RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and created by the late and great Monty Oum.
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RWBY: Destiny of Remnant
Chapter 4: The Lonely Ones
"No! We are not using her circlet for this! I don't care what it takes! You are not..." Jaune was interrupted by Ashe rushing forward towards the table.
Jaune jumped in front of him and blocked him, grabbing Ashe's hands and holding them to prevent him from going any further.
"What is wrong with you?!" Jaune demanded.
"It's like I said Jaune; it's the emotional reactions that empower you, but you have to control them. Protect that headpiece Jaune, don't let me near it!" Ashe commanded as he wrestled himself free and ran back.
"You need to control your emotions and they will give you power." Ashe said as he approached a crate and smashed his fist into it, bursting the metal box open. "If you want to protect that circlet Jaune then protect it! Protect it as if it were Pyrrha!" he yelled.
Jaune looked at his 'mentor' in confusion and anger. What was he playing at? Would this really make him stronger?
Ashe rushed him again and Jaune blocked him, this time jumping up and kicking Ashe in the gut, knocking him back. "Good, but you need to create a shield with your aura, that is the way to protect with the emotion Semblance." Ashe said.
"Why don't you create a shield as an example?" Jaune asked.
"Because I have nothing to protect right now." Ashe said, it was then that Jaune noticed Ashe's ring and whistle that were usually around his neck were missing.
Ashe rushed forward again and Jaune launched himself at Ashe, but Ashe was easily able to wrestle control from Jaune and throw him into one of the couches, knocking it over in the process.
Jaune looked up and his blood ran cold as he saw Ashe holding the circlet in his hands. "Not enough." Ashe said. Jaune took a deep breath and then he jumped up and charged forward, using his body to knock Ashe over and pin him to the ground, forcing Ashe to drop the circlet.
"You're going too far!" Jaune yelled.
"If you think this is too far, then you haven't seen anything yet!" Ashe said as he forced Jaune to turn over, reversing the positions.
"You have fear, anger, rage, and hatred but you can't let them use you! You have to use them! If you give into them you will start on a dark path and you will regret it forever!" Ashe said. Jaune glared at his teacher and managed to wrestle his hand free and sock Ashe in the cheek, knocking him back.
"Is this really going to work? It looks like you're just trying to piss me off!" Jaune yelled.
"Well this is emotion; emotions can grant you strength if you know how to use them properly but if you let them take control of your mind you will do terrible things that you can never truly be redeemed for." Ashe said.
"What have you lived through Ashe? I know about Mila and how you lost her to that Saul... drug lord guy, but what made you like this? You said your parents died, is that what made you like this?" Jaune demanded to know.
"Several points of my life have turned me into what I am today Jaune. The first is the death of my parents and the destruction of my family, the second is the Grimm Pit I fell into with several dozen others when I was training to be a Guerrilla Huntsman, the third is what happened between me and Mila and how she was taken from me because I wasn't good enough to save her. I failed her Jaune, just like you failed Pyrrha!" Ashe yelled.
Jaune eyes snapped wide open.
"We're both failures Jaune! Neither of us were good enough for the Academies and you had to fake your way in! Do your friends even know about that? If they don't then why did you tell me? Face it Jaune, you got lucky! Your luck just ran out that's all. You could have saved Pyrrha, just like I could have saved Mila, but we both failed! When Mila needed me I was nothing but a weakling who got his ass handed to him by thugs and when Pyrrha needed you you were nothing but a lovable goofball pretending to be a hero! She knew you didn't stand a chance against Cinder Fall, so she shoved you into the locker and saved your sorry ass and she marched off to commit suicide because she believed that she stood a chance against Cinder. Face it Jaune, Pyrrha died because you weren't good enough! Because she wasn't good enough!" Ashe yelled.
There was a solid five seconds of silence between the two before...
"ARGH!" Ashe cried out as a mighty attack from Jaune had slammed him into the wall.
"Too far Ashe. Too. Freaking. Far." Jaune said, glaring at the older man.
Ashe ran forward to battle, but Jaune was able to dodge every punch he threw, remembering the training and the things Pyrrha had taught him on that balcony all those months ago. He saw Ashe's moves coming; he saw the punches and kicks before they happened.
He saw his opening.
He struck Ashe in the chest, knocking him down to the ground. He jumped on top of Ashe, pinning him to the ground, and began to assault him with a barrage of punches.
He stopped after twenty-two hits, breathing hard. Ashe, his face bruised and his nose bleeding, smiled reluctantly and said "Well done. You've gotten the attack part down. You controlled your anger and if you hadn't you would have killed me. Now let's continue with that shield and attack stuff shall we?" Ashe asked, grinning a little.
Jaune had a brief second to be confused until Ashe shoved him off him and jumped up and kicked Jaune in the side. "Think about your pain Jaune, think about those who hurt you, those who took Pyrrha away from you; calmly consider what you will do to them when you get the chance to battle them. Will you act like a dark angel come to reap sinners or will you be a man of justice, determined to make Cinder suffer for what she has done. Think about Cinder Fall, think about Pyrrha, think about how helpless you were to save her. When I need to fight a battle that looks impossible I think of my father, I think of Saul Jude, I think of the Grimm in that pit, I think of how I failed to save Mila and it all becomes so easy. I make my move and my enemies never stand a chance and neither will yours." Ashe said as Jaune got up.
Ashe made his way to Pyrrha's circlet and said "Stop me Jaune; protect this headpiece as if it were her! Imagine me about to end her, here she is lying beaten and broken and you are the only one who can save her Jaune! Save her! Fight as hard as you fucking can and force me to yield!" Ashe yelled.
Jaune rushed forward.
He thought of Emerald. He thought of Mercury. He thought of Pyrrha locking him up and sending him away. He thought of Cinder Fall. He thought of himself and how he had failed to notice Pyrrha's feelings for him or how he failed to save her.
And it all became so easy.
Ashe lifted up his boot-clad foot and looked like he was about to stomp on the headpiece when Jaune ran as fast as he could, aided by his Semblance, dove down, and used his arm to block the boot.
A shield of aura appeared over his arm and the circlet, stopping Ashe's boot in its place.
Ashe smiled before Jaune used the aura shield to knock him over onto the ground. Jaune got up and ran over to Ashe, pinning him down with his foot.
"Well done. I yield." Ashe said as he grinned at Jaune with pride.
Jaune helped Ashe get up and asked "Was all of that really necessary?"
"I'm afraid so. Your Semblance works best when your emotions try to take control but you are certain that you control them." Ashe explained. Jaune picked up the circlet and made sure that it wasn't damaged, which it thankfully wasn't.
