Hey everyone! Universal Writer here with another chapter! Only four chapters left! I'm planning on releasing this in October, but by the time you're seeing this chapter, it'll be either November or December. Hope you guys are enjoying this series so far! I do my best to make these books good! Give me some feedback but keep it appropriate. Any hate will be REMOVED! So, please, I'll be looking forward to your thoughts! Enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: All characters, music, and etc belong to their respective owners!
(-Music: Yumir Ravine [ Sen no Kiseki II ]-)
The scene opens with the crackling sound of a campfire as we see Sonic Takamaki, Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen, Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and Nora Valkyrie sitting on five logs positioned in a pentagon. There is silence and Qrow takes a swig from his flask. He has a bandage wrapped around his abdomen over his clothing.
"Really? No questions?" Qrow inquired, being a bit surprised that they haven't bombard him with questions with the exclusion of Sonic and Pyrrha.
"Of course we have questions. This is just... a lot to take in…" Jaune looks at his girlfriend who looks down with a dour expression.
The Drunkard Huntsman sighs. "Sure, of course."
"So these... Maidens... They're powerful fighters that don't need Dust to use magic." Ruby says as she's trying to wrap her head around this.
"Yeah. Kinda like Sonic and his team. Instead without the… what are those gems called?" Qrow asks the Blue Blur who was next to him.
"Chaos Emeralds." He answers while Sonic's jade eyes look at him before going back to the starless sky.
"And there are four of them?" Nora inquired.
"Yup. Always."
"Which means that, whenever one of them dies, the power transfers to someone - a female - that they cared about?" The Green Ninja asked this time.
"Whoever was in their thoughts last. Important distinction. Best option is someone we can trust. Regardless, their souls become combined, in a way."
"And that's what you were trying to do to Pyrrha... the night the tower fell. You were trying to turn her into one of them." The Blonde Knight said with anger laced in his tone.
"Jaune-"
"The previous Fall Maiden, Amber, had been attacked. She was young, inexperienced. And her assailant, who we now know is Cinder, somehow managed to steal some of her power, but not all of it. We were afraid that if we didn't do something, the rest would go to her as well."
This response made Jaune more infuriated. "So you forced it on Pyrrha."
She placed a firm hand on his shoulder which made Jaune look at her vivid green eyes. And then she softly placed her hands on his cheeks. "I CHOSE to accept it Jaune. They didn't FORCE me to become the Fall Maiden. Please honey… don't get mad at him or Sonic… let's walk this off."
Jaune hangs his head for a moment before Pyrrha feels his head nod. The couple went off several feet away from the group with the redhead comforting her blonde lover with a kiss on the cheek and then rubbing his back to sooth his nerves.
"That guy, Tyrian - why was he after me and Sonic?" Ruby asks as this was weighing on her mind as she recalls what he said to her while their weapons were clashing.
Qrow sighs again. This is a rather simple and complex matter but they knew that they were deep into the rabbit hole. "Well, Blue Boy here definitely painted a target on his back with what he did at Beacon. Defeating Cinder. And for you Shortstack, I told you having silver eyes is a rare trait. And the fact that you have them seems to have upset some very powerful people. Not many people know about the silver eyes. Those that do aren't very happy that one has surfaced. That's why I've been keeping an eye on you in order to make sure you are safe. All of you."
"I can handle myself Qrow. You know that." Sonic spoke with one eye open. "I've tangoed with other gods before and I beat them. Myself and my pals can handle Salem. We can defeat her with the Chaos Emeralds. Boom! Salem is down for the count!"
The Alcoholic Huntsman rolls his eyes at Sonic's cockiness and snorts. "Salem isn't just a simple villain you can take down idiot. If you have seen what she's capable of, then you and I wouldn't be having this conversation."
"Yeah yeah whatever Drunkle…" The hedgehog Faunus muttered as he got his Scroll out.
"Well, then, why not just travel with us? It seems like that would've been way easier." His niece suggested.
"He was using you as bait." Jaune bitterly said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Jaune…" Pyrrha said his name in a firm tone.
"Pyrrha please! Think about it! What is all of this? Ruby and Sonic are being hunted, the schools are being attacked, all for what?! What is the point of all of this?! Will you just tell us what's going on?!" He asks in exasperation before he lets out a sigh and then looks down at the ground.
