Hey all, welcome back to another chapter of "Reality"! You know, I have to admit that this volume of RWBY definitely stuck with me in terms of its content and overall tension. Adapting it is definitely a challenge, but it's something I wanted to do, especially with how the volume went going forward.
Anyways, I'll voice my opinions about this chapter in particular by the end, but I can safely say that it's one of the most intriguing to me. And hopefully, it'll be even more so after it's been adapted! So I'll let Xiaomei take it away!
REALITY
Truth. The truth is a hard pill to swallow, as I've heard. And as we've seen, the truth has led to the turmoil we witness now. Whether secrets or lies were revealed, things have spiraled out of control to the point of chaos being right at our heroes' doorstep.
And not all truths have been told just yet. Some even stay with our own heroes…
Things were almost dead silent to Qrow in the stockade. No banter had been exchanged since Arthur was taken away. In fact, the only sound was Robyn's cheerful laughter. She was lying on the metal bed of her cell, looking up and examining her left hand's fingernails.
"You should have seen the look on Joanna's face," she recalled with a smile, "I don't think she'd ever lost a fight before that," she noted, "At least… not fair and square…" she added in correction. She was met with silence, lifting her head up to look over at Qrow, who was still staring at Clover's pin from her point of view. She then sat up and looked over at Jacques. He was met with a fly buzzing around his face, causing him to yelp as he frantically swatted at it. Robyn sighed. "Tough crowd tonight…" she remarked as she rolled her eyes, standing up and stretching her arms up, "Guess Ironwood should have paid for better cell block entertainment…" she quipped as she walked over toward the huntsman's cell. Her commentary actually earned a small chuckle out of him. "And he smiles!" she said cheerfully upon noticing, "Did I win?" she assumed.
"Hey, it's your game," Qrow replied, "I don't make the rules," he pointed out. Hearing that, the Happy Huntresses leader frowned, dropping the cheerful façade.
"I'm sorry… for what happened…" she apologized as she looked away for a moment, "It wasn't your fault…" she assured to him.
"It was, though," he retorted, "I made a deal with the darkness…" he noted on, "and he paid the price," he added sadly, "It was all happening so fast, but Clover wouldn't let up…" he recalled, "Could have worked together against Tyrian if Clover just…" he tried to infer, only to stop himself as he lowered his head in shame again, "But the thing that really stings?" he continued, "For the first time in a while I thought…" he kept going, "maybe, maybe I could be around somebody," he suggested, "a-anybody, without my Semblance making it… complicated…" he corrected with a stutter, sounding very frustrated, "And now…" he continued as he rubbed his left thumb against the pin in his hands, which was cleaned of any blood, "it just feels like a childish dream…" he admitted, "Gone… like everybody else…" he mentioned solemnly.
"Believe it or not…" Robyn began as she sadly looked at her left hand, having listened to Qrow the whole time, "I know a little of what that's like…" she confessed, "When people are worried you're gonna sniff out their secrets, they tend to push you away…" she pointed out as she walked over to the wall between her and the huntsman's cells, "It makes a real connection…" she kept going as she placed her right hand against the Hard-Light wall, making it distort slightly in reaction to her touch, "difficult…" she finished, pulling her hand away.
"I—" Before Qrow could give his response, they heard a small beep. The door to the chamber opened as he looked over, seeing Atlas soldiers bringing Arthur back to his cell. "Never thought of it that way…" he admitted, clutching Clover's pin to his chest. He noticed Marrow and Harriet had accompanied the soldiers in returning the former Atlesian scientist. They tossed him down onto the floor face-first, making him growl a little. At that moment, the mohawk-haired Ace Operative approached the huntsman's cell, taking notice of the pin in his possession.
"You don't get to keep that," she stated firmly with her arms folded over her chest.
"I didn't kill him…" Qrow argued.
"Hm," Harriet scoffed, "You keep saying that…" she noted, "but it was your weapon covered in his blood…" she pointed out additionally, making him lower his head and sigh. No one would believe him. He didn't think he deserved to be believed after what happened out on the tundra. But someone did believe him.
"If you really wanna know what happened, mohawk," Robyn chimed in, drawing the Ace Operative's attention to her, "why not open this cell and take my hand?" she offered. Harriet scoffed, starting to walk over to her cell, while Marrow was locking down Arthur's. He took notice of his comrade sauntering over to the Happy Huntresses' leader.
"If I open this cell," she began, "it won't be to shake hands…" she declared almost threateningly. A worried frown appeared upon the canine Faunus' face.
"Yeah, because you don't care about the truth…" Robyn retorted as she was face-to-face with Harriet, with only the Hard-Light barrier between them, "You just want someone to be mad at," she pointed out, letting off a scoff of her own, "Easier than taking an honest look at what side you're on…" she mentioned mockingly, making the Ace Operative narrow her eyes and quietly growl in annoyance. The silence was tense. Qrow watched the two standoff as Harriet glanced over at the security panel for Robyn's cell.
She wanted to take the two people involved in Clover's death down herself. And she had the opportunity. She looked back at the Happy Huntresses' leader before starting to shift on her feet.
"Hare?" Marrow chimed in sternly as he had come over, getting her attention, "What are you doing?" he questioned. His colleague looked back at Robyn, then at him, gnashing her teeth together in frustration as she clenched her fists. She stomped off, pushing past the canine Faunus before storming out.
"Nothing…" she muttered. Her comrade watched her leave, and then looked over to Robyn, who walked over to her bed. She lied down, folding her arms behind her head.
"Well…" she sighed out, "that was… almost exciting…" she remarked before closing her eyes. Someday soon, they would trade blows. It was only a matter of time…
X
"OSCAR!" Wendy screamed out as the quartet of hover bikes driven by Jaune, Yang, Ren, and Kevin rode across the tundra just outside of Mantle, following the hound-like Grimm that had possession of Oscar. They were heading into a rocky chasm, with snow starting to lightly fall around them. Sabo was gaining ground on the Grimm from above, but it was swift to evade the fireballs that he shot toward it.
"Sabo, easy on the firepower!" Kevin warned over the communication line, "We don't wanna risk burning Oscar to a crisp!" he pointed out.
"Well, what do we do?!" the Revolutionary Army Chief questioned back. In the meantime, the hover bikes were riding up an incline in pursuit. Jaune grimaced.
"It's going to lose us in these mountains!" he realized, getting the attentions of his colleagues, "We can't keep up!" he mentioned. All of a sudden, Ren felt his vehicle shake. He looked at the frost-covered dials and displays, seeing that the engine was losing its integrity as it flashed red on his screen.
"I don't know how much longer these bikes can stand the cold!" he called out to his colleagues.
"I'm really wishing another one of us could fly right now…" Yang remarked in response. Hearing that, Wendy perked up. She stood up on the backseat of the bike she was riding upon, causing Kevin to look back at her in bewilderment.
"Wendy, what are you—?" He didn't have time to finish his question as the Sky Dragon Slayer rocketed up from the bike in a burst of wind, causing it to shake as the hybrid Osmosian yelped. He and the others watched in surprise as started flying through the air with wind swirling around her feet, propelling her onward.
"Huh," Yang uttered out, blinking twice, "Wish granted…" she noted with a grin.
"And I thought she'd need Carla for that…" Kevin remarked on. They watched as Wendy caught up with Sabo, flying past him as she was closing in on the Hound. With Oscar no longer having an Aura for the moment, ranged attacks were too much of a risk. White scales protruded from her arms, legs, and shoulders, while her hair shined a bright pink as she zipped down toward the Grimm.
"GIVE HIM BACK!" she roared angrily, having wind swirl around her left arm before mightily swiping at the Hound's left wing, causing it to cry out in pain as it lost its balance momentarily. Those below gave off smiles, thinking that they finally found an advantage against the fleeing Grimm. But those hopes were dashed the moment another arm protruded from its back. It grabbed the Sky Dragon Slayer's face, flinging her aside as she crashed against the side of the chasm.
