(A/N) Alright, this is a few days later than I hoped it'd be, but here it is! And for everyone who asked, the Spirit will arrive in two in-universe months. Idk how many chapters that is, but yeah, two months. Also, I need to announce a slight retcon due to me being an idiot (which was thankfully noticed by someone over on Spacebattles). The system adjacent to Remnant's is now seven light-months away as opposed to six; this is to account for my apparent subconscious hatred for the month of February.
One last thing before the chapter, we just broke six-hundred favorites and seven-fifty followers! Seriously, guys, idk what you see in this thing, but thank. you! And, even though this is a few days late, here's a chapter for you guys! Enjoy!
Volume Two
Chapter Seven – Insurgent
/-\ Ruby Rose /-\
"…I'm sorry, but did you just imply the Maidens are real?" Pyrrha asked as the elevator doors closed, confusion written all over her face.
I shrugged. "Who do you think broke my armor? The thing's literally fallen from orbit twice now and has been just fine."
"I mean, I know it is quite durable, but surely there are other explanations." She said with a nervous laugh. "Magic isn't real."
"The world would be a very different place if it wasn't, Miss Nikos." Ozpin said.
"I'm still not convinced aura isn't magic." I said. "But the Maidens are a lot more powerful."
She chuckled. "But what you're suggesting is just… insane! Surely four people with that kind of power would be well-known."
Ozpin smirked. "They are. After all, we've all heard the fairy tale."
"With all due respect, you know what I mean, Headmaster."
I raised an eyebrow. "Does a bandit queen count as being 'well known'?"
She blinked. "I'm… sorry?"
"You're from Mistral, I'm sure you've heard of Raven Branwen." She hummed in affirmation. "Well, she's the current Spring Maiden, Yang's killer, and nearly mine too."
She stood shock still, her eyes wide.
"If you still need convincing…" Ozpin began, pausing for the doors to open. "…then I may have the evidence you require." He led us out, a pair of figures popping into view a moment later. "Miss Ironwood, the woman next to me claims you to be a fairytale, care to prove her wrong?"
Chrysanthemum blinked, pausing a moment before a blue flame erupted from her eyes. She held up her hand, a small fire flickering to life in her palm. "A fairytale, eh?"
"That… could be your semblance…" Pyrrha said like she was trying to convince herself more than any of us.
Chrys rolled her eyes. "My semblance allows any machine I'm operating to passively regenerate."
"Huh." I let out. "Guess that's why you're a pilot."
"Kinda gettin' off track, here." The other member said, revealing himself to be my uncle.
"But if the Maidens exist, then-"
"Centuries of Human history is wrong." Ozpin finished. "One of the many, many reasons why they're a secret in the first place. Come, Miss Nikos, we have much to discuss."
"Like the predicament you mentioned?" I asked.
"Yeah, that's one way to put it." Qrow said, taking a swig from his flask. "Bit of an understatement, though."
"Is anyone going to tell me what's actually going on? And why are you even telling me this, anyways?"
"Long story short? One of the Maidens was attacked and for the first time in history, some of her power was stolen."
Pyrrha stiffened, her eyes widening in shock. I, however, merely raised an eyebrow. "Some?"
"Indeed." Ozpin confirmed. "This was not a… traditional transference."
"And what is a traditional transference?" She asked.
"Maidens are not immortal, whether that is for good or ill depends on who you ask." He started. "Usually, upon a Maiden's passing, whomever happens to be in the woman's final thoughts is granted the power."
"Unless it's a dude, or some old hag." Qrow chimed in. "Then our jobs get a looooot harder."
"What he means to say, is that, in those cases, the power goes to someone completely random." Chrys said, shrugging. "That's how I got my powers."
"There's another requirement. They must be a Remnan." I said, drawing Ozpin's gaze. "Unless there's a secret Maiden cult back in UNSC space suppressing the knowledge of their existence, there hasn't been any over there."
He chuckled, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "Ah, I merely find the idea of a quote-unquote 'Maiden cult' amusing."
"Gettin' off track again…" Qrow muttered.
I raised an eyebrow. "Got somewhere to be?"
"Promised Tai I'd help with Yang's funeral." My heart sank at her mention. "Oh, right, Oz, can Ruby and I have Wednesday off?"
"Weiss, Blake, and probably Winter'd wanna come too." I said.
"Yes, you all may have the day off." He said. "And I believe we have arrived." He moved aside, revealing a pair of what at first glance looked like cryopods. The machinery, however, gave them away as something different. A grievously scarred woman lay inside one, her face twisted into a perpetual grimace. "Miss Rose, Miss Nikos, meet Amber Autumn. The current Fall Maiden."
