can't solve by punching your way through them. So, instead of repeatedly bashing you skull against a wall trying to find out how to beat something, use their own strengths against them. Bigger baddy? More surface area to hit, more weak points. My point is Yang, you need to use your head more."
"..." Yang didn't respond, still sitting on the dirt.
"Ok, look, I'm sorry about lecturing you, Yang," Darren apologised, "Just… try to take what Tai and I said to heart, got it?"
"..." Yang sighed, "Fine. I'll try."
Tai smiled and gestured for Yang to stand up, "Good. Now, let's get started."
"I'm just gonna go and use your washroom, that good?" Darren queried as the two Xiao-Longs began to circle each other.
"You're good, go ahead!" Tai called out in response.
Darren nodded in reply, stepping through the door and into the wooden home, which quite frankly, looked a lot more modern than it's outer walls would portray. He walked up the stairs to the washroom, not really in a hurry, but definitely moving with purpose. He turned into the washroom, quickly relieving himself with a heavy sigh.
As he left the washroom, he heard both the voices of Yang and Tai ring out with laughter. He smirked, maybe one day he could teach his own daughter how to fight, just like Tai did with Yang.
As he began to walk back down, he noticed Tai's scroll sitting on the coffee table. He was about to walk past it when he noticed something wasn't right with the scroll's display, which showed it being connected to some network.
"Strange…" he thought, "Vale's CCT network has been down since the fall… So either someone brought it back online or this is something new entirely."
Then the scroll began to receive a call from an unknown caller, their icon showing up as a default grey humanoid avatar. Darren, as curiosity got the better of him, plucked the scroll from the table and pressed the answer button.
"Yello? New phone, who's this?" Darren said, almost mocking the idiot that decided to call. He wasn't going to make Tai answer, seeing how he and Yang were in a very important father-daughter bonding moment.
"My name, sir, is Summer Rose."
Darren, upon hearing the name, wanted to shout and scream at the top of his lungs the entire song of Hallelujah, but restrained himself, "And what might you want to know on this lovely day, Ms. Rose?"
Summer responded, sounding as authoritative as possible, "May I know who I'm speaking with?"
"It... it's me, Darren," he said as his face lit up, "Y'know, big strong guy. Anne-Marie's husband. Member of Alpha squad. Ring any bells, Commander Rose?"
"Hold up, Darren?" Summer spoke, quite confused, "What are you doing with Tai's scroll? Where's Tai?"
"Currently outside, sparing with Yang," Darren said, "So, how's the past little bit been, Summy?"
"Well… Could've been better. I barely got a day off for three months straight. And I know what happened to Gabriel."
"Yeah, well, who doesn't?" Darren replied, "He's good, though."
"How's Ruby? Qrow?" Summer questioned, sounding quite concerned.
"Well… I haven't heard from either of them for the better part of a few months," Darren said, "No one has. But Qrow went off after her, and she's with Team JNPR, so she's probably fine."
"I hope you're right…" Summer said, "I'm assuming you're on Patch right now, correct?"
"Well, yeah. I'm at your house. Which is on Patch."
"Ha ha, very funny," Summer replied, "Anyway, thanks for picking up. I'll be there soon. Could you get ready to move out?"
"You do know Anne and I have a kid, right?" Darren said, "A baby, I mean. Gabe and Angela have two, plus they adopted another."
"I know, which is why I made sure to give you four and your kids dedicated quarters," Summer replied, "Don't worry, I've taken every precaution. You're kids are gonna be fine. Believe me, I brought an army."
"If you say so, Summy," Darren sighed, "I'll get us ready. Anything else?"
"Well… it's good to hear from you again, Darren."
"Same, Summer. See you soon," and with that, Darren plopped the scroll back down upon the table, and rushed outside, where he saw Tai and Yang embracing each other. He rushed past them, speaking quite quickly as he went, "Sorry to bother you but you should really go and pack some clothes and stuff cause we're gonna be going on a trip, do it fast and now!"
"PARDON?" Tai shouted back as Darren continued to sprint away.
"PACK YOUR SHIT, WE'RE LEAVING IN TWENTY!"
"WHY?"
"JUST FUCKING DO IT, YOU TWAT!"
Darren continued to sprint, vaulting over a car, shifting his way through a crowd of people with expert efficiency, "Scuse me, coming though!" he said as he slid between two women having a chat.
A few moments later and Darren had returned to his house where Anne was sitting on the couch, breastfeeding Moira, who looked both hungry and eager. Anne smiled as she saw her husband enter the house, "Hey darling, how was sparring?"
"Amazing, Anne, gotta go pack."
"Pack?" Anne inquired, "Pack for what?"
"Summer's back!" Darren shouted in response, "She brought an army and needs our help!"
"Oh. She does know we have a kid, right? We can't just abandon her."
Darren sighed, "She took precautions! Or so she said!"
"What kind of percussion?"
"I don't know! I'm not a telepath!"
Anne playfully giggled shouting back up to her husband, "Yes, you are!"
"Oh shut up! You know what I meant! Even if I wanted to read her mind, it wouldn't just be a thing I could do on a whim!"