"I'm sorry." Ashe said. Jaune looked at the older man who had just forced Jaune to think about terrible things and had said such horrible things to Jaune.
"The emotion Semblance is a hard one to live with, emotions usually help or hamper other Semblances, but the emotion Semblance is the one where they are everything. To achieve power with it we must think about things we'd rather not think about, imagine things we dare not hope for or hope never come to pass. I've never trained anyone before and I honestly don't know if I'm doing it right. I had to teach myself with the help of some dusty old books and I don't know if I'm even good at it. We can only try our best." Ashe said.
Jaune sighed and said "If that's what it takes I'll do it. I may not like it, but I will do whatever it takes to get stronger and protect my friends." Jaune said, he couldn't bear to lose Ruby or Nora or Ren or any one of his sisters or...
He couldn't lose anyone like he lost Pyrrha.
"Apology accepted, you were only trying to help me." Jaune said, hiding the small amount of spite he now had for Ashe. Ashe may have been trying to help, but threatening to harm Pyrrha's circlet, training or not, was too far.
Ashe smiled and said "That's enough Semblance training for today. Let us try some sword training." He said as he took out his blade.
"I'm good enough with my sword." Jaune said as he got Crocea Mors.
"You'll have to be better than good to fight these people." Ashe said, "Because let me teach you something else; one day, you will lose everything. Not just your partner, your family and the rest of your friends. It might happen rapidly, or be spread out and slow, but when the day it begins happens, you will know it. You'll know, because the pain you feel now will return and intensify. You weren't prepared for the loss of Pyrrha, but you still have others to comfort you and help you deal with her death. That might not be a luxury you'll have some day. And if and when that day comes, you will know true emptiness. You will know true, utter loneliness in its raw, miserable form."
"I know what emptiness feels like. I know what it's like to be alone." Jaune said darkly as he traded blows and strikes with Ashe.
Over the clangs of swords Ashe responded "With Pyrrha, you tasted those emotions. Maybe even fell into a pool of them. But one day you might fall into an entire ocean of pain, one there will be no escape from. But it doesn't have to be like that."
"So what do you want me to do?" Jaune asked as he sidestepped a slash.
"When you go up against the people who took Pyrrha from you, use your pain. Your fear. Your rage. Use it all, and remember her. Never forget her. And never forgive them. Use your hate and your pain!"
Ashe slammed his sword into Jaune's hard enough to knock the boy down to the cold floor.
Catching his breath, Jaune looked up at the older man, who offered his hand and an encouraging look.
"What about my fear?" He asked as Ashe hoisted him up.
"Fear is what you strike into your enemy. Fear is for them. Fear and death." Ashe answered before they began sparring again.
Across town in another warehouse Damien Ante walked in to see over five hundred people who now worked for him. They had been parts of different mobs and syndicates, some independent groups like the Fury Gang; all of them were now under his power. Men and women, human and Faunus alike watched as Ante and his eight enforcers arrived.
"You're probably all wondering why I called you here today. Simple! I got a class assignment and/or friendly competition for all of y'all!" Damien said, he gestured to Lao who activated a scroll and the device projected holograms of Ruby and Jaune.
"These two kids are Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, they arrived in town the other night and a good partner of mine wants them brought before her ASAP! They're also accompanied by..." Damien continued as the scroll showed pictures of "Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, Sun Wukong, Scarlet David, Neptune Vasilias, and Sage Ayana. Thing is; we don't really care about the rest of these brats, but they got the drop on me last night so I want 'em punished for it. Kill the rest of 'em but Rose and Arc are to be brought to me alive by whatever means necessary!"
He looked out to them and grinned a bit "The rest of these brats are up for grabs. If you kill the rest of these kids you get five thousand lien each, bring me Rose and Arc you get enough money for an early retirement; two million lien each! Oh and if you see someone else with them, this asshole called Ashe with blackish-gray hair and some black trench coat, bring him to me and you get a bonus of twenty-five thousand lien! The hunt begins now people, get going."
The thugs flooded out of the warehouse, scattering around, all of them wanting a piece of that bounty.
As soon as they were all gone Trooper asked "You really think one of those people will catch 'em?"
"Hell no! They're just street punks and cannon fodder. They will, however, make getting around town and finding Cinder all the harder, the more pressure we put on those kids the more likely they are to make a mistake." Damien explained.
He then grinned wickedly and said "And the more mistakes they make, the easier we'll catch 'em."
Fotia Drakos stood at attention in the main hall of the factory that Cinder had turned into a throne room of sorts. In front of this throne was a floor that retracted and revealed a pit that served as a gladiatorial arena.
She was not the only one there as there were also a dozen of the Grimm Knight robots that were ready to be shown off to Mistress Salem to prove they were ready for combat. They stood tall and firm against the wall, waiting for their time, black all over with white markings, a white head with a glowing red visor, the weapons they concealed... Fotia hoped she would perform her task as good as the mechanical knights would. She had already proven herself in terms of physical and mental strength as well as her control over the Wyvern. This, however, was the ultimate test of loyalty. She had to take someone's life and swear her life to Salem.
She was ready to do anything for Salem, but she had never actually killed anyone.
She looked above and saw Cinder, surrounded by Emerald, Mercury, Neo, Dr. Giger, Dr. Sherizawa, Dr. West, and Ziz, all waiting for their mistress to arrive.
"Miss Ziz!" Fotia called, getting her fellow Grimm Commander's attention.
"Yeah kid, what is it?" Ziz asked.
"Do you think I will be able to please Mistress Salem?" she asked.
A small smirk grew on Ziz's face and she said "Kid, you'll do fine."
"As long as you do what Master Salem asks of you, you will be one of us and a hero of the future." Cinder added, giving the young girl a look filled with promises.
Suddenly a large black vortex appeared in front of the throne, forcing everyone to step back. A figure stepped out of the portal, one that was tall and elegant but terrible and powerful.
Salem appeared, wrapped in a blackish-red cloak, with hair whiter than snow, face pale as bone with the dark red veins marking her otherwise pure face which was also marked by the small black diamond shape atop her forehead. Her eyes were the color of fresh, scarlet blood as they struck one with overwhelming and conflicting feelings of both terror and comfort.
She looked at all of them, sensing the fear from Mercury, Emerald, and Neo as they had never seen her in person before.
"Holy..." muttered Mercury, but he shut himself up before he could finish his sentence.
Salem's eyes darted over and looked at the three young people and all three noticeably drew back. "Do not fear me children, Cinder has told me how well you have served us and for that I am grateful. You three are among friends here." The Mistress of Grimm assured them with a kind, motherly voice before her attention turned to the others.
