RWBY: The Verdant Star of Remnant
Chapter 13: Forever Fall
Author's Notes: Well... Now i can safely say that this WILL be a faithful adaptation of Jaundice... because it will ALSO be 4 chapters long!... GREAT! I expanded on so many scenes for this one that i HAD to leave the actual action for the next chapter... & YES, I DO MEAN IT THIS TIME! Next chapter WILL be the last of this damn miniarc; I'm sorry if this is taking longer than it needs to be, BUT I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT WE'RE ENDING THIS NEXT CHAPTER AT LEAST!... Fucking hell, man...
Okay, so as to why this took ALOT longer than it needed... I was hired as an editor for a group! Rogues of Remnant, we're making our own ARWBY (Abridged RWBY) & I'm going to be one of the editors, i spend over a week on the opening alone! But hey, after dealing with all of that & helping Mark, i FINALLY had a week off where i can focus on THIS & Now i'm finished with this chapter! Did it go the way i wanted? No, it didn't... But it's better than nothing, so fuck it!
Also, i noticed a few that are complaining on my overusage of profanities & what not, mainly on Cardin & Blake & how much they curse. To that i say... I don't give a fucking shit! This is MY story & i write however the fuck i want! If i wanna use profanities, i'll fucking do it & that's final!
Oh & one last thing, remember in C7 on how Yang called Peach "hyperactive"?... Yeah, that's when i was still figuring out how i wanna do Peach & needless to say, she's anything BUT hyperactive... Just pretend that it's something else, i was still in a phase back then & i'm sorry about that. Now, without a further ado, let's finally put this chapter to rest & remember
The following is a non-profit Alternate Universe fanfiction.
RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, Warner Bros. & the late Monty Oum. While Fire Emblem: Three Houses is owned by Nintendo, Intelligent Systems & Koei Tecmo. Please support the original release.
Also, major spoilers for both RWBY & Fire Emblem: Three Houses, specifically the Verdant Wind Route. If you haven't caught up with either of them, it's recommended that you catch up with both of them before reading this story.
& On that note, enjoy this chapter.
The First Year Students of Beacon Academy were scheduled to have a brief mission at Forever Fall Forest, with Glynda to come along as their supervisor. Their mission was to get some sap from the trees of that forest, but things unfortunately won't go that simple. To get revenge on being humiliated, Cardin Winchester & the rest of Team CRDL cornered Byleth & captured her, rendering her useless & unable to act. Byleth can do nothing but pray that things don't escalate as bad as she believes given the fact that they also took away The Sword of the Creator from her. Will Byleth be set free from her bindings before it's too late? Will Jaune realize his mistakes soon enough now that Ruby, Byleth & Sothis gave him a good pep-talk? All will be answered now.
We begin today's tale with Glynda Goodwitch calling Nurse Celestial Peach through the monitor of the ship she's taking to Forever Fall with the group of students that are going with her, those being Teams RWBY, JNPR & CRDL.
Peach herself is a very docile, gentle & caring young woman. She has a PHD in medical & psychology field, so she's both a nurse & a therapist. Peach is an Orangutang Faunus with long, bright orange hair, her Faunus Traits are a pair of Orangutang ears. Although we can't see her full body through Glynda's monitor, it's clear that Peach is a pretty cute, yet beautiful woman. She's basically Manuela of The Officers Academy if she didn't have a temper, was a huge alcoholic & took her job more seriously.
Peach: & Make sure to take the saps slowly, they can splatter like smashed tomatoes if you're too reckless in extracting them from the trees.
Glynda: Understood, I'll make sure to relay that information to the students. But just as a quick refresher, why do you need Forever Fall Sap of all things?
Peach: You see, I recently made a discovery about the stuff that has inside tree saps. Apparently, they have some sort of supernatural abilities?
Glynda: I beg your pardon?
Peach: Oh, I promise that it's nothing major. Simply drinking the sap doesn't do anything to you, taking medicine that's made from sap is a different story. They're supposably imbued with a strange power than heal wounds at a rapid fast, among other benefits.
Glynda raises her eyebrow as she thinks about this possibility, mainly about the fact that these saps can heal people for some reason. She heard from Ozpin that many years ago, when mankind was still getting accustomed to the rules of Remnant, they were very well connected to nature, much like The Faunus. They patched their wounds by covering them with a combination of sap among other plant life used for medicine, although this was thousands of years ago, no one knows if it's really true nowadays, just like many of the other Fairytales of Remnant. Glynda decides to keep this from Peach for the moment, since Glynda knows exactly why that sap is so special.
Glynda: I see, I'll make sure that no one eats that sap. They are very sweet, great for pancake toppings from what I've read.
Peach: Oh, most certainly. But please don't be so harsh on those children, they're still so young & finding their place in the world.
Glynda: *Scoffs* I swear you're too soft to be a Huntress. I must be going now; I'll call you back should any issue arise. Until then, take care of yourself.
Peach smiles cheerfully as she innocently waves Glynda goodbye through her scroll.
Peach: You too sweetheart.
Glynda blushes as they end their call, mainly about being called "sweetheart" by Peach & in such a motherly voice too… Despite both looking like fine young ladies, Nurse Peach is a lot younger than Glynda. Peach is in her late 20s, while Glynda is in her early 40s. yet even with that in mind, Peach treats everyone around her like her children… Although most don't mind that about her, Glynda most certainly does since she's a mother herself.
The students are outside, waiting for Glynda to call them aboard the ship & heading off to Forever Fall Forest. But they notice that Byleth & Sothis aren't here, Ruby in particular feels that something isn't right.
Ruby: Hm, that's odd… Those 2 are never ones to be late, where are they?
As Ruby is in her little space, Blake approaches her.
Blake: Something on your mind, Kid?
Ruby: Oh- Blake, here I thought you weren't one to start conversations.
Blake: I'm not, but seeing you without that confident & cheerful attitude of yours is a little bothersome to say the least.
Ruby: *Frowns* I don't know if I should be offended by that or not… *Shakes her head* Sorry, I'm just worried about Byleth & Sothis. They're taking way too long to come here.
Blake looks around & notices that Byleth & Sothis aren't here, she takes out her scroll to see what time is it; it's 1:29 PM right now.
Blake: You're right, they're not ones who'd arrive to something late. Maybe His Majesty wanted to have a meeting with them & is taking too long?
Ruby: Hm… *Shakes her head* No, I don't this that's the case.
Ruby takes this moment to think for herself for a moment, that's when she noticed that Team CRDL arrived just a few minutes ago. By the looks of it, they're carrying a very large rectangular wooden case with them. "What the hell could be inside of that thing & why did those guys arrive so late as well?" Ruby thought to herself, Which Blake notices.
Blake: You're thinking those guys are involved in some way, don't you?
Ruby: Yeah, I just hope my gut feeling isn't right… Oh & by the way- *Turns to face Blake* Can you please stop calling me "Kid" All the flipping time?! I'm both your Team Leader & your House Leader; not to mention that you're barely 2 years older than me! Can't you at least take me a little more seriously & call me by my name?
Blake just chuckles as she passes Ruby to get inside of the airship.
Blake: Sorry Kid, force of habit.
Ruby groans in annoyance at Blake's comment as she & everyone else hop aboard the ship, ready to fly off as Glynda calls over to the students to head onboard immediately.
