Hello, readers. WaterDragonMaverick here with my RWBY OC fanfic, "Sideline: Another Story". Now if you remember the last chapter, we reached a great milestone of 50 chapters total and the end of Volume 3. Now, we'll be getting into more original plot ideas rather than just the canon story. Right now, the members of Fragment Hunter are joined by Percival Ivory (who is joining them in his quest to find his mother), Bianca Coloratura, Team SMKE, Pinkamena Momo Quartz, Gin Aurum, and Azalea's family members. The group is trying to reach a doctor that Azalea's family knows in Mirabelle so that they can help Lapis after the damage she took in the Fall of Beacon, but they'll need to get there first. And in order to do that, they'll need to make a stop at Notremodo, located east of Vale. It's been a while since the Fall of Beacon and their journey east has begun. But with them leaving Beacon, new dangers are bound to show up. To help them prepare, sometimes it's best to learn from others and their experiences.
To clarify about something involving the ending moments of the last chapter, it took some time to prepare before they went to board the airship. I'll state more about it in the story itself, so just know I'll be figuring out actual dates for the storyline of this fic when I can.
Storytime!
RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and was created by Monty Oum (R.I.P)
I only own my Original Characters featured in this fic.
It had been some time since the events of the 40th Vytal Festival Tournament and winter had started to set in. Despite Fragment Hunter and their allies fighting in the 'Fall of Beacon', a great number of people still lost their lives and Grimm had overrun the school because of the Wyvern that was petrified on Beacon Tower attracting them. Some students like Team CFVY had decided to transfer to other Academies, like Shade in Vacuo. As for Fragment Hunter, they were focusing on helping Lapis recover her vision before they even thought about going to school again. After making the plans they needed and gathering supplies, such as Azalea retrieving another pair of Penny Polendina's swords for her own use, the group boarded an airship and headed off for their first destination of Notremodo. As the airship made its way over the snow-covered landscape, the members of Fragment Hunter were doing their own things to pass the time. Azalea and Slate were peacefully sleeping and cuddling each other, Silver and Vinyl were working on their weapons, Celadon was checking her makeup, and Ivy was playing a game of chess with Oliver Electrum. However, some passengers on the airship weren't enjoying the quiet ride. "I'm bored," Pinkamena exclaimed, managing to wake up her older brother.
"Pinkie, Cereza said it would take a while to fly to Notremodo. Just play a game on your Scroll," Slate said before Azalea pulled him in closer and snuggled against his chest with a smile on her face.
"I don't wanna," Pinkie answered as she childishly pouted.
"Just be patient, Pinkamena," Ivy said as she used her bishop to capture Oliver's queen. "Argus wasn't built in a day."
Pinkie moaned in boredom before eventually doing tricks with her yo-yo. "This ride is so dull."
"I think I know how to fix that," Ventus said as he stood up and headed for the cockpit.
"Don't even think about it," Terracotta warned as he touched Ventus' jacket and activated his Semblance to weigh the Falcon Faunus down. "This is basically a flying bus, not a fighter. You're not showboating in this just to have some fun."
"Killjoy," Ventus said as he crawled back over to a seat and looked out the window.
Oliver was having difficulty figuring out his next move against Ivy, seeing that he couldn't do much to protect his king. Deciding to move one of his remaining pawns forward as a sacrifice, he watched as Ivy positioned one of her rooks at the end of the board, ready to attack Oliver's king. He was about to move his piece out of the way, but noticed that Ivy had placed her second rook and queen in places she could capture the king. "Checkmate," Ivy declared.
Oliver only adjusted his glasses before he shook Ivy's hand and accepted defeat. "I must say, you're quite a skilled opponent," he told the elder Cow Faunus.
"Thank you. I've been playing with the farmhands, friends, and family for years," Ivy said. "By the way, how are your legs doing, Oliver?"
"They're fine," Oliver replied as he stood up and picked up the chess set. "How exactly did you unlock that kind of healing Semblance anyway?"
"You know, I'm wondering that myself," Smoke Shadow remarked as he finished folding an origami turtle and tossed it toward Oliver, causing the paper animal to land in the hacker's pocket.
Ivy saw that everyone was agreeing about wanting to hear how she got her Semblance, except Terracotta and Ventus because they already knew the origin of her ability. "Very well. I suppose that I could share that story with you all," Ivy said before she turned to her sleeping daughter. "It all started when Azalea was about 4 years old..."
14 years ago...
A younger Azalea was climbing a tree in the orchard of Plum Blossom Farms with Ventus Gaia watching over her. As the little girl climbed, she ended up knocking a Rapier Wasp nest loose and it broke open when it hit the ground. When the insects swarmed around what they believed to be a threat, they stung at her and Azalea's screams alerted Ventus just before she fell out of the tree. The Falcon Faunus swiftly caught his niece before she hit the ground and rushed her to the farmhouse, bringing her to her parents while they were speaking to the doctor from town, who stopped by for a friendly visit. "AZALEA," Ivy exclaimed as she saw her daughter covered in stings. "What happened?!"
