Here we go
Cover Art: Curbizzle
Chapter 13
The early morning rays pierced through the thick canopy and thicker mist coating the floor of the Emerald Forest. It wrapped around the legs of Team RWBY as they searched their designated quadrant at close to six in the morning. They worked in silence, part from the severity of the moment but mostly from lack of sleep. Ruby's normally bright eyes were dull and ringed, her hand regularly covering her mouth as she smothered her yawns. A girl her age should be getting a proper night's rest. How else was she supposed to grow?
Yang, Blake and Weiss were little better, sullen and quiet as they scanned the forest and walked into trees. A Grimm attacking them would have been a relief at this point, because at least that would give them a shot of adrenaline and help them wake up. Yet again, Ruby tugged her red cloak around her arms and shoulders, and wished it wasn't so flipping cold.
Knight trudged on, as immune to the temperature as he was the time of day and anything the enemy could throw at him. Branches slapped back against his armour with quiet, metallic pings, and the joints creaked whenever he knelt to try and decipher something on the ground. Inevitably, he would shake his head, stand and move on.
Their scrolls beeped. "That's the signal," Weiss said, pausing in the middle to yawn. Behind her, Blake stretched her arms above her head and cracked her head to the side to work some kinks out. "I guess we have to meet back with the others."
"Ironwood is a slave driver…" Yang complained.
"Let's just get this over with." Ruby said. Cheer might be her middle name normally, but everyone knew a Ruby Rose with no sleep was no Ruby Rose at all. "I want to crawl back into bed."
"We all do." Yang grumbled.
The trek back to the staging area – the ruins wherein they'd first found their so-called relic and secured their place as Team RWBY – was short and uneventful. Cold, too. A layer of due clung to the grass and the moisture had somehow worked its way through the soles of Ruby's boots and into her stockings, making each step an irritating squelch.
By the time they reached it, Team JNPR were already there, along with Winter Schnee, Warchief and the Ace-Ops, a team of Specialists from Atlas that Ruby could dimly remember being introduced to at way-too-early-o-clock. Their names and faces were a blur in her memory, but the reason they'd been called out here was not, and Team JNPR looked more than a little uncomfortable. Except Fate. He just looked pissed off.
"Any signs?" Winter asked them. They had apparently been the last to arrive, and the fact she had to ask at all pretty much told them how successful their efforts had been.
"None." Ruby replied. It was her job as team leader. "Hunter didn't go our way."
"Nor ours," she said. "Nor theirs apparently. Which means that we've searched every section of the forest directly around the school and found no tracks. No Bullheads reported flight or are missing, nor are any rocket lockers absent. Which means that he must have crossed the perimeter somewhere, else he's hiding at Beacon still, which I highly doubt."
So, basically, one of them hadn't found the tracks was what she was saying. Ruby could see the judgmental look in Winter's eyes that made it clear she suspected Team RWBY or JNPR, and not her own team. Of course it would be their fault. It couldn't possibly be the adults who messed up. It wouldn't be the first time Ruby had heard that.
Support came from an unlikely, if antagonistic, source, as Fate spoke up. "Oh, give it a rest. His name is Hunter – he basically does this shit for a living. No one here is going to be able to track him."
Winter rounded on Fate, her face scrunching up in cold fury. "And did you take that attitude to your search? How much effort did you really put into finding him?"
"He worked!" Pyrrha said boldly. Winter's eyes flicked to her, but she held her ground. "I watched him, and he searched with the rest of us."
"I'm also a trained tracker," he said. "Unlike most of the rest of us here. Grimm aren't normally worried about hiding their tracks, so you dragged everyone else out of bed to find a needle in a haystack."
Loathe as she was to agree with him, even Ruby had to admit he had a point, as were the rest of her team with grudging nods. The Ace-Ops were similarly tired and muddy, and they hadn't found any tracks either, something Fate took great pleasure in pointing out.
"He has a point, Winter." The apparent leader, wielding a fishing rod of all things, said. He placed a hand on her shoulder, which she shrugged off. "We've found neither hide nor hair of the boy, and by his own admission he's used to hunting on the frontier. People like that are hardier than most, and they live or die based on their ability to navigate terrain like this."