From his office, Ozpin watches the ship fly away & slowly getting further & further away. He can't exactly explain it, but he can't help but feel that things will go unwell later this afternoon with those children. He drinks his afternoon coffee as his office door rings, he turns around to face his incoming guest.
Ozpin: Come in.
The incoming guest was Sothis, who woke up a few minutes ago & just came out of a good wake-up shower. She wishes Byleth or Yang were there when she finished, trying to fix her hair after her showers is always a pain. But she was still able to get in her purple school attire, she really likes this outfit.
Sothis: Good afternoon Oz, it's been a while. *Blushes* Please don't mind my hair, I can never get it right after I finish my showers.
Ozpin: Hahahahahah! Please, there's no need to worry about it. I'm just thankful that you could make it here, despite being a few hours late.
Sothis: I've been having these headaches for a while now, so they make me a little more tired than normal. Besides, I've always been a heavy sleeper.
Sothis goes to sit on the chair in front of Ozpin's desk.
Sothis: I was actually going to see The Nurse after I took a shower today, but I figured that whatever you wanted to talk to me about was a little more important.
Ozpin: "Headaches", you say? I see… Hopefully, those will go away soon after the Nurse gives you a checkup. Now then, would you mind answering me a few questions?
Sothis raises an eyebrow, no doubt Ozpin wants to interrogate her like Glynda has done with Byleth yesterday. On that note, she finds it funny that Byleth has threatened both Glynda & Ozpin if they got in Ruby's way, while Glynda threatened Byleth should she ever try to oppose Oz. Anyways, she makes sure to keep her guard up for this one.
Sothis: Let me guess Old Man, you want to learn of my history in person like Glynda did with my Sister yesterday, don't you?
Ozpin is taken aback by Sothis' comment, not necessarily the "Old Man" bit since 1: he is indeed Old, as well as being used to that comment & 2: He likes it when some people aren't so formal with him. Being a King is a double-edged sword.
Ozpin: My, my, that's a surprise. May I ask why do you think that's the case?
Sothis: It's painfully obvious that you have a close eye on us, it's quite rude to butt into other people's business when they want to keep them to themselves, don't you think?
Ozpin is surprised by Sothis' comment, not to say he didn't agree. There are some matters that he shouldn't meddle if his guests aren't comfortable in being vulnerable, he can't help but give a rather malicious smirk & a slight chuckle.
Ozpin: Hmhmhmhmhmhmhm… You're truly someone special, aren't you Sothis? But no, I merely wish to get to know you both better. Sure, you & especially Ms. Eisner are very friendly towards others… Yet I can't help but feel that you're both very distant people in a weird way, I cannot exactly put it into words.
Sothis: *Shrugs* We're not used to being in society for that long, we're travelers. Once our work here is done, we'll just move on.
Ozpin raises his eyebrows a little bit as he cleans his glasses.
Ozpin: I beg your pardon, "You'll move on once you're done here?"
Sothis can feel the rather suspicious nature coming from Ozpin, she knows better than anyone to never let her guard down with people like him.
Sothis: Well, yeah! What, you expect us to stay here for many years? Sorry Old Man, but that's not how we roll. *Smirks* Unless of course, you have some special reason to keep us living under your watchful eye…
Shit, she's onto him! If Ozpin thought that trying to deceive & make Byleth see the truth, doing that task with Sothis is going to prove even more difficult! These girls are good, too good!... He then thinks of a way to keep this conversation going for a while longer.
Ozpin: *Smugly looks away* I can neither deny or confirm that fact, Young Sothis… Well, not yet anyways. *Looks back at Sothis* Tell me Sothis, what's your favorite Fairytale?
Now it was Sothis' turn to be taken aback, what's with this random as hell question all of the sudden? What is he trying to say? No matter, she goes along with it.
Sothis: Believing or not, I never read any Fairytales when I was a kid, nor did Byleth for that matter… Well- unless you count our Mom's tale about The Sword's Curse.
Once again, Ozpin is taken aback. Just as he thought, these 2 have no sense of knowledge about Remnant's customs, even travelers read fairytales once. This just feels off, to the point where he almost choked on his coffee when Sothis said that.
Ozpin: *Clears his throat* A- Are you serious?
Sothis: Yup, although we did read a couple of them at the school's library a few times. Gotta say, we were missing out!
Oh good, this might not go as bad as Ozpin thought it would be. He can still work with this if he plays his cards right.
Ozpin: Oh, I see… Well then, how many have you girls read at the moment?
Sothis tries to remember which novels & Fairytales she & Byleth read at the library.
Sothis: Let's see, "The Tale of the 2 Brothers", "The Judgement of the Faunus" & "The Warrior in the Woods". Those are the ones that are at the top of my head, honestly. I'm a bit of a slow reader, I like to take my time.
Ozpin: I see, you have good taste. Those 3 tales are some of my favorites as well, there are times where I read them before bed as a way to remind myself of how mystical this world can be sometimes… After all, Legends don't exactly start as- well, Legends.
Sothis: Trust me Old Man, I'm quite aware of that myself. *Scratches her cheek* Actually, there is one more Fairytale that's on my mind right now. I'm actually reading it as of late, but I haven't finished yet… I think it's called "The Demon & The Angel", It's actually a 3-part book series, as a matter of fact. I'm almost done with the first one of that series.
Ozpin raises his eyebrow again, but for different reasons. He's a man who's known every single Fairytale known in Remnant, yet he has never heard of a trilogy of Fairytales called The Demon & The Angel. Maybe it's a new Fairytale that he didn't take notice of before?
Ozpin: "The Demon & The Angel"? I've never heard of that one, care to elaborate?
Sothis: It's a story about two young girls who were best friends in the past, but were separated under tragic circumstances. While they reunite many years later, one of them doesn't seem to remember the other. The two heroines are great leads with similar, yet opposing ideals. I'm excited to see where it will go from that point, I'm loving it so far!
Ozpin: *Smiles* I see, that's wonderful news. Whenever I get the chance, I'll take a look at that trilogy myself.
Ok, that didn't go as planned. Oh well, at least he got something out of it. This Fairytale that Sothis is reading does seem interesting, he wonders if it could tell him something else about the History of Remnant… or maybe even the Future of Remnant? That's when Sothis takes a look at the time through her scroll & notices the time; it's passed 2PM.
Sothis: Oh, for fuck's sake! Sorry Oz, gotta get going now; my appointment with Peach is supposed to be right now! I'll talk to you later, bye!
Sothis says that while rushing out of the office as Ozpin tries to calm her down, but to no avail as she already left.
Ozpin: Ms. Sothis, wait- & she's gone... *Sighs* Glynda's gonna have my head for this…
Ozpin takes another sip of his coffee before taking his scroll & looking through "Project Fall", he should've known better to rush things like this.
Cut to Sothis knocking at the Infirmary's door, hoping that Peach was inside.
Sothis: Excuse me, Nurse Peach. Are you in there?
A brief moment of silence later & the door opens, revealing a tall – almost 2 meters tall to be more precise – young woman with long, fluffy orange hair, Orangutang ears & a pair of glasses. She's wearing a large white nurse coat that she leaves it open, a buttoned blouse with a brown & orange chess pattern, showing off her large chest due to how tight the shirt is. A pair of white jeans & dark orange short heels, the jeans being pretty tight as well. This is Nurse Celestial Peach; Nurse & Teacher of Beacon Academy, one of The Venatores & the fourth member of The Four Generals of Vale; with Nurse Peach's title in particular being "The Peace General". She looks down to see Sothis, kneeling down to her level & ruffling her hair a little bit as she speaks in a soft, motherly voice.
