Sera Purpura and her friends sat around a campfire, surrounded by darkness. Six sleeping bags surrounded the flames, and each had their owners sitting atop them. Pyrrha leaned back onto Jaune's chest contently. The knight had his arm around her with a smile on his face while Nora rattled on like she always does.
"Sooo… You and Yang, huh?" Nora turned to Sera, who was absentmindedly sharpening her sword. Glancing down at the large gold band on her left wrist, Sera shot the Valkyrie a look, "Nora, it's been a month now. Can you please find something else to talk to me about?"
"Maybe I would if there was anything to talk about these days," She grumbled. Ruby giggled at her friend and set Crescent Rose beside her in its compact form. Sera turned to look at Pyrrha and Jaune, and a small smile crept onto her face. She was there the night that Pyrrha finally got the guts to make the first move. Sadly, it was also the night that she tried to fight Cinder by herself. There's no telling what would've happened if Sera wasn't there to intervene…
The amnesiac then looked up at the broken moon, large and bright in the sky. Her thoughts turned to her teammates that weren't here. She knew where Yang was, but what about Blake and Weiss? If Weiss had gone back to Atlas, then surely she was with her family. But the bad news was that she hated her family, save Winter. She's likely miserable, and Sera daydreamed staging an assault to rescue the heiress.
She had no idea where Blake would be. Even Ruby knew next to nothing about where she's from. Their Faunus teammate rarely mentioned her past, besides her time in the White Fang.
The shifting of JNPR and Ruby shook Sera from her thoughts. They were putting away their travel dinner plates and silverware and getting ready to turn in for the night. The purple-eyed huntress did the same, laying Crimson Eclipse next her bedroll and putting her new revolver under her pillow.
"Who's turn for first watch?" Jaune asked as he set his armor beside him on the ground. "Uh, definitely not mine!" Nora responded and covered herself with blankets.
"Nora…" Ren said, and Nora lowered the blanket enough to peer out with one eye. "Last night was Pyrrha's turn for first watch, so that means it's yours now." The Valkyrie groaned and sat up, putting her grenade launcher into her lap. "Fine," She groaned. Sera bit back a laugh at her friend's predicament and got situated inside her bedroll. She looked over to Ruby beside her, "Night, Rubes."
Ruby smiled at Sera, "Goodnight, Sera. Goodnight JNPR! Except for Nora, of course, because she has guard duty." She snickered. Nora only mumbled in response and kept her eyes on the trees around them. They've never been attacked while they slept, but there's a first time for everything.
After Sera's eyes fluttered closed, she felt herself slip away into unconsciousness.
The image of a room filled her mind. A small, cobblestone enclosure that she assumed was underground. She saw a man in rags in the center of the floor, his hands bound in chains that came from the wall. He sat on his knees, his head hung low. The man looked rather young, maybe about Qrow's age, but Sera couldn't see his face. His black hair hung over his eyes. The sound of a heavy door slammed shut, and Sera jumped from the sudden 'boom'.
The man brought his head up to meet the person who'd entered the room. The amnesiac saw a short black beard on his face, but it was beginning to grow wild. His violet eyes appeared to look right through Sera.
She woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in her bedroll. It was still nighttime, but the darkness was beginning to brighten ever so slightly. It was almost dawn.
"You okay?" A voice asked, and Sera looked to see Ruby leaning against a tree with Crescent Rose in her lap.
"Yeah, yeah. Just… bad dream," Sera shakily ran a hand through her hair. Ruby nodded, "Same one?"
"Yeah," She responded after a moment. She'd been having the exact same dream every night for the past two weeks. She had no idea what to make of it. She knew it wasn't a memory. Sera was always in all of her memory flashbacks. Then again, she never sees who enters the room…
No, it had to be something else, she thought. Sera got out of her bedroll and sighed, grabbing her revolver. "Go ahead and get some more rest, Ruby. We'll be moving again in a few hours. I can take the rest of the watch."
Ruby nodded tiredly. She didn't even have the will to argue. The scythe wielder just leaned Crescent Rose against the tree she was leaning against and fell face-first into her sleeping bag.
Sera chuckled and sat on the ground, leaning back against the tree that Ruby just left. She propped up one leg and laid the other on the ground, her arms resting onto her bent knee. Sitting like that reminded her of a scene from a movie she'd watched with Yang. Four boys were travelling to find a dead body or something, and they set up camp for the night, taking turns on watch much like she and her friends did.
She liked taking the watch at dawn. It gave her time to think before they hiked towards Mistral. With a light sigh, Sera gazed down at the gold weapon on her wrist. It's only been a month since leaving Patch, but it feels like longer. Snow still falls, so evidently, they hadn't been traveling for too long.
Sera leaned her head back against the rough tree bark and closed her eyes momentarily, pulling her jacket and coat tightly around her for more warmth.
'What could the dreams mean?'
. . .
The six huntsmen and huntresses were walking down a narrow dirt path now. They packed up camp around eight o'clock and started walking again. From what Ren could figure, they were about another five hours from the nearest village. And the last village they were at was nine days ago. They were running low on food and supplies, and quickly needed to restock.
Sera was carrying Crimson Eclipse in its rifle form, holding with one hand at her side. She walked in the rear of the group while Pyrrha led the front. Jaune and Ruby were the team leaders here, but everyone seemed to agree that the two best warriors should be at the front and rear. Of course, Sera had to fight Nora for second best fighter.
"Whenever we get there," Nora mused. "I'm gonna get a big plate of pancakes and sleep for a week."
"You can't sleep for a week, Nora. We have to keep moving." Ren said. Nora smirked and rolled her eyes, "That was a joke, Renny."
Silly Ren.
Sera smiled and continued to trudge after her friends. She wanted to go and talk to Pyrrha, but she knew that if she did, Nora would take her place guarding the back of the group. Sera's pride wouldn't allow that.
She looked over her shoulder at a low cliff that resided about two-hundred feet back. A lone man with a large sword on his shoulder watched them walk through the forest. Sera smiled and flipped the bird at him, making Qrow scoff as a smile appeared on his lips.
Sera knew that Qrow had been following them, but she chose to not tell the others. If he wanted them to know, he wouldn't have been taking extra measures to ensure that he wasn't seen.
"Right, Sera?" Ruby asked.
"Huh?" Sera turned her head back to her traveling companions. Ruby rolled her silver eyes, "Weren't you listening at all?" Sera shook her head.
"We were talking about what we were gonna do when we got to Mistral. I predicted that the first thing you're gonna do is raid the vending machine for some People Like Grapes." Ruby smiled. Sera smirked, "Hit the nail on the head, Rubes."
"I still think she's gonna challenge the toughest guy at Haven," Jaune smiled. Nora raised a finger, "Or girl!"
"Right, or girl," Jaune chuckled. Sera gave a lopsided smile, "Hey, Jaune? How's your swordplay coming along?"
"Oh, really great! Much better than before, thanks to you and Pyrrha." His eye twinkled. "Good, good. Glad to help," Sera nodded and kept walking. She and Pyrrha had been training the knight even harder than Pyrrha was before, and it was really showing. He was actually beginning to last more than ten seconds in a fight against either of them.
"Just keep working and maybe you can fight something without nearly dying!" Nora said cheerfully. The students laughed at that. But unbeknownst to them, a pair of eyes watched them through the trees. A tall man with long blond hair, blue eyes, and clothes that made him look like a Holy Knight kept his gaze on the six of them. After they passed, he saw another huntsman with a large sword, short black hair, and a tattered red cape-like attachment on his back. The stranger's eyes widened at the sight of Qrow Branwen, but he did not falter.
The man turned to look at a creepy octopus-like Grimm that floated several inches off the ground. It had a spherical head that swirled with red mist. Once he approached the Grimm, the mist cleared to reveal the pale face of a woman with red eyes and white hair.
"I found them."
"Good, Christian. Eliminate them all except for my daughter. I her returned to me." Salem said. Christian shifted uncomfortably.
"What is it?" The sorceress asked. After a moment, he replied, "Qrow Branwen is guarding them. And your daughter has become more powerful than you think. Plus, it'll be difficult to fight them all at once, especially with that Pyrrha Nikos."
Several seconds of silence passed, until Salem finally said, "Very well. Follow and observe, for now."
"Yes, mistress." Christian bowed. The sphere on the Grimm returned to red mist, and just like that, his audience with Salem was over.
This man would have to do the one thing he hated during these assignments: play the long game.