We both looked at her, Pyrrha even going up to the glass and placing a hand on it for a moment. "She's… still alive, isn't she?"
"Indeed." Ozpin confirmed. "But we do not know for how long, nor what will happen afterwards."
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing it won't just transfer to the next host like it normally does, then."
"We've never seen the power split like this." He said, frowning. "While it is possible the inheritance scheme will hold, it is likely the power will seek out its other half."
"Her assailant…" Pyrrha surmised.
"And that would not bode well for any of us." He sighed. "I am sorry, Miss Nikos, but there is a terrible burden I must ask you to bear."
"You want me to be the next Fall Maiden, don't you?"
He nodded solemnly. "It is not a burden I wish to bestow upon someone so young." He said. "If the Covenant had not attacked, we might've found an alternate solution."
"Why are you making this sound so ominous?" I asked, eyes narrowing.
"Because I am afraid it is not as simple as 'step into the pod and receive godly powers'." He said. "We cannot directly transfer them from person to person, else Miss Autumn would've been able to opt out long ago."
"My father has been funding research some might consider to be… questionable." Chrys said. "He knows it better than I do, but he's busy with the Vale council."
"What Miss Ironwood means to say, is that we now have the ability to transfer what the Maidens' powers are bound to." He paused. "Aura."
The color drained from her face. "You mean to say that you can just… rip someone's soul right out of their body and give it to some stranger?!"
"Yeah, pretty much." Qrow said. "The problem is… what's that gonna do to you?"
She shivered in disgust. "That's… wrong!"
"Yeah, feeling's mutual, kiddo." He said, shooting a glare at Ozpin. "But we're out of options."
"Actually, you're not." I said. "I'm a Spartan. Humanity's sword and shield. I've turned the tide of battles on my own. Hell, I've destroyed entire armies of Covenant with nothing but a gun, a knife, and a good scythe." I said, striding over to the unoccupied pod and lifting the top open. "If you need to ruin a girl's life, use someone who just won't. stop. losing everything!"
Qrow's eyes softened. "Ruby…"
"I'm afraid it isn't that simple, Miss Rose." Ozpin interrupted.
My eyes narrowed. "Why not? I'm the obvious choice!"
"It's because you already possess a form of magic; one incompatible with the Maiden powers."
I froze. "…What?"
"Tell me something; what color are your eyes?"
"Silver." I said, not knowing where he was going with this. "They're the first thing anyone notices about me."
"And for good reason. Have you heard of the Silver-Eyed Warriors?"
I stood shock still. I'd looked into them briefly when I discovered my eye color wasn't very common, but… "I thought that was just a legend…"
He chuckled. "Well, it seems Miss Nikos is not the only one to have her world shattered this day. Come see me in my office sometime; I have some books on the subject I used to loan to your mother, though she never finished any of them." He turned back to Pyrrha. "However, you, Miss Nikos, have something to think about. Do not make the decision lightly, for there is no going back should you accept."
She glanced back at Amber, shivering again and staring at the almost-lifeless body of the Maiden before her. "So be it." She said, clenching her fists. "I will become your Fall Maiden."
"Miss Nikos… Pyrrha." Ozpin addressed. "I do not wish for you to make the decision under duress. Take a week to think it through and give me your answer next Monday." He said. "Keep in mind, this may be the last week you experience while you are still truly you, should you accept. Do not waste it."
"Y- Yes, Headmaster." She said, standing awkwardly.
"I will leave it up to your discretion, Miss Rose, as to whether or not you inform Specialist Schnee, Miss Schnee, or Miss Belladonna. However, Miss Nikos, I must ask you to not inform your teammates, as they have not been informed of the wider situation."
"Y- Yes, Headmaster." She repeated.
My anger flared at him blatantly keeping more secrets, but after a second of thought, I realized that even I wouldn't trust the rest of JNPR with this. Well, maybe Ren, but certainly not the boy who shouted to the high heavens about his transcripts, nor the girl who would do the exact same thing if given the opportunity.
After realizing this, however, I had another question. "If I couldn't be granted the Maiden's powers, then why'd you even bring me here?" I asked.
"Good question, Miss Rose. The answer is that I simply believe you would've found out anyways, and I fear that outcome would have jeopardized Vale's relations with the UNSC." I blinked, realizing he actually made a good point. "Now, I believe that concludes our business down here. We will escort you back to the surface and then you shall be dismissed."
As he led us towards the elevator, I couldn't help but have a single thought. 'At least he's being honest for once in his life…'
I looked upon my sleeping teammates with a devious smile. Under normal circumstances, I'd let them sleep for a little longer, but I had something special planned for this morning that I spent all night preparing.
