Chapter Thirty-Three: Traveling


"... And over here is where we went camping. I got my own tent because I was special," Jaune declared as he explained the activities that he and his family did when they visited Shione, the next village they were heading to. "Also so my sisters would stop braiding my hair."

"Didn't like the look?" Ruby inquired.

"Yeah, they just kept doing pigtails, but I'm more of a warrior's wolf tail kind of guy," he replied as he brushed his hair.

"That's a ponytail, Jaune," Phoenix pointed out.

"I stand by what I said."

"Uh... guys," Nora interrupted as she pointed towards the village, or rather, what was left of it. All the buildings had been destroyed and bodies lined the streets.

"There could be survivors," Ruby pointed out as they surveyed the area.

"Over there!" Ren ran to an injured man who was propped up against some rubble. The others weren't far behind. Upon closer inspection he appeared to be a huntsman. Phoenix immediately started applying pressure to the puncture wound in his gut.

"Who killed all these people?" Jaune asked.

"Bandits... Whole tribe... Then, with all the panic," he started coughing up blood before he could finish, but it was obvious what he was going to say.

"Grimm."

"You're going to be okay," Phoenix tried to assure the man, but he didn't sound very confident. "There's a nearby village. We'll get you there and patch you up."

"You don't... need to lie to me kid," the man said in between fits of coughing. "I know I'm not gonna make it. At least now... I'll be with my wife." With that, he was gone.

"Damn it!" Phoenix yelled as he punched the rubble. This caught the attention of the others, who had been trying to come up with a method to get the man to safety.

"Should we bury him?" Nora asked as Ren and Phoenix walked away from the body.

"We should go. It's not safe here," Ren stated.

"Ren..."

"He's right. There are probably still Grimm nearby," Phoenix pointed out. His desire to leave the ruined city was only increased when he saw an oversized hoof print on the ground. Ren and Nora saw it as well, and the look they gave each other made it clear that they also knew what had done this.


"Come on guys. If we pick up the pace we can hit the next town before sunset," Ruby declared as they continued onward to the next village.

"Assuming its still there," Jaune mumbled.

"It should one is supposedly a lot more protected," Phoenix stated. "And its apparently got a popular inn."

"Which means no more camping in the rain," Nora said cheerfully.

"See, everything's going to be fine."

"Ruby-" Phoenix tried to say.

"You know, we've had our ups and downs, but things could be a lot worse," Jaune pointed out. "I thought we'd have seen more Grimm."

"Jaune-"

"As did I."

Ren-"

"I guess our luck is finally turning around!"

"Seriously guys!" Phoenix exclaimed. "Didn't we learn our lesson about this type of thing back on the ship?"


"A crow in a bar. Just like back home," Phoenix thought as he walked into the tavern across from the inn. Sitting on one of the tables was a crow trying to drink from one of the glasses. As he walked by the bird on his way to the counter he slipped on a spilled drink. He heard the laughter of multiple patrons as he got up.

"Aren't you a little young to be here?" the man behind the counter asked once Phoenix reached it.

"Don't worry, I'm not here for a drink. Just some info," he replied as he sat down. "You hear about anything interesting about the area?"

"Just that some nearby villages have been hit by bandits, and with the rise in Grimm, it's even harder to travel. If you're planning on going, you're going to want be on guard."

"I suppose that'll have to do. Thanks for the warning," Phoenix said as he got up. "Interesting..." he thought to himself as he walked off. "There're more Grimm, but none of them have come for us. It's almost like someone is keeping them off-" His train was cut off when he slipped on the drink again. The crow flew down and started pecking him. "Stupid bird," he muttered as he picked himself up.


Sorry about the long wait for such a short chapter. I was trying to fit in a couple other ideas but I couldn't quite get them to work. If I do manage to find a way, I'll add them, but it isn't very likely Next chapter will be Tyrian vs. RNJR and Qrow unless I get any suggestions for what to do between this chapter and that one. Thanks for reading!