Peach: Ah, Little Sothis. I'm so happy to see you, what are you doing here all by yourself?
Sothis groans & blushes in both embarrassment & annoyance at Peach treating her like a small child, as if Byleth spoiling her wasn't enough.
Sothis: Come on, can't you treat me a little more seriously? I'm not a small kid!
Peach can't help but chuckle as she stops ruffling Sothis' hair, getting back up to her feet & stepping aside for Sothis to get inside of the infirmary.
Peach: You are to us, dear. Come now, I already have a medical bed prepared for you.
Sothis just rolls her eyes as she gets inside of the infirmary, which is pretty large… Well, maybe I should say that this is one of the infirmaries in Beacon Academy, this one is just the main one given its larger size. Sothis then sits on the bed Peach motioned her towards to & makes herself comfortable as Peach brings a chair to sit next to her.
Peach: *Adjusts her glasses* Now then, could you give me a brief rundown of these odd "Headaches" you've been getting for the last few days?
Sothis: That's the thing, I can't properly explain them very well… All I know is that they happen in random & I see these weird visions.
Peach: *Taking notes* "Weird visions", you say? Do you think you can describe what those visions are in greater detail?
Sothis rubs her head a little bit before answering Peach's question.
Sothis: Well, I recall one where Byleth was just walking around the hallways… But that's kind of it, I can't exactly control whatever these visions are… I think my first one from a few weeks back was about Blake fighting someone at night, but that's about it.
Peach finishes taking notes & thinks about what Sothis has told her, it seems that Sothis' visions might not be coincidental or some form of accident… To help Sothis remember her visions, Peach then gets up from her chair.
Peach: Okay, I think I know what's the problem.
Sothis: *Looks at Peach* You do?
Peach: *Nods* Yes sweety, but I'm gonna need to make you see these visions with a bit more… "Clarity", so to say.
As she says that, she envelops her hands with a mystical, sparkly, rainbow colored Aura. One that sends a faint, yet serene scent around the infirmary. This is Peach's Semblance: Serenity; it allows her to ease the individual she's making contact with & relieve them of any stress or internal pain they might be having, among other things. Sothis' eyes widen in awe when she looks at the rainbow Aura around Peach's hands & how beautiful it is.
Peach: I can help you see your visions with my Semblance, that should make them easier to figure out, right?
Sothis: Woah… Y- yeah! If you can do it, I'm all for it!
Peach: *Chuckles* Now, now dear, no need to get too excited. I'm a Nurse after all, this is just my job. Now then, could you lay down in the bed for me?
Sothis nods as she comfortably lays down in the bed, Peach goes to sit next to the bed so that she can reach Sothis' head with both of her hands with ease. She gently places her hands on Sothis heads while slowly imbuing her with her Serenity.
Peach: Now then, try to clear your mind & let the Serenity be a part of you…
Sothis takes a deep breath as she slowly begins to clear her mind, letting Peach's Serenity flow through her body. Sothis has never felt so "relaxed" in her life, it felt really good. As the Serenity flows through her body & mind, she can slowly depict the visions from before once but; but the difference now is that she can see it clearly now.
It begins with Byleth walking through the hallways of Beacon Academy, until she stops as she spots Cardin waiting for her. They begin to have a talk & as Byleth was about to leave, she suddenly gets hit with a dart from behind by Russel; which makes her slowly become weaker & weaker until she falls to her knees until she eventually gets knocked out by Cardin with a hard hit to the face. That's where the vision ends & in turn, Peach lets go of Sothis as she opens her eyes widely & gets up in a bit of a panic.
Sothis: H-… Holy shit… What was that?!... I could see all of it now, but why did I-?!...
Peach then chuckles as she takes her chair to sit next to Sothis to answer her question.
Peach: Isn't it obvious, sweetheart? That was your Semblance.
Sothis is taken aback by this revelation & rightfully so. She can't believe it, these random visions that came out of nowhere is her Semblance?! She now has the ability of seeing into possible events of the future?!
Sothis: M- my Semblance?! But how?! I didn't unlock my Aura yet & I don't recall having a midlife crisis to have the necessary stress to unlock my Semblance without my Aura either! So how is this possible?
Peach: *Shrugs* I don't really have a definitive answer, my child. Remnant is at its core, a truly inconsistent & mystical land where anything is possible… & When I say anything, I truly do mean anything! To think that you'd have such a powerful Semblance.
Sothis looks at her hands, while she still doesn't know how she got a Semblance in the first place, the fact that she got it in the first place makes her smile in excitement! She has the ability of Foresight now & if she can find a way to use it willingly, she can start helping Byleth instead of staying in the sidelines since she can't use her magic in public.
That excitement quickly goes out of the window however as she then realizes that if these visions are actually true, then that means-… Sothis immediately feels a cold chill running down her spine as she gets out of the bed & quickly makes her way out of the infirmary. Peach takes notice of her sudden change of behavior & tries to help her.
Peach: What the- wait, Sothis! What's the problem?!
Sothis: No time, gotta go! Thanks for the help, later Nurse!
Peach: Sothis wai-!
She doesn't get to finish her sentence as Sothis slams the door in a rush as she starts to run around the hallways of the school in a cold sweat, horrified of what happened to her Older Sister & hoping to the gods above that she's still okay.
Sothis: (Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! This is terrible; I can't believe I couldn't figure these visions out sooner! The ship where Byleth & the others were supposed to go to Forever Fall Forest just left a while ago, I now know for a fact that she didn't step foot there! So where the hell is she?! This is bad, this is really fucking bad!)
Sothis runs around Beacon academy in panic, checking any room she might find Byleth, but to no avail. She hopes that wherever she is, she's hopefully alright. As she was going around the hallways in a panic, she bumps into someone who was walking at the same hallway she was currently going & falls butt-planted to the ground.
Both of them: OW!
The both of them groan in pain, with Sothis slowly getting up while dusting herself a bit.
Sothis: Sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush.
Gayelette: No, it's fine. I'm alright, but what about you?
As Sothis was about to respond, she recognizes the voice & notices that the person that she has bumped into was Gayelette, Glynda's Daughter. She appeared to be carrying a few documents from the scattered papers on the ground.
Sothis: Huh? Gayelette? I thought you'd go with your Mom to Forever Fall today.
Gayelette shakes her head as she picks up the documents she was carrying.
Gayelette: Oh no, I'm not allowed to go on missions. I'm still technically underaged & I'm still not ready to fight, so I'm staying here doing whatever work needs to be done in the meantime. Anyways, why are you in such a rush?
That's when Sothis remembers what she was doing & looks at Gayelette in the eye.
Sothis: Oh, that's right! Have you seen Byleth earlier this morning by any chance?!
Gayelette: Uh~… No, I have not. Is there something the matter?
Sothis: Long story short, I've discovered that the headaches I've been getting as of late is actually my developing Semblance of Foresight, which allows me to see brief events in the near future at random!
Gayelette at first wants to congratulate Sothis for (somewhat) awakening her newly found Semblance, but her facial expression tells her that something isn't right.
Gayelette: Well, does it have anything to do with Prof. Eisner by any chance?
Sothis: *Nods* One of the visions I saw earlier was her getting drugged & captured by Team CRDL a few hours ago, she's trapped somewhere around here!
