Chapter 17 – Moving Forward…
Robyn
She kept her head down as the Bounty Boards starting showing her face alongside May, Joanna and Fiona's. There was a lot of money back on their heads, and Robyn growled with anger. "How the hell did they find us?" Robyn muttered.
"Killian… how the hell did he figure out we were alive?" May questioned as she kept them hidden with her semblance.
"I have no clue…" Robyn answered.
"Do you think someone has betrayed us?" Joanna asked.
"I don't know… Terra and Dutch were the only others who knew about all this." Robyn stated.
"Terra wouldn't turn on us… and well… I may have had my doubts about him, but Dutch tried to warn us before it happened. He must have had eyes on whoever took that shot on Tortuga." May explained, and Fiona squinted her eyes with grief in them.
"Tortuga…" She softly mourned.
"It happened so fast, there's nothing we could do. We just have to get our asses out of here, lay low for a while." Robyn explained, she peered around the corner whilst May kept them all cloaked. "We can't stay here for too long; they'll locate us sooner or later. We need to get moving. Be ready for anything, these bastards have tech that could see straight through this bubble."
"You all ready?" May asked them as she kept her hands held up, they all nodded their heads.
"What about Terra?" Fiona nervously asked.
"I don't think they saw her in the building with us, hopefully she can make it to the Argus Limited and get back to her home. But it won't be long until they figure out who she is." Robyn explained as she walked carefully.
"I hope she made it." Fiona softly said.
"Me too." Robyn agreed. "Terra's smart, though… I'm sure she'll get back home." The Black Gallows were everywhere, and Wasp Airships had arrived on the scene, shining searchlights everywhere.
"On your knees!" They heard an Ebony Sabre command as he marched out all the civilians from the town, keeping guns trained on them. The Happy Huntresses stopped with widened eyes as they saw the Black Gallows soldiers start lining up the innocents.
"The fuck are they doing?" May gasped.
That was when they saw the Ace Ops arrive, Elm jumped down with her hammer rested onto her shoulder as she looked around. Harriet zoomed across the road and stopped beside her whilst Marrow emerged from the alleyways with his rifle ready. But he was looking at the civilians with concern in his eyes. Vine and Clover both swung to the same area, Vine used his aura extensions to throw himself whereas Clover simply used his Fishing Rod.
"We… we're not seriously doing this, are we?" Marrow stammered as he approached Clover.
Clover did not say a word, he just glared right back at him. The Black Gallows had their guns to the heads of all the poor innocents. "This… is horrific. I know the Black Gallows are ruthless… but this is treading on war crime territory." Joanna stated, but Robyn sighed.
"War Crimes don't exist for the Black Gallows. That's how the bastards managed to get so far… their whole existence is to do the scary shit nobody else would do so the Councillors could sleep at night. It doesn't matter who's in charge… they haven't changed one bit." Robyn hatefully growled as she stared at the Ace Ops.
"Robyn Hill? I know you're here… there's no way you could have escaped us so easily. Even with May Marigold's handy semblance." Clover explained as he paced back and forth with his horseshoe spinning over his finger repeatedly. Robyn's eyes darted around, desperately trying to come up with some kind of plan.
We can't risk the civilians… they never asked to be a part of all this…
But how?
If we attack them, the soldiers will gun them down. If we run… they get gunned down… I guess that leaves us with only one option.
"These weapons are not for show, Miss Hill. They are armed and ready, and if I command it my forces will kill every last individual here at Higanbana." Clover explained as he paced around. He could hear them all start whimpering with fear, and one of them started howling tears. "SHUT THE FUCK UP OR I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF YOU DUMB BITCH!" Clover erupted suddenly, gritting his teeth together as he pointed at the woman. She fell silent at his words, and he smiled once more, completely calm.
Marrow looked terrified but he stood his ground.
"Gods… the hell happened to you, Clover? You were stuck-up… but never insane…" Fiona stammered in fear of him.
"Now believe me… I don't wanna kill these people. I really don't, after the Academies… the riots… that little attempted revolution? There has been far too much bloodshed over the years… I don't want there to be any more. But there will be, I will kill every single person here… unless you come forward." Clover commanded, speaking in such a calm and soothing voice now.
Robyn glanced at her friends. "Alright… May, get Fiona and Joanna in position. I'll keep him talking, get the civilians out of this somehow… hell I'll even let him take me if I have to. And when we have an opening, attack the bastards with everything you've got. We won't stand a chance against the Ace Ops and all the other Black Gallows… but we don't need to kill them, just a smokescreen." Robyn explained.
Fiona glanced up at the Wasp – most likely what they'll use to ex-fill from the area when they have Robyn. Then she noticed one of the large, armoured trucks behind one of the buildings, she couldn't help but smirk as she held her hand up. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."
Robyn smirked back and winked at her. May carefully moved the rest of the Happy Huntresses away from Robyn as she held her back against the wall whilst Clover paced back and forth, whistling. "My patience is waring thin, Robyn… and my forces' trigger fingers are itching."
Robyn rolled her eyes, then she held up her hands and stepped out into the open. "Hello, Clover… been a long time since the old days at Atlas Academy. I see you have some fresh faces." Robyn said as she looked at Marrow and Harriet. "What happened to Heron?"
"She's dead." Elm answered. "Nothing we could do…"
"I'm sorry." Robyn said with a saddened voice.
"It happens. But luckily Marrow filled her place just nicely." Elm said as she gestured to the youngest member of the group, he looked like he would have still been a student at Atlas Academy when it all came crumbling down six years ago. Robyn shook her head.
"Gods… she would have been so ashamed of you. The three of you…" Robyn said as she stared at Clover, Elm and Vine. "To see what you've all become… especially you, Clover. I remembered back in the days of school… she thought the world of you. And I even respected you… but now? You're just like the rest of them."
"You watch your tone." Harriet snarled.
"Or what, Mohawk?" She scoffed. "I'm standing before you, so what are you waiting for? Let the civvies go."
Clover glared at Robyn and took a sharp inhale of breath, but he gestured to his forces. They lowered their guns and shoved the civilians aside. "Get moving!" They barked. The civilians quickly retreated from the scene whilst Robyn kept her hands up.
"Hmm… tell me… where're your friends?" Clover asked.
"Oh they're long gone. You'll never find them." She assured.
