Chapter 21 – The Savannah
Blake
The walk continued through the savannah.
From time to time they killed Grimm that tried to attack, but these lands were hard for Grimm to pull off a successful ambush on roaming Huntsmen and Huntresses. By the time they attack the warriors had already cut them down, since they could not camouflage in the dry grass. Ren ran his fingers through the blades, and Blake listened to the birds that flew in the sky, calling out across the horizon.
Passing by more and more ruins of the ancient, destroyed city of Sklavedon. Yang looked at one of the chunks of building, covered in vegetation and weathered away by the elements over years and years. Yang then looked at Blake and Weiss as they walked, and she caught up to the two of them. Things were still tense after that night when those bad memories were brought up once again.
"Hey… you two, okay?" Yang softly asked them.
"Yeah." Weiss assured, Yang still felt like she was shunned, and Weiss could tell. "Look… I know you, Yang. And I know you're still the good person you've always been… it's just hard for us to remember the old times."
"Because of what happened?" Yang assumed, immediately taking the blame.
"Not… just that." Weiss admitted as she held her forearm as they walked, Yang glanced at her. Then it hit her, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Oh gods… I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking." She sighed.
"It's okay, Yang. Really. It's just that… trying to think about how things were? Back before we lost… Neptune… and Sun? It hurts when old memories come back… because then you remember that so many people… ones we loved… are all gone." Weiss explained, closing her eyes with grief. Blake could sense her inner pain, hell she could feel it within herself whenever she pictured Sun's face. She gently squeezed Weiss' shoulder to make her feel better, which always helped.
"I know what you mean." Ren said as he walked behind them. "Sometimes I remember the days when Jaune would just… awkwardly try and ask for girl advice from me. Then I remember he's gone… it hurts."
"I miss that dork." Nora sighed.
"But that's just it." He said as he walked up to the two of them. "If we just… refuse to acknowledge the past? If we just keep trying to leave it all behind, and not face it… it's just gonna hurt us more and more." Ren said.
Weiss and Blake looked ahead as they walked but they listened to his words. "How am I supposed to think like that after… after I left Sun to die?" Blake asked him.
"You didn't, not from what you told us." Ren explained.
"Ren's right. Sun made you run, you never left him. He knew the consequences of what he chose… and he faced them. Hell knowing him he probably spat into Death's face." Nora stated with a smile, chuckling at the image of him doing that.
"If we force ourselves to forget all our memories… both good and bad… then we'd be insulting their memory. I always choose to remember the good times we shared with Jaune. Every time he made us laugh or came up with some genius strategy to beat an enemy. Or his… terrible jokes." Ren chuckled, which made all of them laugh.
"I never got to know him – but from how you talked about him, he seemed like a cool guy." Oscar chimed in.
"He was." Nora beamed a smile back at him.
"Even… after everything that happened between us?" Weiss asked as she looked at Ren, and he just nodded his head.
"We both chose to follow the paths we believed in. And in the end, when you knew what the Black Gallows were really doing, you came to help us." Ren explained. "What drove us apart… it was complicated… but Valravn was always at the centre."
Just mentioning his name…
Yang gasped, nearly screamed, as an Apparition of Valravn suddenly lunged directly at her with a terrifying roar. His hand extended for her and she flinched, looking away. Just as he got close, she opened her eyes… and everyone around her was gone. "Blake? Weiss?" Yang cried out, desperately looking around. The sky had gone dark, and she could hear the chimes clinking together… and the whispers in the air.
"Darkness hides within you… child of the sun…" The dark voice of Valravn snarled, Yang turned and saw him stood by a tree where Wind Chimes dangled. He walked towards her. Just like Ruby, she was also haunted by her ancient relative. Even after death he still haunts them, and the mere mention of that monster's name was enough to snap Yang back into the Branwen Connection.
Most of the time… it was empty… not a single sound.
But other times, her nightmares would drift into this realm, as if it were reviving Valravn into her mind. It was moments like these that scared Yang to her core, thinking that Valravn was still out there somewhere.
"Go… away." Yang growled.
"You fear that which is true, you fear the beating heart that you believe is a tumour. I am you and you are me, we are Branwen. And through you, the bloodline shall continue… forever." Valravn whispered.