Qrow stares at him, then slouches over with a sigh. "Would you sit down? You're stressin' me out, 'kid."
Jaune comes back and sits on his log with crossed arms and Pyrrha sat next to him feeling a bit hurt. Qrow starts to take another swig, but changes his mind before the flask reaches his lips.
(-Music Ends-)
(-Music: Mystic Land [ Hunter X Hunter ]-)
"Not many people are super religious these days." The Alcoholic Huntsman begins while he caps and sets the flask down. "This world's been around for a long time, long enough that people have created dozens of gods. But if you believe Ozpin, two of them are actually real."
Pan over to a nearby large rock, where Qrow's story is illustrated with a display of light and shadows from the campfire.
"They were two brothers. The older sibling, the God of Light, found joy in creating forces of life. Meanwhile, the younger brother, the God of Darkness, spent his time creating forces of destruction. As you can imagine, they both had pretty different ideas about how things should go. The older one would spend his days creating water, plants, wildlife. And at night, his brother would wake to see all the things that the elder had made and become disgusted. To counteract his brother's creations, the God of Darkness brought drought, fire, famine, all he could do to rid Remnant of life. Life always returns. So one night, the younger brother went and made something - something that shared his innate desire to destroy anything and everything." Qrow's last statement he uttered was something that the whole group recognizes.
"The creatures of Grimm." The Silver-eyed girl says.
"You guessed it. The older brother finally had enough. Knowing that their feud couldn't last like this forever, he proposed that they make one final creation... together, something that they could both be proud of, their masterpiece. The younger brother agreed. This last great creation would be given the power to both create and destroy. It would be given the gift of knowledge, so that it could learn about itself and the world around it. And most importantly, it would be given the power to choose, to have free will to take everything it had learned and decide which path to follow - the path of light or the path of darkness. And that is how Humanity came to be."
"But... what does that have to do with us?" Ren inquired.
"Well, that's the kicker. See, the four gifts to mankind - knowledge, creation, destruction and choice - aren't just metaphorical. Each of them exists in a physical form, left behind by the Gods before they abandoned Remnant, and each of them is extraordinarily powerful. If someone were to collect all four, they'd be able to change the world. That's exactly what the enemy wants. The Huntsman Academies were created to train generations of Humanity's protectors, but they also serve another purpose - guarding the Relics. When Ozpin's predecessor founded the schools, he built them around the Relics to act as a fortress. Not only would they be easier to defend, but they would constantly be surrounded by trained warriors. The hope was that hiding them would keep mankind from using them against itself... and, of course, keeping them out of her reach." Qrow concluded his tale as we cut back to the group sitting around the campfire.
(-Music Ends-)
"Good ol' Oz's idea to use the schools as a fortress. I'd say that went smoothly." Sonic spoke with sarcasm in his voice. "Could've done better."
"Oh really? Where would you hide the Relics then smartass?" Qrow asked him.
"Bury them deep underground or something. I don't know! But I wouldn't risk the lives of kids who don't even read the fine print of being into this life!" The Blue Speedster retorts to the Alcoholic Huntsman as he grabs his Scroll and presses a button. "Maybe we should ask the Brothers when they come for their annual visit or whatever! I ought to give them what for making those Relics in the first place! I'm going to bed. I'll contact Tails tomorrow…"
They all watch as Sonic walks away from the group. It was silent for a few moments before Ruby had another inquiry that she needed answered.
"What about Salem?" She asked her uncle.
"Not much is known about her. Quite frankly, that's not what matters. What matters right now is that she wants the Relics, and if she gets them, it's not going to end well." Qrow answers while he grabs his flask.
Blake Belladonna stands on a second story deck outside her father's office. The broken moon shines over the house. Blake stares at her father's door, beside which hangs an empty birdcage, when Kali Belladonna speaks, startling her.
"You know, you can always go in and say hi." She spoke as she was carrying a tray with a tea set on it.
"I don't wanna bother him." Blake says before letting out a quiet sigh.
"A father's never too busy for his daughter." Her mother told her with a smile on her face.
"Not all of my friends would agree with you on that." The Shadowcat chuckles.