"She knocked a Rapier Wasp nest loose," Ventus told her as the doctor started looking at the girl. "They started swarming her."
Ivy looked at the horrible condition her only child was in and feared for the worst as she heard Azalea cry in pain. "Azalea, listen to Mommy. Everything will be alright. I'm here for you," Ivy said as she hugged her daughter. As she made contact, her hands and body began to glow a bright shade of green before Azalea's wasp stings did the same. Everyone watched as the stings started to vanish as if they were healing much quicker than normal. After separating from the hug, Ivy saw that her daughter was no longer covered in stings. "W-what?"
"She's healed," the doctor said as she started looking at Azalea once again.
Terracotta approached his wife and looked her in the eyes as he spoke to her. "I think this is your Semblance, Ivy. You can heal others. This is a powerful and wonderful ability. It suits you perfectly," Terracotta said. "You can help so many people when they need it immediately. You showed us that with how you saved our daughter."
Ivy looked at her hands before looking back at Azalea, who was now sleeping soundly after being healed by her. Ivy shed a single tear before she took her daughter to her bedroom and stayed with her on the bed until she woke up. "Sleep well, my little flower," Ivy gently whispered to Azalea as she gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead, eventually falling asleep with her.
After hearing the story of Ivy's first use of her Semblance, many members of the group were happy to hear the story. Out of everyone, Percival Ivory was crying like a baby after hearing the details. "Tha-a-a-at's just so-o-o-o-o sweet," he blubbered as he tears rolled down his face like a waterfall.
"I know! It's so precious," Kun Agate said as he sat next to Percival, then hugged the clawed Faunus tightly as both cried.
While everyone watched the two weep, they realized something. "Um, who's flying the airship," Layla questioned before the aircraft began to lose altitude.
"I've got it," Ventus called out as he reached the cockpit and took the controls. When he did, he pulled the airship up to level it out. However, nobody was buckled down and everyone soon fell into a large heap with Azalea waking up in the chaos.
"Argh!"
"Watch it!"
"Whose hand is that?"
"Ow! My wings!"
"Sunset, get your big butt off of me!"
"Oh, you know I have a great one!"
"I can't breathe..."
After everyone pulled themselves out of the heap of people, Azalea checked on her dogs and saw they were okay thanks to Dante's barriers protecting them. "Everyone else okay," Azalea asked as she turned to see if the others were fine.
As everyone spoke up, Ivy faced Smoke Shadow and Veronica Moonstone. "I'd like my necklace back, thank you very much. Terracotta gave it to me as a present when we first dated," she told the two thieves.
"How could you even tell," Veronica said as she handed the ruby necklace back to Ivy.
"With my looks, you become more aware of things happening around you," Ivy stated as she put her necklace back on and let it rest on her cleavage. "Terracotta was really surprised when he found out I was bigger than his ex-girlfriend. 108 centimeters of love, life, and beauty," Ivy said proudly.
"108 CENTIMETERS," almost everyone exclaimed as Ivy stated her bust size. They all gawked before their gaze fell on Azalea, causing the girl to hide her chest from prying eyes.
"Just because I'm more confident about my body, it doesn't mean I like people staring at me," Azalea told everyone. After telling everyone that, they awkwardly looked away and went back to their own business.
Soon, Ventus started teaching some of Fragment Hunter how to pilot the airship and the other boys were playing a game of poker. Percival and Silver lost, but Terracotta was still continuing with Slate and Smoke keeping up with him. As everything went on, Slate lost and kept watching as Smoke and Terracotta were going all in. As they looked at each other, Smoke was feeling nervous as he saw Terracotta's very stoic poker face. "Call or fold? What's it gonna be," Terracotta asked as he kept his emotionless expression.
Smoke started to sweat and soon gave his answer. "Fold," the Raccoon Faunus answered.
"Good choice. Especially since that was a bluff," Terracotta said as he collected his winnings and revealed his hand. Smoke Shadow saw that none of Terracotta's cards matched up with each other and he was shocked that he fell for the bluff. "You're lucky that we weren't playing for anything really important."
"Like what? A person's soul," Rua joked as she scratched Dante behind the ears.
"I remember reading a comic with that as part of the storyline. The heroes face off against a gambler with the power to take a person's soul when they feel like they lost a bet, but he kept cheating. So, the heroes had to cheat him without getting caught," Ventus said from the cockpit.