I looked to Valkea, wondering how the Penguin Faunus would respond to this. We haven't even told her about our usual morning workouts, but now that the Covenant were here, she wouldn't get a choice. Also, gauging her response might give me a clue as to what Ozpin was so worried about with her.
With silent glee, I reached for the whistle slung around my neck, took a deep breath, and blew.
Everyone shot upwards. Blake grabbed Gambol Shroud and started scanning the area, Weiss fell out of her bed, and Valkea whipped out a pistol, loosing a shot that barely scraped my aura before freezing in abject horror.
"What is wrong with-"
"Good morning to you too, Weiss!" I interrupted, ignoring our new teammate's apparent fondness for shooting first and asking questions never. "You have five minutes to get dressed for combat." She blinked, pausing a moment before her and Blake jumped into action.
Valkea, however, remained where she was. "Oh my gods, I didn't-"
"No hard feelings. Get moving."
"Wha-"
"Combat outfit. Now. We leave iiiiinnnnn… four minutes!"
She shook her head, clearing away her tired daze before joining the rest of the team in donning her combat attire.
"Alright Team Groovy!" I addressed after the time had expired, still wondering how few people would guess it was spelled RWVB. "You're probably all wondering why I woke you up at four in the morning…"
"Wait, what the hell?" Valkea let out, the other two just rolling their eyes.
I clapped my hands together. "Well, with the Covenant knowing where Remnant is, I want this team to be the best counter-alien force the world has ever seen!" I smirked. "And you know what that means…"
Blake and Weiss paled, whereas the newest member merely looked confused. "Wait, what is happening?"
"Get her going on a standard run. Bring your weapons." I strode towards the window. "You'll know when to stop." I said, falling backwards out of the room and onto the path below.
/-\ Valkea Khan /-\
I looked at my new teammates in confusion. "Did… did she just jump out the window?"
"She's done crazier." The Schnee said, shrugging. "Follow us and do try to keep up. I have a feeling she'll pick you off if you get separated." She turned to Blake. "I don't think for a moment that she's going to let this be a standard run for very long. Can you stick to the trees above us?"
"Since when are you in charge?" I blurted out.
The Schnee raised an eyebrow. "Since Ruby officially made me second in command about a week into our first semester."
"I'm not following a Schnee."
They both facepalmed, Blake recovering first. "Was this what I was like early on?"
She crossed her arms. "No, you were far more subtle about your irration-" She paused. "Okay, somewhat rational hatred." She turned back to me. "But the point is that we have training to do at this ungodly hour. I'll lead you through our usual path, let's get moving."
"I refuse."
They both groaned. "If you won't follow a Schnee, would you follow a Belladonna?" Blake asked.
I blinked. "Wait, that Belladonna?"
She rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, that Belladonna."
I blinked. 'So that's why she looked familiar…' I thought. My eyes narrowed, coming to a disconcerting conclusion. "Your parents fought for our people and you end up running to a Schnee?!"
The Demoness in question pinched her nose. "Do you think Ruby would be amicable to us turning this into a no man left behind op?"
Blake shrugged. "Only one way to find out." Suddenly, I felt a hand around my neck. I fought against my assailant, but my hands were stopped mid-grab by a pair of white glyphs. 'Fuck you, Schnee!' I mouthed as I fell unconscious.
/-\ Weiss Schnee /-\
I released the glyphs holding Valkea's arms still, allowing Blake to gently lower her to the floor as her shadowclone dissipated. I gave her a worried look. "Do the Faunus really hate me that much?" I asked. "I mean, there were literally no problems until the moment I told her to do something."
She shrugged, securing Valkea's limbs with two pairs of odd handcuffs. "You're certainly no saint among the Faunus, but that was pretty extreme. Regardless, I doubt we've gotten ourselves any favors after this…"
I sighed. "You're not wrong…" I muttered before realizing something very peculiar. "Umm, Blake? Why do you have fuzzy handcuffs?"
She froze for a moment, a tint of red spreading onto her cheeks. "They umm… they were from a previous relationship…"
I blushed, catching her implication. "Oh."
She hoisted the unconscious girl onto her shoulders. "Let's pretend you didn't notice that and get moving. I have a feeling she won't be very cooperative when she wakes up."
I shook my head, clearing my mind. "Yeah, uhh… that sounds good, I'll lead the way." I said as we started jogging down the hall. "Gods, this is going to be awkward explaining this to Ruby."
"I'm not worried about her; I'm worried about if anyone else catches us. This probably looks like a kidnapping."
I blinked. "Double time it!" I shouted, shooting ahead. Blake had no trouble catching up, as I was still the slowest on the team. Soon enough, we were in the woods and away from any allegations of abduction. Waiting for us, however, was our missing leader.
