Chapter 49
"Talk. And make it fast. I don't want to spend any more time here if I don't have to." Yang growled and plopped herself down on one of the cushions places around the low coffee table. Weiss sat to her left and Pyrrha to her right. The trio all faced Raven, who was sat opposite them as she poured each a cup of tea.
"Hmph." Raven scoffed. "Then I'll give you the short version. Ozpin is a liar. He's a manipulative bastard who will use you until your dead in a war you didn't sign up to. Did he ever tell you about the Maiden's?" She asked with a cruel smile.
"The what?" Weiss asked, confused.
"I know all about the Maiden's." Yang responded, folding her arms. Pyrrha had told her on the road. But Raven didn't need to know that part. Yang took pleasure in seeing Raven's smile die.
"I see. Well, then you know about Magic. Impressive. But what about the Relics?" Yang's silence told everything she needed. Raven continued a moment later. "I doubted he would tell that. The schools protect items of power left by the Gods. Huntsmen exist to protect them from Her."
What an obvious trap. Yang internally scowled. It was blatant that Raven wanted her to ask about whoever Ozpin was protecting these Relics from. So she didn't respond. She simply stared at her biological mother and waited.
"And who's this 'Her'?" Weiss asked, defeating the point of Yang's silence. Raven smirked.
"I can tell you everything, but Yang wants to hurry along, isn't that right?" She replied condescendingly.
Yang glared. "If all you're going to do is tease us to try and get me to stay, then hurry up and finish your routine and open the damn portal."
"Fine. Ozpin turned us into his perfect little pawns. He used us in his war and kept the truth from us. He gave us the smallest amount of the truth to keep us loyal. And then there's what he did to my brother and me. To make us more useful." She spat the final word out.
"What did he do?" Pyrrha asked. Her concern was obvious.
"What didn't he do?" Raven laughed. "But… perhaps it is better to show you." She left her seat and exited through the back flap.
They hesitated for a moment. Yang groaned and followed shortly after. May as well get this over with. The trio followed out into the tents backyard only to find it empty. Raven was gone. Yang scowled as her rage flowed to the top. It dropped a moment later however as a raven flew down from the nearby trees and transformed into a very different kind of raven.
The shity mother kind.
Yang stared in shock, her mind reeling. This was so far off from what she'd expected. Pyrrha had described magic as being like Dust but without needing Dust. This was… this was nothing like that. No Semblance or Dust could transform a person into an animal. Nothing on Remnant could. Or so she had thought.
"Don't you see now? Ozpin turned us into birds so that we could act as his spies. We were all under his spell. All of us believed whatever he said. He manipulated us and turned us into nothing but pawns! Don't you see Yang!? He's a monster! Just like the woman he faces." Raven looked so triumphant. As if this had won Yang over completely.
"So what! You can turn into a bird because Ozpin has some absurd magic!? That doesn't prove anything! I don't care what you can turn into, it doesn't change what I'm going to do. Nothing you say will change my mind." Yang immediately dispelled Raven's belief. Her biological mother frowned for a moment then sighed.
"Fine then. You can remind Qrow and Ozpin that I'll never help them. They seem to have forgotten that."
"Ozpin?" Weiss asked. "But he's dead?"
"Oh did I forget to mention?" Raven feigned an innocent voice as if it was unintentional. It definitely wasn't. "He isn't dead. His body is but he doesn't die. Ozpin is a parasite. Every time a vessel dies he passes on to a new one, consumes its original host and trots off like nothing ever happened."
Yang felt bile rise to the back of her throat. If that was true… but she couldn't fully trust Raven. She had every reason to stretch the truth or even lie. How much of what she said was true? How much of that was accurate? How many details was she leaving out? Yang had no way of knowing right now. She'd only find out once she reached Qrow and Ruby.
"Pyrrha. Go get the bike. I'm not leaving it for Raven's butchers to steal." Pyrrha nodded and rushed off. Raven sighed. She didn't try anything else. Must have used all of her prepared talking points. Raven must be cutting her losses so to speak.
Pyrrha soon returned with Yang's bike. Raven gave her one last look before drawing her sword and slashing the air. A blood-red and black vortex formed. Yang gripped Bumblebee's handles and pushed it through the portal.
The change in the air immediately shocked her. They went from temperate forest to the side of a mountain.
"Raven!" A man shouted, drawing his sword. His eyes were annoyed and confused but they gave way to surprise and joy once he realised who had stepped through.
"Hey." Yang smiled as she greeted her uncle. Qrow chuckled.
"Yang!" Qrow rushed over and pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad to see you! Though why did you come through one of her portals?"
"The best way to catch up to you. Can't say I enjoyed talking to her, but I got here pretty fast." She replied with an easy smile.
"Well, let's go see the others. Ruby'll be happy to see you." Qrow led the way back to the house they were staying at, first dropping her bike off in the dojo for now and then heading up through the front door. He loudly called out for Ruby once the door clicked closed. "You're going to want to see this Ruby!"
"I'm coming!" She called back and appeared a moment later with a mildly annoyed look on her face. That morphed instantly into the same look Qrow had given her. Yang stepped forward, arms wide open, and said the first words she'd said to her sister in months.
