Hello everybody! Here's yet another addition that you've all been so patiently waiting for, hope you guys like it.
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"Speech"
Thoughts
Chapter Thirteen: Alone
A snow storm appears at Brunswick Farms, making visibility difficult. A wind howling is heard.
Ruby sighs "I don't get it. The empty towns I've passed through were all damaged or unfinished. But this place looks... fine"
Team RWBY, Qrow, Oscar, Slade and Maria arrive at the porch of a residence. Weiss is shivering as she wraps her arms around her to keep herself warm.
"Maybe everyone left in a hurry. Before things took a turn?" Weiss offered.
Slade sighed in annoyance with a shake of his head "We've been over this, Schnee"
Qrow tries to open the door, only to notice it was locked "Hmm. Stay on guard" Qrow moves to kick the door open.
"Woah, there, bird boy" Slade stopped him "Allow me" he stepped forward and placed his hand through the door unlocking it from the inside before removing his hand "No need to break anything while we're here" Slade said as the door opened on it's own. Everyone proceeds forward with their weapons drawn. They cautiously look around the place.
"Close the door already! It's cold enough in here as it is" Maria shouted. Maria walks into the house. Afterwards, Blake and Oscar push a nearby drawer to block the door.
"I saw a chimney from the outside. Maybe we could get a fire going?" Blake offered.
"Please. I'll look for some blankets" Weiss replied.
"Yang, go with her" Qrow ordered.
Ruby lingers by the entrance hall for the bit while the others look around. Oscar can be heard opening a door.
"Looks like a study. Or, a library?" Oscar asked unsure.
Ruby walks forward to notice a group of pictures on the wall of the family that owns Brunswick Farms. Blake walks up next to her.
"What do you think?" Blake asked.
"Something doesn't feel right"
"Finally! Somebody agrees with me" Slade sighed exasperatedly.
"Let's look for some-" Blake began but was interrupted by a high-pitched scream.
"Weiss!" Ruby yelled heading up the stairs with Blake and Slade not far behind, arriving into the room Yang and Weiss were in. Qrow also arrives shortly behind them. They look on the bed to see a pair of decomposing corpses.
"Dear god" Slade gasped at the sight, stepping past the group he kneeled down next to the bed looking over the bodies extensively.
"C'mon" Qrow ushered the shocked girls out of the room while Slade continued to examine them. Quickly returning once they were back in the study, he found Slade walking toward him, having finished already.
"What do you think?" Qrow asked "Did they just happen to pass in their sleep?"
"Looks that way, but it doesn't seem... natural" he answered pondering what he had seen.
"What do you mean?"
"Well... if the bodies had died in their sleep, they would've soiled themselves afterward making a mess of the bed and their clothing if they wore any. But there's no sign of anything, almost like they didn't eat or drink anything for days before passing. It seems more likely that they died from starvation and dehydration from the looks of them"
"Why would they starve themselves to death? Were they unable to leave for some reason?" Qrow asked confused.
"Seems that way" Slade stared back at the bodies, still not quite sure "Something isn't right about it"
"You think something else is going on here?"
"I don't know what else is going on here, I just know as soon as that storm lets up I am leaving with or without you guys. There's no sense in staying here, something unnatural is going on" he left the room heading downstairs and toward the front door.
"Where are you going?" Qrow asked annoyed.
"Checking out the other houses" Slade answered passing through the drawer and the door to arrive outside.
A fire is burning in the fireplace. Weiss watches it, still shaken from what she saw earlier. Blake wraps a blanket around Weiss before sitting on the couch Yang is on. Slade walks back in through the door and drawer brushing snow off himself.
"It's the same in every house" he sighed.
"What?" Yang asked.
"Bodies. Every bed in every home. It's like the whole estate just went to sleep and never woke up" he answered.
"Then we're not staying here, right?" Weiss asked hopefully.
Qrow sighs "We don't have a choice. Storm outside's only getting worse. We'd freeze to death before we made it anywhere"
"Well, might as well get comfortable" Maria walks over to a bookshelf.
"Yeah, fat chance" Yang sighed.
"Okay, then, let's do something. If this place wasn't abandoned it might still have supplies we could use" Ruby pointed out.
"Hey, yeah. Maybe even a car" Oscar offered.
"I'll do a sweep of the grounds. No one else goes anywhere alone" Qrow ordered.
"Yang and I can search the other buildings for vehicles" Blake offered.
Yang replied annoyed "Fine, whatever gets me out of this house" Yang and Blake leave, with Ruby moving the drawer to let them exit. Afterwards, Ruby looks over to see Weiss at the doorway to the living room with a melancholic look on her face.
"Food always makes me feel better" Ruby chuckles nervously "Just saying"
"Right"
"I could use some grub" Slade added coming up behind Weiss, they all left the room together leaving Oscar and Maria alone in the study.
"I'll tell you what. You keep that fire fed" Maria finds a book with an "I" on the cover "and I'll find us a story to read before bed"
Maria sits back down on the couch and begins reading while Oscar sighs.
Slade pulls his flashlight from his coat and clicks it on, looking around the room. He finds alcholic bottles on the shelves. Weiss uses Myrtenaster to send small flames to light up the candles in the room.