"You're dead… you're not real… just leave me alone." She begged, raising her fists as if she were going to fight him.
"Continue to hide from who you truly are. But nothing can change the truth." Valravn stated, then Yang roared with fury as her eyes flushed red and hair burned gold then blue, and she blasted shot after shot at Valravn. The shells exploded against him, and he stood his ground, completely impervious by her bullets.
He stared her down, and suddenly Blake was on her knees before Valravn. And he raised his blade to her neck.
"Your love for her drives you, yet she fears what you truly are. Do you not see what she sees? That you are a Branwen? Nothing can change the truth." Valravn spoke, Yang gritted her teeth as her burning hair heated the ground, burning the grass and leaving ashes all around her.
"Leave her alone!" Yang roared.
"From the ashes of those who came before may life spring anew… and from the rivers that ran red with blood… will the new take the first drink of life." He said, and he went to slice open Blake's throat.
"NO!" Yang howled as she blasted towards Valravn and punched straight through him.
Then everything went dark…
She laid in the ashes… and she stared at her hands, seeing nothing but ashes trailing away. Then she turned to see Blake laid beside her… gently caressing her cheek. In her mind… her beautiful amber eyes were back, and they even seemed to glow as she gazed at her. Wearing a beautiful white dress that lit up the darkness, with an almost angelic beauty.
"Wake up."
"Yang? Wake up! Wake up!" Blake cried out desperately as she shook her, Yang gasped as her eyes opened and she frantically looked around. Expecting to see Valravn there, but luckily it was all just a nightmare in her head.
"Oh thank the gods… you're finally back with us." Weiss sighed with relief. Yang then looked confused.
"What happened?" Yang asked.
"You just… collapsed." Blake answered as she gently held Yang's cheek. "You gave us quite a fright."
"W-Where are we?" Yang asked with confusion in her voice as she started to sit upright.
"Yeah…" Blake softly said with a nervous tone in her voice. Yang then looked around and saw they were in an old destroyed town. But there was something very familiar here… especially when she saw the scorch marks in the destroyed buildings.
"H-How did I… how long was I out?" Yang asked, they all looked at Blake.
"Blake carried you here. We couldn't risk leaving you out in the sun, you could've gotten heatstroke. Blake insisted on getting you here." Oscar revealed, Yang looked at her and Blake softly smiled and blushed.
"Yeah…"
Yang smiled. "Thanks, Blake."
"What the hell happened on your end? Because it looked like you were dreaming?" Weiss asked.
"I… I saw Valravn again. It was another attack… it forcefully threw me back into the Branwen Connection… and like always I felt nothing else in there. But… my nightmares… they tend to seep into that place sometimes. And it happened there again… Valravn messing with me." Yang explained, rubbing her tired eyes, then stroking her blonde hair, a simple habit she did whenever she felt uncomfortable.
"I'm so sorry, Yang… it's my fault that happened. I brought him up." Ren sighed sadly; guilt ridden.
"Don't be, tiny things can trigger it. Just like Ruby. Wind Chimes tend to be a big one for both of us, but sometimes merely mentioning his name can… make me have a panic attack. Or have something like that happen to me." Yang explained, massaging her head, which was hurting a bit.
"Here, you're dehydrated." Nora offered her canteen of cold water to her, and Yang accepted.
"Wait, what about you?" Yang asked the pregnant Huntress.
"Excuse me, I'm not the one who just passed out. Worry about you, missy." Nora replied.
"Okay, ma'am." Yang softly giggled. She drank some of the water and gave it back to her, then she stood back up, and looked around.
"So… what is this place?" Yang inquired.
"This… is where the revolution began. Six years ago." Blake answered, and Yang's eyes widened.
"Oh… gods… I remember hearing about this."
Salem
Six years ago… in this very town…
A town named Kurokuma, it was just another gentle town that lived out in the wilderness of Eastern Anima, however a lot of mothers, fathers, siblings and lovers lost loved ones to the Inhumane Necessity. They were not the first, but they were by far one of the more vocal communities to stand up against Salem.
Protestors crowded in the street and yelled relentlessly at the Black Gallows Spokesman who tried to calm the situation down. "Everyone, please! Remain calm, this transition of power was never going to be seamless, but it had to be done! For the greater good of the people!" He called out with his microphone.
