Chapter 9: Frozen Wastelands and Dusty Crows
"Team RWBY and ASHN Please Report to the Headmaster's Office," the announcement was sent out over everyone's scroll.
ASHN were in their dorm when they received the message. Tossing his signature hoodie onto the bed Nova pulled off his wig and ran his hands through his hair. In the privacy of their room he was free of the stuffy outfit, at least he was.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I JUST CHANGED!" Nova was rather annoyed being forced to don his disguise again. It was a task to put on. "Dude I told you not to take it off, you never know who might barge in here," Nitro said, a pen hanging from his mouth as he was scribbling something onto a sketchbook.
"Yeah, but we have locks on the doors for a reason….Not that it could stop Nora, she broke the lock the last time she came in thinking Nitro had stolen some of her pancakes." Hex reasoned she was in the middle of coding something on the computer.
"Well in all fairness I did eat like two," Nitro began getting ready as well.
"Hey, where is Luna?" Nova asked looking up to the top bunk for his sibling. "I'm not sure, she ran off earlier saying something about hanging out with Weiss today," Hex said. Weiss and Luna were strangely close, apparently, the Schnee had soft spot for the small and adorable.
"If she's with Weiss then it won't be a problem, she'll just meet us up at his office." Nova rationalized.
Team ASHN arrived at Ozpin's office to be greeted by the members of Team RWBY and Luna dressed as Sapphire. They were all standing in line looking down at Ozpin who sat at his desk, Professor Goodwitch standing next to him like his sidekick.
"Ah welcome, we can finally begin, If you would please," he gestured for them to stand to the side, they did as they were told and Goodwitch who had been standing with Ozpin at his desk pulled down a large white screen.
"Where did she….." Ruby started but was interrupted by Ozpin, "Quiet please Miss Rose, this is important."
"But…"
"No buts."
Ruby sulked.
A projector showed an image of a sparse frozen landscape, ice and snow as far as the eye could see.
"This is the north coast, about two hundred kilometers from Vale City," he said gesturing to the screen. Clicking a button on a small remote he held the scene changed, the screen showed vast meadows and thriving forests and a clean beach, "This was the coast about a year ago."
Yang gaped, "What that makes no sense!" she almost got off her seat, "I call bullshit. No way that's the same place."
"Language Miss Xiaolong." He warned, earning a pout from the blonde. "I am no liar, about a year ago the temperature in that area dropped from a casual 27 degrees Celsius to a freezing -10, and it keeps getting colder, our scouting data over the last six months show that the temperature that started at around -10 steadily drops 3 degrees every month, it currently sits at -30. We aren't sure why or what the cause of this phenomenon is, but what we do know is it can't be good." Ozpin pushed up his glasses and spun on his heel now facing the teams.
"I've heard about this. Meteorologists said it was because of a freak cold drift from Atlas that carried over the sea and hovered around the North coast for too long, changing its climate." Weiss said proving her extensive knowledge.
"Yes you are well informed Miss Schnee, however, that was actually a lie we told the public to cover up what really happened," Ozpin said a stern look on his face.
"So... if that's a lie then... what's really causing the ice? And why choose to do it now?" Hex asked, her mind running through hundreds of possibilities. Yang couldn't help but find her scrunched up face rather endearing.
"Kinda looks like Weiss would thrive there, being one with her element." Ruby joked earning a light smack from the heiress.
"Well now that's the interesting part. We don't exactly know what's causing it, at least we didn't until very recently. If you would refer to the footage, you will see in this frame..." He clicked the slide to show an image of the frozen area, in the center of a valley, surrounded by a range of mountains, the coast just on the outside. He zoomed in on the center and, though the image was very pixelated, it was clear there was a metallic looking tower, and a hatch point amidst the snowstorm.
Ruby's eyes widened, "What is that thing?"
"That Miss Rose, is what we believe to be an access point. To a machine, or some larger underground structure. We think that whatever is causing the weather phenomenon is related to that tower." Ozpin explained, teams RWBY and ASHN all glanced at each other then back at the image.
"Ok so a big field is now a frozen wasteland, whoop de doo, what does this have to do with us, why not just send trained Huntsmen to deal with it?" Sapphire said a little too rudely, earning an elbow from her older brother.
"Firstly, we have sent a few agents in the field but none have been able to get close to the point. We'd enlist the help of more people but... we'd rather keep this as quiet as possible. Why we're sending you in is because this footage was sent by none other than one 'Randolf Wulf'," Upon hearing the name Alexandrite and Sapphire both alerted, leaning in intently, staring at Ozpin.