"Wendy!" Yang screamed. Gaara was quick to throw his left arm out, having sand spill out from his small gourd and form into a makeshift platform to catch his colleague before she could fall. She gnashed her teeth together angrily, seeing the Grimm reform its wing as it continued flying off.
"It's not gonna let us get close to it!" Kevin pointed out with a shake of his head.
"Yang, go on ahead!" Gaara insisted of his girlfriend, causing her to perk up in surprise as she looked back to see him jump off and land upon a sandy platform in midair, "I'll try to slow it down for you!" he affirmed on.
"Got it, thanks!" she responded, driving faster thanks to the weight of her boyfriend being taken away. The Kazekage stuck his hands out, causing bits of gravel and sand around the chasm to swirl about in the form of tendrils that extended out after the Hound. However, it took notice, weaving around the tendrils before they could ensnare it.
"Okay… that's way past weird…" Kevin noted as he grimaced.
"I know it's a Grimm, but…" Yang began while gripping her hover bike's throttles tightly, "it's acting like… a person…" she pointed out. It didn't seem like any of the group's current efforts would get them even close to Oscar at this rate. And then, Jaune blinked upon realizing something.
"Wait, hold on!" he called out. He quickly deployed Crocea Mors' shield upon his left arm, followed by hitting the brakes of his vehicle to move back and drive parallel with Ren, who took notice. "Ren, going to get you up there!" he told him as he held up his shield.
Understanding immediately, his colleague stood up from his hover bike to leap over, landing on the shield and drawing his StormFlower. The markings upon the shield glowed, charging up with Gravity Dust as Ren was crouched upon it. He was then blasted forward into the air, heading toward the Hound. He quickly aimed and fired off the left blade of his weapon, as its cable wrapped itself around the Grimm's hind left leg. It took notice, but continued onward through the chasm, though its speed had decreased.
"Nice!" Yang exclaimed as Jaune drove up to her side, exchanging a high-five with him. However, that made briefly lose balance on his hover bike as he yelped, quickly grabbing the handles to regain control. They watched as the Grimm started to fly around erratically with the screaming Ren attached, slamming him against the cliffs and causing rocks to fall into the chasm to try and block off its pursuers.
"Okay, not as nice…" Kevin remarked over the communication line.
"But he's slowing him down," Sabo chimed in as he and the others were continuing onward, "Hold on, Ren!" he called out.
"I don't have much of a chooooice!" he yelled back while having to run along the facing of the cliff before being carried off with the Hound. He quickly steeled himself, firing off his other blade cable to wrap around a boulder on the ground below. That allowed for his colleagues to catch up, with those on the hover bikes getting closer, as were those who were airborne.
Wendy attempted to instead reach for Oscar as opposed to attack again, but the Grimm took notice, swiping her away with its claws as she tumbled back. Fortunately, she regained her balance. But at that same moment, the Hound suddenly pulled up, causing the StormFlower cable wrapped around the boulder to come loose. The blade itself zipped by, narrowly missing Yang and Jaune as they yelped in surprise.
"Shit!" Kevin cursed.
"Don't worry, it can't keep this up forever!" Sabo assured aloud, "Especially with so many of us to deal with!" he affirmed on, rocketing forward. Meanwhile, Gaara's eyes were narrowed onto the Grimm. The way it was acting was unlike any other creature he had seen before. It wasn't focused on killing monstrously. It was thinking intelligently, all while having a hostage in its possession.
But he had to wonder, why was it taking Oscar of all people? It was continuing to slam Ren against the ground and rock pillars while still flying through the chasm. Everyone had to dodge the debris from the damage sent their way. Yang then spotted a nearby incline to her left. She quickly drove up it to ride parallel with the Grimm as down below, Jaune and Kevin had overtaken it. She drew her Ember Celica gauntlets and fired off a few shots, striking the Grimm's head a couple of times, causing it to reflexively recoil.
However, it suddenly lowered Oscar from its mouth into its hands, flying off faster to the blonde-haired huntress' surprise, thinking that it had been slowed down. It flew under a few archways before letting out a powerful roar. As the group drove by after it, the earth started trembling. All of a sudden, a massive horde of Centinels emerged from the ground, cliffs and archways of the chasm. Wendy gasped. Gaara and Sabo widened their eyes.
"D-Did it just—?"
"Call for backup?" Kevin finished for Jaune just as Yang drove down from the incline she was on, "Yeah… it did…" he grumbled out, driving onward. He had to lean away from a Teryx that swooped down at him, quickly absorbing the metal of his hover bike to coat himself with it. He then pulled out one of the rifles he had obtained earlier, taking aim and firing onto the airborne Grimm.
As Yang drove herself over an arch, Jaune slashed several Centinels on the ground. A flock of Teryxes were flying in behind him, though they were promptly getting taken down by the fireballs and sand bullets shot their way from Sabo and Gaara respectively. Kevin was also helping as he formed his left arm into a blade, slicing the centipede Grimm coming up from the snowy ground while also firing shots from his rifle at the Teryxes that attempted to swoop at him.
Ren was still holding the cable from StormFlower that was wrapped around the Hound's leg, having detached it from the gun. He watched what was happening behind him, seeing how everyone was faring. Wendy was catching up, but was suddenly attacked by a pair of Teryxes, which she hurriedly kicked down onto the cliffs below to kill them.
Grimacing, Ren looked back toward the Hound, seeing Oscar pale and still unconscious in its arms. He holstered his gun and started pulling himself along the cable to get closer to the Grimm. Continuing along the chasm, Kevin managed to narrowly avoid getting swiped by another Teryx, though it knocked his rifle out of his hand. As he was about to reach for his other one, a Centinel suddenly popped up from the ground behind him. It spat out a glob of green acid, striking his left arm.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed in agony, catching the attentions of the others. They watched as his bike swerved and crashed against a boulder, sending him flying off. He hit the ground hard, clutching the new burn on his left arm.
"Kevin!" Gaara cried out.
"Go! I'll get him!" Sabo shouted, veering back around toward the hybrid Osmosian. As he pushed himself up onto his knees, more Centinels were popping up from the ground around him, ready to attack. "Heat Haze!" the Flame-Flame user roared, unleashing a blanket of fire to incinerate the Grimm before they could harm his already injured colleague.
"Thanks…" he sighed out with gratitude as he sat up. Meanwhile, another Centinel spat acid out onto the engine of Jaune's hover bike. He yelped upon feeling his vehicle shake, looking back to see the damage done before glancing at the dashboard, seeing that the thruster was failing.
"Jaune!" Yang called out, getting his attention as he saw her driving over the arch ahead of him. A pair of Centinels that burst out from the ground twisted around each other, heading straight for him from behind as he took notice. He quickly sheathed his sword into his shield and stood up on his hover bike, leaping off of it just as they Grimm reached.
He then used the Gravity Dust in the shield to bounce off of a Centinel's head, yelling as he flipped over and landed upon the stone arch. He tucked, rolled onto his feet, and then teetered on the opposite edge of the arch. But before he could fall, Yang drove by and grabbed him by his hand with her prosthetic, swinging him onto the backseat of her vehicle.
Gaara and Wendy were easily taking care of the airborne Grimm, but there were still so many popping up. They watched as their blonde-haired comrades rode onto a cliff, seeing another horde of Centinels burrowing up from the ground ahead of them. Yang clenched her teeth together, pressing her foot down against the pedal and thrusting the throttle to accelerate. She expertly dodged the burrowing Grimm, but saw a Teryx land right up ahead.
Jaune acted quickly, pulling out the disc grenade he had used earlier. He activated it before flinging it forward. It bounced along the ground, bumping into a boulder before the Hard-Light shield deployed from it. Driving into the shield, Yang ended up making a makeshift ramp as it leaned onto the boulder behind it. They flew over the Teryx's head, but were about to be attacked by a few Centinels that sprouted up.
At that moment, Wendy dashed in and swiped at the centipede Grimm, allowing for her colleagues to continue on as the hover bike landed down. The Teryx tried to fly after them, but was thwarted as sand built up around its body and crushed it, courtesy of Gaara. Another Centinel popped up and bumped the hover bike, causing it to spin for a moment before slamming into a rock. Its engine started smoking after the impact as Yang regained control, with a tank on the side of the vehicle leaking a glowing purple material.