. . .
Much more time has passed since Christian found his target. Sera and the others have made significant progress towards Mistral, and the weather had become warm again. Team JNPR, Ruby, and Sera did more hunting jobs in order to earn Lien and buy food and other necessities.
Sera was currently jingling a bag of coins with a smile on her face. She was the one who led the latest extermination, so she got to keep the Lien on her person. She happily tucked the pouch away in her bag and adjusted her coat. Since the weather had warmed, she'd gone back to wearing the crimson leather coat and a simple white tank top. She'd been asked many times why she couldn't decide between red or purple for her clothing, and she always responded with, "Cause both look good on me, so why seclude myself to a single color?"
Jaune held a large map in front of his face as they went down the dirt path, "Looks like we're getting pretty close to Mistral. We're about two weeks away from it."
Ruby shook excitedly and cheered. Finally! She thought.
But far away, in a dark castle, the immortal sorceress was ordering her scorpion Faunus, Tyrian to track down the six of them. She didn't trust Christian to do the job by himself. Plus, the blond man was about to become… Disposed of.
Pyrrha smiled as sunlight washed over her body. She squeezed Jaune's hand tighter as they led their friends down the dirt path. The last couple months have been the happiest in her life, despite going through Beacon's fall. She and Jaune finally got together, after many months of the spartan swooning over him. And she had a present for him whenever they reached the next village. She'd ordered a special new weapon and suit of armor for the knight, crafted by the same person who made her weapons and armor. She'd made sure to choose the nearest village where it'd arrive around the same time they did.
She was so busy daydreaming about herself and Jaune that she didn't notice Sera had slip into the tree line.
The amnesiac bent down near some bushes, watching her friends slowly get further away, and waited. Soon enough, she saw her target. A lone man hid himself, moving from tree to tree as he followed the former Beacon students. Sera gripped her sword tighter and crept up on the man.
Once she was within a suitable distance, she threw her sword at him, lodging it in the tree beside his head. The man turned to find Sera aiming a large handgun in his face.
She smirked. "You're losing your touch, old man." Then she holstered the weapon and pulled her sword free. Qrow smiled and leaned a hand against the tree, "Whatever you say, kid. I definitely wasn't expecting you to stand so conveniently center on the mark."
"Huh?" Sera asked, then looked down to see a red X on the grass. "Oh, son of a—" She didn't get the chance to finish her sentence. A thick rope wrapped around her ankles, and suddenly she was hanging upside down.
Qrow laughed and walked around the amnesiac, praising himself for his handiwork. Sera only rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she slowly turned in circles.
"Great, great. You've had your laugh, now can you let me down?" She groaned. Qrow grinned and reached into his pocket, "Hold on, Snowball.' Sera expected him to pull out his flask, but instead he aimed his scroll at her, and she heard a 'click' sound as the device took a photo. Then Qrow changed it to its front camera and posed in front of the disgruntled Sera.
"WILL YOU LET ME DOWN?" Sera demanded, but the momentary flash of alarm across Qrow's face made her falter. "Huh. That's weird." He said as he looked down at the screen.
"What's we- AH! …Ow," Sera groaned. Qrow had swung his large sword, Harbinger, at the rope while she was midsentence, causing her to drop like a sack of potatoes. After Sera rubbed her head and sat up, Qrow bent down next to her and showed her the picture. Her eyes narrowed at the background of the photo.
"Huh. Some guy's photobombed you." Sera noted. True to her word, a blond man stood half-hidden behind some bushes. Qrow nodded and stood straight, returning the scroll to his pocket, "Yep. Think we should say hi?" Sera smirked and stood, drawing her revolver and aiming it behind her without looking, "Already on it."
Christian did not expect to be found out so easily. Before he could realize what Qrow was doing when he posed, it was too late. Now, the blond servant of Salem was crouched down behind the bushes he was standing behind in the photo. He could barely make out what they were saying, and he couldn't see them, but he soon figured out what they were talking about when he heard a gunshot and felt something collide with his chest.
He jumped to his feet and drew his weapon: a giant sword that was taller than him and several inches wider. Something emerged from the bushes at an alarming speed, and he brought his weapon up just in time to block the attack from Harbinger. Qrow gritted his teeth as he and Christian fought to win the power struggle, each pushing with all their might to gain leverage.
Then something slammed into his side, and the blond man was sent flying sideways. He slammed into a tree and fell to the ground.
Sera and Qrow looked down at the man with raised eyebrows. "You know em?" Sera asked and rested Crimson Eclipse onto her shoulder.
"Think so. How's it been, Castelo?" Qrow asked. Christian's eyes widened at his last name, but he looked up to meet Qrow's eyes as he stood.
"Oh, same old same old. Preparing for a war, you know how it goes."
Qrow's eyes narrowed, "But the real question is, why were you spying on my niece and her friends?" Sera was glaring at the man, ready to leap into action at a moment's notice.
"Like I said," Christian responded as he hefted his enormous sword. "Preparing for a war."
In a blur of blond and gray (his holy knight-like clothing), he rushed forward in an instant. Sera's eyes widened and she leapt to the side, swinging her sword and hoping to land a hit. Qrow blocked his attack with relative ease, but the size of his sword made the huntsman's feet dig a shallow trench in the ground.
"You're working for her," Qrow said through gritted teeth as he shoved Christian back. The enemy huntsman landed with ease and raised his sword, "I am. It's a fight for survival, Qrow. And you know better than anyone that in order to survive, you must choose the winning side of the upcoming battle."
"Why aren't you with us then?" Sera asked, holding her sword with both hands. Christian smirked, "The legacy herself. Christian Castelo, pleased to make your acquaintance." He introduced himself to Sera. She only continued to stare him down, unimpressed.
"What do you want, Christian?" Qrow asked, standing in a fighting stance. The blond man only grinned, "Why, to ensure our victory, of course. And in order to do that, certain… Precautions must be taken." He said, looking over to Sera.
"The hell does that mean?" Sera demanded. Qrow replied, "The same thing Tai and I told you about. You're one of our two best shots against Salem." He made sure not to mention Ruby. For all he knew, Christian could have no idea about the daughter of Summer Rose.
"Quite right, Branwen." Christian bowed slightly. "The mistress wishes for Sera here to return to her castle, so that she can be…managed."
"Yeah, not happening," Sera muttered. She saw movement to her left, and her eyes flicked to it. A flash of pink had just gone behind a tree. Sera tried not to smirk at what her friends were doing. She looked past Christian and saw the tip of Crescent Rose peeking out from behind some bushes. Sera's signal worked. And by signal, she means the gunshot she made as soon as she and Qrow realized they were being watched.
"So what, you're gonna beat us both in battle and drag me back?" Sera asked. Christian gave a small smile and leaned onto his abnormally large weapon, "Why, yes. Though I would've preferred to not rope Qrow into this. He'll just make this a tad more difficult."
"Who is this guy?" Sera whispered to her teammate's uncle. Qrow shot her a look that got his point across, 'Tell you later'.
"That's just too bad. Probably could've taken you anyway, without Qrow's help." The amnesiac smirked. Qrow raised an eyebrow, "What're you doin'?" He asked under his breath.
"I highly doubt it. One huntress who hasn't even completed her training yet? Please, you'll be easier than Qrow's sister during our time at Beacon."
Sera flinched at that. So that's how he knows Qrow. She recovered quickly, twirling her sword with one hand. "I dunno, I'm pretty tough. Ask Qrow."
"Kid, you're not dueling him. Trust me." Qrow told her. Sera smirked, "Why not? It's not like—" Then Christian was suddenly directly in front of her, his large sword raised above his head.
"OH MY GODS HE'S FAST!" Sera exclaimed and raised her sword. Just in time, too. His blade clashed against hers, the sheer weight of the swing making her go down on one knee.
"Kid!" Qrow exclaimed and rushed forward. Christian held his weapon in front of him with both hands, bracing himself for Qrow's attack. Capitalizing on the opportunity given, Sera rushed forward and swung her own sword. She heard metal clang against metal, then looked to see that Christian had somehow blocked both blows with his weapon. He gritted his teeth and pushed back, making the two stumble. But they recovered fast. Immediately, they rushed forward again.
The sounds of swords clashing filled the forest while JNPR and Ruby waited for another signal. Ruby peeked her head out, and her silver eyes widened. The three of them were a blur. They were attacking and moving so fast that her eyes could barely keep track of them. It reminded her of the skirmish with Winter Schnee.