Gayelette: WHAT?!
To say that Gayelette was shocked by this revelation would be an understatement. Under normal circumstances, no; it doesn't make any sense for Byleth getting into this situation because of how much she outclasses everyone in Beacon. But if she was drugged, that could change things a bit; but why did those first-year students have drugs of all things?
Gayelette: Well, did you recall seeing any visions to tell you where she is now?
Sothis: *Shakes her head nervously* No, I can't use these visions at will! Man, this sucks!
As Gayelette finished getting the documents all well packed & organized while Sothis is about to run off again, she then gets an idea just as she was about to leave.
Gayelette: Sothis, wait! I think I can help you locate her.
Sothis: Wait, you can?! But how?
Gayelette simply smiles as she jabs her thumb at a security camera on the hallway, that's when Sothis realizes what Gayelette means as she starts heading off somewhere, with Sothis quickly following suit.
Cut back to the bullhead where they're almost at Forever Fall Forest, the ship will land in about 10 minutes. Glynda stands up from her chair to have a moment with the students.
Glynda: I'd like to thank you all for accepting this brief task, especially when you're all preparing for your respective missions that are scheduled for the end of this month. Now then, allow me to briefly go over to what is your assignment for today.
Glynda begins to explain what they need to do in Forever Fall Forest & for the most part, the students are paying attention to what she's saying… Except for Ruby… This whole time, she's been keeping a very close eye on Team CRDL, she knows that something isn't right with them today… They feel a bit more- malicious today, Cardin especially. She then begins listening into their conversation, they're making sure no one else can hear what they're talking about & what they're talking about makes Ruby feel a bit on edge.
Cardin: {Then once those 2 get into place & we corner them, we take them out in one fell swoop. Thanks to the sap & the wasps, they'll get distracted & won't be able to fight back! They'll never see it coming!}
Russel: {& If all of that fails, we have that bitch's sword, right? Think you can wield it?}
Cardin: {Heh, it's just a plain & rusty sword. Even if I can't use it as a whip, I should be able to at least use it as a sword. I'm sure that this "Curse" they're talking about is all nonsense out of their ass anyways… Of course, we still have some of those drugs Russel got as well should we need to get more… Desperate so to say, it sure helped with Teach.}
Ruby widens her eyes at this new discovery, whatever happened to Byleth has now made clear! Team CRDL somehow ambushed her & drugged her, they certainly chained her up somewhere back at Beacon. That's why she didn't come! It all makes sense now! While Team CRDL were indeed talking very quietly, not even the faintest of sounds can escape Ruby's incredible ear sensing. She's trained all 5 senses of her body & even to this day, she's still pushing them to their limits & beyond. As for what's in that large box they're carrying, it's most certainly Byleth's sword: The Sword of the Creator. She wants nothing more to fight off Cardin & his teammates & take the sword back, but she knows full well that fighting in a small aircraft such as this one is a terrible idea. So instead, she thinks of a plan B as she begins heading to the door while Glynda is still speaking to the others.
[Music: "Let's Make It!" From Sonic Adventure 2]
Glynda: *Holds an empty jar* Each of you must gather one jar's worth of Red Sap & making sure you do it slowly due to how sensitive the Sap is. As Nurse Peach puts it: "It's like squeezing a tomato". However, this forest is infested with The Creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates at all t- Why is it suddenly pretty windy in here?
Glynda then notices that not only has one of the doors of the Bullhead opened a bit, but also seeing Ruby suddenly getting off the ship mid-flight… Wait, WHAT?! The others see Ruby on top of one of the bullhead's wings, she's definitely thinking of jumping off. Weiss is the first to comment on Ruby's incredibly reckless idea, whatever that idea may be.
Weiss: What in the- Ruby! This isn't the time for jokes, GET BACK INSIDE OF THE SHIP!
Ruby enhances one of her feet with Aura to kick the bullhead hard enough to dent it, letting her rip off a small piece of the ship's wing.
Ruby: Talk about learning something big at the worst possible time, I knew something wasn't right about an hour or so ago! *Looks at the others* You guys can go on & do this assignment without me; I'll be back in just a few minutes!
Ruby then jumps out of the wing & dives down to the woods below, she smiles at the camera while falling down, using the ripped off piece of the bullhead as a board.
Ruby: YOSHAAAAAAA!
[Music end]
Yang looks onto what her Sister just did, but she's nowhere near as shocked as the others, especially Glynda & Weiss who are flabbergasted from what just happened.
Yang: Huh, did she just jump out of the ship?
Weiss: Yeah! She did! Aren't you going after her?!
Yang thinks about it & although she's wondering why Ruby did is & is worried about her, she just smiles before closing the door.
Yang: No, I'm sure she knows what she's doing.
Weiss: What?! What's that suppose to mean, aren't you worried about her?
Yang: Of course I'm worried about her, she's my Little Sister after all. But I know she's a strong kid, she wouldn't do this if she didn't feel the need to. Besides, this isn't the first time she's done something like this.
Weiss is completely shocked at Yang's overwhelming confidence at both her Little Sister & Leader, she has complete faith in her. Surprisingly enough, it's Glynda who comes in & affirms this to Weiss as well.
Glynda: Like she said, she'll be back in a few minutes. Why don't you put some faith in your Leader as well?
Weiss looks at Glynda with a confused expression, completely shocked as to why she would say this after Ruby just did-… Well, that! She reluctantly admits defeat & sighs, not knowing what to do know.
Weiss: Heavens above, Prof. Goodwitch. Here I thought that you'd at least understand the reality of her actions… Very well, I'll play along.
Weiss leaves as Yang & Glynda exchanged looks at one another, Yang is surprised that Glynda suddenly put faith in Ruby like that.
Yang: Ya mind telling me what was that just now? You aren't normally this chill.
Glynda: *Adjusts her glasses* Let's just say that I've developed a newfound respect for your Sister after The Mock Battle last month. While I still do not approve her... Incredibly reckless tendencies, her instincts & proactivity are indeed remarkable.
Yang: I see.
Yang just smiles as she looks at the window alongside Glynda, they're about to land at Forever Fall Forest to take some Red Sap. Cardin also takes notice of Ruby's recent little stunt just now; he gets the feeling that he might've figured them out. No matter, it's not like she can stop their plan all by herself… Right?
[Music: "That's the way I like it" from Sonic Adventure 2]
Back to Ruby, who's currently boarding her way through the woods (Literally) & having the time of her life, she eventually discards of the makeshift board & just starts running from tree to tree, kinda surfing at the branches like Tarzan a bit as well. No matter where she goes, Ruby always maintains her high speed & mobility whenever she starts bursting through any place she goes. As she leaps off a branch & is in midair, she noticed a medium sized Nevermore coming towards her direction. Knowing that it's way weaker than the big one from The Trials of Emerald Valley, she has no issue slicing this incoming beast into shreds. Her scythe running through its skin like a butterknife, there weren't many who could withstand this level of sharpness from Ruby's Crescent Rose.
Eventually diving back down, grabbing onto a branch & launching herself from tree to tree until she lands on a more open field. Without any time left to waste, she blasts off through the plains in the direction of Beacon Academy, hoping to find Byleth in there. Anyone who stood in Ruby's way (Mainly foolish Grimm) weren't long for this world.