"Sounds interesting," Sunset remarked as she pulled out her guitar and decided to play it. As she did, she started singing something to go with it. "I'm the one~ That was born in a nightmare, a murderer's son~ Got no gun~ But I gleam like a blade and I'm harder than iron~"
"Where did you come up with that," Bianca Coloratura asked.
"Whenever I use my Semblance on certain people, there are sometimes songs that get in my head. Nora had this sort of love song that you could have sung," Sunset said.
"Hey, you think I could try it out," Percival asked.
"Sure, why not," Silver said as he handed the other male his own guitar, letting him learn a few lessons from Sunset. While that was happening, Silver went over and talked to a sulking Lapis. "Are you okay?"
Lapis shrugged as she turned to the direction of Silver's voice. After the Fall of Beacon, Lapis was letting her hair grow out, but wasn't bothering to style it while she couldn't see anything clearly. "I'm doing fine," Lapis said. "The sooner we get to Mirabelle, the better."
The members of Team SLVR saw that Lapis was upset and started thinking of a way to lighten the mood. "Hey, you remember when we met in the Emerald Forest," Silver asked, hoping that talking about the memory would help.
Lapis laughed to herself as she nodded. "Yeah, I remember that well," the blue-haired girl remarked.
Several months ago...
After being launched into the Emerald Forest, Silver used his weapon's chain to catch onto a tree branch before managing to slow down. Landing onto the ground, he began to make his way to find the relics Ozpin instructed the students to find. As he made his way through the woods, he soon heard growling sounds and a small pack of Beowolves approached him. "Good timing. I was getting bored," Silver remarked as he prepared his weapon, Whiplash, and changed it into its chainsaw mode. Revving the engine goaded the Grimm into attacking and Silver was quick to dodge the attack before slashing at the first few monsters. As he carved them in half, more tried to attack him from the side, only for Silver to reveal the blades hidden in his shoes and throw a kick into the closest Beowolf's jaw. After Silver took out several Beowolves, the older ones were smart enough to stay back from his melee range before Silver used Whiplash's chain to grab the final ones by the necks and revved the engine of his weapon. When he did, the chain vibrated and the final few Grimm were instantly decapitated before evaporating on the ground. "Phew... That was a workout," Silver remarked before hearing something to his left.
Swiftly turning around with Whiplash in his hand, Silver was ready to slash at the next threat he saw until his weapon was caught between a trident's prongs before a shield blocked the two weapons. The Wolf Faunus jumped back and saw three girls looking at him, one of whom he recognized from that morning. "Well, this is a predicament. Who teams up with him," the Fox Faunus remarked.
"I already met the guy before," Rua Amaranth told the two girls as she pointed a thumb at Silver.
"Let's stick together for safety. It could be more dangerous than we think," the blue-haired trident user stated before introducing herself. "I'm Lapis Ondine."
"Vixen Kosaku," the Fox Faunus replied.
"Rua Amaranth."
"And I'm Silver Wuruhi," the Wolf Faunus said. "Come on, let's get going. Last one to the temple is a rotten egg," he exclaimed before running deeper into the forest. The girls followed him until they reached a clearing in the woods that had several boulders grouped together with some broken trees, as if they rolled off the cliff and through the forest. "Hmm... Let me see if something happened here," Silver said as he used his Semblance to transform into a wolf and started sniffing around the area. The girls were surprised by the male's Semblance, but waited for him to transform back after he noticed something. "There's another Grimm approaching," Silver warned and held onto Whiplash. The girls all readied their own weapons before they saw a Geist heading in their direction. Before anybody could attack it, the Grimm began to possess the boulders in the clearing, forming into a Petra Gigas.
When the Creature of Grimm finished taking control of the rocks, the four prepared for battle against the giant monster. The golem started by trying to smash at the teenagers, but they dodged out of the way and Rua charged into the monster's legs with her shield bashing against them. The attack didn't do much damage, but was able to make the Gigas stumble around briefly before it countered by slamming its arm into Rua's shield and send her flying back into a tree. "Oof! That hurt, you bastard! Bitch? Bastitch! Time to die," Rua shouted at the Grimm, unsure if the monsters even have genders before she teleported in front of the Petra Gigas' face with her Semblance. As she separated her shield into twin blades that she attached to her arms, she pulled back her fist and prepared to attack before the Grimm smacked her away.
As Rua bounced across the ground, Silver tried to use Whiplash's chain to inflict some damage, but was only able to deal small scratches to the rocky limbs while the Gigas protected its face. Deciding to help out, Lapis twirled her trident, Typhoon, around and used the Water Dust in it to strike at the Grimm. As the water got in the scratches, Lapis then followed through by using the Water and Wind Dust in her weapon to freeze the soaked Grimm. As ice formed on the monster, it continued to protect the mask that was its face before it stood still with frost covering its body. "Try attacking it now," Lapis said as her trident began to spark with electricity from the Lightning Dust in held. Before any of the teenagers could make a move, the Petra Gigas was able to break free from the ice covering it at the cost of its scratched arms breaking away from the water and ice causing more damage.