"We cannot just let him escape. There is too much at stake!"
"We can't sit out here for the rest of our lives looking for him either." Knight said, interjecting smoothly and with much more diplomatic grace than Fate cared to wield. "His contributions to the war would have only been marginal at best. A wise commander knows what battles to choose and which to give up. You know this is not one we will win easily."
Ruby nodded along, and not just because she trusted Knight to be awesome and know everything about leadership, but also because he was right. This was a mess and a waste of their time, and who knew what the bad guys were getting up to while they wandered aimlessly around the Emerald Forest. They could be storming Beacon right now.
"Is everyone of the same mind?" Winter asked. Team RWBY and JNPR nodded but realised a moment later that she was only asking, and only cared for the opinions of, the Ace Ops. Thankfully, they nodded with the rest of them. "Damn it. It puts a bad taste in my mouth to lose someone like this, and to treachery no less."
"Treachery?" Fate just had to prod. "That implies loyalty, and we all know that was never there. Not after Ironwood forced him into a war he wanted no part of."
"General Ironwood wants what is best for Remnant. You would do well to show him some respect, boy."
"General Ironwood wanted a meat shield. That's all Hunter would have ever been. One bullet and he'd go down harder than Leviathan did, and Hunter knew it." He looked impressed with the other Jaune for having up and left, and Ruby had to wonder why he hadn't yet.
"Come now." Clover stepped between Fate and Winter before the fireworks could begin. "We're all on the same side here. Winter is worried for Hunter's sake, and I'm sure Fate is simply tired after so little sleep."
"No sleep." Fate snarked.
"As if limited sleep is the worst you've ever dealt with." Winter shot back. "Don't expect that General Ironwood will let you laze around. I certainly won't." Before Fate could reply, she snapped out, "Clover, tell the men to add Hunter to the list of security breaches. The moment he is seen in the city, I want to be notified. If needs be, we will hunt him down."
"He won't go to the city." It was Ren who spoke, and with a tired confidence that demanded everyone's attention.
Winter's eyes narrowed. "How do you know? Don't tell me you were aware he planned to-"
"I was not. But Hunter as good as said himself that he's useless in a city like Vale. He hates crowds, hates how closed off it all is, and he doesn't want to fight in this war either. He wouldn't go there. The villages outside are more likely, if he doesn't just disappear into the wilderness never to be heard from again. He might even make it, too. He could probably survive out there."
"He won't." Winter said coldly. "I want men stationed at the nearest villages and outposts. No more than two per, but I want them to monitor each and every person who comes and goes. The rest of you, back to Beacon. And don't have any ideas of running off or getting into trouble. This is bigger than your teams now, bigger than Beacon, and you could doom the world with impetuous action."
If Ruby hadn't already felt under pressure enough, that added a fresh heap. Nothing like a reminder that everyone she ever loved was counting on her, and that she was nothing more than a fifteen-year old huntress in training who hadn't been prepared for this.
Of course, Fate couldn't let Winter have the last word.
"Don't worry. We'll leave the impetuous decisions that fuck us all over to Ironwood." He walked past Winter with a sneer. "He's got such a good track record on those."
/-/
"Hello! Hello!"
Roman sauntered into their den as if he owned the place, flamboyantly twirling his cane and tipping his hat forward. Cinder would not have put up with it at any other time, but Roman's value had skyrocketed after he became an anchor for yet another champion that might be added to her – their - cause. The so-called "Headmaster" Arc walked confidently behind him, his own cane more an ornament than an aid, and his sharp blue eyes quickly meeting her own.
He knew who the real power here was, which spoke greatly of both his intelligence and the threat he might one day pose. Null might have to be pointed in his direction at some point, but not today. Today, he was a valuable ally and, for all Roman's nonsense, a very capable one.
"I bring news from Beacon," Headmaster said.
"How do you have spies in there?" Ashari interrupted. "None of us have contacts at all since we come from other worlds."