Noticing the sudden interest, Ozpin turned to the two, "Figured that would get your attention, the footage came with a message," Ozpin handed a faded yellow paper to the two siblings, the faded scribbles and terrible handwriting were unmistakable. This was the writing of their mentor, it read 'Campfire and Little Blue, the black bear and the red bull have found pandora's box if you get this message come to this location. You must get there before they do. Trust no one but Ozpin with this.'
"Who's this Randolf Wulf?" Weiss finally asked voicing the collective question in everyone's mind.
Alexandrite and Sapphire looked at each other and nodded, then looked to their team who simply lent a thumbs up. They turned to team RWBY, "Randolf Wulf is our mentor, well Sapphire and mine. He was kind of like a father to us before we enlisted at Haven Academy, Randolf raised us, taught us how to survive, one day he disappeared leaving a note telling us he enrolled us in the academy, that he was going to hun-….he was going on a mission,". Alexandrite explained, he wanted to say that Randolf was really going to hunt down traces of the man that caused the disappearance of his and Luna's parents.
"Oookay….but who are the 'black bear' and 'red bull' and what's this about Pandora's Box, explain," Weiss said quite agitated feeling as though she was left in the dark of all the information.
"The red bull, couldn't mean Adam Taurus? Could it?" Blake asked, her ears slightly drooping.
Alexandrite nodded, he and Sapphire had history with Adam and the White Fang, a dark history, that didn't mean they needed to involve team RWBY. "Without a doubt it's him. The Black Bear could be referring to someone else, though we aren't sure... Pandora's box might be a codename for something..." Alex said placing his hand on his chin in thought.
"Our scouts in the area did a sweep on Grimm activity, it seems that large clusters of Grimm are amassing around the location, upon doing a signal sweep we discovered a strange high-frequency signal coming from the epicenter of the frozen wasteland. A practical hole in the ground leading to a series of underground caves, I believe these caves could lead to wherever the signal is coming from but... we lack the technology to do that. We haven't been able to get anywhere near the hole as the density of Grimm is too much for large squads or lone scouts, the frequency it generates also messes with our equipment, so we can't get an accurate reading." Ozpin explained.
"And that's where we come in, you knew I had tech that could trace it, even with interference." Hex said gesturing to her team, narrowing her eyes at Ozpin.
"Guilty as charged as they say." He responded.
"Okay but I still don't get why we are here, this whole mission thing is nice and all but the dance is in a week and I'd rather not miss it. Not that I don't care for my friends, in fact, I'm glad we can help them but I'd rather not endanger my only sister and my team" Yang said gesturing to all of team RWBY. Ruby smacked her sister for being rude, "Don't listen to her Professor. If Alex and his team need our help then we'd be more than happy to stick our necks out for them." Ruby said folding her arms. Blake and Weiss nodded in confirmation.
"I second Yang's statement Oz, the more you explain this to us, the more it feels like this is just an ASHN and Beacon problem. Why would we need to endanger team RWBY." Alex said stepping up. Ruby looked slightly hurt that he didn't want her there.
"Why send eight huntsmen in training on a dangerous mission? Why not just one team?" Weiss asked trying to understand his reasoning. "Not that I don't want to help." she amended.
"While this may be a one team mission, I believe I see potential in your collaboration," Ozpin said pushing up his glasses, hinting at ulterior motives.
"What does that mean?" Nitro, who had been quietly listening all this time finally spoke up, eyeing Ozpin carefully.
"Simple Mr. Zephyr, after your escapades about the town last week, I'd say you're team's synergy with team RWBY is unparalleled."
Everyone just blinked slowly. "YOU KNEW?!" They all said simultaneously.
Glynda cleared her throat loudly, "Yes, we were aware of your excursion. If it were up to me you'd all be suspended for your recklessness but the headmaster has seen to it that you remain here, under the pretense that you cooperate with us." she sat on Ozpin's desk looking sternly at the teens. They all just felt a cold chill run up their spine.
"So... we don't exactly have a choice do we..." Ruby said sheepishly.
"No, you do not Miss Rose." Ozpin continued, clasping his hands over his cane, turned to everyone, "From now on, your teams will be considered a single unit. While you can operate as team RWBY and ASHN you are to also operate as team ASHNRWBY (Ashen Ruby). Think of yourselves as... special operatives in training..."
The two teams just looked at each other, "Well... this is interesting..." Yang said wiggling her eyebrows at Hex who just blushed in reaction. Everyone just blinked in surprise at the interaction.
"So professor, how does this affect our team assignments?" Weiss asked looking to her headmaster for answers.
"As you would expect Miss Schnee, you will all be deployed as a single unit, you are still to respect both of your team leaders as they now share joint power," Goodwitch answered for him. Ruby and Alex shared a moment where their eyes met. "So... you and me huh?" Ruby said nervously, a faint blush on her face.
