RWBY: MRRN
VOLUME 6, CHAPTER 21: Riot in Argus
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.
"You have Silver Eyes?" Math asked Grayson as the ship flew over the snowy land north to Argus. "So that's why you wore the mask?"
"Yes," Grayson answered. "My father had Silver Eyes…and for that, Salem had him and my mom killed."
"So that's how you knew about Salem," Qrow deduced, his former hostility towards the archer gone. "I…I'm sorry, kid. I can't imagine it was easy for you."
"Wait," Yang brought up. "You said you had a mentor. Who were they?" Grayson's scowl soured in response, looking out the window to the snow covered forest below.
"My grandmother, Maria Calavera…or as you may know her, the Grimm Reaper."
The moment that name was said, there was immediate silence. Qrow, Ruby, and Luna were the most shocked at this revelation: they had heard of the legends of the Grimm Reaper, but her true name was never revealed. She had simply disappeared after going on a mission and not coming back.
"Your grandmother…was the Grimm Reaper?" Qrow gasped. "Does that mean…?"
"She had Silver Eyes too," Grayson confirmed. "The greatest Huntress who was ever born, the living legend, the most powerful scythe user of all time…feh."
"You aren't excited to have the Grimm Reaper as a relative?" Ruby asked Grayson. "Especially to personally teach you the ways of a Huntress…er, Huntsman."
"I'm not a Huntsman, Ruby," Grayson corrected. "Yes, I was happy at first to have her as my mentor, but after I learned why she disappeared, I left her."
"No one knows why she disappeared," Luna spoke. "Everyone thought she was dead. I heard so much about her…I based my weapon off of hers."
"You too?" Qrow asked.
"Yeah," Luna confirmed. "I heard she could connect her kamas to create one long, double headed scythe. It sounded some amazing."
"There's nothing amazing about her," Grayson interrupted, his voice filled with contempt for his relative.
"Why do you dislike her so much?" Ruby asked. The archer sighed heavily.
"On her last mission, she was attacked by assassins sent by Salem to kill her. One of them managed to cut her eyes out."
"Her eyes were cut out?" Weiss gasped.
"Yes, but after Atlas was founded, she ventured there and got herself prosthetic eyes. After…after my parents were killed, I wandered around for a while until I ran into her by accident. After we got to know each other and I explained what happened, she taught me how to use scythes…and use my Silver Eyes as well." Ruby raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"If she helped you, then why are you so bitter towards her?"
"Because she betrayed everything that a Huntress stands for," Grayson bitterly answered. "Instead of coming back to her family, she stayed in hiding, even after she got herself prosthetic eyes. She didn't come looking for me; I found her by accident. She didn't even know her own son had been killed."
Grayson shook his head in anger, barely holding the contempt he held for his grandmother. She had abandoned her family and never bothered coming back; if Grayson hadn't found her, she never would've known that her son and daughter-in-law were dead. She never would've known about her grandson.
"I'm sorry," Ruby apologized. "You said you knew how to use Silver Eyes, right?"
"I do," Grayson confirmed. "Why? Don't you know how to control yours?"
"Well…no," Ruby answered. "I've only used it a few times, but it just happened. I don't know much about them. Can you teach me?"
"If you want to, then sure," Grayson answered. Ruby smiled widely before grabbing Grayson in a tight bear hug and spinning him around.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Thanks so much for being willing to help me learn to use my Silver Eyes! I don't-" Suddenly, Ruby's voice was mute. Again, she was the victim of Weiss's 'shut up' Glyph.
"You can thank him without tossing him around like a doll," Weiss told her team leader before lifting the Glyph. Ruby realized the way she was holding the archer and gently put him down before hiding her face and blushing.
"Thanks," she told him.
"But I think we can at least rest first before we start training," Grayson spoke as he sat down. "Considering what we just went through, I'm tired."
"Same here," Math yawned. "We can at least get some sleep before we reach Argus…Argus!" Math quickly turned to Silvio.
"Did the Argus Limited make it there safely?"
"They did," Silvio assured. "My militia there confirmed it. But you may not have as much time to rest as you think."
"Why's that?" Grayson questioned.
"There are reports of a riot in Argus, a mob approaching the Atlas base," Silvio informed. "Things haven't turned violent yet, but with the way it's going, it won't be long before there is fighting."
"And that negativity will attract Grimm," Math pointed out. "We need to get to Argus now."
"Just hold on," Ruo told Math, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We should take this time to rest. We're miles away from Argus; odds are, the riot may be over when we get there."
