A/N: So the last chapter was the end of Team SLVN's version of Vol 1. Now we are into Vol 2, for those who are familiar with the events of RWBY. I decided a couple of weeks ago to split this story up somewhat. The first two arcs are going to be a retelling, with obvious twists as you saw in Chapters 1 – 12, of the first two major arcs of RWBY, The Fall of Beacon and The Battle for Haven. The final arc will be my rendition of post-Haven events, which will be going off in a completely new route.
My plan is to treat each of these story arcs as their own 'Book'. Each will be aiming for around 100k words or the length of standard fiction novels. What I would like to know from my readers is this. Would you rather I keep these all as one collection, separating the books by simply adding Book X to the chapter titles (Example: Book 1 – Chapter 1), or would you rather I post each of these arcs as their own separate stories? Let me know in the comments between now and the end of the Fall of Beacon arc, which is aiming for around 27 or 28 chapters in all.
Chapter 13
Books and Blood
Summer hadn't slept well in several days. Not since their encounter with Glory's cult. She was still trying to wrap her head around that. Mentions of Glory here on Remnant. The how's and why's of it were so far beyond her that she wasn't about to solve it on her own. What she did know was what it meant. Glory coming up here on Remnant meant that this world had contact with hers before.
Once was blind luck.
Twice was a coincidence.
Thrice was enemy action.
For some reason, Summer couldn't shake the feeling that Glory was number three. And if there had been three instances of crossing over between their worlds, that meant she could find a way to do it again. Even more terrifying, someone else, something else, could find a way.
Before Glory, Summer hadn't had an inkling of anything supernatural going on in Vale. Now, she had to look back on everything and question it all. She knew Ozpin had access to magic. Not Dust, but true actual magic. After she had explained the truth behind her powers and where she came from, or what she remembered of it, to Velvet, the Headmaster had pulled them both in and asked them to keep things quiet. He hadn't quite put it as an order but Summer knew when someone was playing with words.
She hadn't thought about why at the time. Now that she was, she couldn't understand why. Magic was everywhere even if they called it Dust, Aura, and Semblances. Ozpin's magic would just be assumed to be another form of those. The only way it wouldn't be is if someone else knew about true magic.
She hadn't felt any magic that night in the ritual chamber. Summer also knew that she couldn't take that for granted since she had been under the effects of an aura-blocking drug. And hadn't that been a kick in the pants. A drug used for medical purposes had a greater effect on her as a Slayer than it had her teammates that actually used Aura. If the cultists hadn't cut the dosage they should have used in a bid to get more victims, they would have all been helpless.
This all led her to this early morning trip. She had skipped breakfast and caught an early Bullhead to Vale. She had intended to go alone but...
"Can we get pancakes yet?"
Nora had woken up while she was dressing and very quickly woke up the rest of Team SLVN. Her team very quickly let it be known that they were collectively overruling her on a solo trip into Vale.
"After the bookstore, Nora," Summer said with a sigh.
Pyrrha glanced at Summer from the corner of her eye. "Summer, where the books you want not available in the Academy's library?"
Summer shrugged, "I didn't look," she said as they walked down the sidewalk. She still found it amazing that she and her teammates could walk down the street with their weapons so openly. She was thankful after their mishap with the cult but still amazed. "I don't want anyone outside the team knowing what I'm looking into, though."
Summer couldn't help but spot the looks her teammates gave each other. They all were more paranoid than they used to be. Being drugged and kidnapped to be used as slave labor for a cult dedicated to a hell-goddess will do that to a person. To Summer, it was clear that even in her teammate's eyes she was being overly paranoid.
When they arrived at the bookstore, Tukson's Book Trade, Summer was baffled to find the sign flipped to closed. Ren glanced over to her and asked, "You did check the hours of operation, correct?"
Before Summer could answer, a roar of anger sounded from inside and then a loud crash. Acting on instinct, Summer kicked the door to the bookstore open. With the sun to her back, she was able to clearly see two people that looked to be about the same age as her teammates. One was a boy with gray hair and the other a tanned girl with green hair and a pair of sickles in her hands. Picking himself off the ground was an older gentleman, that Summer immediately assumed was Tukson or at least an employee of his.
"I heard this place had every book under the sun, but I didn't know you went for dramatic re-enactments too!" Summer said excitedly as she reached behind her back for Willow. "Can we do one of my favorite stories next?" She asked with a grin as she brought Willow out.
"Ugh, take care of the traitor, I'll kill the kid," the gray-haired man said as he turned to face Summer completely.
Summer just grinned broadly and tilted her head before she said, "You might want to rethink that." Then there was a tell-tale 'thump' sound from behind her and the gray-haired boy suddenly found himself flying backward as a grenade exploded against his chest.
