AN: Hey everyone, I have the next chapter here. Thank you for all the support this series has gotten here and on Tv Tropes. This one was fun to do, as I get to reference a lot of stuff from the fate series like weapons and locations. I get to make a new character for this chapter, as well as bring a fate character into this setting now. Hope you enjoy this chapter, leave a review with your comments and questions, and have a nice day.
Chapter 33 – Together
The next day.
Nobu.
Walking down a less populated section of Menagerie, Musashi led Nobu and Weiss walk down a dirt road. The swordswoman looked at a map with a red X on it. While the Grimm Archer had her hands behind her head, carrying a long item wrapped in cloth over her back, "I thought this island was the place faunus go not to fight?" Nobu asked Musashi, "Why does it have a weapons shop?"
"When people decided to leave and fight," Musashi responded, "They need a weapon."
Nobu shrugged, "Fair enough." She then looked over to Weiss, whose eyes were still slightly red, "Look, you don't have to go right now. You can still rest and-"
"I need to replace Myrtenaster before our next battle." Weiss responded, "There's no time to waste." She said before rubbing her eyes, "I just need to keep busy, that's how she did everything." The white heiress said with Nobu having a look of worry.
Musashi put away her map as they reached their destination, as a shop with a sign that read, Burg's Weapon Shop. Underneath appeared to be the shop's slogan, Two weapons are better as One.A carving of a raccoon with a shotgun shooting knives was the mascot. After knocking on the door, a short man opened the door. He wore a black tactical vest, dark jeans, a cylindrical fur hat. His tail was a fluffy black and white, making him a raccoon faunus and most likely Burg. He glared at the three girls, while Nobu awkwardly waved, "We don't serve human here." Burg said before looking at Weiss, "Especially your breed."
As the raccoon faunus was closing the door, Musashi stopped it, "Look, Adam said we could see you about getting new weapons."
"Adam, you mean Adam Taurus?" The store owner responded, "I thought that guy was in jail?" He then squinted, "Prove you know him."
"He said you owed Wilhelm a favor, Adam wanted to cash it in," Musashi said with the store owner's eyes widening. Nobu then pulled the object behind her back, revealing it to be Wilt.
"I-" Burg said before gritting his teeth, "Fine, come in." He said before opening the door, "But don't expect a discount." He said with Musashi smiling back at the two others.
They entered the store, seeing an assortment of weapons of every type on all the walls and cases. Sword, guns and even the combination of the two. "Well, I know where to take Ruby if I come back here."
"You're not coming back here, Schnee!" The store owner pointed to Weiss, "Your company partially worked my father to death. After this exchange, you're banned from my store."
Nobu eyes started to flare with rage, but she looked over to Weiss, "…I understand," The white heiress said with Nobu now having a look of sorrow.
"So, how do you know Adam's father?" Musashi said, wanting to change the subject.
"He helped my Dad deal with a lot of the let's say, the less-than-happy-to-work-with-faunus coworkers." Burg responded awhile walking to Nobu, taking Wilt out of her hands, "But as things start to get unsafe, he gave my Dad the money to flee to Menagerie." He said before walking over to the counter, laying down the sword, "My Dad gave Wilhelm this sword to defend his family, but it looks like it did not save his friend as much as he thought."
"Huh," Musashi said as she remembered when Adam told her why he uses these weapons, "He didn't mention it used to belong to his father."
Burg then looked back to the swordswoman, "Also, where is the rifle sheath, Blush?"
"It was destroyed, Adam thought you would have a spare," Musashi responded.
"No, the best I can do in a reinforced sheath." Burg responded picking up the sword, "Tell him to take better care of this!"
"Sure," Musashi said with a giggle, then walking over to the counter, "Also, can you see about fixing these?" She said before spawning her two swords that had been smashed in her battle with It.
"Oh, you're from Apocrypha." Burg now noticed, picking up the katanas, "I don't deal with your kind of weapons, but I'll see what I can do with these." He said with Musashi smiling.
