Hello once more my peeps!
So here we go, once again and boy oh boy, things are going to start to heat up, big time. So this one is going to be a bit shorter and it'll be taking a look at two certain people and why they're acting the way they are. Bit of a rainy day and while i'm waiting for my ps4 to cool off, so i can get playing "Wolfenstein Youngblood".
So as always i don't own shit.
So please read, review and "What the fuc-BOOM"
Chapter 3: In The Shadows No Longer
Leonardo "Leo" Lionheart knew he was damned man.
That was a fact the headmaster of Haven Academy knew, there was no denying it, no escaping it. Everything he had done, learning the truth of the world and his actions for the past few years, did nothing more then nail the bolts to hos own coffin and personal spot in hell. Joining her was his only option, at the time he was cut off from everyone. Mistral is or well, was the world's largest human/Faunus controlled territory and before he sent off so many great huntsman and huntress to their deaths, it was already difficult to protect.
Ozpin and Qrow were in Vale(Like always), James was busying himself with trying to juice up Atlas's army in order to fight a pointless fight and Theodore the headmaster of Vacuo, was more then likely just trying to survive. Vacuo was a very harsh place to live in after all and danger was particular under every rock you saw and then some.
So he was basically fucked in every way possible and all alone to boot.
As usual.
When he first joined Ozpin, he really, truly believed in him. He fought the good fight but as the years went by, he slowly began to lose hope. It started off slowly, the little things and small, innocent questions began to build up.
How long has this been going on?
How old is Ozpin really?
How many generations has this war been raging?
Why don't the masses known about the origins of the Grimm?
Why don't we us the relic's to help kill Salem?
How powerful IS Salem?
Why haven't you informed us of her base of operations?
Why doesn't James use the full might of Atlas's armies with Vale's hunters and everyone on Remnant to bar down on her head?
Why do people, despite knowing what Salem truly is, STILL join her anyway?!
Why are you NOT answering my questions Ozpin?!
Why are we still fighting after ALL THIS TIME?!
WHY IS SALEM STILL AROUND?!
WHY ARE YOU DOING NOTHING TO STOP HER, BESIDES HINDING HER?!
WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME WITH STRAIGHT ANSWERS?!
WHY ARE YOU CIRICLING THE WAGONS?!
WHY ISN'T SALEM DEAD YET?!
WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME ALL ALONE HERE?!
All these small questions just keep building and building and building, until Leo came to a horrifying conclusion:
Salem CAN'T be stopped. The reason why Ozpin didn't have James, the maidens and every hunter on Remnant go to Salem's fortress was simply because she can't be stopped, she can't die.
Just like Ozpin.
He wasn't sure how Salem has stayed alive, only that it has something to do with the gods that left Remnant and the Grimm themselves. The fact Ozpin either told him riddles or just plain didn't answer at all, only pushed Leo to believe that fact.
Then Salem came for him.
However, rather then kill him(Gods knowns that would have been easier and so much more simpler) she made him a deal he couldn't refuse. One that he regret everyday of his life, every hour, every minutes, every second. The souls of the huntsman and huntress he sent to their deaths, haunted by them, all rightfully blaming him for their deaths or others asking why?
Why did he betray them?
Why did he allow this to happen?
Why didn't he save warn them?
Every time they asked, he had no answer. No matter what he did, he knew he was damned and that made him all the more fearful of death.
But in the back of his mind, Leo knew it wouldn't matter. Tyrian and Hazel or maybe just some very powerful Grimm would have found them and killed them, regardless if he sent them to their deaths or not.
They would die, for a cause they didn't even known they were fighting for. No real surprise, as Ozpin liked to keep things close to the chest, even from his own allies. Or maybe the man was so paranoid, he'd fear some of his closest allies would turn on him.
"Well, he wasn't entirely wrong."
But it was because of his paranoia, that Salem was able to sway(Correction, strong arm him) to her side. So really, in a twisted way it was Ozpin's own fault for both, trusting the wrong person and leaving him with no where to go, no where was safe. No matter how far he went, she would find him and END him, if he dared to disobey. But now the rules had changed.
Everything has changed.
Leo silently gulped to himself, as he looked at the source of his new fears:
The Grimm Reaper aka Xero Mazoku/Stark.
Leo was scared no terrified of the young teen and why shouldn't he be? Despite only seeing a few minutes of it, he and the rest of the world saw Xero's true power and it terrified him to no end. In many ways, Leo could compare Xero to Salem. They were very similar in many ways. Ways that had cowed Leonardo in the first place, when Salem came for him.
He wasn't the fighter he once was in his younger years and even in his youth, he would have no chance at even annoying Salem. Regardless of what anyone thought, being a headmaster doesn't necessarily mean he was a powerful and skilled fighter. But even if he was as powerful as Ozpin or the other headmasters, he highly doubted it would matter if the leader of the Avengers came after him.