"Nora, Ren, take down Mr. Murder. Pyrrha, we'll take She-Dolt," Summer ordered as she raced in, bringing Willow around, slashing at her chosen target.
The green-haired girl brought out a pair of guns, a sickle-blade extending from each of them. She used one of her weapons up to push Summer's blade high, letting her duck under it. Before she could retaliate, Pyrrha was already there striking at her back as Summer slipped away. Milo came in with a straight jab in its spear form, forcing Pyrrha's target to twist to the side to avoid being hit.
Summer was there to take advantage, spinning into a roundhouse kick straight to the girl's face. Then Pyrrha slammed the back of her head with her shield. Summer took advantage, bringing her knee up and into the girl's stomach, doubling her over. Willow's pommel soared down in Summer's hand to strike the back of the girl's head. As she started to collapse to the ground, Summer kicked her in the stomach, launching her back into the air. Pyrrha took advantage, bringing Milo around in an arc to slam into the girl, flipping her around so she landed on her back.
The girl hit the ground and rolled out from between Summer and Pyrrha and came to her feet. Her weapons suddenly extended on chains, lashing out at Summer's legs. One chain caught Summer around the ankle and the girl yanked.
Summer felt her leg start to pull out from under her and lept in the air. The chain came undone as she spun in the air and Summer kicked out at the girl. With her weapons extended, the girl didn't have time to bring either up to block and took the blow to her face, sliding back from the pair.
Pyrrha re-engaged on the girl's left, Milo collapsing down into its sword form. She came at the girl with a slash, forcing the girl to retract her weapons to defend against the strike. Her weapon shifted at the last second out of position, opening a path for Milo to slice down and across the girl's shoulder. Pyrrha followed up with another pair of slashes from her own left to right and back again then slammed into her with Akouo.
The girl stumbled back and bounced off the wall of the book store. She proved more resilient than Summer and Pyrrha expected and lept back into the fray. She brought her weapons to bear in alternating slashes at both Summer and Pyrrha.
Pyrrha started to deflect the attacks directed at her, subtly using her control over polarity to insure nothing the girl could do achieved more than a near miss. Summer danced around her, blade constantly finding a way to stop the girl's sickles. With each deflection, Summer and Pyrrha both could sense it, the girl was tiring. Two against one, they knew that the girl couldn't win. Still, her form stayed flawless even as she wore herself out against the two.
Then the moment came that Summer had been watching for. The girl brought one sickle across to defend against Pyrrha and overextended just the slightest amount. Anyone else would have missed it. The girl wasn't against just anyone, though. She stood against Summer and Pyrrha; The Slayer and The Invincible Girl.
Summer took the opening to strike at the out-of-position sickle. She caught it just above the girl's knuckles, forcing it from her hand. Before the girl could try and use the opening Summer had opened in her own defenses, Pyrrha stepped in to slam Akouo into the girl's face and then did it again. Summer took back over, using Willow to catch the other sickle blade and ripped it from the girl's hands. The weapon flew up in the air and behind Summer and Pyrrha.
Pyrrha stepped forward, Milo extending into its spear form. She used the extended length to catch the girl's legs, tripping her and forcing her off balance. Summer followed with a butterfly kick to the girl's face before dropping into a leg sweep. The sweep finished what the trip started, taking the girl's feet out from under her. From above Pyrrha slammed her down to the ground.
Pyrrha brought Milo's spearhead down to the girl's throat and held her there. Summer gave her a nod and looked up to the doorway leading into the back of the bookshop. Last she had seen, Ren and Nora had chased after the gray-haired boy back there. Summer took a moment and stepped over to the storekeeper to check on him. He nodded to her, pushing himself up from the floor where he had landed at the start of everything.
Summer started to move to follow Ren and Nora when she felt a tingle in the back of her head. Summer froze in place and focused, closing her eyes. Something was moving unseen. She wasn't sure what it was but she could feel it. Then she heard it, a light scuff of a foot behind her.
Summer snapped around, Willow collapsing into her carbine configuration. Flicking the fire selector into full auto, Summer opened fire. At 800 rounds per minute, even with her extended 40 round magazine, Summer emptied it in 3 seconds. In the hands of anyone else, Huntress, Huntsman, trained soldiers, that rate of fire and the recoil it would create would be impossible to control. Summer wasn't any of those things. She was a Slayer. Using her enhanced strength, senses, and innate mastery of weapons, Summer performed a miracle of modern firearms. She opened up with a fully automatic carbine with pinpoint accuracy.
In three seconds, a single point on the girl's aura met forty, five five six anti-armor rounds designed to punch through even the thickest bone plating she might come across on a Grimm.