Nobu looked around the assorted armory, then found Weiss staring at something. On the wall were two swords in the shape of an X, one shorter than the other. However, the handguards of the blades were replaced with revolver chambers, complete with the trigger and hammer of the guns. The longer sword had a katana-like handle. While the shorter one had a wooden stock. Weiss remained fixed on them as Nobu walked over, "Well, it's sort of like your old weapon." She commented, "Which one do you like more."
Weiss then reached up and grabbed the swords off the wall, "I'll take both." Weiss said to the store owner.
"Those blades are not as formal as the type I imagine your family uses." Burg commented, but Weiss gave him a cold glare, "But, suit yourself."
"I think they're neat." Musashi commented, then looked to see Weiss slightly looking away, "What is it?"
"Can…" Weiss started to say as she tightened her grip on the weapons, "Can you teach me how to duel wield?"
Musashi had a look of confusion at the white heiress hesitation, but remembered something about Winter's fighting style, "Oh, sure!" Musashi said with a smile, then turning back to Burg, "I'll just take some dummy swords with me, okay?"
"You gonna pay for them?" Burg said as Nobu walked up, placing a large stack of Liens on the table.
"Of course, Reines gave us money to burn," Nobu said with Burg grinning as he counted the large stack. Suddenly, Nobu saw something on another wall. Hanging by a set of chains was a black and gold Gatling gun, one that was near twice the size of the Grimm Archer. The weapon seemed to have a large wheel-like trigger system for firing each round. The red blade on the end of the barrel was still steaming with heat, causing Nobu to grin, "And though that one in for me." She said Burg nodding. Musashi went over to help get the massive machine gun, while Nobu turned back to Weiss. While the Grimm Archer was smiling, she noticed Weiss was still focused on the two swords in her hands, causing the smile to fade from Nobu's face.
Gilgamesh.
In the hallway of a stingy hotel, Raven walked while she placed her hand on her left thigh, feeling a slight sting. The bloody huntress grimaced in pain, but continued to walk, "This will have to do." She said before looking to her right hand, seeing it trembling, "I need to leave this area, fast. Those two, this Woman in Black." She said before clenching her fist, "No matter what, I have to survive." She said before stopping in front of a door, then pulled out her keycard.
Upon opening and entering, she saw her sheathed weapon on the opposite wall. However, as she got halfway into the room, she realized she was not alone, "Well, we meet again." Raven turned to discover Gilgamesh, who sat in a red throne-like chair. He was in the middle of pouring a glass of wine before returning the golden goblet to his gate, "Granted, I did not properly introduce myself." He said as he grinned at the bloody huntress, "My name is Gilgamesh, The King of Heroes. And more to you, I am your daughter's boyfriend."
"…" Raven remained silent for a second as her eyes scanned the area.
"If you are looking for her, she is checking the other end of town." Gilgamesh commented, looking at his glass of wine, "It is quite fortunate I found you, as I have a few questions." He said before scowling at Raven, "The first, what happened to the Spring Maiden?"
Raven glanced at her sheathed weapon as she was about to form a portal. However, she noticed a few yellow portals forming around Gilgamesh's head. Knowing her condition, this was not a fight she wanted, "In the middle of my attack, we were ambushed by a third party. I escaped, but the Spring Maiden stayed to fight them." Raven said before remembering Raikou's last words to her, "I can't tell if she is dead, but I didn't achieve my mission. The ones who attacked us were headed by an individual known as The Woman in Black."
"Hm, I don't know who that is. And I don't care. It is a shame you know nothing about Riakou's whereabouts." Gilgamesh said before sipping his wine, "Next one, what is your goal in life?" He said with Raven looking back with eyes half-open, "Do not look at me like that, I am simply curious."
"Why should I tell you?" Raven responded while Gilgamesh sipped his wine.
"Do you know what I wish to do with my life first?" the King of Heroes said as he glanced back to the bloody huntress, a smirk on his face, "I wish to have my own a kingdom."
"…What?" Raven responded, "How rich do you think you are?"
"I do not wish to simply buy one of the others, they all have been sullied by other hands." Gilgamesh said as he held the glass of wine close to his chest, "I will build a new kingdom. One with an outer wall that would protect my citizens from any harm. A sanctuary for humanity, and myself of course." He then took a sip of wine before continuing, "I shall call this kingdom, Uurk. What do you think?"
"…" Raven said nothing back at first, "Is that all you wish to ask me?"
"One more," Gilgamesh responded, "This is a question I have been meaning to ask for a while."
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"I simply want to know," Gilgamesh responded, "Why were you crazy enough to let Yang go?"
Raven remained quiet before sighing, "She is a part of my past I choose to abandon."
"Why?" Gilgamesh restated with a scowl.
"You already know why." Raven retorted.
"I wish to hear the truth this time. You had one for the most beautiful treasures I have ever seen, yet you walked away from her." The King of Heroes said back, "You left your child in this cruel world without a mother."
"You don't know my past." The bloody huntress responded, "Everything was determined for me the moment I was born."
"Is that your reason?" Gilgamesh responded, "If so, I do not believe that was why you did what you did."
"And what do you believe?" Raven fired back as the King of Heroes had another sip.
After finishing, he smirked at the bloody huntress, "You were scared." Gilgamesh said with Raven slightly hesitating, "It's not that you hated your family, you actually love them a great deal." The King of Heroes responded, looking at the wine glass, "You sacrificed your own happiness for the wellbeing of your daughter. That is why you went back to your origin's alone, so they would not follow you." He then glanced back to Raven, "Am I wrong?"
"…" Raven did not say a word right away, "…My life has always been one mistake after the other. I don't want Yang to follow that pattern." She responded, closing her eyes, "It is better off she does not know me at all and just… moves on with her own life." She then opened her eyes, "The only thing I can do is survive, and let my own mistakes haunt my life until I die."
"If your goal is to live out your days as a bandit leader as long as you can?" Gilgamesh responded, "I don't need to tell you how moronic that sounds." His expression changed to a serious one, "When you die, Yang and her father will be devastated." Raven was about to retort, but Gilgamesh continued as he looked at his wine, "No matter how much you try to make them hate you, they still consider you a part of their lives." He then looked back to the bloody huntress, "They want you to be happy."
Raven gritted her teeth as she clenched her left fist, "What right to do have to judge my life choices?"
Gilgamesh sipped his wine before he responded with a smirk, "It is my right as the King of Heroes," He then looked back to his wine glass, seeing a small amount remaining,
"…My turn for a question." Raven turned to him, "Why do you love Yang?"
Gilgamesh smirked before looking at his wine, "The moment I first meet her, I found her to be far more interesting than the mongrels I had grown bored of. She can be very hotheaded, quite literally in fact." He said before making a slight pause, "But, I have never met someone who made me reevaluate the meaning of the word Treasure. I thought it was something valuable one has that no one else can possess. That it revolves around the individual and their status above others." The King of Heroes closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, "But in fact, it is having someone you do not wish to lose. Someone who, when you have nothing, they will still stay by your side." He then opened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling, "For Yang, if she will have me. I will be her greatest treasure, as she is to me."
"…" Raven remained silent, then sighed, "If you two want to be happy together," She said before walking to her weapon, "Leave me out of your life." Suddenly, a red portal appeared in front of her. She was about to walk in before scowling to Gilgamesh, who scowled back. The bloody huntress walked through the portal, which closed behind her.
Gilgamesh sighed before finishing off his wine. He then stood up, causing his chair to fade into yellow particles, returning to his Gate of Babylon. The King of Heroes turned around, looking at a closed closet door he had hidden. In opening the door, he found Yang sitting on the ground. She hugged her legs, her hat covering her face. After the King of Heroes lifted the hat, Yang looked up. Despite tears in her lilac eyes, she was still smiling, "I told you." Gilgamesh said with a smirk, causing Yang to laugh through her tears.
"You…You really are a jerk." Yang said as she tried to wipe away her tears, causing Gilgamesh to kneel beside her, "Asking me to hide here while you talked to Raven about me." She said as he sat next to her, "Saying all those things that would make any girl cry." The blond outlaw said as pulled he close with his metal arm, her head resting in his chest, "…Gil, thank you." She said with Gil smiling, brushing his fingers through her hair. Yang hugged him back as the tears continued to run down her face.
Raven.
Raven exited her portal to a dirt road. She sighed with her eyes closed, her portal vanishing behind here, "I need to look for a new way to attain power, or the rest of the tribe will turn on me." She said before looking at the ground, "Vernal said she had a few leads, but I don't know if-" Raven said before looking up, the sight caused her to stop. Pilers of smoke were seen in the distance, but more specifically, her destination.
However, what caught her gaze were the people in the sky. They had been tossed into the air before free-falling back down. As one went down, another went up. It was as if someone was juggling human beings. Raven ran towards the bandit camp, hearing an unfamiliar voice in a different language, "Uno, dos, tres!" Raven heard a woman said in a bubbly voice.
As Revan entered the camp, everything was in ruins. Not a single bandit was left standing as the tents were set ablaze. Suddenly, a body landed in front of the bloody huntress. It was a short- brown haired woman with a sleeveless vest. Her eyes were closed as she did not appear to be breathing, "Vernal!" Raven said as she tried to move the girl's body. However, she gasped at hearing someone's footsteps approaching.
"You finally showed up!" Someone said as Raven looking forward. She saw a woman with long blond hair and green eyes that matched the gem on her chin. Her headdress was adorned with green feathers. While orange feathers were on her golden bracelets and leather sandals. Other than the jewelry around her neck, she wor a small poncho and waist cape with a blue cloth as a belt, "They told me to find someone named Branwen." She said with the smile of an innocent monster, "So, I thought I'd start with the Tribe by the same name." Raven remained speechless as this woman looked around at the carnage, "You know, for a group that values power, they are all pretty weak. Then again, there are the lesser kingdoms' outcasts." The woman then looked back to Raven, who gritting her teeth with a line of sweat down her face.
"Who are you?" Raven said as she stood up.
"I am The Feathered Serpent, The Wind of Mesoamerica, The Great Firebird of the Sun." The woman said as she did a little dance upon her introduction, "But most just call me Quetzalcoatl!" She said with Raven gasping again, "Oh, you've heard of me?"
"When I went to Apocrypha, I researched which individuals I would need to run from should I get into a fight with." Raven said as a line of sweat ran down her face, "You were the first name I was told to avoid."
"Wow, I feel so honored!" Quetzalcoatl said before looking slightly down, "But," The Great firebird of the Sun said as she looked back to Raven with sharp teeth and red eyes, "I do hate cowards who run away from battles."
"How?" Raven said as she held her weapon, "How did you know my name to find this place. I have taken great lengths to make myself hard to find."
"Not great enough it seems," Quetzalcoatl responded, "You see, my two associates found you trying to steal the Spring Maiden's power. So, they gave me your bounty poster with your name on it."
"What!?" Raven responded. She had known she had had bounties before but had always kept her name hidden to reduce people finding her. However, she realized one person who could have given her name to make the bounty, "Yang, you didn't!" She said before seeing Quetzalcoatl stretch her arms.
"Well, that's enough talking," The Great firebird of the Sun said before summoning a paddle-like bat with jagged stone edging in her right hand, as well as a leather shield in her left, "Time to fight," Quetzalcoatl said with a sinister smile, while Raven drew her crimson blade.
AN: There you go, a lot happens in a short amount of time. Weiss gets a new weapon and wants to learn a new fighting style. Nobu gets her avenger gatling gun, while Musashi is bladeless for a little bit. I also got to make Burg as a character to help give a bit some context to Adam's past with his father, which was nice. We also get Gilgamesh talking with Raven, learning the truth about how Raven feels about her choices and why she did what she did. It also has Gil show his character growth from the first story with his relationship with Yang, having him become more of the Caster version you see in Babylon. Speaking of Babylon, best luchador makes her debut to take on Raven. To those who don't know how strong Quetzalcoatl is. The answer is…very. Next chapter will probably be the most intense fight of the series, so it may take a little longer to make. That is all for now, thanks for reading, and hope to see you in the next chapter.