"It's got no arms! We can take it," Vixen exclaimed before a pair of red glyphs appeared from the 'shoulders' of the Grimm. With large hands appearing from them, the Grimm grabbed at several of the broken trees around the area to replace its limbs and attack the four students. "Never mind," Vixen shouted as she avoided one of the wooden 'fists' of the Gigas. "On the bright side, we can do more damage to this thing," she remarked as she pulled out a pair of her iron fans, 'Foxfire'. Using Fire Dust inside of them, Vixen unleashed a wave of fire and ignited the Grimm's arms.
"Not the brightest idea," Lapis exclaimed before using the Water Dust in Typhoon once again. As the Grimm was soaked and the flames were extinguished, the four dodged another attack from the golem-like monster. As they dodged the attack, Lapis used the Dust in her trident to create several large icicles that attacked the Gigas from below. As the monster knocked onto its back, Lapis froze it in place with more Dust so that the teenagers could talk with each other. "Any plans for finishing this thing off," Lapis asked.
"No matter what happens, it seems to be protecting its face," Silver noted. "Me and Vixen will distract it so that Lapis keeps it from getting new limbs. Then, Rua can go in for the kill."
"I like this plan already," Rua said as she cracked her knuckles. "Just keep it down, then I can get to work with Skull Cracker," she told the three as she held up her weapon.
"Distractions, I can do," Vixen said as she started to use her Semblance. Creating a number of illusionary clones while the Petra Gigas broke free, Vixen began to lure the Grimm into Silver's reach. When it was focusing on the many copies of the Fox Faunus, Silver used Whiplash's chain to catch the monster's right arm before swinging onto the left. Revving his chainsaw's engine, he carved the wooden limb to pieces before reforming the guide bar and stabbing it into the monster's remaining shoulder. Falling down the Grimm, Silver cut the arm in half before Lapis used her trident to force the monster against a tree and froze it in place. Before it could try and replace its limbs, Rua threw Skull Cracker and the shield unfolded into a large shuriken mid-throw, impaling the Grimm's mask and killing it before it could exit the body it possessed. As the Grimm died, the body it took over fell apart and fell to the ground. Rua collected her shield while the others celebrated their victory, but the quartet soon went off to complete their task.
"We worked well together from the very start," Lapis remarked after everyone heard the story of Team SLVR's first meeting at Beacon. "Too bad that we weren't warned about Vixen's pranks."
"But then they wouldn't be a surprise," the Fox Faunus stated as she brushed her tail against Lapis' cheek, causing the girl to slap it away.
"You put all our Scrolls in gelatin," Rua exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air for emphasis. Hearing what Vixen did, several of the passengers laughed at the thought of the Scrolls in a gelatin mold and jiggling around.
"I bet that would have been a great way to trap Clay Crimson," Ventus said with a laugh before he started talking seriously. "I heard that during the Fall of Beacon, he escaped his jail cell when the wall broke down. No signs of him using his Semblance to do it himself."
"Think we'll see him again," Silver questioned.
"I'm sure that you might if we don't see that doctor as soon as possible," Lapis sulked.
Ivy soon sat down next to Lapis and put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "Valerie Whitethorn is an old friend of mine. She's one of the best doctors I know and she'll be willing to help us. Mason will even pay for the surgery," Ivy said to the blinded girl, bringing a small smile to her face.
"I still can't believe that you're related to Mason Stonehaven," Oliver voiced. "Then again, we never decided to go after him because of his reputation. He's an honest man that started his career working at his father's company by helping with the construction."
"All the manual labor did him good for his nights with my little sister," Ivy chuckled. "But he knows first-hand about the value of hard-working employees and treats them right. His success also comes from not just being the one to inherit his father's construction company, but also his investments with businesses all over Remnant. With everything that they do, the Stonehaven Foundation is one of the most well-known corporations in the world. Not as successful as the Schnee Dust Company, but they still help people where they can."
"Yeah, Uncle Mason is a good guy and he's more than willing to help out at Plum Blossom," Azalea added.
"I bet that he'd be able to easily handle any con artists that try to take your home away from you," Smoke Shadow said as he got close to Azalea. "Those sorts of jerks are who we steal from. Not honest folks like Stonehaven or you. Unless it's their hearts or a kiss." As the Raccoon Faunus flirted with her, Slate glared at the thief and was slowly reaching for his revolvers.
"Actually, the ones who tend to protect the farm from con artists are Ivy and myself," Terracotta said as he stood imposingly next to Smoke Shadow, causing the thief to gulp and slowly back away from the large and protective father glaring at him.