Sera suddenly cried out in pain and was tossed from the fight. She landed on the ground, her sword clattering beside her. Nora gritted her teeth and was about to rush in, but Sera looked up and met all of their eyes. 'Wait,' She seemed to be saying. The amnesiac jumped to her feet and pulled out a red Dust crystal, sliding it into her sword's hilt. She winked at Ruby then jumped back into the fight.
Ruby groaned and gripped her scythe tighter. She hated standing by while her friends and family fought.
Sera kicked Christian in the side and made him stumble. He looked up to see Sera swinging her sword at him, so he instinctively raised his own to block it. The amnesiac smirked, and Christian's eyes widened as her sword's blade lit aflame with green fire.
His own sword was batted aside, mostly by his own hand. He couldn't risk his only tool being destroyed by the fire Dust.
The purple-eyed huntress grinned and slammed her sword into his weapon, pushing him back a meter or two. As soon as their weapons separated, Sera shouted, "Now!"
Five people burst from the bushes or behind trees. Ruby shouted and swung her scythe, Nora slammed her hammer downward, Pyrrha and Jaune attacked as one with their swords and shields, and Ren used his ninja-like reflexes to jump in and try to skewer the man.
Sera grinned, but when the dust cleared after the assault, Christian Castelo was nowhere to be found.
"Where'd he go?" Nora demanded, turning her head to check her surroundings. Ren holstered his pistols with a troubled look on his face, "He's just gone."
Qrow sighed and uncorked his flask. "Figured that would happen." Ruby put away Crescent Rose with a raised eyebrow, "What do you mean, Uncle Qrow?" Then her eyes widened, "Wait, what're you doing here?!"
Qrow gave a small smile and put a hand on the back of his neck, "Just making sure my ace gets to Mistral OK. But that man, Christian, being here like that, is not good news." He said and took a swig from his flask.
"But what was he doing here? He said something about Sera being a…legacy?" Pyrrha asked. Qrow gave another sigh and glanced at Sera. She nodded at him and rested Crimson Eclipse on her shoulder.
"What's your favorite fairytale?" He asked.
After a long discussion with Qrow and Sera, the seven of them sat around in a circle in the middle of the forest. The two only told them what Ozpin would have, and didn't mention Sera's, ahem, parentage. Not quite yet. They'd brought down a couple trees to use as benches. After a moment, Nora spoke up, "So it's basically what Pyrrha told us?"
Sera, Qrow, and Ruby looked surprise at that. "You knew?" Ruby asked. Pyrrha let out a nervous chuckle, "Maybe?"
The older huntsman and Sera looked at each other. Had Qrow seriously forgotten the whole ordeal with Pyrrha almost becoming the Fall Maiden?
As if reading her mind, Qrow chuckled, "Whoops. I was probably hammered." Sera groaned and brought a hand to her face like Weiss does, which she didn't like, because it meant that some of Weiss's personality might've rubbed off on her.
"And you didn't tell me any of it?" Ruby asked, returning her attention to JNPR. Jaune gave an awkward smile. "We thought it was best to, y'know, keep it to ourselves. Nothing personal."
Ruby groaned.
"So," Sera said, breaking the momentary silence. "This woman. The one who wants to end the world and everything? Turns out that she and I are, ah, related." Her expression made it clear that she was uncomfortable, but they deserved to know the full truth. Especially Pyrrha.
Their eyes widened at that. "Like…she's cousin, like, thirty times removed?" Nora asked hopefully.
"Cold." Sera responded.
"A distant relative?"
"Colder."
"Your grandma?"
"Warm."
"Your aunt?" Nora asked.
"Warmer."
"…No way." She said and put her head in her hands. Jaune had an incredulous look on his face, "Your…mother?"
Sera nodded gravely.
"…Talk about dysfunctional families," Nora commented, trying to make light of the situation. Sera snickered and relaxed a little. Besides the shocked looks on her friends' faces, they were taking it relatively well.
"So let me get this straight," Jaune held up a finger. "The woman who wants to eradicate the human race, whom we have no way of defeating that we know of, ordered the attack on Beacon, and is also your mother."
"That about sums it up, yep." Sera twirled a lock of hair in her fingers.
"Naturally," Jaune sighed. Then Qrow's grizzled voice spoke up, "Actually, we might just have a shot at taking her down. Two, actually." He said, his eyes resting on Sera and Ruby. The younger scythe wielder's silver eyes widened, "You mean… my eyes?"
Qrow chuckled, "Close, kiddo. I was actually talking about you and Sera. Your silver eyes plus her, well, black and red ones, if that counts."
"Who to the what now?"
Sera recoiled. They'd forgotten to tell them about her body changing during the fight with Cinder. Plus from her dreams.
She didn't think their faces could look even more shocked, but after a quick explanation from the amnesiac, her friends looked like they'd just been told that gods actually do exist. (Heh.)
"You… transformed?" Ren asked. Qrow crossed his arms and nodded, "That she did. Supposedly gave her a little boost in battle. Although, didn't exactly have time to test it…"
Ruby gasped and stood, seeming to forget the metaphorical bomb that was dropped on them. "You could try it now! If it works, we can test it as much we need to!"
Sera couldn't help but smile at the excited light in Ruby's eyes. She didn't get pumped up about much these days.
Everyone looked at her expectantly, as if they were waiting for her to do a flip or something. She blinked, "What am I supposed to do?"
"You know! Transform like you did before!" Ruby answered. Sera chuckled nervously. The only known times where she's done that were in her dream fight against the Minotaur Grimm and the real fight against Cinder. Both were done out of pure spur of the moment. Doing it on command was improbable to her.
Nevertheless, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Ruby's smile grew while everyone seemed to lean in closer, paying more attention to her than they ever had during school. Well, except for Pyrrha and Ren, perhaps.
Sera's eyebrows narrowed in concentration. She held onto the log beneath her tightly. The huntress could feel something. She wasn't sure what, but she kept focusing on it.
"Well?" Nora asked impatiently.
Sera could feel it. The tug in her gut, her mind seeming to pick up speed. She felt her aura fluctuate momentarily. Then it happened.
"ACHOO!" She sneezed loudly.
Everyone blinked once. Then again. And again. After blinking a fourth time, Jaune exclaimed, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
Sera wiped her nose with the back of her hand, forcing herself to not smile. What could she say? It was funny.
Qrow chuckled, "Guess it was a misfire." Ruby groaned and slumped down. "After all that, it was just a sneeze."
Pyrrha let out a laugh.
Everyone turned to see the red head holding a hand in front of her mouth. Despite the grim situation, she was laughing. That actually warmed her friends' hearts. Pyrrha was just about the most serious person they'd ever met and seeing her lose her composure like that was honestly unsettling, but nice.
Sera smirked, and Jaune put an arm around the Spartan. Qrow laughed dryly and stood, "Now that we're all caught up and on the same page, how about you all keep moving. You should be coming up on an abandoned village shortly."
Ruby raised an eyebrow, "You make it sound like you're not coming." Qrow ruffled her hair with a small smile on his face, "I'm not. For now. Christian is still out there, probably watching us right now. I need to find him before he tries anything else."
"I'm going too," Sera stood. Qrow shot her a look, "Hard no. You're going to stay with them and make sure nothing happens to my niece. Right, Sera?"
Sera crossed her arms and sat down, muttering something to herself about stupid responsibilities.
"That's what I thought," Qrow chuckled and picked up Harbinger. "If I don't meet up with you by time you get to Kuroyuri—"
Ren and Nora stiffened at the mention of their old home.
"—Then keep going on to Mistral. I'll find you there."
"What if you don't come back?" Ruby asked, twiddling her thumbs together. Qrow only smirked and ruffled her hair again, "C'mon, you know who you're talking to? Not even the Brother of Darkness could keep me from getting back to my favorite niece."
Ruby seemed to perk up at being called his favorite niece. She could lord that over Yang for years, if she so chooses.
Feeling that Ruby was satisfied with his statement, Qrow left the six of them to track his former classmate.
Just like that, Qrow was gone. Sera sighed and stood, "You heard him, let's get going."
"What're you gonna do about your mothe- about Salem?" Pyrrha caught herself. Sera hesitated and met the girl's emerald eyes. Then she smirked and hefted her sword, "I'll wing it."
"I find that answer vague and unconvincing," Ren commented, but the amnesiac ignored him. She continued on down the path they had been walking down before they were attacked.