"Hmm… it's funny… because you and your little band of rebellious Huntresses never struck me as the type to run. You're… painfully stubborn." Clover chuckled as he approached her, and she stared right back at him, raising her eyebrow at him.
"I'm not sure if that was an insult or a compliment… I might take that as a compliment." Robyn chuckled, until she gasped in pain when Clover swung his fist into her gut so hard it dropped her to one knee. She coughed from the pain, and Clover stared down at her with a sinister smirk.
"Clover! C'mon… she's surrendered. Let's just take her and bring her to Killian, alright?" Marrow suggested, trying to defuse the situation. He felt Vine's hand touch his shoulder and he just sighed as he stepped back. Clover stared at him and then back at Robyn, sighing. He crouched down and held her by the throat, lifting her head.
"You've got no right to judge me… or my team. The world changed… and we had to change with it. We're not the fools trying to cling to a world that is long dead." Clover growled before he forced her back up to her feet and proceeded to bind her arms behind her back. The Wasp descended down to the ground, and she glanced to the truck Fiona mentioned.
She spotted the legs of a knocked-out Stockholm Trooper being dragged round the corner, and the vehicle was gone. Robyn smirked… knowing everything was going just as they planned.
Marrow kept her moving and she looked back at the younger man, his eyes said it all – he was scared. "You're alright, kid." She assured him.
"Quiet…" He softly told her, she kept walking, but she chose to disobey that order, like always.
"I get it… I do. You were a kid when it all happened, probably just a student at the Academy, huh? You had a choice… join the Black Gallows… or die. Not much of a choice there, if you ask me, especially for a kid." Robyn explained. "Look all I'm saying is… out of all of the people in your team I can already tell you're the one I don't blame. The others betrayed what they stood for… could have fought back… but you were only a kid."
"You don't know anything about me…" Marrow replied.
"How old are you? Twenty-One?" She guessed.
"I… uh…"
"Wow? Nail on the head, eh Wags?"
"Wags?"
"Oh sorry, I like to give people nicknames. It's fun." She chuckled. "But listen… my point is… you would have been… what? Fifteen when all this happened? You didn't have the skills to fight, or the experience… so I understand your position. But how long can you keep doing this? Looking the other way? Huh?" She asked him, but he stayed silent. "Soon the winds will change again… and you're gonna have to pick a side, Marrow. I hope you choose the right one."
"Shut it." Harriet snarled as she shoved her into the Wasp, the rest of the Ace Ops got inside. As Marrow walked past her, Harriet suddenly slammed him against the wall. "The hell are you doing? You're job is to keep her from squawking. Do your damn job."
The Wasp took off into the air, preparing to fly away.
"I… I'm sorry." Marrow stammered as he looked away from her, and Harriet just narrowed her eyes at him. He leant against the wall and gripped his forearm fearfully as Clover stared at him. Robyn rested her head against the bulkhead of the airship with a small smile on her face.
"The hell're you grinning about?" Elm questioned, Robyn turned her head and pointed with her bound hands to the cockpit window.
"That." Robyn answered, just as the armoured truck suddenly came flying out from Fiona's Personal Pocket Dimension, throwing it like it was made of plastic. It formed and came hurtling towards their shit and their eyes widened, whilst Robyn just laughed.
"Shit!" Clover yelled, and the huge, armoured truck smashed directly into its wing, breaking it apart and bursting flames from it. It spun out of control, screeching with every single rotation, before it collided down into the forest near Higanbana.
Robyn tumbled through the internals of the Airship alongside the other Ace Ops, it came apart as it rolled through the woods, smashing into trees and breaking them apart. They creaked as they toppled over to the ground, leaving a burning trail in the grass behind them. It slid to a halt by a babbly brook.
Robyn groaned as she shook her head, and quickly freed herself from the cable that attached her to the floor. She ran as fast as she could whilst Clover stared at her with gritted teeth. She dove behind one of the rocks as she opened her fan blades of her crossbow, and she sawed away at the cable wrapped around her forearms. "ROBYN!" Clover roared, drawing his pistol and Fishing Rod. "Find her."
Robyn desperately cut as fast as she could, it was hard since the blades could not fully open due to her being bound by the gravity dust restraints. But eventually she felt them loosen, and they broke apart, freeing her arms. She ducked down and kept her Crossbow aimed ahead, listening out for any sounds.
Marrow approached the rock she was behind, and he turned, staring right at her. He did not aim his rifle at her though, he just looked right at her. She looked at him, she could see and hear his gun shaking in his hands as he tried to aim it at her. Marrow hesitated, then turned and walked away from her rock… she blew out a breath… surprised by his choice. She carefully got up and took cover behind one of the trees.
"She couldn't have gone far! Keep searching! We need to know how much she knows!" Clover commanded.
Robyn went to turn the corner, only for Elm to suddenly grab her by the throat, and she lifted her up with ease. "Gotcha!" Elm launched her back into the open. Robyn crashed against the ground, but flipped back onto both feet, drawing her crossbow on the Ace Ops as they surrounded her.
"Dunno how you pulled that one off… I'll admit you surprised me. But you won't get us a second time." He assured.
"You sure about that, Horseshoe?" Robyn challenged with a smirk; Clover raised his brow with confusion.
Joanna suddenly erupted from thin air, and behind her May dropped her shields, which sent Fiona forward. Joanna slammed her fist into the side of Clover's face, whilst Fiona slashed her Crossbow Staff across Vine's chest and kicked him in the chest, whilst May fired an explosive bolt towards Elm. The huge Huntress spun her Hammer through her fingers, absorbing the explosion.
The Happy Huntresses stood their ground together, staring the Ace Ops down.
"I'm sorry, Clover… what were you saying about surprises?" Robyn challenged with her signature smirk.
"Take them out, try and take Hill alive if you can." Clover commanded, immediately firing his pistol towards her. The magazine glowed bright red as he switched ammo type, loading it with fire dust. The bullet exploded against her fan blades, then she rolled backwards as he launched towards her, swinging his Fishing Rod towards her. Robyn rolled backwards and fired a Crossbow Bolt towards him, but he swung the long cable towards her, and it wrapped around her arm. She grunted in pain as it twisted her Crossbow arm around and he yanked her forward and proceeded to punch her in the face.