"There" Weiss took a deep breath.
The three look around the room. Shelves are full of alcoholic bottles and a bar is seen as well.
"On second thought, maybe we should keep this room closed" Ruby suggested.
"Huh?" Weiss asked confused.
"I'm just... Not sure how well my uncle's taking all of this" Ruby explained.
"Oh"
"It's probably best if he doesn't know about this room at all" Slade agreed turning off his flashlight "He can be a bit impulsive"
There was a silence that filled the air for a brief moment before Ruby decided to break it.
"Come on, we'll never get to Atlas on an empty stomach!" Ruby walks forward, though Weiss lingers and sadly looks down. Ruby then opens up another door.
"Ruby? Are we really still going to Atlas?" she asked.
"Why wouldn't we be?" Ruby asked confused.
"I mean... you heard what Jinn said. If there's no way to kill Salem, then what's the point in all of this?" she asked depressingly.
"Weiss, you can't be serious" Ruby said in surprise.
Weiss sighs "Sorry, I- I don't know what I'm saying, I'm just really tired and I really, really hate this place" she walks up to enter the room with Ruby "Anything in there?"
Slade uses his flashlight to look around. He sees more alcoholic bottles arranged on a shelf on the right side of the room.
Ruby answers annoyed "More alcohol... At least we'll never have problems starting a fire"
"Weiss is right you know" Slade pointed out causing them both to stare at him in disbelief, his eyes appeared dilated "I... I... I don't know why I just said that" Slade added truthfully his eyes returned to normal "I just suddenly had an overwhelming sense of futility and... I don't know how to explain it"
"Maybe we should head back upstairs" Ruby suggested.
"What's that?" Weiss asked noticing a large metal cellar door in the ground. Its handles are chained together "A wine cellar? Great" she sighs.
Ruby then looks up to her left and lets out a yelp before zooming over.
"What? What is it?" Weiss asked surprised
"Food!" Ruby replied holding out a can that says "THREE BROS. BEANS: SHRIMP FLAVORED, EXTRA SODIUM".
Weiss groans incredulously "Canned food?"
"Oh trust me, you put enough salt on anything, and it will taste juuust fine" Ruby assured.
"Well, I guess it's better than nothing" The two share a smile. Weiss walks over and helps Ruby grab a few cans of food "But I still seriously hate this place"
"Gotta agree with you there" Slade picked up a few cans walking out of the room with them, he stopped short to look back at the cellar door "Anybody else know why somebody would lock a wine cellar underneath all of this alcohol?" Slade asked curiously "Doesn't seem... odd to anyone?"
"Probably just someone like Qrow" Weiss laughed "People will do anything to keep good alcohol safe" she and Ruby exited the room. Slade shrugged lightly before following behind them. The metal cellar door opens slightly, before shutting again with a startling bang. Slade stopped as he began going up the steps upon hearing the door clang shut. Placing the cans onto the steps, he reentered the room approaching the cellar door once more.
Slade removed Defiance from it's holster aiming it toward the door, using his Semblance to open the doors without breaking the chains he looked inside "Whatever's hiding down there, you can come out" he called receiving no answer. Stepping closer he looked inside to find the empty cellar with a small hole in the wall nearby, just big enough for a person to fit through "That must lead into the sewers, I'd get lost for days down there" he sighed closing the doors and placing Defiance back into it's holster. Picking up the cans again he exited the room entering the study behind Weiss and Ruby.
"What took you so long, Slade?" Ruby asked curiously.
"Thought I heard something, must've just been the wind" he answered placing the cans down with the rest of them the other two had taken up with them.
"Oh, well, at least it's nothing right?"
"I'm still not entirely sold on staying here" Slade sighed "All of the bodies I found in the other houses all died the same way, starvation and dehydration"
"Maybe they ran out of food?" Weiss suggested.
"There's more than enough to feed the two people in this house alone for weeks" Slade said gesturing to the cans on the floor "For some reason, they just allowed themselves to die in bed without doing anything about it" he sat down on the couch "Besides that, we're all completely unmotivated to do anything. I could chalk it up to what we learned about Ozpin if it was just the two of you as I know I am not unmotivated. If anything I am more motivated than ever before to stop Salem, but downstairs I wasn't"
"Everyone has moments of doubt" Maria spoke up.
"It was different than that" Slade shook his head "It felt almost like something was influencing me to feel that way"
"But you said it yourself, Slade. Nothing is here"
"I said I couldn't feel anything here, not that nothing was here" Slade corrected.
"No matter what caused you to feel that way, we cannot leave until the storm clears up" Maria sighed "Might as well make yourself comfortable, get some food in your belly and get some shut eye"
"I won't be sleeping tonight" Slade said definitively as he stood from his place on the couch, turning for the door he exited the room "I'm gonna go help Qrow search the grounds" he called back as he exited the building.
Ruby stares at the moon through a window, sitting on the staircase. Snow is drizzling outside. Ruby checks on Blake, Weiss, and Yang, who are sitting on the rug and staring at the fire from the fireplace. Maria reads a book while sitting on the sofa and Oscar is pacing back and forth. After checking on the others, Ruby stands up and walks toward Qrow. Qrow is sitting nearby the window, looking outside with his feet propped on the drawer.