"Cinder, my prized disciple, it is good to see you again." Salem said as she held her hand out. Cinder took her Master's hand and kissed with love and respect.
"It is wonderful to see you as well my Master. Everything is going just as you predicted." Cinder said.
"Excellent. Doctors, how go our projects, both technological and biological?" Cinder inquired.
"Our Grimm Knights are ready for a demonstration now; we shall show them to you after Commander Drakos has pledged herself to you." Dr. Sherizawa said.
"Wonderful, and Dr. Giger, how goes the Chimera?" Salem asked.
"As well as it can, its aggressive behavior has become a bit of a problem as it has killed thirty-three of our assistants." Giger revealed, "There was that incident two hours ago." West reminded the older man, "Oh right. So it has killed thirty-four."
Salem shook her head and said "Let us put that thought aside for now and move our attention to something more important; Fotia my child, are you ready?"
Fotia took a deep, calming breath and nodded, drawing out her weapon. "I am ready to do whatever you want Mistress." Fotia said confidently.
"Bring him out." Cinder called to some guards. The guards brought forth a man bound by rope and his mouth taped shut. The guards threw him into the pit and he fell with a muffled scream and landed with a thud.
The man looked up, his eyes wild and panicked as he saw Fotia approaching him with her weapon in its mace-form.
"Kill this man my child, mark yourself with his blood and swear your life to me." Salem said, enjoying the fear radiating off of this man.
"What has he done?" Fotia asked.
"Nothing, for all you know, but he could be a murderer, a rapist, a thug, another one of the things wrong with this world. He could be one of the reasons this world must be cleansed by the powers of Grimm." Cinder said.
Fotia approached the man, but she felt hesitation welling all around inside her.
Salem sensed this and spoke. "The point of this test is not just your loyalty, but to prove that you are willing to whatever it takes to conquer Remnant in my name. Take his life and we will be your family, the one that you always deserved."
Fotia shuddered.
A family.
One that wouldn't beat her or insult her.
One that would love her.
A real family.
The man whimpered, begging through a gagged mouth to be spared.
Fotia could taste his fear thanks to the essence of Grimm within her. And it tasted good.
Fotia went to work, bashing the man's head in over and over again with the mace.
She knew deep down that it would all be worth it. The world would pay for the injustices it allowed to go unpunished; she would help make it happen with her new family.
His body finally stopped moving and twitching. Blood pooled around the arena, spreading around to Fotia's feet.
Fotia knelt down and pressed her left hand against his bloody face, covering her palm with blood. She stood up and used her blood soaked fingers to mark herself down her cheeks. She then took out a dagger from her belt and sliced her right palm with the blade, letting herself bleed as well. She lifted both of her bloody hands up and began to recite an oath of loyalty.
"I, Fotia Drakos, swear on my lifeblood and the lifeblood of this man that I will forever serve Salem, the Mistress of Grimm and future Master of Remnant. I swear to all the gods of the four kingdoms; Vale, Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo that as long as I draw breath and live I will be your humble servant. I will do whatever you ask of me. I am yours, my master." Fotia swore.
Cinder used her Maiden power of wind to lift Fotia up to level ground and in front of everyone else. Fotia bowed to her new Master but Salem held her hand "Rise child." Salem ordered.
Fotia did as she was told and was enveloped in a hug by the Mistress of Grimm. "You are now a part of my family, my child, my dragon rider, my daughter."
Fotia returned the woman's embrace, the one who had given her a new and better life, one who she would view as her true mother.
"Thank you Mistress." Fotia said, holding back tears of joy, not wanting to appear weak.
Ziz slapped Fotia across the back and said "You're one of us kiddo! Grimm Co number four."
"Thank you Ziz... uh... should I consider you my sister now?" Fotia asked innocently.
"I don't see why not." The older woman said with a grin.
"Now, Dr. Sherizawa your presentation can begin. Show me what my new Knights are capable of." Salem said to the stoic man. He nodded and gestured to some guards.
A group of twenty-four people were marched into the room and thrown into the pit by the guards. These people were of varying ages, races, male and female, human and Faunus.
"These twenty-four people have been accepted for this presentation because they have shown themselves to be capable of defending themselves from attackers, even if those attackers are simply low-level law enforcement officers. For this reason I have determined that they will be the perfect demonstration of the Grimm Knight's abilities. The Knights' have an unfair advantage true, but this only a small demonstration of what they are capable of." Sherizawa said.
"W-what's goin' on? Who are you people? Who is that woman?" asked a scared Faunus teenager.
"None of that matters now my friend. Your contribution is appreciated." Sherizawa said.
The Grimm Knights went to work.
The two dozen people didn't stand a chance.
The first Knight went and in a span of four seconds the first two people were blasted in the stomach and fell to the ground dead. The second Knight attacked next, buzz-saw blades coming out of its arm, two more people fell with simple slashes across their bodies. The third Knight made its attack with mighty punches to the torso, rupturing two more of the chosen victims' organs. The fourth Knight rushed forward, grabbed two people by the neck and slammed them overhead, its arms stretching out and slammed them into the ground behind it, snapping their necks.
It went on and on like this, each Knight murdering two people and each time none of the victims were given any mercy.
In a span of one small minute they were all dead.
Salem applauded the mechanical murderers. "You have done very well Dr. Sherizawa, I think they are ready for their first assignment." She said, she turned her head to look at Ziz. "Speaking of which... Ziz, I want you to take your flocks and a platoon of Grimm Knights and work with Steppenwolffe to attack a military base on the north-east side of Vacuo. There is some precious intelligence there about the whereabouts of the current Winter Maiden, we will need her if my plans are to come to fruition." She finished.
Ziz nodded "Your wish is my command, no survivors as usual, right?"
"Of course." Salem confirmed.
"May I go with them Mistress?" Fotia asked, feeling eager to prove herself.
"No my child, we are not yet ready to reveal you to the world. You, Cinder, and I are the only ones here who can fully control a Wyvern, we cannot give away that surprise just yet." Salem said, getting an obedient and understanding nod from Fotia.
"You may leave us and go about your business. Ziz, Dr. Sherizawa, prepare for the mission." Salem ordered them.
Salem's followers all obeyed her instructions with Ziz leaving to prepare for her mission to Vacuo and Sherizawa to prepare a platoon of the Grimm Knights. Emerald, Mercury, Neo, and Fotia left to go about their daily routines and Giger and West went back to the labs but Cinder stayed with her master.
"Rose and Arc and their friends have been spotted within the city and they know about my presence. Ante was the one who told them after they ambushed him, he has already started a citywide search for them and I have told him to bring Rose and the Arc boy to us alive." Cinder said.