"Yang…?!" Jaune exclaimed in warning upon noticing.
"I know, I know!" she yelled back, realizing that the hover bike wasn't in the best condition at the moment. She weaved it around more of the Centinels, narrowly avoiding one that swiped at her and her blonde-haired colleague. As they seemed to get past the last of the Grimm in pursuit of them, Yang and Jaune breathed out relieved sighs... at least until the latter spotted what was ahead and gasped. The blonde-haired huntress also looked to see that they were speeding towards a cliff at the end of the ravine. Her lilac eyes widened with horror. She immediately hit the brakes and swerved the hover bike to its side, only for it to tumble over onto the snow as she and Jaune fell off.
They continued rolling toward the cliff, with their vehicle crashing into a nearby boulder to come to an immediate stop. But they didn't. Instead they tumbled over the cliff, screaming as Jaune had plunged his sword into the snow to try and keep himself and Yang from falling, only to lose his grip as they plummeted helplessly.
"YANG!" Gaara exclaimed in horror, while Wendy widened her eyes in fright. It looked as if their friends were going to fall to their doom... until a certain flaming figure caught them from below and flew up with them in his arms.
"Huh!" the Sky Dragon Slayer gasped, seeing that it was Enji who had rescued the two huntsmen, landing down a few feet from the cliff's edge before setting them down.
"All of you, get back!" he insisted immediately as he ran forward. Fire erupted from his hands as he came to a stop, throwing them forward. "Flashfire Fist..." he started to bellow, "HELL SPIDER!" he roared, unleashing thin beams of fire from his fingertips that sliced through all of the incoming Centinels and Teryxes, causing them to all fade away into black mist.
"Whoa…" Jaune uttered in shock as Gaara and Wendy landed down behind him and Yang. From afar, Ren had witnessed the scene while still attached to the Hound. He breathed out a sigh of relief… only to gasp as he spotted another red-winged Teryx closing in ahead. Before he could even activate his Semblance, it swiped at the cable holding onto the leg of its brethren, causing it to unravel.
"AAAAAHHHH!" he screamed helplessly as he started to plummet.
"REN!" Jaune cried out.
"We're not going to get to him in time…!" Gaara realized as he grimaced. However, Yang took notice of another figure in the sky. And a rather familiar one. It looked like…
"Mom...?" she uttered out, catching her boyfriend's attention as he blinked in surprise. It was indeed the former tribe leader in her corvid form, soaring down towards Ren and the Teryx about to attack him. She transformed back into her human self, drawing Omen with the click of her trigger as its blade was blood red.
"HRAAAHHH!" she roared as she mightily slashed through the Grimm, making it fade into black smoke. She then took hold of Ren in her left arm, extending her right hand out towards the cliff they were nearing. Red flames of energy trailed from her eyes as a blue light wafted off of her hand. All of a sudden, a huge mountain of ice formed at the cliff's edge, acting as a ramp that she landed upon and slid down before coming to a stop upon the snow.
She dropped the dark-haired huntsman onto his knees as he gasped for air. He then glanced back at his rescuer and gasped, quickly drawing StormFlower and aiming it at her. She blinked in surprise, seeing that she still had Omen in her hand. She quickly sheathed it as the flames around her eyes dissipated. She then looked over to her biological daughter, who seemed both stunned and angered to see her there.
"Ren!" Jaune cried out as he ran over and knelt down by his teammate's side, "Are you okay?!" he asked immediately in concern, putting his hands onto his left shoulder.
"What about Oscar?" he questioned back to his surprise. He and the others looked back beyond the cliff to see that the flying, hound-like Grimm was heading towards the storm of ominous red clouds, with the Monstra lurking inside of it.
"We have to go save him!" Wendy insisted as she stepped forward.
"I wouldn't, kid," Raven advised, causing her to stop, "Even if all of you go up there, you're only gonna get yourselves fried by the lightning before the Grimm finish you off," she pointed out. Her words made the Sky Dragon Slayer growl angrily as she tightly balled her fists.
"And why do you suddenly care what we try to do?" Yang questioned as she stepped forward, putting her hands onto her hips, "Weren't you the one who wanted nothing to do with this?" she inquired on, arching an eyebrow. Her biological mother lowered her gaze.
"…Things change, Yang," she replied, "I'm sure you can understand that," she mentioned, eliciting a growl from her daughter. However, Gaara stepped out in front of her before she could think to offer a retort.
"Then I assume the reason you're here is of your own volition, right?" he assumed.
"Yeah, it was my choice to be here…" she admitted in response, glancing over at Enji, "And besides, if Salem gets her hands on the Relic here, then we're all screwed," she pointed out additionally, "I'd rather go down fighting than just stand by," she stated firmly. The huntsmen and Omni Force members didn't seem to be completely convinced by her words, sharing nervous glances with each other. At that moment, Sabo approached with Kevin, whose right arm was around his shoulders.
"Hey, Wendy!" he called out, getting the Sky Dragon Slayer's attention, "Kevin got hit by some acid back there…" he noted, gently helping the hybrid Osmosian sit down on the snow as he winced from the burn on his left arm.
"I-I'm on it!" Wendy stuttered, losing her pink hair and scales as she hurried over to him and Kevin, crouching down beside the latter before expelling a green, healing aura onto his wound from her hands. In the meantime, the others continued to stare down Raven. The last time they all met wasn't on good terms. But Gaara could tell there was something different about this encounter.
"Who's your new friend?" Yang asked, tilting her head toward Enji.
"Enji Todoroki," he introduced in response as he stepped forward, "Rest assured, we're only here to help in this situation," he affirmed.
"Likely story…" the blonde-haired huntress muttered out, narrowing her eyes.
"Yang, please…" Raven pleaded, getting her attention, "I'm not…" she began awkwardly, lowering her gaze again, "I'm not the same person from before…" she told her, "I'm trying to make things right… and make up for all the terrible shit I did…" she noted on. All her biological daughter did in response was growl again. In the meantime, Jaune helped Ren stand back up before he walked off to the side for a moment in contemplation, holstering his weapons. He then looked back at the mountain of ice that was formed by the former tribe leader.
"How did you do… this?" he asked curiously, changing the subject of the conversation as he got everyone's attention. Raven blinked twice before widening her eyes slightly in realization. She looked back at Yang.
"You didn't tell them?" she inquired, causing her to blink in surprise.
"I…!"
"Didn't tell us what?" Gaara questioned on, interjecting his girlfriend. Raven exhaled a frustrated sigh.
"I'm… the Spring Maiden," she replied, putting her right hand onto her hip, "I've always been the Spring Maiden," she mentioned as everyone's eyes, except for Enji and Yang's, widened upon hearing the news.
"...Wh-What?" Wendy stuttered out as she glanced back at the group.
"You were the Spring Maiden? The whole time?!" Jaune inquired, evidently surprised by the revelation of the news, "Well… what about Vernal?" he questioned on as he shook his head, trying to comprehend everything.
"She was… my decoy," Raven replied, "Not by my choice…" she added with a shake of her head, "Yang…" she uttered, looking back at her biological daughter, "I thought I showed you why keeping secrets wasn't worth it…" she pointed out, "In the end… I guess you turned out just like me…" she noted in realization, sounding sad. To the blonde-haired huntress however, it sounded like mockery. She drew her Ember Celica gauntlet and snarled.
"Yang," her boyfriend said, putting his left hand onto her shoulder to get her attention as she stopped, "We can talk about this later," he assured to her, "Right now, we need to figure out a way back to Mantle," he told the group.
"Yeah," Kevin agreed, grunting as he stood up, with Wendy having finished healing him, "Let's get in touch with Fiona or anyone else we can…" he insisted.
"I think there was an outpost I spotted on the way here," Sabo pointed out, "We can rest up there and fix up the bikes if they're still intact," he mentioned to the others.
