My thoughts on the newest episode of RWBY...it was ok. The crew is back together and (sigh) I'm kinda bummed about it. I don't know about everyone else but team mantle is totally carrying this season for me.
I know some people got a problem with yangs character on some episodes but she is loads better then when she's stuck under ruby's command and glued to blakes side. Honestly team rwby feels like it's divided by ruby and weiss on one side with Blake and yang on the other. But put yang on a separate team and BAM the new team feels more like actual friends then ever before and actually forces them to talk to each other. IDK it feels like ruby, weiss and blake are just side characters at this point.
Just saying.
"Dust reserves are fully stocked, how's the white fangs retreat from the city going"?
Adam looked up from his scroll pad to cinder "most of our forces have already evacuated the city, only a few stragglers remain". Cinder was pleased with the progress "what about the collection of weapons"? Adam looked back at his scroll pad and pressed on the screen "thanks to selling the excess dust we had, we've received more then enough to equip every faunus with a primary and secondary weapon. Of course some of these weapons had to be purchased outside of vale to avoid arousing suspicion".
That was a pretty good idea, if Ozpins or jaunes people caught wind it'd mean beefing security and more interference from jaunes duel identity. Adam placed the scroll pad on the table and eyed cinder "we are getting things done on our end but what about you"? Cinder smiled knowingly "I've already spoken to salem and she's agreed to our proposal, there's just one condition she made me agree to before we can proceed".
"Alec".
Cinder nodded "after the report of what's been happening had been sent, Salem believes the time for games is over. In order for us to take over we need to remove Alec on a permanent basis, all we need now is just the right opportunity". As if an answer to her plea, cinders scroll beeped.
She read through the message and as she did a large smile formed on her lips "and it looks like that moment will be upon us very shortly". Adam stood from his seat and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword "then let us be done with it, for the future of my new kingdom".
/
He was old and with every step he took that became more apparent. Alec's aura still hadn't recovered from earlier and without it his strength was equal to any other elder person in the world. If that wasn't bad enough the blood loss he suffered only made things infinitely more troublesome.
Roman leaned against the elder man's side with neo on the opposite so they could help him into their new base. After what happened at the docks, things needed to be relocated and safe houses needed to be abandoned. The new base was located outside of the wall where the old MT Glenn settlement used to be.
Thanks to the white fangs help they managed to systematically remove the Grimm from the area and create a safe zone where the old tunnel that led to vale was located. Out of all the old buildings that were left standing they chose the one closest to the tracks mostly because it was the most stable and less damaged then the rest.
White fang moved to and from the railroad tracks carrying debris or empty carts to fill. Others were making repairs to the track so that the train that was left behind all those years ago could be fixed and used again. With all the work that was going on, nobody really paid attention to the three humans.
Neo turned the door knob and pushed on it before helping roman drag the elder man inside. Cinder and adam stopped talking and turned to the three that just entered. "You gonna stand there and gawk all day or are you gonna get over here and help us" roman asked angrily.
Cinder eyed them for a moment before turning to adam and giving him a nod. The bull faunus returned the motion before placing two fingers to the receiver in his ear and whispered something they couldn't hear. The next moment the door burst open and several white fang grunts rushed in with weapons at the ready and aimed at roman, neo and alec.
"What the hells going on here" roman yelled as he held up his cane with the barrel facing towards the white fang grunts. Alec remained quite but kept his eyes on the true threat within the room. Cinder wore such an evil smile that even the Grimm would have shrunk back in fear because of it.
"Your awfully quite master, I kinda expected you to be a little bit surprised at my little coup attempt" cinder stated. Alec chuckled slightly "you've always been an opportunist, I'm honestly surprised you waited so long to betray me". The raven haired woman shrugged her shoulders "I am what you trained me to be".
Alec pushed off the two crooks and activated his semblance. It wouldn't last long with how little aura he had left but it would be enough to run away with. The elder man met romans eyes with his own "be ready to move" he told the thief before relaying the plan to neo.
Cinder crossed her arms and waited "you should be more careful with the people you trust". While Alec's aura was doing it's work, neo jammed a dagger into his side before roman or Alec could do anything. Roman screamed her name but was silenced when Adam shot out his sword and hit the thief in the jaw before he could ready a defense.
Roman stumbled backwards but saw adam coming so he lifted his can to block the overhead strike the faunus brought down. Adam pushed all his strength into his attack and pushed the thief back until his back touched the wall. Neo wanted to help roman but cinder clapped her hands together and called her to her side.
"Neo what are you doing"?!
The small girl ignored the thief and stood next to cinder with her eyes on the ground in front of her. Cinder patted the top of the small girls head before looking over to roman "I thought it obvious by now that she works for me". Romans eyes widened "works for you? Neo what the hell's she talking about"?!
Cinders smile grew "perhaps a demonstration since your so eager to deny the reality of the situation". The raven haired woman turned to neo and pointed to the ground "kneel and kiss my shoe while your down there". Neo bit her bottom lip but did as she was told. She lowered herself to her knees before moving over to kiss the top of cinders footwear.