"Storm's cleared up for now. We should be able to leave by morning" Qrow said turning to look at her.
"That's good"
"No... Slade's right... I don't have a good feeling about this place, especially with me around"
Ruby looks down at a wine bottle on the floor with Qrow's hand hovering near it, then looks at him.
"Are you... okay?"
Qrow scoffs "Sure. Tell everyone to get some sleep. I'll wake you guys up just before sunrise"
"What about Slade? He hasn't come back yet from going out to help you search the perimeter" she asked concerned.
"Slade knows where we'll be. If he doesn't come back by morning, we'll know he left without us"
Ruby sighs walking away as Qrow drinks from the wine bottle. Ruby pauses and looks back at him before narrowing her eyes downward. Back in the other room, the fire continues to burn. The book Maria is reading has a "III" on the cover, with the other two volumes on a nearby table.
"It's a diary?" Oscar asked.
"The head of this household, Bartleby. Apparently, he and several other families founded this little settlement to try and live on their own. It sounds like it worked, at least for a spell" Maria answered.
"Grimm?"
"Just one of many hardships. Slowed down their farming, made everything harder... It's a shame, really. He seemed like quite the ambitious fellow, always thinking of new schemes to overcome the odds"
Ruby walked back into the room "Hey guys. Qrow said we should get some sleep. We're gonna head out early tomorrow"
"Thank goodness" Blake groaned.
"What about Slade? He's not back yet, I'm worried about him" Yang asked concerned.
"Qrow said he knows where we'll be until morning, if he's not back by then... he left without us"
"He'll be back" Yang said lying down to go to sleep "Slade wouldn't abandon us now, he really came through for us at Haven" she smiled lightly at the thought.
"I hope you're right" Ruby whispered.
Everyone gets up to get ready to sleep. Maria hops off the couch "Hmph, the last thing you'll catch me doing is letting some kid tell me what to do" in a mimicking voice "Go to bed!" she scoffs. Maria sits on an armchair, turns on the lamp next to it and continues reading from the book. Ruby shrugs and smiles before going to sleep herself. The fire continues to burn in the fireplace.
By next morning, the fire is out. Sunlight seeps through the curtained window while Team RWBY and Oscar sleep on the floor. Maria rests on the armchair, still holding the book she was reading. Qrow sleeps on the chair by the window, still barely grasping the wine bottle in his hand. A couple other wine bottles are also on the floor. The bottle slips from his hand and clatters on the floor, causing Ruby to wake with a start. She looks around before rubbing her eyes and getting on her feet. She walks over to the window and opens the curtains.
Weiss mutters in her sleep "Close the window!"
Ruby walks over to the entrance hall and picks up the empty bottle Qrow dropped before walking over to her uncle.
"Uncle Qrow. Come on, get up" she shakes Qrow's shoulder.
Qrow groans "Leave me alone"
"We overslept" Qrow, still groggy, just lightly shoves Ruby away. Ruby looks at the empty wine bottle, and after a moment, her hand starts shaking. She angrily throws it against the wall, shattering it.
Qrow waking up startled "What?" Qrow looks around, seeing Ruby stand before him and then to the shattered bottle "Oh, right. Sunrise"
Ruby's angry expression softens, and she hugs her uncle "You know, you can talk to me about stuff. Yang too"
Qrow hugs Ruby back "Let's just get outta here" Qrow gets up from the chair, with Ruby following him.
"Slade never came back last night" Ruby pointed out.
"Then we know where we stand with him" Qrow sighed "Let's-" Suddenly a gunshot rang outside waking everyone simultaneously, they all rushed outside with their weapons drawn to see Slade standing outside with Defiance pointed upward.
"Well, looks like you guys are all awake now. Let's get a move on shall we?" Slade asked gesturing to Bumblebee and the flatbed trailer with a makeshift trailer hitch attached to the bike behind him.
"When did you have time to do this?" Yang asked.
"I didn't sleep last night, so I figured I would make use of my time. Aside from securing the perimeter all night that is" he answered.
"You stayed outside all night in the freezing cold to make sure nothing snuck up on us?" Qrow asked surprised.
"It's what I used to do back in the day when I went out on missions with my team, they were always pretty bad about night watch" he laughed at the memories "Those knuckleheads were something else"
"They certainly were" Qrow smiled lightly, recognizing his old friend in Slade's eyes.
Weiss, Blake, Yang, Qrow and Oscar's pupils appear to be dilated, while Ruby's and Slade's are their usual size.
"Can we just go back to bed?" Oscar asked.
"If we're all so tired, maybe we should make breakfast?" Blake suggested.
"You wanna make it?" Oscar asked.
"Not really" Blake replied.
"No more sleeping" Slade ordered "Something's off about this place and I don't intend to stick around long enough to find out what it is. You can all sleep on the ride if you'd like and I'll drive if it's alright with Yang" Slade explained.
"Ugh, do we have to?" Yang asked.
"Well, it's done now. So let's-" Qrow rests his foot on the side of the trailer, and the tire on the opposite side goes flat. He groans in frustration before checking on the tire.
"You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you?" Maria asked.
Frustrated, Qrow just walks over to a nearby fence post and sits on the ground. Yang also sits on the ground by the well.
