Chapter 67

Yeah, I wound up skipping the whole thing, since none of it has the interactions of our current characters other than to remind you that they're there.

'Salem can't be killed.' Yang's voice of disbelief was the first thing to break the silence that followed. Cowering before the group, Ozpin knelt in the snow before them as he covered his eyes, the tears continuing to stream down his face. 'You all heard her too right?'

'I–' Ozpin tried to begin, but Yang's anger rose to a fever pitch as she cut him off.

'There was so much you hadn't told us!' She yelled, stepping forwards as the snow literally started to steam around her. 'How could you think that was okay?!'

The reincarnation had no response, casting his eyes down to the ground in silence as the group continued to watch him. Ruby stepped forward, almost as if to strike the metaphorical final blow.

'Professor.' She called, her eyes still locked on the kneeling boy. 'What is your plan to defeat Salem?'

'I… don't have one.'

An anguished scream erupted from the least expected of places as Qrow ran forwards. Howling in rage, he slammed a fist into the boy's face, sending him flying backwards and into a tree. It cracked behind him from the sheer force of the blow, and Ozpin collapsed to the ground in shock at the man's unexpected behavior.

'No one wanted me.' Qrow growled, his hands trembling in anger as he balled them into fists. 'I was cursed. I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world. I thought I was finally doing some good.'

'But you are!' Ozpin breathed, the tears brimming once more, but Qrow refused to meet his gaze.

'Meeting you was the worst luck of my life.' He hissed, eyes downcast, and the boy's eyes widened in shock at the betrayal. He slowly went limp, shaking his head quietly as the will slowly left him. He barely glanced at the still seething man as he sank lower into the snow.

'Maybe you're right.' He whispered, eyes turning golden. Oscar winced in pain as he clutched his cheek, and Ruby stepped forward to the boy.

'What happened?' She asked, and Oscar shook his head at the girl.

'He's gone.' He said, and Yang surged forward.

'THAT BASTARD!' She screamed, thrusting a finger towards the boy. 'TELL HIM WE'RE NOT DONE YET!'

'No, this is different!' Oscar explained. 'He's gone! It's like he's locked himself deep inside my head. Our head?' He groaned in anguish as he grasped at his temples. 'I hate this! I want it to stop!'

The group erupted in a cacophony of voices.

'He just left us?'

'What are we gonna do now?'

'ENOUGH!' Two voices erupted simultaneously over the crowd, and Jaye and Maria both raised an eyebrow at each other. He rolled his eyes, waving a hand for her to speak instead, and the old lady stepped forward. 'We need to get a move on. It'll be dark before we know it, and every one of you is spewing negativity!'

She extended her walking stick to the boy still seated in the snow, helping him to his feet. She gestured over to the side in the distance, where a shallow path seemed to have been cut through the snow. Likely by other travelers beforehand who'd spent time traveling through the snowy region rather than taking the train.

'There's a trail over there. Trails usually lead somewhere.' She said, and Yang's anger rose once more.

'Lady, I don't know who you think you are but-!'

'No buts!' She cut off the blonde, slamming the butt of her walking stick into the snow. 'I understand that you're upset. Honestly, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is humanity's second time around! But if we don't move, we die. And I'll be damned if I've lived this long just to die out here in the cold!'

'I was gonna say that.' Jaye grumbled, kicking at the snow beneath his feet as he went to retrieve the bikes. Ruby sighed.

'She's right.' She admitted, turning back to the train where Jaye was already gathering supplies. 'Come on.'

The party gathered their belongings, or at least what remained of them, and any other useful supplies they could find before heading out. Jaye managed to dig out his bag from the train wreckage, as well as a few other useful supplies and his extra dust cartridges. Maria was perched atop Yang's bike as she pushed it to match pace with the others, and Ruby picked up the discarded cane she found lying in the snow. She spotted the farm boy standing sullenly amongst the white powder, eyes cast to the floor, and she approached him quietly. He took the cane slowly from her hand, finally raising his eyes to meet hers.

'I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?' He asked, hand lingering on hers, and she covered it with her own.

'Of course not.' She affirmed, smiling at the boy. 'You're your own person.'

'Don't lie to him Ruby.' Qrow spat as he walked by, chugging from his ever-present flask. 'We're better than that.'

Oscar's face settled back into a grim line, tucking the cane away behind his back. Ruby tried to say something, anything to console the boy facing the gravity of his fate, but no words found her as they marched towards the beaten path.

At present, the group had been trudging across the snow for over an hour in an attempt to find the end of the trail, but so far the scenery had remained unchanging. Woody, wet, and entirely white, there was nothing close to civilization to be seen nearby. Jaye kept an eye out for additional tracks and signs they might be heading the wrong way, or any indication someone might have passed through recently. As they walked, the snow fell harder and harder, further obscuring the already barely noticeable trail. Qrow heaved a sigh as the snowflakes continued to fall atop his gelled hair.

'Doesn't look like this is gonna let up.' He pointed out, and Blake let out a groan.

'Just wanna get this stupid relic to Atlas.'

'Let's just hope we don't have to walk all the way there.'

'I thought trails led somewhere.' Yang commented, and Maria scoffed at the girl.

'Do you have nothing better to do than to harass a defenseless old lady?' She sneered, and Ruby shushed the two as she noticed something.

'Everyone quiet.' She commanded, narrowing her eyes as the sound rang out again. 'Do you hear that?'