Joanna roared with fury as she caught Elm's massive hammer in her hands, staring directly at the massive woman who was easily overpowering her. But Joanna was still filled with power and she snarled with rage as she suddenly pushed the hammer upwards, and pummelled Elm across the jaw. She stumbled backwards, but countered the momentum with her hammer, swinging it directly into Joanna's chest. The Happy Huntress flew backwards but drove her staff down into the grass, gasping as Elm swiftly transformed her huge Hammer into a dual barrelled Missile Launcher. She pulled the triggers and fired both rockets at her.
Joanna ran forward and slid underneath one of the missiles as it flew towards her and detonated into the tree behind her. Wood fragmented and splintered everywhere, causing the creaking tree to come crashing down over her head. The second missile only narrowly missed her cheek and flew off into the distance. Joanna launched her Crossbow Staff towards Elm which clipped onto her jacket, pinning her to the tree. Joanna howled as she jumped at her and smashed her fist into Elm's face so hard that the tree exploded around them both. They both rolled across the ground as the tree plummeted back to the soil with a heavy crash, and Joanna kicked Elm across the jaw.
Elm rolled back onto her feet, and caught Joanna's arms, staring her right in the eyes. Aura formed around her feet which clamped her down to the ground. Elm twisted Joanna's arms and threw her into the floor. That was when she felt the long golden aura extended arms of Vine wrap around her body. Joanna yelled as Vine threw her across the forest. She bounced across the soil and smashed against one of the rocks. She groaned in pain as her aura crackled, weakened all the way down to amber levels.
Joanna stared ahead at Elm and Vine; the skinnier bald headed pale man landed beside the much larger woman who dragged her hammer through the grass. Joanna cracked her neck, ready to continue fighting, despite having worse odds than everyone else.
Fiona rolled aside from Marrows gunfire, he jumped and bounced off one of the tall trees before his Assault Rifle transformed into a double ended Boomerang Sword, and he launched it towards her. She gasped, spiralling her Crossbow Staff around, taking the hit from the incoming sword. The impact broke her defence which also shoved her back a few steps. Marrow yelled with fury as he jumped down towards her and slammed the sword onto her staff. She fell to one knee and stared back at him, before forcing him backwards. She spun her Staff through her fingers and fired bolt after bolt every time it spun.
Marrow's sword rotated so fast that it looked like the rotor blades of an old plane, easily shredding the bolts before they could even get close to hitting him. Fiona launched herself forward and smashed her staff down the top of his head before she extended the blades and slashed her staff up his chest. As he flew up in the air, she fired one of her bolts into his chest, and he came plummeting towards her. Fiona twirled around to roundhouse kick him in the gut. He grunted, thrown away from her and skidding across the dirt.
Fiona rushed forward to attack once again, but he stared at her and snapped his fingers, pointing at her. "STAY!" Marrow yelled, Fiona gasped, and her eyes widened as she felt her entire body stiffen. She couldn't move, completely stuck in the pose she was in.
"No! Please don't do this! You know this is wrong, I can tell! We're trying to help people!" Fiona protested.
"Well you're going about it the wrong way. I saw how people tried to fight back six years ago… and they were all slaughtered. We can't stop Salem… there's no point in us trying to fight back. Just… survive as best you can." Marrow sighed, sounding like even he did not believe his own words.
"Is that what you really think? Or is that what Killian taught you in the Black Cells?" Fiona questioned, he held her arm, ready to bind her but he froze as she said those words.
On the other side of the skirmish, Harriet yelled with fury as she shot forward, her body surrounded by crackling golden electricity, which even made her eyes shine brighter as well. But May just smirked as she got closer, vanishing on the spot. Harriet gasped as she was suddenly close lined by May who reappeared, arm extended with a grin on her face. Harriet crashed across the ground then went to strike once again. She stopped her fist with her staff, the sparks of golden electricity burst from the impact, then she shot aside and hit May repeatedly from all sides, moving faster than light.
Harriet zoomed up into the air behind her and dove down, smashing both her feet down onto May's back, shoving her down against the ground. Harriet grabbed her Gravity Dust Restrainers to try and stop May, but she vanished once again, making it harder for Harriet to find her other wrist. May suddenly spun around and kicked Harriet in the jaw. She looked around as she tried to find May, only to suffer one hell of a beating. May threw punch after punch into Harriet's face. Harriet fell to one knee, only for May to swing hers right up into Harriet's nose, and grabbing her by the face and pummelling her down into the ground.
Harriet zoomed away from May's Crossbow Staff as it stabbed down at where her head just was. Harriet launched herself forward and threw a clump of dirt at where she heard May, and the dirt stuck to her clothes, seemingly floating in the air. "There you are!" Harriet yelled as she shot forward to throw lightning-speed punched over and over into May, then she jumped up and roundhouse kicked May in the side of the head. It ended her invisibility and sent the Happy Huntress tumbling through the grass.
The Hare charged towards her and grabbed May by the throat, smashing the back of her head against the ground over and over again. May kicked Harriet in the gut with both feet before rolling backwards, catching her Staff and throwing it towards the smallest Ace Ops member. But just as it came towards her, time slowed from Harriet's perspective as she engaged her semblance. She ran forward, ducking under the Crossbow Staff as it hovered over her head and she ran right up to May and uppercutted her. The powerful punch launched May into one of the trees.
She shook her head in pain, before Harriet threw the same Staff right back at May, only missing her head by an inch when she moved. Harriet leapt towards her and pinned her by the throat with her arm. "How many people are you gonna let die before you get with the picture?" Harriet hissed.
"A hell of a lot less if Salem remains in charge!" May barked back, headbutting Harriet and grabbing her staff from the tree, standing her ground.
Robyn on the other hand continued to fight off Clover, who kept firing his pistol at her as he walked forward. Robyn blocked each shot with her Fan before she ran forward with a furious yell. She slashed across his chest with the blades, and kicked him in the chest, firing a bolt towards him. Clover rolled aside and he extended the line of his Fishing Rod which wrapped around her Crossbow Arm once more, but this time Robyn started to purposefully wrap the cable around her arm, to reel him in instead. His eyes widened and she jumped and spun through the air, the action threw him forward, and she brought both boots down onto his chest, smashing him down against the ground. Robyn let the cable fall from her arm and aimed her Crossbow at her enemy's head.