"Greater Good? What about my son? He was murdered by your so-called peacekeepers!" A mother yelled.
"Or my wife? Did she deserve what the Grimm did to her?" A husband cried out with tears in his eyes.
"I understand this is hard to accept, but their sacrifices are worth the future we're going to build." The Spokesman said, until one woman got up and punched him in the face so hard it knocked him out.
"Asshole." She picked up the microphone and started to speak. "Everyone! It is time we make our voices heard by this so-called queen! She has taken everything from us! And the most powerful company on the planet is now in the hands of Arthur Watts! He has all the money and the power, and we have… no offence, jack shit." She laughed, which made everyone laugh and cheer.
"And yeah… we could just roll over and just give up, right? But I can't… how can I go home and look my baby girl in the eyes and tell her that her father died saving us? When I know that he was murdered by monsters wearing black armour?" She listed.
Everyone cheered harder, and there were so many people livestreaming her speech. "It's time we stand up for what's right!"
"Hell yeah, Lavender!" A man cheered.
"We're gonna hold Salem accountable! We're gonna hold Killian accountable! The whole goddamn Black Gallows will be held accountable and will be punished for the loved ones they stole from us! Yes! YES!" Lisa Lavender cheered.
Then everything fell silent.
As Salem landed right next to her, everyone backed up with wide eyes as Salem looked at the large crowd. "Good morning everyone." She calmly greeted with a kind smile, turning to Lisa and opening her palm to the microphone. "May I?"
Lavender merely loosened her grip and Salem used her telekinesis to pull the microphone into her palm. She smiled and gently touched Lisa's shoulder. "Thank you. C.C.T's Top Reporter – Lisa Lavender – everybody." She said as she held her hand out to the familiar face. "Such a talented woman. Did you all see that perfect Shine rendition she did online? So beautiful." Salem chuckled as she walked down the steps of the stage that they made with trucks.
"But of course… why did she do it? Because she wanted to support the families who lost someone from the Inhumane Necessity. Now, believe me – I did not want things to go down that way. Not at all… but after Ruby Rose and her compatriots brutally slaughtered the good Councillors of the Unified Governments of Remnant? Well… such an atrocity could never happen again, so we made sure that it wouldn't." Salem explained, but the people were not so easy to convince.
"If it were just the terrorists then maybe we'd get it, but you murdered innocents! Children!" A man yelled from the crowd.
"My little girls were in Sanctum when your people burned it to the ground! They were good!" A mother cried.
"Yes. I know. And trust me, I am upset for their loss too. I wish I could go back and easily make the problem made by those terrorists go away. But consider… how many other Huntsmen and Huntresses did similar atrocities? Jackdaw Branwen. Cinder Fall. Emerald Sustrai. Mercury Black. The list goes on, and on and on." Salem explained. "The system Professor Ozpin created was constantly harming the innocent people of the world… and under my leadership as Queen – I can promise you – this will never happen again."
"You're not our Queen!" A woman yelled.
"Yeah! You're no queen!"
"Okay… okay, everyone… calm down." Salem shushed, but everyone kept repeating the same words, yelling at the same time in unison.
"YOU'RE NO QUEEN!"
"YOU'RE NO QUEEN!"
"YOU'RE NO QUEEN!"
"YOU'RE NO QUEEN!"
"YOU'RE NO QUEEN!"
"YOU'RE NO QUEEN!"
"YOU'RE NO QUEEN!"
Salem glared at the roaring crowd… and something… snapped in her as she just saw this horde of fools who refused to listen. Then she just dropped the mic and it hit the ground… and the entire crowd fell silent.
The Dark Queen sighed, and her eyes suddenly shone bright red. A powerful blast of red energy formed into a beam from her eyes as she cut straight through the face of the woman who yelled first, and the crowd started to disperse in terror, screaming. But Salem did not stop there, she cut every single person in there down, her heat vision carved clean through the houses and buildings like a knife through butter. Blood was everywhere, staining the roads and the walls as she chopped them all to bits with her heat vision.
Then… the crowd was dead, she turned to Lisa and lifted her off the ground with her telekinesis… and snapped her neck. Her lifeless corpse hit the ground, then Salem silently flew off with a bang.
And the whole thing was filmed on livestreaming Scrolls.