"Good, the sooner they are in our possession the better. Make sure that fool Ante doesn't harm them, they must remain intact for my plans to work." Salem said.
"I will make sure they are unharmed and if they are not I will personally punish Ante for it." Cinder said with an evil smirk.
"I must take my leave of you now Cinder; there are other matters to attend to." Salem said as she opened up another portal to her palace. "How has your guest been?" Cinder asked before Salem departed.
Salem paused and left her apprentice with only one word to describe Ozpin. "Difficult."
Ozpin woke up yet again to the sight of the damp cell. "I think waking up in this cell will get very tiring very fast." Ozpin muttered.
"You've only been here for a couple of days; at least you got to enjoy a nice restful coma-induced slumber in the infirmary before you came down. Trust me Ozpin, the chains, the cell? Those are easy. It is what goes on inside your mind that is torture." Norvik said from across the small room.
Ozpin couldn't help but agree with the older man. His mind had been plagued by thoughts of Pyrrha Nikos, of Ruby Rose, or Jaune Arc, or the legend of the Four Maidens. Thoughts about going back to the past and trying to prevent the disaster that he had allowed to transpire, thoughts of stopping Cinder Fall and ending her insane ambitions, thoughts about giving Pyrrha the Fall Maiden powers earlier, thoughts about bringing guards to protect the vault, thoughts of doing anything to stop what had happened.
But Ozpin knew it hopeless, regret and denial and hope would not fix what had happened.
This was just another one of his many mistakes, one that he would regret forever, but for now he needed to focus.
He needed to find a way to escape. He just needed to wait for the right opportunity and time.
Ruby led the way home as Nora followed her, cheerfully humming while she munched on her candy bar and Ren pushed a cart filled with groceries, most of which were bought to appease Nora's legendary appetite.
Ruby had been somewhat distant the entire trip to the store and she looked up the emotion Semblance on her scroll, it was a rare Semblance and it was apparently a taxing one on the body and the mind and it required training that could damage one's mind, it required bringing up old memories, imagining terrible things to make one more powerful.
She hadn't told Ren and Nora this because she didn't want them to worry about their friend. She just hoped Ashe knew what he was doing, but all the same she would have to confront him about it.
They approached the warehouse and Ruby unlocked the door with the key Sun had given her and Nora opened it up for Ren to push the cart inside.
Ruby was greeted by the sight of Jaune sleeping on one of the couches and Ashe resting on one of the chairs looking at a small photograph in his hand before he noticed them enter. "Hey guys, training's finished for today." Ashe said, looking a bit exhausted and battered.
Ruby looked at Jaune who was completely out of it and it caused her to feel a bit nervous. "Is Jaune okay?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, this Semblance is pretty tiring; it can take a lot out of a person. I remember the first real big training session I did by myself; passed out around noon and woke up around nine o'clock at night." Ashe said nostalgically.
"Will he be all right?" Ren asked as he wheeled the grocery cart over to the fridge as Nora flopped down on another chair.
"Yeah, he'll wake up in the morning. We've managed to get the attack and defend pretty much down. Jaune's stronger than I thought he was, gave me the best damn punch I've had in the last few years." Ashe chuckled.
Ren nodded as he began putting the groceries in their proper place. "Jaune may appear to be weak at first, but he is very capable of handling himself and his strategies are quite well thought out. He can be a bit of a..." Ren struggled for the proper word. "Goofball?" Nora suggested. "That is one way of describing it but when you really need him he will be there for you." Ren said.
Ruby flinched a bit, remembering Pyrrha had died because she didn't want Jaune to be there.
"Um... Ashe, may I speak with you alone... uh, outside?" Ruby asked.
"Sure thing." Ashe said, grabbing his trench coat on to keep him warm from the chilly air.
The teenage girl and the man walked out of the warehouse and onto the empty dockside as twilight began to fall.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Ashe asked.
"This training, I looked it up and it looks pretty dangerous! I don't want Jaune to get hurt, body wise or feelings wise." Ruby said.
"How do you feel about Jaune? What is he to you?" Ashe asked.
Ruby raised her eyebrow before she answered "He's my friend... he's like the dorky big brother I never had. He was the first real friend I made when I came to Beacon."
"Hmm. Ruby, I won't lie to you, the training for the emotion Semblance is very taxing on your body, your mind, and your aura. It requires you to think about things you'd rather not think about. Want things you know you can never have. Those out of reach desires can fuel us and we can turn them into something more besides shattered dreams, motivation and power to do more." Ashe said to the girl.
"Did you use Pyrrha to motivate Jaune?" Ruby demanded.
"Yes."
"You have no right to do that! You never knew her like we did! You..."
"Ruby, look at this picture." Ashe said as he took out the small photograph he was holding and gave it to her.
Ruby looked at the photo and saw a younger Ashe with his arms around a pretty woman with blue eyes and black hair. In this picture Ashe looked happier than Ruby had ever seen him in the short time she knew him and his yellow eyes were more vibrant opposed to the tired look he wore now.
"This is Mila, isn't it?" she asked.
"Yes. I look at that picture everyday Ruby. To remind me of what I have lost and what awaits for me when I die. I have wanted to commit suicide several times in my life Ruby but I've never had the guts because of the old legends that say people who kill themselves go to hell where I know Mila isn't. I look for other ways of death. I take down criminals, gangs, hordes of Grimm... Nothing has killed me yet, given me a hell of a lot of scars though. Each time it hasn't killed me because I think of Mila and Saul Jude, the man who took her from me. I think of my mother who was killed by my father, I think of my big sister killing my father and then leaving me behind going out into the world to become a hero. If Jaune wants to get stronger, if he wants to take down Cinder and avenge Pyrrha then he will need this training, no matter how harsh it is." Ashe told her.
Ruby looked at him, sympathetic now that she had learned what had become of his family.
"What happened to your family? Why did your dad...?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Ashe said quickly.
Ruby nodded, she knew this must be a dark and painful subject for Ashe and she knew that it was wrong to pry but her curiosity got the better of her and she said "Well, maybe if you tell me you'll feel a little better."
Ashe sighed, he knew Ruby wouldn't stop prodding until she got her way so he decided to oblige her with the dark tale.
"I don't really know what happened. One night I was in bed, I heard an argument; I heard mom, dad, and my sister screaming at one another. Then I heard the screams get louder and then it gets quiet for a while. Then I hear dad screaming. My sister grabs me and gets me out of bed, she tells me dad killed mom, she takes me and hides me in a closet and tells me to stay put. I stay in that closet for an hour, trying my best to stay silent through my tears, even though I can hear my father and sister battle. Eventually my sister opens the door and tells me it's all over. We bury our parents, my sister leaves and tells me to go find a new home somewhere in the valley we lived in. She says she's going off to be a hero and she won't be able to look after me. She tells me someday she'll return. She never did." Ashe finished.