"Fair. Just make sure you pack enough for two weeks. I'll let Angie know," Anne smirked as she whistled for Asimov. The drone came floating over, humming delightfully, "Hey Asimov, could you send a message to Angela so she can start packing for a trip. We're going to have to leave soon."
Asimov nodded, if a drone can nod, leaving the room in a hurry to deliver the message. Anne smiled as she walked over to the stroller, softly placing Moira down so the small baby could rest a bit. Anne smiled as the babe drifted softly off to rest and she decided to walk upstairs after Darren.
She entered their room silently, as she saw Darren throwing several dozen items of clothing into two suitcases, though he did ensure that all the clothes were folded.
"So Summer is back, huh?"
Darren shrugged, "Yeah, she's back. And now we're going to war."
"Oh goody," Anne sighed, "She brought an army?"
"Sure as shit she did," Darren said, "Earth's governments might've actually gotten their shit together."
"Now that's just hopeful thinking, darling," Anne grabbed her husband around his waist.
"Well, a guy can hope," Darren chuckled.
"We all can," Anne snuggled herself deeper into Darren's back, "Maybe when we go back we'll finally get a day off. We might even get to go to a resort or something."
"You mean have some time off that isn't spent watching over our shoulders or fighting some proxy war?" Darren mused, to which Anne nodded in reply.
"Please don't get my hopes up," Anne smiled, "Oh don't get my hopes up. You know we're always going to have to look over our asses."
Darren shrugged, choosing not to respond to Anne's statement. He zipped up the suitcases, picking the both of them up, "Hey, mind grabbing Ragnarok? I am carrying these, afterall."
Anne nodded, "I'll throw it in the car. Where are we meeting Summer and the rest of the gang?"
"I think Tai's house."
"Alrighty," Anne replied as a familiar, overpowering thrumming of engines was heard overhead, "Well, there they are. Let's get going."
The two began to walk downstairs, Anne grabbing Ragnarok and her disruptor Rifle, placing them both in their car before rushing back inside to grab Moira and lock the doors. When she got back, Darren was already sitting in the driver's seat, while Asimov was in the back. Quickly, Anne placed Moira's car seat into the back, before situating herself in her own seat.
"Alright, we're good. Lets go," Anne said, the hum of the car starting as Darren began driving down Patch's dirt road towards the hum of the Avenger's engines. The towering, seventy five meter tall monolith of alien/human engineering stood upon the ground, it's massive landing gear supporting it's bulk. At the base, as two skyrangers took flight to descend to the house, stood Angela, Gabriel, Emerald, Tai and Yang, all waiting, with Jane and Aaron in their parent's arms.
Darren pulled up beside the group and began to unload the car along with Anne, "Helluva day, ain't it Gabe?"
"Damn right, bud," Gabriel replied, as the first skyranger touched down, it's ramp lowering to reveal a woman in a black corset and a flowing, white cloak, "Hey Summer."
"Hey…" Summer meekly replied, "I'm back…"
At that moment, everyone's reactions were completely different. Tai, for one, was frozen and almost completely unable to act at all. Most of Alpha, along with Emerald, simply waved and smiled. Gabriel, as his only arm was occupied, gave a nod of recognition. Yang though…
She could barely contain herself, rushing forward to engulf the woman who raised her in a vicious bear-hug, crying tears of joy and some of sorrow as she did.
"There, there little dragon I'm back… I promised, didn't I?" Summer patted the blonde's head, "We've got a lot to discuss. Come on, I've got just the place," She gestured to the massive construct, "Besides, we need to find Ruby, so every moment we're not on the move is one we aren't spending locating her, so let's move."
No one argued, everyone just got their things and moved them aboard the two skyrangers. The people (And dog, because both Yang and Tai refused to leave Zwei), in one, while the luggage was in the other.
"So… Tai, I'm assuming you and Qrow didn't tell them?" Summer whispered in Tai's ear, to which Tai turned pale as Zwei jumped into his lap, "We'll talk about it later."
"Anyway," Summer cooed, looking at the three small babies, "Awe… I told you guys you'd have cute kids."
"Well…" Gabriel chuckled, "I guess that's just a trait we all share, don't we?"
Summer chuckled and smiled at Angela, "May I hold her?" to which Angela nodded, passing Jane over to the silver-eyed woman. Summer cooed again, slowly rocking her back and forth.
Yang, at that point, decided to ask, "So… mom… where have you been?"
"I've been…" Summer paused, pondering her words, "Well, for the past eight months or so, I've been working with the government to approve a military operation on Remnant. One that could end the Grimm for good, if it is a success."
"Hold on, you managed to convince every single government on Earth to do a thing?" Darren inquired, "Jeez, how the fuck did you manage that?"
Tai looked confused, "You're in the military?"
"Yes, Tai, I am. And no, I really didn't convince every government on Earth, I just convinced THE government. The only one that exists. Since you four disappeared, Earth's old government consolidated into one big one."
"Really?" Anne replied, dumbfounded that the governments of Earth actually managed to get their heads out of their asses for once in their lives, "Huh, this is… surprisingly good news."