And thus… the Revolution against Salem begun.
Blake
"But it didn't last long. Salem, the Grimm and the Black Gallows were too much… and they slaughtered any who stood against Salem. Eventually… anyone who disagreed or hated Salem were too afraid to stand up. And now… society is ruled by cruel men and women who believe Salem is right, whilst everyone else cowers in fear." Blake explained.
They looked around at the remains of this once bustling town… with nothing but old blood stains left behind and destroyed buildings.
All caused by Salem's outburst.
Even the truck bed used as a stage was still there, with the dent in the bed where Salem landed.
"And she calls this peace." Nora scoffed. "It's just fear…"
Blake sighed, rubbing the tear from her eye as she imagined the fear all those poor men and women felt as they tried to flee, only to be cut down by Salem.
"Come on… I wanna make some distance from this place." Blake said, they all silently agreed, following Blake.
Leaving this Mass Grave behind…
Eryka
She kept her eyes on the sky, the storm had set in and the wind was howling.
Icy cold rain fell upon the fields of Anima, rustling the blades of grass and blooming flowers. Lightning crackled in the darkening skies. Eryka was leant against the doorframe with Constantine Damascus still in her hand, and Dulcis perched on her shoulder. Softly chirping as he nuzzled against her cheek. "Hey, sweetie… it's okay. I know you don't like the rain." She cooed as she gently stroked his head. But she just couldn't help but watch the sky.
They could still be out there…
"Hey, Eryka? C'mon…" Winter ushered, and she sighed, stepping away from the doorframe and letting it close behind her. She walked down the steps into the Bunker, still hearing the rumbling of the rain hitting the roof of the shack. She holstered her bow as she walked in the room, seeing everyone hard at work as they tried to find some clues about where Lavinia could have gone.
"Any ideas on what we should be looking for? She's your mom, after all." Joanna asked, rummaging through some old boxes with old booze in them.
"You say that like we used to chat the shit all the time. I knew nothing about who she really was, I'm just as much in the dark as you are." Eryka explained as she looked around the room. Winter glanced at her as she walked around the room, and she sat down beside her.
"What is it?" Winter inquired.
"I don't like this… the first time the Ace Ops let us go it made sense. That was Dutch scaring them off with the recording of Higanbana… but this time?" Eryka explained. "It feels like they're waiting for us to let our guard down."
"Or send reinforcements." Winter agreed.
"It was Marrow." Fiona said, Eryka and Winter looked at the youngest Huntress.
"What do you mean?" Winter inquired.
"I managed to get through to him. I wanted to help him, he's a young guy, and judging by his age he would have only been a student when the Inhumane Necessity happened. Maybe a year or two younger than me. I don't blame him for choosing their side… he was a kid… and didn't wanna die. If I was in his position back, then… I may have done the same." Fiona explained as she reached through some of the crates and files, flicking through them.
May looked back at her. "No you wouldn't have… you're one of the toughest gals I know." May assured with a gentle smile.
Fiona sweetly returned the smile. "Thanks." She then set the file down on her lap. "I can just see it in him… he doesn't want any part of this. The fact he called in that Wasp for a retreat shows a lot. I just hope he's okay…"
Robyn looked at her. "You care for him, don't you?"
"I dunno… he just reminds me of who I once was. A little Faunus girl who wanted to be more, but the Humans made me be less. The Schnee Dust Company crushed me down, forced me into the Mines for hard labour… just because of my race. And until I met you, Robyn, I did whatever I had to so that I'd survive. Even horrible things… because I didn't believe there was anything better. But you saved me from that Mine." Fiona explained as she smiled happily at her.
She then looked down at the file on her lap. "I guess… I just wanna do the same for someone else."
"I take it nobody else noticed Vine is a robot, right?" May inquired curiously.
"Yeah… I thought I saw that." Joanna agreed, sounding just as surprised. "I know the Black Gallows have been doing some weird and messed up shit in the past few years… especially with Salem. I mean seeing what Adam Taurus has become… I dunno why it surprises me. But he's like Penny."
"Maybe he's a new replacement for her. One they can control." Winter said as she wrung her hands together. "I remember Ironwood talking about his concerns of Penny going rogue, but Pietro always put his foot down." She chuckled.