Kali kisses her daughter on the cheek and hands her the tray. Blake accepts it, but is a bit taken aback by being handed it. "Here."
Blake's eyes widened. "What? Where are you going?"
"You've never been very talkative, but that boy you brought home loves to run his mouth. I wanna hear more about the adventures of Team RWBY." Kali chimed as she walked away with her footsteps audible.
"Kali? Is that you, dear?" Ghira Belladonna inquired from inside his office.
Blake gives a nervous start of surprise when she hears his voice. The tray shakes in her hands, and she lets out a quiet whine while Ghira straightens some paperwork on his desk. The porch door slides open and Blake steps inside.
"Uh, hey dad." She awkwardly greets her father.
"Blake! Well, this is a pleasant surprise." Ghira says, being glad that the opportunity to talk to his daughter had come.
"I…"
"Please, come sit." He warmly invites Blake in.
(-Music: Fleeting Homecoming [ Sen no Kiseki III ]-)
Father and daughter both move to the oversized coffee table and lounge furniture, and Blake sets the tea set at the end where her father sits.
"Don't worry, I've got it. Sit down, sit down." Ghira hastily grabs the tray.
"I don't wanna keep you if you're-"
"Nonsense, I've been cooped up in here all day." The Belladonna Patriarch says while pouring tea in a cup. Then he puts a cube of sugar in the cup nearest Blake. "You still take sugar, right?"
"Oh, actually, uh-"
He pulls back nervously. "Oh! Sorry!"
"No, no no no, it's fine." Blake says trying to diffuse the awkwardness that she is feeling.
"Oh, here, take this one."
Blake takes her cup. "No, really. It's no big deal."
"You sure?"
She nods. "Positive."
"Old habits, I suppose."
Blake takes a sip of her tea and winces with a tiny exclamation of pain.
"Might wanna let it cool." Her father suggested.
"R-Right." The Shadowcat said with slight pain in her voice as she set the cup on the table.
"So... is it... warm... in Vale?" Ghira inquired as he studied his daughter's outfit.
"Huh?"
"It just... seems like your outfit doesn't cover very much."
She looks down at herself and crosses her arms. "It covers plenty."
"I mean, a little more armor might help. Don't you think?" Ghira asks.
"I'm fine. I don't need armor. I can look after myself."
The Belladonna Patriarch sighs. "I… I know you can. I'm sorry…"
He sets down his own cup as Blake's expression saddens, and she looks away, bowing her head.
"Why?"
"Hmm?"
"Why would you say that?" Asked a sad Blake as her hands ball into fists.
Ghira moves to be beside his daughter, going down to one knee and putting a hand on her back. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? What did I say?"
"How can you still love me after what I did?"
"Blake…" Ghira gets up and sits beside her on the couch, putting his arm around her. "Your mother and I will always love you."
"You were right. I shouted at you and yelled at you." Said an emotional Blake while she looks at her father. "But you were right. I called you cowards!"
"It's okay." He kindly said as he held his daughter.
"I should have left the White Fang with you and Mom. I should've listened to you, and I'm sorry…" The Shadowcat turns her head away, being unable to look her father in the eyes. "I'm so, so sorry…"
The Belladonna Patriarch gently turns her by the chin to look at him and then wipes a tear from her eye with his thumb. "Blake, it's fine. We never held anything against you, and I never feared you would fail. The only thing I ever feared was that you would fall down the wrong path, and I am so proud to see you haven't."
Blake sniffles. "But I did! I was-"
"And you pulled yourself out. You came back. There aren't many who possess that kind of strength and even fewer that have the courage to face their demons again. Vale, Mountain Glenn, Beacon - you confronted the White Fang time after time." Ghira said with pride in his voice. Then he smiles at his daughter.
"I didn't do it alone."
"No, you didn't. And that Tails fellow, guided you. When I saw you comfort him, I had a feeling that you two were extremely close. I was impressed that he had much of an impact on you." Ghira said again, smiling at the thought of the kitsune Faunus being there for Blake, when he and Kali couldn't.
Blake smiled a bit. "He's pretty special… unique in his own way. I guess… I wanted to learn from him… how to live."
Behind them, the porch door falls inward, Sun Wukong on top of it and yelping. Both father and daughter turn around quickly.