Ruby stood in the middle of the path; arms crossed an eyebrow raised. "Did something happen?"
"Yeah, she wouldn't follow a Schnee." I huffed.
"So you knocked her out, threw some kinky handcuffs on her, and slung her over Blake's shoulder while you two sprinted off campus." She said, dryly. "'A' for effort, but you guys do know that those aren't exactly sturdy handcuffs, right?"
Blake's ears flattened. "…Didn't think of that…"
Ruby clapped her hands together. "Okay, so change in plans. Monochrome's job is to escort their 'prisoner'" She said with airquotes. "to a Warthog further up the path and then drive to the destination listed there. Valkea, your job is to escape and make it back to the dorm. Time limit is an hour."
I blinked. "Okay, but why are you telling her that? She's unconscious."
She shrugged. "Actually, she's been awake for this entire conversation." Blake and I froze, not knowing what to do. "By the way, the losing side gets to do my training."
The color drained from my face. "B- Blake, let's get to the…" I paused. "Blake, where is she?"
/-\ Valkea Khan /-\
"What are you talking about?" My captor asked, confused. "She's right-"
-CHINK-
I destroyed both sets of handcuffs, their cheap chains breaking easily from my aura-enhanced strength. Not wasting a moment, I rolled off Blake's back and onto the ground a few paces away, leaving them to search fruitlessly as I hid with my semblance.
"She can't have gone far." The Schnee said. "Your eyes are better than mine in the dark, any idea which way she went?"
She shook her head. "No idea." She looked at Ruby. "You?"
Our leader shrugged. "I know exactly where she is, buuuut I'm not helping you cheat."
Blake groaned. "Can you give us a hint at least?"
"Sure; Weiss is right."
Blake hummed in thought. "I felt her push backwards off me, so that'd probably be a good place to start."
The Schnee nodded. "Got it. Lead the way."
They ran off, but my heart was still racing. Ruby said she knew exactly where I was. I'd have to be creative to-
"Nice semblance." She said, sitting down next to me and causing my body to freeze up. "You can knock it off. Your camo's better than an Elite's, but I can still see right through it." She paused. "No pun intended."
I deactivated my semblance, causing myself to become visible again. "What do you want?" I asked, my eyes narrowed.
She raised an eyebrow. "What's your problem?" She asked. "None of us are happy about getting a replacement so early, but from the looks of it, you're blatantly disobeying orders given by a superi-"
"The Schnee is not superior to me!"
She paused. "Ah." She let out. "Let me guess, you didn't take the time to get to know her one single bit and just assumed she'd be the evil white-haired woman cackling as she whipped Faunus to death in the mines." I remained silent. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." She sighed. "Look, discrimination is a two-way street. You asked if Winter would have any problems with you, but it looks like you're the only one causing problems around here."
"You wouldn't understand, Human." I growled out.
"I know more than you think I do." She said, getting up and dusting herself off. "By the way, you might want to start running. Blake definitely heard you shouting."
I blinked before realizing the implications. Not wanting to know what her training entailed, I quickly leaped to my feet and-
…immediately realized I was glyphed to the ground…
"Good work, you two." Ruby said as the other two members of my team emerged from the treeline. "But keep in mind that you need to get her to the Warthog and keep her in it until you reach the extraction point."
The Schnee raised an eyebrow. "And where is that, exactly?"
"The GPS'll tell you." She said before thrusting a thumb behind her. "Warthog's that way, by the way."
She nodded. "Understood. Let's get moving."
Blake rolled her eyes. "You're going to make me carry her, aren't you?" She asked, earning a hum. "Y'know, I'd probably be mad if I were a Mule Faunus." She joked as she crouched down.
"Don't touch me." I said, lowly.
"Sorry, but that ship has sailed." She picked me up and roughly threw me over her shoulder. Before I could resist, I found my arms and legs glyphed together.
The Schnee then drew her weapon, spinning the chamber built into its hilt. "Sorry about this." She said before freezing my limbs, dispelling the glyphs once I was bound by other means. "You should be fine, your aura will make sure there's no lasting damage."
"You have no idea how much I hate you."
Her eyes flicked to Blake. "I have a pretty good idea…" She said as I was carried off into the night, kicking and struggling the whole way.
/-\ Ruby Rose /-\
'That… didn't go to plan…' I thought, pulling a datapad out of my pocket. 'Better change their route to keep it near the school; Valkea'll probably be a Grimm magnet by the time they reach the Warthog…' I hesitated as my finger hovered over the confirmation button. '…Maybe that would be a good thing.' I hummed. "It's not like they wouldn't have weapons to defend themselves…" I mused, cancelling my changes.