"Not the best choice of words" Slade sighed looking at Maria.
"I'm starting to think the universe just doesn't want us getting to Atlas" Yang sighed depressingly.
Ruby sighs "It's just a flat tire, I'm sure there's a spare"
"It's not just that, it's everything. Storms, crashes, monsters" she sighs "I'm so tired"
"Me too. It feels like we're always having to fight to get by"
"Yeah. But that's what we signed up for"
"We signed up to try and save the world, not just... delay the inevitable"
"Last night, I... I couldn't stop thinking... why are we even going to Atlas?" Weiss asked.
Everyone shares troubled looks.
"Weiss, we have to" Ruby answered.
"Why?" Yang asked standing back up "Ozpin hid the Relics behind giant doors under enormous schools, but... how long would it take Salem to find a lamp in the middle of nowhere?"
"What? The Grimm might-"
"They'd find it eventually, sure, but bury it or just throw it down the well, it would take years. It might not even happen in our lifetime. But we could be done with it now"
"Wake up!" Slade shouted in annoyance.
"Excuse me?" Yang asked annoyed.
"There are always people out there who do bad things, that's not going to stop just because Salem's gone" Slade explained "Just because you cannot solve all the worlds problems or everything you do feels like you're only delaying the inevitable as you so gently put it, Oscar, doesn't mean you should just give up"
"But-"
"What was it you said back in Mistral, Yang? When I asked you how you're supposed to win against something like Salem?" Slade asked.
"By... trying" Yang answered.
"How're we ever going to accomplish anything if we never do anything. Maybe we wont save the world, maybe we wont stop Salem forever and maybe this will continue for another thousand years until she wins. But if we don't do anything, then what did our friends and families fight and die for?" Slade asked "Do you all think Pyrrha would've stopped fighting because things seemed bleak? I know none of my family would've and my team never backed down from a challenge, no matter how impossible it may have seemed"
"But they're all dead, Slade. Do you really want to end up like them too?" Blake asked.
"I'd rather die doing something than live forever doing nothing" Slade answered honestly "I had my time of doubt already, you brought me out of it Yang... don't be like I was" he pleaded.
The group was silent as they processed his words "Ruby..." Yang said looking up at her "Think about it, we'd never have to see something like what happened to Pyrrha ever again"
Ruby detaches the Relic of Knowledge from her belt, glancing at it before looking up at her teammates, who appear to all have dazed looks as if they were in a trance. Ruby stares at the Relic one more time before walking over to the well.
"I am... really..." her pupils become dilated "Tired" Ruby starts to have the same dazed look on her face as she holds Relic out above the pitch-black darkness of the well.
"Ruby!" Slade called noticing what she was doing "Stop!" Instead of dropping it immediately, Ruby hesitates for a bit before composing herself at Slade's words. She starts to pull the Relic back. Slade sighs in relief, then Ruby notices a pair of glowing red eyes at the bottom of the well, startling her and snapping her out of her trance-like state and returning her pupils to their normal size. In her fright, she accidently drops the Relic into the well. Ruby helplessly watches it fall into the darkness below.
"No! No! No! I didn't mean to!" she shouts earning an annoyed groan from Slade.
Her teammates continue to stare at her with dazed looks "Ruby, it's okay" Weiss assures.
"No! No, there's something down there! I saw it, it was looking at me!" Ruby looks back inside the well, only to notice the glowing pair of red eyes are gone.
Yang puts her hand on her sister's shoulder "Hey, it's okay. You just said you're tired. It's probably nothing. Now let's go"
Ruby swats Yang's hand off "What's wrong with you?! We can't just leave, we have to go down there! We have to get the lamp back! Oh, what was I thinking?!" she facepalms.
"All we have to do is fix this trailer. Hey, farm boy, check the shed for a spare" Qrow ordered.
"I'm not leaving without the lamp!" Ruby shouts angrily. Her teammates continue to dazedly stare at her.
"That makes two of us" Slade leapt down into the well after the lamp without hesitation.
Blake sighs "I'll go down with you"
"We'll go down together" Weiss added.
"Fine!" Qrow yells getting up "Get the stupid lamp. Oscar, fix the stupid tire" Qrow heads to the house, passing by Maria on the porch.
"Where are you going?"
"Where do you think?" he shakes his flask and walks back into the house.
Maria just looks down "Stupid" Maria takes a seat on the porch steps and continues to read another volume of Bartleby's diaries.
Slade removed his flashlight from his jacket once more turning it on as RWBY joined him in the underground waterway.
"Maybe the current carried it away" Yang noted aloud.
"Seems likely" Slade agreed "Follow the current and we find the relic" he proceeded forward cautiously. Weiss notices more tunnel openings along the path.
"Oh, come on, where is it?" Ruby wondered worriedly.
"Turn off your lights and just look for the glow?" Blake suggested.
"Good idea" Slade turned off his flashlight, Ruby pulls out Crescent Rose and proceeds forward with caution. Slade follows suit with Defiance in hand "There" Slade points up ahead. Ruby looks to the direction Slade is pointing toward and notices the blue glow of the Relic of Knowledge coming from a tunnel along the path. Ruby runs forward by herself. Ruby arrives at the tunnel, and finds the Relic of Knowledge on the ground. She runs over and picks it up.
