RWBY: MRRN
Volume 4, Chapter 11: Training and Meetings
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.
After two days, Robin was able to get Sharp Shot back from the weaponsmith. As requested, not only had it been repaired, but it had also been upgraded into a longbow that could turn into a double-bladed staff weapon. Although he had some experience with polearm weapons, he would need much training with both his new Sharp Shot and his echolocation.
Since Mathdon and Pyrrha had received the braces that would allow them to fight again, Robin would often invite them over for training, along with Safirlas. He would've also invited Nasser and Ruo-Jian, but Ruo was presumably still on Patch and Nasser was fighting to support his family.
For his new combat attire, Robin had been given a long red coat with a hood with a black undershirt, red bracers and fingerless gloves, and black pants and boots. It worked very well with him, surprisingly not getting in the way of his training with his new double sword weapon.
As for Math, Pyrrha and Saf, they too had adopted new combat attire. Math had retained his old brown leather jacket with fur lining, which he wore over a newly made hard leather cuirass. He was now also wearing a hard leather bracer and glove under his jacket, brown pants and hard leather boots with steel heels and toes. As before, he wore his new sword, Cosantoir, over his shoulder and Dionach on his left arm.
Pyrrha, using some of the materials left over from their weapons, had modified her existing armor. She had added shoulder guards to her corset with the engravings of phoenix wings on both. She has also added some armor to her corset to cover her lower stomach and her chest after analyzing that they'd be openings for deathly attacks. Her old bracer had been replaced with her new retractable shield, Prostatevo, and added a new one on her right arm. For her lower body, she still wore her sash, but had replaced her miniskirt with a longer one that was reminiscent of Mistrali legionnaires. Instead of her hair being worn in her usual ponytail, it was now loosely braided and over her shoulder.
Safirlas wore a light blue robe similar to Mistral fashion with a long blue bracer on her right arm and a shorter one on her left. Along with the robes, she was wearing black high heel boots similar to Weiss's and Pyrrha's.
"Hey, Pyrrha," Robin asked during one of their training sessions at his house.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Ruby probably didn't ask you, but how do you manage to fight in high heels? She wondered about this the night she and I fought Cinder."
"Fought Cinder?" Math asked Robin, taking a break from training.
"The night of the dance…and when you and Pyrrha spent the night together," Robin smirked before remembering Saf was in the vicinity.
"We didn't have sex," Math quickly clarified. "We just slept in the same bed. No harm done."
"Let's just make sure your mom doesn't hear that," Robin brought up. "Anyway, the night of the dance, we didn't know it at the time, but Cinder broke into the CCT. Ruby and I followed her and fought her, but she managed to get away. I don't know what her goal was, though."
"The Atlesian Knights," Saf spoke.
"What?" Robin asked before remembering.
During the Fall of Beacon, the Atlesian Knights and Paladins turned on the citizens and Huntsmen. No one knew what was happening or why they were targeting their allies, but they didn't have time for questions and instead fought them.
This had unfortunately led to the death of Coco's teammate, Velvet Scarlatina. From what he had heard, Velvet had gone to save a wounded student from death, but after being shot by an AK, a Paladin stepped on the rabbit Faunus and crushed her beneath its weight. Coco hoped Velvet would survive her injuries, but she lost too much blood and died that night.
Then it hit them all: Cinder must've inserted something into the system the night she broke into the CCT. Whatever she inserted caused the Atlesian Knights and Paladins to start slaughtering Huntsmen and civilians alike.
"Do you believe Cinder is dead?" Pyrrha asked. "There's been no report of her ever since the Fall of Beacon."
"No," Robin replied. "Cinder may be a monster, but she's smart; she wouldn't go down that easily. I just can't believe this entire time, she, Mercury and Emerald were working to destroy Beacon Academy and…"
He suddenly remembered the searing pain of his eyes being cut out by Emerald when he and Ruo tried to apprehend her and Mercury. He remembered the warm blood seeping down his cheeks from his eye sockets. It was a feeling that would sometimes come back and he'd want to wash the blood off, but it wouldn't.
"I knew something was wrong," Safirlas spoke, leaning on Himmelkanten.
"What do you mean?" Math asked.
"I went to Haven Academy for three years and I never saw them," Saf brought up. "They said they were 4th years, but I had never seen them at Haven. I called Professor Lionheart and he confirmed that their files were legitimate. But I knew deep down, something was off."
"They fooled us all, Saf," Math replied.
"Yeah, and it didn't help that Ozpin didn't handle things properly," the archer spoke with a somewhat bitter tone. "If he had, maybe this wouldn't have happened."