"Possibly, but we shouldn't ignore the possibility of Grimm being there," Aria insisted. "Obviously, those people aren't considering the fact that they're attracting those monsters. Idiots."
"Blunt as ever, Aria," Cole stated. "But we should be ready to help in case they do attract Grimm. So let's rest up now so we're ready for later."
"No argument there," Blake agreed as she slouched against the wall. As everyone slowly started to get down and rest up for the possible fight, Ruby sat next to Grayson.
"I really can't wait to start laserbeaming monsters with my eyeballs," she spoke excitedly.
"First off, don't think of your Silver Eyes like that," Grayson instructed. "Are you always this excitable?"
"Sometimes," Ruby replied, a wide grin on her face. "But…I'm really sorry about your parents." Grayson's scowl softened.
"Thanks," he responded.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Ruby asked, making Grayson turn to face her.
"Why don't you want to become a Huntsman?"
"Well…" Grayson started, fiddling with one of his scythes. "After being trained by my grandmother, I gave a lot of thought to becoming one. However…I saw something that changed my opinion of them forever."
It was obvious that what he saw was something he would not easily say to anyone, so Ruby put her hand on his shoulder in the hope of comforting him. Grayson offered a small smile in response before reaching for his knapsack. He searched around for a few moments, but came to a sudden stop.
"What were you looking for?" Ruby asked.
"My mask," Grayson answered. "I've been wearing it for so long…I forgot that it was broken. Let's get some rest." After Ruby closed her eyes, Grayson moved over a bit and did the same.
"You two look so cute together~" Yang quietly teased, petting Ruo's black and white hair as he laid his head on her lap.
-0-
A blockade was set up in front of the bridge to the Atlas Military base, having been formed after the first riot. Several Atlas soldiers held up their firearms, loaded with nonlethal rounds as they wanted to avoid civilian casualties. They watched with some anxiety and nervousness as the angry mob approached the blockade.
A tall man with dark brown hair, brown eyes and stubble on his face appeared on top, wearing a Commander's uniform and wielding a mix of a longbow and rifle with bladed edges on the limbs. He activated his Scroll and held it up to his mouth.
"This is Commander David Brownwood," he stated, his voice magnified by the loudspeakers on the sides of the blockade. "My soldiers are armed with nonlethal ammunition. Disperse or you will be fired upon!"
"Oh, screw you!" one of the rioters shouted. "You destroyed Beacon! Your machines killed innocent people!"
"That is not true!" David claimed. "Our Council has discovered evidence that our drones were hijacked during the Fall of Beacon! We were set up!"
"Then why are your borders still closed?" another rioter shouted. "Why are you still doing that Dust Embargo? We need that Dust for our businesses and defend ourselves! Ironwood's left us to die!"
"Again, that is not true!" David denied, though he knew odds are they may be more truth to their words than he wanted. "These measures were put in place until we could prove Atlas's innocence in the Fall of Beacon. Please, do not make us resort to violence."
"You already resorted to violence!" another rioter claimed.
"We fought back in self defense. We didn't seek out a fight, the previous rioters did, just as you are. I will give you one final warning: disperse or we will put you under arrest."
"Stop!" a voice cried out, belonging to Pyrrha Nikos as she and her allies hurried in front of the mob, weapons ready.
"That's Pyrrha Nikos!" one of the rioters pointed out, belonging to…Donovan Katur. "She murdered Penny in the Vytal Tournament! This is her fault!"
"She didn't murder anyone!" Jaune barked angrily. "If you paid attention to the recent news, we discovered that she was set up! She was tricked!"
"Oh, shut up!" Donovan refused to listen. "I saw what happened. That bitch is the reason Beacon was attacked! If anything, she deserved to die!"
"And you deserve to be treated like garbage, Donovan!" Pyrrha called out. Donovan's eyes widened in shock; he never expected the Invincible Girl to know his name.
"I know who you are!" she called out. "You abused your family! Your wife, Corcra, and your children, Mathdon and Safirlas! You hurt them without a shred of remorse, all the while blaming them for YOUR choices!"
"Wait," Jaune gasped before pointing his spear. "That's Math's dad!?"
"You don't know a damn thing!" Donovan refused. "They were nothing but ungrateful brats who didn't appreciate me! Obviously, he's stuffed crap in your head."
Pyrrha's eyes widened in absolute disgust. She was having a hard time believing that this man, this crude, selfish, irresponsible man, was the father of her beloved. She had been told of how he was and it was safe to say that everything Math said was true.