"Guys, I-"
Ruby then looks up behind the Relic, adopting a horrified expression on her face. Multiple humanoid-looking Grimm of different sizes are bunched together. They turn their heads toward Ruby, reaching their arms out to her. Ruby lets out a terrified scream, and her teammates snap out of their trance-like states, their pupils returning to normal.
"Ruby?!" Yang yells concerned.
Ruby backs away and runs out of the tunnel. Yang, Slade, Weiss and Blake see her run out and approach her.
"What is it?"
The rest of the group notice the skeletal Grimm slowly trudging out of the tunnel. Ruby takes out Crescent Rose and fires multiple rounds at them. One of the Grimm lets out an ear-piercing scream, causing them to struggle to stand.
"What is this...?" Yang asked.
"My weapon... feels heavy" Blake groaned.
"Run!" Maria shouted from behind "Now!" Maria turns around and runs. They watch the Grimm start to move toward them.
"Go, go, go!" Ruby yelled as Slade began firing his weapon at them, to no avail.
They turn around and run, catching up with Maria. They see daylight coming from the well, but more of the Grimm appear and block their path. Another ear-piercing scream is heard, affecting the group. Ruby notices another tunnel entrance next to her.
"This way!"
They run into the tunnel. They continue to run through the complex underground passages while avoiding more of the Grimm's kind along the way. They then make their way to an underground room. However, They notice a much larger group of the Grimm at one end of the room. They make a run toward the other way, but one of the Grimm lets out another scream, causing them to collapse on all fours.
"I can't... do this... I can't" Yang struggled to move.
Maria gets back up, using her cane to support herself before collapsing again. On her fall, she feels a set of stairs in front of her "An exit. An exit!" she shouts.
Ruby looks up and notices the stairs leading up to the cellar door. Ruby crawls forward to Weiss. "Come on!" Ruby then hears a weapon drop behind her and notices Blake collapse to the ground, while the Grimm continue to inch toward her.
"Blake... get... up!"
Blake's pupils dilated "It's fine" Blake starts get her dazed look from before. More Grimm emerge from the entrance they came from. Ruby looks on in horror and in her desperation, crawls and attempts to reach out towards Blake, who continues to lie down motionless. The Grimm reach their hands down to her.
"BLAAAAAKE!" Upon yelling out her friend's name, Ruby's eyes start to glow brightly, causing the Grimm to back away in pain. Blake gasps and snaps out of her trance, her eyes back to normal. Ruby helps her up while Weiss, Yang, Maria, and Slade also get back up.
"I've got her!"
"What just happened?" Maria asked confused. Weiss runs up the stairs and tries to get the doors open, but they do not budge.
"They're locked!"
"Out of my way!" Yang runs up the stairs. The Grimm recover from their incapacitation, and another scream is let out. They all collapse once again. Yang reaching for the cellar door "No... No!"
Slade reached his hand up toward the door, using his Semblance to force them open with tremendous force, completely breaking them from the lack of control he had over his power in his current state "We have... to go... now!" he yelled helping Blake up with what little strength he could muster.
As the Grimm inch closer, Maria crawls toward Ruby, only able to see the world in shades of cyan.
"Ruby... what color are your eyes?"
"They're... silver"
Maria lets out a gasp of excitement "You have a family? Friends?"
"What?" Ruby looks up to see the Grimm getting closer, but Maria lays her head down and covers her ears. From Ruby's perspective, Maria's next words sound slightly muffled.
"Don't think about them. Think about the people who love you. Focus on the thought of them, the way they make you feel. Focus!" Taking Maria's advice, Ruby closes her eyes and concentrates "Life... is beautiful. It is precious. And it must... be protected"
After focusing, Ruby opens her eyes, the silver gleaming. She sits up and her eyes glow brightly once more, driving the Grimm back and disintegrating them all. Maria and Ruby stare in awe while Weiss, Blake, Slade and Yang recover. They run up the steps to find they're back in the basement where Slade, Ruby, and Weiss had previously searched.
"We're back in the house?" Blake asked. They then look at the bar and see Qrow leaning on the counter, passed out.
Ruby runs over and shakes her uncle "Uncle Qrow, get up!"
Qrow slurring his words "Hey! Get off me! What are you doing here?"
"We're leaving, you idiot! Come on!" Maria runs out of the room, with Blake and Yang following her. Weiss looks back towards the basement entrance.
"I'm not leaving until that damned tire-" Slade interrupted him by firing his gun into the bar counter beside him.
"Get. Up. Now" he growled.
"Not yet" Weiss turned back toward the destroyed cellar door.
Outside, Oscar has replaced the tire for the trailer and is filling it up with air. The noise from the air machine muffles the sound of people crying out his name.
"Oscar! Oscar!" Yang shouted.
"Oscar!" Maria joined.
Oscar looks behind him to see Yang, Blake and Maria run out of the house "Oscar! We have to go, now!" Yang yells. Oscar looks at them bewildered.
Back inside, Weiss grabs a few of the alcoholic bottles from the shelves and throws them towards the basement, shattering them.
Qrow still slurring his words "Hey... Hey! What are you doing?!"
As more of the Grimm slowly start to come out from the basement, Slade fires his gun into the spilled alcohol, setting the Grimm on fire.
"Now we can leave!" Weiss shouted triumphantly.
Slade helps Ruby grab Qrow's arms as they drag him out of the room.
"Stop it! Stop! What's wrong with you?! What's-" As Qrow looks up, he sees the Grimm on fire still walking towards them. Qrow looks on in shock as he is dragged out of the house by his niece and her friend. Outside, everyone sits in the flatbed trailer while Yang starts up her motorcycle. She wastes no time driving away from the now burning house.
Yang continues driving Bumblebee down the snowy road with everyone sitting in the trailer being pulled behind her.
"The Apathy. They're not strong or ferocious. They drain your will to go on. Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsman protection, but in order to do that, he needed everyone calm... always"
Oscar reading from the book "Managed to get two away from their pack. Hike back was miserable, but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired"
"The next page proves that he did, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home. My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels that Bartleby sealed up the next morning. Bartleby's plan worked" Maria takes the book from Oscar "No one was angry or sad or scared. No one was anything. And then... no one was left" Maria takes one more look at the final page of the diary, the last words written down being "I'm tired" She then closes the book and tosses it out into the snow, the cover having "VIII" on it, while the group continues to drive down the road.
"I'm... sorry for what I said... about giving up" Weiss apologized.
Upon hearing this, Yang stops driving "Me too. We can't quit until the lamp is safe"
"It's not your fault. It was those... things" Blake offered.
"I should have known. The signs were all there, but I'd never seen an entire settlement withered away like that. I suppose my mind just isn't what it used to be" Maria sighed.
"I didn't even know the signs and I could tell something was wrong, but I never would've guessed it was an entire pack of Grimm hiding in their basement" Slade pointed out, that's certainly no Grimm I'd ever like to meet again" he added with a small shiver.
"Miss Calavera? How do you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels, you knew exactly what to say to make me... to make my eyes do that. How?" Ruby asked.
Maria smiles at her "Well, isn't it obvious, girl? I had Silver Eyes"
"You and Ruby both have... had, Silver Eyes?" Slade asked "That would make sense, you did seem a bit too knowledgeable for someone who wasn't a Huntsmen, you must've at least had some training I assume?"
Salem stood overlooking the dark pools where the God of Darkness once resided, watching the Grimm continue to spawn from it's waters. Tyrian approached from behind bowing to her and dropping down onto one knee.
"Your Grace" he greeted.
"I have given you and Watts your orders, why're you still here?" Salem asked not turning to look at him.
"We're prepared to leave in but a moment... but before I left, I wondered if you might do me the honor of answering a question"
"Speak, and I may answer"
"You've never told me, anyone what your plans are once you get the relics. We know what it is that we want, but what is it that you want?" he asked curiously. Salem remained silent, never turning to look at him, Tyrian understood what this meant and rose from his place "I understand, your Grace" he bowed once more before turning to leave.
"The world began in darkness and will so end... the hearts of humanity are no different" Salem spoke stopping him in his tracks "Darkness sprouts within it, grows, consumes it. Such is it's nature... in the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came" she turned to look at Tyrian "Darkness is the heart's true essence" she finished as he turned back to look at her.
"What of the hearts that don't? Tyrian asked.
"You mean like Ruby Rose?" she asked.
"Among others" he replied.
"There are some hearts that are consumed by light" Salem sighed "They all share the same fate in the end... all lights eventually fade, and only darkness remains"
"Then all hearts truly do return to darkness, just as the world should" Tyrian smiled at her "Thank you-"
"Tyrian" she smiled lightly at him "You're the first to be brave enough to ask me such a question and not only understand my answer but also have proven yourself worthy of it" she placed her hand onto his shoulder as she passed by "We have always sought out hearts that quiver with hatred, burn with rage, scarred by envy... That's how I have chosen my recruits, but you're different. Your heart holds none of these things, yet you're here"
"I always knew I had a purpose, I just couldn't figure out what it was until I met you. You showed me my place in the world, by your side... I can never repay that gift, but I will never stop trying" he explained.
Salem smiled genuinely, knowing he spoke the truth. Her thoughts shifted back to her daughter's and a small pang of guilt surged through her until her mind settled onto Ozpin again "That fool Ozpin once said the world's true nature is beyond understanding... but it's not beyond mine. Darkness is the source of all power, even the Light cannot match the Darkness in it's purest form" she hovered her hand over his chest "A gift" she smiled as dark smoke emanated from her hand pouring itself into him. Tyrian's irises shifted to the same shade of red as Salem's own.
"Thank you, your Grace" he grinned "I go now to secure your place as this world's rightful ruler and true savior" he turned to leave, proud of the path Salem laid out for him.
Salem turned back toward the dark pools below "Slade... You will join me one day, whether you choose to or not. It will be a lot easier if you chose it of your own free will, but in the end... I will have your heart!" she grinned and began laughing wickedly.
Maria is finishing her story to Team RWBY, Qrow, Slade, and Oscar, who all have wide-eyed expressions.
Qrow is astounded "I can't believe it. You... You're the Grimm Reaper, you were a legend! And then you disappeared"
"How exactly does a legend just disappear?" Oscar asked.
"You never used your name, never showed your face. Lots of us thought you were just layin' low. Eventually, we just came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper"
"Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment, so you're well on your way"
"How can you say that?" Blake asked.
"Child, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end. But after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself. Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight. Afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started. You shouldn't aspire to be like me, especially when some of you are clearly stronger already" Upon hearing this, Yang looks down sadly "It's... comforting, seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape"
"Well, maybe you can do something now. Teach me to use my powers the way you did" Ruby offered.
As Maria looks back at Ruby, a Scroll's ringtone can be heard. Ruby pulls her Scroll out and gasps in excitement "It's Jaune!"
Yang stops her bike, looking back in surprise. Everyone says "Huh?" as they wonder how Jaune contacted them.
"How? Weiss asked.
Ruby answered her Scroll "Uh, hello?"
"Ruby! Oh, thank you! I've been checking my Scroll for your signal since we made it to the city!"
"The city? Wait..." Ruby looks to her Scroll, her contact name for Jaune being "Vomit Boy". She looks at the little signal symbol under Jaune's portrait, watching it get better as she points her Scroll toward the road ahead. The group sees a hill where the snow ends. Yang proceeds forward to drive them up the hill. At the top of the hill, the group sees a walled city in the distance along the ocean.
Yang smiling at the sight "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Argus"
At the entrance to the city of Argus, Yang inputs a code, "4-5-8", to lock Bumblebee and the trailer in a garage. Team RWBY, Qrow, Slade, Oscar, and Maria take the time to admire their surroundings. Through the crowd, a certain bubbly ginger-haired girl in pink zooms in.
"Cute! Boy! OZ!" Nora points her finger to the group. Oscar looks over in confusion, only to get tackle hugged by Nora "Oh, come here!"
Jaune and Lie Ren also arrive "Are you all okay?" Ren asked as he hugged Yang.
"We were so worried!" Jaune added hugging Blake.
"It's been kind of a crazy trip" Yang answered.
"That's an understatement" Weiss snorted.
Nora noticed Maria "Wait, who's the old lady?" she asked confused.
"I'm so glad you're all safe" Blake smiled lightly.
"Seriously" Weiss agreed with a small smile of her own.
"Ah! You're gonna love this place!" Nora shouted excitedly.
As everyone else engages in their own conversations, Ruby and Jaune walk up to each other and give each other a big hug. After parting from the hug, Jaune looks down and frowns.
"Hey. I promised, didn't I?" Ruby asked with a smile.
Jaune smiles back while tears well up in his eyes "Yeah, you did" he wipes his eyes "It's good to see you guys" The two share a smile together.
"I wasn't going to let anything happen to them" Slade waved off "You needn't have worried" he added as he passed by them.
The group boarded a trolley, traveling through the city "It's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be" Yang pointed out.
"It's actually one of the largest non-capital cities in all of Remnant" Ren explained.
Ruby gasps "No way! But wait, wouldn't it be harder to settle something this big away from the main Kingdom?"
"Well, it was, until Mantle showed up. Early settlement attempts by Mistral didn't go well. But colonists from Mantle were able to help them brave the cold climate and return for goods that Solitas couldn't provide" Jaune explained.
"The two nations worked together to create a hybrid city. While it falls under Mistral domain, Atlas keeps a military presence here to help keep the people safe and keep trade between the two nations steady" Ren added.
"Well, until recently" Nora sighed.
The trolley makes a stop and everyone hops off "We should probably start looking for a ship" Blake pointed out.
"So, where have you guys been staying?" Oscar asked Jaune.
"Uh..." Jaune chuckles nervously .
"There you are!" As the trolley leaves, a blonde woman, with her baby son, Adrian, in her arm is seen on the other side of the street waving to Jaune.
"Is that...?" Yang asked.
"Hey, Saph" Jaune smiles and waves back.
Ruby then zooms in, all starry-eyed. She looks back and forth between Jaune and Saphron, and gasps upon realizing who the woman is. Slade sighed in mild annoyance from all the excitement, he was tired from staying up all night at Brunswick Farms.
"This is gonna be a long day"
"I can't believe I'm meeting your sister! I have so many questions" Ruby ranted excitedly.
"Oh, I can give you the rundown later!" Nora laughed.
"Will you guys knock it off?" Jaune asked mildly annoyed.
"What? I love telling stories about my baby brother" Saphron squeezes Jaune's cheek.
Jaune began groaning while also flailing his arms at his elder sister "I am not a baby! That is a baby" points at Adrian, who huffs back at him
Yang and Weiss get all wide-eyed as they fuss over Adrian. Both of them make baby talk at him "Aww, you're so cute! Yes you are! Oh, look at your little face!" Yang gushes.
"Aww, coochie-coochie! Aw, baby! Oh my!" Weiss adds mimicking Yang's tone.
Slade stared at the group happily conversing with each other, he groaned in annoyance earning Saphron's attention, he quickly headed upstairs.
