Summer arrived at her target just as the sun was beginning to set. Summer had used her semblance on one of the giant eagles that were native to Vale and rode it all the way across the sea to Mistral.
She had learned that Raven had returned to her bandit tribe thanks to a huntsman friend in the area. Despite her anger, Summer couldn't help but feel bad. She had hurt her to the point where she would go back to the people Raven said she hated. "No." she said to herself, shaking her head. She had to stop thinking like that. Even though she didn't want it, she knew this was going to end up in a fight, she couldn't feel regret when that moment came, or else it'd end up like last time.
She had to remember why she was angry. She had to get into her huntress mindset.
"Raven left her own child, not mentioned as a huntress, throwing in with bandits was just as bad. Life was hard enough with Grimm, normal people didn't need to deal with bandits on top of that, Right?" she said to her mount that just continued to fly in silence. "Yeah, she's not my friend anymore, she's just another criminal."
Summer was above the Branwen camp, far into Grimm territory. It was a good spot, no law enforcement would ever go up there, even few hunters would risk it, the perfect spot for a bandit camp. She wondered how they even managed to move in and out.
She circled around the camp three times before committing, she removed any doubts from her mind. "Thanks for the ride." she said, leaping off the back of the eagle and fell toward Remnant.
She wrapped her whip around a tree branch as she fell to slow her fall, before she crashed into the middle of the camp.
As the dust cleared all eyes were on her. Bandits rushed from their tents with weapons to see what the commotion was. She looked around for Raven, but didn't see her. "I'm looking for-'' she began before she was cut off by a gunshot. She casually dodged the bullet, before pulling out her pistol and firing a lightning dust infused bullet back, hitting the bandit in the chest, shocking him to the ground, but not killing him. She figured by not killing Ravens tribesmen she may not immediately try to fight her.
"As I was saying, I'm looking for-" another bandit rushed at her with a sword from behind. Summer spun around and shot a lightning round at him as well. Now she was annoyed.
"Fine, if that's how you wanna play this, fine by me!"
Summer was always known as a very nice and friendly person, someone most people would love to be friends with. When she was in combat however, she was the complete opposite.
She mercilessly opened fire with her lightning rounds at every person she could see till the gun ran dry, all while dodging the incoming shots.
She took out her whip and lashed out across the camp. It wrapped around an unlucky bandit's neck, she yanked it, pulling him towards her, then kneeing him hard in the face. Summer felt the bandit's skull crack from the impact and saw blood spray through the air as they fell back. She wasn't sure if he was still alive or not, she didn't come with the intention to kill anyone, but they started it.
She continued to crack the whip around the camp, crushing the bones and weapons alike of those who came too close.
It went on for a few minutes, and still no sign of Raven, she was beginning to think she was wrong about her being here, until she felt the all too familiar feeling of a portal opening behind her.
She quickly moved out of the way to avoid Omens slash, the power of which was enough to blow the dirt away.
"Raven." Summer said plainly as she saw her figure through the dust cloud.
"Summer!" She said, rage was dripping out of her voice like venom.
"First you fuck my fiancé then you attack my tribe! To think I was ever friends with a piece of shit like you." There was a time those words would have destroyed her, but she found herself calm.
"It's only because we were friends that I didn't turn this camp into a graveyard. You should be thankful." Raven gritted her teeth, and gripped her sword hard, she was furious. Summer gripped her own sword, she's never seen Raven this angry, she wasn't sure what she would do.
"Raven, you need to go see Yang." She didn't take kindly to that. She opened a new portal under her feet and fell through it on top of Summer. Summer managed to block it, but it pushed her back, her feet skidding against the ground. "Don't say her name!" Raven yelled. She charged at her skillfully slashing at Summer who deflected her attacks with her own sword. She hit almost as hard as Qrow did, but she managed.
After a few more hits Raven messed up. Omen came too close to Venus' hilt. Summer pressed a small button on her hilt, and the hand guards snapped closed like a venus flytrap, trapping Ravens blade there.
Summer was surprised she let that happen, she was one of the first people she showed that upgrade to. The only way to escape was to either abandon her sword, or pull it away towards herself which would leave her exposed. Raven tried to force her blade free to no avail.
"You want me to keep Yang's name out of my mouth? You're the one who left." Summer said frustrated.
"You're actually gonna try to blame this on me?"
"Hating me and Tai is one thing, but Yang did nothing and you left her anyway!" Summer yelled. "It's fine if you never talk to me or him again, all I'm asking is for you to-" Raven pulled her blade toward herself to get free of her trap, but no one could do it quick enough before Summer could reach her shotgun.
"Fine I'll break your aura and force you to listen to me!" She pulled the trigger of the triple barrel and sent a barrage of lead flying toward Raven's face, but instead of hitting her they flew through a small portal that appeared in front of her and then out another behind Summers head.
Summers head violently banged forward, it felt like an airship crashed into her. Then Raven's sword swung up and crashed into her nose, sending her into a backflip. She managed to land it only to be stabbed in the back from another portal, knocking her on her face. She already knew what was coming next. She quickly pushed herself to the side before Raven's sword impaled her, just like she tried to do the night she caught her and Tai. She never realized how deadly Raven could be when she fought someone she had a connection to.