Emerald glared at the man for his interruption and Cinder hid a smirk behind her hand. Poor little Emerald was becoming more desperate than ever for her approval, which was why it was so important to withhold it. A message had to be sent, a boundary set, and Emerald would need to understand that her continued presence hinged on Ashari's co-operation. The enforced coldness and distance visibly distressed the girl but needs demanded it. Ashari was too dangerous to have running unchecked.
"While I don't have contacts, I still do know several ways of accessing Beacon's servers and security systems. Those will probably dry up once Ironwood changes them."
"General Ironwood?" she interrupted. "He is here, then?"
"Here and in the know and also bringing a fresh Jaune with him." Headmaster Arc tossed a folder onto the desk, out of which spilled several printed off documents including a picture, name, details and even a training regimen and scoring system. Cinder's eyes widened as she looked over the treasure trove of information, unable to hide her shock or pleasure.
"This is good information. Very good!"
He smiled and tipped his head towards her. Capable, polite and even a little handsome in his older age. It was almost a shame she had been partnered with Null and not him, though she still appreciated Null's particular brand of bloodthirsty murder. "I try. His name is Warchief, and he appears to be specialised in military command, a leader of men or so this says. It appears Ironwood is firmly in the know and has been asked by Ozpin to take over both Beacon's security and, perhaps, the war effort."
"Ironwood is competent." Ashari said. "That'll make this much harder."
"I'm not overly familiar with him myself." Grimm said. "At least not in military matters. He is a general though, so I expect he's good at what he does. I'm more worried how this will affect people in the city. This is a war, I admit, but so far we've been able to keep civilians out of it. If he plans to deploy an army, that might soon change."
"If it does, we shall deploy our own." Cinder said.
"We have an army?" Mercury asked.
Her golden eyes remained locked on Grimm, ensuring he knew what she meant. The hybrid, despite being part bloodthirsty monster himself, looked away with visible distaste. It was such a waste of potential for all that power to be trapped in so soft-hearted a being. Grimm could, with time, summon an army the likes of which Vale had never seen, and send it crashing forward in a tidal wave of bodies strong enough to swallow the city whole. Even Knight could not be everywhere, could not stop an army of Grimm.
"If it comes to that, we've fucked up." Ashari said. "There are far easier and less destructive ways to do this."
"I happen to agree." Null's words surprised the man, though his next did not. "Killing the Jaunes specifically would be easier, or if needs be killing their anchors and dispelling them that way. Do you know anything of the one who attacked me, Headmaster?"
"I'm afraid I don't. Or rather, Ozpin does not, and it is his information I draw from. I can assure you he isn't on their side. Not to their best knowledge, anyway."
He must have been independent then. Someone neither on Ozpin's side nor their own, and who was striking out against both for reasons unknown. Cinder wasn't sure if the attack on Null was opportunistic or not, but the fact he laid a trap for his Semblance suggested it was premeditated.
Could he be recruited? Unlikely, and not without them knowing what he wanted. It was a shame to finally run into someone who understood the value in not advertising who their anchor was. There was bound to be someone like that eventually. She was more surprised it had taken this long, but then those idiots in Beacon were hopelessly naïve.
"I have more news on top of this." Headmaster said. "One more Jaune has been slain, and another has fled."
"What!?"
Cinder was not the only one to blurt that out. Ashari, Grimm and even Null had as well. Roman looked far too smug at knowing something they did not, the cocky bastard, but Headmaster only nodded his head and continued. "Yes. They're both from Ozpin's side, which I suppose is good news. Barista was killed in an explosion yesterday, whereas Hunter chose to flee last night. I'm not sure if that's because he disagreed with Ozpin's choices or if he feared for his own life."
He rose a good point. Both Leviathan and now this Barista had died under Ozpin's watch, and not even through their actions. While it certainly worked to her benefit, knowing she hadn't had a hand in their demise had Cinder wondering who had, and feeling more than a little wary. The murders had been opportunistic, and one only worked because of the effort their side put in, but the person responsible was still a killer and could easily turn their sights on her group. If he really was an independent trying to win then he couldn't just whittle away at Ozpin's side or they would be too strong. He had to take away from both evenly, maintain rough parity so that she and Ozpin kept fighting and allowed him or her more time to pick stragglers off.
