Disclaimer: I do not, nor do I claim to, own RWBY or any other media that may be referenced in this fic. All rights go to their respective owners. The only thing I lay any claim to are my OCs.
"Salem can't be killed… You all heard that too… right?" Yang asks.
"We did," Rosa confirms.
Ozpin looks down at the snowy ground.
"I-"
"There was so much you hadn't told us. How could you think any of that was okay?" Yang demands.
"What is your plan?" Rosa asks, drawing their attention. "To defeat Salem?"
"I… I don't have one," he admits.
Qrow screams as he whirls around and punches him, sending him into a nearby tree.
"I thought I was finally doing something good. No one wanted me, I was cursed, and I gave my life to you in return for a place in this world… and now… to find out that was all a lie," he hisses out.
"But you are doing good," Ozpin weakly defends.
Qrow turns away, refusing to let him see the tears shining in his eyes. "Meeting you was the worst luck in my life."
Ozpin hangs Oscar's head. "Maybe you're right." Oscar's eyes glow gold as control of his body is thrust upon him. Oscar lets his head plonk back against the wood as he groans from the punch.
"We weren't done talking to him," Rosa says coldly.
"He's… he's gone."
"I don't care! Tell him we're not done yet and to come face us!" Yang yells.
"No! It's not like that. He's… gone… it's like he's locked himself deep inside my head… our head? I hate this, why did it have to be me?" he groans.
"He just left us?" Weiss asks.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Blake adds.
Yang growls as lilac flames wreath her eyes again.
"Enough," Maria snaps. They all turn to look at her. "I've said it before, and I'm only going to say it once more. You are all spewing negativity, and that brings the Grimm. It'll be dark soon enough and we need to figure out shelter. I haven't lived this long just to die out here in the cold."
"She's right," Rosa admits. "Qrow, turn into your bird form and search from the air for any shelters that look decent enough to spend the night in. If you can't find any within fifteen minutes, come back and we'll set up in the train wreck for the night. Everyone else, spend that time scavenging for anything we might need. Food, water, dust, you name it."
Qrow nods and just before he's about to transform, Maria grabs his arm. "You need to calm down. They need you, Qrow."
"I get it," he says and then transforms, taking flight in one fluid motion.
Normally, Hazel Rainart would never be seen in a bar. They didn't hold any appeal to him to begin with.
However, he isn't at this particular bar with an intent to drink.
He's there to talk with someone… and she's easy enough to spot.
Jewel toned purple hair cascading in thick curls down to her waist and a matching leopard tail flicking playfully behind her as she watches a game of snooker. Her body is covered in distinctive black leopard markings, tattoos that she wears openly on her mahogany skin.
He walks up beside her and watches the game as well.
"For a moment I thought you were brave, walking up to me like that, but you're as quiet as a mouse," she says after a few moments.
"I see no reason to talk so openly with so many people around," he admits.
She turns to face him with a pout. "Oh, don't be like that. Trust me, come morning, this lot won't remember a thing. They're too drunk to be aware of what's happening."
"That does not mean our words aren't being recorded by security," he warns her.
"Well then," she coos, placing a hand on his chest, "why don't we go find somewhere more… private?"
He can feel a tugging in the pit of his stomach, but ignores it with the help of his semblance and follows her out of the bar.
In one hand she twirls a staff tipped with a pinecone as she waits against a wall. "So, big guy, this private enough for you?"
He looks around and nods. "It will have to do."
"So, what is it that you want? Sex? Money? Power?" she prods before laughing. "I can't help you with that last one, but the other two I can, for the right price."
"I am here to make an offer," he tells her.
"That tells me nothing," she shoots back and the tugging in his belly increases. For a moment his mind goes hazy, but he clamps down on it with his semblance and blocks it out.
"The world is going to be remade. If you help, you will be granted a high position in the new world," he explains
"What if I don't?" she asks.
"Then you will be left with all those who stand against the new order of the world."
"Pretty serious stuff. But that does make me wonder, why would you want me? Well, I'm guessing it's not really up to you anyway. The leader of a revolution wouldn't come and see little ole me, but still. What makes your leader interested in recruiting me?" she drawls, green eyes gleaming.
"We have been watching you. Your talents would be beneficial to the progression of the cause."
"What? Being a thief? A swindler? In that sense I'm dime a dozen, big guy, there has to be something more to it than that," she scoffs.
"You are more successful than others of your ilk, more skilled."
"Again, I'm not the only one. Let's switch topics, shall we. Why did you join this… cause?" she asks.
"Our interests align."
"That's it? Surely there's more?" she pushes. "Oh, but don't tell me. I do like a good mystery."
The pulling in his gut grows stronger and for a third time he pushes it down with his semblance.
"You don't seem like a man with visions of grandeur, otherwise you would be boasting your plans for any to hear and you certainly wouldn't have asked for this conversation to be private. Additionally, you certainly don't dress like a man seeking power or fame. No, this is all far more personal for you, isn't it? You claim that your interests and that of your leader's align, and that can mean oh so many things, but I think it isn't just an interest. No, it's a common enemy, isn't it?" she pushes, stalking towards him. "But then, what enemy? What could a man so humble and soft spoken have against the kingdoms? So rather, I don't think it's the kingdoms you see as an enemy, but a specific person, or perhaps even a group of them. At this point I think it safe to say that you're a man filled with a desire for revenge. Am I right?"
"What does it matter to you?"
"Normally I don't do things for free, big guy, but let me give you a piece of advice. Revenge? Revenge is a slow death. A slow suicide. If revenge is all you live for, then your life will be short and bitter. It is pointless. The damage already done and never to be reversed. Revenge fixes nothing, it can't undo the pain you've felt. So why toil in it? Why torture yourself unnecessarily? You are only harming yourself," she tells him slowly.
"Then what motivates you?" he asks.
She smirks and uses her thyrsus to boop him on the nose (and the pulling in his gut comes again, and again he squashes it down). "Isn't it obvious, big guy?"
"I wouldn't ask if I knew."
Her smile grows wider, showing off her slightly too-long white teeth. "I live."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Luxury, riches, wealth. All the creature comforts of the world. Fine silks and velvets, the purest of cottons, the softest of leathers. The freshest most delectable foods paired with perfectly aged liquors. Surrounded by splendour and being pampered like a queen. What is life without tasting its sweetest fruits? I could very easily choose to be bitter, to want revenge for all the pain I've felt, but it isn't worth my time. As I said, revenge is a slow suicide, I prefer to live," she tells him.
"Then join. When the world is remade, you will have it all," he tells her bluntly.
She takes her time thinking, mulling over the words they had exchanged.
"Before I give you my final answer, tell me, what your name and your leader's name," she demands.
"My name is Hazel Rainhart, and I work for Salem," he reveals.
"Well then, Hazel, you can tell Salem that she has another person on her payroll."
"Alright, so… this place isn't as good as I thought," Qrow admits after the discovery of the corpses in the beds. "It's the same in every house. Every single bed."
"What?" Yang breathes out.
"It's like the entire estate just went to sleep and never woke up," he explains.
"We aren't staying here… right?" Weiss asks.
"We don't have a choice. That storm is getting worse. We'd freeze to death before getting anywhere. We wouldn't even be able to get back to the train to use that for shelter. Whatever is happening here, we'll just have to deal with it for now," Rosa says.
"Welp, might as well get comfortable," Maria chimes, getting up to peruse the bookshelf.
"Fat chance," Yang scoffs.
"Let's do something then. If this place wasn't abandoned, there might still be supplies we could use," Blake points out.
"Maybe even a car," Oscar jokes.
"I'll do another sweep of the grounds," Qrow offers.
"I could check the other buildings for vehicles?" Blake speaks up, hand in Yang's.
"I'll come with you," the blonde responds.
"Don't eat or drink anything," Rosa says before any of them can leave. "We don't know what caused this, and until we do, I don't want to take any chances."
Qrow nods in agreement. "And no one goes anywhere alone, well, I can handle myself, but the rest of you stick with a buddy."
The three head out the front door and Rosa closes it behind them.
"So… what do we do?" Oscar asks.
"Well, how about I read us a story?" Maria suggests, holding up her book. "It's the diary of the man who ran this estate."
Rosa takes in a sharp breath. "Skip to the end."
"But that would spoil the story?" Maria protests. "And there's more than one diary too."
Rosa goes to the bookshelf and picks up the newest of the diaries, flipping through the pages to find the last point of writing. "It could tell us what happened here," she points out, coming to stop on a page and then dropping it with a gasp. "No."
"What is it?" Weiss asks. Oscar picks it up and his eyes go wide.
"This isn't good," he groans.
"What is it?" Weiss asks again, more insistent.
"The Apathy," Rosa says quietly.
"You… you don't mean…" Weiss trails off.
Rosa nods shakily.
Oscar skims over the pages and then speaks. "The owner wanted to keep people calm, to lower costs by cutting hunters. He thought he could lure one or two of them away from their pack, use them to take the edge off. He put them in the sewer system under the estate."
"Everyone here lost the will to live… to wake up… to… to breathe," Rosa says in horror. "I knew that The Apathy were like this, but…" she shakes her head. "No. We have to keep ourselves together until we can get out of this place."
"What do we do?" Weiss asks, her voice shaking.
"No one sleeps for more than two hours uninterrupted. We'll all be tired tomorrow morning, but at least we should have enough energy to keep ourselves going. As soon as the storm breaks, we'll head out and leave this place burning to the ground," Rosa tells her with as much confidence as she can muster.
"Do we even have enough supplies to make a fire that big?" Oscar wonders.
"We can search for accelerant or something," Rosa suggests. "Actually, Oscar, let's go do that now. A place like this is sure to have a cellar of some sort."
"Coming."
"It's really getting bad out there," Blake comments as she brushes off some snow.
"This is all my fault," Yang sighs.
"No, it isn't, Yang,"
"But it is. If I had just insisted we put the relic back in its vault, none of this would have happened. We'd be in Argus right now and not in some freaky estate populated by bedridden corpses," she points out.
Blake shakes her head. "This isn't your fault. You didn't know what would happen and it wasn't your choices alone that led us here."
"I don't have the energy to debate that, so lets just check through this building and see if there's anything useful," Yang concedes.
The two split up until Blake lets out a gasp accompanied by the soft shink of her katana being unsheathed quickly.
Yang rushes to her side. "Blake!" Except, there's nothing there apart from a flatbed. "Blake? You okay?"
"I… I thought I saw…" Blake takes a shaky breath to stabilise herself. "I thought I saw Adam."
"Oh…"
"It happened on the train too. Right after I cut the back cars loose, I thought he was standing on the landing opposite me. I could have sworn he was there, but a split second later it was like he was never there," she admits.
"I get it," Yang tells her.
"You don't think I'm crazy?"
"No. I used to see Adam like that all the time. Now… now I see my parents," the blonde reveals.
"Your parents?"
"I know, it's weird. It isn't like I was close with them. They may not have given me scars to wear on my skin, but they left me with so much trauma in my head. I… every time I look in the mirror, I don't see myself anymore, I see my parents staring me down. I'm so scared of turning into them. That, that I'm inheriting more than just the maiden powers from my mother. There was a point when we were fighting the manticores where I thought I was turning into my dad. I snapped out of that pretty fast, but…" Yang tells her.
"You aren't like them. I know you Yang. You've always faced things head on, and you've never run from things," Blake assures her.
"I'm still terrified," Yang admits.
"Then I'll be right here beside you, every step of the way."
"Thanks."
A moment of silence passes between them before Yang turns to look at the flatbed. "It looks like it could hook up to Bumblebee and carry everyone. Let's get back to the main house so we can get warm."
"Yeah, I don't want to get stuck out here in the storm," Blake agrees.
The night goes slowly.
No one gets proper sleep.
Two hours sleep and one hour awake and active.
With the knowledge of The Apathy lurking beneath the floorboards, none of them want to sleep too long and risk not waking up again.
They do what they can to wake themselves up, sit-ups, push-ups, tearing bed linen to strips in preparation for morning. Blake and Yang use a needle (sterilised with a bit of fire) and add some more piercings to their ears.
Morning comes and thankfully the storm has let up. They spread out in pairs searching for everything and anything flammable.
The wine cellar gets raided for alcohol, every bottle cap and cork popped open and a strip of linen pushed in ready to be lit.
Gasoline from the garages is splashed all over each of the buildings and the furniture within piled up in bonfires. When they're done with a building, they turn any flame source on and leave it on to burn.
They find whole barrels of oil and they pour it down the well in hopes that the oil will sit atop the water and create a flammable surface down in the sewer.
"That everything?" Weiss asks as she and Oscar make their way back to the main driveway.
"Yeah, that's everything," Qrow confirms.
"Okay, I'm going to go in the main house and set it on fire from inside and chuck some of our alcohol bombs down into the sewer access in the cellar. Everyone else, take some alcohol bombs and chuck them through the windows of the other buildings. Once it is burning sufficiently, chuck the rest of your bombs down the wells and head over to Abuela by the flatbed and we'll get moving," Rosa instructs.
No one bothers to argue.
Less than ten minutes later, Brunswick farms are ablaze.
They don't look back.
Pyrrha's out visiting her parents for the morning, leaving Jaune and Mercury on their scrolls, watching the list of contacts in calling range and waiting for any of their friends to appear on it.
"What if they couldn't find shelter from last night's storm?" Mercury rambles out of the blue.