Math and Pyrrha internally agreed with Robin to an extent. While they definitely didn't approve of some of his actions, especially forcing the Maiden powers on Pyrrha and manipulating them, they didn't think the blame fell on him alone.
Ironwood had stabbed Ozpin in the back by reporting him to the Vale Council, something that endangered Ozpin's position as Headmaster. His major dependence on technology and bringing hundreds of Atlas troops to the Festival already raised tensions in what was supposed to be an event celebrating peace and unity.
Cinder had turned Ironwood's technology against him. Instead of protecting people as they were supposed to, they helped the Grimm, Iron Knights and White Fang in slaughtering innocent people. Many contributed to the Fall of Beacon, not just Ozpin's tendency to play things close to the chest and Ironwood's extreme dependence on technology and soldiers.
"Why are you so bitter towards Ozpin, Robin?" Safirlas asked her cousin.
"Because as I said, Saf, he didn't handle things properly, such as the Mt. Glenn and Iron Knight missions," Robin replied. "The morning after Ruby and I fought Cinder, I learned Ruby had known all along about the White Fang having a hideout in the southeast and she didn't tell anyone. They could've sent professional Huntsmen there to take care of it, but because Team RWBY had to be the heroes-"
"I'm stopping you right there," Pyrrha interrupted, holding her index finger. "If you're going to bring up the Paladin Incident, then they don't deserve that. What they did was wrong, but you're behaving as if they didn't care if those people died." Saf raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Paladin Incident?" she asked. "Wait…Team RWBY's the team responsible for what happened?"
"Yep," Robin confirmed. "Honestly, if you ask me, Ozpin shouldn't have bailed them out. Ruby really thought she was ready to be the hero after that mess." He scoffed.
"What nonsense."
"Okay, Robin, that's enough," Pyrrha replied sternly. "I don't agree with Ruby withholding that information or what happened that night, but you're being too hard on them. They already have to live with the guilt of knowing what they did. The least you can do is not behave as if they don't care about what happened."
Maybe he was being too hard on RWBY, but Robin felt his points couldn't be denied. Team RWBY's recklessness, along with Sun and Neptune's, had led to the deaths of 19 people; the Paladin Incident was a preventable tragedy caused by a group of girls who thought themselves heroes.
Robin hated that mindset from people. He hated those who thought they were the only ones capable of combating evil, which would often lead to rash decisions…and those rash decisions would lead to needless carnage. To him, the Paladin Incident was perfect proof of that.
"And what do you mean the Iron Knight mission?" Saf asked.
"When we went our first missions, Ozpin assigned us with Professor Alan Kura to investigate disturbances in the north," Math informed. "What he didn't tell us was that it was an Iron Knight outpost and we walked right into a trap. If Forest hadn't been there, we might've been killed."
"Even you admitted, Math, that we weren't ready to take them on ourselves," Robin replied. "It's really a miracle we survived that mission. But you see what I mean? Ozpin should've sent professional Huntsmen to take care of this and Ruby should've told anyone in charge about the southeast."
Math could see Robin's point in his argument about Team RWBY. As he stated, their poor oversight and interference cost people their lives and the only reason they were allowed to walk was because Ozpin bailed them out. They had garnered a bit of a checkered reputation and response to the Paladin Incident. Many believed that the blame should fall on Roman Torchwick for the deaths of those people, not RWBY. Many believed that Team RWBY should've been prosecuted as murderers. Their saving grace was that their names weren't released outside Vale, but after Yang 'injured' Mercury, whatever good graces they had were most likely gone.
On the other hand, did they deserve this hate? What they did was indeed reckless, but they clearly regretted what had happened that night. There was no doubt that they wished they could undo what happened and prevented those deaths. Their desire during the search for Torchwick and Mt. Glenn wasn't to glorify themselves, but to stop criminals from terrorizing innocent people.
"Robin…they don't deserve that," Math spoke up. "Yes, what they did was stupid, but you're acting like all they care about is being heroes. You and I both know that's not true. If it was, they'd be acting like the Iron Knights and they're not."
Robin understood Math's point. The Iron Knights were the poster boys of claiming to be heroes, but instead endangering innocent lives. Perhaps Robin was being too hard on Team RWBY, but it could never be denied that the Paladin Incident could've been avoided had Team RWBY simply left the situation alone.
They resumed training for a while after the debate about Team RWBY. Pyrrha and Math were fighting as good as ever and they proved masterful with their new weapons. Safirlas's own spear and knife throwing skills had also improved since she had been training longer than Math and Pyrrha.