"Maybe Killian has made a new one." Eryka agreed. "Scares me to imagine whatever else he has made."
Eryka stood up and started to look around with them, and Winter sharpened her sword with her personal whetstone. She started searching through the many shelves. "I don't get it. Did Dutch know that Lavinia is the Winter Maiden?" Robyn started to wonder.
"I dunno, but if Killian knew then there's a strong possibility." Eryka explained.
"He could have let us know." May sighed.
"Dutch said that Killian is starting to become paranoid, it's possible he doesn't know who to trust anymore. Dutch may be out of the loop in more ways than one now." Robyn explained as she helped Eryka check the shelves.
"You sure you can trust him?" She asked her.
Robyn looked at Eryka and sighed. "Why is everyone so quick to write him off?"
"He's Black Gallows. That's more than enough reason for me to have trust issues. Those bastards are the reason us Huntresses are having to hide in creepy bunkers, afraid to fall asleep at night." Eryka explained.
"And besides… first time we met him, we interrogated and tortured him for info on Killian. Took him a while to spit anything out." Winter explained.
"Well he kept us safe for six years and has helped us more than once after we decided to fight back." Robyn explained. "I trust him… so trust me."
"Yeah… trust the woman who wore a false identity for years and was with Killian." Eryka scoffed.
"Eryka…" Winter sighed.
"You got a problem?" Robyn snarked back, which made Eryka stare right back at her, the two squared up against each other.
"No offense, but I can't trust someone who can switch names and faces whenever they choose." Eryka stated.
"I did what I did to get information out of Killian. I wanted to know who we're up against, and I hate going into a fight blind." Robyn explained, Eryka narrowed her eyes at her, and Robyn did the same. But as she glared at the Leader of the Happy Huntresses, something caught her eye.
A flicker… of blue light…
… from some sort of hologram.
Eryka immediately shoved past her and approached the source. "Hey!" Robyn retorted, but Eryka just snapped her fingers at her.
"What?" Winter asked, standing up quickly.
"There was a hologram here for a few seconds…" Eryka commented, looking around. She then started to shove aside the boxes. Winter helped Eryka move the boxes aside and eventually they found it… a holographic message receiver.
It was like a disc on the ground about the size of a table made of metal that would project a life-sized hologram of the messenger. Sometimes would be used for live calls as well, but it was old. Nowadays people used the same Hologram Drones that Killian used when they were attacked by the Ace Ops earlier.
"She did leave something here…" Eryka said, then jolted.
"SCANNING: WELCOME ERYKA VASILLIAS. PLAYING MESSAGE." The automated computer spoke, Eryka's blue eyes widened.
"That's why it never appeared… it needed a Vasillias to unlock it. Always the paranoid one, my mom." Eryka said as everyone gathered around. The message loaded up… and there she stood. Lavinia Vasillias, she held her arms together over her chest.
"Enter Log. Eryka, I know that you're searching for me. Some of my spies I sent to the Summit's Claim overheard your plan. I was gonna be waiting for you but then the attack happened. Well… I say attack… I knew they were coming. I prepared for this; I knew Salem would try something eventually." Lavinia explained.
"She sent spies to the Claim?" Winter sighed.
"Of course she did… always needs eyes and ears in every corner of Remnant." Eryka said.
"I know… it doesn't surprise me, honestly." Winter admitted.
"I know you'll find your way here eventually, you're smart and can sniff out clues quicker than anyone. So congratulations on finding all my cleverly hidden hints. I also know that Robyn Hill and her compatriots are hiding there – I can't imagine that's a coincidence." Lavinia explained. "I have moved my forces to Vacuo, to a hidden base out in the Dune Sea. If you want to keep searching for me… get your ass to these deserts. I imagine we're gonna have a lot to talk about."
The message ended, but the computerised voice spoke up. "File Uploaded to Eryka Vasillias' Scroll."
She felt the scroll vibrate and she pulled it out, opening the screen. She saw the file in her folder, so she opened it up… and saw a map of Vacuo and its massive deserts. And she had placed a marker on her location.
"That's it… that's where she's hiding." Eryka gasped.
"Are you sure enlisting the help of a Cartel Boss is a good idea? I mean… I've heard the stories." Fiona asked nervously.