Roman gritted his teeth in anger, it was pathetic to watch neo demean herself like this. The fang grunts laughed amongst themselves as they watched the spectacle before them. "That's enough now, you may stand" cinder commanded.
Neo nodded and pushed herself up onto her feet but refused to meet anyone's eyes. Cinder looked over to Alec and saw him kneeling while trying to stop the bleeding.
He felt so pathetic at the moment, how could he let his guard down and get wounded like this? What was worse was that with how little aura he had left he couldn't defend against the dagger at all. A pair of feet filled his vision and he looked up to see cinder smiling down at him.
She took a knee and reached over to his side before her smile turned into a frown "where is it"? Alec smiled "jaune has it now, that's to be expected since only the strong have the right to wield that blade". Cinders eyes lit with the maidens power before she grabbed the elder man by his throat and hoisted him off the ground "I am the who will kill you so that sword belongs to me"!
Alec laughed loudly at her claim "jaune did half the work for you so it's only fair you get half the prize". Cinder let Alec's neck go, letting him drop just enough before she caught him by his face "fine then I'll just rip it from his burnt corpes, it's to bad you won't be around to see it". Alec's eyes widened as cinder force flames out from the palm of her hand cloaking the elder man in fire.
She started to laugh as she watched the elder man burn alive until Alec reached for his side with his left and ripped the small dagger out. It happened faster then she could prepare for and alec took a small souvenir with him as he left this life. Cinder let out a ear piercing scream as she stumbled backwards with blood gushing from her left eye.
Alec hit the floor and smiled through the flames knowing he went down fighting. Oddly enough as his life began to leave, his thoughts turned to one memory he never truly thought about since all this began. The memory of jaune when he was young and Alec's only student at the time.
/
A five year old jaune fell on his back and took great gulps of air. The training they had been through was some of the toughest Alec had made for the young boy. "Jaune that was pitiful" Alec said as he took a seat next to the boy.
Jaune rolled over on his stomach and crawled over to the elder man "just watch old man, I swear I'll make you fight me seriously". Alec threw back his head and laughed "if you ever get me to fight you seriously I'll just draw my sword and cut you down boy". Jaune had gone quite as he stared at the katana on Alec's side "master how come I've never seen you draw your sword in practice before"?
Alec hoist the sheathed sword up so they both could look at it "this blade is meant only for the strongest of fighters and your nowhere near one of them". Jaunes cheeks puffed out angrily "yes I am"! Alec eyed the boy with a raised brow and watched him deflate as he looked away. "Or I will be" the boy whispered after a few minutes.
Alec placed the sword on his lap before reaching over to ruffle jaunes hair "if you ever do get that strong then I'll fight you for real". Jaune pushed the elder man's hand away and watched his master turn to the sword on his lap. "A long time ago this sword belonged to the head of my family and with each new master they'd add their weapons metal to this blade and reforged it" he said proudly.
Alec smiled fondly at the blade "from my father to my brother and then to me this blade has only one name that's never changed...the siren". Jaune raised a brow "why call it that"?
"Because she lures all who come for her to their ends".
Jaune gulp audible which got Alec laughing again. The elder man took the handle of his blade and inspected the rest of it. The sheath was as black as the Grimm pools with red wrappings around the handle. When he pulled the sword out slightly the blade was a darkish grey from all the different metals that had been forged into it with a bronze guard to finish it off.
"Master what happened to your family"?
Alec froze for a moment before letting out a sigh "their gone from this world so when it's my turn to go I doubt my families tradition will last". Jaune looked troubled for a moment before he came to a decision "then I'll keep the tradition alive". The elder man looked to his young student, inside his mind he felt angry that the boy would decide himself worthy of such a sword.
Alec felt he should have told the boy off because of it at first but as he thought about it, the more it made sense in a way. If one day jaune betrayed them like he believed and they were forced to fight, the boy would still know the value of the katana and would carry it with him if he won.
A smile grew on the elder man's face "maybe, but you never know I might find another successors in the future". Jaune wasn't fazed in the slightest and rose to his feet "that's fine master, I'll just prove that I'm the best you got". Alec used the siren to sweep the boys feet out from under him "if your my best I'd hate to see who my worst student is" he said as jaune grumbled from his spot on the floor.
/
Memories from a time so long ago, to think he actually did get more students and for one of them to be the one to end him. All in all it wasn't a bad way to go.
Cinder glared with her one good eye at the burning body that had stopped moving some time ago. She was free of him but now she would have a constant reminder of his presence every time she looked in a mirror. Her hand came down and she looked towards Adam "lock roman up until we're ready to move" she said before turning away.
"Wait" Roman called. Cinder looked to the thief and adam loosened the pressure of his sword to allow him to speak. "I know I was on our crispy friends side a moment ago but I'm pretty sure I could still be useful if you give me a chance". Cinder pulled out a photo and tossed it to the floor in front of him "if Alec knew that neo was the one who let our little spies go he'd have killed her. The only reason I'm keeping you around is because neo is a thousand times more useful then you, so your just a bargaining chip for her" she finished before leaving the room.