"Pretty sure mine's scrapped…" the hybrid Osmosian muttered out.
"We at least need two for the time being," Gaara affirmed.
"We should go soon," Enji advised, narrowing his eyes onto the packs of Teryxes gliding overhead, "I'd rather we avoid fighting, especially in this cold," he added in explanation.
"But... what about Oscar?" Wendy asked worriedly as her hair went back to normal, while her scales disappeared.
"He's on his own for now, kid," Raven remarked in response, "There's no way we can get to him through that..." she noted, looking back at the red storm of Grimm in the distance. Frustrated as the Sky Dragon Slayer was, she knew that the Spring Maiden was right. At the same time, she balled her fists as she glared at Yang. For her to have kept such information about her mother a secret...
X
"Augh…" Peter groaned as he leaned his head against the side door of the Manta, clenching his teeth with pain as he held his mask in his right hand.
"Just hang in there a little longer, Pete," Danny advised from the cockpit, standing with Ruby beside the seated May and Obi-Wan, "We're almost there…" he assured.
"Yeah, sorry…" the web-slinger apologized through a wince, "I really shouldn't be complaining when Miss Thor went ahead and knocked herself out to free you guys…" he pointed out, glancing over to the unconscious Nora lying on the bench with Tifa and Blake tending to her.
"She got these scars after absorbing and releasing all that electricity?" the former asked of the cat Faunus.
"Yeah…" she answered with a nod, "I don't know if it's because she couldn't handle it all coursing through her or if her Semblance had some kind of limit…" she noted as she shook her head, "I've never seen her like this…" she mentioned worriedly.
"Hmm…" Tifa hummed, putting her right hand onto her chin, "Obi, can you check her out?" she asked of the Jedi piloting the ship.
"Once we arrive," he responded, not taking his eyes off of where he was taking the Manta, "Miss Schnee, are you certain that you would like for us to take refuge there of all places?" he asked of the ex-heiress, who was standing alongside Kim and Genji at the back of the ship.
"It's fine," she assured, "I don't think really anyone's going to be there…" she affirmed on, folding her arms over her chest.
"And if there is?" Danny questioned, arching an eyebrow.
"Like I said, there won't be a problem," Weiss stated firmly in reply.
"You heard her…" May said with a shrug. Meanwhile, Ruby stayed silent. She felt… guilty about a lot of things. Remembering how Penny wanted to go and help evacuate Mantle, but was instead persuaded to go to Amity, she clutched the backrest of the pilot's seat. For a moment, she was unaware of her colleagues' voices as she was lost in her thoughts.
"Miss Rose?" Obi-Wan said, causing her to perk up as she blinked.
"Oh, uh, sorry…" she stuttered in apology, "Wh-What were you saying?" she asked.
"Tifa and I should tell you about the reason we're here and why we've come at this particular time," he explained in reply.
"Yeah," the bar hostess confirmed as she walked over to the cockpit, "For starters, I guess we should tell you that we're from different universes," she told the group.
"What?!" Ruby exclaimed, widening her eyes in shock.
"Wait… I thought you couldn't bring in any of your friends from… other worlds or whatever…" May noted in remembrance.
"Uh… yeah, we couldn't…" Danny confirmed.
"We arrived in this universe before that event took place…" Obi-Wan told them, "As for our objectives…" he continued, "we're after something that Salem has possession of," he pointed out. Ruby blinked in surprise.
"Is it… the gem thing she uses to… control reality?" she guessed.
"The Reality Stone, yeah," Tifa answered as she leaned over, "Our job is to snatch it from her and bring it back to Mister Paradox," she explained.
"Professor Paradox," Obi-Wan corrected, much his colleague's chagrin as she puffed out her cheeks and narrowed her eyes onto him.
"Wait, Paradox?" Blake repeated as she stood up, "As in… the guy from Ben's world?" she guessed.
"The time-traveler, yes," Genji confirmed in reply, getting her attention, "So he enlisted your assistance prior to this incident…" he inferred towards Obi-Wan and Tifa.
"And knew about what was going on with this universe," the latter mentioned on.
"What do you mean?" Danny asked curiously.
"The way he described it, it's as if this universe has been… severed from ever-growing tree that is the multiverse," the Jedi explained in response.
"Or at least it's that way for the moment," Tifa corrected reassuringly, "We think that if we can get the stone from Salem, we can figure out a way to… uh, reconnect the branch or… something…" she assumed, coughing awkwardly into her left fist afterwards. Obi-Wan shot a smirk her way before regaining a serious expression.
"That, however," he kept going, "is now our second priority," he noted.
"What's your first?" Ruby asked.
"To help you in regards your current situation," the Jedi answered, "We can start with you explaining what's happened before we arrived," he told the silver-eyed huntress. Moments later, the Manta's landing gear was deployed as it touched down in the driveway of the Schnee Manor. The side door opened, and the ramp deployed, allowing for Tifa to walk down while carrying the unconscious Nora in her arms.
"I'm still not sure about us staying here of all places…" Kim admitted as she hopped down alongside Genji and May.
"Yeah," the Happy Huntress agreed, "What if Ironwood's after us for what happened at the compound?" she inquired of the others.
"Here's probably the last place Ironwood would expect to find us," Weiss retorted, "And besides," she continued, "if he was after us, we would've noticed by now," she affirmed. Danny and Blake came down the ramp with Peter's arms around their shoulders as they carried him along. Ruby and Obi-Wan were the last two to disembark.
"So that's… most of the situation for now…" the former concluded to the Jedi, having just told him about what they were currently dealing with.
"I see…" he uttered in realization, "So by working separately, you're accomplishing multiple tasks," he noted.
"Well… I don't know if Yang and the others got everything down in Mantle done yet…" Ruby admitted as she glanced off to the side worriedly. Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes onto her.
"I sense a great deal of fear in you…" he pointed out, causing her to blink in surprise as she stopped for a moment.
"I-I'm not scared…" she stuttered in claim. The Jedi gave off a silent chuckle.
"Acknowledging that fear is alright, Miss Rose," he assured to her, "Bottling it away won't do you any good if you're to continue fighting," he pointed out, "I've known such fears that can completely change someone…" he mentioned in remembrance as he turned away for a moment before walking onward. The silver-eyed huntress blinked in surprise before looking down in thought, staring at her hands. She exhaled a sigh, following the others.
Weiss was the first to make her way to the manor's front doors. She tried to push them open, but they wouldn't budge. A groan left her lips.
"Of course they're locked…" she muttered.
"Don't you have a secret house key under a rock or something?" Peter tiredly asked, making her groan again before she started knocking heavily on the doors with her gloved right fist, "Okay, guess that's a no…" the web-slinger assumed.
"No one's probably home," Danny inferred, "Let me just phase in and—" All of a sudden, the double doors were opened by none other than Whitley Schnee, who widened his eyes in surprise to see not only his sister, but also her colleagues. Needless to say, he wasn't happy.
"Oh, you've picked a fine time to—!" Before he could finish his remark, Weiss pointed her Myrtenaster at him, causing him to flinch as he looked at the tip of the blade in fright.
"Not. Another. Word," his sister stated firmly, "We're coming in," she declared. Reluctantly, Whitley stepped aside with a groan, allowing everyone to enter the manor.
"Things are already bad enough after what you did to Father…" he grumbled out, "now you want us to harbor fugitives, too?" he inquired emphatically as Nora was gently set down onto the floor, "Our family has a reputation…" he pointed out, folding his arms over his chest in annoyance.
"That's what you're worried about?" Blake asked back, "Your reputation?" she questioned on.
"Good to know where your priorities are…" Peter quipped, earning himself an elbowing from the cat Faunus, "Ah, hey…" he groaned out, "Already injured here…" he muttered.
"I'm just saying that we've already lost all the house staff…" Whitley pointed out, "And Mother locked herself in her room!" he added angrily as he gestured upstairs. Danny blinked in surprise, remembering when he had met Willow Schnee just the other night. He could only imagine what turmoil she was going through in this situation.