Ruby's eyes were widened at the dark and depressing story, she was quietly thanking Oum that her family had not fallen apart that badly. Ruby handed the picture back to Ashe and Ashe spoke to her again.
"Ruby, I've been wondering something; how did a girl as young as you get into Beacon?" Ashe asked.
"Well... I was just at the right place at the right time I guess. I foiled a robbery led by a guy called Roman Torchwick, almost stopped him from getting away, got scolded by Glynda Goodwitch herself but then Professor Ozpin came in with... cookies of all things, he noticed my silver eyes, talked to me a bit, then he offered me a place at Beacon. I honestly couldn't believe it, I felt like I was the luckiest girl in the world..." Ruby said, laughing at the events of that night that seemed so long ago.
"But now I have to wonder if Ozpin planned on making me into a Maiden like he did with Pyrrha. Uncle Qrow told me about my silver eyes and it made me wonder if Professor Ozpin planned on using my eyes to his advantage for something. I don't know where Professor Ozpin is right now or if he's even alive, but I know deep down he was a good man... I just want to know what he was doing or if... if he could have stopped any of this from happening." Ruby said, getting it all off her chest.
"He was just one man Ruby, the fate of the world can't fall onto his shoulders alone." Ashe said, he then looked at Ruby and said "Ruby, why did you want to become a Huntress?" he asked.
Ruby looked at Ashe and answered him honestly.
"Because of my parents mostly. My mom and dad would always tell us bedtime stories about how they and Uncle Qrow and Yang's mom Raven would fight bad guys and kick butt and save innocent people from Grimm. Now that I think about it I think they probably left out a lot of parts." Ruby said, giggling a bit.
"But the thing that made me know I wanted to be a Huntress, like really know, was the day my mom died. Dad was away with Uncle Qrow to the mainland and the town we lived close to was being attacked by a huge horde of Grimm, she took us to our neighbors, had them lock the doors, and she went out and fought, even though it seemed impossible. She saved the town, she saved everyone, but at the cost of her own life. That's when I knew, even though I was only a little girl that I wanted to be a Huntress. I knew I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to save and help people like my mom did." Ruby said, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.
"Heroes. Mila once said to me 'Ask a writer for a tale of heroes and adventure they'll give you a tale of tragedy, violence, and loss, and yet in those tales the heroes will never truly die.'" Ashe said.
Ruby nodded but she didn't quite understand what he meant. "When I wanted to become a Huntress I thought it would be just that, heroics and adventure but in the months since Ozpin got me into Beacon I got a team, wonderful friends and then my team fell apart and two of my friends died and my sister's arm got cut off. Mila was right Ashe, heroes and tragedy kinda go together." She finished.
Ashe sighed and said "It's sad. You guys are just kids, lost kids with sad but determined eyes reaching for the impossible. If we are all just stories in the end then people like me and Mila, Jaune and Pyrrha, your mom and dad? We're written to be damn tragedies."
Ruby looked up into the sky as the first stars began to appear in the sky, knowing that Ashe's words were true.
"And yet... despite how bittersweet these stories are..." Ashe continued, "it's up to the people who read or are told these stories how bitter or how sweet they are. A lot of stories are sad Ruby, they are miserable if we let them but there will always be a light at the end. My mom used to say 'every cloud has a silver lining even when it rains.' I think that means that no matter how bad things seem or how hopeless the world looks there is good in it and it is worth fighting for. We have to keep moving forward like you do."
"Like I do?" Ruby said, confused.
"Yeah, look at you! You lost two of your friends, your team split up, your sister lost her hand, and yet here you are out to stop the villain and save the world with your friends. I bet that wherever she is your mom is damn proud of you." Ashe said.
Ruby grinned, she wiped the tears from her face and she said "Thank you Ashe."
"Anytime. Seriously, I think I just need to have a heart to heart with Ren and Nora and I'll be your team's psychiatrist." Ashe joked.
Ruby chuckled and nodded. "Just go easy on Jaune okay" she asked.
"Not gonna be easy. Tomorrow we're going to go for endurance. It won't be easy but with any luck Jaune's Semblance will be worth it." Ashe said.
"Ashe, how long has it been since you had a real home?" Ruby asked.
"I haven't had what you'd call a home since Mila died." Ashe answered.
Ruby smiled and said "When this is all over you can come to live at Patch Island, it's a great place to live." Ruby said.
"I know, I've been there a couple of times." Ashe said, "Then come with us and live there, you won't have to be so lonely anymore." Ruby said.
Ashe looked at her and smiled "What makes you think I'm lonely?" he asked.
"Call it not being stupid." Ruby said with a smirk. He had opened up way too easily for her.
The two went inside as night fell.
As dusk had fallen on the city of Haven, work was being done on its outskirts. One of the many abandoned areas of the town was its old train yards because most trains still in service were of the main line and they were passenger trains, monorails, or they were freight trains owned by the military or private companies so that left most of the branch lines either torn up or left to rot.
One such branch line led to an old yard for freight with a warehouse that served as a shed. All of it had long since been abandoned and the only ones who bothered to come there were people that did not want to be found.
People such as members of the White Fang.
About fifty odd members all told were stationed here, ready to take on any robbery or operation that Adam Taurus needed them to perform.
Outside the perimeter of the yard a dog Faunus by the name of Murph walked his patrol beat calmly, humming an old song to himself.
He was so used to the quiet isolation of the yard, since it was out of the way of most areas, that he didn't bother listening and brushing off the sounds of rustling bushes as just a raccoon or other wildlife.
That is until a grappling hook wrapped around his ankles and pulled him into a bush.
Murph was held down to the ground by the Members of Team SSSN and his mouth kept shut via Sage's sword against it.
"Okay doggy boy, how many members of the White Fang are here?" Sun asked.
"Fifty-three, counting me." Murph said, not wanting to get himself killed by refusing to answer.
"Do you know who the leader of the White Fang is?" Neptune asked with his trident pointed at Murph's chest.
"Some guy called Adam... they don't really tell me much, I'm at the bottom of the food chain so to speak." Murph said nervously.
"Who's in control here?" Sun asked.
"Jenner! The Rhino Faunus okay! Just don't hurt me." Murph begged.
"Thanks for your cooperation." Sun said and with one punch Murph was knocked out.
"Okay, fifty-some guys. This will be a little tricky but we can pull it off." Sun assured his team.