Ruby: (Tch, knowing how those guys never play fair, I bet they locked her up somewhere no one would be able to find her in a short span of time. Well, I hope they're ready to take some punishment; cause now it's my turn to teach those guys a lesson!)
Ruby makes sure to conserve whatever Aura she's going to need when coming back to the others, knowing that she's going to need it after her roundabout as well. But at the same time, using the environment & her knowledge of the map of Vale to her advantage. She eventually gets out of the woods & goes through a course of hills where she jumps from each & every top of the hill until she stops at a tall one to get a good enough view of where she's going, she looks around & from kilometers away, she spots Beacon.
Ruby: Looks like I hit the jackpot!
Ruby uses her Semblance to turn into a rolling ball of rose petals to run down the hill more efficiently & head straight towards her destination, going as fast as she can without going overboard & using all of her Juice. She then notices a herd of Springbok Grimm surrounding her as she was running at high speeds, this Grimm is called Ghazal.
A normal Springbok can run up to around 80+ KM/H & can not only run very fast, has a lot of stamina to keep running for many miles, but also jump long distances. In the savannas of Vale, the many species of Antelopes are very good at escaping from their predators, so you can imagine how facing a herd of their Grimm counterpart can be a nightmare for most people. The Ghazal isn't necessarily strong like The Ursai or have any projectile attacks like The Nevermore, but their speed, agility & maneuver greatly make up for its lack of brute strength & unique attacks. One of them is already bad news because of its large, sharp antlers & its maneuverability as previously stated, but a herd of these can be the end of you due to their incredible teamwork. Ruby looks around to see the small herd of Ghazal keeping up with her with little effort, there aren't many in the world who can match her speed.
Ruby: Oh, so there are Grimm who didn't skip leg day, huh? Well, this should be fun!
Ruby continues bursting through the plains of Vale as the Ghazal try to take her down or trip her, but Ruby's own maneuverability managed to surprise the herd & she's even able to ride on one of them once she catches it when it was jumping at her direction. As she was riding the Ghazal, she makes it crash with its brethren before finishing them off with a barrage of scythe slashes. Ruby looks back at the decaying Grimm as she kept running.
Ruby: Well, that was fun. I haven't had a good exercise like that in a while. Alright, I'm almost there. Hopefully I have enough to make it back to the others.
Ruby keeps running at high speeds, wasting no time as she's about to reach Beacon in less than 10 minutes if she doesn't get interrupted on the way.
[Music End]
Cut back to Glynda's office, where Gayelette is using her computer to see any footage of the security cameras that she can find. With Sothis hoping that things go well, she really hates masking herself like this. Screw being a "Normal Girl" right now, she needs to see if her partner is still okay!
Gayelette: I see, so that's why you slept longer than usual. Ask me, that was probably a good call considering how your Semblance is still developing.
Sothis: Still, I wish I was by her side at that moment!... Have you gotten any luck so far?
Gayelette: It's taking a while, Beacon's security system is pretty powerful. The only ones who can see the security cameras are His Majesty & The Venatores, but I usually keep an eye on things for Mother whenever she's too busy.
As Gayelette is working on the computer to find any footage, Sothis asks the following.
Sothis: Say, Gayelette… If you don't mind me asking… Why are you so devoted in doing this kind of stuff for us? Why do you always work so much for others?... I can understand if it's to help your Mom, but-… I can't help but feel like something's… Off…
Gayelette looks down somberly as she stops typing on the keyboard, not exactly sure if she can bring this up to Sothis. It's been 5 years since they moved out, moved to Vale. Moved to a place they can truly call home & have a family. Sothis can tell that this wasn't a good topic of discussion & tries to change it.
Sothis: Look, I-… I'm sorry! That was pretty rude, even for me… You don't have to-
Gayelette: No, no! It's alright… Well- it's not! But I appreciate it… I'm just- Not the best at talking about this stuff, I usually just focus on what I can do at the moment… Let's just say that life in Atlas has been- hard for Mother & I… Especially for me… *Looks at Sothis* Tell me, do you know how The Atlesian Empire's Government works?
Sothis: *Shrugs* Beats me.
Gayelette: It is a Nation where you'll only get anywhere if you're "perfect", so to say… The perfect Noble, the perfect Student, the perfect Soldier… The perfect Puppet!...
Sothis stays quiet as she listens to Gayelette's story, she has her full attention. The way Gayelette talks about Atlas reminds her of how The Fódlan Nobility works.
Gayelette: When you're raised in Atlas, you only have 2 "choices" in life… Either become a full-time member of The Atlesian Nobility, which consists of people who share all of the worst qualities of mankind. Apathy, corruption, narcissism, greed, manipulation, pride, hypocrisy, abuse of power & many more… At first, I thought my Father wasn't like that. He was strict, but it didn't bother me so much… Until I realized it all as I grew older…
Sothis: Let me guess, he didn't let you have any friends or free time for yourself?
Gayelette: *Shakes her head* No, he did not… When you're a child being raised in Atlas, the only "friends" you can have are those of the same social class as you… Which is bad enough, but the people you're forced to be "friends" with are just-… So horrible!... So in the end, I only had Winter & Weiss for companionship…
Gayelette opens the drawer of the desk to take a picture she has kept to this day; it was from over 5 years ago. It consists of the Schnee Family at the time & her own Family; she remembered how her mother forced a smile in the photo. She couldn't understand why that was the case back then, but now she knows the truth… But as Gayelette's looking back at the past, she remembers something else as she grows a smile on her face.
Gayelette: Oh-! But there were a couple of people down in The City of Mantle that I was very close to, such as Pietro!
Sothis: *Looking curious* "Pietro"? Who's that?
Gayelette: *Giggles innocently* Pardon my rudeness, I mean Doctor Pietro Polendina. He's a Cyber-membrum mechanic & currently the greatest mechanical scientist & doctor in Remnant. While Sir Nicholas II was like an Uncle to me, Dr. Polendina was like a Father; a truly good Father. He's kind, empathetic, supporting & actually cared for those around him… *Sheepishly blushes* Including me… He's exactly the kind of person I want to be when I grow up; a wise, yet gentle soul who can reach others who feel lost in the world.
Editor's Note: Cyber-membrum is Latin for Cyber Limb or Cyber Member.
Sothis: *Smiles* He sounds like a cool guy.
Gayelette: He is! You & Prof. Eisner would love him, he's also a blacksmith. So if you ever need a weapon that needs fixing, he's your best guy. *Rubs her chin* Actually, I do remember helping him on a certain project before Mother & I moved to Vale. I think it was called… Project P.E.N.N.Y. or something along those lines. I wonder if Dr. Polendina was able to finish it, it has been 5 years since we last saw each other.
Before Sothis could ask about Project P.E.N.N.Y., she's interrupted by the beeping sound from the computer. Gayelette takes a look at it & sees that she found the footage that they were looking for.
Gayelette: Ah, there we go! That took a little bit longer than usual, but better late than never as they say. Now let's see here…
The girls both look at the footage, they found footage from about an hour before Glynda left with the freshmen students. They see Byleth walking through the hallways, until she eventually comes across Cardin & after a few minutes, gets drubbed by a dart hitting the back of her neck & taken out. Then we get to them carrying Byleth to the elevators, that's when the girls (mainly Sothis) see what Team CRDL took Byleth. They took her to one the basement floor where all the cleaning supplies & other tools are in, then they jump the recording to see footage Team CRDL mocking a tied up Byleth & leaving her there to rot. Sothis in particular is pissed that they went that far just to get back at her Sister.
Sothis: Those disgusting bastards! Once I get my hands on them, they're going to be in a world of pain!
Gayelette: To think that they'd go to such lengths, despicable! To think that they managed to get their hands on that metal as well.
Sothis: *Looks at Gayelette* You mean those handcuffs she's wearing?
Gayelette: *Nods* That's Anti-Aura Iron, the most durable mineral in the world. It's not something you can use as a weapon like Dust or any other kind of ore. No, its purpose is to drain someone's Aura through physical contact. *Looks at Sothis* That's why making handcuffs of those things are so useful, it makes even the mightiest of warriors useless.
Gayelette then takes her scroll & starts dialing down a number.
Gayelette: Those guys are with the other freshmen, so Mother is still with them at the moment. Hopefully I can reach her from he- Sothis?
As Gayelette turns to where Sothis once was, she noticed that she's gone & that the door of the office is completely open. She groans in frustration from Sothis' reckless action as she adjusts her glasses & gets up from the chair.
Gayelette: Or we can… Not call someone responsible to deal with the issue & try to deal with this ourselves, that works too.
Gayelette turns off the computer before getting out of Glynda's quarters, knowing that Sothis most certainly went to the elevator to get to where Byleth was thrown. But as she finally catches up with Sothis – who was waiting for the elevator to come – she catches her breath from running so much.
Gayelette: *Panting heavily* If Mother was here & she saw that; she'd scold me for running through the hallways… Care to explain to me how in the gods can you keep up like this despite being a "normal girl"?
Sothis: *Looks at Gayelette* When you travel around the world on foot with your Sister for so long, it comes with the territory.
"Damnit, this elevator is too fucking slow" Sothis thought to herself, this technology can really suck sometimes. At much as stairs sucked, at least you didn't have to wait so long to get the chance to go to the next floor through the stairs. After a few more seconds however, the elevator finally arrives.
Sothis: Urgh, finally! Let's go.
Both girls head inside of the elevator & just as quickly as they got in, Gayelette pressed down the right button to take them to the basement. It takes them about a minute or 2 before the elevator stops, then opening for the 2 girls to get out. Sothis looks around the basement, wondering if this is the place.
Sothis: Ya sure this is the right place?
Gayelette takes her Scroll to look at the footage again, looking back at Sothis with a nod.
Gayelette: Yes, it is. She should be in that door over there.
Gayelette points to a door on the far-right end of the hall, where it says "employees only" in the door. Sothis rushes towards the door & hopelessly tries to open it, learning that it's locked tight.
Sothis: Son of a- come on, Goddamnit! Open!
That's when the barely conscious Byleth finally opens her eyes as she hears someone trying to open the door, she tries to scream despite being gagged with an apple tied to her mouth.
Byleth: {Mrhm?! Mrhmhmrhm-?!}
Translation: Sothis?! Is that you?!
Luckily for Byleth, Sothis has heightened hearing thanks to her elf ears. Sothis opens her eyes as she realizes that she managed to find where Byleth is being held captive.
Sothis: {She's here!} *Bangs her hand on the door* Hang in there, Sis! We're getting you out of here soon! *Looks at Gayelette* This is bad, I can't open the door! It's locked!
Gayelette just smirks as she takes her Scroll & motions Sothis to move aside, that's when Sothis noticed a weird box with buttons on the wall; which was right next to the door.
Gayelette: Don't worry, Sothis. I got this!
Gayelette positions her Scroll in front of the small box, which suddenly scans through her Scroll. After dialing down a 4-digit password, the door is unlocked. Sothis drops her jaw at the sight of what Gayelette just did.
Sothis: Woah~! how did you do that?
Gayelette: That device over there is a security device scans someone's Scroll. If you're high enough in rank, you can unlock any door. Since I'm the only daughter of The Mage General of Vale, I'm one of the few in school who can go through areas of Beacon that are off limits to students. Now then, let's go!
Once Gayelette opens the door, the sight is horrifying to say the least. They find Byleth tied up, bloodied & beaten. Gagged with an apple tied to her mouth & tied in both tight ropes & handcuffed with Anti-Aura Handcuffs. They couldn't help but look in horror for a few seconds before Sothis finally snaps out as she goes to Byleth, removing her gag.
Sothis: BYLETH! Holy shit, how did this happen?!
Byleth spits out a tooth from getting gagged for so long, she's been holding that damn tooth for a while.
Byleth: Well, I could be better.
While Sothis unties the tight ropes from Byleth, Gayelette is the one who's removing the handcuffs on her wrists.
Gayelette: This isn't the time for jokes! We were worried sick about you, your Sister especially!
Gayelette managed to take off the handcuffs, but Byleth immediately falls to her knees once she's finally set free. Sothis immediately wraps her arms around her Older Sister's shoulders with faint tears in her eyes, with the Ashen Demon returning the embrace.
Sothis: Byleth, you damn fool! What did I tell you about getting yourself into trouble?!
Byleth: *Smiles Softly* I'm sorry for making you worry so much, Sothis. Guess I still haven't learned, huh? But how were you girls able to find me; let alone know what happened to me?
Gayelette: It's thanks to Sothis' Semblance. Those headaches she's been having were actually her Semblance in its development phase, it allows her to see the future. Thanks to her Semblance of Foresight & my ability to access the security cameras, we were able to learn what happened & come here to help you.
Byleth widens her eyes as Gayelette said that, then looking back at Sothis. She can't help but smile at the small Goddess awakening a new power for herself.
Byleth: Foresight, huh? Way to go, Sothis.
This little moment between the 2 is cut short as Byleth remembers that Cardin still has The Sword of the Creator & he's with her students back at Forever Fall Forest. She tries to get back up to her feat, but the injuries she had plus having her Aura nullified for so long made her very weak.
Byleth: Wait- Cardin still has- ARGH!
Sothis & Gayelette: Byleth!
They both hold Byleth & make sure she doesn't fall again.
Gayelette: Prof. Eisner, you can't push yourself too much in that condition! Your Aura is too weak to activate its barrier & it'll take a while before you can fully recuperate!
Byleth: B- But those idiots have my sword! they're going to get everyone killed if- ARGH!
Sothis looks at Byleth with worry, knowing that she's in no condition to fight. She does have one idea, but it might blow her cover if she does that. after thinking for a bit, she then looks at Gayelette for a moment who was sitting Byleth down.
Gayelette: Look, just hang in there. We'll get you to the infirmary in no t-
Sothis: Wait, Gayelette!
Gayelette looks at Sothis, who's going over to her with a rather serious look.
Sothis: I have something that can patch her up in no time.
Gayelette: *Widen her eyes in curiosity* Y- You do? Then what is it?
Sothis then pulls Gayelette over for a moment, whispering to her something.
Sothis: {Yeah, I do. But I need you to promise me to keep this a secret between us! You can't tell anyone about this, not even Oz or your Mom, okay?}
Gayelette is immediately against the idea of hiding secrets, especially from her Mother.
Gayelette: {Are you crazy?! I could never lie to my Mother or hide something from her!}
Sothis: {Gayelette, please! Just between us girls! We're out of time & those brats use that sword, people will die!}
Gayelette looks down for a brief moment in thought, not knowing what to do. she's never been one who's been good at lying, let alone doing it very often. She's always been very honest to both herself & to those around her, but then she thinks of what Sothis just said. If that "Curse" they talk about the sword is true, then people could be in serious danger. Not only that, but she also asked to keep this "Just between us girls". Gayelette hasn't made any progress in making friends in years because of her lack of confidence from what happened in Atlas, but now things are different. She takes a deep breath & looks at Sothis, giving her an assured nod.
Gayelette: {Alright, your secret is safe with me. Just between us girls!}
Sothis smiles & gives her the "Ok" hand sign before moving back to Byleth, who's still trying to catch her breath. Sothis envelops her hands with an Emerald Green Energy, then placing said hands on Byleth's back. Sothis then closes her eyes as the energy from her hands starts to slowly envelop Byleth.
Sothis: [Restore+]
The energy flowing through Byleth's body gets stronger & brighter, she slowly starts to recover her recently lost strength. Gayelette watches in awe of what she's witnessing, this girl… Or rather, these 2 Sisters… Can use Magic?! But- But how?! From the world's perspective, Magic is supposably just a Legend & even those who know it exists know that it's an extremely rare trait. What Sothis is casting on Byleth is definitely some form of Healing Magic, so that was their secret all along, that's why these 2 are so mystical & inhumanly powerful! They're Mages! After a few more seconds, Byleth now feels as good as new as she then gets up, feeling no fatigue whatsoever.
Byleth: Ya'know Sothis, this was a very risky move of you.
Sothis: *Smirks* Like you can lecture me about being too risky with my powers!
They both look at Gayelette who's still in shock, but a few snaps from Sothis wakes her up back to reality.
Gayelette: What the- huh?
Sothis: Just between us girls, right?
Gayelette gives Sothis a nod before she does a sign of closing her mouth like a zipper, signaling that their secret is safe with her.
Sothis: Awesome, now let's get out of here!
All 3 of them head towards the elevator to get back to the first floor, where the doors of Beacon are located. Once they get there & are about to leave Beacon however, they spot someone standing there. It was Ruby, who was a little sweaty & drinking some water.
Gayelette: What the- Ruby?!
Ruby opens her eyes to see Byleth, Sothis & Gayelette looking at her with a very confused expression on their faces. Ruby finishes drinking her bottle of water before wiping her mouth, throwing the bottle to a recycling can next to the door & going over to the girls.
Ruby: Oh, you guys are already here?
Sothis: What do you mean "we're already here"? Why are you here?! Shouldn't you be back with the others at Forever Fall Forest?
Ruby: I was heading to Forever Fall Forest with everyone else, but a gut feeling of mine told me that something was wrong. So I told them to go on ahead without me & I ran all the way back here to see if my suspicions were right. But it seems that you guys went ahead & saved me the trouble of finding Prof. Eisner.
Sothis shakes her head in disbelief before questioning Ruby.
Sothis: Okay, stop! Let me get this straight. You just left everyone else behind at Forever Fall Forest & ran all the way here?! On foot?!
Ruby: Yeah & at an approximate 15-minute record time too. *Looks away for a moment* Ok. Technically speaking, I didn't leave them at Forever Fall Forest. We were actually a few minutes away from landing there, so I actually jumped off the Bullhead, dived down to the wilderness by using a piece of the ship I ripped off as a makeshift board & then I ran all the way here in about 15 minutes.
Sothis & Gayelette: YOU JUMPED OFF A FLYING AIRSHIP?!
Both Sothis & Gayelette are in complete, utter disbelief of how not only did Ruby did something so reckless & dangerous, but she told them about it in such a nonchalant way & with a smile on her face. This girl is absolutely crazy! "Normal Girls with Normal Knees my ass!" they thought to themselves, how can anyone think that this is normal?! Byleth however can't help but laugh after hearing Ruby's story of how she got here, with both girls being in even more disbelief from her Sister's response.
Sothis: Byleth, this isn't a joke! When do you see kids her age pull those stunts off?!
Byleth: Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help myself; your reactions were too good! *Chuckles a little more before clearing her throat* So, is it safe to assume this "Gut Feeling" of yours involves Cardin in anyway?
Ruby: *Nods* Yeah, I even overheard them talking back at the ship before I came here. But the girls were able to find you before I could even arrive, certainly saved me a lot of trouble. You want to go to Forever Fall Forest ASAP, right?
Sothis: Yeah, we do! Those idiots have The Sword of the Creator in their hands. If they use it while the others around, who knows what the hell can happen.
Ruby: Just as I thought. *Adjusts her cape* Well, lucky for you guys… *Jabs at herself* I can get you there in no time at all, Petal Burst Style!
All 3 of them look at each other confusingly before looking back at Ruby, who was pretty confident behind what she just said. Little did they know what awaited them…
Cut back to Forever Fall Forest where Jaune is carrying 7 jars filled with Red Sap from the Trees, he's clearly struggling to carry all of them on his own. He lays them all down next to Team CRDL, who are just lazing around doing jackshit. Cardin then turns to Jaune.
Cardin: Hey, great job, Jauney Boy! That wasn't so hard, was it?
Jaune: *Sighs* I think I'm allergic to this stuff, care to explain to me why did you ask me to fill 2 extra jars with Red Sap? There's just 5 of us, not 7.
Cardin smirks as he motions Jaune to get up & follow him, with everyone else following him. Russel specifically is carrying a small box of-… Something!... Now perched on a hilltop overlooking the other students, team CRDL - & Jaune, who's right next to Cardin - peak their heads over the crest and watch as everyone is retrieving their samples of Red Sap. Ren - kneeling to collect it from a tree - passes a full jar to Nora, who hums at the gift as Ren trades it for the other jar in her care. He turns back to the tree and starts filling it up while several licking sounds are heard from behind & as he looks back to trade Nora for another empty jar, now with an embarrassed smile covered in red and an empty jar in her hands. Ren just groans in frustration at Nora since this isn't the first time that she took the sap from the jars. Jaune turns to Cardin with a fearful expression on his face.
Jaune: So~… What are we doing up here?
Cardin: *Smirks* Payback!
Jaune looks confused at first, not understanding who Cardin is going to "Payback". He then looks down & spots both Pyrrha & Blake talking to one another. That's when it clicks to Jaune as he looks back at Cardin who was now holding the box Russel was carrying.
Cardin: The Red-haired whore who thinks she's hot shit & the Ronin edgelady c**t that broke my arm. Those 2 think they can humiliate me & get away with it, time to show them who's boss! *Looks down at the box* Last night, Jaune was able to get us a swarm of Rapier Wasps just for this one occasion… Now's the time to put our revenge plan to action! More specifically… *Looks at Jaune* You will, Jaune!
Jaune: Me?! WOAH-!
Jaune is then pulled back to his feet by Cardin, who then hands him 2 jars full of Red Sap.
Cardin: Yeah, you! These Rapier Wasps love sweet stuff & that Red Sap looks very sweet, which is why you're gonna throw those jars at those bitches! *Shrugs* Well… It's either that or you'll be on the first airship out of Beacon after Goodwitch & I have a "little chat".
Jaune looks at the four grinning bullies before turning to see the others below, ready to throw one of the jars. He looks at how Ren keeps scolding Nora for eating more of the Red Sap he's trying to take, how Yang & Weiss are getting along quite well; despite the fact that he can hear Yang's awful puns from up there & lastly, Blake & Pyrrha having a chat a nice chat with each other. Those 2 were nothing alike in Jaune's eyes, yet they're pretty close. That's when it hit him, the words Ruby told him last night.