The metallic squeaking continued, and Jaye nearly jumped as he spotted something close by.

'Look!' He dashed forward, almost dropping his bike into the snow as he picked at a nearby tree. He held up the piece of linen, fairly worn, that was stuck to the trunk. He followed the other signs; slightly damaged branches and small snapped bits till he traced the beginning of the trail up ahead. They were in the same direction as the squeaking, and that helped reassure the group of the presence of something at the end of their travels. He gestured for them to follow, picking his bike out of the snow once more and starting off in the direction of the noise.

Before long, a wooden arch rose up out of the white landscape, and the party heaved internal sighs of relief as they spotted the settlement. The metal gate at the front hung loose, creaking on its hinge as it rocked in the harsh wind. Ruby placed a hand on the gate.

'Well at least one good thing happened today.' Blake said, and Jaye eyed the buildings with skepticism. Despite the relief of (hopefully) not having to sleep out in the cold, something about the place struck him as off. Weiss raised an eyebrow at the dreary town.

'It looks abandoned.' She said, and Ruby raised a hand in reply.

'It's still better than this.' She said, and with all in agreement the group paced in through the red gates. They swung noisily shut behind them, and Jaye felt a chill go down his back as they closed.

'I don't get it. The empty towns I've passed through were all damaged or unfinished.' Ruby said, echoing Jaye's exact thoughts. 'But this place looks…fine.'

The party stood outside the fourth house they'd tried that day that, just like the others, seemed deserted. Qrow hammered on the door, testing the knob that wouldn't turn. Weiss shivered in the growing storm.

'Maybe everyone left in a hurry; before things took a turn?' She suggested, and Jaye shook his head.

'And locked their doors behind them? Unlikely.' He reasoned, draping his jacket over the thinly dressed girl's shoulders. She tried to push it away in spite of her chattering teeth, but he ignored her attempts and threaded her arms through the sleeves. (It was nearly a perfect fit, saying a lot about his challenges in the vertical department.)

'That's… a really heavy jacket.' She said, picking at a loose thread as he adjusted the outerwear.

'It's got a bunch of stuff in it. Some really useful things too.' He replied shortly, subconsciously still glancing around the desolate town as if looking for something the others couldn't see.

'Aren't you cold?'

'Eh, the cold never bothered me anyway.' Jaye smirked. Weiss made a sound of annoyance as he zipped up the article, thanking him under her breath as he returned his attention to the locked doors, hands once more instinctively falling to his weapons. Qrow noted the wary boy, and Blake shook her head.

'You know, I think out of all of us, Jaye's probably had his instincts honed the most over the years. He always seems to notice danger before it happens, even when everything seems to be fine.' She said, and the party glanced at her as she made her point. 'So honestly? When he feels something is off, I'm inclined to trust him.' She nodded towards the boy. 'Your hands have been on your swords since we got in this place, whether you're aware of it or not. So, there's definitely something very wrong with this place, and we shouldn't take any chances here.'

'Agreed. Stay on guard.' Qrow said, hand falling to the sword strapped to his back. Jaye stepped forward, halting the group as he reached into his jacket, apologizing to the girl it was currently wrapped around, and retrieving a small toolkit from its inner pocket. He removed a few choice items, and within a tense minute the group heard the lock click open. He handed the kit to Weiss, and she replaced it in the hidden pocket in his jacket as she wondered what other secrets the article of clothing held. He glanced back at the group, drawing his katana slowly, and they nodded in response as he rested his hand on the door knob. He pushed the door open quickly, breaching and entering in a swift movement. The party crowded around the entrance, weapons raised as they scanned the home for any signs of danger, and Jaye narrowed his eyes at the unexplored living room, nearly jumping out of his skin as Maria's voice rang out in irritation.

'Close the door already!' She yelled, hobbling her way into the room. 'It's cold enough in here as it is.'

The old woman promptly marched into the seemingly deserted house without a care in the world, and Weiss gave the woman an annoyed stare as she hobbled. Pushing the door shut, Oscar and Blake grabbed a nearby set of drawers and pushed it against the door, hopefully slowing any potential dangers that could approach them from the outside. Blake heaved a sigh as she finally relaxed.

'I saw a chimney from the outside. Maybe we could get a fire going?' She said, and Weiss nodded her agreement.

'Please. I'll look for some blankets.'

'Yang, go with her.' Qrow said, and the group split up to do their respective jobs. Jaye followed the girls up the stairs at Yang's behest, eyes still glancing about the place with suspicion. Ruby noted the boy's unease, approaching a picture on the wall that caught her eye. Lined up in a row, the residents of the farm stood happily for the picture in their respective families. Smiling from ear to ear, she noted the state of the town in the background of the photograph, and the contrast between the town outside and the town in this frozen second of life was more apparent than ever. Blake approached the girl quietly.

'What do you think?' She asked, and Ruby narrowed her eyes at the image.

'Something doesn't feel right.'

As if on cue, Weiss's terrified scream erupted from the floor above, and the girls dashed immediately for the stairs. They piled into the room, where Jaye was holding the two panting girls who'd been terrified out of their minds to his chest. They followed his silent gaze, fixed in horror on the two figures lying in the bed by the window. Unmoving and serene, their faces gaunt and empty as their lifeless bodies laid in a deep, unyielding slumber. Through the window outside, the harsh wind continued to beat against the window panes.

Alright, we're getting it going now. I'm really excited for their arrival in Argus