"Don't look now lads but we got company." Scarlet warned the others as two more Faunus, one a buffalo and the other a squirrel began to approach the large bush they were hiding in.
"Yo Murph! Where'd ya go? Our duty's over, time to switch places with Calico and her girls." Said the buffalo Faunus as he got closer to the bush.
Sun held his hand up to his team, signaling them to wait until the two walked by. He made a hand signal to Neptune and the blue haired boy nodded, knowing what to do.
As they walked past the bush the squirrel Faunus stopped and his tail twitched and sprung up. "I smell something Bog, something not from around here..." he said to Bog, his partner.
Bog looked around the dark woods and said "I don't see, smell, or hear anything..." Then his partner cried out as Neptune zapped him with his trident and Sun jumped up into a tree so fast that he went unnoticed.
Bog looked around and saw his partner lying down on the ground knocked out. Bog reached for his radio to call for help when Sun jumped him, landing a powerful kick to the head, knocking him out instantly.
"Okay, three down and fifty to go." Sun said as his team got out of the bush.
"If they're as easy as these chumps it'll be a breeze." Neptune said confidently.
At the main compound of the White Fang base the captain of the Haven White Fang, Jenner, a large man with a sturdy horn growing out of his nose, stood at attention looking out into the woods.
"I don't feel good about this sir, Bog and his team should have been back by now." Said Calico, a Cat Faunus who was the other patrol leader.
"If they don't appear in three minutes go out there with back up and look for 'em." Jenner ordered.
"Wait a minute, I smell something..." Calico muttered as she took out her sword. Jenner looked ahead and saw Sun come out of the forest armed with Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang in the combine Bo-Staff form.
"Hold it there boy!" Jenner yelled as several White Fang guards aimed their guns at Sun.
"What? Can't a fellow Faunus be interested in joining the White Fang?" Sun asked with a cocky smile.
"We know who you are Sun Wukong! You've been a pain in our backsides for a while and our superiors have made it clear that any friend of the traitor Blake Belladonna is an enemy." Jenner said as more guards came out of the warehouse armed with guns and swords, surrounding Sun.
"Okay, jig's up. At least you're smarter than the average White Fang thug. Let's get to work boys!" Sun yelled.
And with that several blasts of electricity shot out of the forest and hit several thugs in the head, taking them out.
Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet all ran out in attack formation with Neptune and Scarlet using their guns to blast down the thugs while Sage swung his sword's back end to knock guards out. By this point twelve of the guards were taken out, including the ones they had beaten in the forest.
Sun smirked as several guards rushed towards him. He knocked one down with a mighty punch and then spin-kicked another guard into an oncoming thug. He then disconnected Jingu and Ruyi and they transformed into their nunchaku-shotgun forms and Sun began to swing them around expertly, blasting down more thugs.
Jenner roared out in anger as he took out his weapon, a giant battle ax, and charged at Sun. Sun ducked from the swing of the ax that would have taken his head off and then he jumped up and kicked Jenner in the face and chest.
Jenner growled in anger as he managed to grab Sun's arm and twist him over, slamming him into the ground. Sun rolled to avoid the ax slamming into his back and then he jumped up and combined Jingu and Ruyi into their Bo-Staff form once again. "Let's get this over with horn-boy." Sun mocked, ready to fight.
Sage swung his sword down, slicing guns in half and rendering the guards helpless and he swung his blade down and sent them flying. A guard with a large sword rushed him and tried to slash Sage up the chest but Sage easily dodged it. He slashed his own blade forward and met his enemy head on as the two blades clashed. Sage soon got tired of it and he held his sword back, seemingly giving his opponent the chance to kill him. The thug rushed forward with the blade ready to kill only for Sage to sidestep him and then bash the guard in the back of the head with the sword hilt. He then picked up his defeated opponent and threw him into a squad of oncoming guards.
"Sage, toss me up!" Neptune yelled as he ran towards Sage, blasting a few more Faunus down. Sage nodded and knelt down, holding his sword up firmly. Neptune jumped up and landed on the flat side of Sage's sword and said "Over there!" as he pointed to a dozen guards who were preparing to charge Sun. Sage used as much strength as he could to throw his teammate up into the air.
Neptune used his gun to blast three more guards down before he began to fall into the crowd of guards and he transformed his weapon into its Guandao form and slammed it into the ground and used it like a dance pole as he spun around and kicked all of the guards in the heads and torsos taking them out.
Neptune then ran forward and used his Guandao to bash another guard in the knees, making him fall to the ground in pain only for Neptune to make it worse by jumping on his face, which took him out, and then launching himself at another guard as his weapon turned back into gun-mode and blasted another guard in the face.
Scarlet blasted down guards with his gun and occasionally used the grappling hook from afar to stop them from getting too close. A guard began to fire on Scarlet with a shotgun but Scarlet was able to dodge the blasts, run forward, grab the guard, slam him into the ground and stomp on his forehead, knocking him out. Scarlet heard footsteps coming up from behind him so he whirled around, took out his cutlass just in time to block the attack of Calico.
"Good hearing, usually no one can hear me when I sneak up on them." She admitted as she tried to slash him again only for Scarlet to parry and block her again.
"Thanks.' He said as he took out his gun and used the grappling feature to fly up to the roof of the giant shed.
Calico crouched down and jumped up and made it to the roof, her eyes glaring at him like a cat would at a mouse. She ran at him and slashed downward with her sword but he blocked it, it was now his turn as he pressed his cutlass forward and hit her own blade three times before she swung her sword back and nearly caught him across the cheek.
"Whoa!" Scarlet cried as he fell on his back. Calico took her chance and plunged her sword down to end him but Scarlet managed to block again. He used his legs to sweep kick her down and knock her off the roof but she managed to grab hold of his leg and pull him with her and they both fell to the ground but Scarlet luckily managed to land on top of her and pin her down.
Neptune and Sage had managed to take out the last of the guards so the only thing left was Sun's fight with Jenner.
Jenner continued to swing and miss with his giant ax. He swung downwards and got his ax stuck in the ground giving Sun his opportunity to take him out. Sun used his Bo-Staff to hit Jenner's knees, elbows, wrists, and ankles; all of those hits weakened Jenner enough for Sun to climb up Jenner's back and stomp on his head and bash his skull with the bottom of the Bo-Staff.
Jenner roared in fury as he tossed his head from side to side, shaking Sun off. Sun landed in front of Jenner who screamed out as he charged Sun with his horn pointed right at him. Sun held his ground, smirking. He was right in front of an old boxcar, it was a bit ancient and rusty but Sun knew it would be enough to stop Jenner.