"Maybe you haven't figured out what's going on, Whitley…" Weiss noted to her brother as she walked up to him, while he turned his head away, "but we're busy trying to save Atlas," she stated.
"Look, our friend is hurt," Ruby pointed out, stepping in between the two before a shouting match could start, "We just need a place to lay low while she rests, and then we'll be out of your way…" she promised to the SDC heir. He looked over to Nora momentarily.
"Fine…" he sighed out with a roll of his eyes, "What do you expect me to do, then?" he questioned of the group.
"Go to your room," Weiss commanded in response as she pointed to the staircase behind her. Blinking in surprise, her brother sighed before walking off without another word. Danny gave off a silent chuckle at that moment.
"She's got that mom energy, huh?" Tifa remarked with a laugh of her own. In the meantime, Obi-Wan was stroking his beard as he looked over the unconscious Nora. He reached down to her right arm, only to suddenly receive a slight zap from pink electricity that sparked off of her.
"Curious…" he uttered out.
"What is it?" May asked.
"It seems that there's some kind of residual electricity coursing through her body," the Jedi answered, "You said that her Semblance enabled her to absorb electricity, correct?" he asked of Blake, who nodded, "Hmm…" he hummed, keeping his right hand upon his chin, "From what I can tell, she isn't in a life-threatening state…" he assured, "but I can't get a grasp on these scars and how they can be healed…" he admitted, "I'm terribly sorry…" he apologized.
"Don't be," Weiss insisted as she approached, getting his attention along with the others as she approached, "We're glad to have your help, and I'm sure your input helps more," she affirmed on. She looked back at her brother, who had left the foyer. She exhaled a sigh. "This way," she beckoned as she walked off. Tifa picked up Nora in her arms, heading off after the ex-heiress. May, Danny, Genji and Kim soon followed, leaving Ruby, Blake, Peter, and Obi-Wan behind. The cat Faunus stood up, noticing her team leader standing outside through the front doors.
"Ruby?" she said, approaching the silver-eyed girl.
"I hope everyone's doing alright…" she sighed out, staring off into the distance.
"We should probably call and see how evacuations are going in Mantle…" Peter noted through another wince.
"I agree," Obi-Wan responded with a nod.
"That's the thing…" Ruby began, turning to her colleagues to show her Scroll, which was actively calling her sister's, "I did…" she pointed out. Everyone widened their eyes slightly.
"Oh no…" Blake uttered worriedly.
"Okay, let's not get all panicky…" Peter advised, "Maybe they just don't have service wherever they are…" he suggested.
"Yeah, maybe…" Ruby despondently replied, glancing away for a moment in thought before sighing again, "Let's go see if we can scrounge up some other med stuff for you and Nora," she insisted, walking off past her comrades. Peter and Blake exchanged a worried glance with each other. Something about how the silver-eyed huntress was acting… didn't sit right with them. They followed her regardless, heading up the staircase.
Obi-Wan stayed behind, pulling out his Scroll. Upon its screen, he could see that the signals for both Enji and Raven were out of range. He exhaled his own sigh.
"I hope wherever you are, you're with them…" he said, putting his device away before heading off after the others.
X
Back in the mountainous tundra, Yang and Kevin were gathering up nuts and bolts scattered on the snowy ground. In the wake of their failure to save Oscar, they needed to get themselves back to Mantle to regroup and think about their options. Enji and Raven stood by, watching as Gaara and Sabo had just returned with one of the hover bikes they were pushing.
"She's a little dented, but I think she's good otherwise…" the Flame-Flame user noted as he approached.
"And the outpost isn't too far off," Gaara mentioned.
"Good to know," Yang responded while having a small handful of metal parts in her left hand, "Thanks, guys…" she said with gratitude, though she sounded frustrated. Her boyfriend knew why, and it was somewhat justified. He glanced over to Raven and Enji, who appeared to keeping lookout for any more Grimm. Meanwhile, Ren was standing off to the side and doing nothing, while Jaune and Wendy were both waving their respective Scrolls in the air in search of a signal.
"I repeat, if anybody can hear me…" the Team JNPR leader began as he pressed his fingers against the communicator in his left ear. He looked back at the crashed hover bike that Yang had been driving, letting out a sigh. "We need transport back to Mantle…" he confirmed, seeing that the leaked purple material left a trail in the snow, leading to the damaged tank. Wendy gnashed her teeth together suddenly, throwing her own device away with a yell of anger, causing Jaune to flinch in surprise. Everyone overheard, looking over to see the Sky Dragon Slayer breathing heavily with anger. She exhaled a sigh, going over to pick up her device.
"Hmmm…" Enji hummed out, folding his arms over his chest.
"What are you thinking?" Raven asked, glancing over at him.
"The Grimm taking Ozpin can only mean that Salem must want him for something…" he noted, narrowing his eyes, "Either way, he'll be alive," he affirmed. He then stepped forward. "Let's move," he advised of the group, getting their attentions, "We'll take shelter at that outpost you mentioned," he decided.
"Right, got it," Sabo replied. Some time passed before they all started trekking through the snowy tundra. The Flame-Flame user was leading alongside Ren, while Enji was at the back. Raven was helping Kevin push one of the two damaged hover bikes, while Jaune had the other one. She could see Yang glancing back at her a couple of times, no doubt wary of her biological mother's intentions.
The sun was setting in the distance as they kept going, with snow starting to fall around them. Wendy shivered a little, rubbing her arms. Taking notice, the blonde-haired huntress went over to try and wrap her arm around her, but she suddenly stepped aside to her surprise. Gaara saw as he blinked out of confusion. He was worried about how the Sky Dragon Slayer was doing after their whole ordeal.
In the meantime, Yang checked her Scroll, keeping an eye on her Aura level as well as Jaune's and Ren's. They were dropping significantly, going from yellow to red. She grimaced a little.
"We need to get out of this weather before the cold drops our Auras completely," she advised before pocketing her device as she turned it off.
"And not all of us have Auras to spare…" Kevin noted as he winced a little from the cold, "Hey, how much farther to that outpost?" he inquired of those at the front of the group.
"Uh, not sure…" Sabo answered as he looked back at his colleagues, "Couldn't get that good of a read on it while in the air…" he admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
"It shouldn't be that much further," Ren affirmed, walking on ahead to his surprise. He noticed the angered expression upon his face. Yang noticed as well, arching an eyebrow before she looked back to Jaune, who shrugged. She then jogged over, catching up with her dark-haired comrade.
"Are you good?" she asked out of concern, "I know you're pissed about us not saving Oscar, but…" she started to say.
"It's fine," he interjected, making her blink in surprise, "That Grimm was just… too cunning," he pointed out.
"Yeah… it's pretty crazy…" she admitted, uncomfortably bringing her hand to the back of her head. She noticed how Ren's fists were balled tightly, as if he was bearing some kind of pent-up anger. "Look, is there something else you need to say?" she asked of him out of worry.
"Not really," he responded with a shake of his head, still appearing frustrated, "Wouldn't want to waste any more time…" he muttered on as he walked ahead, while the blonde-haired huntress stopped with a small gasp.
"Whoa, Ren…" Sabo uttered, quite surprised with how hurtful he sounded. Yang gave off a look of annoyance herself, catching up with her dark-haired comrade again.
"Hey!" she shouted with her fists clenched, "What is your deal?" she questioned, stepping out in front of him to make him stop.
"Don't worry about it," he insisted in reply.
"Well… I'm sorry things aren't going smoothly enough for you…" the blonde-haired huntress muttered as she folded her arms over her chest. The others took notice of them confronting.
"Guys—"
"They're not going smoothly at all…" Ren retorted, interrupting Jaune before he could call out to them.
"I hate to break it to you, but that's part of being a Huntsman," Yang pointed out in response.
"Are you kidding?!" Ren exclaimed, "We don't know the first thing about being Huntsmen!" he noted emphatically, "We clearly weren't ready…" he added on.
"Guys, stop it," Kevin insisted firmly as he and the others took a couple more steps toward them.