I sighed, stowing my datapad once more as I dropped into a runner's stance and took off towards the rendezvous. I didn't use my semblance; I didn't need to for how much time I'd have to kill. Besides, I needed to train harder than I'd ever had to before.
I've been slacking on it lately, how else could I have been so slowin reacting to that bitch killing my sister? I shook my head as I slid down Beacon's cliff and continued on until I hit the clearing, a grim determination in my eyes. Maiden or not, I was more than close enough to have prevented her from throwing her into that portal to the afterlife.
I leaped up, swinging on a tree limb and immediately transitioning into doing pullups. Aside from the time it took to prepare the training course, I'd been doing this all night; my arms stung from all this work, moreso than they had since Draco. I did what I did best, grit my teeth and pushed through it.
Half an hour later, I was mid-way through my katas with Wilt when the gunfire started; rounds I recognized as being from a 50-cal chaingun. I sheathed my sword, jumping into a nearby tree to get a better view of what was going on. Sure enough, I could see the occasional muzzle flash in the distance, the actual sound reaching my ears a few moments later.
I sat down, smiling as I waited for my teammates to arrive. Eventually, the 'Hog got close enough for me to make out its individual movements as it avoided Grimm after Grimm, the shadow creatures being slightly illuminated by the tracer rounds Weiss fired.
A few moments later, the vehicle burst into the clearing, Blake sideswiping a Boarbatusk as her gunner lit up a Beowolf. I dropped down, lazily decapitating a Creep before moving to assist. While Weiss was busy mowing down another pair of Beowolves, I covered their other side, slicing my way through a quartet of Juvenile Deathstalkers the way only a Spartan can.
I flicked the Grimmgore off my blade as the person-sized monsters evaporated. With a blast of Blush, the last Grimm in the clearing, a Creep, died, allowing the Warthog's chaingun to fall silent.
Blake dismounted, walking around the vehicle as my partner stood guard on the turret. "You made it look a lot easier than it actually is…" She deadpanned.
I shrugged. "That's just what a decade of practice does."
"You're insufferable." Weiss said, relaxing onto the gun. "We've arrived. Now what?"
"Well, you brought the little troublemaker here," Valkea glared at us, shivering slightly from the ice holding her to the seat. "so I guess you win." I said, earning a sigh of relief from the monochrome duo. "Buuuut…" They both tensed. "I did say to get her to cooperate, so why don't you guys take the 'Hog back to Beacon and do two standard runs. You can skip the aura depletion part the second time around, buuut," I smirked. "you might wanna hang on to your weapons."
"I have a bad feeling about this…" Blake said.
"Paranoia is good; keeps you alive." I said. "I'll take the Icicle, can you unfreeze her, Ice Queen?"
"Of course." Weiss said, hopping down to the ground and igniting her Myrtenaster, holding it near the flame as the ice surrounding Valkea rapidly began to recede. She hopped out of the Warthog, rubbing her wrists and angrily glaring at my partner.
"Alright, get to it, Monochrome! Daylight's burnin'!" They both nodded, getting back in the vehicle and speeding off a moment later. I turned to our newest teammate and frowned. "What was that?" I asked, lowly. "You can't just refuse to do what you're told. Pulling that will get people killed. We've already lost a member; I'm not losing another."
"But she's a-"
"She's a what, Icicle? We've been over this already." Her mouth clicked shut, her glare only intensifying. I rolled my eyes before reaching into my pants and retrieving my concealed M6G and one of my knives. "Alright, since you obviously didn't grab your weapon, you'll need these." I handed them to her. "Your new objective is to make it back to Beacon. Every time I have to save your ass from the Grimm is an extra hundred pushups when we get there."
"You can't-"
"Damn right I can." I said. "I know you're not used to this kind of training, but I made a promise that Team RWBY wouldn't end up like the last team I was on, and this is how I can prepare you for the war. We've already lost a member, and there won't be another death; not on my watch." I jerked my head to the side. "Beacon's that way, let's get a move on."
/-\ Emanuel Witherson /-\
I stared at the screen in the conference room as the Warthog we'd loaned to the Spartan practically flew through the forest.
"And why did the Lieutenant Commander need a Warthog again?" Major Foley asked.
I shrugged. "She said it was for a training op; apparently, she's taken her team under her wing."
He rested his hand on his chin in thought. "Spartans are the best soldiers we have, I guess I won't say no to three huntsmen trained by one."
I nodded. "Exactly my thoughts." I said. "By the way, what did you think of her last report?"
He crossed his arms. "That shit hit the fan for Remnant a long time before the Covenant found them. I know people in ONI, ONI, who would balk at shoving someone else's soul into a kid like her." He sighed. "But I also know that Amber's powers can not be allowed to fall into enemy hands. It doesn't matter if that's the covvies or whatever kind of insurrection's going on here."