"Where're you going?" Saphron asked "You just got here"
"Unlike some of these people, I didn't get any sleep last night" he sighed "And damned glad of it!" he nearly shouted referring to all the Grimm beneath the estate "So I am going to find a quiet place to lay down and get some shut eye"
The group stared after him, Saphron looked away somewhat disappointed "I didn't know you had a friend with such a temper"
"Slade's just cranky because he didn't get any sleep last night" Weiss waved off "Don't let him bother you"
"Yeah" Oscar laughed "That's nothing compared to what I've heard Yang can-" he stopped when he noticed her glaring at him "I mean she's a perfectly well behaved angel who would never conduct herself in a manner such as Slade just previously displayed"
"You could almost hear the back peddling" Blake laughed.
"What happened that made him not sleep?" Ren asked concerned.
"We stopped at a place called Brunswick Farms after the train crashed, Slade had been telling us from the moment we got there that something was wrong but we needed to get out of the snow storm so we didn't freeze to death. Once inside we found out everyone in the estate died in their sleep, natural causes from what Slade could tell" Ruby explained.
"Slade refused to go to sleep as he knew something was off, the rest of us knew it too but we were just too tired to care. Slade woke us the next morning ready to leave immediately but..." Yang stopped short "There was some type of Grimm, Maria called them Apathy" she explained "They're apparently what killed everyone who lived there by making them so tired they never did anything but sleep, there was dozens of them underneath the estate in the waterways"
"We only barely managed to get out of there in one piece, if it hadn't been for Maria telling me how to use my eyes properly we never would've made it" Ruby added.
"Don't forget what Slade did to help" Weiss pointed out "Even in his weakened state he was able to destroy the cellar door blocking our way"
"So that's why he's so upset?" Saphron asked.
"I'd be upset too if I almost died to something like that and didn't get any sleep to top it off? I'd be livid" Nora agreed.
"That's not why he's upset" Qrow sighed.
"It... isn't?" Ruby asked confused.
"Slade's lost a lot of people close to him over the years... his parents and siblings, his teammates from Beacon... Slade just almost lost all of us today because of my stupid decision to stay there, we should've kept moving"
"So... Slade's upset because he was scared he was going to lose you guys?" Saphron asked "As far as reasons go for being angry, that's probably one of the best I can come up with"
"Yeah" Qrow agreed "We'll let him be for a bit, let him catch up on some sleep before we start fresh in the morning. Slade's mood will have improved by then"
"So Saphron, you're the only Arc living here?" Blake asked curiously.
There's a picture on the bookshelf of the Arc siblings all together, with the young Jaune at the center with pigtails and a deadpan expression while holding a sign that says "Help" on it while his sisters do various crazy things around him.
"Yep! Moved the second I could. Jaune and I are the only two living away from home" she began speaking in a teasing voice "I guess he just wanted to be like his big sis"
"I, uh..." he groans.
Saphron continued her teasing "Aw, you didn't deny it!"
The two siblings play fight with each other by pulling each other's cheeks. Then, a door is heard opening. A dark-haired woman with glasses is seen walking in with bags of groceries.
"Everyone, this is my wife, Terra Cotta"
"Hello!" Ruby calls.
"Hey there!" Nora shouts with a wave.
"Nice to meet you" Blake offered.
Terra chuckles "Why, hello there! Wow, quite a party, you weren't kidding. Hun, can I get some help please?" Saphron quickly runs over to help Terra in the kitchen. Not much later, Jaune, Ren and Nora are preparing sandwiches for everyone.
"And you're sure it's alright if we stay with you?" Weiss asked curiously.
"Of course, we're happy to house Huntsmen and Huntresses" Saphron assured them.
"You all risk so much to keep people like us safe. It's the least we can do" she turned to Qrow "Especially for such an elite Huntsman like yourself. Although, I will say I was surprised to learn you had students helping you. Is that even... legal?"
Qrow, not paying attention, gets his arm bumped by his niece "Uh, of course. Think of it as an extended training mission. Trust me, I was a professor. Even went to the same academy as them. Let me tell ya, these kids are way better than we were at their age" Jaune, Ren and Nora walk back into the room with plates full of sandwiches. Ruby gasps happily upon seeing them "Well, not better than me specifically, but a lot of students-" Qrow continued.
"Shut up, there's food!" Ruby shouted. Everyone heartily eats the sandwiches. Saphron and Terra share a look with each other, before the latter's Scroll is heard buzzing.
Terra sighs "Excuse me, I'll be right back" she answers her Scroll and walks out of the room "Hello?"
"Is everything okay?" Blake asks concerned.
"Oh, yeah, it will be. Terra's a technician for the town's relay tower. Unfortunately, the military's radar system is also housed there" Saphron began making baby talk at Adrian "Guess what's been on the fritz lately and who's getting falsely blamed"
Terra peeking back into the room "Me"
"So, what's your plan for tomorrow?" Saphron asked.
Ruby with her mouth stuffed answers "Well..." she takes a big gulp "We're trying to make our way to Atlas. We'll probably start with the military base"
Nora and Ren share concerned looks.
"So, we kind of already tried that, and... it didn't go... super great" Jaune said rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
Yang waved him off "Come on, it couldn't be that bad"
Chapter fourteen is in the works as we speak! Hopefully won't be too terribly long before I have it out to you guys. For anyone interested, keep a look out for the RWBY soundtrack for Volume 6 coming this Friday!