Sun stood his ground until Jenner was mere inches away and he jumped up and over Jenner. It was too late and Jenner couldn't stop himself and he slammed into the boxcar. Sun ran up to Jenner's back as the large Faunus was struggling to free himself and Sun whammed him in the back of the skull with the Bo-Staff form of his weapon, finally knocking Jenner out.
"I'll go back and get the guards in the forest." Sage said, "And I'll get some rope and chains from the base." Neptune said.
Their plan was to defeat the White Fang, tie them up, and then call the cops and have them all arrested so they couldn't cause any more trouble. No doubt there were more White Fang agents in the city, but this was a huge win.
Calico looked at Sun as Scarlet forced her up. "What do you want?" she spat.
"Who's in charge of the White Fang?" Sun demanded.
"Why would I tell you?" Calico asked, glaring at him.
"Because when you get taken to jail you'll be tried as a terrorist, so help us out and we'll tell the cops to go easy on you." Sun reasoned.
Calico glared at him again and still said nothing. "Come on! Do you really think working for the White Fang was the right thing to do? They're setting Faunus rights back not moving them forward! People like you don't want equality, you just want to be feared." Sun said with obvious disgust in his voice."
"What would you know? You're a Faunus, yes, but you have never lived the life most of us have." Calico said bitterly.
"Wrong, when I was a kid I got bullied and chased all the time because of my tail, but you know what? I didn't hold grudges because that meant I'd be no better than the people who persecuted me. What the White Fang has been doing the last few years? All its doing is proving the worst parts of humanity right about us. Do you really want to prove them right?" Sun asked
Calico looked Sun right in the eyes. She sighed and said "I just wanted to be treated like a normal person... and yet I know you're right. Our leader is Adam Taurus. He took over the Fang a few years ago and he's made us a force to be reckoned with even if we are running with Cinder Fall, that witch has gotten us all under orders to lay low until she says otherwise and we are only to look for new recruits."
"Was Adam Taurus the asshole who led the White Fang's attack on Beacon a few months ago?" Sun asked.
"Yes. I've heard rumors that he even saw the traitor Blake Belladonna and punished her for abandoning us." Calico confirmed.
"Where is he?" Scarlet asked.
"Cinder has him in the country, towards the Circle Sea." Calico said, referring to the sea in the middle of Mistral.
"Where specifically?" Sun asked.
"I don't know, I'm not that high up." The Cat Faunus confessed.
Sun and Scarlet looked at each other, and then back to Calico. "Okay, thanks for your cooperation." Sun said, before he knocked her out with a hit from the Bo-Staff.
"One of the thugs got the computers and destroyed them so we couldn't get any info out of 'em." Neptune said as he came out with ropes and change to bind the terrorists.
"Well at least we have some idea of where this Adam guy is." Scarlet said.
"Yeah, 'some' being the key word there. The Circle Sea is a big body of water and he could be anywhere around it." Sun pointed out.
"Too late to back out now." Said Sage as he appeared dragging Murph and the squirrel Faunus.
"Right, okay let's get 'em all tied up and we'll get started." Sun said and with that they set to work.
About an hour later a dozen police vehicles arrived on the scene, finding all of the White Fang members bound and gagged. Calico had a note on her that said 'Go easy on this one.'
Miles outside of Haven, Team SSSN walked through the cold woods, determined to take down the White Fang, while their leader was determined to help the girl he loved.
Qrow and Glynda Goodwitch stood in Qrow's office as Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck and Professor Peter Port as well as a scientist who worked for the Atlas military named Dr. Linda Tremain entered the room with several guards flanking them. Oobleck and Tremain were both covered with an odd black substance from the experiment, which was an autopsy on the Grimm Wyvern on top of the tower. Ironwood attended the meeting via a communications screen, he looked rather tired but interested in what the doctors had to offer.
"Well Barty don't keep us in suspense, what did you find?" Qrow asked.
Oobleck raised an eyebrow and said "First of all; never call me 'Barty' again. And honestly? I don't know where to start, it's all so overwhelming, this is the first chance in a long time to study the physiology of a Grimm such as this. I don't even know if we performed an autopsy or a biopsy."
"What do you mean not sure?" Ironwood asked.
"Dr. Oobleck means that we don't know if the Wyvern was dead or alive. We have no idea if Ruby Rose killed it or froze it as it just stopped." Dr. Tremain explained.
"Well since you cut it open it's probably dead now." Qrow observed.
"Good thing, I wonder if Miss Rose would ever be interested in going on a hunt with me, my taxidermist could use the experience with Grimm." Port said cheerfully, earning him looks from everyone in the room.
"Did you make any discoveries?" Ironwood asked.
"None that we didn't already know from previous experiments on Grimm. They are very hard to study because of their tendency to disintegrate when they are eliminated, but thanks to tranquilizers and the sort we have made minimal progress with them in the past but nothing to this level. We have found the basics of all previously known Grimm anatomy, bizarre and misshaped facsimiles of what we know to be standard anatomy of most creatures; hearts, lungs, stomachs, etc.. but instead of feasting on food the Grimm consume negative emotions of people such as anger, fear, and the like." Oobleck elaborated.
"We were, however, able to discover the reason it was able to spawn other Grimm. It appears that it has both the genetic and Dust makeup of different Grimm species inside of it. We'll need further studies to determine more." Tremain added.
Ironwood considered this. "Very well, I want you two to write up a report for me and have it sent to me by tomorrow night. I'll send more experts in Grimm over there, maybe they can figure out what happened to the damn thing." he said.
The two doctors nodded and they exited with Professor Port and their guards.
"So James, have you found anything leading to Fall or to Ozpin yet?" Glynda asked.
"No, nothing. We've heard over a hundred rumors about both but nothing concrete." Ironwood said.
"And how about those patrols?" Qrow shot.
"Our patrols and occupations are to keep the people of Remnant safe! There was a Grimm attack on a village in Vacuo the other day, none were left alive! Tragedies like that is what I am trying to stop Qrow." Ironwood snapped.
"Well the councils don't approve and neither do I. I know the Atlesian Council leaves everything up to you Jimmy, but don't let it go to your head." Qrow warned.
Ironwood scowled at the man before he switched off.
"Why do you antagonize him so?" Glynda asked.
"At this point it's a game we play." Qrow chuckled as he took out his flask and drank from it.
Glynda shook her head as he took his drink and she asked "Any word about Miss Rose or what's left of Team JNPR?"
Qrow shook his head and said "No, I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything."
Glynda sighed sadly and exited the office.
Qrow walked over to his window and opened it, allowing a raven to fly in.
"Hey sis." he said to the bird as it transformed into a human form.
"Hello Qrow." said his sister, Raven Branwen, the former wife of Taiyang Xiao Long and mother of Yang Xiao Long.