"Sun!" Cried an affronted Blake as she stood up.
The Belladonna Patriarch is also standing while Sun gets himself upright and tries to recover from the situation.
"D'yuh! Whoa! This isn't the bathroom! Uh, I'll just be going! Sorry to interrupt this tender family moment!" Sun awkwardly giggles.
Blake and Ghira both glare at Sun, Blake's right ear twitching. Ghira takes a breath and closes his eyes for a second.
"I really don't like you."
(-Music Ends-)
(-Music: Investigation [ Sen no Kiseki ]-)
The five teens are still sitting and talking to Qrow with Sonic laying on the thick branch on one of the trees.
"Alright. So, let's say we believe all this. There really is this crazy evil being behind these attacks, not just some thugs trying to become powerful. Why doesn't the world know? Why isn't Atlas going after them? Or Mistral?" Jaune inquired.
"And why aren't we in more of a hurry to get to Haven? Shouldn't we be getting them a message? What if they're next?" Nora asked also as she looked at everyone.
"The Headmaster over there saw what happened to Beacon. He's not dumb. He'll be on his guard. Besides, it takes time to mobilize forces like that. Do you really think they planned out that attack on Beacon overnight?" Qrow asks the Blonde Knight with an arched brow. "And to answer your question, it's the same reason we keep quiet about the Maidens. If the whole world knew about the Relics, about Salem, there would be chaos. There'd be another Great War on our hands, and this time, you'd have to fight. And I don't even need to ask the blue smartass to know what that's like."
"I heard that!" Sonic said from the trees.
"Look, I had the same questions, too. But ol' Ozpin would always put his foot down. "We can't cause a panic." Heh, can't tell you how many times I've heard that. Salem's smart. She works from the shadows, using others to get what she wants, so that when it comes time to place the blame, we can only point at each other. She's trying to divide us - Humanity, and so far she's done a pretty damn good job."
Leaning back, Qrow looks up at the broken moon and the visual pans to follow his gaze before returning to him, with an above shot at first, changing to a frontal shot when he looks ahead and sighs.
"Alright, what do we do?" Ruby inquired.
The Alcoholic Huntsman chuckles. "I don't really know."
The teens all look at each other, surprised and nervous. They return their gaze to him when he starts speaking again.
"Ozpin has put a lot of trust in the Headmasters. Like I said, the schools are an important part of stopping Salem. Atlas is going to be on high alert after the last attack, and Vacuo is - well, Vacuo. It'll be hard to hire thieves and scoundrels to fight against other thieves and scoundrels. Take that, add in the fact that Cinder and her crew claim to be from Haven, and I think it's likely the next target. So, we're on our way to the Headmaster. Haven't heard from him in a while, even before the attack. I'm hoping he has the answers." Qrow groans as he struggles to stand up. "Alright, I think it's time you kids got some sleep."
"Uncle Qrow?" His niece called his name out in concern.
"Yeah?"
Ruby stands up too. "This is a lot to take in, and it all sounds crazy, but... I'm willing to do whatever I can to help because I trust you. But why couldn't you trust me? Why couldn't you just travel with us, instead of this secrecy, and, and-"
"Look, this has nothing to do with trust. I- It's a long story, okay?"
"Seriously? Now you're tired of telling us stories?" The Pink Bombshell inquired with a look of annoyance.
The Alcoholic Huntsman stares at the fire in silence before speaking. As he talks he kneels down, picks up a stick and pokes at the fire. "Did you know that crows are a sign of bad luck? Old superstition, but it's how I got my name. See, some people can absorb electricity and some people can burst into rose petals and some people are just born unlucky. My Semblance isn't like most - it's not exactly something I do. It's always there, whether I like it or not. I bring misfortune. I guess you could call me a bad luck charm. Comes in real handy when I'm fighting an enemy, but it makes it a little hard on friends… and family."
"Sucks to be you dude." The blue hedgehog Faunus added in making Qrow face him with narrowed eyes. Sonic shrugs. "Hey, just saying."
"Yeah…" Qrow walks away from the campfire, slowly.
"Where are you going?" The Green Ninja asks, thinking of assisting him.
"Taking a walk."
"There's nothing else you want to tell us?" Ruby inquired.