(Ruby: This isn't just about you now, you got friends that will be there for you no matter what… But you can't let them down, you can't fail them! Because if you do, you'll bring them down with you as you fall.)
After hearing those words ring through his ears once again, he has made his decision. He closes his eyes & takes a deep breath before speaking.
Jaune: No…
Cardin widens his eyes in confusion, not exactly hearing what Jaune just said. He puts a hand behind his ear before asking.
Cardin: I'm sorry, I couldn't quite get that. What did you say?
Jaune grits his teeth & holds both of the jars tightly before facing Cardin.
Jaune: I SAID NO!
Jaune throws one of the jars filled with Red Sap right at Cardin's face, shattering the jar & splattering his face filled with Red Sap.
Cardin: ARGH, MY FACE! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! MY FACE IS FILLED WITH THIS SHIT!
As Cardin was using his hands to try & remove the sap from his face, he accidently bumps into Russel – who was carrying the box of Raspier Wasps at that moment – & causes him to drop said box into the ground. Which led to the box being opened & the Raspier Wasps getting set free & fly around the 5 youths… Until they decided to ambush Cardin & go for his literally sweet face… Needless to say, this wasn't a very good outcome.
Cardin: What the- you stupid pests, get out of here! Why are y- ARGH! Hey, stop that! Those stingers hu- OW!
As Cardin keeps rambling while he's being stung by the swarm of Rapier Wasps that are now swarming his face, Jaune tries to make a break for it & slowly starts backing away from Team CRDL… Until he suddenly feels a sharp pain on his left arm, he takes a look at it & sees a dart injected on his arm. He suddenly starts feeling dizzy & very sleepy, that's when he spots Russel approaching him. It appears that he was holding a revolver of sorts, the last thing Jaune sees before losing consciousness is Russel glaring at him in the eyes.
Russel: {Ya done fucked up now, Jauney-boy!}
Russel then slams his fist on Jaune's face, knocking him out unconscious. Dove & Sky are occupied helping Cardin & trying to get rid of the swarm of Rapier Wasps that are still swarming at his face & stinging him constantly. Good news is that there's a lake pretty close to where they're located, so it doesn't take them long to get rid of those pesky bugs with some good old water splashing. Cardin is sitting down, using his Aura to heal his wounds, as well as taking the antidotes his teammates had just in case this happened.
Sky: God fucking damnit! I knew that the blond dumbass wouldn't have it in him, but to think that he'd make you fall into your own trap!... Speaking of, are those antidotes we had in our back pockets working there, Boss?
Cardin growls in anger as he's taking the antidote, his face is filled with small red dots from the stings the swarm of Rapier Wasps left on him. But he's still able to answer his teammate's question.
Cardin: Thankfully, yes. I thought we'd need these just in case, I just wish I wasn't the one who had to deal with those pesky pests… DAMN THAT JAUNE! It's on now, asshole! *Sighs in frustration* So where did you tie him up, Russ?
Russel points at a tree on the top of the hill, where Jaune is tied up on a tree. He's still unconscious from both the drug Russel shot at him & from getting knocked out by Russel. Cardin finishes putting the antidote before standing up with a malicious expression on his face, his "serious face" as his teammates called it.
Cardin: Alright boys, we're moving to Plan B!
Cutting back to Pyrrha for a moment who's holding her jar filled with Rep Sap, she then feels something vibrate on her skirt's pocket. She reaches out to take out her Scroll, when she sees a message from Jaune, she suddenly feels a sense a dread hitting her. Blake was with Pyrrha at that time & notices the Red Tornado's sudden shift in mood, she goes over to see if she's alright.
Blake: Red Tornado, is something the matter?
Pyrrha: *Gulps* I just received a new message from Jaune… But whatever it'll say, I don't believe he was the one who actually sent it to me.
Blake: *Raises an eyebrow* You mean someone took his Scroll & messaged you?
Pyrrha silently nods at Blake, they both exchange a look that says "Oh yeah, we might have an idea of what's going on" & whatever it is that they found out, they don't like it. But while they were having that quiet exchange, Nora tries to slowly sneak her hand to get Blake's jar filled with Red Sap. Unfortunately for Nora, the young Ronin immediately spots her hand approaching & swiftly smacks said hand away.
Nora: Owie~…
Blake: *Glaring & pointing at Nora* FUCK OFF!
Pyrrha turns around to see Nora holding her very bruised left hand while having a few tears on her eyes, as well as a very pissed off Blake. She is disapproving of Blake's way of scolding Nora by both physical force & cursing at her, but she can deal with that later. Right now, she has whatever she's about to deal with. She just hopes that Jaune isn't in any serious trouble, given that Cardin & his friends are with him at the moment.
Things are starting to heat up as Cardin & the other boys sit close to where Jaune is tied up, waiting for their prey to come to them instead. Cardin has The Sword of the Creator on his back, still incased in a large wooden box. What does Team CRDL have in-store for Blake & Pyrrha when they arrive? Will Ruby & The Eisner Sisters make it back in time? Is Jaune's path of a Huntsman over or is this just the beginning of his journey? Find out all & more next time on RWBY: The Verdant Star of Remnant.
RWBY: The Verdant Star of Remnant - Chapter 13: Forever Fall - End
Author's Notes: We're going to get the actual fight in Forever Fall tomorrow, i promise! But for now, this feels like a good stopping point. Now i know people are wondering how can Team CRDL have access to things like drugs or any of the sorts, I can honestly see them making deals with the wrong crowd in the streets of Vale for one, or in the case of Russel which was explained in the LAST chapter, he has connections (In this case, his family) that allows him to have access to drugs & darts to shoot people with. Besides, i needed SOMETHING else to make them more than just simple bullies, cause pure physical strenght isn't enough.
With that in mind however, i LOVED writing Jaune in this one. In this scenario, not only does he throw the Jar at Cardin's face as opposed to in his chest, but he makes the dude fall for his own wasp prank. In canon, i always wondered why those wasps were pushed to the side in the following chapter (especially since the box itself wasn't well closed) so i thought of keeping them to see if i could use for something... No regrets!
Now as for Sothis & Gayelette, their newly formed friendship has just begun &... Oh my god, these 2 are adorable together! I can't WAIT to write more scenes of these 2 just being kids & having fun (similar to the Organization 13 Trio of Axel, Roxas & Xion were) That brief moment where Sothis asks Gayelette to keep her magic a secret (at least for the moment) is JUST the beginning, my friends... Now i KNOW! I. KNOW. That some of you are ALREADY shipping these 2 & you spoiled little brats want me to make them a thing!... Now look, this is NEW to me, okay? I JUST made them actual friends in this chapter & i have NO idea if i'm gonna make them an actual thing or just keep them as very close friends, alright? I hate this mentality of "Those 2 people are really close, so they HAVE to get into a romantic relationship! No ifs, ands or buts" crap & it's just isn't true.
& I'm not talking just for FxF duos either, this goes just as much, if not MORE for a MxM duo & ESPECIALLY a MxF duo, you don't HAVE to be romantically interested in one another to prove your love for one another is genuine!... But with THAT being said... If i DO decide to make them a thing... I'll let you guys in the comments decide both their ship name & place bets on who would confess first... You're welcome.
Anyways, this is all the time i have for today. This has been Remnant Bardock & until our next meeting, have a wonderful day my friends!