But Clover fired his gun into the ground, creating a powerful explosion which injured both their auras in the process and sent the two of them hurtling through the air. Robyn pushed her feet against a tree and jumped at him. She fired another bolt at him which scraped across his aura and he fired on her. The bullets flew at her and some hit her, but she constantly ran up close to him, punching him across the face and slashing her blades over his chest repeatedly. She then grabbed his arm and rolled across his shoulders and back, landing behind him. She twirled around to kick him across the jaw.
The Ace Ops leader rolled across the grass but dragged his fingers through the blades of grass as well. Robyn charged forward and she fired one of her explosive arrows directly at him.
But Clover just managed to duck it and continued to fire his pistol at her. An Ice Dust bullet flew her way and erupted into her hand, freezing large chunks of ice around her palm and connected her to the tree. Suddenly she felt her throat crush as the line wrapped around her neck and he rushed past her and held the cable over his shoulder to choke her out. She desperately grappled onto the cable as it grew tighter and tighter, but she started to become weaker.
Clover smirked sadistically as he heard her suffer, until he heard his voice. "Hey asshole." The distorted voice of Dutch greeted; identity hidden behind the X-Shaped Helmet. He swung his fist directly into Clover's face, knocking him back and he extended a super-heated blade from his vambraces, and cut the line down. Robyn gasped for air as Dutch drew his Assault Rifle and aimed it right at Clover.
"One of these days I'll be the one to save your ass." Robyn laughed.
"In your dreams." Dutch replied.
"You…" Clover snarled. "Who the hell are you? You've been disrupting Black Gallows operations ever since the Rogues were captured six years ago."
"Ooh someone's been doing their homework." Dutch chuckled, and Clover prepared to attack him, until Dutch swiftly revealed his scroll. "Uh-Uh… I wouldn't if I were you. Unless of course… you want to risk Mistral finding out about all this."
He revealed what was on the scroll – it was the Ace Ops holding the entire town hostage and him threatening to kill that woman. Clover glared at the screen and then at him. "Order your cronies to stand down and let them go, or I will send this right now to the Net. I'm sure the people of Mistral will be furious about this… especially since Higanbana has been very compliant to adapting to Salem's rule, haven't they?" Dutch explained.
Heh… well played, Dutch.
"And besides… according to radio chatter between you and Killian? He never ordered you to hurt any innocents… in fact… I believe his exact words were no civilian casualties. Would be a shame for you all to spend a few more years in the Black Cells, wouldn't it?" Dutch stated, smirking behind his helmet.
He heard the sound of Joanna being thrown into one of the trees so hard it came crashing down. Vine swung around and brought his fist down into the side of her face. Joanna spat out blood and he pinned her to the wall whilst Elm approached with her Hammer, ready to kill her. Dutch kept his cool as he held his button over the send button. "Your choice, Clover."
Clover glared at him, then at Robyn and then at his team. Elm held the hammer over her head to finish off Joanna and she braced herself for her end. "STAND DOWN!" He roared at the top of his lungs. The hammer just stopped over Joanna's head, she flinched at not feeling it strike, shocked at hearing those two words. "Stand down… the mission is a failure… retreat." He ordered.
"B-But… Our orders are to…" Elm stammered in confusion.
"RETREAT! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Clover bellowed as Dutch kept his finger on the send button, waiting for them to leave. Clover backed up and narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell are you?"
"Kinda the point of my mask, Ebi." Dutch sarcastically answered, gesturing to the X-Shaped Visor.
"This is not over… count on it." Clover growled as he walked backwards, retreating. Dutch took his finger away from his scroll as they ran away, and he shoved it back into his pocket.
"Thank the gods you showed up when you did… what took you so long?" Robyn sighed.
"Had to keep the other Black Gallows off your tail." Dutch answered, keeping his helmet on just in case.
"You killed all of them?" She asked.
"Nah, just making them chase their tails on some false leads." He chuckled. "Where's Terra?"
"I told her to make a break for the Argus Limited and to get back home. She needs to get her family out of there." Robyn explained, they turned to see May helping the injured Joanna. She coughed in pain, she suffered quite the beating from Elm and Vine, bleeding from her head and she looked like she had one hell of a concussion.
"We need somewhere safe to lay low, Joanna needs to heal." Fiona explained.
"The Summit's Claim?" May asked.
"Joanna won't make it." Fiona answered.
"I know a place; I can get you all some medical supplies. It's out in the wilds, pretty remote and defendable. Haven't been to that old safehouse in a while… might have to check the area for Grimm." Dutch explained. "But first, I'll head to Argus. Help get Terra and her family out of there and to the same place. Just get her there, we need to lose some heat." Dutch explained.
"You got it. Stay safe." Robyn said.
"Always." He answered as they parted ways, completely unaware of Harriet who was listening nearby behind one of the trees in the woods.
"Terra…" She softly said, before darting off.
Blake
Blake stood with Gambol Shroud in its Pistol Form, slightly shaking at the gun range. Her feline ears turned when she could hear the voices of Eryka and Winter nearby. "You sure this is a good idea? We haven't seen your mother in a very long time… who knows if she'll help us again?" Winter asked her as she readied her sword and dust cartridges.
"Trust me, I know what you mean. My mother has always been ruthless and unpredictable… but she did help us last time. I know it's been six years and a lot can happen then… but we haven't heard anything from the Vasillias Cartel in a very long time." Eryka explained.
"Do you think they're even around anymore? You think maybe the Black Gallows wiped them out?" Winter asked.
"I hope not… we need all the help we can get right about now. And the Vasillias Cartel have contacts everywhere. Or they did. Either way, I need to find her." Eryka explained as she slung Constantine Damascus over her right shoulder.
"Eh… well… where you go, I go." Winter assured, gently caressing her girlfriend's cheek. "How the hell did you manage to warm my cold heart?"
"Oh c'mon you know how… my charming personality." Eryka winked, which made Winter softly laugh. The two of them walked away, then Li walked beside Blake Belladonna. Yang was also here at the shooting range, here for anything they needed.
"Come now, Miss Belladonna. You can do this… just point and shoot." Li assured.
"I… I can't see. How am I even supposed to see the damn thing?" Blake huffed.