"Stop wasting time!" one of the rioters demanded. "If Atlas wants to make us suffer, then we'll make them suffer back!"
"Let's take it down!" With that cry, the rioters charged forward, weapons in hand. David shook his head in displeasure and gave the order for his troops to fire, knowing that if the riot was prolonged, the negativity would attract Grimm and even more people could be hurt.
"Sterling, Robin, if any Grimm attack, they'll come from the sea," Glaucus told them. "Go and keep an eye out for them; we'll take care of this riot." The two archers hurried off to get to the shore while everyone else stayed to face the oncoming riot.
"Remember, everyone: nonlethal means," Jaune told everyone. When the rioters collided with them, Jaune raised his shield up as it was hit multiple times with weapons. When he felt it had absorbed enough hits, he hit the back of his shield, causing a powerful shockwave to knock them down.
Glaucus twirled his staff around, hitting the rioters one by one as they easily went down with no Aura to protect them. One of them punched at him, but he dodged and hit the rioter in the stomach before hitting them in the jaw. Another swung a bat at him, which he blocked with his staff and then hit in the head.
"Can't any of you see?" Ren called out as he used his gauntlets and martial arts to take down the rioters while the Atlas soldiers shot them with nonlethal ammunition, stunning them. "What you're doing will attract Grimm! You need to stop!"
"Shut up!" one of the rioters shouted at Ren. "This is Atlas's fault!" Ren sighed heavily as it became clear that the rioters would not listen to reason; they were focused on their misplaced blame at Atlas.
Pyrrha threw her hoplon shield at several of the rioters, taking them all down in a single attack. She was quickly looking around for metal to restrain them, but she was kept on her toes by the attackers who were blind to reason. When she saw Donovan in the crowd, her feelings of restraint quickly gave way.
She couldn't help but feel immense hatred towards the coward who had caused her beloved so much pain. He had abused him, emotionally and mentally. He had treated him and his family like garbage, feeding Math's initial insecurity about his Asperger's. He had degraded him as stupid, worthless, and incapable of doing anything right.
And the worst part was that Donovan didn't feel a shred of regret. He acted like he did nothing wrong? Was he truly believing his own lies? Was he finding someway to convince himself that he was a good guy all along?
With her restraint giving way and her anger taking over, Pyrrha threw the shield at Donovan, enhancing it with her Polarity. When it hit, he fell to his knees, gripping his stomach and almost looked as if he was going to throw up.
In the darkest part of her heart, she wanted to make Donovan truly suffer, having seen the damage he had caused. How could this man be Mathdon's father?
She was forced to recollect herself when she saw a man swinging a bat at her; she blocked the attack and then kicked the rioter in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.
"Oh, no," Sterling gasped as he looked up. "Manticores! In the sky!"
"The same Grimm we fought on the train?" Robin asked.
"The same," Sterling confirmed. "Take them down quickly." Sterling nocked two arrows onto his bow and shot them, taking down two Grimm.
Robin nocked an arrow onto his own bow and waited for the sound of wings flapping. When he heard them, he could see red outlines of the few Grimm quickly approaching the military base. He took one down as his bow's upgrade made the arrow fly as fast as a bullet, then took down another one with ease.
"Looks like your new Semblance is serving you well," Sterling commented as he noticed how well the Kendrick archer was shooting down the Grimm. "But don't get cocky."
"It's not cockiness, it's confidence," Robin joked as he shot down another Grimm.
In a mere matter of minutes, thanks to the efforts of Team JNPR and the two Huntsmen, the riot was quickly dealt with. The soldiers emerged from the blockade and started their arrests of the rioters.
"Why would you care about them?" Donovan antagonized Pyrrha, still holding his stomach where he was hit with the shield. "They don't matter."
"Don't matter?" Pyrrha hissed, walking over to the abusive man. "How can you honestly say that about your own family?"
"They'll never amount to anything, especially Math," Donovan claimed angrily. "That stupid-" He was cut off by a sudden strike to his head. Pyrrha looked to her side to see that Glaucus had knocked him out with his staff.
"I was tired of hearing him," the Gray Wanderer replied. "So, this is the man who Corcra married? A shame he was so useless."
"Glaucus," David called out as the soldiers continued arresting the now beaten down or unconscious rioters. Glaucus held out his hand, prompting David to do the same and shake hands with him.
"I'm glad you and the others were here," David expressed. "This is the fourth riot to occur ever since the closing of Atlas's borders."