A red-eyed raven lands on a tree branch with a quiet caw. Qrow looks at it, and it cocks its head, looking at him.
"Not tonight."
He continues his slow walk away, leaving the six teenagers to themselves for a bit. The log he had prodded earlier rolls out of the campfire while Ruby watches Qrow, concerned.
(-Music Ends-)
With a groan of frustration, Blake slaps Sun as they are on the porch outside Ghira's office.
"Ugh! No concept of privacy!" She hissed as Blake slaps him again. "No respect for personal space!"
His hand goes to his face where she made contact the second time. "I'm sorry, okay?! Ow, I'm sorry!"
"Ugh!" Angrily, she turns her back on him and marches a few steps away.
"Look, I promise it was important! I need to find you to talk to you!" Sun said, trying to get her attention to the important message that he has to relay to her.
Blake turns back, exasperated. "What, Sun? What could be so important?!"
"I was talking to your mom and she said something weird about the White Fang!" He explained to her, which made the Shadowcat arch a brow.
"What did she say?"
"Your mom said White Fang members don't wear masks in Menagerie. But I saw one at the market yesterday! I even have a picture!" Sun added while getting his Scroll out.
"Hey sis. What's going on?" The voice of Tails got the two's attention as he came into the scene.
"Sun is trying to tell me what found out about the White Fang here-"
Tails' fox ears perked up as he faced the trees, he noticed a small rock, he grabbed it and threw at the trees as Sun and Blake were confused on what he was doing till the three Faunus heard the rock land with a feminine, gasping sound is heard from the trees where Tails had just tossed the small piece of sediment. The trio's eyes go wide for a second and they slowly turn, eyes narrowing. The visual becomes a wide shot of the three of them on the porch that is slowly pulling back. It cuts to the dark trees, moving in slowly. A dark humanoid shape with a white mask can just be made out, perched atop a palm tree. The visual cuts to Blake as she gasps and cuts back to the figure, a female Faunus with thin, curved, dark gray horns and black, spotty skin. She is wearing a black, sleeveless stealth suit with a gold zipper and slightly lighter-black straps with gold buckles on it. On her face is a large, white Grimm Mask with elegant, curvy red markings. The woman leaps into the air, giving a better view of her. The legs of her stealth outfit are short, and she wears high-top boots. Her black hair is pulled back in a ponytail that curls up at the end. The Faunus soon disappears. On the porch, Blake steps forward with a determined look in her eye while Sun throws out his arms and Tails already on the pursuit.
(-Music: Brian Makes It [ 2 Fast 2 Furious ]-)
"A freaking ninja?!" Sun cried in disbelief.
"A spy!" Blake grits her teeth.
"But why would—"
He cuts off as Blake jumps onto the railing and then off into the trees.
"Hey wait!"
Kali comes out from around the corner and inside the house. "What's happened?"
The Monkey Faunus begins backing up toward where Blake leapt from as he speaks. "The White Fang is evil, I totally called it, and I'm bringing your daughter back!"
He leaps down off the second story deck. Kali's mouth drops open for a moment before she brings up her hand, worried.
(-Music Ends-)
(-Music: The Murderer's Eye [ My Hero Academia ]-)
It is morning time at the campsite, and the birds are a-tweeting. All five teenagers are in their sleeping bags, the campfire burned out in the middle. Qrow sits up against the base of a tree, facing the group. Ren sits up with a sigh.
"We should probably get moving." Ren spoke.
Jaune sat up. "Yeah yeah."
Both turn at the sound of Qrow coughing, which grows louder and sounds worse with each cough. Nora and Ruby sit up, and Ruby quickly goes to her uncle's side. Purple staining is visible on Qrow's bandage, which he is holding his right hand over. He lifts his left hand to his mouth as he continues to cough. A cuckoo bird joins its call to the rest of the morning birds. Qrow pulls his hand away with a groan, and the whole palm, including up over the wrist and his fingers, is covered in the purple stain. Ruby's eyes grow wide, and she gasps. Qrow looks at his hand.
"Well…" He looks at his niece and then at Sonic. "That's unfortunate."
With a groan, he lowers his hand and head before going still. The cuckoo finally stops and the screen cuts to black.
(-Music Ends-)
[ To Be Continued…]