"She's my mother… we may have a strained relationship… but we need her." Eryka explained.
"She's right." Robyn agreed. "If what these two told us is true, then having a Fully Realised Winter Maiden on our side will be a big help. And Lavinia has access to resources that will help us out too."
Robyn turned to Eryka and Winter. "Looks like we're gonna have to get to Vacuo."
"Yeah… and hope this doesn't end badly." Eryka agreed.
Blake
They continued on after leaving the ruins of Kurokuma, walking over the dry fields of the Savannah. Herbivorous animals grazed together; soft birdsong echoed from the trees.
Oscar walked up the field and slowed down, pointing ahead. "There…" He identified, and they also saw it.
The sea.
It seemed like it just went on forever, even curved up into the sky. Of course that was simply just an optical illusion due to how blue it was, contrasted against the sky. "Oh finally." Nora groaned with relief, gently touching her belly.
"What's this place called?" Yang asked as she walked next to Blake.
"Blackrock Harbour. It's the most popular trading post for Anima and Menagerie. The people here are not like the ones in the city of Mistral, in fact it is one of the few towns that broke off from Anima and the Council to live their own life. They still trade but lived by their own laws, and in those laws – everyone was accepted. Human and Faunus alike. I think that was one of the big reasons why Menagerie Merchants tended to come here. At least… they wouldn't be scrutinized." Blake explained.
"Nice to know not all of these places were destroyed." Yang said.
"Do you think their willingness to trade with Mistral helped keep them safe? From the U.G.R's corruption?" Weiss wondered, knowing that the odds were high that many places were specifically targeted for not agreeing with the Council's Methods.
"Maybe. I know this place had a lot of Mistraalian Officials trying to remove the people in charge and slowly turn it into yet another town that served the Council. But… well… the leaders were not so naïve." Blake explained, which made Yang chuckle.
"I would've loved to see that exchange." Yang joked.
They approached Blackrock Harbour; it was a large town. Not a city, though, it was nowhere near the level of success as Argus was. But it was believed that one day this place could expand to that level of size. End of the day, this town is relatively young, just as Menagerie was. And thanks to the flat land that the Savannah provided, alongside the monumental size of the Savannah itself, they could easily make expansions. Build large walls and become something truly great.
Men and Women, Humans and Faunus, easily traded with each other hear. The sound of seagulls cried out over the sky, and bells from the boats rang out.
"So what's Menagerie like? I've never been there." Yang asked.
"Yeah, neither have I." Weiss agreed.
"Or us." Nora added, which made Oscar chuckle.
"I haven't… but I remember some of Ozpin's memories of the place. Would be nice to see it for myself though." Oscar said.
"It's beautiful. Despite its history and how we were just crammed away down here by the Humans, the place is utterly beautiful to look at. Crystal white beaches, bright blue water, tropical weather… although the Deserts are a bit scarier." Blake explained.
"Scarier than Vacuo?" Ren inquired.
"Not as vast but still has a lot of dangerous wildlife. Alongside Grimm… I've heard stories of Blind Worms living there but I think those are just stories. Like I said, the desert is nowhere near as huge as Vacuo's Dune Sea. If there are Blind Worms… then there are not many." Blake explained.
"I can't wait to see it." Yang beamed.
"Have you thought about what you're gonna say to your parents?" Nora asked with a big smile.
"I… gods… I don't even know where I can begin. I mean…" She reached up to her blindfold. "How do I explain this? My mom… my father… it's gonna break their hearts."
"Hey, you're alive. Finding out you're okay after all these years will be more than enough." Weiss assured.
"But… what if they get angry?" Blake asked, which made Weiss chuckle.
"As someone who knows what it is like to live with a father who was prone to anger? I think you'll be fine; I didn't know your parents that well when we met them at Beacon ten years ago… but I could tell they were good and loved you unconditionally. It will be fine, and besides… you're not alone." Weiss assured.
"Thanks." Blake smiled.
They slowed down and looked around. "Okay… which one of these ships is headed for Vacuo?" Yang inquisitively wondered.
"Yeah… I'm no help here. I can only see Aura, remember?" Blake commented jokingly, shrugging her shoulders.
Oscar examined the large Merchant Vessels that floated at the docks, then he sensed Ozpin. "There." He said.