"I'm sorry to hear that, lad," Ruadh spoke as he approached the Argus Military Commander. "But I'm glad to you're safe…if not uglier than the last time we met." David smirked.
"I'm not the one who's bald and with a hideous beard."
"I must speak with you," Glaucus told the Argus Commander.
"Commander!" an Atlas soldier addressed. "A ship is coming towards us. It's Silvio Steel."
"Silvio?" David asked. "Leader of the Bushi militia?"
"Yes, they're three miles out. They're requesting permission to land and help with the riot if necessary, but since…"
"Let him land," David answered. "Who else is with him?"
"Several Huntsmen and students who were on the Argus Limited, including Forest Kotka," the soldier answered.
"The Argus Limited?" Jaune gasped. "That means….everyone's okay, right?"
"They didn't report anyone in critical condition, so I'd assume so," the soldier responded. "I'll send word back to them to left them land at the Argus base." The soldier saluted his Commander and hurried back to the base.
"So what do you need?" David asked Glaucus.
While Glaucus and David walked off, Pyrrha glared at Donovan, who was now being escorted away with his hands in magnetic binds. A dark part of her wanted to beat him ruthlessly for his shameless abuse he put Math, Saf and their mother through. She had seen the toll it had taken on her beloved; he was something she hoped Math would've forgotten by now.
But he hadn't. It was still haunting him, and possibly Safirlas, which said how much Donovan had hurt his children. Seeing him dragged away in binds for rioting was enough punishment for him…for now.
"So…that's Math's dad?" Ren asked as he, Nora and Jaune walked up to Pyrrha.
"It was," Robin confirmed as he approached the group. "Selfish bastard."
"Nora," Pyrrha told her teammate. "If I see him again, I WILL break his legs."
"Oh," Nora gasped. "You really don't like him?"
"You heard him," Pyrrha responded to her teammate. "He abused Math and his family and won't even apologize for it. There's nothing to like about him."
"Well, we don't need to focus on him anymore," Ren pointed out. "Silvio's ship is coming, which means our friends are on board."
"Yes," Pyrrha agreed, changing her focus to her beloved. "I just hope they're okay."
-0-
"Well, good news," Silvio told everyone, who were now groggily waking up. "The situation in Argus is good. The rioters have been apprehended and there were very few Grimm."
"For once, I'm glad we missed the action," Yang yawned. "So, I'm going back to sleep."
"Well, don't get too comfortable," Silvio insisted. "We're close to Argus now and I'm not rolling you guys out of the ship."
"We'll be awake," Qrow assured as he closed his eyes. Luna, now awake, walked over to Silvio and kissed his cheek.
"Thanks, babe," she told him.
"Hey, your hair," Silvio spoke, noticing how it was now snow white. "Will it be changing back soon?"
"It will," Luna assured. Silvio then brought Luna's head close to his own.
"Did you tell Qrow yet? About being his…well, daughter?"
"I had a chance, but the train was attacked before I could say it," Luna answered. "I can't keep this in the dark forever, not when they're leaving for Atlas soon. But…"
"But?" Silvio asked.
"Something happened after the train crashed and Qrow…he hasn't been himself. I don't know if now's the right time to tell him that he's my father…but if I don't soon, then I don't know when I'll see him again."
"Just tell him," Silvio insisted. "Once we get to Argus, just tell him. You spent your life looking for him; don't let the chance go to waste."
While it wasn't obvious to the others, it was very obvious to her teammates and boyfriend. She had to tell Qrow the truth sooner or later before he left for Atlas…the truth that she was his daughter.
The problem was that he was in a somewhat vulnerable state of mind after what Ozpin said when the train crashed. How would he handle it? Would he see it as a way to make himself improve? Or would it just be another reason for him to loathe himself other than his Semblance?
His Semblance. Misfortune. Now she understood why he left her mother.
-0-
"Hya!" Redd Edge shouted as he fought with a doubled edged greatsword with a magnum barrel and large gun barrel in the center of the blade in the fighting pits of lower Mistral. The warrior easily cut through his opponents with little to no resistance, soiling the pits with large amounts of blood.
"Hmm, rather barbaric," Eneas commented. "What'd make this lovely is a beautiful explosion. Oh, the pieces of human flesh burning, the fires, the sounds…it's pure art."
"Like I said, Olivia," Rufus told the Vacuo mercenary. "We already have psychopaths. Do we really need Redd Edge?"
"He's a powerful fighter," Olivia pointed out. "Name one warrior stronger than him, especially with his Semblance."