"I-It seems so..." he answered, though in his mind he wished that the 'you and me' meant something more than just cooperative leaders.
"Wait is this even allowed? I've never heard of a joint operations team before..." Blake asked curiously.
"Well Miss Belladonna, this is my academy, and you'd find that I can allow it even if it has never been done before." He said, a cunning fox-like smile appearing across his face, something no one had seen on him before.
"With regards to your mission, your team is to be led by a professional Huntsman, someone we can trust to keep you safe, incidentally this Huntsman we enlisted specifically requested to work with team RWBY, you'll meet him this afternoon after classes are over."
"When do we leave?" Alex asked folding his arms.
"You depart tomorrow, and to answer Miss Schnee's earlier question, you will be receiving full credit for this semester's team, assignments course... As for the dance, this excursion should only be for a couple of days."
Ozpin eyed the ASHN leader, "Team RWBY you are dismissed, there are some matters that must be discussed with ASHN, privately." Ozpin ended the slideshow and gestured the students out. Weiss raised her eyebrow if they were now a joint team, why did he need to exclude information from them?
"But Professor..." Alex wanted to protest.
"No buts Mr. Lucius, you may not want to involve your friends in this but with the way fate seems to be working, I'd say it is inevitable."
As they were leaving Blake cast a worried glance at the two siblings, who understood what it meant. She was worried about Adam, so were they, if there was the chance, they would confront him then the mere thought was bone-chilling.
When team RWBY left, Ozpin finally turned to the two teens.
"Nova, Luna, I understand your need for secrecy but for the sake of the lives of team RWBY I recommend telling them as they are part of your team now. The guide we selected happens to already be aware of your situation, in case, I already informed him of your aliases."
"Sir, if I may be so bold, for the sake of their lives they shouldn't even be on this mission." Hex said crossing her arms. She didn't want to endanger Yang, or anyone else.
"I understand your concerns Miss Magenta, but know this... some things are... unavoidable," Ozpin said cryptically. Truthfully, he wanted them to cooperate as a collective unit because he was training them.
"Thank you, Professor, we do intend to consider telling them, or rather we already have put thought into it... who might I ask is the guide?" Sapphire asked, curious as to who Ozpin trusted with their identities.
"It's a surprise," came Ozpin's response, frowning he looked to Alexandrite who had been relatively quiet the whole time.
"There seems to be something plaguing you, what is it?" he asked.
"Well sir, why?" Alexandrite spoke at last.
"Excuse me?" Ozpin was confused.
"Why go through this trouble of informing us, why does Randolf's whereabouts concern you? Why partner us with RWBY? What do you hope to gain from all of this?" Alexandrite let it out.
Ozpin looked at the boy, after giving a moment of thought he responded, "Randolf's message was a by-product of my investigations, I was already searching the area for a cause for the cold, believe it or not this is my problem. Once I received the message inside a metal canister along with the videotape, it became somewhat personal, I do owe him a great deal after all." He said matter of factly.
Alexandrite looked at the older man as if studying his every feature attempting to detect hints of deceit. Yet wherever he looked he found none. It felt odd to simply accept the help of others, especially ones he didn't particularly know.
"Randolf never mentioned you, Ozpin, what is your relationship really?" Sapphire was still skeptical.
The young girl's tongue was as sharp as her mind, "Luna, I'm sure your master must have told you stories of his time as a huntsman had he not?" Ozpin held his cane and began twirling it slowly.
"Ah he did, he would always tell us how he hunted with a great wizard and a tin soldier, I always imagined the wizard to be the….WIZARD OF OZ!" Alexandrite realized the memories of his childhood returning.
Ozpin smiled, "Yes he was quite fond of that nickname, I owe Randolf my life, he's helped me with more than I could ever hope to repay, the least I could do is help his students. Does that satisfy you?"
Sapphire said nothing, she simply nodded to Ozpin, realizing this was a man she idolized her whole life without knowing it. In Randolf's tales the wizard would accomplish great feats of magic, she strived to follow those footsteps, knowing that the wizard was Ozpin, it simply put her at a loss for words.
As soon as they left the room Professor Goodwitch finally spoke, letting out a deep sigh she turned to Ozpin, "Do you really think this is safe? I held back during the meeting because I realize regardless of what I said you would still push them to go. But do you really think this was a good idea? Are they ready?". Ozpin sat back into his chair, his hands folding across his chin, "Honestly Glynda? No, they aren't but, they don't have a choice anymore. The winds of change have begun, something big is coming, and they need to be prepared."
"I understand that sir but, why them? Why choose them over all other students in Beacon." She asked, referring to team RWBY.