. . .
The distant gray structure of concrete walls appeared on the horizon. Sera, Ruby, and team JNPR had been walking for five more hours when they arrived at the supposed abandoned village. Ren and Nora were on the lookout for anything large in the trees.
All of their minds were reeling from what they had talked about with Qrow, especially the part about Sera. She, however, seemed relatively calm. She'd already known all of that, and she's had weeks to come to terms with it.
Sera walked beside Pyrrha as they neared the entrance to the village. The spartan glanced at her every few seconds, as if she expected Sera to suddenly look completely different. The amnesiac's explanation of how she looked in that 'form' painted an unclear picture in their minds, but they knew it was unsettling.
After passing through the gate to the village, Sera and Pyrrha, who were leading the group, immediately went on guard. It was only a precaution, but a precaution that could save their lives. The six of them were silent as they walked through the village.
Something was wrong. They could feel it in the air. They'd almost made in the dead center of town when Sera halted, holding up a hand in a 'stop' signal.
"What is it?" Nora asked. The amnesiac's eyes shot from side to side, expecting someone. The others drew their weapons and got into a tight circle. Sera's eyes widened slightly when she heard the sound of running footsteps.
Ruby saw him first, but before she could even cry out to warn her friends, Sera sprung into action. She whipped around, drawing her sword instantaneously, and blocked the attack that was meant for Ruby, her weapon locked in place directly in front of the girl's face.
Sera gritted her teeth at the man before her. He looked extra creepy, with pale skin, wild eyes, and a long, braided ponytail. Bladed gauntlets were on his wrists, and one of them was what Sera had blocked. He sneered and lurched backwards, freeing his weapon from the amnesiac's hold.
Team JNPR turned to face the newcomer with narrowed eyes and hostile intent. "Who are you?" Jaune demanded, brandishing his new sword and shield.
The man gave a wicked grin at them, "Why, who I am is unimportant. But I will not deny an honest question. Tyrian, at your service." He bent forward and bowed low, his forehead nearly touching the ground.
The huntsmen were unimpressed. But that didn't faze Tyrian. He stood straight and met their eyes, "But the why that I'm here? Well, that gets much more interesting." He said, then lunged.
Ruby barely had time to deflect his gauntlets. With a yelp, she blocked the blows, giving her friends enough time to counterattack. They rushed the man, swinging their respective weapons. He somehow dodged them all, giving Ruby an evil grin.
After he wove through the flurry of weapons, Tyrian leapt back and clapped his hands once. "Bravo! But enough of this nonsense. I am here for you…" He pointed at Ruby. "And you!" The man turned his finger to Sera, who raised her sword in response.
"Why?" Pyrrha asked. Tyrian turned his eyes to the red head, "Ah yes, the almost Maiden. You were supposed to die, you know. It was part of the plan. You can thank her for your continued life." He gestured to Sera. That caught Pyrrha off-guard.
Nora didn't give him a chance to keep talking. She rushed the man and swung her large hammer at him. Tyrian didn't flinch, nor even move. Yet the hammer still halted mid-swing.
The huntsmen and huntresses' eyes widened when they saw a large scorpion tail holding the hammer at bay.
"A Faunus?" Ren asked. Jaune wavered, "Is this about the White Fang?"
Tyrian sneered, "Those mongrels? No, I only serve one person. My mistress." He said 'mistress' way too lovingly. It was creepy.
"Salem," Sera scowled and tightened her grip on Crimson Eclipse. Tyrian grinned, "That's right, brat. Now! If you won't come with me willingly, then…!"
The strange Faunus lunged, bringing up his bladed gauntlets. Team JNPR, Ruby, and Sera went on the defensive. He was fast. Too fast. Every time they tried to attack, he'd simply evade it or block the blow with his gauntlets or tail.
Sera gritted her teeth and tried to kick him the side, only to be tossed aside by his flexible tail. Ruby narrowed her eyes and launched herself towards the Faunus and swung her scythe. He simply ducked and kicked Ruby in the back, sending her sprawling.
The fight continued, both parties trying to land any damaging attacks on the other, when Qrow Branwen was suddenly seen sprinting towards them. The huntsman jumped forward once he got near and swung his large sword at Tyrian.
The Beacon students took a moment to collect themselves and process what had just happened. They panted while Qrow and Tyrian stared each other down.
"As I live and breathe! Qrow Branwen, in the flesh." Tyrian laughed maniacally. After another several seconds of his laughter, Qrow raised an eyebrow and looked at Ruby.
"I don't know," She shrugged. "This guy's weird."
Sera twirled her sword and went to stand by Qrow. "Guy's trying to kidnap me and Ruby."
Qrow's eyes narrowed at that, "Is that so?" Tyrian only grinned, his yellow eyes flashing in the moonlight. Out of nowhere, Jaune appeared behind him and swung his sword.
Tyrian didn't even flinch. He sidestepped the attack and wrapped his tail around Jaune's ankle, pulling him to the ground. Before the Faunus could attack him further, Pyrrha and Nora lunged. Tyrian countered Nora easily, evading her hammer and slicing her across the chest with his weapons. Pyrrha, however, managed to land a blow.
She threw her shield at him and dropped to the ground, sliding towards him to take his knees. Her shield collided with his tail, freeing Jaune, and she slammed her sword into his leg to momentarily incapacitate him.
Ren shot at the Faunus with his duel pistols and ran around him to attack from all angles.
Qrow lunged Tyrian, slamming his sword into the Faunus and causing his aura to flicker. "Stay back!" He told the students. The huntsman said it in such a tone that it startled even Ruby.
"Fat chance, old man!" Sera replied and swung her sword, only to be deflected by a gauntlet. Tyrian growled and pushed Qrow back, slicing rapidly at the huntsman. He swiftly deflected the deadly precise blows and delivered a few of his own with Harbinger.
"I'm not going to just stand by!" Ruby cried and launched herself via Crescent Rose's recoil. Tyrian slammed his leg into her during max velocity, and Ruby flew back a dozen meters, directly into Jaune.
Sera narrowed her eyes and picked up the pace, getting low to the ground and rapidly jabbing Crimson Eclipse at Tyrian. Her sword was a blur of shiny red metal, stabbing the Faunus repeatedly. She was pleased with herself that she'd managed to land so many blows, but they didn't seem to do much.
Tyrian cackled maniacally as he fought the pair of them with relative ease. Team JNPR looked uncomfortable that all they could do was watch, but someone would soon fix that.
"Mind if I cut in?" a voice said, then Pyrrha turned to see Christian Castelo swinging his large sword at her. The huntress had no time to react. The weapon collided with her side and sent her flying.
"Pyrrha!" Ren cried. Sera looked back to see the man with long blond hair, still in a swinging stance. She gritted her teeth and fought harder against Tyrian. Then she saw Ruby looking at her with a determined look in her silver eyes.
Sera quickly formulated a plan in her head, glanced at Qrow fighting with relatively calm expression, then shouted, "Switch!"
Ruby understood immediately. She launched herself at Tyrian while Sera jumped back to punch Christian in the chest. The blonde man was launched backwards, crashing through a small building and making a Christian-sized hole in the wall.
"Ruby, I said get back!" Qrow protested. Ruby fired round after round at Tyrian while swinging her scythe widely, "This is my fight too!"
Christian came out of the hole he'd made in a blur. Sera barely raised her sword in time to block it. His formerly straight hair stuck up in places on his head and his eyes looked angry.
"I'm not going to be humiliated by some child," He growled and fought to push Sera's sword away. It didn't budge.
"Bud," Sera smirked. "You're about to be much more than just humiliated here." Then she freed her sword and swung rapidly, barely giving him time to block or deflect them. For several seconds, they traded blows. Their swordsmanship seemed rather equal, neither of them giving an inch.
During the power struggle, Sera was grinning and cheering out as she fought. "Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo-hoo!" She shouted as she and Christian fought, further angering the man.
He was about to try something risky, but a sudden flash of pink made him jump back to avoid the orange-haired girl bringing her hammer down on the pavement. Then Jaune and Pyrrha rushed forward, both slicing their weapons at him. He blocked both of them and gritted his teeth.
"Figured you could use some help," Ren told the amnesiac, then rushed forward to make use of his pistols' melee attachments. Sera rolled her eyes with a grin on her face, "I could've handled it!" Then she ran forward to help her friends.
"Sorry!" Pyrrha told her while she fought viciously.