"Hey, we have to trust in them. I'm sure they're fine," Jaune tries to reassure them.
Mercury goes to open his mouth but a beep sounds from both of their scrolls.
7 Contacts back in range.
They both fumble with their scrolls to see it for themselves.
"You call one of them, I'm going to call Pyrrha and let her know," Jaune tells the younger boy.
"Okay. Okay, okay I can do that," he rambles and presses on Rosa's contact. "Please pick up, please pick up, please please please."
"Mercury?" Rosa's voice asks from the other end of the line.
"Rosa!" he calls back, "You're alive!"
"Yeah, we're alive. We're on our way, okay? We can see the Argus wall, so we won't be long," Rosa tells him.
"We'll meet you there, we're coming," he tells her franticly.
Half an hour later, the two are colliding in a hug and they quickly pull Oscar in to join them. Rosa pulls back and smiles at him. "I promised I'd meet you here, and I've kept everyone safe."
"Alright, enough sappy stuff," Maria interjects. "Did you manage to find somewhere to stay? Because frankly, we're all going to need a good night's sleep before we do anything big."
"My sister has offered the guest rooms in her house. It'll be a bit squishy and we'd have to use the couches as well, but we'd fit," Jaune explains.
"My parents have offered to host us as well, but they don't have as much space," Pyrrha adds on.
"Jaune, we spent the night in a freezing house and sleeping in two hour lots on the floor because there was a nest of The Apathy beneath us. Squishy and couches is fine," Yang tells him.
"I'm guessing you haven't been by the base yet?" Qrow asks Jaune, Pyrrha and Mercury.
"Not yet, but Terra, my sister-in-law, works at the com tower. She says that the only people getting in from Argus are the ones working there and they're all kept a close eye on," Jaune reports.
Qrow sighs. "Sounds like James. There's a chance he hasn't even gotten the letter I sent him, so trying to convince the officials to let us through to Atlas isn't going to be easy."
"We should probably catch them up on what's happening before we try the base," Rosa points out. "Jaune, do you think your sister would let us do some planning in private at her place?"
"Yeah, come on, it's a bit of a walk to get there," he replies.
"If Salem can't be killed, what are we meant to do?" Mercury asks.
"Right now?" Rosa starts, "Right now it means nothing. We still need to protect the relics, because if Salem gets her hands on all four, then its all over and we all get destroyed. This is a war of attrition. We can't win because Salem can't be killed and thus can just outwait us. Meanwhile we're doing everything we can to keep her from winning."
"I… I have a theory," Oscar says.
"Have at it," Yang tells him.
"Salem has a few agendas. She hates the gods, and she's getting revenge on them by becoming the new goddess of Remnant. Oz is the only real obstacle in her path and has a vendetta against him. I don't think the attacks were separate. Salem chose to target Beacon first because that's where Oz was. Taking him out would give them time to target Haven, the place they had an easy in, and then get their hands on the Lamp. Using the relic, they could then find out how to get their hands on the Relic of Destruction. From there, use that to destroy Oz's reincarnation cycle, and the only obstacle in her path is gone," he suggests.
"Then we're going to the wrong place. The sword is in Vacuo, why are we going to Atlas if the place we need to be in is Vacuo?" Weiss questions.
"I think Salem is going to be cautious. She lost Lionheart and Tyrian, and possibly even Cinder. That leaves Emerald as the only Maiden candidate that we know of. Add on top that she's running short on people to actually get things done, she'll be moving towards recruitment. She may even see the Staff of Creation as a way to create an army. At any rate, she isn't likely to be going after Vacuo any time soon," he tries to assure them.
"We can only hope," Blake says softly. "For all our sakes."
A/N: Welcome back to the Grimm Reaper! Hope you enjoyed it. Another new villian has been introduced, Amethyst Naamah, and she is my favourite OC in this fic. If you can figure out who she is inspired by AND what her semblance is, I'll give you a shoutout in the next chapter and a sneak peak at the next chapter. In other news, I am tired and ready for university to end for the year. I just have one more assignment that is due next Friday and then I'm done, just in time for Vol 8.
On that note, NO SPOILERS! This is a no spoiler zone, I do not have First and it is not fair for people to have the experience spoiled like that. I will probably put this fic on hiatus in a few weeks until early next year so that I can figure out how much of Vol 8 I want to incorporate and then get to actually writing it. Don't worry, I won't be leaving you on a cliff hanger.
Anyways, let me know your thoughts (or guess as to who Amethyst is based on and her semblance) in a review, or send me a PM. Otherwise, I'll see you next week with another chapter.
- RebeccaMagic9