"Glynda, this team cooperative has the potential to be the strongest unit of huntsmen the world of Remnant has ever seen. Two Aspects, of the dragon bloodline. A master inventor and technological specialist, and an unparalleled genius in controlling his own semblance, teamed up with a girl with silver eyes, her talented sister, a brilliant Schnee and an ex-white fang agent. To me, this seems like the makings of a team of elites." Ozpin smiled at himself.
"It sounds like a recipe for disaster," she said rolling her eyes. "But... it could work."
In the elevator, Alexandrite started laughing hysterically, "OZ IS THE GUY YOU IDOLIZED? REALLY? AND YOU WERE SO RUDE!". Sapphire blushed madly from embarrassment and punched her brother, "S-shut up! How was I supposed to know….anyway we need to prep for our mission tomorrow, any idea of who our guide is?".
"No clue but if Oz trusts him then so do I," Alexandrite said.
"Trusting them before meeting them? Have you gone soft?" Sapphire raised an eyebrow at him.
"Maybe, maybe it's time we let loose a little. All this secrecy might break us mentally before we have to deal with anything physical."
Sapphire didn't respond but she knew he was right, she was growing weary of the charade, she hated the lies, she finally found friends she could trust and she wanted to just be herself.
The two teams assembled in the training hall, aka the arena, awaiting their guide.
"Oi when is this guy supposed to get here? Oz told us by 5:00 pm but it's almost 7," Yang complained as she stretched her arms above her head. The sunlight was fading as it disappeared behind the horizon. Team ASHNRWBY were about done with waiting, they still had a decent amount of preparation to do before they deployed, more specifically Hex, who had to calibrate her instruments and devices to the cold climate.
"Honestly if you're gonna come late at least give us a heads up," Nitro said leaning an elbow on Hex who just shook her head.
"Ugh, my legs are killing me..." Hex groaned as she hopped from one leg to the other. Yang saw her opportunity and shifted so she stood right behind the purple-haired tech wizard, wrapping her arms around her and allowing her to softly lean back, her head just resting on Yang's shoulder, "You can just lean on me, babe." Yang said winking. Hex just blushed furiously but made no attempt to move, "I thought we were gonna play it secretly?" she said still flushed. Everyone just stared wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape, "WHAT?!" was the simultaneous response.
"Mind explaining what's going on here?" Weiss said pointing at the two girls.
Yang just snickered, "Weeeellll... We were gonna keep it a secret but, I can't hold myself back when my girlfriend is this cute." Yang said proudly, pulling Hex closer causing the purplette to just bury her head in Yang's neck in embarrassment.
Sapphire just squealed, "AW YOU GUYS ARE SO CUTE!"
Nitro broke out into a fake sob, "My sister *sniff* is all grown up *sniff sniff*." he wiped away a fake tear, "In all seriousness, Hex, if you're happy. Then I'm cool with it." He told his adopted sibling.
Ruby had joined Sapphire in the gushing, "I agree with Nitro. Sis, if you're happy then, by all means, you have my approval."
Hex and Yang turned to Alexandrite, "And what say you oh fearless leader?" Hex asked turning to him. He was her leader, and her friend but before all that he was like family, someone she genuinely respected above herself, his approval was like asking a father to give away his daughter.
"Me? Hex you know I can't stop you, you can date whoever you want." He said, she looked a little dejected so he continued, "If you must know... I solidly approve. Yang is a good choice, please take good care of her will you?" He said turning to the blonde. They both looked ecstatic, "Thanks cap'n..." Hex responded smiling warmly.
Just then the great black doors to the arena opened, a tall black-haired man in a grey waistcoat and white jacket with black pants and slicked-back hair walked in. He had a light stubble on his chin and his eyes were red coloured and behind him flowed a red cape.
"Sup kids, I'm.." he never got to finish when two extremely high pitched squeals rang out, "UNCLE QROWWWWWWWWWWW!" Ruby ran at blinding speed latching onto her uncle's right arm, and to everyone's surprise, Sapphire was right beside her on his left arm.
"WOAH KIDS CALM DOWN!" Qrow said a little taken aback by the sudden assault.
Wait did Sapphire call him uncle to? Ruby pondered as Yang stepped up to greet her uncle.
"Sup old man, the retirement home treatin' you good?" she said a big grin on her face.
"Hey firecracker, long time no see," Qrow smiled at the blonde bombshell.
"Um gonna introduce us?" Weiss said a little peeved being left out of the loop.
"Oh sorry about that, everyone this is my Uncle Qrow," Ruby and Sapphire said at the exact same time. This caught them both by surprise. "Uncle?!" they both finally registered the situation and pointed at each other.
Qrow laughed noticing the confusion so he stepped in, "Girls calm down, you're both my nieces," he turned to the rest of the team, "I'm Qrow Branwen, professional huntsman, Ruby and Yang's blood relative uncle and Lu- Sapphire and Alexandrite's adopted uncle." He cleared up with a throaty ahem, almost slipping up on the aliases.
"Yeah Uncle Qrow taught me everything I know about being a huntress," Ruby said while grinning like a kid.
"I'm trusting this guy less then," Weiss said sarcastically while Blake and Nitro just snickered silently behind them.
Qrow noticed the white-haired heiress, "You got a Schnee on your team? That must not be fun," Qrow commented. Weiss sputtered feeling offended. "That's Weiss my bestest bestie in the whole world and my partner!" Ruby clung to the heiress' arm.
"The silent one is Blake, the spikey red-head is Nitro, you clearly know Alexandrite and Sapphire... and..." Ruby continued to introduce.
"The purple one here is my girlfriend, Hex." Yang finished, the tech wizard just shyly waved her hand. Qrow's eyes bulged, "Seriously?! Already?! I swear you were just a tiny brat yesterday..."
"Hey don't harp on my girl!" Yang said punching Qrow lightly in the arm. He just laughed, "Sorry if I offended you Miss..." he was searching for a proper name.
"Zephyr, Hex Magenta Zephyr, but you can call me Hex. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Branwen." She said slightly bowing. Qrow was impressed, "Wow she has manners, good pick Yang. Seriously though, you don't need to be so formal with me, just call me Qrow, or whatever you want just don't call me old man. And you have my blessing, just don't break my niece's heart okay?" he said smiling.
"Don't plan on it... ever." Hex replied grinning madly.
"Wait so how did you become Alexandrite and Sapphire's uncle?" Blake was confused.
Ruby joined her team, "Yeah Uncle Qrow... how do you know my other bestie?" she asked, Alex felt himself practically cough blood in response to being called her bestie.
"Well that is pretty simple, hey Ruby? Remember back at Signal when I went on this three-month-long mission?" Qrow turned to the dark-haired leader.
"Yeah, something about Ozpin having you check out Mistral or something," Ruby said not quite remembering the details.
Qrow nodded, "I was roaming the forests of Mistral looking for…well that's not important right not but, I was resting when I got poisoned by a King Taijutu lurking in the tree line. I didn't notice it because my ears were water clogged from having to swim through….you know what let's not sweat the details. Anyway, I got poisoned and practically incapacitated, it locked me in its death grip, my scythe lying on the floor." He said telling the story with many hand gestures, everyone listened in intensely, especially Ruby who looked like a mesmerized child.
"How did you get out?" Ruby asked bouncing up and down in excitement.
"In a desperate attempt, I called out for help, though in that Grimm infested forest I might have met a worse fate having made so much noise. As if by a miracle, a young boy about twelve years old stumbles upon me, I have no clue what a boy this young is doing in the forest and at this point, I didn't even care, I was desperate but not that desperate. I urged him to run, ready to accept my fate, instead, the boy picks up my scythe and in the most fluid movement decapitates the thing." Qrow continued gesturing to Alexandrite and making a swinging motion.
"Needless to say I was impressed. He took me back to his place where I find out he has a younger sister, being taught how to be a huntsman by an old friend of Ozpin. I wasn't in any condition to move for a while so I stuck around. The kid was being trained with a sword but I knew he was a natural with the scythe. So I taught him how to use it to it's fullest potential, and taught his baby sister how to wield a staff. She was tiny at the time not much older than ten." Qrow wanted to continue but he was interrupted by a loud cough from Alexandrite.
"Come on old man you gonna bore them with stories?" Alexandrite finally stepped up to greet the older huntsman. He turned to Alexandrite, "Speak of the devil and he shall appear, how's it going Charcoal?" he smiled fondly. Alexandrite's features were hidden behind his mask but the emotion in his eyes showed it all. He was overjoyed to see him again.
"Oh come on what're you holdin back for your sister is already in some get in here," Qrow smiled warmly. Alexandrite obliged giving him a content hug, enjoying every moment of it. The affection did not go unnoticed by Ruby and Weiss. "How's the eye?" Qrow tapped his own left eye as a gesture to Alexandrite's mismatched eye.
"Huh?" He made a motion trying to look at his own eyeball, the goofy action making Ruby giggle. "Oh yeah it's alright, depth perception still sucks though," Alexandrite said.
"What happened to you, last time I saw you, you were 15, just heading out to be a huntsman, now I find you here at Beacon a few thousand miles away from where I left you and a team leader to boot?" Qrow patted the boy's shoulder roughly.
Alexandrite coughed into his hands, "Uh… a lot has happened….honestly, I made a lot of great friends here," he said referring to everyone, but his gaze was locked briefly on Ruby, she caught his eye and smiled affectionately. Qrow eyed the exchange, "Hmmmm a lot indeed, so wanna show me what you got? I'll take on all of you one at a time, I need to know what I'm working with, first up is you firecracker," Qrow signalled everyone to step back leaving Yang in the arena.
"Well what are you waiting for short fuse? Come at me!" Qrow bowed and beckoned the blonde.
"You're damn right I'm coming for you!" she yelled with a battle cry as she used Ember Celia to propel herself at Qrow, she swung right with blinding speed only to be blocked by Qrow's sword. He used her own body weight against her and flung her back. Sheathing his sword he drew his fists in a boxing position, "I said to come at me not drag your weight around," this seemed to infuriate Yang as her aura flared up. She rushed at him again and a heated exchange of blows came forth. Each strike Yang threw Qrow blocked and struck back only to be met by a swift counterblow. This torrential exchange went on for a few minutes before Qrow broke momentum by pushing Yang's fists upwards and launching a direct attack at her core sending her sprawling.
Weiss and Blake simply gaped at the prowess of the old Huntsman. "That was incredible, near-flawless execution!" Weiss was impressed.
Qrow snorted, "Don't praise me, Yang's power is incredible however she is impatient, her anger gets the better of her forcing her into a pattern that became easy to predict," he dusted himself off.
"Ugh, you're still an ass as always," Yang got up smiling.
"Alright who's next, umm… you Redhead," he said pointing to Nitro, "What's your name again?".
"Nitro Zephyr, I specialize in hand to hand combat," he said donning his mechanical arm greaves.
"Nice come up here and take a swing," Qrow waved. Nitro jumped in the ring and readied himself. This time instead of waiting for him to move first, Qrow came at Nitro. This caught the boy off guard, quickly blocking the blow, Nitro ducked and circled around Qrow. The speed at which he reacted was almost inhuman as Qrow was now forced to take a solid punch to the ribs that sent him stumbling backward.
Qrow smirked, "You're good kid, I'll give you that," Qrow then swapped his style now bouncing back and forth between his feet, Nitro saw this as a challenge and boosted his speed with the jest thrusters on his arms. Instead of punching he launched himself into the air and dropped a kick onto Qrow's head. Qrow was forced to use both arms to block, in that brief moment he grabbed Nitro's legs and threw him out of the ring.
"Good stuff kid, you got guts and style, you just lack my experience," Qrow gave him a thumbs up. Nitro returned the gesture, he himself growing fond of Qrow.
"Alright Ruby you're up," Qrow drew his blade and transformed it into the scythe form. Grinning ear to ear Ruby jumped into the ring readying Crescent Rose, "I've gotten a lot better since you last fought me," she said still smirking. Qrow couldn't help but notice how tall she'd gotten, her face still held her youthful innocence but the aura she carried was one of determination and will power, a true leader.
"I'll be the judge of that," Qrow got into his stance. With blinding speed from her semblance Ruby dashed forward swinging Crescent Rose downwards, Qrow dodged and hooked his scythe under hers and used it to flip her back. Instead of falling Ruby did a somersault and arced Crescent Rose toward Qrow's head. Jumping back Qrow spun and used the momentum of the strike aimed at her waist. She backtracked and parried him, a deadly flourish of blades and blows were exchanged, it didn't look like fighting it looked like an ornate dance, riddled with the heat of combat. An impressive display, Alexandrite was absolutely mesmerized, he had never seen Ruby fight like this before and he couldn't help but feel more attracted to her. The way her hair danced as she dodged, or the way her eyes just seemed to radiate happiness or the sheer skill she wielded, it captured his attention. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the young girl brandishing one of the world's deadliest weapons. He hardly noticed when Qrow disarmed her and sent her sprawling, to him even her fall was hypnotic.
" …o….ello… HELLO!" Weiss snapped Alexandrite out of his trance.
"BAH! What? Who?" he was startled. Qrow recognized that reaction, the boy was in love even if he wasn't fully aware of it. "Oi Yang's girl, it's your turn, Kitty cat, you to, I wanna get this over quickly before I miss happy hour at the bar." Qrow readied his scythe.
Hex and Blake just glanced at each other, "Well you asked for it..." Hex said climbing into the ring with Blake.
The two got into stance, both standing stock still, leaving Qrow very confused. "Are you two just gonna stand there? Fine!" He rushed them only for his scythe to contact with absolutely nothing, passing through Blake's shadow clone and Hex's hologram as if they were thin air. Now he was very confused, using this brief moment both girls came from directly above, Hex bringing down Eres and Blake stabbing downward with Gambol shroud. Qrow barely had a moment to react as he rolled out of the way just in time for their weapons to make contact with the ground. Without taking a moment to lose Hex threw out Loki and Blake, her ribbon. Both latched onto Harbinger (Qrow's Weapon), and the made a solid pull to disarm him.
"Impressive display of synergy girls, but not enough power!" He grunted as he not only yanked back his scythe but also pulled the two girls forward and then sent them flying with a solid kick.
"If you think that was cool you should see some of our other synergies." Hex said dusting herself off.
"I'd be glad to, on the mission. Now next up is you Ice princess." Qrow said looking at Weiss. The Schnee just fumed, "Really? Even you're gonna call me that?"
"Well, I call your sister Ice Queen so that just makes you Ice Princess." Qrow smirked.
"You know Winter?!" Weiss asked incredulously, how could her esteemed sister be acquainted with this ruffian.
"Know her? She's the biggest pain in my ass to ever exist... I swear you try to take her out on a date ONE TIME and..." Qrow trailed off when he realized he was garnering stares. He coughed into his hand, "Anyway come on up Schnee."
Weiss stepped into the ring and drew Myrtenaster. "A rapier? Really? You're fighting me with your family's signature style? Classic Schnee..." He shook his head in disdain. Weiss looked offended, "What's wrong with my family's style of fighting?"
"Nothing, it works, and if it ain't broke don't fix it. But... see it enough times and..." He rushed at Weiss who dashed under him and tried to parry but he looped counter-clockwise and tripped her up, "... You learn loopholes."
Weiss was red with rage, she used her glyphs to stabilize her mid-air and the blast Qrow with a barrage of ice. Qrow flicked away a few shards and caught Weiss with his blade, flinging her out of the ring. "Well, that's unique, nice job kid. Alright blue, you're next." He said calling up Sapphire.
The tiny girl strutted into the right proudly, "This won't be like when I was a kid..." she warned. Qrow just laughed and retracted his scythe to a sword, signifying he wasn't going to fight her fully, this made her very angry.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" She glowered, for such a small girl, she had a rather short fuse.
Qrow raised Harbinger, "I don't wanna hurt my precious baby niece now do I?" to which Ruby just yelled a muffled 'HEY WHAT ABOUT ME!" Alex just patted his fellow leader on the shoulder.
"Alright... don't say I didn't warn you..." Sapphire said, her eyes glowing blue. Qrow felt a chill run down his spine...
Sapphire raised Galaxia and morphed it into its ax form, the massive weapon towering over both combatants. "When did you..." Qrow started but was cut off when he was forcibly pulled by an invisible force, to the outside viewer it looked like both fighters had moved at the same time but Qrow knew he was being pulled. Before he could even react Galaxia smashed right into his abdomen sending him flying into the wall, a massive dent in the infrastructure where the huntsman landed. He clawed himself up, checking his aura on his scroll, it actually took heavy damage, sending him to about 75%
Everyone just gaped at the massive strength displayed by the girl, even Nitro visibly shuddered, "Remind me never to piss her off..." he whispered to Alex who nodded stiffly, having experienced her wrath firsthand.
"Anyone get the plate of the truck that just hit me...?" Qrow said groggily as he got up from the crater. "Alright Blue, you win this one..."
Sapphire just curtsied and beamed a dazzling smile that made Weiss want to pick her up and squeeze her to death.
"Alright now for you Charcoal."
"You sure you want to fight me now after taking that hit old man?" Alex taunted.
"She may have taken down 25% of my aura but that's more than enough to fight you. Call it a handicap."
"Hey, break a leg, don't actually break a leg but you know," Ruby smiled warmly at him, clearly exhausted. He nodded before looking to Qrow, "If I remember correctly, we have a score to settle don't we?" Alexandrite said as he jumped into the ring.
"Yeah ten to twelve as I recall," Qrow spun his scythe in a circle before Anchoring it at his side.
"Really I seem to remember it being thirteen to thirteen," Alexandrite was quite smug even if you couldn't see his expression behind the mask.
"Huh what twelve? thirteen? Wha?" Ruby was confused. She looked to her team for answers but they just shook their head. Sapphire cleared it up for her, "Those two have been at each other's heads for a while before Qrow left, he and Alexandrite would spar at least once a day, they kept count of the number of times they beat each other," she turned their attention to the arena.
Ruby and Yang both gaped, "Wait Alexandrite beat Qrow?" they both said incredulously.
Sapphire nodded, "Yeah not just once." The rest of the teams could only wonder, just what was Alexandrite hiding?
The two huntsmen stood at opposite ends of the arena, a glint of hunger in both their eyes. As if they were about to have a feast in the form of battle. The pressure bearing down on the environment around them, even Ruby had to admit her uncle was on a different level now that he was before. He was serious. Alexandrite knew he could hold nothing back, he couldn't pull his punches and needed to go all out from the start or else he would end up face down on the concrete. Not a sound dared break the still atmosphere as if a mere pin drop would be loud enough to split ears.
In one swift motion almost too fast to see, they were both off, if you looked away you would not have seen the brief moments in time where both weapons clashed. Qrow spinning his scythe in a deadly flourish, zoning Alexandrite from his person trying to draw distance while Alexandrite held no bars. Asura in its ninjato form, it's wielder dashing at near blinding speeds in a series of drawing slashes that were easily blocked by Qrow.
"Come on kid, I thought I trained you better?" Qrow taunted. Alexandrite smirked, "Nah I was just testing the waters, I'll get serious now," Alexandrite stood straight, he inhaled deeply and sheathed Asura. He got into a drawing stance his left index finger on the trigger mechanism, breathing in deeply he readied to swing, his eyes glowing a faint orange, and like the hundreds of times he practiced before, he pressed that trigger and launched the high-velocity blade, which he caught and arced horizontally with all his strength. The result was a dark orange wave of energy that seemingly burned the ground as it passed. Qrow attempted to block it with his scythe but he wasn't prepared for the sheer force or heat behind it. With a loud cry, the older huntsman was flung backward hitting the wall in the exact spot as before, the ground where the blast had traveled was scorched with burn marks.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Ruby cried in both amazement and worry toward her uncle who was slowly getting up and dusting himself off. "Nice move Charcoal, what's it called," Qrow got back into the arena.
"I call it Scorch wave, the vibrating Incindium conducts heat better than steel, and given the... you know..." He air gestured causing everyone to look confused, except Qrow who seemed to understand that he was referring to his Aspect powers, "It causes the metal and the air around it to become super-heated, allowing me to, if swung with enough force, launch a heatwave," Alexandrite explained. That wasn't all he wanted to explain how his semblance allows him to adapt his strength to his sword and alter the flow of his aura to direct the blast but that would just be giving away too much.
"When I said get serious I meant to fight me with everything you have, " Qrow smiled at how much he'd grown. Alexandrite obliged switching Asura to the dragon scythe. With near inhuman speeds, Alexandrite launched himself in full swing at Qrow. The scythe arcing in beautiful circles as it coptered towards the older huntsman's head. Qrow jumped high to dodge but was unprepared for when Alexandrite seemingly turned mid-air and caught the scythe around his body and flung him toward the opposite end of the room.
Using the back wall he was rocketing for as a launchpad, Qrow sprung back and brought his scythe down on this still recovering Alexandrite's head who barely dodged. The force of the impact sent him sprawling. Coughing and brushing the dust off him, Alexandrite got back onto his feet, "Sturdy as ever aren't you, old man?".
Qrow smirked, "Can't take me down that easily."
It was as if they were watching two masters in the ring, Alex was clearly holding back when he fought Pyrrha. Team ASHNRWBY minus the A, realized that the level these two were on was one far above what they could hope to be in the near future. Even Weiss whose pride in her own skill was larger than her attitude had to relent that the sheer prowess these two displayed was on a whole other level. Rather than acting as a demoralizer, it gave them the inspiration they needed to want to become stronger than they were, to surpass their limits.
"Come on Qrow, I want to hit you with all I got but the girls might be in danger," Alexandrite was on his knees panting, beads of sweat dripped down his head.
"Sorry kid but I think we might have to take a break, you look exhausted," Qrow said, sparing a glance up and down the boy's features.
"It's not really my stamina it's this stuffy outfit," Alexandrite muttered barely loud enough for Qrow to hear. He nodded.
"Take a break Smokey, before you start fuming and pass out," Qrow patted his shoulder.
As the two teams left the arena to go get patched up and rested for the trip, Qrow could only stand proudly as he watched them leave. Ruby, Nova, Luna, Yang, to think you four would end up on the same path Qrow thought half solemn as he knew the one that Nova walked was perilous and wrought with trouble, he just hoped that they would be able to support each other through whatever trials the future would hold.
The plot thickens now. This marks the beginning of our first real arc/event. In the coming chapters, the metaphorical fecal matter will impact the metaphorical rotating wind machine. Apologies if something seems out of place somewhere, like an unfamiliar name, I quadrachecked this thing for errors but my eyesight sucks so...
Anyway, 'til next time.