"We know you could have, but we have more pressing matters!" Jaune said, quickly gesturing to Qrow and Ruby. Sera turned her head to see that their fight wasn't going all that well. While they weren't exactly being beaten, they couldn't quite land many attacks on Tyrian, either.
Sera decided she'd quickly stop Christian, then go help Ruby. The amnesiac jumped into the fight, desperately trying to land as many hits as possible on Christian.
Unfortunately, the enemy huntsman seemed a little too good with that sword of his. He rather easily deflected the hits and bullets thrown his way, but it was no easy feat. With five opponents, he had to move at a rapid pace just to keep up. His eyes were wild, but he finally seemed to start tiring out.
Ren was landing more and more hits with his blades, Jaune and Pyrrha battered him with their swords and shields, Sera was, well, Sera, but Nora seemed to have a slightly harder time. Since she had a larger and slower weapon, Christian was still able to avoid her ground-shaking blows.
Sera heard a cry of pain and looked back to see Ruby fly back and through a wooden support beam. She gritted her teeth and returned her focus to her current opponent.
She remembered the man's conversation with Qrow, about him being his former classmate. Then she remembered that this man was a traitor to his friends and kingdom, and she started to get mad. Betraying your own people because you were afraid of the enemy? Of their power and plans? She couldn't wrap her head around it.
With an angry look in her eyes, she waited until her friends weren't too close to him, then she shouted," STOP!"
Christian turned his blue eyes to meet hers just before everything around Sera came to a silent halt. She quickly rushed forward and delivered dozens of rapid strikes to his midsection. Her sword was once again a blur, delivering a massive amount of damage to his aura, and hopefully, his body.
Once she was satisfied with the melee attacks, she jumped back, shoved the tip of her sword into the ground, and immediately drew her revolver. The amnesiac fan-fired all of its rounds at him without hesitation. Just before the Dust bullets came into contact with him, they halted in midair.
She straightened and spun the gun on her finger, and as soon as she holstered it and muttered, "Time resumes," everything around her moved again. The damage she'd caused registered instantaneously and his aura shattered. The Dust rounds were the final nails on the coffin. Her handgun's custom cylinder held nine rounds, and all of them went into torso.
Christian cried out in pain as he flew back and crashed the ground. Sera's expression was grim as she held her hand on the gun she'd just holstered.
Team JNPR blinked at the sudden occurrence and turned to look at Sera.
"Nice one," Was all Jaune could say as Sera pulled her sword free and approached the enemy huntsman.
She stood over him with a distasteful look in her eyes. The man's eyes were glassy, and his chest heaved heavily as he took labored breaths. Blood seeped out of his bullet and sword wounds, staining his white clothes.
The amnesiac sheathed her blade and looked down at the huntsman. Despite the situation, she still pitied him.
"The truth is that you're just a coward and a traitor, and quite frankly you deserve worse death. But I'll grant you this one kindness instead of letting you bleed out and die a painful death. Because from what Qrow says, you used to actually be a pretty decent guy," Sera said as she reloaded her revolver and aimed it down at him.
Christian gave a pained laugh as he looked up to her. "We're all going to die at her hands anyway, daughter of Salem. Just you wait. Your fate was sealed the minute you were born—"
Then she pulled the trigger.
The gunshot rang out across the empty village, and Pyrrha put a hand over her mouth. Sera holstered her gun and trudged back towards JNPR.
"That was… I don't even know what to say," Jaune said.
"You…killed him," Ren said. Sera halted and turned to look at her former classmates. "As horrible and cruel it is, that has to be done now. If you don't kill them, they kill you. Just ask Qrow." She said with bitterness in her voice. After the incident in Patch with Yang, she wasn't taking any chances. She wasn't going to let anything happen to the people she cared about. Especially not happened to Yang with Adam.
Team JNPR only stared at their friend as she made her way back to help Ruby and Qrow. They were taken completely surprised by the amnesiac's action. None of them had seen that look of sheer fury in the huntress's eyes.
Sera shouted as she lunged forward and swung her weapon. Tyrian, who had been occupied with fending off Qrow and Ruby, was taken completely by surprise as a crimson sword appeared seemingly out of nowhere and collided with his ribcage. The Faunus growled as he retreated back several meters.
That gave Ruby and Qrow a moment to catch their breath, and they went to stand beside Sera. "Castelo?" Qrow asked. Sera shook her head in response, not meeting the huntsman's eyes. He nodded grimly and turned his attention back to his opponent.
Tyrian began too cackle again, much to their dismay. It was an annoying sound to all of them. "Christian's down?" He asked. Then his eyes narrowed, "Good."
Sera's eyes widened as the Faunus attacked again, his wrist blades and tail swinging widely. The huntsman and huntresses reacted immediately, deflecting she attacks to the best of their ability. As soon as the amnesiac raised her sword again, she realized something: she was winded. She'd spent too much energy during her semblance use. Sera panted as she blocked the quick strikes. She and the others would have to end this quickly or she'd collapse soon.
'Damn strong friggin' semblance, having negative effects on my body and stuff,' She thought to herself and redirected Tyrian's tail into the ground. The stinger plunged into the concrete and was momentarily stuck. Sera's eyes widened and a lightbulb went off in her head. A way to incapacitate Tyrian for long enough to take him down.
Sera smirked, "That the best you got, tough guy?" Tyrian's eyes narrowed and he seemed direct his next flurry of attacks at her. "You'll have to try harder than that to bait me," He said as he continued to attack all three of them.
"Doesn't seem like it, tail boy. Looks like I can bait you just fine," She landed a swift kick to his rear. Tyrian gritted his teeth, his pupils turning smaller. He shouted out and swung his tail at her. She was almost too slow to catch his stinger. The tip of his tail was aimed right for her chest, and it would've hit her if it wasn't for her semblance. She knew it was dangerous to use it again when she was this tired already, but the amnesiac had no choice. Everything around her came to a halt, just for a moment. More than long enough for Sera to avoid the tail.
Tyrian's eyes narrowed when all motion resumed. Qrow managed to land a hit on the Faunus, sending him flying back far enough for Sera to catch her breath. Ruby went after the Faunus and pressed him further.
"Take a sec to catch your breath, kid. You're about to fall over." Qrow told her quickly. He was right. She leaned heavily onto her sword and her chest heaved. "No, I can still go. You're not gonna do this alone." She panted.
Qrow smiled lightly.
"Qrow, a little help!" Ruby called. She was desperately fighting Tyrian, using her scythe skills and speed semblance to her full ability.
"Kid, we're not alone." Qrow nodded his head behind Sera. She turned to see JNPR approaching her from behind. Jaune put his hand on her shoulder and smiled gently, "We can handle this." Pyrrha nodded in agreement, "Just stay back for a moment."
Sera sighed in defeat, "Fine. Now go get him, cause it looks like Ruby's about to lose it." They looked to see that she was right. Ruby was losing the fight horribly, taking more and more hits to her aura.
"WOULD YOU HELP ME ALREADY?!" Ruby demanded, swinging her scythe in wide, fluid motions to keep Tyrian back. Qrow and JNPR immediately rushed to her aid, using their respective weapons to keep up the pressure on Tyrian.
The amnesiac narrowed her eyes at the fight before her and transformed her sword into its rifle form. She quickly aimed down its sights pointed the rifle at Tyrian. After a moment, she groaned and lowered the weapon. Her friends were getting in the way of her shot too much, and she was breathing too hard to hold the gun steady. Sera slung the weapon over her shoulder and leaned against a nearby wall.
She desperately wanted to help. But she knew if she tried, it wouldn't end well. Instead, she took the opportunity to catch her breath. Sera sat on the ground and closed her eyes, resting her palms onto her knees. Taking quick and exercised breaths, she felt her breathing return to normal.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. And what she saw, was not calming. Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Ruby were sprawled on the ground. Pyrrha and Qrow fought furiously, blocking and parrying Tyrian's attacks. The Faunus himself seemed enthused about the fight, if the way that he was cackling and moving was any indication. Ruby and the others were getting to their feet when Tyrian jumped up to a half-built building. Qrow and Pyrrha followed him, shakily maintaining their balance.
Ruby tightened her jaw and jumped towards the Faunus. He easily parried it and kicked the huntress down.
"Ruby, stay back! Pyrrha and I will take it from here!" Qrow told her. Ruby glared at the Faunus and stood, "This is my fight too!" Then she hefted her scythe and jumped again. Tyrian swatted her aside once more. Pyrrha threw her shield at the Faunus and caught him the chest, knocking him off the building.
