RWBY: MRRN
Volume 6, Chapter 22: Help and Refuge
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth
Author's Notes: I'll be going back and renaming Luna and Grayson's weapons. The single handed scythes they wield are technically called Kamas.
Edit: I also went back and decided to Saphron and Terra roommates instead, but Adrian considers Saph like an aunt.
"We'll be arriving at the Argus base in a few minutes," Silvio informed everyone.
"Are you coming with us?" Ruby asked, making sure she had everything.
"No, I'm still helping my family with keeping peace in Mistral, rounding up the last of the Wild Hunt," Silvio answered.
"There it is!" Yang called out as the city came into view, prompting all of the young adults to come to the window and gaze at the city they were approaching.
The large settlement was positioned between two large hills with a stone wall several stories high overlooking the ocean. The buildings appeared to be made out of brick with cobblestone streets with a streetcar system that carried multiple passengers.
"It's so beautiful," Math spoke. "So this is Pyrrha's home."
As they flew over the wall, the Argus Military Base came into view. Instead of being inside the city, the main base was built on a small island just off the coast at the end of a large suspension bridge. On another island was their airfield where several Atlas aircraft, mostly Mantas, flew in and out of the city.
"Are those the rioters?" Blake asked, pointing to the people being arrested at the start of the bridge.
"Looks like it," Aria responded. "From what I've heard, the Dust Embargo really affected this city since it's the main trading center between Anima and Solitas. With the tension and effect the Embargo's done, riots were inevitable."
"So why won't General Ironwood lift the Embargo?" Ruby wondered. "He must see that Mistral needs help; the Huntsmen alone may not be enough."
"Well, let's tell him that when we get to Atlas," Math suggested. The pilot approached the airfield and slowly descended as it began to land. When it was safe for everyone to disembark the aircraft, they leapt out of the ship and onto the solid ground.
"Local comms in Mistral are still up," Silvio informed after everyone got off the ship. "If anything happens, let me know."
"Will do," Oren replied. Silvio nodded his head and gestured for the pilot to lift off from the airfield and head back to Mistral.
"He certainly made our trip a whole lot easier," Yang spoke as she held the handles of her motorcycle. "Now let's find the others; hopefully, they've arranged a way for us to get to Atlas by now."
"Don't get your hopes up yet," Weiss insisted. "Ironwood's been adamant about no one being allowed in or out of Atlas and we can't exactly talk about the Relic in front of everyone."
"Oh, crap," Luna groaned, putting her hand on her forehead. "How are we going to tell the others about this?"
"About what?" Cole asked. "What happened?"
"It's a lot to explain," Ruo responded. "But we found out something after the train crashed."
"Because of that liar, Ozpin," Qrow growled, showing immense disdain for the Beacon headmaster. "The Relics attract Grimm."
"What?" Cole gasped. "So the Grimm attack-"
"Was partially because we were carrying around a literal Grimm magnet," Qrow interrupted. "And that's not all; it had two questions left when he said they were all used up. Now, it only has one question."
"Alright, that's enough," Ruo spoke up. "We'll fill you in on everything later, but we need to focus on securing a way to Atlas."
"Then you kids go do that," Qrow dismissed as he started to walk off. "I'm getting a drink."
"Hold on," Luna spoke up, running in front of the scythe user. "I know you're upset about what happened, but right now, we need-"
"What YOU need to do is get out of my way," Qrow interrupted, not bothering to hear her out as he walked around her.
"Qrow!" Math shouted, making the drunk scythe user stop again. "We can figure this out, but not if you go off getting-"
"Then figure it out without me," Qrow dismissed before walking off again. Ruby was about to speak up, but Yang put her hand on her sister's shoulder. She knew that right now, Qrow was not open to reason due to his disdain towards Ozpin and immense feelings of betrayal.
"I'll call Pyrrha," Math offered. He took out his scroll and dialed Pyrrha's number. It rung for a few seconds before it picked up.
"Math!" Pyrrha gasped. "Thank Oum you're safe! Where are you?"
"We just landed at the airfield near the base," he answered. "What about the rest of you guys? You okay?"
"We're fine," Pyrrha informed. "Jaune went off to see his sister and hopefully arrange for some of us to stay there. I talked with my mother, but we don't have enough rooms for everyone here."
"What about arranging a transport to Atlas?" Math brought up as the group started to walk away from the airfield. "Have you managed to secure one?"