"I told you not to say her name." Raven said coldly.
"Fine then." Summer spat back.
She dashed from her position as fast as she could. She violently clashed her blade against Ravens. Slash after slash she pushed her back until she got her with a thrust to the gut, pushing her back.
She crashed her whip into the ground and it came up next to Raven's leg wrapping around it, shocking her with the lightning dust infused inside. Summer pulled her to the ground and unleashed slash after slash down on her as Raven tried her best to block.
Summer lit up her silver eyes, blinding Raven for a moment, but that was all she needed. Summer thrusted downwards into her stomach where Raven wasn't expecting it. Her head came up from the blow.
Summer leaped over and stomped both her feet into Raven's face. She slid off, and grabbed her by the hair, pulled her up, and pulled her shotgun point blank, and fired.
Her aura shattered as her head slammed to the ground.
Summer grabbed her by the hair again, and smacked her in the head with her gun. "All I wanted was for you to see your own kid, and you make me do this!" She smacked her again. Summer was furious. She had wasted all those months thinking that Raven would be the better person.
Part of her wanted to hurt her more. She wanted to tell her that she was raising her daughter or that she had a kid with Tai now. But Suddenly her rage lessened when she saw a tear in Raven's cheek, mixing in with the blood that dripped from her forehead. Then just for a moment she recognized her as her best friend again, who was badly hurt by her own hands. "Raven, I'm, I'm… sor-"
"Being friends with you was the worst mistake of my life." Raven said. Summer tried not to let it show, but that hurt her.
"I-I didn't want any of this to happen, but you didn't leave me a choice here. I just wanted you to-"
"I don't care what you want."
"But Yang!"
"It's your fault! If it wasn't for you I would be at home with them right now!"
"I can't change the past Raven, but you can still be there for her!"
"Just shut up, Summer!" Raven shouted. "You know I may be a bad person, but so are you, so don't try to come at me like you have some moral ground to stand on!"
"I have more than you!" Summer said frustrated.
"Oh yeah? Why are you crying too then?" Summer hadn't even noticed she started to tear up.
"Because, I hate seeing you like this, I hate this whole situation! I- I don't-"
"Let me ask you something, Summer." Raven interrupted, "When you're tucking my kid in at night, do you tell her, you're the reason her real mom left her?" Summer froze, she had come to terms with that reality, that it was her fault, but to hear it from Raven, felt so much worse. "And are you ever gonna tell your bastard that she only exists cause you're a backstabbing bitch?"
Summer stopped her train of thought as Raven's words dawned on her. Raven smiled knowing what she said got to her.
"You've been there." Summer whispered. "You've been watching us, you saw the state they were in and you still did nothing." Raven just stared at her, with a slight bit of satisfaction on her face, knowing that got to her.
Summer heard a gun cock behind her. "Get away from her!" A weak voice said. She turned to see an elderly, ill and weak man holding a massive gun the same size as he was. Patches of his hair were gone, and his skin was covered in scabs. "Dad!" Raven called.
Now that she said it, she kinda saw the resemblance in their eyes, but he didn't look anything like the massive strong feared leader she described him as back in Beacon, it looked like he was on death's door.
" , I've heard a lot about you, all of it bad, yet you seem to have more concern for your kid then she does." Summer said, throwing Raven's head to the ground and getting off her. She sheathed her sword and gun and walked away toward the camp's walls. It was kinda funny to her. All the horrible stuff she said about her dad, yet he was still willing to defend her in his crippled state, then there was Raven who could just watch her own suffer.
"This was a mistake Raven, you're horrible, it's clear you don't care about Yang and never did. Ignore everything I said, never come near her again or next time I won't stop when your aura breaks."
Raven's dad limped his way toward his daughter to check on her.
"Summer wait!" Raven said. She was sitting up now with her father at her side. She had a devious smile. But Summer kept walking.
"What do you think is gonna happen to your kid, you know once Salem finds her."
Summer froze in her tracks.
"I've heard lots of silver eyed people have been going missing recently. How long can you protect the bastard before she finds her."
Summer stood silent for a moment. The very thought paralyzed her with fear. "It's weird how they're going missing and not being found dead. Makes you wonder what kind of horrible things Salem does once she gets them."
Summer finally snapped out of it and leaped into the surrounding forest without saying a word.
She ran across the branches for a while, replaying those words in her head. "How long before she finds her." Everytime she thought about those words she got angrier each time, until she eventually stopped running.
She took out her sword and slashed a tree in half out of anger. "Never!" She yelled to no one. "She never will!" Summer knew Raven was just trying to get under her skin by saying that and it worked. That and the fact, she knew the state Yang and Tai were in and let them stay like that.
As the tree fell she continued slashing in a fit of rage until it was nothing but splinters. "Raven, you don't deserve them! That's why I'm with Tai again and raising your kid!" She screamed at the top of her lungs back in the direction she came from. "Salem, will never touch Ruby. Never." She whispered to herself.