"So wait, mom, what you're saying is this so-called 'Earth' is sending troops to Remnant?" Yang said, "Wait, what is Earth?"
"Earth is a planet, dear."
"You've been living with aliens!?"
Angela shrugged, "I mean… technically she was? Is currently? We're all human, so no, but… Okay, I guess it's a bit confusing."
"So you're all aliens," Tai mused, chuckling to himself as he pet the corgi in his lap.
"Well… yes, but no…" Darren replied, "We're still human, so no."
"But you're from a different planet," Emerald said, "So my parents are aliens."
Gabriel groaned, "This conversation is so damn stupid it's making fucking head hurt. Believe me, we've all seen real aliens. We aren't aliens."
"So were you four the scouts?" Yang joked, "And this is the rest of the invasion?"
"God, Yang, please stop," Summer sighed, "This isn't an Alien invasion, this is a way for us to finally take the fight to the Grimm. It might even be a fight we can win."
The skyranger came to a halt as it landed on the top of the Avenger. Everyone disembarked quickly, the travellers acquiring their clothing as soon as they could. Summer turned to the assembled group, gesturing to Gabriel, "Tygan will probably want to see you. We should be able to fabricate a prosthetic arm for you in no time."
Gabriel nodded, handing Aaron over to Angela before walking off into the hull of the ship to find the scientist, Summer smiling as her brother walked away, "And for everyone else, I'm just going to show you to your rooms now. Follow me.
"Oh, and for those who haven't been here before, welcome to the Avenger."
Oscar…
"I'm not crazy… I'm not crazy…"
Oscar fell to his knees, breathing heavily. The visions over the past month have gotten worse, the memories still kept flooding in.
"No, Oscar, you're not."
Oh, and he had started to talk to a spirit in his head.
"Yeah? Well, I feel crazy," Oscar replied as he managed to prop himself up on his wooden bed, "Spirit living in my head and all."
"Well I wouldn't really consider myself a spirit, more a collective consciousness," Ozpin's voice said, "Though I am the only one who can speak to you."
"Oh great, more of you," Oscar growled under his breath.
"I heard that."
"You know everything I do, you're in my head," Oscar threw his backpack on his bed, "So.. just to get this clear as crystal. You want me to up and leave my comfortable home, with a bed not made of dirt-"
"I never once said you had to sleep on the dirt."
"Whatever, you want me to leave my home and go on some quest to stop your wife from destroying the world and you need me to find who?"
"Three people. You'll recognize them when you see them."
"And I have a choice in this?"
Ozpin didn't respond to the question, so Oscar pressed, "And if I say no, you're going to possess me and make me do it, aren't you."
"It's not that simple. You and I both know that you don't want to spend your life on this farm. You yearn for adventure, something to happen in your life that isn't sitting around."
"And how do you know that?" Oscar replied, "Maybe I just want to stay put, let qualified people deal with this situation."
"Oscar, I know what you want because I am you. Right now, I feel your every emotion, every thought. I am as much you as you are you. I am a part of you now. Besides," Ozpin chuckled to himself, "You're the one packing your bag."
Oscar placed a few more shirts and pants into his back "You were the one who told me to," he retorted.
"No, I just said we had a job and that there were people we could help. I never forced you to pack the bag."
"Fine, you got me. Maybe I don't want to live on this farm for the rest of my life. Maybe I would like to do something a little more productive," Oscar relented, grabbing a map of Anima.
"Very good."
"So where do we have to go?" Oscar said as he zipped up his full backpack, throwing it over his back.
"Have you ever heard of the town Kuroyuri?"
Oscar froze as he was halfway out his opened window, "You want me to go to that ghost town? Are you crazy?"
"No, I'm quite serious. It's the best chance of finding anyone to help," Ozpin replied.
"No one's lived there for more than a decade! The place is haunted! How do you even know that we'll even get there at the same time?"
"Trust me, we will. It's a two-day walk from here if you sleep six hours a night and walk twelve a day."
Oscar sighed, "Fine. Let's go."
The farm boy then leapt out the window, rolling out of the fall as he stood up, "Didn't know I could do that. Cool."
"You're starting to get my muscle memory. While you still will need to train, you will have a bit of a jumpstart compared to others."
"Great…" Oscar muttered as he wiped off his map, "So Kuroyuri is… south-west. If I take that road I should make it there in good time."
"If we don't get sidetracked, that is," Ozpin said advisingly.
"I won't get sidetracked," Oscar replied.
"Well then, let us get going, Oscar. I have a feeling this is going to be quite fun for the both of us," Oscar could practically feel Ozpin smiling in his subconscious, "Who knows, you might even make some new friends."
Alright, So yes, Micheal and Mariam will have a bigger role to play later in the story, though they will mostly act as advice-giving characters as of current. Summer and the family have finally reunited, Yang will learn the truth as of the next chapter, Oscar will meet up with Ruby and her group and holy balls do I hate school.
Anyway, please let me know if I'm still doing well in the reviews and have a nice day.