We'll be the next target for our would-be assassin, she thought darkly. That's not such a problem. Grimm is too important for the potential he has, but if Ashari were to fall to a sniper? Well, that wouldn't be so bad.
It would hurt to lose a capable fighter, but if she had to lose anyone it would be him. Null was her ticket to victory and Grimm was an equaliser should Ironwood really try and put his army on the frontlines.
"What of Hunter?" she asked. "Can we recruit him?"
"If we could find him, we could try." Headmaster said. "Beacon haven't had much luck there, but then if this boy really has been living and hunting in the wildlands then I don't expect they would."
"It's hopeless, then?"
"Not quite." He smiled again. "Part of the reason I pushed Roman to come here and inform you of all this is because I may have an idea. A long shot, I admit, and there's no guarantee Hunter would join us even if we tried. Even if he doesn't, we might be able to offer him an exit from the war. If he has no interest in competing, do any of us really care if he disappears?"
A novel approach. Cinder was not happy with the idea of letting him escape. While it was true his non-involvement would be a net positive, there was always the chance he could come back later and throw a spanner into the works. A stray arrow at a bad time could ruin everything. Of course, she wasn't above promising him the world and then killing him. "What's your idea? If there's even a small chance of success, I'll hear it."
"Thank you. My idea is twofold – first, that we cannot truly hope to hunt the Hunter down. That's unreasonable at best and a waste of time at worst. That said, Grimm can communicate with other Grimm, no? Could you ask the Grimm of the forest to alert us if he's seen? Or even to deliver a message?"
Oh – an interesting idea. Cinder hadn't thought of it at all. "Can you?" she asked him.
"Sure. If they're young, they'll treat it as more an order than a request. I can't guarantee he'll accept a letter from a Grimm, though. Most people wouldn't stick around if one came close."
"As I said, a small chance of success but also relatively little effort on our parts. If it works, it works. If it does not, we lose nothing."
"Good thinking." Cinder said. "You said twofold, however. I assume there is more."
"Yes. Ashari."
The oldest Jaune among them grunted and crossed his arms. His weathered and worn face creased with lines showing his unhappiness. "Go on," he rumbled.
"If anyone here has the experience to track someone, it's you. No one else can hope to come close to you from what I'm told."
"The Emerald Forest is a big place. He could be anywhere."
"As I said, a small-"
"Ashari will do it." Cinder answered for him. Better he be out the way anyway, and this would be a perfect chance to see if their assassin struck. If he did, she would instantly know there was a mole among her own. Ashari looked ready to argue, but she headed that off easily enough. "Emerald will go out there today and take him with her. Be careful. You'll be right next to Beacon, and I dare say Ironwood would eagerly take the chance to kill an anchor if she's left unprotected."
His jaw hardened, teeth grating together. The implied threat was clear, and not even one she had to follow through on. Ashari could refuse and leave Emerald to go out there alone, but there was a good chance she might die. As expected, he closed his eyes and grunted again to signify his agreement. Predictable. Null pointed it out first, perhaps recognising that which she did not. It was his own face after all, so Null might know better than she.
Ashari cared for Emerald. Deeply – too deeply. He put up with things from her that he would not from any other, almost doted on her, and his patience wherever Emerald was concerned was boundless.
He knows her in his world. Cares for her. Loves her.
It made sense. Almost all the champions were summoned by someone important to them in one way or he had been presented unto Emerald was no coincidence, no random stroke of fate, but a conscious decision on the part of the Brother Gods. They knew far more than she did when they made that choice.
Love, as ever, made men so very predictable – and much easier to control – for as long as Emerald's life lay in her hands, Ashari had no choice but to toe the line.
"Headmaster," Cinder said softly, rising and offering him a polite smile. He was useful, too useful to let fall so early with all this wonderful information he was providing. "Mayhaps we can have a chat in private, hm? I'd like to discuss a few of my upcoming plans with you."
"But of course." He smiled charismatically and moved away from Roman, his confidence not dropping for even a second. He knew the game almost as well as she, and he was sure of himself. Sure she could not, or could not afford to, kill him. And he was right. He was absolutely correct. The information he'd brought came with the tacit promise of more in the future, and far outweighed any gains she might earn from his demise. Coming up to stand before her, he pilfered a bottle of wine from the kitchen side and two glasses from a cabinet, and then faced her with them. "Shall we have a chat in your room? Just like old times?"