"No, it's not that-!" Qrow said as he jumped down, but whatever he was gonna say was cut short by Tyrian.
Sera narrowed her eyes and stood. She didn't care how tired she was. But her mistake was taking a step forward. Blackness surrounded the edges of her vision and her head swam. She almost collapsed, but the amnesiac willed herself forward.
She decided her sword was currently too cumbersome, so she dropped it and sprinted towards the skirmish.
Sera almost made it, too. But a large wooden beam collapsed and threatened to fall on a lunging Ruby. Suddenly, the beam was sliced in half, and Qrow stood there. He'd saved his niece.
Ruby gave a small smile, but it melted as soon as Qrow winced and gasped in pain. Sera shouted, Ruby looked shocked, Tyrian smiled. He'd landed a hit with his venomous tail. A large scratch was on Qrow's ribcage from the stinger, and his hand hovered shakily above it.
Sera yelled, and a giant pulse of purple aura was sent out of her. As soon as the aura passed, everything within it slowed to a halt. Pure spur of the moment made her activate her semblance once more, this time more powerful than it had ever been before.
The amnesiac looked down at her own hands and sighed, in relief because her skin was still normal. No white skin with black veins. No red eyes.
She looked up to see Tyrian still frozen in the stance he'd been in after scratching Qrow. Sera gritted her teeth and stomped towards the Faunus with her fists clenched. She knew she'd be in trouble as soon as her semblance ended, but for now, she felt powerful. And she was going to demonstrate just how powerful on Tyrian.
Looking up at Qrow, still frozen in time, she had a troubled expression on her face. She knew what scorpions were, and it didn't take a genius to guess what was going to come from that wound.
Then she looked back at Tyrian and clenched her jaw. Sera punched him across the face once. Twice. Three times. Then, she was madly using both her hands to deliver blows to the Faunus. His face turned in the direction of every blow, but Sera was punching with so much speed that it looked like he was shaking his head 'no'.
After she got all her stored-up anger at the man out of her system, she reared back one last time, activating the one gauntlet of Ember Celica. Sera smirked, then punched Tyrian square in the chest, blasting a round from the weapon as soon as it came into contact with him.
Coincidentally, as soon as the shotgun blast rung out, Sera's semblance had ended, and time resumed. Also coincidentally, Ruby had arranged Crescent Rose in such a way that, when Tyrian was launched backwards from the force of the blow, the scythe sliced cleanly through his tail, just a few inches below where the tail ended and stinger began.
Tyrian let out a pained scream as he flew through the air and into a distant wall. Purple venom splashed onto the ground from his severed tail, and Sera stood smirking, her fist still raised with Ember Celica. She lowered her arms, and the gauntlet transformed back into its bracelet form.
But as soon as she did that, the huntress promptly collapsed. She blacked out instantly and crumpled to the ground.
Before anyone could run to her aid, Tyrian climbed out of the broken wall, his tail whipping around violently and spraying venom around.
"You BITCH!" He screamed in the direction of them, but no one was sure if he was yelling at Sera or Ruby. He looked like he was going to attack again, but everyone readied their weapons, and he cowered as if he remembered something horrible.
"She'll forgive you. She'll forgive you," He muttered to himself, then leaped over the village wall, and disappeared. Team JNPR and Ruby immediately rushed to help Qrow and Sera. Qrow had fallen to the ground, clutching his wound. Ruby helped him to his feet and put one of his arms around her shoulders. Pyrrha and Nora knelt on either side of Sera to check on her, and Jaune and Ren stood on guard in case Tyrian or some other freak showed up.
"Sera!" Nora shook her shoulders, but it was no use. She was out cold. Her chest heaved in her sleep, which was good because it means she's still breathing. Pyrrha wiped the dirt and grime from her face and tried to make the amnesiac comfortable.
"Is she okay?" Ren asked with worry clear in his voice. Ruby said, "She'll be fine. She just needs rest. That's the hardest she's pushed herself with her semblance." Qrow nodded in agreement, "Right. But let's get the hell outta here. The further we get away, the better."
. . .
They were going to build two stretchers, but Nora volunteered to carry Sera around like a sack of potatoes. After the fight, team JNPR and Ruby helped Sera and Qrow along until they set up camp a good distance away from the village. Qrow tried to piece together and explain Tyrian's arrival, and he came to the conclusion that it was nothing good.
"Take us? Where? Why?" Ruby asked. They'd just discussed what Tyrian had said to them. Qrow gave her a look, "You know why. They want to get you two out of the way to make their job easier. Lucky for us, you and Snowball over there are tough cookies. Right, Snowball?" Qrow turned to look at Sera laying on her bedroll that they laid out for her. She gave no response; she was still unconscious.
"See? When I'm right, I'm right." Qrow chuckled. Pyrrha looked at the sleeping amnesiac, "She looks so peaceful. Hard to think she's such a pain in the rear when she's like this."
If only they knew what was going on in her head right now.
Sera was surrounded by blackness in her dreams. She stumbled through the dark, feeling her way through as if she were trying to find a wall or something.
"Hello?" She called. No answer. Then, she felt a heavy presence. She whipped around to see a tall woman standing in front of her. She had chalk-white skin, black veins, black sclera, and glowing red eyes.
The woman smiled, and Sera's eyes widened in horror. She saw all sorts of images in those eyes. Grimm attacking, villages burning, men and women dying, and children… Well, it's better to not describe that.
Sera stumbled backwards, trying to get away.
"What's wrong, daughter? Don't you recognize your own loving mother?" The woman said in an alluring voice.
"Why do you think I'm trying to get away?" Sera asked rhetorically. Salem stifled a laugh, "Just like your father, laughing in the face of danger."
"I wouldn't know. Never met him." Sera managed. Salem smiled, "Oh, but you will. He'll be your… how do you say? 'Roommate'."
Sera didn't wait for an explanation. She turned and bolted, only for Salem to reappear in her path.
"What's wrong? Don't want to spend time with mommy?" Salem frowned. Sera shivered at that. It was just plain creepy.
"Ri-i-i-ght. Well, while I'd just love to stick around, my friends need me—"
Salem sighed, "You could be great, you know. It's all here," Salem tapped her own temple with her index finger, "In your head. All you need is to join me, daughter, and I'll show you just how powerful you truly are. She waved her hand, and a figure appeared in front of Sera, and she gasped. Standing in front of her was, well, her. Except it wasn't. The clone wore her exact clothing and looked like a mirror image, except her eyes were red, her skin white, and her veins black. The sheer blackness of the clone's sclera was frightening. Sera took a step back, and Salem smiled.
"This is your true form, you know. Curse your father's blood. If you'd stayed like me, you'd see the world as I do."
"And how is that?" Sera asked. She was playing for time, trying to keep the woman talking until she woke. Salem gave a small smile. "Vile, corrupt, and riddled with filth. Mortal humans have had their time, and they messed it up again. The Brothers shouldn't have given them a second chance."
Sera stilled. What was she talking about? Before she could ask, Salem continued talking. "But I know you'll come to my side eventually. It's only a matter of time. Your friends fear you, daughter. They won't admit it, but it's true. And that little thing you did, killing that former huntsman? It didn't help any."
Sera balled her fists. Salem was toying with her, trying to deceive her. But…maybe she wasn't entirely wrong. She did shoot down that man, but she had no choice. She was going to defend her friends to the best of her ability.
"Get out of my head," Sera growled. The clone of herself in front of her smiled, and it sent chills up her spine.
"Very well, daughter. But you'll realize it soon enough: humans have had their time. Goodbye, daughter." Salem waved her hand, and the blackness in her head faded, and a bright light took its place. When the light faded, she saw Yang Xiao Long, but she looked…different. Yang was riding on Bumblebee, her brown coat whipping in the wind and a pair of aviator shades on her face. But what really startled Sera was that she had a metal yellow arm in place of her missing one.
Sera woke with a start. Her eyes shot open to see trees and blue sky above her. After a quick glance around, she discovered that she was being carried off of the ground. She started to sit up, but Pyrrha's voice stopped her, "Hey, just relax. You're probably not well enough yet."
She did as she was told and laid back against the handmade stretcher. She was being carried down the trail by Pyrrha and Nora. Ruby and Jaune were carrying Qrow on a similar stretcher while Ren was on guard.
Sera sighed and looked up at the few clouds she could see, "How long?" Pyrrha understood her vague question, "Just a day. I'm surprised you woke up so soon." She said honestly.
"So you all have been carrying Qrow, who I'm sure has been poisoned or something, and I on these stretchers all day?"
"Well, your stretcher was made recently. Up until then, Nora had been carrying you over her shoulder."
Sera raised an eyebrow at the grinning Valkyrie, "Is that why my body feels so sore?" She asked rhetorically.
"Well, partly. You probably mainly feel sore cause of the fight, but I'm sure that first class on the Nora Express didn't help too much either." Pyrrha allowed a small smile.
"Hey!" Nora puffed out her cheeks. Sera smiled and rested her arms behind her head. "Well, it could be worse. How's Qrow?"
Pyrrha's smile faltered, "Not too well. Tyrian's venom is doing a number on him. His aura is helping a little, but if we don't get proper medical attention soon…"
She didn't need to finish her sentence. Sera frowned and looked up to see Jaune's back facing her, Qrow laying directly in front of him.
"I swear if you die on us, I'm gonna kill you, old man!" Sera cupped her hands around her mouth. Ruby suppressed a smile, "Sera's up."
"As loud as ever." Jaune grinned. Then they came to a fork in the road. A single sign with several names pointing in different directions stood between the two paths.
Ren immediately ran forward to inspect it, and Ruby and Jaune set Qrow on the ground to go with him. Sera couldn't hear what they were saying, but they seemed to be discussing where to go.
"Get us closer," She told Pyrrha. The red head obliged. She was just as curious as Sera.
"No, we're not splitting up!" Jaune said. Ruby looked impatient and Ren looked like he was gonna explode.
"What's going on?" Nora asked, then her eyes widened. A particular town name on the sign was scratched out: Kuroyuri.
"Ren won't go through Kuroyuri, even though it's the fastest way to Mistral," Jaune replied. Ren didn't say anything.
"So I suggested we split up. Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha could go up the mountain to get a lay of the land, while the rest of us go to the village to scavenge for supplies; anything we could use to help Uncle Qrow." Ruby put in.
"I don't like it… But it's not a terrible plan, minus the splitting up." Pyrrha put a hand to her chin in thought.
"It's best that Ren and I not go there anyway. Trust me," Nora added. Before anyone could ask what she meant, Qrow made a pained groaning noise.
"Let's just do it. We can regroup in Mistral, if we don't before then," Jaune sighed, finally agreeing. Ruby looked down to Sera, who had surprisingly been quiet this whole time. "What about Sera? She can't walk yet."
Taking that as a challenge, Sera immediately sat up. "Yes I can." But as soon as her feet touched the ground and she stood, she stumbled. Ruby caught her before she could fall on her face.
"Okay. With some help I can." Sera sighed. She put an arm around Ruby's shoulders and leaned onto her for support.
"Fine. We'll meet back soon. Stay safe," Jaune told everyone. Sera managed to stand on her own, using Crimson Eclipse as a crutch. Jaune and Pyrrha told each other goodbye while Ruby waved at Ren and Nora. After a moment, three of the members of team JNPR ran up the opposing dirt path, and up the mountain trail. Ruby and Jaune picked Qrow up once more and walked down the other path, Sera following behind as best as she could
Sera was grumbling about not being able to take the strain of her own semblance, when they came upon the ruins of an old village. The four of them made it to the center of town when they set Qrow onto the ground. By then, Sera was walking without the help of her sword now and was steadily getting better at keeping her balance.
Qrow wasn't looking too good. His skin was clammy and sweat perspired on his forehead. His eyes were slightly glassy and he looked like he had a fever.
Sera bent down and checked him, putting the back of her hand to his forehead. After a moment, she went down to unwrap his bandages, and what they saw was not pretty.
"It's green," Jaune noted. Sera reached into her pack to pull out a shirt, ripping it up to make bandages. "We have re-dress it. Ruby?"
The scythe wielder shook her head, as if coming out of a daze. She met Sera's violet eyes questioningly.
"Can you see if there's any medicine around here? Probably in an old pharmacy or something?"
Ruby nodded, took one last look at Qrow, then headed off towards the ruined buildings.
"There's probably not anything around. Looks like this place has been abandoned for a while," Jaune said. Sera tied off the makeshift bandage around Qrow's torso and looked up at him, "Yeah, I know. But she needed something to do, something to make her feel like she's doing something to help. Did you see her?"
Jaune nodded, "She looked like she was gonna pass out." Sera stood and wiped her hands, "Exactly. Now—"
That's when a very loud, and very startling roar echoed across the town. Jaune and Sera immediately stood on guard, hefting their respective weapons and scanning for any sign of a threat.
"Sounded far away," Sera murmured. Jaune held his shield a bit higher. "Yeah. But we still have people out there." The amnesiac nodded and relaxed her stance, holding Crimson Eclipse at her side. They heard fast footsteps approaching them, so the two turned to see Ruby running in their direction. "What was that?" She asked, Crescent Rose ready to attack.
"We don't know," Jaune answered as he relaxed his stance as well. "But we can't stay here. We need to get Qrow out of here before—"
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAARGGGH
"That was closer this time!" Sera said as she readied her sword. That's when they saw Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha running through the entrance of the village.
"There's the others!" Ruby pointed. Ren looked extremely alarmed. He and the others came to a halt in front of them, each of them panting hard.
"What's going on?" Sera demanded. Before they could answer, a loud rumbling sounded, shaking the ground with each thunderous impact. Ren fell to his knees in despair. "No…" He muttered.
Then they saw it. Pyrrha and Nora's eyes widened, gazing past Sera with horror on their faces. Sera, Jaune, and Ruby whipped around to see what their friends were looking at. And Sera dropped her sword. Crimson Eclipse clattered to the stone ground as she stared at the beast approaching them.
It was massive, easily twenty feet tall. It appeared to be a large Grimm horse and rider, only the rider melded into the horse's back at this waist. The horse had glowing red eyes, black fur, and large cloven hooves. White bone covered its body and face, like most Grimm have. But the humanoid part of it… it sent shivers down Sera's spine. The humanoid body was horribly skinny, with long arms and claws that reached the ground. Its head picked up to inspect them, its evil red eyes glowing with a creepy light of pure nightmare. Long horns curved above its head, reaching back towards its back.
The beast's humanoid head twitched rapidly from side to side, giving off a vibe of pure insanity.
None of the huntsmen moved, but Pyrrha, Nora, Jaune, and Ruby did ready their weapons, prepared to leap into action at any moment. Ren was still down, glaring up at the Grimm with hatred in his eyes.
Sera bent down to pick up her sword. That was a mistake. As soon as the creature heard the sound of Crimson Eclipse's blade scraping against stone, it threw back its large head and shot its long arms towards her.
"Scatter!" Jaune ordered, and they all ran in different directions. But they forgot something.
Sera looked back and stepped in front of the downed Qrow. With some effort, she deflected the Grimm's arm and shot it past her.
"Get Qrow out of here!" She shouted as she dodged another attack and sliced into its arm, trying to keep its attention on her. Jaune was immediately at her side, helping Qrow up and putting one of the huntsman's arms around his shoulders. As soon as they lumbered away, the Grimm turned its creepy head towards them.
The horse ran after them, its large hooves thundering against the ground. Sera tried to jump in front of it, but she was too slow. One of its arms slammed her to the ground, and she could only watch in horror as the Grimm went to trample them.
But Pyrrha Nikos happened. She leaped in front of the beast and slammed her javelin into its humanoid head. The spartan landed on the horse's back and raised her shield.
The Grimm roared directly into her face. A loud, horrible screeching roar that would've made a lesser warrior clutch their ears or jump off. But Pyrrha stood there, unmoving. She glared at the beast and jabbed the point of her javelin into its chest, impaling it all the way through. The humanoid body writhed and screeched in pain and tried to whack her with its arms, but Pyrrha held fast. She slammed her shield in its face in a punching motion, then freed her javelin and jumped off, but not before kicking the horse in the side of the head.
Its path was altered when she kicked it, and the beast ran directly into a building. Pyrrha landed nimbly and raised her weapons. Sera only gaped at what she'd done, then gripped her sword tightly and sprinted for the Grimm. But before she could make it too far, a large hammer appeared in her path and stopped her.
"No, don't fight it head on," Nora told her, her expression serious.