Roman looked to adam and smiled "we were working together a little bit ago so could you be gentle with me"? Adam replied by knocking the cane away before kneeing the thief in the groin and dropping him to the floor. Neo turned her face away as roman was beaten to a bloody pulp and taken away by the grunts.
Adam stepped in front of her but didn't look her way "good choice" he said before leaving her in the building alone.
/
Cinder made her way into the bathroom on the train, refusing to look at anyone until she handled the mess Alec left her in. She flick on the light and looked herself over in the mirror. It would leave a scar, there was no doubt about that, with the limited medical personnel they had on hand she was better off dealing with it herself.
Cinder reached up and touch the skin of her eye that was closest to the wound only to pull away the next moment as pain burned through the left side of her face. She wasn't a little girl who would cry from a cut or a busted lip so cinder believed she could be excused for falling to her knees as tears poured from her good eye as she held her left. The adrenaline from before was wearing off and with it's departure the pain she felt became more prominent.
This was her fault. She'd gotten sloppy and made light of how dangerous her old mentor was in his time of weakness. So much so that she didn't even keep her guard up when he was burning alive. His lack of screaming should have been the only warning she needed but she got so absorbed in her new freedom that he left a stark reminder of her foolishness carved into her face.
She hadn't noticed it before now but she still had a death grip on the sheath of Alec's sword. It was her right as the strongest to take possession of the sword but unlike the others she wanted it so she could destroy it.
All of Alec's students had been given the same story that followed "the siren" and each were practiced in how to wield it effectively for when they claimed it. Cinder could have melted the damn thing if she wanted but it wouldn't be the same without the other piece of it. She pushed the sheath against the wall before climbing back up to look at the mirror once more.
What happened next was more painful then cinder would ever admit to anyone. She placed two of her fingers over the wounded skin and proceeded to use her semblance "scorching caress" to cauterize the wound. There was no screaming fromthe pain but there was plenty of blood from the eye and her lip because she bit it so hard even her aura couldn't protect her.
When it was finally over she lowered her head over the sink and gasp for air. After a minute to catch her breath she looked at her handy work in the mirror, it was terrible to say the least. She held her hand up and used the dust that was woven in her clothes along with her semblance to create a black glass mask that would cover the wounded side of her face.
She stared at it for a moment before smiling past the pain "all that's left is to deal with you jaune". The mask turned over and she placed it on her face. All that was left for her now was to finish what she came here for and to claim her destiny with her own power. As she thought this her eye glowed bright with the maidens power.
/
The club / jaunes & blake's room
The door clicked shut as jaune returned to his room after the long conversation he had with pyrrha and junior. A lot of things were discussed, like the ongoing fight with the fang and the truth about their backers. Honestly with all they discussed he was surprised the night hadn't ended while he was still there.
Some things surprised him but the biggest pieces of info he gained was that the fang was abandoning vale. There's was no doubt in his mind that cinder or Alec would ever give up, that meant something was happening behind the scenes as per usual when it came to those two. Now all he had to do was find out what that was before they finished and disrupt their plans.
Besides that, the one thing lingering on his mind was the resolve pyrrha displayed when she confronted him on his methods. He knew not everyone would agree with his way of doing things but for her to say she would show no mercy to him if he ever dawned the mask again...well that was a surprise. On the other hand it was also a chance she was giving him since she probably didn't want it to come to that.
Jaune walked over to where his gear was and rummaged through it until he found his mask. It wasn't as damaged as blake's was but the signs of battle it sported reminded him of who he had fought and the predicament he faced when fighting her. A minute or two passed and jaune let out a sigh "alright pyrrha, you win this one" he said before putting the mask away.
Jaune stood up and was about to head to bed when the glint of his former masters sword caught his attention. His hand reached out and took hold of the handle before lifting it up for him to admire in the moonlight. The prize only one of Alec's students could be worthy of.
The blade was lighter then expected but stronger then he hoped "one day" he whispered before leaning the sword against the wall. Jaune moved around the bed and slid under the sheets where blake laid with her back to him. Blake, while asleep sensed the warmth of his body the second he laid down. She rolled over and scooted into his chest, causing him to smile warmly and hug her gently before letting sleep take him.
You know, I was actually thinking about what was left for blake in the original story and I realized she has no real purpose in the story anymore besides being yangs love interest. I mean if she's still trying to change things for the faunus she has really hasn't been doing anything to further that goal at all. At this point she might as well become a politician if she really wanted to make a difference. lol I can rant a lot if I really put my mind to it.
Before I forget I'd like to say that I'm gonna be of on vacation for the next few weeks so I might not post any updates for a bit. In fact the reason I didn't post anything last week was so I could get the ok to take my vacation at all. until next time, Nexus out!