In the first second, 13 bullets slammed into the girl's aura causing her to appear from nowhere.
In the second, there was a flare of green around the girl as her aura started to flicker under the assault of another 13 rounds.
In the final second of fire, the girl's Aura gave out completely as the ninth bullet struck. The last five ripped directly into her flesh, shattering bone and tearing flesh as they passed through the girl's shoulder. She screamed in pain as her arm was all but ripped from her body.
As the girl tumbled to the ground, Summer ran after her, drawing the Scythe out from its sheath while she put Willow away. She wasn't taking any chances this time. When Summer pinned the girl, this time it was with the Scythe's axe head pressed to her throat only to find her passed out from the pain.
Summer heard Pyrrha gasp behind her. "Is she..."
Without glancing back, Summer checked on the girl's arm and noted that the bleeding was far less severe than she expected. Her fingers pressed against the girl's neck, she felt a faint pulse.
"She's alive," Summer said and pulled her scroll out to call Emergency Services. While she waited for someone to pick up, she glanced back at Pyrrha. "Go check on Ren and Nora, I've got her covered."
Pyrrha nodded and raced into the backroom. Summer looked down at the girl beneath her and wondered what had brought her to this point. She was skilled, talented, and yet used those skills to try and kill a simple shopkeeper. It tore at Summer's heart and she wasn't even certain why. With a shake, Summer tossed off the melancholy thought and leaned back from the girl to wait.
Shortly, she heard the sirens. Moments after she heard them, medics were rushing in to take the wounded girl from her. She let the police know what she knew about her, including the suspicion that she had a semblance that allowed her to project illusions. By then, Pyrrha returned with their other two teammates. Gray-hair had gotten away after taking a few too many hits from Nora's hammer. He had distracted them by sending a car off course and towards a nearby cafe, forcing the two to break off the attack to protect the bystanders.
Summer nodded, knowing that there wasn't any other choice. She looked around for the shopkeep they had saved and spotted him just finishing up with the police himself. When he spotted her looking at him, he smiled and nodded to Summer, waving her over.
When she walked up to him, his grin broadened even more, "Nice to see one of us doing something worthwhile," he said in a gruff voice. When Summer gave him a confused look, he held up one hand and a set of retractable claws popped out of his fingertips. "A Faunus. Most with any skill seem to be signing up with the White Fang these days, the fools they are."
Summer felt uncomfortable with the praise. Not that he was thanking her for helping but that he thought she was a Faunus. She still didn't feel like one with her animal additions being so new to her. She also knew that denying it would get her nowhere. She settled on simply saying, "Glad to help, Sir."
The storekeeper looked at her curiously for a moment and then shrugged, "Well, what brought you to my store anyway? I doubt you were here just by blind luck."
"Yeah, there were some books I was hoping to find," Summer said, feeling embarrassed talking about her hunt for knowledge in the store of the target of an assassin. "I can come back later, though. I'm sure you..."
"Nonsense," the man said. "If you know what you're looking for, I have it. After the kindness you did me today, I'll even give you a deep discount. And after today, I'm going to be getting out of town. Now, what are you looking for?"
Torchwick was looking over the latest haul from the spree of Dust robberies he had orchestrated with the White Fang. He didn't care much if a person was Faunus or not, he generally hated them all equally. The White Fang, though, he had a particular distaste for. They were the dregs of the Faunus, barely able to be led by a leash.
Sighing, he pulled out a cigar. He reached into his pocket for his lighter and came up empty. His hands started to dart in and out of his pockets until by chance his hand dipped back into the original pocket and found it. He pulled it out and stared at it in confusion for a few moments.
Shaking his head, he lit his cigar and took a drag off it. He had another few days until they had to start moving the last of the Dust and he was going to enjoy the brief downtime. Perhaps take some time to take his partner out for a nice dinner and then rob the place blind afterward.
The sound of a slamming door snapped Torchwick out of his daydream. He turned around in time to watch as Cinder's pet assassin went flying past him to land on the ground. Mercury hit the ground hard and stayed down. Torchwick's eyes narrowed as he looked over the kid and was surprised to find him covered in bruises and burn marks.
Looking up, Torchwick turned back to the warehouse entrance and grimaced. There stood Cinder. Torchwick shivered just from the expression of rage she had on her face.
"Torchwick," she said in a tight, controlled voice that was seeping with barely restrained rage, "would you tell me why Tukson is still alive?"
Torchwick cursed under his breath. He knew he forgot something. Already he could tell his short vacation was shot.
A/N: So, those of you that know RWBY likely realize what this chapter means for the story. I won't spoil it here for those who haven't watched the show. But the changes they be a starting.