"Glaucus is speaking with Commander Brownwood as we speak," Pyrrha answered. "From the looks of it, he may be able to secure a way for us. He'll contact us when he's done talking with Brownwood. In the meantime, I'll text you my home address."
"Thanks," Math responded. "We'll see you shortly. Love you."
"Love you more." Math then hung up on and put his scroll back in his pocket.
"Well?" Ruby asked.
"Glaucus is speaking with Commander Brownwood to secure a route to Atlas," Math informed. "From the looks of it, he may be able to convince him. She's also sending me her home address where we can settle in at her home or Jaune's sister's."
"Jaune's sister!?" Ruby gasped, her eyes sparkling. "She lives here in Argus!? Oh, my gosh! That is so amazing! I can't believe-"
"Do I have to use my Shut Up Glyph again?" Weiss warned Ruby, making the reaper Huntress glare at her teammate.
"Come on, Weiss Cream," Nasser joked. "You're telling me you won't let Ruby have some fun?"
"Weiss Cream?" Weiss responded. "Why does everyone keep coming up with these nicknames for me?"
"Probably because it's fun, Ice Queen," Yang chuckled, making everyone laugh as they continued walking the bridge to Argus.
Ruby looked ahead to see that Qrow was gone, most likely having changed into his bird form and flew off. She wished he didn't go off to drown his problems in alcohol like he had before, but there was no denying the immense pain he was feeling ever since they learned of Salem's origins.
For years, he blamed himself for Summer's death and had lived with a Semblance that caused everyone around him, friend or foe, nothing but pain. No one who knew of his Semblance ever wanted to be around him, causing him to keep his distance from others.
Ozpin had given him a place in the world where he could do good, despite his misfortune. He had fought against an enemy that threatened humanity and sought to divide them so Ozpin could never redeem them. He was extremely loyal to Ozpin, almost always supporting his choices because of finally having a chance to help others.
To him, it was all a lie. Ozpin initially didn't intend on recruiting Qrow, only Summer; if Qrow hadn't been part of Team STRQ, Ozpin never would've bothered with him. Instead of the immensely altruistic act Qrow thought it was, he had just been along for the ride.
To make it worse, Ozpin possibly knew Qrow was living with guilt over Summer's death and did nothing to console him. If he had told them why she needed him to master her Silver Eyes, then perhaps she'd still be alive. It was heart wrenching for Qrow to realize that one of his dearest friends had allowed him to live with that guilt this whole time.
"Ruby?" Grayson asked the reaper. "Are you okay?"
"I'm just worried about Uncle Qrow," she answered. "He's never been…like this before. If he has, then I didn't see it."
"He probably wouldn't have wanted you to see him like that," Forest spoke sympathetically. "He's been struggling much more than you realize."
"Well, if we don't see him before dark, we should go looking for him," Yang suggested.
"Agreed," Ruo complied.
"Guys!" Jaune called out as the group approached the city.
"Jaune!" Weiss reciprocated before hugging him while everyone else greeted each other.
"Math," Pyrrha spoke as she hurried up to him and shared a passionate hug with him, who immediately reciprocated it.
During the reunion, Yang noticed something was off: Jaune, Nora and Ren weren't paying any attention to her. When she tried to greet Nora, instead of a happy 'welcome back', she was met with a scornful look.
"Nora?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow to this sudden change in behavior.
"Hold on," Ruadh spoke. "Where's Qrow?"
"He's…off somewhere," Forest answered. "Once we get settled in, we'll let you know what happened."
Those who stayed on the Argus Limited could immediately sense that they had learned something bad after the train crashed. They wanted to know right away, but considering they just got back to civilization, they'd definitely deserved a chance to settle in before revealing what they learned.
"Follow me this way," Jaune gestured to Team RWBY. "My sister's agreed to let you guys stay over for now."
"That's very kind of her," Weiss complimented. "What about everyone else?"
"My mother will be letting everyone else stay at our house," Pyrrha answered. "I'll show you." The two groups, Jaune, Nora and Ren leading RWBY and Pyrrha leading everyone else, split off from each other to settle down and rest for a while.
"They're not going to like it," Math whispered to Forest.
"No, they won't," he agreed. "But they need to know."
-0-
"What do you mean not right away?" Glaucus asked David as they sat on opposite sides of a table. "David, I know Atlas's borders are closed; I wouldn't be asking this of you unless it was serious."