"Huh? Which?" Oscar asked.
"The one with the smallest amount of crates on the back. The symbol on the side of it is the Menagerie Clan Symbol, the one that used to be the same symbol for the Old White Fang." Ozpin explained.
"It's a good thing you're in my head, that would've taken me ages to figure out." Oscar chuckled.
"It seems we make quite the fine pair, you and I." Ozpin chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah… if you even think about saying I told you so, I'm gonna find a way to punch you." Oscar promised, which made Ozpin laugh.
"My lips are sealed." Ozpin assured, so Oscar pointed at the Trade Ship.
"There, that one is from Menagerie." Oscar identified. "See the crates? They have the Menagerie symbol on them."
"Good eyes." Ren congratulated, and the team approached that area of the docks. They kept their hoods up just in case, end of the day they all had hefty bounties on their heads now. They approached the ship and jumped aboard, stowing away in the cargo hold.
Blake sat down on one box and she wrapped her arms around her knees, glancing over to Weiss, seeing her staring at the crates. She squeezed her eyes shut with… grief. They were S.D.C Crates, filled with dust crystals. She did not have any love for her father – but Whitley and Willow did not deserve what happened to them that night in the Foundations of Sovereignty.
Weiss just sat down and sighed. Blake continued to sit there as she heard the bells ring, and the ship departed.
Headed for Menagerie.
Time to go home…
Pyrrha
That previous night did not have the best effect on the team's morale.
Pyrrha could tell as she everyone remaining completely quiet for a couple hours now. Ruby and Penny were always glued together, but even she could sense the trepidation in the air. She could understand where Cinder was coming from… they were up against a threat that could not be killed. Armies have thrown everything they had at her, Jaune blew her up, and she has lived for thousands of years… maybe over a million years. How do you fight something like that?
But then again… someone had to try.
They can't give up, otherwise the innocent, people like Amber, will suffer if Salem remains in charge.
Pyrrha turned when she sensed his presence once more, looking to the side as the Brother of Darkness walked beside her. "I can feel the doubts lingering in all of you. Do you understand what will happen if you fail?"
"Oh will you be quiet?" Pyrrha said internally at the Brother. "Things are hard enough as it is."
"And things will only grow more challenging. Tell me, what will you do when you face Salem? Will you crumple, fall apart before her? Or will you charge head on, despite your fear, and fight valiantly?" The Brother of Darkness inquired.
"I dunno… I guess we'll have to wait and see, won't we?" Pyrrha replied, he stared at her then slowly lingered away.
"Hmm… interesting…" He concluded, disappearing once more into the back of her mind, she always shuddered after every conversation.
The woods cleared, and they could smell the nearby sea. They were nearly at the place that they could take a sea-worthy vehicle and crossed the sea with so then they can get to Vale. But as they exited the trees… they found something they had become all too familiar with.
Yet another fallen Anima Village.
This one was old though, most likely was destroyed during the Inhumane Necessity. They walked inside of the town, the signs were all destroyed, no telling what this place was called. Just another nameless graveyard for the people who lost their lives from that dark day. "Poor bastards… didn't stand a chance." Cinder said as she looked at all the destroyed and overgrown buildings. Bullet holes everywhere, and claw marks too.
"Black Gallows or Grimm?" Ruby wondered.
"Both." Cinder confirmed. "Most likely started with a Black Gallows attack and were finished off by the Grimm that got drawn in by the chaos."
Pyrrha walked around the town with them and stopped when she felt her boot bump into something. She looked down and her green eyes widened, and she crouched down. There was a dead, decomposed, corpse. Sat against the wall, clad in old, rusted armour with a broken weapon on the ground. His armour was slashed to pieces, and she could see the dark stains of blood against the concrete behind him. "Huntsman… was probably hired to protect this place. So the Black Gallows came to make sure no loose ends were left behind."
"Looks like he held them off for a while. Fair play to him." Ruby said as she looked around, Pyrrha remained there for a few moments…
Reminds me of him… when he was leant against that fountain… before the explosion…
Pyrrha turned when she heard Cinder coughing by a ruined building. "You okay?" Pyrrha asked her, standing up.
