RWBY: Revenant
By Endbeats
Chapter 27: Before – The Woods
It had only been an hour since the airship landed in a large clearing, dropping the seven off. Now, the group was walking down a path, led by Kang and his body guards, then followed by Sagitari, Liu, and Ursus, and finally ended with Orphiucha in the back. No matter who tried to come back with her or how long they stood, she simply gave them a pained glare and stood her ground, waiting until the person who tried to approach her gave up and moved on.
"This is bad. This is so bad," Sagitari muttered constantly. Liu was stunned to find just how much more emotion she could experience beyond joy. Before, he saw her true anger when Ursus was accused by Freddie for being a monster. Now, he was seeing either sadness, panic, or depression from her. It made him worry, needless to say.
"Sagitari," Liu said quietly, so as to not get Orphiucha's attention, "Who is Agustus? Can you tell me anything about him?"
Sagitari looked up and quickly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Liu. I'm really sorry, but I can't say anything. Me and Orph, we made a promise."
"A promise?"
"I won't say anything beyond that."
Liu paused for a second, but nodded. "Don't worry. My dad just said one name. I'm sure after a few days, this will all blow over."
Sagitari nodded back, but still looked unconfident. This new woman, the one who revealed itself to be Sagitari, frightened Liu. Where was his team leader? Who was taking over for her? This woman wasn't the same cheerful Sagitari. She was-
Directly in front of the group, a wolf grimm pack jumped out of the bushes. Their eyes glared with the same deep, unknown hatred all of grimm had for humanity. They spread out in order to make the area they held seem bigger. Kang simply chuckled at the sight. "I guess I ought to show you all my full strength."
With that, he took his claymore off his back and closed his eyes. Slowly, he raised his sword in the hair. Some of the grimm tried to move forward, but the second they took a step, they were stopped by some unknown pressure from Kang. Almost immediately, dark clouds in the sky started to form, and in only ten seconds, the sound of thunder slowly rumbled in the sky.
"Get ready!" Then, lightning came down. The lightning struck directly onto Kang's sword and caused the sword to glow a yellow gleam, like when he fought Orphiucha. The grimm had a small bit of hesitancy in seeing this, but the supposed leader of the pack jumped forward, unwilling to be intimidated by a human.
Finally, Kang opened his eyes and swung. The energy that came from his sword burst waves of lightning in front of them all and encompassed every single wolf grimm. The five or six that dared attack them disintegrated as the lightning wave continued into the woods, leaving wild burn marks throughout the ground, trees, and rocks.
The general then turned back to the four, their mouths agape. "So," he said with a smile, "Ready to set up camp?"
"Hey, can we talk for a bit?" Ursus asked from behind Liu, who accidentally broke his tent from the surprise.
"Geez, you scared the living daylights out of me!" Liu responded.
"Sorry…"
"No, it's fine. What was it you wanted to talk about?"
Ursus looked in the direction of Sagitari and Orphiucha. Orphiucha had already finished her tent and was resting inside while Sagitari still struggled greatly at crafting her own. "I'm worried about those two. They've been hiding stuff from us since the beginning. First I was a little annoyed by it, but seeing how they reacted… I'm worried about figuring out more."
Liu shrugged, but kept a reassuring face. "Don't worry about it! I'm sure when they want to tell us, they'll tell us."
"I know… but what about your dad?" Ursus was worried about his father saying more, Liu could tell.
"Don't worry about my dad. He may be loud, but he's one of the smartest people I know. He's probably caught on and won't pry any further. Once this time is over, I'm positive our team will go back to normal."
Ursus, just like Sagitari, lacked confidence, but nodded. Liu had to wonder why he was the one who was reassuring the others. The small bit of pride was extinguished when he shook his head, however. He could think about that after he set his tent up.
If he set it up.
Just after his tent was finished on top of a pond of sweat, Liu heard the call from his father. "Alright, everyone, form up!"
At that sound, Liu, in a sweaty stupor, came up, followed by Ursus, who had finished his tent a few minutes before, then Sagitari, whose tent was still a pile of cloth on the ground, and finally Orphiucha. Orphiucha came up to Liu's right side, which gave him a chance to talk.
"How are you doing?" Liu asked. Since the dance, she had been far easier to talk to, so he gave it a shot.
"I'm fine," she promptly replied, though there was no sense of resentment or anger in her voice.
"Good," he said.
Orphiucha opened her mouth as if she was going to say something more, but stopped and gradually looked forward where Kang and his body-guards were walking from. All Liu could read were her viper eyes, which had a strange sort of anticipation.
"Alright," Kang spoke from his gut as he got Liu's attention, "Let me say what I said before we left: While we will be doing the assignment Beacon gave to us, I brought you all out here from a secondary reason: training. Yes, Ursus?"
"Sir," Ursus asked with a raised hand, "I'm glad to hear this that, but won't we get in trouble? After all, we are just first-years, and the majority of the first-year assignments don't even involve fighting."
"If you're worried about that, don't be. I've already received permission from Ozpin. After I told him I wanted to give my son and his friends a few pointers in battle, he gave the thumbs-up without any hesitation."
"That being said, this is how our days will go: We wake up, exercise, train, do our mission, come back, then train and exercise once more. Each training session will consist of the four of you paired with the three of us. Yes, Sagitari?"
She put her hand down. "Sir, you just said there are three of you and four of us. How will we be paired?"
Kang smiled back. "There will be one of us who will be training two at the same time based on a common weakness. That being said, I've paired you all based on what strengths and weaknesses you have with your fighting styles. For example, Sagitari, you're all-round very strong, fast, and smart when it comes to fighting. However, you're too quick to use your semblance at its full-power, which gives your enemies the ability to estimate your potential. Another issue you have is strategy, ironically."
"Strategy?" Liu asked. Sagitari was one of the smartest when it came to that.
Kang nodded. "Sagitari is a genius at figuring out semblances and strengths of her opponents, I will agree, but when her enemy does something she doesn't expect, she struggles getting back into the rhythm of the battle. Remember when I put away my sword?"
Sagitari nodded. "I understand, sir, and I will train hard to overcome it!"
"Good! In order to work on this, then, you'll be paired with me."
Sagitari was practically dancing in her mind, Liu assumed. However, that made him blush a bit. Does that mean they'll train together? After all, his father wouldn't pass up the chance to train with his son, right?
Kang continued by moving over to Ursus. "Now, Ursus, you are physically the strongest of this group, but you have trouble relying on that. During the fight, and from what I've seen in your other fights, you rely a lot on your weapon's long-ranged form. It isn't bad, but when you rely too much on that chain, it becomes a weakness. Someone could break it, leaving you with an empty husk of a staff. Maybe you could keep using it in battle, but only against a person. Against a grimm, though? That's their queue to eat you alive." Ursus constantly nodded at this, his face deep in thought.
"Thus, you'll be training alongside Sagino here. He's the strongest of us three in terms of muscles and will show you some good close-ranged techniques in battle."
Ursus nodded, and Kang continued over to Liu. "So… my son's in training to become a hunter, huh? It still shocks me to this day."
"Dad…" Liu looked around in embarrassment.
"Don't worry! I won't mince words. Honestly, your ability to adapt seems to be your strength. You've grown far more at Beacon than anything I've ever seen from you. If there's something I'd like to see more of from you, though, it would be your semblance. You've hardly unlocked its full potential. So, you'll be training with Uncle Cam here. He's the best of us when it comes to semblance and technique."
"Err… okay," Liu muttered. He thought he'd be training with his dad during this time.
Seeing his son's surprise made him laugh. "Sorry, Liu, but I can't help you much in that area of fighting. Cam is far more suited for the job."
Liu hesitantly nodded. So be it.
That finally left Orphiucha, who stood patiently, and uncharacteristically, on the side. Kang turned towards her. "Now Orphiucha, I actually think your fighting style is very good! Had you not used dust lightning on me, the fight would have gone on for far longer. You use both close and far-ranged attacks equally and you try to not give your opponent a chance to attack. That being said… you do have a semblance, don't you?"
The awkward mood returned as Orphiucha turned her eyes away from Kang. "I won't pry into your past and I'm sorry for having brought it up back at Beacon, but your semblance is one of the most important weapons a hunter can have. If you do care for your teammates, you'd do best to remember that."
"Thus, you will work alongside Liu with Cam. If you won't use your semblance, you three will still do general training. Team dismissed until tomorrow. Take a break for the rest of the day."
Orphiucha made no movements, she only kept her head to the ground. Even as Kang dismissed the group, she stood there. Even as the sun started to come down, she stood there.
Even when Liu woke up in the night, she was outside. Perhaps she did return to her tent, but worries kept her up, Liu guessed. He peeked out of his tent, and feeling the somewhat chilly night weather, came out with his scarf around his neck. While it was made of metal, it still somehow managed to retain the same sort of warmth that came with cotton scarfs.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked as he walked up to Orphiucha. The girl continued to look up at the sky, where hundreds of stars revealed themselves over the rural land side. Liu felt a little awkward when she didn't respond at all, but he kept standing there nonetheless. It just felt right to him.
It took probably a minute or two before Orphiucha said anything, her voice cracking from the extended silence. "Liu," she muttered, "Why can't we ever escape the shadows of those around us?"
Liu tiled his head and said nothing, which let her continue. "I've tried to remove everything about my father from my life. Years of gifts I've thrown out. Cards from my early birthdays I've burnt. Liu, I haven't seen a picture of him for so long that I don't even remember what he looks like. And yet… why does he still show up in my life? Why does your dad know my father? Why does my mother wait every day for him to show up? Why can't I… I…"
Liu had no idea what to do, so he threw his scarf on her head. "Here, it's chilly."
The gesture stopped Orphiucha from talking, and her eyes widened while she looked up at Liu. He was worried she might cry, yell at him, or grab his shoulders in an embrace, the latter of which he wouldn't mind… Liu shook his head. This was his friend! He had to support her in-
Orphiucha started laughing to herself as she pulled off the scarf. "What do you think you are, a protagonist in a drama or something? What's with that smooth move that you only see on TV?"
Liu blushed at her jest. "H-hey, I didn't know what else I was supposed to do!"
Orphiucha slowed down her laugh, but kept a genuine smile. Liu started seeing that more often, and seeing that made him smile as well. He continued, "Look, Orphiucha, I don't have the answers to your questions. I know what it's like living under a shadow, but I can't help you with anything beyond that. But, here's one thing I can assure you: You're my friend, so I'll try support you in any way. Got that?"
Orphiucha blushed a bit, but nodded. She replied, "I… I know that Sagitari and I have been a little quiet about our pasts. I'm sorry about that."
She kicked at a rock on the ground. "You see… remember how I thought of humans when we were first at Beacon?"
Liu nodded. "I thought you were about to beat me up when we first met!" Reminiscing on the past made Liu realize how far he and his team had come. He was such a scaredy-cat during those first few days, and even considered leaving Beacon multiple times. Now, he was a vital part of the team. The same thing occurred with Orphiucha. At the start, she was cold and stand-offish. Now, while she does keep that same bitter sarcasm that makes her Orphiucha, the cold feelings from her have almost completely disappeared.
She nodded. "I think… I'm okay with telling you the truth, or at least some of it.
She took a deep breath, then turned towards Liu. "I'm not a full-blooded faunus. My father's name is Agustus Edelweiss, a human from Atlus. He's the reason I dislike humans."
"Human?! Orphiucha, you're part human?"
"Yes, though my mother's faunus genetics came out as dominant. And…" She stopped and Liu could see the pain in her eyes resurface once more.
"Did… Did he hurt you and your mother?"
Her eyes widened. "No! Not at all! My early memories of him were great. He was a loving father… that was, until…" The pain returned.
Liu sighed. "Don't worry, Orph. You don't have to tell me everything now. Just promise me tomorrow that you'll start trying to practice with your semblance."
Orphiucha nodded and passed back the scarf. "Thanks, Liu, but I don't think I can do that yet. My semblance is from my father, too."
The pain was that deep, Liu thought to himself. So be it, she had to think through it herself.
"Then, let's go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Gotcha… and thanks. I'll be out here a little longer," Orphiucha said. With a nod, Liu walked back to his tent. Yet, he couldn't have gone halfway before looking back at Orph. The breeze pushed through the clearing and gently moved her silver hair as her snake eyes pierced the sky, towards the large, broken moon. Maybe it was all a part of this scene, but Liu found himself enamored by her. Orphiucha was beautiful, he realized.
Then, he slapped his face in order to regain composure. "I have a lot of feelings to work out, don't I?" he muttered to himself while slipping back into his tent.
(Author's Note: Hey, what is up, y'all? Here's where I write my usual stuff: If you like, be sure to favorite, follow, or review. I'm also excited for what is going to happen in this story coming a few more chapters, so keep on reading! Anyways, here's some real talk: It's really hard to find some music to listen to while I write. Typically, I have a set amount of songs I'll play, but then I easily get bored of them. I'm thinking I'll probably start a future funk playlist for myself, considering I don't listen to it as much. It'll be good to diversify my music anyways. Anyways, have a good night and God bless!)