"I cannot help you unless you tell me why it's so necessary to go to Atlas," David responded. "At this time, no one is allowed in or out of the Kingdom unless they have a Council member's permission. To do that, I'd need a valid reason to gain their permission."
"A Council member's permission?" Glaucus questioned. "Or Ironwood's? From what I've heard, he did this without consulting the Council first, along with the Dust Embargo."
"Unfortunately," David reluctantly confirmed. "Ironwood's position as both Headmaster and General gives him much more power than the usual Council member. He can do several things without requiring a vote from the Council."
"David…you must convince a Council member to let us enter Atlas," Glaucus insisted. "Please. It's very important."
"How?" David questioned. "I trust you, Glaucus, but I need a valid reason to allow you and the others into the Kingdom. I cannot just say 'they want to enter' or 'they have business here'; that will not suffice. Please, Glaucus; tell me why you need to go to Atlas."
"Very well," Glaucus complied. "When the Argus Limited was attacked, some of my companions stayed behind to deal with the Grimm. They had an object in their possession that the enemy wanted."
"An object that they wanted?" David asked. "I was informed that before the Grimm attacked, something or someone else did. Who were they?"
"They were fighters working for those responsible for the Fall of Beacon," Glaucus informed. "That fighting with them attracted the Grimm."
"What exactly did they want? Do your companions still have it?"
"Yes, they do. It's a lamp." David raised an eyebrow.
"A lamp? Why would they be after a lamp?"
"I don't know that, but considering they were willing to slaughter innocents, it must be very important. Atlas is the safest place for it at the moment; Vale and Mistral are barely in any condition to help defend it should they return."
David paused for a moment. He could easily sense that Glaucus wasn't telling him everything, but he could also sense the sincerity in his words. If this lamp was truly something their enemy wanted and was willing to slaughter innocent people to get it, then perhaps it'd be wise to take it to Atlas.
But why did they want this lamp? What was so important about the lamp to their enemy? Was it really the reason these warriors attacked the Argus Limited?
"Please, tell General Ironwood we have a lamp," Glaucus insisted. "He'll know what it means. I cannot say why now, but that lamp is important. The enemy must not get it."
"Very well," David answered. "I cannot make any promises, though. I'll contact General Ironwood when I have a chance. I'll contact you to keep you updated." Glaucus smiled and bowed his head.
"Thank you, David. The Atlas Council was wise to send you here." David chuckled.
"They would've been fools not to do so after what Cordovin did. That woman was a psychological zealot; her leadership would've strained relations between Atlas and Mistral." As Glaucus was prepared to leave, he saw a photo of David standing by someone, smiling as they had their arms on each other's shoulders. He shared David's brown eyes and hair, but was much more broad and wielded a broadsword and round shield on his back and had a thicker beard.
"You miss Trenton, don't you?"
"Yes," David answered solemnly. "But at least we had a chance to say goodbye. I always knew it'd be that way; he never had any interest in having a wife or children, so he'd never settle down. He got what he wanted: to die like a true Huntsman."
"Yes…" Glaucus responded. "Well, good day." He grabbed his staff and made his way to the door to leave David's office.
"Glaucus?" David addressed. "If Forest is with you, tell him I don't blame him for Trenton's death."
"I will," Glaucus assured before leaving David's office.
-0-
"Thank you for letting us stay here," Ruby told Saphron Arc, Jaune's sister with long golden hair and blue eyes. The young infant, Adrian Cotta, was on the floor, being occupied by Yang and Weiss sitting around him.
"Of course," Saphron replied, sitting on the couch with Jaune. "Anything for my baby brother~" She reached and pulled on his cheek, much to Jaune's obvious dismay. He then flung his arms around to shoo her hand away.
"I am NOT a baby," he replied with a frustrated tone before pointing at Adrian. "THAT is a baby." Adrian pouted, making Yang and Weiss immediately fawn over him. The door was heard opening, allowing a woman with tanned skin, dark brown hair and red glasses carrying two bags of groceries to enter the house.
"Hey, Terra," Saphron greeted. "Everyone, this is my roommate, Terra."
"Hey, Terra," Jaune greeted.
"Hello, Jaune," Terra responded. "It's been a long while since we've seen you." Saphron rose from her seat and hurried over to Terra to help with the groceries.
"Um…guys?" Blake spoke, earning everyone's attention. The Cat Faunus gestured to a newspaper in a picture frame on the wall, much with a solemn look on her face. At first, they couldn't make out what it was until they looked closer…and RWY's eyes widened in shock.
"The Paladin Incident," Ruby whispered. "19 dead?"
"Well…it doesn't mention our names," Yang pointed out. When they heard Terra and Saphron coming back, the team quickly sat back down.
"So, Saphron, are you the only Arc living away from home?" Yang asked Jaune's sister.
"Yep," she nodded, smiling. "Moved out as soon as I could."
"Why this far north from Vale?" Blake asked. "It's quite a distance."
"Mostly because I liked Mistral more than home, to be honest," Saphron replied. "That…and Terra and I moved here together; she felt it'd be better for Adrian."
"Yes, especially after what happened in Vale almost over a year ago," Terra responded. Team RWBY did their best not to show their guilt, having a major hint of what Terra was referring to.
"What would that be?" Ren asked. Terra's friendly scowl changed to a mix of disappointment and sadness before she answered.
"The Paladin Incident." The members of Team RWBY were filled with dread over begin reminded once again of their terrible failure that night. Their only saving grace seemed to be that Terra didn't know those held responsible were closer than she thought.
"I know Roman himself killed those people, but those students obviously didn't look out for the people on that highway," Terra informed. "They should've stayed behind bars instead of being allowed to walk. They're murderers."
The word 'murderers' hit Team RWBY like a lightning bolt. Even to this day, there were still those who hadn't forgotten or forgiven the casualties their recklessness had caused.
"Terra, that's harsh," Saph responded. "What they did was irresponsible, yes, but-"
"Good people would still be alive if not for them," Terra responded before shaking her head in regret.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go off like that. What they did was irresponsible and I believe they should've suffered the consequences instead of being allowed to walk." Suddenly, her scroll went off again, making her groan in annoyance.
"Sorry, I have to take this," Terra apologized. She walked outside and answered.
"I'm sorry for that," Saph apologized. "The Paladin Incident was very hard on Terra."
"Why?" Jaune asked. Saph sat down, her face filled with sympathy for her partner.
"A very dear friend of hers was visiting Vale that week, along with her two kids. They…they died that night, all three of them. When her husband got the news…" Saph shook her head, obviously not wanting to remember what happened after that.
By now, the guilt Team RWBY was feeling made their hearts feel like heavy weights. They had thought themselves ready to take on a crime lord who was threatening Vale; instead of apprehending him, they failed miserably.
This tragedy not only landed them in jail and nearly robbed themselves of their chances to be Huntresses, but they had gotten innocent people killed and badly injured. To many people, they were just as Terra had called them.
Murderers.
They desperately wished they could go back and undo what they did. They wished they could go back and handle the situation much more cautiously, doing what they could to save innocent lives. Sadly, they had no way of doing that; they had no choice but to live with it for the rest of their lives.
"She doesn't know who they are?" Jaune asked his sister.
"Their names weren't released outside of Vale," Saph answered. "If Terra had known who they were…she would've made sure they knew how much she blames them for her friend's death."
Blake turned away, covering her mouth as she tried to fight the urge to break into tears. Her heart felt heaviest compared to her teammates; had she not allowed her obsession to get the better of her, they wouldn't be having to live this guilt. If she hadn't believed herself the only one capable of stopping Torchwick, then those nineteen people would still be alive.
"Blake?" Saph called, noticing how her body was turned. "Are you okay?"
"I…I'm just not feeling well," she answered hastily. "My stomach's acting up…where's your bathroom?"
"Upstairs on the left." Blake quickly took off, pretending to be sick. However, her teammates immediately assumed what was really going on with the Cat Faunus.
"I…actually saw them at Beacon," Jaune spoke, much to everyone's surprise.
"You saw them?" Saph asked. "What…what happened?" Jaune sighed heavily.
"I know they feel very bad about what happened. They wished they could go back and undo what happened. They're not monsters, Saph: they're good people who made a very terrible mistake and now they're trying to make up for it."
Even with those supportive words from Jaune, Yang, Weiss and Ruby couldn't shake the burning guilt they felt. They only wished Blake had heard Jaune as well.
The Cat Faunus leaned on the sink, looking at the mirror as her eyes started to water. She remembered how stubbornly she tried to go after Torchwick, before and after the Incident. She remembered how she fought her teammate in the parking garage because she was blinded by her obsession to stop Roman.
Finally, she sat down against the wall and let the tears fall down her cheeks. She felt she could atone for several things she did, but at this moment, the guilt of her part in that terrible tragedy made it feel like it was near impossible to atone for.