As for Robin, he was proving to be a natural with his new double sword form, wielding it with great speed and dexterity. His use of his echolocation was improving, but he still had much to learn if he was going to fight as efficiently when he had his sight.
-0-
Ruo had arrived in Vale. He was currently in the Industrial District and planned on making his way to the Residential District where Math, Robin and Nas lived. In order to avoid unwanted attention, Ruo was wearing a cap to hide his tiger ears so no one would see he was a Faunus.
He heeded Tai's warning about Humanity First and their growing brutality, so he was being cautious so he wouldn't risk encountering them. Things were bad enough in Vale with constant attacks from Grimm and Iron Knights while the Huntsmen and Faunus were being villainized by hate groups. The last thing he needed was to have a group of Humanity First attempting to lynch him.
Ruo looked around for the bus station so he could look for one that would take him to the Residential District where his teammates were. On his way, Ruo saw a terrible sight: a burned down bar that had been destroyed and looted. Several people were in front of the bar, sweeping away the debris and looking for what could be salvaged.
"What happened here?" Ruo asked.
"What happened?" one of them asked. "Humanity First, that's what! Those shitheads came during the night, attacked two of my employees and I, stole the money and most of our food, and then burned it down! Do you know what they said to us?"
"What did they say?" Ruo questioned. The man growled lowly.
"They said 'It's your own fault for supporting the Faunus. We're getting what we're owed'. Oh, they'll get what they're owed alright when they're rotting in prison! Those people are self-entitled maniacs using the deaths of innocent people to justify their atrocities!"
"Indeed," a voice spoke, belonging to Raye King as he walked up with several people holding flyers. "This senseless violence and justifying it needs to stop."
"Who are you?" the man asked.
"I'm Raye King," he introduced. "I'm handing out flyers for people to attend our peace rally next month. We're hoping that by projecting enough positivity, we'll decrease the Grimm presence and ensure more safety for our Kingdom."
"Raye King…I think I've heard of you," Ruo spoke. "You're the one in charge of the anti-violence march, correct?"
"The March To End Hate and Violence, son," Raye answered. "Around two hundred thousand people have already agreed to attend. Would you be kind enough to do so as well?"
"I'll be in Vale for a while, so I'll see about coming," Ruo answered. "Where will it be at?"
"The Vale National Stadium," Raye answered.
"A peace rally," a voice spoke with contempt. Everyone looked behind Ruo-Jian to see Xander Smoke, a patronizing and condescending scowl on his face, along with three other people. Raye King's welcoming and warm expression was immediately replaced with controlled anger towards the criminal.
"What do you want, Smoke?" Raye questioned. "We're simply wanting to have a peaceful public rally. Why are you against it so much?"
"You think a peace rally will get justice for those who died at Beacon?" Xander questioned. "Oh, please. Why don't you go back to the Upper Class District, you spoiled twit?"
"Why don't you go back to prison, Smoke?" Raye countered. "You're a convicted criminal. You are the least qualified person to seek justice, especially after what you did to that shelter last week."
"Shelter?" Ruo asked.
Raye explained that while Humanity First protestors were outside a shelter and were being stopped by the Vale Special Unit, Xander snuck behind the building and set fire to it. If his teammate, Nasser, hadn't stopped him from barring the door with a dumpster, the people inside would've been burned alive. Nasser was fortunately alive and he and his family were now in a new shelter.
"You are a murderer, a hypocrite, and a terrorist, Xander Smoke," Raye told off the Humanity First leader. "You do not speak for the victims of the Fall of Beacon when you willingly slaughter innocent people who had nothing to do with it."
"They harbored Faunus," Xander replied with a smirk. "I would've gotten their justice if it meant burning those animals alive."
"Including innocent humans who were just as much victims?" Raye questioned. "Is there no end to your hypocrisy and evil?" Before Xander could justify himself again, Raye held up his hand and silenced the criminal.
"You are using the hate and pain of innocent people to do what you love: murder innocents, spread violence, burn down buildings and cause anarchy. The lives of innocents mean nothing to you. You are a criminal and you deserve to be imprisoned for your crimes against our people."
"What crimes?" Xander shrugged. "If that's what you think of me, then perhaps you're not as smart as you think."
BAM! One of Xander's supporters was shot dead, her head blown clean off. The barkeeper glared at Xander and his associates, holding a shotgun and glaring with absolute rage and hatred towards them. Xander and his supporters quickly ran off after seeing he was preparing to shoot them again.
"You are NOTHING but monsters!" he roared. "How many people, both human and Faunus, have you murdered without a shred of remorse? Look at my bar! You vile murderers destroyed and looted our store and left us without a way to support ourselves!" He was about to shoot again, but Ruo rushed over and pushed the shotgun down.
"Stop!" he cried out as Xander ran out of sight. The barkeeper glared at Ruo and then at the dead body of the person he just killed.
"They deserved it," he snarled. "We've lost everything because of them. This was our livelihood and those wretched…" He started to sniffle as the reality of what happened start to set in.
He had shot and killed a person; while they were associated with those who destroyed his business, they themselves didn't do it. His motive was understandable, but what he did wasn't justice, it was rage-fueled murder.
Ruo felt sympathy for the man who had been victimized by those who claim to fight for justice, yet they were nothing more than criminals doing as they please. He understood that rage when he saw Grant Denim and wanted nothing more than to make him suffer for the years of torment he had endured after he killed his father.
Neither Raye nor Ruo wanted to call the police on the barkeeper, but considering that it was murder and not self-defense, they were left with no choice. Raye alerted a nearby police car and informed them of the situation, which unfortunately led to the man's arrest. After arresting him, they informed local units of where Xander Smoke was last seen.
"This isn't the message we should send," Raye spoke with immense regret for having to turn the man over to the police. "We cannot kill people simply because we do not like them or agree with them. That is the path of violence and self-destruction."
"It's a shame not too many people listen to it these days," Ruo responded. "If they did, then Remnant would be a much happier place. It's people like Nachtfel and Xander Smoke that stoke the flames of these kinds of wars."
"The sooner they're put behind bars, the better for us," Raye replied.
"Aren't you afraid that Xander will try something at the peace rally?" Ruo asked Raye King.
"Undoubtedly, but I'm already arranging things with local law enforcement to ensure security at the rally," Raye informed. "The last thing we want is that criminal ruining everything. Hopefully, law enforcement and the Huntsmen will capture him."
"Let's pray they do," Ruo agreed. "I'm afraid I have to go. I'm going to the Residential District. What's the quickest way?"
"Take the Residential Route at Lighthouse Station," Raye informed. "It's a few miles from here, but it's within walking distance."
"Thank you." Ruo then continued on his way to meet his teammates, though his mind was occupied with the shooting he just witnessed.
The barkeeper's motives were understandable, but regardless of how it appeared, it was murder. He shot a person without provocation; even if they did have weapons, Ruo would've easily prevented it. After more thought, he mentally shouted at himself.
He should've apprehended Xander Smoke instead of watching the argument unfold. Had he taken him down, the criminal would be in custody and Humanity First's leader would be in prison for his crimes. The next time he saw Xander, he wouldn't hesitate. He was a violent hatemonger and he had to be stopped before he caused more damage than before.
-0-
The Kendricks and Pyrrha were beat from the training today and were ready to sit down and eat some delicious dinner, courtesy of Gwyn and Corcra Kendrick. They piled their plates with food and sat down at the long table to eat with the family.
Most of them got into a lively conversation regarding recent events and the new weapons that had been made, though Math and Pyrrha were mostly quiet as they ate their food.
Pyrrha's mind was still on her decision of whether to go to Haven or not and how to tell Mathdon. She knew it could mean the possible end of their relationship, something she held very close to her heart, but she didn't want to give up her goals of becoming a Huntress either. She had a chance to pursue that dream again at Haven, but that brought up another bad memory in the form of a person.
There was a friend back in Mistral she was fond of…or was her friend until something happened that ended their relationship. She still remembered some of the things he said before she left for Beacon and he for Haven.
"Just as I was about to start having feelings for you. Well, not anymore. Goodbye, Pyrrha Nikos."
She stopped when she felt Math's hand on her own, making her give him a warm smile. The autistic swordsman knew something was up with his girlfriend, but since they were at dinner right now, he figured he'd asked later.
After dinner was finished and Corcra drove her children and Pyrrha home, Math led Pyrrha to the office to hopefully find out what was wrong with her. She had been very quiet since dinner and her mind seemed very focused on something.
"What's wrong, Pyrrha?" Math asked his beloved as they sat down on the couch together and held hands.
"I was thinking of someone," she answered. "He…he was a dear friend of mine."
"Did something happen to him?" Math asked her beloved.
"He's not dead, if that's what you're wondering. He and I…" She sighed.
"He and I first met at Sanctum Academy when we first enrolled. I was yet to become…well, as popular as I am now. In some ways, he was like you."
"Like me?" Math raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant.
"He too had to deal with something he had no control over. He had an extremely rare condition that weakened his Aura. Because of this, his Aura would always deplete much quicker than it should." Pyrrha paused for a moment as recollecting it made it easy for her to want to cry.
"When we first met, I wasn't on the pedestal everyone put me on at that time. He challenged me to a fight and I accepted. Even though he lost, he said one day, he'll beat me. We kept sparring again and again; even though he kept losing, I could tell he was getting stronger every time."
"He sounded pretty determined," Math commented. "If you don't mind me asking, were you and him ever…romantic?" Pyrrha blushed a little.
"Well, I have to admit I did develop a crush on him over time," she confessed. "If things had been different, I think I may've ended up with him."
As much as Math was relieved it didn't happen, he did his best not to show that emotion. If she had ended up with this young man, then he'd never have the love they cherished so much.
"What I admired about him was that even after I was put on a pedestal, he and I remained friends. He was like you: never put me on a pedestal, never treated me as if I was too good. He was my closest friend when I was at Sanctum."
"So…what happened?" Math asked. "Why didn't you end up together?"
The last part was painful for Pyrrha to say, which became immediately obvious. Her eyes started to water and she looked down at the carpet as several tears dripped down. As usual, Math impulsively wrapped his arms around his beloved and held her close until she calmed down. When she was calm, she snuggled into Math's shoulder as she finished the story.
Her friend had convinced his parents to lie on his health report so he could get into Sanctum Academy, so the Headmaster had no knowledge of his condition. On their final exam, they were warned that they could be fatal if their Aura was broken during it. Out of concern, Pyrrha informed a teacher of her concerns for her friend, unaware that he had lied on his health report. It almost resulted in his expulsion had Pyrrha not convinced the Headmaster to give him a chance.
Her friend was angry for her accidentally exposing him, but he eventually forgave her and the two went up against each other for their final exam. In an effort to make up for what she did, she pretended to do her best and threw the match. Her friend was furious at her for doing so and offered to leave Sanctum with no complaints, but was instead given his transcripts.
Pyrrha tried talking to him after the match, but he was furious at her for throwing the match, accused her of viewing him as weak and believed she threw the match out of pity for him. In anger, he ended their friendship and told her something that hurt her deeply.
"You're just another person who views me as weak because of my handicap…and just when I was developing feelings for you. Give my condolences to your partner since you'll only end up failing them in the end."
"He said that?" Math gasped. "I mean, I get why he'd be mad, but…that was just wrong of him."
"Math, please don't," Pyrrha pleaded. She knew her boyfriend could get riled up when he felt those he cared about were threatened, insulted or harmed. While she found it assuring to know how much he cared, she wanted to stop him from letting his emotions getting the best of him.
"Math, my love…just hold me," she requested before moving into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. Math complied to her request and held her, though he hoped his mother wouldn't walk in on them.
-0-
Hazel finally arrived at the location near the White Fang HQ where Adam told him to meet. The giant waited patiently for Adam Taurus to show up along with his followers to inform him of the situation going on with Sienna Khan. Despite the long time it took, Hazel waited patiently for Adam to arrive.
"There you are," Adam called out as he and several of his lieutenants walked up to the giant. "You got here quicker than I expected."
"I was needed here, so I came as quickly as I could," Hazel answered. "How are things with Sienna Khan? Have you managed to convince her?" Adam shook his head in annoyance.
"No. Sienna is as stubborn as a bull…" He stopped as several of his lieutenants chuckled at the unintentional pun.
"Sienna's stubborn and it doesn't help that this Humanity First is victimizing our people. If you ask me, we've wasted enough time; we should take our forces and start killing the Humanity First members-"
"No," Hazel interrupted. "One task at a time and right now, convincing Sienna Khan to aid us is our most important task. Humanity First can wait, but once we solve our problem with her, you can do as please with them as long as you don't jeopardize our plan."
Adam let out a low growl. The Faunus all across Remnant were suffering for their part in the Fall of Beacon, losing their homes, businesses, families and lives. He wanted to protect the Faunus and slaughter those who victimized them, but unless he wanted problems with Hazel's master, he take to deal with Sienna first.
Her cooperation was vital to the attack on Haven to prevent trouble from within. However, as Adam said, she was being very stubborn and hadn't been swayed to help attack Haven at all.
Luckily, Adam had a plan, though he wouldn't inform Hazel just yet.
"Let's go," Adam told Hazel, preparing for the meeting with Sienna Khan.
Author's Notes: The character Pyrrha spoke of was an OC proposed by NightShock99, so the credit for the character goes to him. I'll reveal who he is soon enough.
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