"My thoughts exactly." I said. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope that girl chooses to accept Ozpin's deal." I paused. "Speaking of assets, though, have the guys down in engineering gotten anything from that oracle the Lieutenant Commander brought back?"
He shook his head. "They can't even figure out how to get the bloody thing open." He said. "This is just a frigate, Commander, we were never expected to be doing actual research. Plus, I have a feeling our engineering staff will be very busy for the foreseeable future."
"You've got that right…"
/-\ Valkea Khan /-\
I shakily strode into my dorm room, making it two paces in before my legs gave out and I collapsed onto the floor.
"Yeah, that's about what I expected." I heard Blake say.
I looked up and saw her fully dressed in her uniform while sitting cross-legged on her bed, a book in her lap. "She isn't Human!"
She twitched her cat ears. "Neither are we."
My head fell back to the floor with an audible thud. "I had to do four hundred pushups on top of what she already wanted me to do!" I groaned. "I just wanna sleep…"
I heard the door beside me click open, a few light footfalls following. "Unfortunately, we still have class to attend, though I'm sure you'll be glad to hear combat class isn't until tomorrow." The Schnee said. "The shower is open, by the way. If I were you, I would take advantage of that fact."
I glared at her, but the call of a nice soothing shower was too tempting. Eventually, I strode into the bathroom and locked the door behind me, my uniform in hand. I stepped into the shower, immediately sitting down on the interior seat.
As the water ran through my hair, I let my mind wander. 'How the hell did I get assigned to this team?' I wondered. 'They're completely insane! Who in the right mind makes us get up at four in the Brothers damned morning to go through that?!'
I sighed. 'Did… did I make a mistake when I agreed to this?' I shook my head. 'No, the Humans interfered with our plans. I was supposed to be on a team with Sister Trifa, but she didn't get here in time.' My fists clenched in anger, but I took a few deep breaths, calming myself down.
My eyes softened. '…I miss Sienna…' I thought. 'I bet she'd know what to do in this situation...' I mulled it over for a few seconds before shaking my head. 'No, she knows best. My job is to become a huntress, and that's what I'll do.' My eyes narrowed in grim determination. 'Even if I have to slog through that team's insane workout routine.'
Suddenly, someone banged on the door. "Are you almost done? Class is in fifteen minutes!" My leader shouted.
I blinked. "C- Coming!" I shouted, turning off the water and getting dressed as quickly as my aching muscles would allow.
"Good morning, class!" The green-haired professor said. His eyes darted between myself and a few other students. "Ah, you must be the Atlesians! Excellent, excellent! I am DOCTOR Oobleck, professor of history, archaeology, and coffee at this fine institution! I will, however, give you one warning. I possess a PhD in all of the aforementioned subjects and therefore expect to be referred to as DOCTOR, not professor."
He took a sip from his thermos. "Now, to start off this semester, we have a very rare opportunity indeed. Today, we shall discuss history… AS IT HAPPENS BEFORE OUR VERY EYES!" He shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "Now… who here can tell me what has been on the news recently. Besides the invasion, of course. Lieutenant Commander Rose will cover that topic in her new class."
A student on the other side of the room raised his hand. "Uhh… didn't that one Spider Faunus get arrested for being in the White Fang?"
I frowned. 'Damnit, Trifa!' I mentally cursed. 'Well, there goes my backup…'
Oobleck's lips pursed. "Indeed she did, though that is not what I was looking for, Mister Arc." He took another sip from his thermos, waiting for another student to answer. When no one did, he cleared his throat. "Very well, then. The event I was referring to is the recent decision to grant a parcel of land to the UNSC!" The class remained silent. "This is exciting! Extraremnantine Humans being given land in our own backyard! And only two days after their first meeting, too! That is quite possibly the fastest the Valerian bureaucracy has ever ran!"
Another sip. "So today, we will break into teams and make an educated guess as to what will become of this by the end of the semester! Do try to make them accurate, though, as extra credit will be given to the team with the most accurate prediction."
I looked at the rest of my teammates before sighing. '…Is this really what being a huntress is all about?'
/-\ Berry Sonic /-\
I sighed as I held my rifle. Nothing to report. Again. 'All that's out there is just snow, snow, and more snow.' I thought. 'Seriously, who would be crazy enough to mess with us?'
I walked past the main entrance on my patrol, the gates closed for the time being.
"ALL SDC LABORERS," I heard from inside. "IT IS NOW SEVEN-O-CLOCK, CURFEW IS NOW IN EFFECT."
"Stupid Faunus…" I muttered. "If they just shut up and worked in the mines like they're supposed to, Mister Schnee wouldn't've had to do that…" My shoulders slumped. "Well, at least I've only got half an hour until I can go home."
Suddenly, a force threw me off my feet. I tried to scream, but a gloved hand wrapped around my mouth, muffling me. I struggled and struggled, but soon I felt something slice my throat open. I coughed and sputtered, a tear leaving my eye as I realized I was about to die. Just before my vision went dark, I got a good look at my assailant.
That horned Grimm mask was the last thing I ever saw…
(A/N) Aaaand it seems things aren't all great in Mantle either. Who would've guessed? But yeah, somewhat slower chapter than what we're used to. Not all that much more I need to say here except that I've decided that, due to FFN messing up their messaging system, I'm going to abandon the "only guest reviews addressed" plan that I outlined last chapter. So yeah, everyone's reviews that needed responding to are down below.
Just a warning, though, if you haven't read ASH, you'd best skip them.
Joeyginise said – "Since the Spirit of Fire has a Spartan Team assigned to it, does it have what I have been calling a Spartan Bay. Its basically that one room that chief went into to have his armor removed. That's the only place I can think of that is equipped to repair Mjolnir armor. That's a priority 1 thing when it arrives. And it seems that plot is happening. YAY!"
I'd imagine they've rigged SOMETHING up. Sure, Red Team weren't assigned there on purpose (they kinda just got roped into it at Arcadia) but since the Spirit has its own manufacturing capabilities, I'd imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to just get something working so the Spartans could have a shower or something without having to spend ~5 hours trying to get out of their armor on their own.
ExodiaGeass8910 said – "love the new cahpter, the main question I have is wiil Valkea still gonna be a part of team RWBY when Yang gets back? Also, how likely is it to be afore the Fire gets to Remnant, returns Summer and Yang, and we start seeing more UNSC gear in the hands of Halo Certied RWBY teams?"
Thanks! You'll have to wait and see with the Valkea part. I'm guessing you meant to ask how long before the Spirit gets back? 2 months. In-universe time, ofc.
IcyDoom said – "Quick question. How does the flood infect people with aura and if they have a semblance can they use it?
Are the grimm some form of remnant from the precursors?
Are we going to see ONI presence on remnant or are they already there, since they will do everything they can for humanities survival what will they do to the faunus and aura individuals. I would find it quite likely that experiments would be conducted on subjects."
That is, quite frankly, a terrifying question I never want to know the answer to. Just imagining a Gravemind with the totally-not-magic bullshit powers that some huntsmen have is the kind of shit horror movies are made from.
The Grimm are not related to the Precursors in any way, shape, or form. I've seen a few other fics that do that, though.
Well, if you see ONI, they aren't doing their job, lol. I'm hoping to go for a more grounded ONI. Yes, they'll do anything for Humanity's survival, but there just aren't very many resources ONI has on the planet atm. Maybe they'll do some experiments with criminals on death row/life sentences when they get more established, but right now is out of the question.
Guest 001 said – "How was this chapter supposed to make me angry!? Will Pyrrha LIVE in this story!?"
Some people vehemently believe OCs do not belong on Team RWBY/JNPR, so yeah, I thought what I did with Valkea might piss people off. Pyrrha's fate, however, is a spoiler :)
Shadow Walker of Fire said – "Great chapter. What does Reavia mean?"
It's a variation of the term "Reavian", which refers to a denizen of Reach. Essentially, it's a fancier way of saying "New Reach", somewhat similar irl to how Venice got its name (Veneti from Gaul got forcibly resettled in Italy and called it Venezia).
Dark Phoenix Jake said – "To quote:
Arthur C. Clarke's third law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
The fact that the people of Remnant are just accepting the UNSC is kinda strange to me, but I suppose that war makes strange bedfellows. Even so, I would LOVE to see their reaction to some of the other technology from the HALO series."
Ah, so that's who said it. Kinda feel stupid now, lol, Clarke is kind of a big deal.
There hasn't been a good time to show it yet, but I'm sure people would be astounded at flash cloning for one, let alone the obvious; space travel.
Guest 002 said – "Why didn't Ruby ask Ozpin to use the wand to FIX HER ARMOR!? Will any of the Halo Wars 2 Units, such as the Mark 2 Cyclops unit be available to Ironwood when the Spirit of Fire arrives!? Will the canon character that used to have Silver Eyes by has the cybernetics be in this story!? Will the Ace Ops be in this story, or did they die in Atlas!? I can't wait to see Dr. Watts utterly FAIL at trying to hack UNSC systems and AI's!"
I forgot to mention that the wand can only fix organic things. It'd be interesting to see if it worked on a Huragok, but it won't fix MJOLNIR. So, funny thing about HW2 units… I haven't actually played that game, so I have no idea what units are actually available or really how to use them. Some might pop up (because Halopedia knows what they are) but I know for a fact that there won't be any Mantises (Manti?) stomping around.