"I'm not going to just stand by!" Sera told her in an irritated tone. Nora didn't move. "Well that's too bad, girly! We've already got one huntsman down, and you were in no condition to walk just ten minutes ago! Now do us all a favor and stay back."
Sera wanted to get angry, but she knew that Nora was right. Plus, just one look in her turquoise eyes told her everything. She wasn't annoyed with Sera for being so stubborn and hardheaded, she was worried.
The Grimm screeched again as it withstood attacks from Ren, Ruby, and Pyrrha. With a heavy sigh, Sera slung her sword over her back. "Fine. But I'm not going to do nothing."
Nora cracked a smile, "I never said to do nothing. I just said don't fight it head on." Sera grinned at the Valkyrie, and an understanding passed between them. The amnesiac quickly drew her revolver and spun it on her finger. "You got it, Pancakes."
Nora frowned at her, "You did not just call me 'Pancakes'." Then Sera cracked a smile, "'Fraid so," then she looked past Nora. "Heads up."
She turned around just in time for a long, black arm to slam into her chest and send her flying. Nora collided with a building and fell to the ground, dazed. Sera grinned and fired several rounds at the beast from her revolver.
Now, I know what you're thinking: Why doesn't she use the rifle form of her weapon for more range and versatility? Well, the answer is simple. That rifle doesn't have the firepower to punch baseball-sized holes into the Grimm.
The creature, who Sera would later learn is a Nuckelavee, screeched in pain as six high-velocity rounds punctured its hide. Just as it reared back, Ruby quickly slashed Crescent Rose across its horse body.
Sera reloaded her hand cannon and took aim once more. She fan-fired the entire cylinder into its humanoid chest and caused it to roar again. She spun the gun on her finger as she popped another cylinder into it.
"Let's party," She said as she aimed the gun, prepared to loose another volley of rounds into the beast.
The fight went relatively well for the next several moments. Ren circled the Grimm and fired his guns, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Ruby sliced into it wherever they could, and Nora went between firing off her grenade launcher and slamming her large hammer into it.
Sera stayed back and shot from a distance, much to her dislike. But from back there, she could see everything that was happening. Plus, she was the least likely to be hit. But she saw everything that was going wrong. They weren't doing enough damage to the monster, despite their efforts, and Ren seemed to be attacking irrationally. He charged it without thinking, over and over again.
After a particularly heavy blow, the pink-eyed boy was thrown over to Sera. She looked down at him, and for the first time, she saw fury in his eyes. Before he could charge off again, she caught his arm and pulled him back.
"The hell's the matter with you?" She demanded. He ignored her, yanking his arm to get free. But Sera had an iron grip. Ren pulled harder while glaring at the Grimm. Without wasting a breath, Sera reared back and slapped him across the face.
Ren looked shocked, but it seemed to do the trick. "Look, I don't know what your problem is, Renny, but your friends are fighting for their lives over there. And you're not doing any good by rushing in like that. You're gonna get yourself killed, and for what? Some stupid looking Grimm? Pull yourself together." She told him. Ren blinked twice, then looked ashamed.
"I… You're right. Doing stupid stuff like that isn't going to help anyone. Thanks."
Sera's scowl lessened, "Hey, what're friends for? Now let's go kill this thing before Nora rips it in two."
"…Wouldn't that be a good thing?" Ren asked, genuinely confused.
Sera grinned, "Yeah, but that makes less fun for us, now doesn't it?"
The ninja smiled and readied his twin pistols. "Very well."
"This party's just getting started, Ren," Sera smiled and spun her revolver on her finger. Then together, the two ran towards the Nuckelavee.
"Uh, this thing isn't going down!" Ruby shouted as she fired a sniper round into it. The Grimm roared and swept its arms at her, which she easily avoided. Then out of nowhere, Ren's bullets flew into its body and made it recoil. The Nuckelavee screeched, but Sera quickly landed on the horse's back and fan-fired her entire cylinder into it. Six Dust rounds paved a trail up its body, starting at its abdomen and ending at its forehead.
"Jackpot!" Sera gloated and jumped off its back before an arm could hit her. The long Grimm arm hit empty air and began to wrap around its owner's humanoid body, momentarily pinning one of its limbs.
"I told you to stay back!" Nora shouted. Sera smirked and reloaded her firearm as she flew through the air, "Yeah, well, that got boring!" Then she landed beside Ruby, holstered her gun, and drew her sword.
"Uh, maybe Nora's right—" Ruby said. Sera turned to her and silenced the younger girl by shooting her a look. "And maybe Nora's brains are pancakes! Now stand back and watch me work, Rubes!"
"Hey!" Nora cried indignantly. It reminded the amnesiac of Weiss. Sera grinned and charged the Grimm. Just before she leaped towards it, she popped a red Dust crystal into her weapon. The blade was immediately engulfed in green flame, and she sliced it across the Grimm's horse body.
"I've got a plan," Jaune told his friends while Sera kept the Grimm busy.
"Anything," Ruby pleaded. Jaune gave a smirk, "Ruby and Pyrrha, you take its arms. Nora, the horse. Ren, you handle the rest. I'll help where I can." Everyone nodded, then ran off to carry out their duties.
Sera was holding one of the Nuckelavee's horns with one hand and punching it in the face with the other when she saw her friends running around, actually organized this time. She grinned and let go of the Grimm, picked up her sword that she impaled in the horse's back, still flaming, then leaped off of it.
"What's the plan? What're we doing?" She asked.
"Take its knees!" Nora shouted back, and Sera grinned the widest she had all month. She rushed its horse legs, slicing her flaming sword through at the joint and cleaving the limb in two. Immediately, the large body buckled, and the Grimm roared in pain.
'Just like the Hydra,' She thought to herself. Just as she severed its remaining front leg, Nora's hammer slammed into the beast's large head. The horse stayed still after that. However, the humanoid head screeched excruciatingly loudly as its body was forced forward from the front of its horse body being flattened to the ground.
It immediately swept its arms in circular motions, and everyone had to either duck or jump over them. Pyrrha was fast, however. She stabbed her javelin through its right arm and impaled it to the ground. The Grimm roared again.
Jaune caught the other arm between his shield and sword, then Ruby impaled it with her scythe. Another roar.
Ren walked right up to the Grimm and allowed it to roar in his face, never flinching. He then pulled an old dagger from his clothes and closed his eyes.
For my father, He sliced its right arm off. It screeched loudly.
For my mother, He took its other arm. Its body flailed as it roared.
For all the people you've slain, He stabbed it in the chest. Another screech.
Then he opened his eyes and grabbed one of its horns. "For myself." He said, then sliced across its neck. The Grimm was silent after that. Its body slowly dissipated into darkness as Ren's friends joined him at his side.
Jaune put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. Sera rested Crimson Eclipse on her shoulder and smirked. 'Not bad, Renny.'
Nora smiled and tackled Ren in a giant hug. Pyrrha took Jaune's hand and smiled. Ruby was smiling too, but her eyes suddenly widened. "Uncle Qrow!"
Sera's smile faltered, then she immediately ran with Ruby to go check on the old huntsman. They soon found him sitting against a ruined building, clutching his wound.
"Hey," He said weakly. "The fighting's died down. Guessing you won?" Ruby smiled and helped her uncle up, with Sera's assistance.
"Yeah, we won. No thanks to you," Sera smirked. Qrow looked to her, "You probably didn't do much either, Snowball. What with you falling out like that yesterday."
Sera smiled proudly, "Actually I did a lot, old man." Qrow raised an eyebrow as the huntresses helped him back to the others. "Oh yeah? Like what?"
"I took its knees," Sera said nonchalantly. Qrow blinked, "You what?"
"Guys, look!" Jaune pointed to the sky. They looked up to see two Mistralian airships flying in for a landing.
"Help's here!" Nora laughed and jumped on Ren again. Sera smiled, "Looks like we got our ticket to Mistral."
"Finally," Ruby exhaled.
In no time at all, the seven of them were loaded onto the two airships and being flown to Mistral. Which, as it turns out, they were within spitting distance of. Ruby asked how they found them, and one of the pilots said that they were just on patrol when they saw smoke. Lucky them.
Sera's eyes lit up when she saw the distant lights and building of Mistral. Their journey was finally over. Then she thought back to Yang and looked down at the golden bracelet on her wrist. It's been well over a month since they'd last seen each other, perhaps longer. Sera wasn't exactly keeping track of the time.
With a grin, she looked back to the city before them. She had a feeling that she would see Yang soon.