She sounded a bit raspy, laboured breath, for a few moments before she returned to normal. "Yeah, yeah. Just got this annoying cough is all." Cinder shrugged, so Pyrrha nodded, and they walked around.
Ruby looked back and forth. "Penny?" She called out.
"Where'd she go?" Pyrrha wondered, they all started to look around and Ruby ran ahead and stopped. Penny was stood in the town square, looking increasingly disturbed. She was shaking, muttering to herself.
"No… no… not again… please not this again." She whimpered as she pressed her hands against her head. Ruby immediately rushed over to her whilst Pyrrha and Cinder watched her with confused faces.
"What the hell?" Cinder mumbled. "This sort of thing normal?"
"How should I know?" Pyrrha asked.
"I dunno, you knew her before you ripped her to shreds. Was she ever like this?" Cinder asked.
"Again, I don't know. I hardly even knew Penny, we barely met. And please stop bringing that up… it's not a good memory." Pyrrha sighed, squeezing her eyes shut in grief. Cinder looked at her then just sighed.
She just patted Pyrrha on the shoulder as she walked over to Ruby and Penny.
That's… the closest to an "I'm sorry" I've ever seen from her.
Pyrrha also followed, and heard what Ruby and Penny were saying, Ruby spoke is a gentle loving voice as she hugged Penny tight, kissing her cheek. Almost cradling her. "It's okay… I'm here." She promised.
"It… It's like Kuchinashi…" She whimpered.
"No. No it isn't. It's nothing like that, and… please… Penny? Stop blaming yourself for that? You can't do that to yourself." Ruby begged her.
Cinder and Pyrrha both exchanged another glance.
"The hell is she talking about?" Cinder asked.
"Not now." Ruby firmly answered.
"This isn't the first time I've heard that town mentioned. I think we oughta know." Pyrrha stated.
Ruby glared at them both. "I said. Not. Now." Ruby sternly repeated, silver eyes glaring straight at the two of them. They both backed down and Pyrrha crossed her arms. Ruby held her close and then looked into Penny's distraught eyes. "Penny… I love you. Okay? I'll always be here… please just tell me when something is wrong, okay?" Ruby asked her.
Penny sniffled and smiled, then Ruby gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. They pressed their heads together, gazing into each other's eyes with undying adoration. Cinder turned when she heard the sound of people talking, this prompted her to snap her fingers at the others and get them down. They saw them wander out into the woods, and they all just rolled their eyes.
A young couple…
Deciding to have some fun together in the woods. "Ugh gods… how are people this thick?" Cinder grumbled, sounding like an old lady. They easily snuck by the smitten pair and approached the small Fishing Village.
Brooker's Fishery.
There were not many people here, but they had some pretty good fishing boats, equipment… and something very exquisite. "Hello…" Cinder mumbled.
"Huh?" Ruby asked.
"Look at that… whoever owns this place is richer than the place appears… or stole it. That's an Atlesian Hover Sail. We can easily use that to cross the Sea. We'll be at Vale in a matter of hours." Cinder explained, their eyes widened.
"Well… I'm gonna guess he's not gonna just… let us take it, right?" Ruby asked, Cinder smirked.
Moments later, the Hover Sail shot off across the sea with Team C.P.P.R aboard. "I'm sorry!" Pyrrha apologised as they shot off.
Unaware…
… of the hooded individual watching them. She raised her scroll to her ear. "I have eyes on the prize… they're on the way."
Watts chuckled on the other end.
"Finally."
Author Note - Shiiiiiiiit
Team C.P.P.R are on their way to Vale, Blake's team are headed to Menagerie and Eryka, Winter and the Happy Huntresses are headed for Vacuo. Everyone has their destinations, but we all know shit is gonna go down XD
Quite a chill and shorter chapter, nice bits of character interaction here and there, just gluing everything together. Always like this chapters, just kinda chill and keeping things moving.
And the question still stands - what happened in Kuchinashi?
Also, holy hell Salem is scary. That flashback was chilling to write, and what I love about it is that it shows that Salem is fallable, she can lose her patience and snap. In normal circumstances someone doing what she did would end their chances of success... but how do you overthrow someone who is more powerful than anyone else on the planet and cannot die? The world just lives in fear of her now.
Playing around with the events that happened in the six years has been really fun.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!
Stay tuned for the next chapter!
- Matt