"What is it Qrow? I need to get back to looking for Ozpin." she demanded.
Ever since Ozpin's disappearance Qrow had taken up his duties as Headmaster of Beacon's forces and taken control over the various agents and spies that worked for Ozpin, both he and his sister were among them.
"Oz can wait for now. I suspect Salem has him." he told her.
"What?! Then why aren't we looking for Salem's..."
"Because if she's stayed hidden for this long we won't find her now. Besides, I have a more important mission for you." Qrow said.
"What is it?" Raven asked.
Qrow opened a drawer in his desk and took out a steel box.
"You need to take this to Patch Island and give it to Yang." Qrow ordered.
"The hell I will! I'm not going back Qrow, I left that life behind. I know what happened to Yang, I feel bad about it but..."
"Shut up and listen to me. You are going to take this to her and you two are going to fight it out." Qrow said.
"Are you drunk?" Raven asked.
"Not nearly enough." Qrow joked as he opened up the case revealing a yellow robotic hand with Yang's weapon that had been cut off with her right hand; the Ember Celica.
"I thought it'd be a good replacement. She always loved those gauntlets." Qrow said with an amused smirk.
"Why don't you give it to her?" Raven demanded to know.
"Because it would mean more coming from you. If Yang sees you again, confronts you I mean, it might just snap her out of her depression. She'll be mad as hell and you two will fight, and win or lose at least Yang will be Yang again. She'll get up and go out there to help Ruby." Qrow explained.
Raven was silent as she looked at the robotic hand.
"Please sis. Do this for your daughter." Qrow pleaded.
"You'll fight me if I refuse won't you?" Raven guessed.
"You know it." Qrow muttered as he gestured to his scythe.
Raven sighed and said "For you Yang." as she grabbed the case.
Ashe looked up at the light shining down on him, rescuers!
More members of the Guerrilla Hunter Operation he was a part of had arrived to save them and get them out of the pit.
"Get away from the walls and run towards one another! Get in a circle and stay put, we're coming down for you!" yelled a captain as Hunters fired on the Grimm.
Ashe got up and began to make his way to where a few other survivors were gathered. Just then a young Death Stalker jumped out and attempted to stab Ashe with its stinger only for Ashe's gun to take the hit. "I got it Ashe!" called a friend of Ashe, a guy called Kion who blasted the juvenile Death Stalker away.
"We gotta go! Tarantula Widows are coming!" Kion said. Ashe looked behind and saw three or four huge spider-Grimm slowly approaching them, clicking their thick teeth together, ready to eat.
"Let's go!" Kion yelled as he ran past Ashe. "Come on Ashe! We're gonna make it..." Kion tripped and landed in some mud.
Ashe ran forward to help Kion up. "Get up man we gotta..." Ashe stopped when he saw that Kion's face had been ripped off by a Blood Lust that was hiding in the mud.
"Son of a bitch!" Ashe screamed in horror as he ripped Kion's gun out of his dead hands and blasted the Grimm apart.
Ashe ran forward to where the small group of survivors had gathered. The ropes hadn't been thrown down yet and the Hunters above were shooting down as many Grimm as they could.
Ashe saw how little survivors there were, only seven of the forty-two that had fallen in were still alive.
Ashe looked behind and saw Kion's body being picked up by the Tarantula Widows. "I'm sorry." Ashe said in regret as he saw his friend's body taken.
"Get us out of here! NOW!" a woman next to Ashe screamed to the hunters above. "We're trying! It's not safe enough to throw down the ropes yet!" called the captain.
The woman was about to retort when a Creep jumped on her and slammed her to the ground as it bit into her neck. The survivors screamed as Creeps, Beowolves, Blood Lusts, Tarantula Widows, Death Stalkers, young Taijitus and Boarbatusks all began to approach to feed off of the remaining Hunters.
Ashe let out a scream and remembered something that he had long forgotten.
Something his mother had taught him to defend himself with in the most dire circumstances.
He let out a yell of "Haakskeekah!"
...
"Mommy...?"
"Yes Ashe?"
"What's that rock thing in the temple room?"
"It's an old prophecy from before anyone in Remnant was born, it was told after the moon broke up into pieces."
"What does it say?"
"It says; They will return, the legends of old, and when they do the fate of the world they'll hold.
We thought them simple children's tales of the past, but now we know they will save us from the Grimm's grasp.
Many hardships and trials they will face, but in the end they will save the human and Faunus race.
Their friendships must never be broken or sever, for we know that love is forever.
And though the darkness' reach is far, in the end love will ignite the stars."
"What does it mean Mommy?"
"I don't really know, a lot of people have tried to guess what it means but I don't think we'll ever understand it, but maybe someday we will."
Ashe woke up again; grateful he hadn't screamed that time and woke his young companions up.
He remembered what happened after the pit, waking up in the infirmary and being told what happened, that after he had yelled out that ancient word all the Grimm were vaporized in a shock-wave of aura. He and three others were the only ones who survived that pit, and even then two of those three had quit the operation and returned to civilian life.
He had somehow managed to hold on Kion's gun and it was the one he used to this day.
Ashe laid his head back down, remembering the 'Haakskeekah', a powerful Aura attack his mother had taught him. His sister had always been his father's preferred child and the one who was most likely to uphold the family's duty.
His mother had taught him this spell to protect himself if anything overwhelmingly bad were to happen, an attack to drive away enemies. Despite its power it took up a lot of Aura and could put you to sleep for a few hours so as a result of that Ashe rarely used it.
He wondered why he had dreamed about that prophecy; he hadn't even thought about it in years and had honestly forgotten he had ever heard it. Knowing the dreams he had it meant it would probably slither its way back into his life sooner or later.
I wanted to show kind of an emotional manipulation with Salem since her narrations starts out sounding kind but twists into something malevolent so I wanted to have her act like that to Fotia, make Fotia think that Salem is someone she can love and trust.
Ashe is not a healthy man. He has seen terrible things that have scarred his mind; he has lost so much that he can't really hold on to anything living anymore. He's considered committing suicide many times he's so unhappy with his life. But maybe Ruby and the gang can help him with that... Look up the theme to the show Millennium if you want to get a grasp on his character as I think that piece of music describes what I'm going for with him.
I am changing my plans because this chapter was meant to be huge but I decided to split off into two chapters. Chapters will from now on be however long I feel they should be because I want people to be interested but the lack of feedback I get makes me doubt I'm doing a good job and makes me wonder if this story is any good.
So next time we'll have a shorter chapter and catch up with Blake, Weiss, and a certain redhead...
Once again your feedback is appreciated. Till next time.