While he could possible take on the Xero and his adopted sister, he knew there was no way in hell, he could defeat their summoning.
That kind of power...it could only be described as the power of a god or at the very least, a demi-god. It's one thing to command such power, those who held that kind of power could be mistaken for a god but one that commands them?
If one has godlike power but answers to someone else, what would that person be called?
THAT is what scared Lionheart more then anything. The young man didn't even have to raise a finger or even fucking speak and he could be dead before he even hit the ground.
If not him, then his sister, Gudako.
The girl may not have that many Summoning's as her brother but it was quite clear the girl had quality over quantity. Xero had quality AND quantity, making both of them marked in Remnant as "Extreme dangerous, flee on site."
Very few got that kind of label and those that did, were the truly dangerous kind.
Then there was the boy's adopted sister. She was even more dangerous, as unlike her brother, she was more or less a complete unknown. While many knew, saw and watched her brother in action, Ritsuka "Gudako" Stark stayed in the shadows. Her brother thrived in the light, charging forward from the front, while his sister stayed in shadows and struck from behind.
Just because they didn't known much about her, didn't make her any less dangerous then him, maybe even more.
Because you cannot plan for something if you didn't know what you're fighting and Leo was certain they've only starched the surface of the Stark's abilities. A few minutes of audio video didn't tell you very much and clearly, this two had A LOT to bring to the table. Which is probably why the Mistral council and even Salem had Leo do everything in his power, to ensure the Avengers didn't become enemies.
While the rest of the Avengers abilities could be understood and even documented, as if proof in the form knowing beside the Stark's children the Hulk, Storm, Wolverine and Thor were the most dangerous of them all, the ones with magic weren't. The Hulk was basically a gama monster created by a freak accident. Storm was a mutant with a mutant ability that was very similar to the maidens power on controlling storms, the same went for the feral mutant. With his entire skeleton made entirely of a rare metal, VERY advanced healing and very sharp claws. As for Thor, well he was the closest thing you're going to get to a god.
While they last one was a bit hard to explain, it was still understandable to a certain degree. The Stark children however, weren't that easy to understand and haven't even been explained at all.
Everything they did, how they did it and how their magic worked is a tight lipped secret. If that wasn't enough to decree them dangerous, the two had a very powerful team and very powerful allies too boot. Not only was each Avenger dangerous in their own right, they had their own friends and they all would gladly help the rest of the Avengers.
The fact their world is bigger and while some of their weapons wasn't as advanced as Remnant's like their bullhorns, Atlas's airships and even the Dust and hard light tech, Earth outnumbered Remnant's people ten to one.
As the Grimm have proven time and time again, numbers DO win a battle.
So that was one of the reasons he was more then willingly to simply bring Cinder and her team, to observe the Avengers and nothing more. Leo had enough enemies and he knew if either SHEILD or worse, the Avengers he knew he was done for. While his position as Haven's headmaster allowed him to do certain things and open certain doors, Leo knew he was expendable.
They all were.
Salem was immortal, time meant nothing to her and if needed, she would wait decades if need be to get the result she wanted. Leo didn't need to test that theory to see if it was true, as one of her own, Hazel Rainart had told him so. The giant of a man had tried to kill Salem himself but it was all futile in the end. If someone as strong as Hazel couldn't kill Salem and Ozpin couldn't or perhaps, was unwilling, then what chance did he have?
None.
All he could do, was duck his head, do as he was told and pray to whoever was listening that he'd be forgiven for all the terrible things he had done. Cause brothers known, Ozpin nor Qrow, Glynda, Theo and James never would.
Though deep in his heart, Leo knew he did not deserve forgiveness.
Not after everything he did.
Line Break
"He's a lot bigger in person."
Was Ruby's only thought, as she shyly walked up to the leader of the Avengers.
Gods he's not only bigger in person but he's very tall to, almost as tall as uncle Qrow. His new armor looked cool enough, as if Ruby had to guess, she'd say it was old fashion mismatched armor. Ruby was a weapon's expert and while she loved weapons more then anything(Aside from her mom, dad, cool uncle, Yang, Zwei and of course her team and friends and being a huntress naturally) she knew a lot about armor.
True, she herself doesn't wear armor thanks to her aura, but when she was younger she read a lot about armor and weapons in the olden days. In fact, many hunters back in the olden days use to wear similar type of armor, before the creation of the four kingdoms.
But that was all irrelevant, as you're probably wondering why Ruby was trying to talk to the leader of the Avengers.
The reason is simple:
For as long as Ruby can remember, she wanted to be a huntress, the hero more to the point. Not for fame, glory or anything like that, she just really, truly wanted to help people and save everyone.
That was her dream.
Understanding this, you'd think Ruby would want to met a real life, genuine superhero like the Avengers and the Grimm Reaper.