"The same way you have been living for the past six years. Focus… you will find it." Li assured with a smile as he stood beside her. She slowly lifted her gun up and pointed in the direction she could hear the target softly swaying back and forth in the wind.
BANG
CRACK
CLAP
She shot multiple times at the target and Yang watched the target, but every single shot missed. Just like all the other times she fired, and the golden-haired warrior sighed sadly for Blake. The Feline Faunus growled, kicking a random pot across the floor. "I CAN'T DO IT! IT'S POINTLESS!" Blake yelled with rage.
"Miss Belladonna…" Li softly spoke.
"No! I can't! I'm useless out here, I have been trying for days and I have made no progress! I listen as hard as I can, and nothing ever helps me!" She cried out with anger.
"Blake… you'll get there." Yang assured.
"How do you know, Yang? It's not like losing an arm I can't just –" She stopped and looked in Yang's direction, noting her silence. Yang just lowered her head and closed her eyes. "… crap… I'm sorry. I… I shouldn't have."
"No… you're right. It's not the same, I'm sorry." Yang sighed.
"No stop, you can't do that. I was the asshole there; you have every right to yell at me." Blake argued.
"Well… I don't wanna yell at you. And you weren't the asshole." Yang replied.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Blake questioned.
"Huh?"
"You've got every reason to hate me for what I did to you. I did the same thing to you that Adam did… don't you hate me for that? For being the reason that Qrow and Raven got away?" Blake questioned.
"That… was not on you, Blake. Believe me… that was all me. It was my semblance… I… it's a long story." Yang felt her hands tremble at the memory.
Blake sighed as she stepped back and held up the gun and fired once again, but she could tell by the sound of the bullet just hitting the concrete behind it, that it was still just miss after miss. "What's the point?" She sighed.
"Miss Belladonna… you cannot just give up. These things take time." Li stated.
"I've spent six years coming to terms with my blindness… the first few months all I wanted was to kill myself. Because I knew I would drag Weiss down, that I was nothing but a burden. But I kept going and managed to walk and use my other senses to live a life. A peaceful life… and here I am thrown right back into the chaos. And I can't do a goddamn thing to help anyone." Blake stressfully panted as she paced back and forth.
"You're not a burden, Blake." Yang softly assured.
"Yeah? Well I feel like one… when Adam was here all I could do was let him beat me… just like he…" Blake paused and pushed her hands through her bob hairstyle. "And you had to save me, time and time again. You and your dad could've died more than once because of me."
"But we didn't." Yang assured.
"This time. But next time we may not be so lucky." Blake sighed.
"Then what are you waiting for? Take your gun and shoot the target." Li said.
"I. CAN'T." She repeated.
Li suddenly grabbed the gun from her hand with his cybernetic one and he turned to the target fast and shot three times. Silence filled the range, until Yang gasped. "Holy shit…" Yang said, staring at the three holes in the bullseye. "He hit it every time…"
Blake turned in his direction, and Li gently took her hand and placed the gun in her open palm. "How… how did you do that?"
"The same way I can see your short black hair… and Yang looking at you right now." Li said as he glanced in the blonde brawler's direction. He did not say it, but he could even sense Yang's heartbeat, which was always elevated whenever she looked at Blake. "I am blind, just as you were, Miss Belladonna. But I learned how to see in many other ways. Yes, your other senses are the most important ways, but above all… you must learn how to see without your eyes at all."
"That… doesn't make any sense." Blake stammered.
"I have learned a lot about Aura thanks to this place, I learned from the wise words of the Mentor who was here before me. Nicholas Schnee. And he learned from the Mentor who preceded him. By focusing your mind, meditating, and understanding how aura works… you can learn how to see the aura of all living things. It is how I can see every living thing here, and it is also how I learned how to see through the eyes of the Altum Eagles. Aura is a force that connects all of us, no matter the womb. Even you can learn how to do this, Blake." Li explained.
"But… that would take years. We may not have that long." Blake explained.
"The Advanced Studies, yes. Seeing through the eyes of eagles… even sensing other emotions in people. But opening your eyes to see them? That merely requires patience, at most a few months of constant training. And it will help you improve your skills as well." Li explained as he walked around her.
"How would she do it? Sit with an Eagle?" Yang inquired.
"That is a method we do tend to use… the Altum Eagles are patient and do not ask for much in return. However… it can be done with people. The issue with that… is that it must be with the same person. Hence why we mainly tend to do this with newly hatched and imprinted Altum Eagles. They will cling to you, so it makes the connection a lot easier." Li explained. "However we do not have any new hatchlings for a few months… so…"
"Okay… I'll do it." Yang immediately volunteered with a smile. Li couldn't help but smile back at Yang's endearing enthusiasm to help her.
"Yang… are you sure? This is a lot…" Blake softly said.
"We're partners… well… if you still want to be, of course." Yang nervously asked her, Li turned and looked at Blake. She paused for a few moments and Yang closed her eyes with grief.
Gods… I'm an idiot, what am I doing? I know she still hates me for what happened… she has every right to… I'm a stupid moron what's wrong with me?
"Okay."
Yang gasped and her lilac eyes widened as she looked at Blake, the feline Huntress looked at her with a small smile. "It may be complicated… but… I want to try and fix things between us, Yang. And… thank you… this really means a lot to me, Yang."
A tear welled up in Yang's eye and she wiped it away. "No problem." She smiled.
"So… what do we do?" Blake asked.
Li smiled. "You talk… sit with each other… connect." He said.
"Uh… what?" Yang asked. "How does that even…"
"What? Did you expect some sort of intensely magical awakening of aura, or something?" Li asked.
"Yeah." Both Blake and Yang answered in unison.
Li couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh no… it's far more subtle than that. The two of you already share a very strong bond, a weakened one due to what happened in the Wildlands… but that bond is still there. I can feel it. You will have to spend a lot of time together… lots of one-on-one time. Train together, share a Yurt. And from time to time? Try to connect your auras."
"Connect our auras?" Blake asked.
"It is an old and very intimate thing, but of course there are different levels. The highest is between lovers – where their souls are literally bound together. However there are smaller ones, where you can… essentially… join your consciousness together for a few moments. You could hear each other's thoughts this way, speak without having to say a word." Li explained.
"Like telepathy?" Blake asked.