"Hey, Ruby."
It wasn't big or dramatic, but it was enough to shock Ruby into moving. And move she did as she dashed across the room and jumped into Yang's arms. It was a warm hug, warmer than Weiss' had been. Yang wondered if it was because it was a familial reunion.
Their hug lasted for what felt like ages, but when they finally began to pull apart they nodded to each other. The sisters turned and opened their arms, inviting Weiss to join them. The white-haired girl looked surprised but graciously accepted the offer. The three members of team RSTY took great pleasure in their reunion. A small part in the back of her mind wished that Adam was there with them, but she crushed it quickly.
Thinking about him only reminded her of her anger. She didn't want to be angry here, not when she had finally reached her sister. Yang bottled it up once again and threw it to the back of her mind.
She'd deal with it later.
"Sister Ilia, welcome back. You've done well in reducing support for Adam Taurus." Corsac said with a smile.
"Yes, you've done well." Fennec added. "Thankfully reinforcements have arrived. Brother Yuma and Sister Trifa have brought their forces. With them on hand we can now strike and finish this."
"To have the best chance at success we need to remove Taurus from the building. Do you believe you can lure him out?" Corsac asked.
Ilia nodded. "Yes. I can do it."
"Good. Brother Yuma and Sister Trifa shall join you. Capture Taurus and then join our forces in the assault on the Belladonna household." Fennec ordered.
"I understand." Ilia replied.
"Then soon enough we shall finish this battle and win Menagerie over. With their support and the aid of our allies, Supreme Leader Belladonna shall lead us into a new future!" Corsac raised his hands to the sky and declared their impending victory.
"Go forth, Sister Ilia, and win this day for the White Fang and our Supreme Leader." Fennec smirked as he spoke.
Ilia stood, donning her mask once more. "I will." Blake would be so happy once she brought Adam to her.
She just hoped that it would make herself happy.
"Get ready! We shall be leaving soon." Cinder ordered with a smirk. It was a smirk that would make any intelligent man uneasy. It was too smug, too arrogant. It set Mercury off every time he saw it.
He heard Emerald proudly announce that she was already ready and then asked if Cinder needed anything done. What a brown-noser. Cinder doesn't give a shit about you! He really wished he could shout that at her and make her realise she was being used, but that was liable to get him killed while Cinder was around.
Mercury's position in the hierarchy around here was low, so he didn't stand a chance of making it if Cinder decided he was too much trouble. If he wanted to survive, which was always his greatest goal, he would need to get Salem to like him. If she did then he could rise up and become a loyal supporter of her. He could be the same rank as Cinder!
That would ensure his safety and survival within their ranks and in the new world. He'd be able to cut out his own little slice of heaven and live in luxury for the rest of his days.
A far better plan than whatever his dad had wanted of him.
But there was one thing he wanted to do before he picked out the perfect spot for his home. He had to get revenge on Adam Taurus. Mercury's once-beautiful face was marred with scars now, as was his body. Oh sure, some ladies liked scars but he had yet to find anyone who would like these!
Fucking Taurus. Mercury internally growled as he tightened his legs. They needed to be in peak condition. One day I'm going to take you out. Just you wait.
Despite his words, his anger was more focused towards his father than to Taurus. If he'd only been able to reclaim his Semblance before the git bit the dust. He may not have taken so much damage if he still had it.
Just another reason to hate him.
It had been two weeks since Ghira's speech. They still hadn't gotten a single signature. They'd been close a couple of times, but Ilia was always nearby to interrupt. It annoyed Adam to no end.
That was why when he found a note from her on the balcony one night asking for them to duel it out, her putting her loyalty to Blake on the line, he knew he had to accept.
It was obviously a trap, but still, he had to go. Ilia would never say that she would abandon the White Fang and join his side unless she knew she would win. Her asking him to return to Blake if he lost clinched it in his mind.
But the question remained. Knowing it was a trap what was he going to do? It took some thinking but it didn't take him long to figure out what to do. Team SSSN had been training their teamwork every day and were getting much better. Despite that, he decided not to take the whole team. Instead, he asked Scarlett and Neptune to join him in case something went wrong.
He left Sun and Sage to guard the house in case of trouble and took to the streets the following night, at the exact time she wanted. Ilia wanted to fight in an old alleyway, a familiar place. It was where the three of them used to gather before going off to play or do anything really. It held a lot of happy memories.
They were about to add a not-so-happy memory.
A/N: So Volume 8 has finished. I enjoyed it a lot, though I've heard some didn't. Of course, that happens with everything. Though now I get to sit down and try and figure out how its events affect my fanfics. Fun. Meanwhile, in the story: Yang is pissed at her mother! News at 11! And Mercury is pissed at Adam, his dad, Cinder, Emerald and his place in the hierarchy of Salem's faction. Poor Mercury. Meanwhile, Adam and Ilia are about to come head to head in the Battle for Menagerie. How will his choices affect the outcome? Can he convince Ilia to change sides, despite not having the incredible power of The Bellabooty™? How will SSSN's presence affect the battle? Can Corsac and Fennec both survive? Stay tuned to find out!
I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you next time!