"Uh, g-good to know, you know. You know that, right? Yeah. I'll just, um... yeah," Smoke Shadow stammered, sounding almost nothing like the suave and collected criminal he was, which amused Sunset greatly.
"Never thought you'd get nervous like that," Sunset teased with a smirk on her lips. "That's adorable."
"You try flirting with the daughter of a man who could break you with just a look," Smoke retorted.
"You could easily avoid him."
"Not forever."
As the Raccoon Faunus argued with Sunset, Veronica Moonstone appeared next to Slate. "I'm sure that you're not very fond of Sombra trying to steal your girlfriend," the shapeshifter voiced as she took the form of Azalea. "I know that with her looks, she'd attract a number of men and women. Just like how you do," Veronica said as she cupped Slate's chin with a flirtatious smile.
As Slate was backing away nervously, he saw that the real Azalea was seething in jealous anger as her eyes turned red. Before either of them could do something, Pinkie's yo-yo wrapped around Veronica and pulled her away. "Stay away from my brother, you damn skank! He's taken," Pinkamena yelled as she began to tie up the female thief.
"Okay, where did you learn that language," Slate exclaimed as he snapped out of it and focused on his sister. "If you taught her to say that stuff, you'll be getting an earful from me and the rest of my family," Slate warned as he pointed at Team SLVR.
As Team SLVR and Slate started arguing, Terracotta turned to the bound Veronica. "You're as much of a flirt as my old teammate," the Bull Faunus remarked.
"That's what happens when you work in a red-light district before joining a group of thieves," the shapeshifter remarked before Pinkie released her.
"What's a red-light district," Pinkie asked.
"You know what a 'damn skank' is, but you don't know that," Cereza asked back in disbelief.
"It's basically an area in a city dedicated to the business of sex," Ivy explained to the pink-haired teenager.
"And it's somewhere that Orchid would spend a lot of her time," Terracotta snarked.
At the mention of his mother, Percival spoke up. "Is she really like what you say," he questioned.
"Yeah, but there's still more to her than being a sex-crazed Huntress," Terracotta said. "In fact, there was this one mission me and my team went on that she was a big help with. Thanks to her, our leader managed to live instead of dying to the type of Grimm that killed his family." Seeing everyone wanting to hear more, Terracotta began to explain what he meant.
Many years ago...
In a mountain forest located in the Kingdom of Vale, a younger Terracotta Gaia marched along the path as he moved debris for his team to safely pass by. Terracotta was still large at 7 feet tall as a teenager, but he lacked the scars on his neck as an adult and didn't have facial hair yet. He wore only his red coat over his bare chest, his jeans looked new, had his vambraces and belt, but didn't wear his ring. The Bull Faunus also carried his large sword, Sarangay, on his back. "Okay, the Grimm around here obviously don't care for the landscape," Terracotta remarked as he ran a hand through his hair, which only reached the nape of his neck.
"I would hate to battle this Grimm in Forever Fall," Aurora Celeste voiced as Terracotta helped her step over a fallen log. Unlike her adult self, Aurora's pink hair was tied up in a ponytail to keep it out of the way. She also wore a shorter dress that reached her thighs with her sword resting on her hip, had shorts on underneath, wore sensible shoes for the mission, and the only piece of jewelry she had on was her necklace. She was also much shorter than Terracotta and stood at 5'10" as a teenager. "I wouldn't enjoy battling it in one of my favorite places in Vale."
"We aren't here to comment on the environment," a serious male voice said. Terracotta and Aurora looked to see their leader, Noir Steele, making his way to the front as they headed up the mountain. Noir had inky black hair that reached his neck, steel blue eyes, had a lanky build, and stood at 6 feet tall. As he walked, he adjusted his black coat with three separated coattails, each with an emblem of a falling and shadowy meteor. He also wore a red vest, a pair of fingerless gloves, black pants with a silver belt, and a brown pair of knee-high boots. "We were tasked with killing the Grimm that was terrorizing the villages at the base of the mountain," Noir stated as he held his katana in his hands. Quickly drawing it, he slashed at a fallen tree that blocked the team's path with the sword's black blade, causing it to split into pieces at the exact moment he finished sheathing his sword.
"We've been on the same team for a while and you still don't know how to have fun," a playful and mischievous female's voice told the serious leader of the group. The three teenagers saw the last member of their team, Orchid Tilia, sitting on the large branch of a tree and watched her jump down toward Terracotta, who easily caught the girl. She was a fair-skinned Gecko Faunus with a tail as her trait, stood at 5'6", had cyan blue eyes, and her waist-length green hair had a flower behind her right ear. She wore a light blue tank top, a brown pair of shorts, a pair of holsters on her legs, a pair of combat boots, and a light jacket that was left open to show off her fit and athletic hourglass figure. "Me and Terry know how to enjoy ourselves," she said as she pressed her endowed chest against Terracotta and licked her lips.