"Precisely. Of course, it only lasts whilst your auras are connected. This method of aura connection is used between a Falconer or Falconess to connect with their Altum Eagle. Then they proceed to the second stage, where the minds are linked without requiring physical touch, and merely needing to think of the entity. The final stage? Is not just thoughts… even feelings, sensations, senses… everything would be connected. This of course is extremely personal and hence why only lovers would try this level. Like I did with my wife…" He revealed with a proud smile.
Blake and Yang looked at each other and Yang gently rubbed her neck nervously. "As you can see, Miss Xiao Long… it is a very daunting proposition you have given to Blake. Are you sure you are ready for such a long task to help her?" Li inquired.
Yang looked and Blake and smiled, gently holding her hand. "Yeah… I am. I want to help her in any way I can." She assured with a smile.
Li smiled back as Blake blushed slightly. "Well then… let's begin."
Pyrrha
The next morning…
Sunshine bled through her slightly opened windows; small flakes of dust hung the air. It was years since Pyrrha had slept in her old bedroom… and it looked exactly as she left it. Her big bed of dark wood creaked as she laid there and softly groaned. She looked at her clock on the bedside table.
08:37
She leant upwards, long messy bed hair, and she rubbed her still sleepy eyes. Old posters and awards of her achievements still sat where they left them. Juno and Anaximander clearly never expected their dead daughter to return to them one day. She slowly put her clothes back on, alongside an old hoodie she had in the cupboard. She brushed her teeth and stopped as she saw her old armour she had on a small mannequin. Back when she was only five years old.
She could remember those days so clearly. Like Ruby, she always knew that a Huntress was what she always wanted to be. Memories flashed into her eyes, of when she trained with Juno and Anaximander, sparring in the courtyard. Throwing her small discus shield and calling it back with her polarity. It took her a while, but she always figured out how to do it. She walked down the stairs and slowed as she saw that Cinder, Ruby and Penny were still here.
Ruby and Penny were still asleep together on the couch but sat in the shadows was Cinder. Her one amber eye watching her from the darkness, sternly. In her hand she kept forming an obsidian dagger, spinning it through her fingers and shattering it, then reforging it again. Pyrrha stared back but she just kept on walking. She scratched her head and approached the courtyard.
Flop.
That was what she felt, best word for it. A white towel was now over her head, warm and smelling fresh. She sluggishly pulled it from her head, to see Juno stood in the courtyard with two training swords in her hands, dulled blades pressed against the ground. "Still not a morning person…" Juno chuckled.
"Mom? W-What are you doing?" Pyrrha softly moaned.
Juno suddenly launched one of the swords towards Pyrrha, and without even thinking she caught it as she stepped aside. She saw her reflection in the blade then turned to her mother. "Who are you?" Juno calmly asked her as she slowly walked.
"E-Excuse me?" Pyrrha stammered, Juno smiled as she pointed the blade of her sword to her daughter.
"Who are you?" Juno repeated.
"Um… Pyrrha Nikos?" Pyrrha answered, sounding confused.
"Are you? I mean… the daughter I raised never backed down from a challenge. And yet here you are, running away." Juno said to her, then Pyrrha sighed.
"Oh forget it." Pyrrha sighed as she saw Darkness blocking her path. You're not real…
"Get back here!" Juno commanded with a raised voice, and suddenly Pyrrha felt like a little girl again. Like she did something wrong and was about to receive quite the stern lesson. Pyrrha froze, and slowly turned to look at her mother. "I know what you're going through, Pyrrha. I do… you seem to forget that your father and me? We mourned you… for six years… we mourned your death. Believing you were taken from us and that there was nothing we could do to avenge you." Juno explained.
"Then… we saw the Revolution begin. Hundreds… thousands… of brave men and women. Humans and Faunus. Working together to fight back against the monster who killed so many good men and women… and children." Juno explained. "We wanted to fight back too, for you. To help the many other mothers and fathers who lost their sons and daughters to the Inhumane Necessity. Then Salem had them slaughtered… in horrific ways… and we just… stopped. Gave up." Juno explained as she bowed her head.
She then lifted her head. "But in that moment? Before she had so many people butchered? We both really believed we could make a difference."
Pyrrha still stayed quiet. "I can see it in their faces. Your friends. Ruby and Penny… even Cinder. They all have hope, they believe they can change things. And I can tell you do to."
"You're wrong. I can't do anything." Pyrrha sighed.
Juno suddenly shot forward and swung the training sword at Pyrrha, the Invincible Girl swiftly blocked the incoming blows. She threw the towel aside and backed up quickly, blocking every single hack and slash her mother made. She took her sword with both hands and pirouetted downwards towards her. She then slashed up her chest with the sword, cutting across her aura, and swiped Pyrrha off her feet, knocking her over. She pointed the sword at her face. "Why? Because Jaune's dead?" Juno questioned.
Pyrrha gritted her teeth and smacked the sword aside and rolled backwards, landing on her feet. She arched her arm and kept the sword pointed at her mother. "Is this what he would want you to do? To just run away? Is that what the Invincible Girl would do?" Juno questioned as she circled her daughter.
"I'm not the Invincible Girl!" Pyrrha argued, striking repeatedly at her mother, before she threw her sword towards her with her polarity which broke her mother's defence. But Pyrrha just stood there, panting with grief. Juno stood tall, looking at her broken daughter, who looked smaller than she ever did.
"What you are doing, Pyrrha? It isn't going to help you. Believe me…" Juno assured.
"I wanted to fight back. I wanted to… but… I can't. Don't you understand? After everything I worked so hard to build, all the achievements? I still couldn't do a damn thing to save him, and I couldn't stop Salem. They played us like a damn fiddle… and the world I knew is gone. I failed… and I will fail again. I am not letting anyone else die because of me." Pyrrha stated as she turned to walk away.
"Pyrrha!" Juno called, only for Pyrrha to bump right into Cinder who was stood right in the doorway, glaring directly into Pyrrha's eyes.
"Are you serious right now? You wanna just bury your head in the sand? We followed you here… I left my little girl at the Summit's Claim to help you three. We have a plan, a pretty good one if I am being completely honest. And you just wanna run off? Give up before we have even started? Because of what might happen? Fuck that!" Cinder yelled with anger as she shoved Pyrrha backwards.
"Get out of my way." Pyrrha growled.
"Get over yourself, you stuck-up asshole! My home is gone because I risked taking you in. I could have just buried my head in the sand like you want to and kicked you out. Or hell, I could have turned you in and taken your bounty. But I didn't, did I?" Cinder explained as she kept walking towards her. "I took a risk, and that got you back to what's left of your team and your friends. And now we are going out there to take the fight to Salem and make things right." Cinder explained.
She pushed her back into the courtyard again. Behind them, Anaximander emerged and gritted his teeth to stop Cinder, but he saw Juno shake her head. Beside him were the newly awakened Ruby and Penny.
"You're luckier than any other person. You died and came back from the dead, and sure your fuckbuddy is dead, oh boo-hoo, but there are still so many more people out here who need you. And your friends are still alive!" She argued.
"I loved him." Pyrrha softly replied.
"Then what are you doing? Use it! Use that rage inside of you, direct it at Salem! Hell, bring it! Throw it at me! Come on, have at it, Invincible Girl!" Cinder yelled as she held out her arms.
Pyrrha roared with fury and swung her fist into Cinder's cheek, recoiling her back slightly. Pyrrha punched, again and again at Cinder, in the face and in the torso, but the Fall Maiden just took every punch, letting Pyrrha unleash that rage in her. She then caught her fist and smashed Pyrrha down into the ground. "Even now… you're still holding back. WHERE'S YOUR RAGE? YOUR SELF-RESPECT?" She yelled at her, and Pyrrha just stared up at her as Cinder held her arms down against the ground.
Then she just laid there, just closing her tearful eyes. "I can't… I can't…" She cried as she laid there.
"Yes, you can. I saw it in your eyes there." Cinder stated.
"My anger won't stop Salem it will just get others killed." Pyrrha said.
"No… not your anger. I saw your drive… I saw it again when you were fighting, you were focused when you were hitting me there. But now you are lost again." Cinder said as she kept Pyrrha against the hot ground. Cinder released her and stood tall above her. Ruby and Penny both approached, and the Silver Eyed warrior crouched down beside the downed Spartan.
"I know it feels hopeless. But we can make a difference, Pyrrha. We won't change things back to the way they were because things were bad then too. But we can make things better than both times. Take the best from both… but we have to work together. And we need you." Ruby explained as she gently held Pyrrha's hand.
"I'll just slow you down… Milo and Akoúo are gone." Pyrrha sniffled.
"You don't need them." Anaximander spoke up as he approached, holding Jaune's broken sword in his hands. Her eyes widened when she saw it in his grasp. "The blade may be broken… but we can use what remains to build something new… by combining it with something of yours."
"Heh… your old Training Sword. The old forge here still works, your father could easily combine them… maybe even use the excess to make you a second blade..." Juno assured. "I'll go get it, give me a moment." Juno said as she walked off. Pyrrha sat forward and Cinder looked at her.
"You can't keep doing this, Pyrrha. You have to wake up." Cinder stated.
"How?" She sniffled back.
"Find your end goal. I found mine in Amber… I wanted to look after her, and I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. I'll die if I have to." Cinder assured.
"Cinder's right. The goal that got me moving again was finding the Relic of Knowledge… and that lead to me finding Penny. And now it's helping us find Creation… and maybe even a cure for Penny's virus." Ruby explained and Penny smiled at Pyrrha as she sat there. Pyrrha could tell Penny was still a little scared of her for what happened back at Amity… but Penny was still the kind soul she always was.
Pyrrha looked down at her hands. "Jaune died… and I couldn't save him. And then I died… I failed…"
"Then get out there… and try again. Nobody else has that chance, you owe it to everyone not alive now to try." Cinder told her, and Pyrrha looked up at the Fall Maiden who stood before her. Her words… they really seemed to strike deep for Pyrrha. She turned when she heard her mother approach, holding her old training sword she used to use, it looked a lot like Milo, however it could not transform.
"I will not be able to rebuild Milo, but I can make something that Grimm and Salem will fear. The Old-Fashioned way still gets the job done." Anaximander said with a smile.
Ruby looked at Pyrrha with a smile, remembering the day she first met Jaune. "Not enough people appreciate the classics these days." Ruby said, which made Pyrrha smile.
"Yeah… the classics." She replied.
Pyrrha looked at her mother as she approached. "So… my daughter? What are you going to do? Are you going to hide… and mourn? Or are you going to be Pyrrha Nikos once more?" Juno asked her with a smile, already able to see the answer on Pyrrha's face.
Pyrrha looked at Juno's outstretched hand.
She reached up and took it.
No More Running.
No More Hiding.
It's time to take this fight to Salem.
Terra
It took her a while, but Terra managed to get back to Argus, just as Robyn suggested.
She kept a low profile, these streets once felt safe but not anymore. She had no idea if the Ace Ops managed to identify her or not, but luckily, she knew this city like the back of her hand. After she got off the Argus Limited, she stuck to the alleyways and used the shadows to her advantage.
Something's not right… there's a really weird feeling in the air.
She pressed her back against the wall, swallowing thickly, before she looked around the edge, seeing the Bounty Boards with the faces of the Happy Huntresses now added to them. Salem had a lot of names up there now, and she could see Mercenaries and Bounty Hunters reading them and heading out to try and hunt them down. But they were not the only danger, there were Black Gallows and Grimm patrolling the streets.
She jolted as the screech of a Sphinx erupted over her, and the massive Creature of Grimm soared overhead, landing upon the former Atlesian Base – Cypher's Ridge. Now just another Black Gallows Garrison, where their airships would land daily, and Freighters would arrive to deliver their cargo. The docks constantly were bellowing with horns from the huge ships that arrived from Solitas.
C'mon, Terra… home… it's just down the road.
She huffed, and she slipped out into a crowd, keeping her head down and her cap on, using the shade to hide her face. She did not see her name appear on the Bounty Boards but that did not mean she was in the clear. She kept walking and stayed as normal she could. Walking across the street when the lights were green for pedestrians, passing by the newly installed Heating Grid – courtesy of Atlas.
She looked ahead and a smile formed on her face. "Right ahead…" She exhaled as she approached the house, seeing the car was there. Saphron was home and judging by the time he would have been back from school by now. Probably waiting for dinner as she thought. Terra walked across their driveway and opened the door.
She froze… her blood went cold…
Saphron was sat on their couch, with this terrified look in her eyes, and Adrien was showing her a drawing.