"Were we not ready when we saved Haven? When we took down a Leviathan?!" Yang questioned on to Ren, ignoring the others, "We got the Lamp to Atlas!" she pointed out.
"And then we lost it!" her dark-haired comrade angrily retorted, "And after that, when we had to make real decisions," he continued, "we got every single one wrong…" he harshly noted.
"I'm not going to pretend like we did everything perfectly…" the blonde-haired huntress admitted, "but if we'd done nothing, things would be even worse than they are now," she proclaimed.
"How could they possibly be worse?" Ren inquired back, "We are stuck out here while Salem has the Lamp and Oscar!" he pointed out emphatically, "We've got no plan, no army," he added firmly.
"We've got the Maiden!" Yang yelled back.
"And by keeping her from opening the Vault for Ironwood," Ren began as he walked away from her in the direction of the floating city, "we're just trapping the whole city for Salem!" he shouted, gesturing toward it, before lowering his arms, "People are going to die," he said grimly, "Because of us," he mentioned.
"So what, we should just give Ironwood what he wants?" Sabo questioned, chiming into the conversation as he stood beside Yang, "Abandon Mantle?" he inquired on, "You think Atlas is still gonna be able to float to safety now that she's here?" he finished asking.
"I don't know!" Ren shouted as he turned to his blonde-haired comrades, throwing his fists down, "But these aren't the kinds of decisions we should be making because we have no idea what we're doing!" he pointed out angrily as he walked back towards his colleagues.
"Okay everyone, that's enough," Gaara insisted firmly as he stepped forward, "There's no need for any of this," he affirmed on. Unfortunately, Ren wasn't willing to listen.
"I'm just saying what nobody else wants to," he pointed out, "We're in way over our heads," he noted as he approached Yang and Sabo, "Ruby is barely more than a kid, I'm just an orphan from the middle of nowhere—"
"Ren, I—!"
"You cheated your way into Beacon!" the dark-haired huntsman shouted, interrupting Jaune as he sharply turned to him with a fierce glare. Almost everyone's eyes widened. The group stood in silence for a few moments, with some glancing back and forth between the two Team JNPR members. At that moment, Enji stepped forward.
"Enough," he said firmly, "Squabbling like this isn't going to fix our problems," he pointed out, "Maybe you don't feel ready to take on such responsibilities or think that it's too much for you to handle…" he noted to Ren, whose shoulders relaxed as a regretful look crossed his face, "But when lives are at stake, that shouldn't matter," he told him, "If you can do something, then you should," he firmly stated. He then walked onward. "I believe the outpost is less than a mile from here," he called out to his colleagues. A moment passed before the likes of Sabo, Kevin, and Raven proceeded after him.
Gaara stayed behind with Wendy, watching as the huntsmen of the group stood in silence for a few moments, still coming to terms with what had just happened. Ren looked away from Jaune with a sad, regretful frown. The Team JNPR leader stared back wide-eyed, but then lowered his gaze with a frown.
"You don't think we should be Huntsmen… fine…" he finally said, "But I'm getting out of the cold," he declaring, resuming pushing the hover bike in his grasp, walking past his colleagues, "We've still got a job to do…" he mumbled out quietly. Yang then turned to Ren with a glare.
"Seriously, is your goal just to push everyone away?" she assumed of him.
"Yang, please…" her boyfriend advised, putting a hand onto her shoulder. With a sigh, she rescinded and followed him after the others, leaving Ren behind as he clenched his fists with frustration. Wendy stared at him worriedly. He had just been saying everything that he felt he needed to, even if it was unwarranted. And if she was being honest with herself as she looked back at the group trudging onward, specifically at Raven, she wanted to speak her mind, too…
X
'Oscar?' Ozpin's voice echoed from within Oscar's head, 'Don't panic,' he advised just as he started to regain consciousness, 'We're going to be okay,' he assured. Opening his eyes, the former farmhand looked down at his feet, which were hovering above the ground.
"Uh, what…?" he uttered, very confused. He then looked up ahead to see the fleshy walls, the bone spikes, a bone staircase, a membrane door. The fear induced from that was nothing in comparison with the sight of Salem, who stood in the shadows of the doorway with a small cloud of smoke hovering above her left hand, leaning against the frame.
"My long-lost Ozma…" she uttered out, "found at last…" she noted with a grin as the smoke formed into the shapes of her daughters, all running around in a circle while giggling. Once she turned her head to look at Oscar, the smoke dissipated. Widening his eyes in realization, the former farmhand looked around before seeing that was being held by the Hound, who had the back of his coat's collar in its jaws to hold him as he flailed in vain. The Master of Grimm approached. "So small, this new host of yours…" she pointed out, "It's a wonder my Hound didn't break you…" she remarked as she came to a stop just a foot away from Oscar, "It's been… how many years since we saw each other like this, face to face?" she noted in question, "And nothing to say?" she assumed, narrowing her eyes onto the former farmhand. He steeled himself, adopting a disinterested expression.
"I'm sorry the reunion isn't living up to your expectations…" he responded apologetically. There was a brief silence. And then Salem suddenly grabbed Oscar by his face with her right hand, making him yelp. Her own face wrinkled slightly with a furious glare onto her captive.
"You can pretend, boy…" she snarled as he gripped her arm with both of his hands, trying to push her away to no avail, "but you're not fully him…" she noted, moving his head, "Not yet, at least," she added. She then relaxed, letting go of him as she sighed.
"Well…" she uttered, giving off a small smile, "perhaps you and I can have a better working relationship," she affirmed, "Oscar, was it?" she guessed. He gave no reply. "The Beacon Relic…" she began, starting to walk around the Hound, "My forces have been unable to locate the Relic beneath the school," she told the former farmhand, "If I know my Ozma," she whispered to the reincarnated man's vessel, "he has used some means of deception to hide its location differently than the others," she explained, "I need to know where it is," she said, stopping next to him and smile, while also scratching her Grimm's shoulder.
"I…" he uttered out, glancing back at her fingers as they gently scratched at the Hound, "That's not something I know about…" he admitted, turning away.
"…Of course," Salem replied as she walked off toward the other end of the room, "He would keep that one guarded as long as possible," she assumed, narrowing her eyes with frustration. Oscar sighed in relief, thinking that the interrogation was over. But it wasn't. The Master of Grimm stopped at the other end of the room. "How about something easier, then?" she inferred, causing him to perk up in surprise, "The password for the Lamp…" she requested. The former farmhand paused, with his eyes darting down. He couldn't let her know, not when he knew what she was likely after.
"The Lamp is… all out of questions…" he responded finally. Salem turned around to face him, giving off a smile. But all of a sudden, she held out her hands and summoned a black orb of magical energy in front of her. It sent out a rainbow of beams, which all converged onto Oscar's chest before striking.
He screamed and writhed with agony, all while the Hound kept its grasp on him. With an intense glare on her face, the Master of Grimm kept the torture going for a few more seconds before lowering her hands with a frown, letting the magic fade away. She walked over to Oscar, who was still squirming and gasping with remnants of the magic floating from the scorch mark now on his chest.
"The lies come out of you so easily…" she noted, reaching her right hand out to him. He turned away frightfully, cowering after his torturous experience. But Salem gently put her hand to his cheek, giving him a sweet smile. "Like-minded souls indeed…" she remarked.
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" a voice suddenly bellowed, causing her to blink in surprise before she glanced back at the membrane door. Outside, there were several grunts before the door itself squelched open, with Ben tumbling in as he fell onto the floor upon his stomach.
"B-Ben!" Oscar stammered out in shock. As relieved as he was to see him alive, he was immediately scared at the sight of Hazel coming in as well, stomping his left foot onto the Omni Force leader's back to pin him there as he grunted in pain.
"Huh…" he sighed out, "Apologies, your grace," he said to Salem as he knelt to her, "I lost hold of him for just a moment and…" he started to tell her, only to stop as it seemed like she understood what had happened. She leaned down to Ben, who glared back up at her.
"Would you like to watch him suffer up close?" she guessed with a tilt of her head.
"He's got nothing to do with this, Salem!" he shouted back, "He's just a kid!" he pointed out before Hazel slammed his head against the floor with his left hand.
"He's also the man that roped you into this…" he pointed out.
"That's enough, Hazel," Salem insisted, "My beloved's counterpart is only meant to watch his fall before we grant him what he so wants," she noted, waving her right hand out as a reddish aura wafted off from it. All of a sudden, several shadowy Grimm arms sprouted from the walls, latching onto the Biomnitrix bearer and pulling him away as Hazel stepped off of him. They pinned him against the wall as he yelled in pain.
"Ben!" Oscar cried out.
"Now where were we…?" the Master of Grimm said, glancing back toward the former farmhand as he grimaced, "Ah, yes," she uttered in recollection, "One of you is going to tell me what you know," she affirmed, "I don't much care if it is you or Ozma," she mentioned as she walked back to the membrane door, which was still open, "Either way…" she continued, "I'll finally have the Relic…" she declared as she grasped her hands together in front of her chest. Oscar groaned weakly. But he steeled himself.
"I won't tell you anything…" he stated firmly.
"Oscar, no—!" Ben's shout was interrupted as a Grimm hand suddenly came over his mouth to silence him. Salem turned to face the former farmhand, quite surprised but also impressed with his resilience.
"Hm," she huffed, gesturing to Hazel. He stood up, narrowing his eyes as he adjusted his gloves and approached the defenseless Oscar.
"H-Hazel?" he stammered out, weakly lifting his right hand toward him, "Wait, wait—!" His pleas were only met with the brawny man slapping his hand away and punching him fiercely in the stomach, causing the Hound to drop him onto the floor. He coughed weakly, unable to move.
"That was for Haven Academy," Hazel said, followed by angrily kicking the former farmhand toward the wall. He hit the floor, tumbling across it before coming to a stop on his side. His new tormentor rolled his neck to adjust it with a crick. "Everything that follows…" he continued as he approached the reincarnated vessel, "will be for my sister…" he declared, glaring angrily. All the while, Salem watched. Oscar braced himself for what was bound to be an even worse ordeal than what he had already been through.
'Oscar…' a voice echoed in his head, though it wasn't Ozpin's. He widened his eyes and glanced over to Ben, who was looking right at him.
'Ben…?' he uttered inwardly in confusion, only to suddenly be kicked in the back by Hazel.
'Just hang in there a little longer, okay?' Ben's voice insisted of him, 'I promise, this'll all be over as soon as possible…' he vowed on. Oscar didn't know what to make of his current situation. All he did know… was that he had to endure things for now.
Moments later, Salem had left the chamber, walking through a pathway inside the Monstra as her Hound trotted alongside her. There was a low, rhythmic beating in the distance. As they turned a corner, they encountered both Cinder and Neopolitan. The former spotted her leader, kneeling immediately.
"Your grace, I—" She stopped herself upon noticing the Hound, quite surprised, "What… is that?" she asked, sounding somewhat disgusted. She had never seen a Grimm like that before.
"An... experiment," Salem vaguely answered, scratching her Hound's chin affectionately, "So far I am pleased with the results," she noted in a somewhat cheerful tone, scratching behind the Grimm's ear, "Did you need something, Cinder?" she asked, now taking on a more irritated demeanor as she glowered at her subordinate, who was evidently unnerved.
"Yes, I…" she started to say, trying to recompose herself, "I want to search for the Winter Maiden," she declared, "I think—"
"Do you hear that, my pet?" Salem inquired of her Hound, interrupting the Fall Maiden before she could say anything else, "She thinks… She wants…" she noted rather mockingly before she stopped scratching the Grimm beside her, "As if she's done something that warrants me caring about either of those things…" she pointed out, walking past Cinder and Neo with the Hound in tow. Frustrated as she gnashed her teeth together, the Fall Maiden stood up and turned to face her departing leader, beginning to follow her.
"We're just sitting and waiting…" she complained, "Without the Maiden power, getting to the vault means nothing," she pointed out, "Let me claim it for you," she requested insistently.
"I will tell you when and where you are needed…" Salem responded, evidently unamused and irritated by the Fall Maiden's demeanor, glancing back at her momentarily.
"But your grace—!" Before Cinder could make another argument, the Hound suddenly turned and roared at her, much to her surprise as she gasped, stumbling back a step.
"I would like to think I have shown a great deal of patience over my many years walking Remnant," Salem admitted, keeping her back turned to the Fall Maiden, "But I do hate repeating myself…" she mentioned ominously. She looked over her shoulder at her subordinate. "You will remain here," she stated firmly, "Is. That. Clear?" she questioned on. For a moment, Cinder stared at her in shock.
"Yes…" she finally responded, adopting a more docile tone as she knelt down and lowered her head, "Yes, of course," she repeated, "Without you… I am nothing," she said. With that, Salem resumed her trek as the Hound turned to follow her. The Fall Maiden stood back up with an annoyed expression, while Neo walked over to her side, arching an eyebrow toward her.
Narrowing her lone eye, Cinder already had her mind made up. She was going to do what she wanted, whether her master gave her permission or not. A little while later, she was walking through another fleshy pathway of the Monstra, with the mute girl following her. She gave off a gesture, showcasing that she seemed to be baffled by what the Fall Maiden was attempting to do in spite of being told not to.
"I know what she said," Cinder retorted with a dismissive wave of her right hand, "I just wanna check on something," she insisted, "We'll be back before anyone realizes," she affirmed on, starting to descend an incline toward the docking bay, where the small Manta awaited. Neo, who looked unconvinced, opened her umbrella to float down the incline, putting her hand on her hip as she passed by her colleague. "I wanna see if anything is still going on at Amity Colosseum," she told her, "Salem doesn't know those children like I do," she mentioned as Neo reached the wing of the airship, tiptoeing across backwards before dropping down to sit upon it, having one leg crossed over the other, "They wouldn't just abandon their misguided attempt to save the world…" the Fall Maiden noted confidently, folding her arms over her chest as she stood at the edge of the dock, looking out toward Atlas as Grimm were swarming about.
She knew the problem that their foes could pose, especially with what had happened recently. This was probably the best way to give Salem an edge in the fight ahead. She turned to Neo, who looked away with a roll of her eyes. Cinder let off a growl of frustration.
"If she doesn't want to, I'll come…" Emerald's voice suddenly chimed in, much to their surprise as they looked to see that she was on the dock as well, "I've been working on my Semblance," she noted to Cinder, "I can help," she affirmed on, while the mute girl sitting upon the wing narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "I won't tell anybody…" she promised. The Fall Maiden took a moment to think. Like Neo, Emerald was a good asset. But her leaving without Salem's permission would draw more of her ire.
"Huh…" Cinder sighed with frustration, "How much did you overhear?" she asked as she walked toward her green-haired colleague.
X
What felt like a day that lasted forever was finally at its end, with the broken moon shining in the snowy night sky over the Mantle tundra. Inside the abandoned outpost, Jaune was holding open a furnace for both Sabo and Enji to ignite with their flames. As the Team JNPR leader closed it, he exhaled a sigh of relief upon feeling the warmth wash over him.
"Thanks, guys," he said with gratitude. The Revolutionary Army chief adjusted his top hat with a grin, while the Hellflame Quirk user just nodded. On one of the two bunk beds in the outpost, Wendy was helping bandage Kevin's burn, while Raven sat upon the other, leaning against the wall. She could tell that the Sky Dragon Slayer was shooting glances her way, albeit not in a friendly way.
"Hmm…" Gaara hummed, standing by the window as he looked down at his Scroll. He had been attempting to call the Happy Huntresses like many of the others, but to no avail. Their signals were too far from Mantle. "By my guess, I'd say we could probably leave here at dawn," he inferred.
"That's too late, given the situation," Enji chimed in as he walked over, getting his attention, "We'll leave when the snowfall lifts a little," he decided.