Cinder managed to hide her surprise in a coy, sultry smile.
"Oh my. Are you suggesting something about our relationship?"
"Only that you were ever one for your schemes, Cinder. And that at the time of my summoning, I do believe you had been crowned Queen of your own Kingdom."
Her heart skipped a beat. "Is that so…?"
"Not a word of a lie, my dear. I'm full of stories of your successes if you want to hear more."
"I just might. Meanwhile, you can tell me all the little things you know about Beacon, hm? Including whatever other juicy morsels you've managed to acquire about Ozpin's other champions."
"Then a lesson it will be, and a poor teacher I would be not to teach you. Roman," he called, "Do play nice with the others while I'm gone. I'd hate to suddenly be removed from this game because you upset the wrong person."
Cinder stared hard at Null, a warning and instruction both. The serial killer shrugged his shoulders and slumped back into his seat, as good a promise as any that he would keep his impulses under check. At the same time, Emerald stood and beckoned Ashari to leave, off to the Emerald Forest for their own little foray. With luck, they might find another Jaune for their roster. If not, Ashari would at least he be out her hair for the afternoon.
/-/
Team JNPR met with Team RWBY around lunch, minus Fate who was, in Pyrrha's words, passed out in their room and couldn't be roused. Not that they had tried very hard, mind you.
"Did he sleep at all last night?" Yang asked. Not for the first time, Pyrrha wondered where the concern for her summoned Jaune came from, but she answered all the same.
"He did not. It was he who noticed Hunter had left, and almost immediately after coming back from Winter's room."
"Can you not say it like that?" Weiss begged.
"Welcome to my world…" Blake hissed.
"Exhaustion brings down even the strongest of men." Knight said sagely. "Information is valuable, but I believe Archmage Ironwood is making a mistake taking such an antagonistic edge with my fellow. It is better to inspire than to force, especially if you want one's loyalty."
"We think that's why Hunter left." Ren said.
"Isn't he just running because he's a coward?" Yang asked.
"He would have run ages ago if that was the case!" Nora chipped in. "But he didn't. He stayed all this time and even helped out a little."
"It wasn't until General Ironwood made his power play that Hunter decided he'd had enough," Ren finished for Nora. The two of them nodded, and it was clear they'd been discussing it all morning, likely while they searched in the Emerald Forest. "It's too simplistic a solution to say he's afraid, especially when going off on his own puts him in more danger."
Pyrrha was a little ashamed to say she hadn't even thought of that. It had seemed to her like he ran away to escape the fight, but Nora had a point. He could have done that long before Ironwood arrived.
"What do we think of Warchief?" Yang asked.
"He's on our side." Weiss answered. "Isn't that enough?"
"Nah. I mean do we talk candidly with him or is he an earpiece for Ironwood."
A good question, and not one with an obvious answer. He was a Jaune, and so chances were he considered them all close friends, but he might have more loyalty to his anchor if his was a wish worth fighting for. If he was as involved in military strategy as he was meant to be, he might naturally align with Ironwood's pro-war view.
"He's still me." Jaune said. "That means he's still a part of Team JNPR in his world, and friends with crater face."
"And crushing on Weiss." Yang teased. Jaune's face burned a hot shade of red, even if it was no secret or surprise to anyone. Weiss clicked her tongue and shot him an angry glare. "But yeah, I get your point. Maybe we don't talk about our thoughts on Ironwood, though."
"Nothing good would come of that." Pyrrha agreed.
The conversation drifted off to other topics, to team CFVY and their recovery and the visits they'd had earlier with them, and then to predictions of what Ironwood would have them do now he'd taken control. It was odd how normal it all felt, helped by the fact that Knight was now the only outlier at the table. Their side had been brought down to just three; Knight, Fate and Warchief. There had been six of them not three days ago.
How had things gone wrong so quickly…?