"Oh, there are plenty," Rufus replied before catching sight of a voluptuous woman with a fox tail nearby. He was about to sneak off, but he felt a hand grab the collar of his shirt and stop him.
"Stop thinking with your genitals," Olivia told him. "Have you found a ship that can get us to Atlas?"
"The only place we can get any sort of Atlas aircraft would probably be at Argus, its outpost or in Mistral itself," Rufus informed. "Atlas has been sending Huntsmen to help stabilize the Kingdom ever since the Battle of Haven."
"Then that's where we must go," Cinder stated. "I must kill them as soon as possible."
"Hold on, Amber," Olivia told the masked woman. "We need to be cautious. Odds are, they'll put the Mantas under protection."
"We don't have time to waste," Cinder claimed. "Let us get this fighter and be on our way."
"And the winner of this round is…Redd Edge!" the announcer shouted. "Who can even beat him? His Semblance alone makes him unbeatable."
"Semblance?" Cinder asked. "What's his Semblance?"
"Counterbalance, my dear," Eneas informed. "Upon visual sight of an enemy, his strength increases, adding their power as his own. If he were to see an entire army of soldiers, he'd be as strong as each and every one of them."
"But there's a catch," Olivia added. "He can only add a certain amount of strength to himself; if he adds too much, his muscles will be damaged and he'll be incapacitated for hours."
"Quite a drawback," Cinder spoke. "But still, that makes him a very valuable ally."
After Redd Edge walked out of the pit and to the neighboring tavern, he sat at the bar and ordered a large drink of whiskey. It took a few moments, but he received his drink and he put the Lien on the table.
"Can I have some?" Rufus asked Redd, much to the warrior's ire.
"No," he responded. "What do you want, lecher?"
"What WE want is your help," Olivia spoke up, pushing Rufus away.
"Who will we be fighting?" Redd asked. Olivia took out her scroll and showed the barbarian the pictures of the students and Huntsmen they were after.
"Team MRRN, fought at Beacon, on the Anima Express and Haven," Redd examined. "Pyrrha Nikos, four time champion of the Mistral regional tournament. And five veteran Huntsmen…I'm in."
"We'll discuss the bounty after we deal with them," Eneas told the barbarian as he adjusted his top hot.
"I have no interest in money," Redd responded. "My only price is to fight them."
"That's it?" Cinder questioned.
"I seek only to fight the strongest opponents I can find. With everything I've heard about them, I'm sure they'll give me a fight I desire."
"Sweet, then I don't have to share my cut," Rufus replied happily. "Meaning more-"
Wham! Rufus was hit hard by Redd, sending him face first into the floor. The red squirrel Faunus groaned for several moments as his light red Aura shimmered from the impact before he got up onto his feet.
"When was the last time someone hit this drunk?" Redd asked.
"Far too long if you ask me, chap," Eneas responded. "I simply don't see the need for this drunken lecher. Surely, my artistic talents-"
"Oh, shut up," Rufus groaned. "Your only 'artistic' talent is being a pain in the ass. I've seen better explosives from a school science experiment." Eneas glared over at the red squirrel.
"How dare you insult my art! I create beautiful-"
"That is enough," Ketseuki replied. "We have the group together. Now we must get an Atlas craft and head there."
"I'll look up the closest ones," Rufus responded before activating his Scroll. "In the meantime, make sure this snob over here doesn't blow anything up."
"And while you're at it, make sure this beast doesn't get drunk," Eneas countered.
Cinder shook her head. Why was she wasting her time with these fools? The only competent one she saw was Olivia Cassidy.
Rufus Egern was a straight up drunk and lecher, constantly expressing his love for alcohol and women. Eneas Bleu was a dramatic arsonist, praising his own work as if it was art. Ketseuki was a bloodthirsty killer and Redd Edge was only after strong opponents.
She didn't have a choice, though. With her actions at Haven, she had no allies, not even Emerald and Mercury. She was on her own and the only allies she could have were these misfits that Olivia had pointed her to.
"I don't care what it takes," Cinder growled. "I will have the power of the Winter Maiden…and I will kill Ruby and Pyrrha." She chuckled sadistically as she relished the thought of making her two worst enemies die gruesome and agonizing deaths.
However, that feeling quickly went away when she tried conjuring another flame; instead, it was nothing more than sparks. What did she need to do to regain her Maiden powers? She needed them if she was to have her revenge on everyone she viewed as an enemy, including Salem.