"That's enough of that," Aurora said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Terra, drop her."
Terracotta did so, causing the Gecko Faunus to fall on her butt. "You could learn to have some fun as well, Sunshine," Orchid said with a deadpan tone after she picked herself up. "And you didn't need to drop me, Terry."
"We have work to do, Orchid," Terracotta said. "I'm not going to let my girlfriend distract me. Especially when she has a habit of going off with others."
"I let you know about them! Besides, I please them because it's fun and they deserve some good times," Orchid voiced as she threw her hands in the air.
"And I'm fine with it. But I get the feeling that you might end up in trouble if you keep giving people a warm bed," Terracotta stated.
"You would think a man would throw a fit about his girlfriend going behind his back, but then there's Terra," Aurora remarked. "Then again, the two of you act more like friends with benefits because of how many men Orchid's slept with."
"Not just men," Orchid said as she got in front of Aurora and gave her a flirty look while licking her lips. "You've got great legs."
As Aurora looked at Orchid with a deadpan expression, Terracotta thought about what the former said and nodded in agreement. "You're not wrong, Aurora. Orchid was the one that started the 'relationship' we have because I was feeling upset about a few things."
"Focus, you three," Noir demanded as the four made their way up the mountain and soon saw something that shocked all of them. When they reached a certain height, Team NOCT saw the forest on another mountain was burned down completely. What was once a lush and verdant area filled with wildlife and plants, was now a barren wasteland with dead trees and ash covering a good portion of the landscape. While the girls covered their mouths and Terracotta grimaced at the sight of the decimated forest, Noir only tightened his grip on his sword. "It's close. Keep watch for the Grimm."
"Don't you care about what happened to this forest," Aurora asked, offended at the lack of response to the destroyed location.
"I do care. If we don't kill this Grimm immediately, the villages at the base of the mountain will suffer the same fate," Noir said as he looked his team. Terracotta and the girls could see the hate and anger in Noir's eyes as he faced them, almost as if he saw this sort of damage before and had more at stake than just doing his job. Soon, a loud cry echoed through the area that sounded like a screech or scream, prompting the four to look up and see a large bird-like Grimm circling above them. "That's our target. A Velgeroc," Noir told the others as he glared at the Grimm with fury in his gaze.
The Grimm sensed Noir's emotions and began to dive down at the quartet. As it approached, its appearance became much clearer to them. It was an enormous eagle-like creature that looked bigger than a Giant Nevermore, but was much different than the raven-like Grimm. Instead of having a bony 'mask' with one crest and four eyes, the mask-like structure covering its head had five spikes like the feathers of certain vultures and two eyes. The Grimm also had a red mark on the 'mask' that made it look like it had a third eye. Bony plates covered most of the monster's black feathers, which almost resembled hardened lava, and even gave it a single claw on each wing. As it got closer, Team NOCT could feel hot air creating updrafts before the Grimm flew toward them to strike with the bony armor next to the claws on its wings.
Before the Velgeroc got close, Noir's eyes began to glow with shadowy flames before the four fell into the shadow of the Grimm. With the shadow rippling like a pond when a stone was thrown into it, Team NOCT was soon in an area with inverted colors similar to the negatives of a photograph. When the Velgeroc circled back, its shadow created a space on the ground where the colors returned to normal, prompting the team to jump into the 'shadow' and return to where they were. When they exited the 'negative realm' Noir brought them in, Team NOCT began to fight against the Grimm. Using her Semblance, Aurora started by firing several beams of sunlight at the Velgeroc while Orchid pulled out the guns she had in her holsters. Pulling triggers of her pistols, Orchid fired several bullets that traveled alongside Aurora's sunlight lasers, but neither of the girls could land a good hit against the Grimm's tough armor.
Terracotta was the next one to act as he grabbed a large boulder and threw it at the Creature of Grimm. As the giant rock struck the Velgeroc, it shattered against the monster's armor and threw it off its flight path. With another screech, it readjusted itself before flapping its wings hard enough to kick up a powerful gust of wind. Stabbing his sword into the ground, Terracotta was quick to keep himself steady before catching the girls when the wind blew them back toward him. "I got you two," Terracotta exclaimed as he caught Aurora with his free arm while Orchid used her tail get a grip on his shoulder.
"Always the gentleman with the ladies," Orchid slyly remarked as she wrapped her arms around Terracotta's neck and shoulders for a better hold.
"Where's Noir," Aurora asked. "Did he use his Semblance to avoid the wind," she questioned as the three searched around the area for their leader.