I'm debating on whether or not to put Maria in; she'd certainly be helpful for Ruby, Valkea, and Summer (when she gets back), but yeah, idk. This story was started before we even knew Atlas floated, and therefore, the Ace Ops weren't factored in at all, so yeah, I'm calling them Killed In Action.
TFW Watts doesn't use a VPN and gets traced back to Salem's castle then nuked.
Mid Level Fighter said – "Can't believe it took me three days to notice the update. Well, here goes:
HE REPLACED YANG WITH A TERRORIST? Ruby really needs to tell him about her Innie kill count at some point, or maybe make a mention of it to Valkea.
Ruby as a teacher was one of the first things i thought of when the Covies arrived, because Noble 6 is the second best Spartan ever, and is only a 3 on top of that. She should probably just have Blake and Weiss as assistants rather than make them sit through a class they already took in the field. To be honest, her whole class could be the highlight reel from Lone Wolf, with some shots of New Alexandria sprinkled in, and some fights from the Covie ship.
And now, we get to Yang's inevitable return. Tearful and jubilant as that will no doubt be, i'm sure you will make it some heroic assault with a squad of Spartans and her mother rescuing the group. Perhaps with one landing directly on Tyrian and crushing his head? (Hint hint)
Side note: who has the Monitor? I think I may know where you are going with that, but I will have to wait and see.
As always, great job, can't wait to see the next chapter."
I've been playing around with the idea of Weiss and Blake being assistants, but I wasn't entirely sure it was a good idea; I'll give the idea another once-over. The only problem with showing what happened on the covvie ship is that she can't show anything past the point where Winter gets her arm cut off, as that would raise the obvious question of how the hell she got it back.
While I could certainly go that way, I probably won't, as I need Tyrian alive for Volume 3. I might do a little scene where Watts throws a hissy fit at the UNSC's cybersecurity, though. That'd be hilarious.
Guest 003 said – "By the way how much does Ruby Weight because we know how tall she is but not hit weight is."
So, that question sent me into a minor research spiral. I looked up Kat's weight (245lbs) so I thought around there would be good for Ruby, but converting that into BMI shows she's only in the "overweight" category. Anyone who actually knows BMI would figure that a Spartan, (someone who's so ripped they could bench a car if they wanted) would be well into the "obese" category, if not "extremely obese" for the more muscular ones like Jorge. So given Ruby is 6'4" in this story, I selected the very first box in the "obese" category and came up wiiiiiiiith… 250lbs. These figures obviously do not include the MJOLNIR or any other armor Kat or Ruby might wear. Also, [insert 'don't ask about a woman's weight' joke here]
Firewyrm2 said – "Yeah it's just that I have never heard of that series and please respond to my question about how you plan to incorporate the Elites, Grunts, and Hunters leaving the Covenant and (at least in the case of the Elites, don't know whether the other two groups did) siding with humanity."
Ah, I mean Warhammer 40,000; commonly referred to as WH40k or just 40k. That second question is kinda out of the blue, and also is major spoilers in addition to something that hadn't even crossed my mind yet.
Guest 004 said – "Ruby is going to get her armor fixed, right!?"
Yep, at some point.
Red October 700 said – "Not bad. Not bad at all. So before I go into the review, I have one thing to say.
What is going on with the PMs? You, me, and another author have been having problems with receiving PMs. Are the vex playing with the space-time continuum or something again?
As for the story, I am curious if Ruby is going to include Valekae in her counter-insurgency force. And if she does join, how is she going to feel and react to what all Ruby is going to put her through, and weather her views are going to change over her time. But that is in the future. Again unless the Vex decides to play around with the timeline.
Sooooo, I gess I will see your response in the next chapter. Later"
Yeah, no idea what's going on with the PMs. As far as I can tell, they still get through, you just aren't notified via email anymore. If only it was the Vex, then we could take their s***, go back, and save Cayde. Or maybe kill Ghaul last week :)
She probably won't be informed about that due to some issues that will come up in the next chapter.
Guest 005 said – "What is the new team name gonna be considering that Yang is MIA and replaced by Valkea Khan Team RWBY doesn't really work? Is it Team RWBV? Team RWWBV? Does Winter count in the team? I apologize if the question is phrased wrong."
It's Team RWVB, or 'Groovy' when pronounced. I don't count Winter in the naming scheme for the official title because she is not an official member and it can also be modified to RWWVB if need be.
Aaand that's all for that, folks! TBH, I haven't decided on a name for the next chapter yet... soo... yeah, see ya next time!