Well, you'd be half right. To many and from what she has read online, Xero was considered to not only be a hero to many but a symbol, that injustice would not go unpunished. Either he would deliver his own brand of justice or merely give the people the tools to find their own, many considered him to be a hero. Those who didn't considered him a hero often got overshadowed by those that did and after the battle of New York, he and the rest of the Avengers were considered heroes of the entire world.
Even if some wanted him dead, questioned or turned into a weapon with his sister, they and the rest of the Avengers were the heroes of the hour. Hell, even Ruby considered them heroes too and it wasn't HER world they fought to defend against Loki and his army.
In short, Xero was everything Ruby wanted to be and achieve but his methods gave her pause. So, she wanted to talk to him, be-friend him even. Try to get a better feel and understanding about him, so maybe she could better understand why he did what he did.
"Maybe his sister too. I mean, she follows him as her leader, so she might be able to help me understand it better."
Help provide insight into Xero's mind.
Ruby might have asked the other Avengers but couldn't for various reasons:
The Black Widow and the Hawkeye were suppose to be super spies/assassins and while Xero and Gudako were killers too, the first two jobs entitled they kill people for many reasons. She knew it was part of their jobs and because she didn't have all the information, she decide to reserve her judgment. Besides, they fought alongside the rest of the Avengers and weren't "Enhanced"(That was the right word, right?) like the rest of the Avengers.
They didn't have magic, weaponized suits of armor, godly powers or even mutant abilities.
Just unique weapons and pure skill alone.
Something Ruby was amazed at, as these people were able to stand side by side, by what could basically be described as gods. With Thor being the god of thunder, then that says something. Even though some of her friends(Like Weiss and Blake) didn't exactly like them and didn't trust them her other friends were either on the fence or liked him.
Jaune, Yang and Nora supported Xero and the Avengers for their actions, firmly believing they were indeed heroes. They didn't let red tap stop them from doing the right thing and made sure, those who broke the law pay the price. Stopping drug cartels, human trafficker and dismantling entire criminal rings and terrorists cells. All the while his allies improved weapons/armors for law enforcement and even help advanced medical advancements throughout the world.
On the fence were Ren and Pyrrha, while they don't believe his actions weren't exactly the heroic they weren't criminals either. Yes, while they did commit murder, the people they killed weren't innocent either. They could see where they were coming from but didn't like it.
Morally and legal in some cases, they were wrong.
However, in other cases both morally and legally, they were in the right. Which is why Ruby couldn't really decide on if Xero and the Avengers were good guys in her book or bad guys. Yes, Ruby knew she had a black and white view of the world but this kind of thing was a morally gray arena. One that she wasn't familiar with and she needed more information before she could decide for sure.
Which is why she decide to talk to the leader of the Avengers himself and from that point, make a decision.
"Oi, hold it little red hold it."
Only to be stopped, by none other then captain Levi himself. Ruby felt a shiver run down her spine as she saw the short captain. While he was only a few inches taller then her, he had a very mean looking face, deathly sharp gray eyes and that stern look only made Ruby want to hide inside her hood. Though she was a little annoyed when the older man called her "Little Red."
That's what that creep Roman called her and she didn't like it one bit.
Thankful this man didn't look like said creep, only ill tempered and mean looking.
Like, REALLY mean looking.
"What do you think you're doing?"
He asked quickly and harshly, glaring at Ruby making her want to crawl into a hole and hide. Oh boy, this was going to be harder then she thought.
"W-well, i-"
"You what?"
Ruby gulped, as Levi's glare didn't falter for a second. Gathering her courage, Ruby said in a more firm voice,"I wanted to speak with Mr. Stark-"
"Well he's over their brat."
"I wasn't talking about his father, i wanted to speak to his son, that's all."
Ruby would later pat herself on the back for getting all that out, without shuttering. However it seemed the short captain, did not care for such things as he said,"Not happening red. I have orders to not let anyone from Remnant get close to the other brat or his sister. Who knows what you're people are planning and the last thing we need, is for one of you so called 'Guardians' to try and put a bullet in his skull."
"Hey, we wouldn't do that!"
Ruby, forgetting where she was, yelled at Levi and glaring at him. Though her glare was akin to a puppy's, trying to come off as intimidating but only managed to look more cute. Sadly for Ruby, Levi did not care for such things and only gave her his patent glare,"Personally i don't care either, but orders are orders brat. Now get."
Ruby did not get shockingly enough. In fact, the little red stood her ground and would have said more but she never got the chance.
"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!
KA-BOOM
Then everything went white.
Done.
A bit shorter then the last ones, but i'd figured this would put on a little bit more perspective on Ruby of course and shocking Leo. While i don't condone his actions, as he was nothing short of a coward and traitor, i'd figure i would give him a little screen time and let people understand WHY he did it.
As for Ruby, well i decide to take a look into her sweet little mind and show how insightful she really is, despite what some people think.
Devil out.