While the Velgeroc continued to flap its wings, Noir Steele made his way through the 'negative realm' that he could access with his Semblance to avoid damage. When he made his way behind the Grimm, he jumped out of his own shadow to enter the real world again and pulled a trigger on his sword's handle, firing a gun that was made part of the weapon and catching the Velgeroc's attention. As he fell down toward the Grimm, he used the recoil of the gun to adjust his fall and land on the monster's back. Slashing at the creature as he ran down its body, Noir ended his assault on the monster by unleashing a powerful attack at its tail and cut a few feathers off of it. When he jumped off of the creature and landed beside his team, he looked at the Velgeroc with intense hatred in his eyes and scowl on his face.
The Grimm looked at the four and soon started to take a deep breath. As it did, the gaps in the magma-like skin around its throat began to glow. When it finished inhaling, the Velgeroc let out another screech and burning ash was launched at Team NOCT. Noir activated his Semblance and took his entire team back into the 'shadow world' he could access, allowing them to avoid the attack. When the Velgeroc finished using its ash breath attack, it took up to the sky again to keep an eye out for the warriors. When the four students entered came back up, they saw that the forest on the mountain was being incinerated from the Grimm. "This is what that thing is capable of," Terracotta questioned as he saw the damage being done to the forest. Deciding to limit the destruction, he used the Earth Dust in Sarangay and slashed at the ground in order to kick up a large wave of dirt. With the soil snuffing out most of the flames, Terracotta limited the destruction to only what the Grimm managed to burn at the start.
"Now you know why it needs to die," Noir stated as he looked up at the Velgeroc. "To stop the mindless destruction. To prevent more people from dying. To avenge those who it killed before," he listed, angrily shouting the last detail. Changing his sword into its gun form, Noir opened fire on the Velgeroc as it dived back down at them. The bullets didn't do much damage as they bounced off the mask-like plating and Team NOCT had to dodge out of the way when the Velgeroc landed. When the Grimm was in range, Noir took a Fire Dust cartridge from his coat pocket and loaded it into his weapon. When he changed his weapon back into a sword, blue flames coated the blade and Noir jumped onto the Grimm in order to slash at it. The flames barely did any damage and the monster only smacked Noir into a tree, following through its counter by extending its neck and using its beak to peck at the teenage swordsman. Noir dodged the beak before trying to attack the Grimm once again, ignoring the shouts of his teammates.
"Noir!"
"Get back here!"
"You're going to die!"
The Velgeroc flapped its wings and pushed Noir back enough that he was left open to an attack from the monster's talons. With a clean hit from them, Noir was knocked down to the ground with his left eye taking most of the damage. Picking himself up, he saw that blood was dripping down onto the ground and held a hand up to his eye. Feeling the blood on his face, Noir only glared at Grimm with his good eye before letting out another enraged shout. "It doesn't matter if I lose an eye. I will kill you," Noir said to the Velgeroc before he went in to attack again. Before he could do anything, several gunshots sounded off and the Velgeroc screamed in pain as ice began to coat its feathers. Looking over at Orchid running toward him, Noir felt the Gecko Faunus swiftly grabbing him with her tail and throwing him to the others while firing more Ice Dust bullets at the Velgeroc and trapping in place temporarily. "Let me go! I need to kill that thing! That type of Grimm killed my family! I need to do this myself," Noir shouted as he struggled in Terracotta's grip.
When Orchid regrouped with her team, she slapped Noir in the face and smeared the blood dripping down his cheek when her hand made contact. "YOU'RE AN IDIOT," Orchid yelled right in her leader's injured face. "You can't take this Grimm down on your own! Your anger is making you stupid! When we first became a team, you always kept to yourself and it took a while for you to open up to us. But even then, you still played this emotionless and stoic leader that was able to take command on missions. This isn't you," Orchid stated as she showed her blood-coated palm to Noir. "You think logically and protected us in so many fights before. While you did the same earlier, that was it. When you went on the attack, you ignored us. You need to remember that we're a team. You can't do this all on your own, but we can help you when you need it."
"She's right," Aurora said as she finished tending to Noir's damaged eye. "We can help you. My family helped the King of Vale in the past. You can trust me."
"What kind of Faunus would I be if I just sat by and did nothing when things are wrong," Terracotta remarked as he placed Noir back on his feet.
Noir was speechless as he took in what his team said. While he thought about everything, the four soon heard the Velgeroc scream once more as the ice trapping it began to crack and melt. "Okay. I trust you three," Noir told Team NOCT as they readied their weapons. "If this thing doesn't like ice, then we know what to do against it."