-0-
"Here we are," Pyrrha told everyone as they approached the door to her house. Just as she was about to open the door, it was opened from the inside, revealing a tall man with hair as red as Pyrrha's pulled back into a ponytail, green eyes, sideburns, a goatee beard and holding a spear. Unlike Pyrrha's bronze highlights with an angel theme, the highlights in his armor were gold with an image of a winged ram.
"Pyrrha?" he gasped.
"Hello, Kokkinos," Pyrrha greeted. The older brother hugged Pyrrha and picked her off the ground with a huge smile on his face.
"Kokkinos!" Pyrrha barked. "Put me down! I miss you too, but please stop spinning me around!" Math couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the brotherly love Kokkinos was showing her…or possible embarrassment as siblings love to do to each other. After a few more moments, he stopped and put her down, who then lightly slapped his breastplate with an annoyed look.
"Everyone, this is my brother, Kokkinos," Pyrrha introduced. Kokkinos smiled and waved at everyone, who smiled in return.
"So, is your boyfriend here?" Kokkinos asked his sister, making her blush.
"That would be me," Math spoke, extending his hand. "Mathdon Kendrick." Before he knew, Kokkinos grabbed his arm with both hands and shook it wildly, making Math flop around like a Dust bunny in the wind.
"So great to see you!" he greeted with a huge smile. "Pyrrha's told me so much about you!"
"Kokkinos!" Pyrrha gasped at her older brother. When he realized that Math was barely conscious, he stopped and helped him stand up as his eyes rolled around.
"Ugh…." Math groaned, recovering from that unexpected handshake before looking over at his sister and cousin. "Why are there two of my sister and cousin?"
"Oh, boy," Robin chuckled as they helped Math get inside the house.
"Nice to meet you too," Math told Pyrrha's brother.
"Well, it's good to see you again," Pyrrha told her brother. "Will you be coming with us inside?"
"Actually, no," Kokkinos responded. "I've been asked to go to the Argus Outpost. I'm heading to the garage to get my ride."
"Really?" Pyrrha asked. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's probably fine, but they just want more professional Huntsmen there after what happened in Mistral," Kokkinos explained. "The Commander's afraid that Argus may be the next target for the Iron Knights."
"Let's hope not," Pyrrha responded.
"You and me both." Kokkinos then hugged his sister again.
"Well, here's to your wedding with Math." As Pyrrha pushed him away out of annoyance, Kokkinos laughed.
"You never change, Kokkinos," she groaned.
"I'll see you later, Pyrrha," he replied before walking away from the house. As much as she was annoyed by her brother's teasing, Pyrrha was very happy to see him again after so long.
-0-
"So, what happened out there?" Cole asked after he and his team met at the hotel where the local Bushi militia were staying, courtesy of the Steel family. They were now in a room for four where they'd be staying until the Relic could be taken to Atlas.
"Here's what happened," Luna started.
She explained everything to Cole and Aria; the origins of Salem and Ozma, the Gods of Light and Dark, Ozma's mission concerning the Relics, the cost should his mission fail…and Salem's immortality.
"Salem…can't be killed?" Cole spoke, his eyes widened in horror. "Does Ozpin…even have a plan?"
"Silver Eyes," Luna answered. "Or in other words, Ruby."
"Ruby?" Aria asked. "Why…?"
"He believes that the Silver Eyes will do something to Salem," Oren explained further. "He doesn't know what, but he strongly feels they'll do something. Kill her, immobilize her, weaken her…he's uncertain, though."
"So his plan is based heavily on variables," Aria stated. "What if the Silver Eyes don't do what he hopes? What if they don't give us what we need to defeat Salem?"
Luna and Oren were silent in response. Neither Cole nor Aria were reassured by their silence, especially since they guessed what it meant.
If Ozpin's plan with the Silver Eyes didn't work, if they didn't weaken, immobilize or even kill Salem as he hoped, then they were out of options. They'd have no way to stop the Grimm Queen, but they knew that as long as she was on Remnant, she'd do everything she could to keep humanity divided and stop Ozma's mission of redeeming their world.
If the plan failed…then everything they've done would be nothing more than to delay the inevitable.
Author's Notes: I hope you're still enjoying Volume 6! Darth Stigma and Je'daii1298 have been helping me with some ideas for my series, so I'm giving a shoutout to them!
If you haven't voted on the polls for your favorite MRRN character or how many stars you've give the series, then please do so if you'd like!