"That is, if the bikes are fixed…" Kevin grumbled, standing up from his seat, "I'm gonna go check with Yang on what the damage is," he said, walking over to the door and heading outside, closing it behind him. As he left, Jaune looked around the room until he spotted Ren. He was staring out of another window with his arms crossed, contemplating over what had happened during their trek to the outpost.
"Huh…" the Team JNPR leader sighed out with his gaze lowered, "You're right, Ren," he said suddenly, causing the others to perk up and look over at him aside from the dark-haired huntsman, "I… I did cheat my way into Beacon…" he admitted ashamedly, "And I'm glad that I had people around me to help me see that… I was bigger than that mistake…" he mentioned as he stood up and walked over to his friend, "You've got people around you, too," he pointed out, "You don't have to force yourself to be strong," he added on, "The more you hide from what you're feeling…" he continued, "the more… alone you're going to feel…" he told him, standing by his side, "Trust me," he advised.
Ren glanced at Jaune, then uncrossed his arms and walked away. Just as both Yang and Kevin had come back into the building, he went out, shoving the door open. They sadly watched him leave, knowing that he was still enduring some form of turmoil deep within his heart.
"If anyone cares, we found a part to fix the bike," the blonde-haired huntress noted as the door closed, "So… yay…" she said somewhat sarcastically, "Good news…" she mumbled out, walking over to the workbench. Wendy narrowed her eyes onto her as she passed by, balling her hands into fists.
Meanwhile, Jaune looked back outside to watch Ren sit himself down beneath a lamp post, all while the snow continued to fall around him. Kevin walked over to the Team JNPR leader's side. He and the others never knew what had happened with him in the past, having no knowledge of how he got into Beacon Academy in the first place. But that didn't matter.
"For what it's worth…" the hybrid Osmosian began, getting Jaune's attention, "I'm sorry he said that to you," he apologized, "I know you've had to work hard to get where you're at now, Jaune," he mentioned on, putting a hand onto his shoulder.
"We're all under a lot of stress right now," he pointed out with a sigh, "I used to push people away, too…" he mentioned, lowering his gaze ashamedly. Yang, who had been listening the whole time, turned back to the workbench and started working on repairing the damaged thruster, inserting the canister and using a wrench to fasten it firmly. Taking a deep breath, Wendy finally stood up from her bunk bed.
"Are we just… not going to talk about this?" she questioned, getting everyone's attention. The blonde-haired huntress paused, turning to face her with an arched eyebrow.
"What do you mean, Wendy?" she asked back.
"What do I…?" the Sky Dragon Slayer repeated, taking on a frustrated expression, "Obviously, I'm talking about her!" she shouted, pointing toward Raven accusingly, "After everything that happened at Haven… and even before that…" she continued, "we're just supposed to let her stay with us like nothing's wrong?!" she yelled in question.
"Wendy, please calm down…" Gaara advised as everyone was caught off guard by her tone, especially Yang.
"L-Look, I'm not happy about it either, but—"
"And you lied to us!" Wendy interrupted to the blonde-haired huntress' surprise, "You never told us about your mom being the real Spring Maiden the whole time!" she pointed out, "And you called out Ozpin for doing the same thing with his past!" she mentioned angrily.
"Wendy, there's a reason I—!"
"Shut up! I'm not done!" the Sky Dragon Slayer snarled, much to everyone's surprise as their eyes widened. There was a brief pause, but her anger hadn't subsided. She seemed much more frustrated than Ren was back in the tundra. "What happened to 'no more lies and half-truths', Yang?" she questioned rhetorically, "What happened to being honest with each other?" she inquired on, glaring all the while.
"Wendy, easy…" Sabo said insistently, trying to de-escalate the situation as he approached, "None of us are happy about all this, but shouting isn't—"
"Your mom was the one who abandoned you as a little girl," the Sky Dragon Slayer pointed out, interrupting the Flame-Flame user before he could stop her, "who wanted your uncle, her brother, dead," she continued as she stomped toward Yang, "who joined Cinder and everyone else to try and stop us from saving Haven Academy!" she finished listing off, "And suddenly, we're supposed to be okay with her just… staying with us?!" she questioned angrily, having reached her breaking point.
"Wendy, I—!"
"SHE ALMOST KILLED ERZA!" Wendy roared, suddenly shoving Yang into the workbench as she yelped, dropping her wrench onto the floor in the process. Anyone could hear a pin drop with the sheer silence that followed. Tears flowed down the Sky Dragon Slayer's cheeks as she breathed angrily, having her fists still clenched. She then turned and stormed out of the building, slamming the door on her way out. They watched as she went over to the other side of the lamppost that Ren was brooding under, seating herself down and crying into her hands.
The blonde-haired huntress was left shocked. She had never seen Wendy so mad in her life. But the stress and anger had finally gotten to her. With a sigh, she picked the wrench up from the floor in her metal hand, staring at it solemnly. She then looked over at Raven, whose gaze was fixed on the floor.
"Aren't you gonna say anything?" she asked of her, getting her attention as she let out her own sigh.
"What is there to say?" she questioned back, "You kept the truth from your friends, and look where it got you," she noted, glancing outside. Yang let out a growl. "I know it's gotten me where I am, too…" she mentioned solemnly.
"Oh, so suddenly we're supposed to throw you a pity party?!" her biological daughter shouted in question as she pointed accusingly at her, "You know—!"
"She's right, Yang," Gaara suddenly interjected, much to his girlfriend's surprise, "Why did you keep that truth from us?" he asked of her.
"I…" she tried to reply, only to glance away and sigh sadly, "At the time, I didn't think it mattered since we got the Lamp…" she admitted as she turned and folded her arms underneath her chest, "And…" she kept going, "I felt like I needed some closure…" she admitted, looking back at the Spring Maiden, "And I'm sure you did, too," she mentioned to her, causing her to perk up slightly.
"Yeah, well…" she started to respond, exhaling another sigh, "I've got a long way to go before I get my closure…" she confessed.
"And that's part of what you're here for?" Gaara assumed. Raven looked to see Enji head outside. He went over to Ren and Wendy, seating himself down between them with flames expelling from his shoulders to keep them warm.
"…I'm here... to atone…" she responded, lowering her gaze. The others in the room all glanced over at each other, wondering what they were to do next.
"Huh…" Kevin sighed, "We oughta' try and get some sleep," he advised of his colleagues, "At least until the snow lightens up," he mentioned, looking back outside.
"Yeah, good call…" Sabo agreed as he let out a yawn, "Jaune, you wanna hit the hay first?" he offered to the Team JNPR leader, who blinked in surprise, "You probably need it more than us…" he added, seeing how tired the blonde-haired huntsman seemed.
"Thanks…" he replied with gratitude, heading over to the other bunk bed next to where Raven was, seating himself down, "I can't stop thinking about Oscar, though…" he admitted, sounding worried.
"Go on," Yang advised, putting the wrench down onto the workbench before walking over to the window, "We'll make sure everyone stays nice and warm," she vowed.
"Thanks," Jaune responded again, "I just have a bad feeling…" he confessed, "Things always seem to get worse before they get better…" he mentioned. Outside, Wendy whimpered as she tucked her legs into her chest, while Ren sniffled, wiping his own teary eyes. Glancing back and forth at them, Enji exhaled a sigh.
"I'll be with you as long as you need me," he affirmed to them, keeping his shoulders alit. Down the hill a fair distance away from the outpost, the icy ground had started cracking. Rumbling could be heard beneath it. Suddenly, the cracks lengthened and expanded.
There's a fine line between truths and lies, and some teeter on that very line. Maybe both can be considered necessary evils for people to persevere through hardships. Either way… the truth of this matter is that no one… is safe.
END
And that ends another chapter of "Reality"! Thank you, TerrorKing10 for your help in ideas and edits for this! I have to say, this was probably one of my favorite chapters to write thus far.
As for the chapter itself in canon, I liked it just fine. It was a really good hook with some very powerful moments. I especially enjoyed the voice acting and facial expressions.
Anyways, the next chapter won't be coming until November, so be sure to sit tight! Thanks for reading!