Not Saphron.
Salem.
The Dark Queen was in her house, with an Armoured Knight stood right behind the couch Saphron was sat on. They did not realise it… but that Knight… was Jaune, his identity concealed from his helmet. "Wow… you really are a great artist, aren't you?" Salem gasped with a bright smile, appearing to be so welcoming and friendly. "Does Adrien aspire to be an artist some day?"
"Oh… I uh… I'm not sure, what do you think, Adrien?" Saphron stammered nervously.
"Yes… I like to draw; it would be really cool to learn how to paint someday." Adrien innocently answered with a smile.
"Oh I imagine you will be fantastic. Who knows? Perhaps I will get you to do my portrait? I would be honoured." Salem sweetly said with a smile. Salem then turned her head when she heard the door lightly close, and that smile stayed there, yet her eyes said otherwise. She was staring right into Terra's soul. She stood up and smiled. "Ah… so you must be Mrs Cotta-Arc."
"U-Um… yes. Hello, Queen Salem. I must say I am… amazed to see you here at my home." Terra nervously laughed, shaking Salem's hand. As they shook, Salem pressed her other hand over Terra's, her eyes flared red despite her smile.
"I have heard all about your work, madame. You have kept this city safe from so many dangerous people over the years. Your brother has told me all sorts of incredible things about you… he thinks the world of you." Salem kindly said, smiling brightly.
Terra's heart was pounding a hundred beats a minute right now. "D-Did he? Oh well… he likes to blabber a lot. I'm sure he's just exaggerating."
Saphron looked slowly at the Salem Knight who was soullessly staring down at her. It gave her the creeps and she looked away, turning to her little boy who sat next to her. "He's incredibly proud of you. And… I am very sorry for everything your family has been through. Do know that I am working incredibly hard to fix the damage that was caused…" Salem said with a smile as she continued to stare straight at Terra.
Sweat beaded from her skin but she kept her cool. "Thank you… I really appreciate that. I mean… wow… the Queen here at our house? I never expected to come home to that." Terra laughed, Salem smile and softly chuckled.
They all heard the microwave ding, and Salem turned her head to it. "Ah! I will leave you be I wouldn't want to intrude on your lunch. It was lovely meeting you all, I hope we get to see each other again someday. And Adrien? Goodbye, my dear boy… and good luck with your art!" Salem gleefully praised with another bright smile that seemed was completely alien to her.
Jaune walked around the sofa, glancing at the photograph of him, Saphron, Terra and Pyrrha on the wall. He stared at it for a few moments. "My Knight… let us leave these fine people to their dinner." Salem commanded, and he silently followed her. She walked away and closed the door behind her. The two of them vanished into a portal as if they had never appeared at all.
Saphron burst from her seat and ran to Terra, hugging her tight and kissing her repeatedly with a terrified cry. "Where were you?" She cried out. "You said you would be back hours ago!"
"It went to shit; we need to go… Oh gods… Salem knows… they know…" Terra stammered. "Pack your things, all essentials. We need to go."
"But… just stay out of this! Please!" Saphron begged.
"Saph… honey… that was a threat. Salem knows I'm involved now; we won't make it to midnight if we stay here. They'll lock us up in Black Cells. We. Need. To. Leave."
KNOCK
KNOCK
KNOCK
The sudden pounds made Saphron scream with shock and Adrien hugged her leg with fear. Terra cautiously approached the door, and opened it, hand on the gun holstered on her hip. She sighed with relief. "Thank the gods…" She sighed as Dutch walked inside.
"You need to be fast; I have a safehouse. You all need to come with me, now." Dutch ordered.
"Dutch… Salem was here." Terra stammered.
"I know, I saw her leave. Damn it… this is our fault… one of them must have overheard us. Killian must have informed Salem." Dutch explained.
The look of betrayal on Terra's face… she knew she had turned on him by helping Robyn, so that was no shock that he'd be angry… but the fact he flat out told Salem? She never thought he'd do that. "What the fuck… so much for Family." She scoffed.
"The fact Salem didn't kill you says a lot, Terra." Dutch said as he helped Saphron pack some clothes and important things.
"What?" Saphron asked.
"It means Killian begged her not to. Believe me… she would have killed all of you instead of a friendly chat. But make no mistake, the Black Gallows are coming. So we have to go. Now." Dutch told them.
It didn't take long, Saphron held Adrien close as she and Terra followed Dutch through the streets, and they found his armoured truck he managed to steal from the Black Gallows. And by the looks of things, he managed to destroy every single tracker built into the thing so Killian could not find them.
They left their home behind and drove away into the setting night.
But now they knew…
Salem knew they were onto her…
Author Note - Oh that bit was so fun to write, I love writing tense moments like that part at the end with Salem and the Cotta-Arcs. Having Salem seem so friendly and nice, smiling away whilst her eyes are slightly glowing (showing her dark side and evil nature) is so much fun. But thank god they managed to get out of there... and in a weird way... thank god Killian begged Salem not to kill any of them.
Because she would've, we all know it.
Sorry this took a while, it was either writer's block or stuff got in the way XD But I there was a lot to have fun with here. The Ace Ops for example. Holy Shit Clover is a deranged and evil bastard and I love writing him. I love playing around with characters, and making him the polar opposite he is in the show was quite fun. Sure Clover was blindly loyal to Ironwood... but he was never batshit like he is here. Poor Marrow, too... he was only eleven when Eclipse Act 1 happened and only 15 when Act 2 ended. Poor kid, what choice did he have? Join the Black Gallows or die? He was only a first year student... let's hope the Black Gallows' doctrine hasn't corrupted him like it did to Clover.
I LOVED that part with Blake, Yang and Li too. Having him show that her blindness is not a crutch is something she needed to know, if he has managed to do everything he has done without his eyes then so can she. Let's hope she and Yang can work together to start unlocking this second sight.
And of course... Pyrrha.
Looks like she's finally getting her act together, and now she is getting herself some new weapons... and new armour. Time to get Team C.P.P.R together!
(P.S David and I only realised this recently... but we have essentially accidentally pulled a RWBY XD Blake, Li and Maria = The Three Blind Mice :D )
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter - Three Months Later (Yep, got a little time skip, it'll make sense worry not)
- Matt