The Velgeroc let out one more scream before it broke free and took to the air. Flapping its wings, the Grimm created another giant gust of wind to push back Team NOCT, but Terracotta planted his sword in the ground and used the Earth Dust in it to create a large stone barrier to protect the four. When the Velgeroc stopped flapping its wings, the other three teenagers jumped up and attacked at the Grimm with any projectile capabilities they had. As the Grimm took damage from some of the attacks, it began to use its ash breath attack once more. "NOT THIS TIME, YOU OVERGROWN TURKEY," Terracotta shouted as he vaulted over the stone barrier he created. Terracotta was able to surprise the Velgeroc and delivered a strong punch to its glowing throat. When his fist made contact, the Grimm lost its breath and fell to the ground, even coughing up smoke from the ash likely burning it from the inside.
While Terracotta's counterattack wasn't enough to kill the monstrous bird, Noir and Aurora were able to use their swords to slash at the Velgeroc and knock it onto its back. Orchid jumped off of Terracotta's back and aimed at the downed Grimm before it could roll back onto its feet. Shooting bullets of Ice Dust at the monster, Orchid was able to trap it once again and it could only scream in pain and anger. At the same time, Terracotta threw Sarangay into the air for Orchid to grab with her tail. Adjusting the position of the blade and aiming it at the Velgeroc's neck, Orchid kicked the blade down and decapitated the monster like a guillotine. With the severed head rolling away from its body, the Velgeroc's corpse evaporated into a black smoke while Team NOCT caught their breath. "It's done... We did it," Noir said as he looked at the vanishing remains of the Grimm.
"Thank goodness," Aurora agreed. "Now let's get you to that village for some proper medical treatment. I only managed to stop the bleeding."
"We also need to report back to Beacon about this," Terracotta reminded as he collected his sword. "Maybe after that, we can take it easy for a while."
"I'm sure that we deserve a little fun," Orchid remarked as she licked her lips.
"If my eye is the only issue, then I think we could go on an easier mission later," Noir said.
"There was this one job that asked for security in the village of Mirabelle, just on the western end of Anima," Aurora mentioned as she remembered something he saw before. "Beacon's closer to it than Haven, so we could help out there. I wonder what we would encounter there?"
"That all depends on if it's still available by the time we can go on another mission," Terracotta voiced as the four began heading down the mountain. "But if it's a quiet town, I doubt there's going to be anything or anyone that'll be important to us like this."
After Terracotta finished his story, he looked at Ivy and said something to himself as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I'm so glad I was wrong about that," he thought before looking at the others. "I hope that you paid attention to some important things in that story. You never know when the past could repeat itself or be learned from."
"I thought that leaving Vale would mean we wouldn't be listening to things Doctor Oobleck normally says to us in class," Vixen complained.
"It never hurts to learn from history," Ivy stated.
Sunset nodded in agreement before she started playing another song on her guitar. "I am no one's blessing~ I'll just bring you harm~ I'm a cursed black cat, I'm an albatross, I'm a mirror broken~ Sad to say, I'm your bad luck charm~"
"That song sounds like something I'd hear about Qrow Branwen," Terracotta remarked as he listened to the words Sunset sang.
"Actually, this song popped in my head after bumping into him when we left Ruby's place," Sunset admitted. "How long is it until we get to our stop?"
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking," Smoke Shadow joked as he piloted the airship. "If you look out the window, you'll be able to see our upcoming destination." Hearing the Raccoon Faunus, most of the passengers went to get a view and saw the town below. "We'll be beginning our descent, so buckle up everyone." With the village of Notremodo within reach, Fragment Hunter and their allies smiled as they were one step closer to their goal. Cereza adjusted her glasses and looked at the town she grew up, focusing her gaze on a church tower where she knew her father would be.
Alright! With this chapter finished, we're now entering the "Notremodo storyline". I hope you enjoyed this chapter because we get a number of explanations for things. Ivy's Semblance unlocking, the first meeting of Team SLVR, seeing what Terracotta's team was like as students, and what a Velgeroc is after so many hints I gave of it before. If you want to see what it looks like, just message me and I can share a link about it. Also, its screams are similar of that to Rodan from the "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" film.
As for the other stuff, Team SLVR fighting a Petra Gigas is because RWBY Volume 1 was originally going to have one in there, so I decided to fight it in here for what Team SLVR did in order to attend Beacon. The move used to finish off the Velgeroc was something inspired by the "Gen:LOCK" Season 1 finale, where Kazu and Cammie worked together for a similar sword stomp move against Nemesis. Noir's outfit and weapon are inspired by Vergil from Devil May Cry, while Orchid's look is based on Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. I wanted to add in a Lara-inspired character to the fic, so I decided to at least use it for Orchid's outfit when she was a teenager. If you liked seeing those two members of Team NOCT, I'll be showing them off more in the future and we'll see what they're like after the Velgeroc mission.
If you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review about what you liked the most and stick around for more updates. With the Notremodo arc planned, I've got some new characters and even a new Grimm for the story. Until next time, WaterDragonMaverick signing out.