The sharp click of heels on tiles and the creak of a door opening had them all turning to the entrance. Weiss sucked in a breath at the sight of her older sister, while the rest of them, especially Pyrrha, groaned. Their interactions with Winter might have been limited, but a morning spent in the cold forest at dawn hadn't done much for first impressions.
"You're missing one," was the first thing she said. "Where is Fate?"
"Asleep." Pyrrha answered a little more hotly than she intended to. "Since you kept him up all night and had him working this morning. He's exhausted."
"He's had no less than I and I'm here. Wake him up as soon as we are done here. General Ironwood has decided our first course of action."
"And that is…?" Knight asked.
"Two people matching the visual criteria set for Jaune Arc have been sighted at a village not far from Vale."
Winter signalled a soldier forward, who set a small device on their table and brought up a holographic display. It was grainy to say the least, but what could be made out was two adult-sized figures with blonde hair. Their features were mostly hidden, but both had a sword and a shield, and one bore the colours of Crocea Mors. It was close enough, apparently.
"The village is only a day's travel from Vale and the direction they are headed suggests we are the destination."
"Great." Ruby said. "We can meet them when they arrive."
Winter's glare was scathing. "Do that and we risk them being killed – or worse, that they might join Salem's side against us. No. Three Bullheads are being prepped as we speak. Both your teams will be flying out there alongside myself, the Ace-Ops and a squad of our best soldiers. Our mission will be to capture the two-"
"Don't you mean recruit them?" Ren asked.
"Recruitment can happen back at Beacon once they have been secured. We have no means of guaranteeing their cooperation, or even that they are telling the truth if they do agree. We must first ascertain who they are and their motives before any effort at recruiting them can be made, and certainly before we can trust them with the fate of Remnant."
"You're just going to alienate them if you treat them like criminals or conscripts." Blake argued. "Have you learned nothing from Hunter?"
"General Ironwood is working to prevent the literal end of the world, Belladonna." Winter snapped. "There is no such thing as too careful when it comes to this. If we accept them at their word and they stab Miss Rose in the back, we don't just lose her – we lose Knight. We lose the best we have. You may see a copy of Jaune Arc, and you may think you know them, but if you have learned anything from your prior battle, it should be that you cannot judge a Jaune by its cover."
Jaune, the normal Jaune, looked vaguely confused by that. If the situation weren't so dire, Pyrrha might have giggled. As it was, this was deathly serious.
"The Jaune that smiles at you may be a trained killer, he may be a monster, he may be a chef, he may be an alien – he could even be a woman dressed as a man." Winter paused to let that all sink in. "We have no idea about them. None of them. They could have a Semblance that instantly kills anyone they touch, so even shaking hands with an unconfirmed Jaune is dangerous. They must all be considered dangerous at first glance, and only after extensive testing and interviews with General Ironwood and Headmaster Ozpin may we reconsider that."
Silence descended among them. It was hard to argue with the severity of the situation or the risks involved, and yet it was harder still to argue with Blake's point. If they went in guns blazing, swords swinging, then the targets would surely react the same way. Winter's plan hinged on overwhelming them and establishing trust later. Pyrrha could only hope it wouldn't be so damaged by the first encounter as to not matter.
"Collect Fate and meet us at the docks." Winter ordered at her. "All of you come armed and prepared. We have no clues as to their capabilities, so expect a hard fought battle."
"And if we're mistaken?" Blake asked. "If they are on our side?"
"Then I shall personally apologise to them later and trust that they understand the precautions we must take given the consequences of our failure." Winter said, straightening and linking her hands behind her back. "You have your orders. See them carried out."
Two more? Who could these be, hm?
For all Winter and Ironwood's hard tactics, I'm trying to show that they have and make good points. All of Remnant depends on this, and so it is terrifying to imagine extending too much trust and having Ruby (and Knight) assassinated out from under you. That would as good as hand Salem the win right now. There would be a lot of pressure in a situation like this, enough that Ironwood knows that any mistake he makes, no matter how innocent or well-meaning, could doom the entire world.
Plus, if he ignores those two and lets them arrive, they could be killed, recruited or conscripted by Cinder's forces. Right now, with only three people, the good side need some more bodies, even if those bodies are attached to weak Jaunes.
Next Chapter: 19th February
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur
