So, before I start, I just wanted to address something as to why this is not a crossover with the Fate franchise, you see, the fate characters are based on historical or mythical characters. The reason why, I use Fate as a reference because it would be easy for the readers to imagine their appearance. That's all.
P.S- Please read the end author notes.
[Part-1]
Alright take deep breaths Jaune Arc, take deep-deep breaths, and recall what just happen. You were fighting Grimm and reviewing the new form of way you have learned to use, to put it in combat test. It was going well. You reached the mountain top; you met a giant Grimm Wyvern who was blasting ice? You fell down the waterfall and suddenly the Grimm was killed by a dragon, and now you, Jaune Arc are in a very suggestive position, on top of a very beautiful and very-very naked girl.
Nice.
No- no, it's not, any moment now, you are about to get killed by the girl.
"Are you done, staring at my body? If you are expecting love at first sight, it won't be happening, you know? You gotta work for it."
Jaune blinked once. Twice. Thrice.
He used his arms to shield his eyes, to make sure he does not see the beautiful body anymore.
"I am sorry. I am so sorry; I really did not mean to do that. Please, I will take any punishment for this."
Jaune turned around, making double sure that he does not stare anymore.
"Why are you apologizing?"
…Why was he apologizing? What's this stupid question this girl is asking? He saw this woman naked, invaded her privacy of course he has to apologize.
"I mean, what I did was wrong?"
"I get that, but why is it that you are apologizing? I shouldn't be bathing here, so the fault lies in my part too does it not?"
"I…mean…you are a woman; I am a man…I should not have done that?"
"Tell me, stranger, did you mean to do it?"
"What?"
"Did you mean to fall on me? To grope me? To feel me up?"
"WHAT?! No, that is disgusting, I would never ever do that, that is just so wrong!"
"See? You do have a sense of moral, you do realize your mistake, in the same way, I realize my mistake as well. This place isn't a place to take a bath, I did not expect anyone to be here. So, I am sorry too."
"Was…was that not wrong, that I stared your body?"
"We are adults, you saw my naked body, big deal. I mean, people post skimpy clothes on the internet to the point it makes being naked better, you just saw me in my birthday dress. Nothing to worry, about. Ah, don't go around thinking that I would be showing skin to men or women though, this was a mistake, you do remember right?"
"Yes…yes, absolutely!"
"Alright, so tell me, stranger, what is your name?"
Jaune finally turned around. He should not have, the moment his eyes once again laid on her, did he realize just how mesmerizing she looks, for now though, she wore a simple blue jean, a tight shirt, and a short black jacket. Her hair was now tied in a bun…and it was surprising how quickly she dried off.
"I…um…my name is Jaune Arc. It's short, sweet, rolls over the tongue, ladies love it!"
"Hmmm…is that so? Do they really?"
"One day, they will."
"Heh."
The girl, Artoria stifle a small laugh…and, to Jaune, it was criminal to be this beautiful doing something so cute and innocent.
Wait.
Artoria? As in-
"Um, I might be wrong, but you said your name is Artoria?"
"Indeed. Artoria Pendragon, daughter of Gabriel Pendragon, the current King of Camelot."
Shit. Jaune Arc saw the princess naked, and if the fairy tales are anything to go by, the fathers of a princess, the kings are very overprotective of their daughters.
"Um…if your father finds out that, I saw you naked?"
"Oh, he'll simply erase your existence."
"…"
That's it. This was supposed to be a training day, learn how to properly fight and make sure you do well in the tournament, but now…with this incident, Jaune was sure his happy future, just came to an end.
"Don't worry, as I said, this is my fault too, I will not speak of this to anyone, this could be just our secret Jaune Arc."
"You sound like you know me?"
"Of course, I do, perhaps when I saw you, you weren't at the best state of the body."
"Best state?"
"Yeah, I sent Lancelot, to make sure you receive medical treatment, after your, well beatdown, against The Tyrant."
Of course, that's what Jaune was now famous for.
"So, that's what people know me for? The one who got beaten up by Gilgamesh? The Tyrant?"
Artoria smirked.
"No, they know you like the mysterious guy who went against Tyrant and lived to see the next day, that does not happen, at all."
"Wait…what do you mean, that it does not happen?"
"What I mean to say is Gilgamesh, as his title goes, The Tyrant, he is ruthless, he hates and he breeds hate and arrogance as well. He hates people even looking up at him, he has committed atrocities that would make even White Fang, seem like good people. Whoever, stood up against him, was always silenced, killed, humiliated, and removed. Everyone knows that. You, on the other hand, did not know who Gilgamesh was- that bit was pretty surprising?"
"I should start watching the news, it would seem."
"Yeah, not just that though, that day standing up to a villainous figure like him even if it resulted in your beatdown, knowing that you would lose, you're standing up, that kind of actions resonates, Jaune Arc."
"How? I was just some guy…who was beaten?"
"That's it, remember Jaune, if you could make God bleed, people would cease to believe in him. People were afraid of Gilgamesh, however, you took the first step of standing up to him and living, as much as we deny it, as much as we say it is just fiction, humans and Faunus will always need someone to look up to. Someone who would always be there for them, a hero, rather than a hunter."
"You think, I am a hero, sorry to burst your bubble, but I am a terrible hunter, much less a hero."
"Not now, but I do see the potential."
"What?"
Artoria Pendragon gave a sly smile with a wink, that perhaps raced poor Jaune's heart faster than ever.
"By the way- "Artoria kept her smirk, "You definitely are going to make one lucky girl very- very happy."
"Huh?"
What did that mean?
Jaune looked down, wait…he was wet too, and…Artoria Pendragon, the princess of Camelot could see his bulge.
"Huh, I guess I can see why you are wearing two belts and a baggy pair of jeans, that thing must be hard to keep in control, do you need help?"
"S-s-shut up." Another girl made, Jaune stuttered, turning around once again and hiding.
However, this girl meant no malice, she had a playful expression, no harm kind of joke, no insults whatsoever, just having a bit of playful fun.
Even if it was embarrassing Jaune to such an extent.
"Come here, I'll help you dry."
"What, do I have to get naked?"
"As much as I would have love to see, how about no, turn around I'll help you out."
Jaune Arc was embarrassed already enough, but might as well do something that the other side spoke of. As such, he turned around a blush on his face reminiscent of the color of his partner's hair.
Artoria took a step forward, her hand-coated with aura, however, Jaune noticed something…her coating of aura was different from Ren or even himself. Whenever he did try to coat his blade or even his hands or legs with aura, the aura used to fluctuate around, it wasn't stable, Jaune always thought that was the case.
Now, however, Artoria coated her hand with aura, it appeared to have covered herself, like an additional cloth or a blanket, it was not fluctuating, it wasn't unstable, it looked like a flowing river.
Swoosh~
The aura-induced palm came right in front touching his chest, however, it barely made contact, however, he could feel it physically- the dense amount of aura surrounding his body and passing through and over his body. He could feel, the condensed amount of aura Artoria Pendragon had.
Jaune Arc was nowhere near, her.
Another person, another warrior, just as Gilgamesh, overpowering, skills perhaps that would be unrivaled, no wonder she did not see Jaune as a threat.
Jaune blinked, he was…dry now?
"Wh-what did you do?"
"Used a bit of aura emission, and viola, you are dry."
Dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon!
The sound of something crashing down was heard as Jaune once again turned.
Oh yeah, he almost forgot staring at Artoria's body that there was a dragon here as well.
"Jaune, meet Albion, The White Dragon, the defender of Camelot."
"…WHAT?!" Jaune nearly shrieked like a teenage girl staring at a ghost, and hiding behind Artoria.
"Don't worry Jaune, he won't bite."
"Why are you treating him like a dog?"
"Well, I once thought of considering him as a pet, but he isn't, he is just as much as human as all of us."
"Really? You don't say, last time I checked, humans or Faunus were not as tall as buildings, had large wings and, hade such deadly claws and metallic skin."
Artoria on the other hand could only give Jaune a bitter smirk.
The dragon, Albion was majestic in Jaune's eyes, even if he felt fearful, he could always appreciate beauty when he sees one, this kind of beauty was hard to explain.
Artoria was telling something to Jaune, however, none of it was being registered in his mind, his eyes were staring at Albion's golden ones.
The dragon slouched down, almost bringing him as close to as Jaune's height, and in respect to that Jaune took a step, then another forward, still in his ears not at all registering what Artoria has been saying.
Jaune didn't know but somehow there was this attraction between him and Albion, that he just could not explain, there was something almost magical about it.
Taking a step forward, he puts his palm up, bringing it near the dragon and as if to mimic Jaune's action, Albion brought his head forward, the scales and Jaune's hand made contact as the latter gently patted.
There was something more to it, Jaune felt as if all of his fears that this dragon would kill him, eat him, devour him…had just suddenly disappeared.
He loved this feeling.
[Part-2]
{Atlas, Pietro Polendina's Laboratory}
The gentle sun's warmth was setting as the girl, watched outside of her father's laboratory.
"Do you think they will be okay?"
"Of course, Penny, have faith in them, it's just a few days that they have left, I know you are missing them, and team BMET, but they will be fine, look on the bright side, we can go and watch them when the tournament starts."
The girl, Penny turned around to face her creator, but the preferred term for her was father, always was…always will be, even if the girl was not human, her father told her that she is just as important as one.
"But father, I wanted to cheer for Sigurd, Brynhild, Harriet, Marrow, Elm, and Marina! I also wanted to take part, I have seen it in the movies and have read many of the action genre-based books, that strong bonds are formed when two opponents are fighting against each other, the close call, the flashback, the memories of their lovers and family and with the power of friendship and love the hero wins, turning the villain to the good side and then become best friends. Just like Ruby and I."
"Hahahahahaha…. that's quite a wonderful description you gave Penny, however"
"-However, the real battle does not work that way."
Both Penny and her father turned around to the sound of an assertive and commanding voice. General James Ironwood, one of Atlas's finest, had just entered Pietro Polendina's lab.
"Ah, General Ironwood."
"Salutations, General Ironwood."
"Pietro. Penny. I couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation the father and daughter duo were having, for that I do apologize, but Penny, they way to described battle, it's for attraction in fiction, in real-time, there is nothing but ruthlessness, there is nothing but one side standing and the other falling apart. You might be one of our brightest soldiers, even one of the few that made Sigurd sweat a bit, but you're asking about joining a battle were warriors like…like The Tyrant" it felt as if General Ironwood forced those words out of his lips, as he continues, "You are very strong Penny, and I have always respected honorable deaths in the battlefields, but, I have, then, now and in the future refused to let my soldiers die a meaningless death, refused to lead them into a false path where they would have no result whatsoever. With beings like Tyrant, you would be destroyed, for something meaningless, I could not do that in good faith."
Penny retaliated almost immediately," Then why send Sigurd, Brynhild, and Team BMET? Are they not important?"
"They are, but whatever control and command I have over them, is far too less, as much as I hate to say it, we cannot let the world know about your true identity nor we can tell anyone that you also are the Winter Maiden, for the good of the people and your safety, please stay here in Atlas."
Ironwood gave a soft head pat on Penny, to which she returned with a beaming smile.
"Now, Penny if you would excuse me and your father, we have some private matter to discuss."
"Of course, General Ironwood."
Penny routed back to the other side of her father's laboratory, entering the joint room.
"Always the Irondaddy," Pietro spoke in a playful manner, which made Ironwood choke on the very air he was breathing, losing his composure for a while.
"What nonsense are you spouting, doctor? Have you lost your mind when you were fixing your legs?"
"No, Brynhild called me, you do realize that she treats Penny as her sister despite, you know, their differences and, no let me rephrase that, she called Penny and I happen to overhear certain stuff."
Ironwood did not like where this conversation was headed.
"You see, Brynhild is a good girl, one of the finest students as well, however, she is still a Faunus, a teenager, she is in a loving relationship, so what happens when said girl is getting intimate with her boyfriend, the couple about to have a lovely night, ha, youngsters, but then he receives a call from his foster father."
General Ironwood, one of the Atlas's finest had to offer, had perhaps the decency to get a little, a little bit of embarrassed.
"Listen, James, take it from someone who has lived in your shoes, I know what it feels like to…raise a child that is not yours."
Even if it was for a fraction of a second, Pietro saw the enraged face of General Ironwood, which suddenly reverted to his stoic one.
Poor choice of words.
"Apologies, it would seem that I worded myself erroneously, the thing is I do know the feeling of not being a proper father. If your memory serves you correctly…my wife died while she was pregnant, I could not save her nor my unborn child…then Penny came along, and I doted her even under special circumstances. Did it come down to the fact that am I a good enough man? Am I a good enough father for her? I know how you feel James, I know. Sigurd looks up to you, from the beginning of time, I know the rebellious kid who turned into Atlas 'strongest. Do you remember the special event?"
Even if it was a small one, Ironwood did smile.
"Indeed, imagine to look on the people's face when a twelve-year-old defeated Winter Schnee, the top Specialist, I still remembered Winter wallowing alone in her room, saying that she felt emasculated but she is a woman."
"Hahahaha…I do indeed remember that she wore black sunglasses for a week to make sure no one sees what her eyes looked like, for all the cold and stoic personality she represents- she surprisingly is childish when it comes to competition."
"I wouldn't blame her, after all your pride will get damaged, if a twelve-year-old manages to defeat you, and added to the fact that she is a Schnee."
"Indeed, but that is the stuff James, children grow and then, they come of age when it is their time to take responsibility."
"Do you think I do not know that? I understand that fact, as a soldier perhaps even better, but do I want Sigurd, his friends, Penny to be involved in a war that isn't theirs, to begin with? What kind of a leader of the people would that make me? I am following Ozpin because, I think he knows what is best…but sometimes, I find myself questioning, what we do, is that right? What exactly is the endgame? How long before the trust of humanity breaks? How long before Salem, wins?"
Pietro's gazes fall on his computer, as he "walked" towards it.
"If I am correct General, didn't Grimm Queen, lose once?"
"That was a time when even Ozpin and Theodore were in their childhood, and if you are thinking of asking the man who defeated Salem? Forget about him, he won't be helping us, I have requested him far too much, that man just does not care. Even if we live in an era of peace because of that man, he still really does not care for the people of Remnant."
"Then do you care?"
"I care about this place, I care about Remnant, I care about…Sigurd."
"Just as you cared and loved his mother?"
James Ironwood did not reply.
With a sad sigh, Pietro continues," Listen, James, I understand, why it is so difficult for you, she was the love of your life but you couldn't be together with her because, at that time, you were suffering too."
"That's not a reason to "
"Shut up. Elders are talking, be a good boy and listen, I know what happens to Sigurd's mother, how much Sigurd loathed himself…calling himself a rape baby, that he should not exist, that he should die. Many times, he tried to commit suicide, but do you know who was there for him, when his mother drowned herself in alcohol and drugs and killed herself? That he had no idea who his father was? There was this another broken soldier, James Ironwood, who took him in. Who made, Sigurd what he is today. Who made him stand on his feet and look further beyond his past, that was you, James, you! What he is doing now, it's just to return for all the burden he has caused you."
"But he was never a burden to me, he never will be."
"See, he knows that too, that is why, it is his way of showing that James Ironwood, is the father he never had, a father that despite being the epitome of Iron, did, in fact, has a heart of gold."
James Ironwood did not speak anymore, words were not necessary. He stepped out, he was about to leave, when something clicked on his mind-
"Almost forgot, wasn't here to actually to heart to heart with you, the details, I expect you to find and delete them, if possible, erase every form of data and delete those files, they should not fall in the wrong hands."
"But of course, even if you did not mention this, I would have done so."
After the final brief conversation, General Ironwood departed.
"You can come out now Penny, also it is bad manners to eavesdrop on the conversation." Pietro who had begun his works on his computer, smirked-
"I did not (hic!) Eavesdrop on anything."
"Yes, and I can walk with my legs, come on Penny, I am your father and I know when you would be lying."
"Sorry."
"No, it's not a big deal, it's just a little bit of innocent lying, if I punished you for every small mistake you made, I would be a terrible father now, wouldn't I?"
Penny just smiled; however, her eyes were scanning the documents her father was trying to delete?
"Father…what is this project, why are there so many restrictions on it?"
"Penny…I have never told you, have I?"
"What?"
"This project…is also one of the reasons, I have you with me as much as I hate it."
"What…is this project called?"
"It was made by our group, especially me and my best friend, Doctor Nikola Watts, a project to surpass any weapons, a project to surpass aura. The Metal Gear Project."
[Part-3]
{Vacuo, Shade Academy Training Area}
Cardin Winchester was many things. He was arrogant. He was ignorant. He was foulmouthed. He was a bully.
He was all of those.
Now? He had his ways changed. He had to be better, he had to look past his past self and become stronger.
"Oof!"
Cardin would do that if his ass wasn't being handed to him.
Velvet Scarlatina. The bunny Faunus, who was once the target of his unjustified actions of bullying.
Before coming to Shade Academy, Cardin and his teammates were helping out Faunus rights activists with Team CFVY, for making up for all his past mistakes. Surprisingly, Team CFVY was quite forgiving, only that Team CRDL had to do quite a heavy amount of labor.
Very heavy amount of labor.
During that time, they received a message that the Huntsman-in-training campaign was taking place in Vacuo's Shade Academy, so…in order to get stronger Team CRDL decided that it would be best to join Team CFVY, who were going there as well.
Apparently, Team ABRN and Team SSSN from Haven Academy appeared as well. It was intense all those training and beating.
Speaking of beating, Cardin Winchester, certified badass, was getting his ass handed by Velvet.
It was very, very good that Velvet is actually a pacifist, because, had she retaliated when Cardin was bullying her, he was sure…she would have killed him, because now when he is training with her, she is beating him with effective ease.
"That should do for now. Are you good, Cardin?" Velvet spoke in a very soft manner; she always spoke in such a manner.
"I will be when I regenerate my aura, I could not believe, that I am so pathetic. I used to insult Arc for being weak, and here I am…fallen on my ass and you barely taking much damage."
"Well, if we go by fighting styles, you are strong, really are…but agility is my specialty, as such where…you burned your aura faster than I did, you still need to learn how to control the aura."
Cardin, fallen on the ground just waved, "Yeah, Yeah."
Velvet had her eyes on Cardin's fallen figure, ever since the elections for the Council had started and the academies have haven closed off, never in her wildest dream had she expected that it would be Cardin and his team that would be accompanying them.
What she saw, was a very different Cardin than what he appeared to be. Was that even possible? Can a person so easily change?
"Can I ask you something, Cardin?"
"Go on."
"Why the sudden change?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why the sudden change? You used to be one of the worst guys possible, and now, no one would look at you and believe that you used to be a bully and a degenerate."
Velvet was harsh, Cardin will give her that, but she did pose a good question, why did Cardin change suddenly, what made him change it so easily?
"When I was thirteen, members of White Fang, killed my mother and little brother."
Oh.
Velvet to some extent understood, why Cardin hated Faunus.
"I-I was so angry, so angry that I started projecting that to every Faunus I met…my projection of anger got so worse that, I started to bully Faunus and the weak. In a way, you could say that was my coping mechanism, little Cardin, he didn't want to be afraid so he bullied others."
"Cardin…" Velvet muttered sadly, indicating that he did not need to continue anymore, but he did.
"Did you know at Forever Falls, I was about to do a so-called prank, that would have potentially endangered the lives of trainees that did not deserve any of it. I was stopped, but not only that, I was saved too, saved by someone…who I used to bully. Jaune Arc saved me that day. He had no right to, he didn't need to…he had every right to leave me behind because I used to torment him. He didn't. Jaune saved me."
Cardin stood up, cleaning himself in the process.
"That day, he made me realize something that my mother had spoken about a long time ago. 'Cardin, you aren't strong because you can lift a lot of weights now. You become strong when you endure. That is called the strength of character'. All this time, Jaune endured bullying, did not trouble anyone- he would have thought that he would be bothering them, to take the pain for himself, that is why he could stand up to such heights, he may be weak but among all of us, Jaune Arc has the strongest character. Something that I lack, something that I have to earn. That's why I changed…I cannot bully others just because I had a sad past. I cannot justify my actions because 'Hey! Faunus killed my mom and little brother, I will be a dick to them for the rest of my life."
Velvet for the first time gave Cardin one of the brightest smiles possible.
"What do you know Mr. Winchester, I am impressed…and that does not happen often."
That…was not Velvet.
Cardin looked around, that was Coco, and the rest of Team CFVY, including his own teammates, all of them were pretty beaten up he then realized the reason.
The duo behind them was the reason.
While Cardin was training with Velvet to increase his endurance and aura control, the rest of the teammates, along with a prodigy were fighting against one of the members of the best team in entire Vacuo, Team KAAT, the name might sound funny, but Cardin assured none of them were weak, no, in his opinion, the members of Team KAAT where monsters stronger than Pyrrha Nikos herself and he only has seen two of them.
Touka Daichi, elder sister a year to Yatsuhashi Daichi, she had twin tails which were braided and round glasses, if anything, she is like Jaune Arc, fumbling around, no social tact, and is easily teased. A next-door girl types. Yeah, don't get fooled by that. She actually is a three-time winner in a Vacuo tournament called Blood Bath, were apparently even killing is allowed, so no holding back, this sweet girl is actually strong…way too strong, Cardin saw the training, Touka Daichi, owned Team SSSN, they weren't a match. It was not even fair. Team SSSN by no means was a pushover, they were all very skilled, and yet, a single hunter owned them. This was when Cardin realized, powerplay is not fair in this world. Touka looked like a girl who you could make your own bitch, but actually, you would end up calling her mommy instead.
Then, the next one. This guy, if Touka was strong, then this guy was even more strong. Arjuna is his name, tan skin, dark black luscious hair, silver eyes like those Ruby Rose has, the chocolatey handsome look that makes girls go crazy, he was rather on the lean side. He wore a violet tank top, covered by a white long overcoat that reached till his knees, decorated by chains and to compliment the outfit a blueish-white serape. On the first day of arrival here, Team CFVY and Team CRDL had joined forces against this guy. The second strongest in the team. That day Cardin was given a grim reminder that he is not strong. The lean-figured guy, who uses a bow and his primary weapon.
Yup, the man's primary weapon was a bow and he still gave a beatdown to eight hunters in training, four of which were best in the second year of training, without going down lower than 95% of his aura. Coco Adel, the leader of Team CFVY was still salty around that guy, who wouldn't be? Cardin felt a tad bit emasculated and he hadn't even met the rest of Team KAAT's members, yet…Cardin wasn't so sure if he did want to meet them.
"That was profound knowledge, for a former bully, I didn't know you had such deep insight, perhaps I was shallow having your opinion, you know, I thought, you were just…fool, stupid, arrogant, ignorant, despicable, delusional, bratty did I say bully?"
"Coco!"
Velvet reprimed her team leader as her gaze switched upon Cardin who just gave them a bitter smile, Coco continued-
"But- you are changing, like throwing away trashy clothes, to get new ones, to get good ones that would make you feel good even from the inside. Nice, going Winchester."
Cardin just kept his smile.
Team CFVY was now having a bit of conversation with Touka, apparently, she was giving them advice on how to act quickly.
While Arjuna was standing just near Team CRDL, not talking, just kept his eyes closed.
Russel and Dove were talking among themselves, about how badass Arjuna is, how fucking strong he is…suddenly, their topic changed from the way of fighting to well how hot the girls are here, Dove says he plans to ask out Arsalan Altan, the leader of Team ABRN.
Sky thinks that is foolish, he would get his ass kicked. Speaking of getting ass kicked, Cardin got that too. Sky was about to have that conversation with his leader when he saw a look in Cardin's eyes.
The look of longing.
Huh? That's a strange look, Sky thought, so he too directed his gaze where his leader was watching at.
Oh.
Oh my~
Isn't that ironic.
The once bully Cardin Winchester was longing for Velvet Scarlatina. Isn't that just romantic?
"So, when are you gonna ask her out?"
"Huh? Buh? Wu-What? Who? Are you talking about me Sky?" Cardin looked baffled; Sky had to suppress his laughter for that.
"You have been staring at her like that since Beacon, since you apologized to her and made us see the error of our ways too…so when are you asking her out?"
Sky this time spoke in a higher tone, even Russel and Dove latched onto that conversation,
"Yeah, yeah, you have been staring at her since coming to Vacuo."
"It's kind of pretty obvious to me boss, like, everyone knows except for her, you give her the eyes."
Cardin looked at Dove, expecting him to speak more on that, "What eyes?"
"You know, eyes, eyes that my dad gives to my mom when they are alone, and they think that their son isn't listening to them."
"Okay, first, never ever tell me what happens in your house, second, that is disgusting Dove, you should be ashamed of yourself."
Accused Dove, just shrugged his shoulders.
Russel added, "That does not change the fact that you are having feelings for the girl you once bullied, it's almost like a romance story."
"There is no romance, alright."
"Keep lying to yourself like that, that's good. What else do you lie about?" the underhand comment made by Sky, actually got stuck.
Something about that comment, playful or not, made Cardin's tad bit mad. Angry.
"What are you saying, Sky?"
"What I am saying is enough of this. Enough. When that day occurred at the Forever Falls, I was prepared to get expelled, we didn't, instead, we got a chance…you told me we got that because Jaune Arc, gave us a chance. You changed, you had us all changed. We trained, we helped Faunus when I used to consider them freaks. I looked at the mirror, realizing that it was I, who was a freak for this long."
Dove, Russel, and Cardin, all of them were silent, Sky never usually spoke this much, or rather spoke something profound.
"So, I ask you, leader, you have done more this past month than you have done in your entire life. All of us have. How about actually going and asking her out?"
"Won't that be bad…considering what I did?"
"Tell me did you apologize?"
"I did."
"You worked for Faunus rights, didn't you? You even asked your father to help you out."
"Yes. I did so."
"See, we all are making amends, don't we all catch a break?"
"Yes." This wasn't Cardin.
This was one of the most unlikely persons, to ever reply.
Arjuna.
Team CRDL looked at him, "From what I gathered, you guys used to be bullies?"
Said team nodded.
"Hm. Well, you all certainly didn't live up to the name, you all are frankly, weak."
Sad Team CRDL noises. Of course, this is Vacuo, none of them speak while mentioning how weak they all were. In here, people just have to mention strength.
"But that's the thing, if you don't have something, you work for it. You earn for it. Right now, in a way Sky speaks the truth, however, if you all see it through Cardin's eyes, he is working for it. He won't go in and just ask her out since everything is fine between them, he wants to wait and build a strong friendship before going the route of relationship, am I wrong?"
Well, well, well…Russel, Dove, and Sky turned around, and what do you know, they saw something that they never expected to see, a blushing Cardin Winchester.
"See, Cardin Winchester isn't a bully, none of you are. You all are just misguided, and perhaps it's Cardin who is the first one to see the error of his ways and rectify them properly, rather than jumping to any possible conclusion. Making a way for a proper relationship, not a lot of people do that, you have impressed me, Cardin, I'll tell you that."
Well, there is always room for better development.
Speaking of which, this time it was Russel who spoke up first, "Yeah, it all started when we almost were about to commit a serious crime, I am amazed Jaune didn't rat us out."
Cardin and Sky nodded, on the other hand, Dove looked away, something that Sky caught on to.
Something that has been bothering Sky, from the day Team CRDL had changed, whenever Jaune Arc's name came up Dove would look away or rather won't have eye contact for a few seconds.
"What it is Dove?"
"What now?"
"Why are you doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"Whenever Jaune's name pops up, you just turn your head around and keep quiet, what's that about?"
"Nothing."
"Come on now Dove, you would be spending four years with us, you could either keep quiet or I can force it out."
Sky was not being serious. Dove knew that, but it still did not mean that he won't try to pry.
"You can share with us you know that right? We won't judge, if you remember, we too are reforming."
Dove nodded.
"Ya, see, do you believe that everyone is created equal? Whoever said that was the biggest liar ever, cuz, I have used common baths and…"
"And?"
"And…I saw Arc…naked…"
"Okay…"
"…he be packing tho…"
"I could not hear you."
"I said…he is packing stuff…you know?"
"Alright Dove, I can't hear, none of us can, now would you please tell us what is it?"
"Goddamnit! Arc has a foot-long dick, okay? I'm a bit insecure about that!"
Cue awkward silence. No one saw this coming.
"Alright, so I am…a bit insecure, that's why…"
"You feel like if you ever get in a relationship, he would steal your girl? He would take your girl because you used to bully him? That you won't be enough for her? She would want something more from the relation and you won't be able to provide it and ultimately she would cheat on you?"
Huh? Once again, the members of Team CRDL looked towards the direction of Arjuna.
Dove's eye met the ground.
"If you get in a relationship, and your significant other and they cheat on you because you can't satisfy them, that's not your fault, it's not that you can't satisfy them…it's just that it's in their nature."
Arjuna continued, seeing as no one was about to object to him, "Listen you could be sex god and have loads of money, and yet your significant other may just betray you. That's just it, the scummy nature of humans. However, where there is true love, understanding among the couple, where the couple equally play important role in the relationship. You don't just go in and expect it to work, you have to build it, you have to accept each other's flaws and live with it. Only then it would turn into something beautiful. If, they leave you because you can't satisfy them? That's bullshit. If a girl leaves you because she likes someone else's dick size, she was never your girl, to begin with, she never loved you nor will she love anyone. The same with the guy, just your girl can't handle you that's why you go around sleeping with other women to satisfy your needs, you think you have a harem but in reality, you are just breaking relationships and people's love and trust. It's not your fault, they are just projecting their own insecurities, so Dove, don't worry about those. Instead, make yourself better eventually you would find your significant other."
Huh.
Team CRDL was quiet, the handsome guy had perhaps one of the most profound knowledge. Perhaps made them feel better too. Man, they thought Vacuo was ruthless, don't get them wrong, the place is indeed ruthless, however, it is bearable because people like Arjuna and Touka are here.
"Do you have someone you want to pursue?" Dove asked, he noticed Arjuna's gaze traveling from Team CFVY, to Touka.
"I…do…perhaps, but it's a pipe dream."
"Why…if I may ask?"
"She's…in love with someone else, and I consider that person my brother. I just cannot, sometimes life is not fair. We can be strong, smart, be the best-looking person and still never truly happy."
Cardin walked a bit forward, "Then are you happy?"
"I am happy, as long as she is."
Arjuna gave a forlorn sad smile, team CRDL did not comment on that. They never really thought that they would make friends outside of their circle. They were wrong.
They did find friends in CFVY. They did make a bit good impression. Most of all, for the first time they bonded over someone who made them even better, Arjuna.
Arjuna sighed as his gaze falls on a couple of people walking towards them.
"Here comes the headache."
Professor Theodore, the headmaster of Shade Academy, one of the strongest huntsmen.
Also certified man-child.
"Ha, Anakin! Anakin! Come on now, I have a job for you."
"How many times do I have to tell you old man, my name is Arjuna, what are you going on about?"
"Huh? Nonsense. I would know if your name was Arjuna, weren't you the one who was fighting against Obi-Wan? He had the high ground, I remember."
"Were you snorting dust while you were watching Star Wars that you forget the names of your students?"
"Of course, not…it was a bit of weed, but that just enhances the experience."
"Stop doing drugs, old man…you are a headmaster act like one."
"Whatever you say Anakin."
"How daft are you, Anakin is white, my skin is brown can you not see that difference…I am not Anakin."
"Not with that attitude."
Arjuna, who was the calmest among all…was now looked like the one who was done with all this shit.
"See, not even a minute and this man is making me commit genocide at a large scale."
"Ha! So, you finally show your true self Anakin, you were never a Jedi!"
"Haaaaaah! Calm down Arjuna, calm down…rile it in…this is an old man, you must respect the old man. My culture says to respect the seniors."
"Ah-ha! See, now I have the high ground."
"…Alright, genocide it is."
"Enough, both of you…I swear, it's not the heat of Vacuo but you two that gives me a migraine." The woman who walked with Headmaster Theodore, she has a deep tan, whose age might be hard to tell due to her short stature, standing at about four feet tall, and of her fine features and mischievous expression sandy brown hair reaches her ankles, in a long braid bound by a golden cord. She has a wide, squarish frame that exaggerates her shortness, and she wears brown pants with a loose, dark green tunic cinched with a brown leather belt at her waist, the most notable part of the woman's outfit is a sleeveless long coat, dark brown and coarse on the outside with glittering flecks.
Cardin looked at that woman, she is just a shorter version of Professor Goodwitch, there is no difference in attitude among them.
This woman, is the combat teacher of Shade Academy, Professor Rumpole.
"Headmaster, I would advise you to do, what you have brought yourself here for, you're fooling and wasting of time, is much preferred if you do not do that in front of me, or your students."
"Ah! Rummy, why so serious? Don't worry, Ok, so budget Anakin- "Arjuna!" "Yeah, whatever, so, your teammate, the hot wheels guy, yeah, he took three S-class elimination missions, and he hasn't returned yet."
Cardin heard that a teammate to Arjuna, he was confused though, S-class missions? Hunter missions had rankings? Assuming that S-class is the most dangerous one, he asked Arjuna, "Is your teammate in danger?" before he could get a reply, Headmaster Theodore was the one who answered back,
"Danger? That hot wheels guy? No, no, no, no, if he's taking time, he's enjoying and I don't like it when he enjoys."
"Wait…why?" Cardin was baffled by the behavior of the headmaster, first, he thought he was a cool guy, now.
"Don't get him wrong Cardin, he is correct, last time he, my teammate had fun, he destroyed the Vacuo council building, so…"
"What does your teammate do?"
"I'll tell you he is a chaos incarnate, take your new friends and bring him back."
Team CFVY, Team CRDL, and the new addition Touka and Arjuna from Team KAAT. Now, they are on the way to get the other teammate.
Touka herself said that CFVY and CRDL did not need to follow them, it would be unnecessary since it is their teammate and as such their headache. However, it was Cardin and Coco that insisted that they would like to come with them too. They wanted to meet the rest of the team, and of course team leader as well.
Speaking of team leaders, it was Cardin who stated the question, "Where is your Team leader?"
"That's…. actually, a very good question, Touka where is he?"
"I…don't know, he, well, our leader is a very secretive man unless it's important or missions or team training, we won't usually see him during vacations."
Cardin continued, "I know it's stupid, but your leader is the strongest among yourselves?"
"Haha…he is not just strong among the team he is the strongest in Vacuo, so much so that even headmaster Theodore won't annoy him much, he is only rivaled by Prince Ozymandias of Egypt."
Shocked expression traveled around, rivaled by Ozymandias, the Prince of Egypt? This meant the team leader of KAAT, is one of the greatest hunters made. Once again reminding Cardin that the powerplay is not fair.
Fox Alistair, spoke breaking the silence, "So, Touka, is your entire team participating in the 100 Year Tournament, The Battlefield of Warriors, which would be held in Camelot?"
"Huh? Of course, we won't miss it, we would be flying there tomorrow. That team leader of SSSN, what's his name? Sun Wukong and the team leader of ARBN? Arslan Altan? Yeah, both of them did want to take part, so they too would be coming with us."
Arjuna laughed a bit, "Yeah, actually I…am not comfortable with tournaments but our leader wants to fight the Tyrant so…yeah."
Cardin stopped in his tracks.
The Tyrant?
"Tyrant…as in the youngest king of Babylonia, Gilgamesh?" Cardin asked,
"…Yeah? Why?"
"…nothing."
The small chatter was going on, however, the grim expression that Cardin held, no one saw that no one expect Velvet.
The expression showed anger, pain, regret altogether, after a few moments Cardin held a small smile, however, Velvet won't forget what she saw.
She would ask him, but not now, no jumping the personal boundaries, however, she would like if Cardin opened up a little more.
To others.
To his team.
To her.
"What the fuck is this?"
"Welcome to the real, Vacuo."
The group had now crossed a valley, a desert valley if one would. Their job was pretty simple, a very easy rescue mission. Get one of the members of Team KAAT back, originally Team KAAT said it would be best if CFVY and CRDL didn't come with them, but the latter group insisted, and now what they were seeing will forever haunt their dreams.
Bodies. Piles of them, no less than twenty, all of them were killed- gutted, torn in half, some of them had lost half of their bodies and the place was drenched in blood.
The realization hit Team CRDL, they are training to be hunters and hunters don't usually just hunt Grimm, there is more to that profession, however never once they thought they would witness a bloodbath of this level, they have heard of it? Yes. Have they listened to the stories? Yes. But nothing comes as close as witnessing massacre and death, gruesome death in the first place. Lark thought he would throw up; Dove did throw up.
Looking at Team CFVY and CRDL, Arjuna spoke, "Wait here, let Toudou and I go and get him, in before he does something stupid."
Cardin, afraid and shocked he may be pointed towards a figure in the middle of the blood bath.
In admits of that massacre stood a lone figure, he was shirtless, his skin and hair color were similar to Fox Alistair, however, his hair was dark orange with bangs being yellow. He wore arm armor, which is a were too were mix of blood-red and dark orange color, the rerebrace of the arm armor had the face of an angry man, which made that even more intimidating. Then, the only other piece of armor he had would just be the leggings, triangulated paddings in the quads of his legs and crotch, the only thing that would be complimenting that would be the black kilt just on the backside reaching his legs.
The other thing that made Cardin shudder, was chakram, the large chakram and when it is being said its large, it is large, it was just a few inches shorter than Cardin if he had to guess, that chakram, bloodied on the blades, clearly the man's weapon of choice.
Cardin continued, "Is that…?"
"Yup, that is our third teammate, Aśvatthāman or just as he would prefer, Ash…let me go and get him, in before he causes any more trouble."
Stating so, both Toudou and Arjuna walked towards that man, Aśvatthāman.
"I…I will pass out, isn't the job of hunters, to hunt Grimm, what the fuck is this? Will…will we be doing this as well? I fucking can't." Dove spoke, slowly backing away, hiding behind Cardin's back, neither his team leader nor his peers could answer to his outburst.
Surprisingly it was Fox who spoke first, "I am blind, but I do see, what needs to be seen. I am both surprised and amazed that none of you fainted, the thing about hunter is, it's in our name. We are hunters, we hunt beasts. Both Grimm and man, sometimes it's the latter that causes more chaos than the beasts themselves, no matter how hard it sounds, how harsh it sounds at the end of the day you need to accept the fact that civilians and police cannot deal with threats like this, it's a hunter's job to do so."
Dove looked back at Fox, there was still anger in his eyes, "So we get to decide who gets to live or not? Last time I checked it's the job of the judge."
"That's why there are classed missions, remember? It is because a hunter needs to be done what civilians with morals can't do."
"It's morals that make us people! It's knowing what's right to do and what's not, we can capture criminals and they could be dealt with accordingly! We don't need to become murders! If we kill the criminals the total amount of criminals does not change!" Dove screamed now.
However, in front of breaking down Dove, Fox, the blind one- stood tall.
"It does. Sometimes in the crossroads of life, you would find yourself choosing between saving the lives of thousands or just saving the lives a hundred people, both the decision is morally impossible to make, but a hunter needs to see past this and make the correct decision. The logical decision. In here if you run in with emotions high, not only will you die, you would end up being the reason thousands die as well. One needs to choose between evil and lesser evil."
"It does not change the fact that both the acts are evil, it does not describe us."
"Tell me, Dove, did your bullying describe who as a person you are?"
The place fell quiet. Dove did not reply.
"It didn't, did it? You are more than that, Dove. I have gotten to know you and your team better, you became better…the thing is, you don't need to decide this right now, or tomorrow or anytime soon- however, there will be a day where you would have to pick, your team or the enemy you want to spare because let me tell you- these, scums, they are not men, if you capture them, they would still relentlessly hunt you, kill innocents…like a rabid dog. Do you know what we do with a rabid dog, Dove? We put them down for good. You need to remember, it's either your ethical choice or the lives of the people. You decide."
"…It's not fair…it's just not fair if we can change…can't the others change?"
"Optimism is good Dove, but sadly optimism is not reality. People like you can be shown a better path- however, people like them, who have died here, don't change. They lie, they steal, they murder, they kidnap, they rape, they destroy everything and they don't bat an eye. As I said, you can get better, they can't…people like them, can't change…it's their lifestyle as such, it's our lifestyle to put them down."
Dove didn't answer or gave in reply back, he didn't know what to do or what not to. When the time comes can he take a life? He does not know. It's just…it's just bizarre that we need to kill our own including Grimm to maintain balance. Why can't the people come together and fight Grimm?
Perhaps now after Fox's scolding, Dove slowly but surely began to realize that it isn't the Grimm that has split man and Faunus kind apart, it's their own actions, it's their own hate, hate running so deep that it just cannot change. Perhaps, the day where everyone is united is nothing more than a distant Utopia.
"Yup. So, for now, let's ignore the heavy stuff, try not to focus on the dead bodies…and damn, I am into girls but, look at those chocolatey abs that guy has, and those nice yellow eyes…mama, likes, mama, like it very much."
"Coco!" Velvet once again, reprimed her leader, who just happens to have a sultry look, pulling her sunglasses down to her nose, as their vision gets to three members of Team KAAT walking towards them.
"So, Ash, this is Team CRDL- Cardin their leader, Russel, Dove and Sky and Team CFVY, Coco their leader, Fox, Velvet and Toudou's younger brother Yatsuhashi…everyone this is- "even before Arjuna could complete, his teammate practically rode over him as he spoke-
"The name's Aśvatthāman, but you fuckers can call me, Ash, now since they didn't put up much of a fight, I'm bored. I am bored means, I am angry…anyone of you wanna fight me? Come on, I swear…it'll be fun-"smack!
Toudou hits Aśvatthāman's head harshly, while Team CFVY and CRDL looked dumfounded, it was Toudou who apologizes, "I am so, so sorry…it's just this guy has a bit anger issues."
"That's putting it lightly, Toudou, I think anger has Ash issues, even anger is put to shame, by how much this guy rages…"- "Fucker, you wanna have a go at me Arjuna? You wanna go? Fuckin' come at me, I'll show ya- who's the better one"-smack!
Another harsh smack.
"You see it's not that Ash has no emotion, it's just all his emotions are filled with so rage that he might come out as a guy who is always angry."
Sky asks, "So, like he's not always angry?"
"No, he is…it's just he's really not a bad guy-"
"What ya say Arjuna? You scared of me? You wanna have a bout, huh? I'll beat your ass down, just so ya know. Come at me, I'll show you, who's the strongest, Imma show ya, just how great I am! Come at me- "smack!
Team CFVY and CRDL switched gaze back to Toudou once again, who had the face of an embarrassed mother.
"I mean…he is not a bad guy for the most part…"
Cardin confirmed once again, "For the most part?" To which he only received a bitter smile from Toudou.
Arjuna removed Aśvatthāman's face as he was the one to speak, "All right, we have found the trouble maker, why don't we all just return-"
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
"Huh?"
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
"What the hell, is it an earthquake?"
Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
"No, much worse," Aśvatthāman spoke with a mad grin on his face.
The sound of the rumbling was now turned into the vision. The opposite side of the valley, not in ten or hundreds they were in thousands.
The Grimm.
"Vacuo is prone to such attacks once a month, the good thing is none of them is a high tier," Arjuna spoke calmly.
However, others were not so calm. Their normal good day was already ruined with so many dead bodies and now, they were witnessing an armada of Grimm coming in their direction.
"Good thing? Good thing?! We'll die, it does not matter if they are low level, do you see thing numbers, we'll-"
Thunk!
Everyone saw that lodged right at the middle of the rampaging Grimm army, was a golden spear, that shone just as bright as the sun.
The action was so sudden the even the horde of Grimm slowed down.
"W-what the hell…is that a…a spear?"
Toudou smiled as she removed her hand from her katana, "Looks like the boss is here."
Cardin looked at her, surprised- "Boss?"
Before anyone could answer, a figure gently, looked as if that figure came through thin air and landed its feet on the other tip of the lodged spear.
"Who's that-"
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!
Dazzling flames covered the entire valley, Team CFVY and CRDL were in awe, moments before they were about to face death. The armada of Grimm coming right at them and suddenly, all of it just disappeared.
The Grimm, thousands of them were swallowed by flames, flames that even dust could not generate that much amount of it. As if the sun itself has graced this place.
Cardin swore he saw blue eyes, similar to Jaune's in those flames.
"Well, guys allow me to introduce you to, the Vacuo's strongest and our team leader- Karna."
[Part-4]
{Outskirts of Vale, the Connected Villages}
Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie have a past together.
That would be mildly putting it. Ren still remembers the day when Nora and her mom arrived at his village… the former village Kuroyuri, originally Nora and her mother were from Wales, which was pretty far from the outskirts of Vale. They were such stark contrast, she was bubbly and sunshine, full of energy and vigor. He was her complete opposite, dull and preferred the shadows, he did not want to waste energy and a bit lethargic. In a way just like the students in Beacon, the people in his village did not think that both of them would get along.
However, it was because they were polar opposites that they were attracted to each other. Ren did not say it out loud. He does not need people knowing his business after all. But it was true you see; he might not say it out loud. He might not show it in his expressions or in his way of talking or taking action.
Lie Ren loved Nora Valkyrie. There would be no one else that he would choose, he is, was, and always will be in love with her. When his village fell when the Grimm came…Nora could have run away. She too was just a child; she did not need to stay. But she did, she did it for Lie Ren. She stayed for Lie Ren, that day not only Ren, but even Nora lost her mother. However, even if they appear to have understood each other, care for each other and become an important part of each other, they are still not in the right headspace.
Both Ren and Nora are dealing with inner demons, while Ren has his semblance, Nora hides those behind her bubbly smile. They both have emotional baggage. Ren knows that for a proper relationship it's not just love and heart, but soul and mind as well should be present. As such, he waits for Nora…as he is sure that Nora waits for him.
"Don't worry buddy, I won't pry into your life, it is your personal matter, but know this. I am your leader, I do consider you my family, like a brother I never had. That's why it does not matter, Nora calls me the fearless leader. I know, I'm not strong as you all are, but if you ever need me, no matter the cost I will be there for you, that's what family is for, isn't it?"
Ah. Lie Ren's team leader, Jaune Arc. Nora loves him, so does he. The family that they never had. Ren always felt complete when he was with JNPR, even if they are on a break, Nora made it no secret that she misses both Jaune and Pyrrha, strangely they could not contact Jaune. He only hopes that he has not gotten himself into some kind of trouble. After all, he is like a brother.
Family, huh.
To this day he clearly remembers it-
His village was destroyed by Grimm, yes that was true…part of the reason he wanted to become a hunter was that he wanted to destroy Grimm. However, that was not it- that day, what Lie Ren saw, no one else did. The Grimm were attacking, but there was a man.
The man was of average height but extremely lean and hard physique. He had handsome (if haggard) features, with a beaded but unkempt brownish beard and a shaggy, beaded horse-mane hairstyle. What unique about him was his body was covered with tattoos, tattoos that Ren had never seen, not even in his time at Beacon. That day that man's eyes and tattoos were glowing, deep stormy blue.
What made this man stand out was, the Grimm were listening to him, Ren saw that. He never told this to Nora…to her, Lie Ren wants to become a hunter because he wants to destroy Grimm, the very Grimm that took away his home. While that is not false, it is not the complete truth either.
Who would believe Lie Ren that the Grimm were following a man? That they were listening to orders of a man. No one would. That would be stupidity. Ren knows that Nora would believe him, but he does not want to bother her. He does not want her to follow the same path of revenge that he is on. This is the reason why he is grateful for his semblance. Hiding such emotion in a way became necessary so that Nora never figure it out. This might sound wrong, but in a way to Ren, it was necessary. Nora is his sunshine; he does not want a shadow upon it.
That would have been good and all.
If three death-stalkers, two Nevermores, followed by the sloth of Ursa and a couple of King Taijitu weren't at Ren and Nora's chase.
Worst of all, they did not have their weapons on them either.
"Renny! I told you we should have brought our stuff, see what happens! See, I told you so! But you were 'Nora, let's just go for a peaceful walk, I want to bask myself in the sunlight of nature away from people, don't bring those instruments of destruction.' If I only I had my Magnhild, then even the Goliath won't be a problem."
Ren looked at her, "Wait, what?"
Oh, yeah…at the end of the road, there was even a Goliath after them. This is just great, Lie Ren wanted a peaceful day, instead, he got chaos. There isn't even a proper hiding space where he could take Nora and himself.
Slide!
Shit. The King Taijitu, two of them surrounded him and Nora, unlike Ren…Nora did not have proper aura control, she mostly relied on her semblance, as such it was up to Ren to deal with them. He could, the problem is the Grimm behind them.
Shit. What now?
Slice!
Even before Ren could realize it, the couple of King Taijitu, in front of him was cut off, by a halberd. It was then Ren saw the person using it.
The form of a tall, muscular man covered with battle scars throughout his body. The most notable scar would be a rather small one on his right cheek. He has waist-long dark hair which is tied into a bun and adorned with two golden antennae-like pheasant tail feathers. He has an Eastern dragon tattoo across the front and back of his torso and shoulders, and 「飛將」 ("Flying General") tattooed on the right side of his body. He also has a goatee and no eyebrows. no clothing on his upper body and no footwear. He wears white baggy pants and a piece of fabric that resembles dragon scales, which are tied by a belt with a large decorated golden lion head buckle.
Ren and Nora immediately knew who this man was, as they called out his name at the same time-
"" Lü Bu!""
The man had a stoic expression as he looked at the duo and said, "Stay behind me."
None of them argued.
Three death-stalkers, unless they are quite skilled huntsman, these numbers are dangerous. Three mature death-stalkers are large and deadly.
However, Lü Bu maintained his composure, his aura covered the halberd, and he threw it-
Swoosh-
The force was so strong that it pierced one of the death-stalker, bisecting it completely. That wasn't the end, Lü Bu had already jumped high in the air, effectively breaking and tearing off one of the Nevermore's necks. Concentrating aura on his feet, he crushed the head of another death-stalker, even before the last one had a chance of comprehending what was going on.
Slice!
Using the halberd, he cuts the beast off in half, with sheer strength, not only that but with the same power-
Slice!
The sloth of Ursa was easily cut in half, as if their weight and strength meant nothing, keeping up the momentum-
Swoosh-
Once again, the halberd was ejected from his hands killing the second Nevermore. The only beast that remained was the Goliath.
While this was occurring, both Nora and Ren and a dazed expression.
Lü Bu did not have his halberd, it was coming down, but the Goliath had already made it to his place, effectively destroying the nature around it.
Normally, a hunter would have dodged the incoming attack, and started attacking from a different direction, after all, it's a Goliath. A mammoth-sized beast.
Lü Bu was not normal.
Aura coating his hands he took the Goliath's charge head-on, not just that, he pushed Goliath back. There was absolutely no power struggle, the Goliath may have size but it hardly affected Lü Bu. He just did not care; his face was still stoic just at the start of the battle. Holding on to the trunk of Goliath's face, Lü Bu rips off the head with effective ease, catching on to the halberd which now returned to him.
His sights switched to Ren and Nora.
"Let's get back to the village."
Nora Valkyrie had seen many things in life, but she had never seen anyone as strong as her and Ren's older brother figure Lü Bu.
As much as she loved her team, or even liked Team RWBY, none of them were just as strong as Lü Bu.
When Ren and Nora ran away from Kuroyuri, they were still chased by the Grimm that found them much like today. Just like today, they were weaponless and probably would have died.
They didn't.
A boy of similar age saved their lives and took them to his village. From where Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren's journey as hunters began. That was just a day like this. The day when Lü Bu saved them both.
Currently, both Nora and Ren are sitting on Chi Tu, the crimson mane warhorse, Lü Bu's mount. Nora has never seen such a muscular horse, and the horse has aura unlocked too! Just like Ruby's dog Zwei! However, unlike Zwei, Chi Tu is very strong.
"Should, I dare ask…what both of you were doing?"
"It's…it's my fault, Bu, I thought that I could have a peaceful walk…guess I was wrong, can't have proper peace without the Grimm ruining it."
"I understand that Ren. I completely do, but out here in the wilds, you should know better than that. Grimm lurks around here, and it's the outskirts, you have to be safe."
"Yes, yes…I am sorry."
"Don't apologize, I just have to up your training, both of yours once I return."
Nora practically jumped, latching herself to Lü Bu's back,
"So, it is true, you are taking part in the whatever tournament in Camelot, can I come too? I wanna break some legs too! I wanna join in the fun!"
"As much as I would have loved it, Nora, it would be better if you don't. This is nothing like Vytal Festival, this tournament happens every 100 years, do you know what that means? The strongest among the kingdoms and the continent would arrive. Who don't usually bother with petty, little tournament would arrive…"
Lü Bu's expression turned dark and grim.
"This means that even The Tyrant, would also arrive."
[Part-5]
{Camelot, Main Square}
Mercury Black wanted to run away.
Emerald Sustrai wanted to shoot herself.
Cinder Fall wanted to kill the man in front of her.
Nikola Watts just wanted to get back to his lab.
The four of them were simply annoyed by the single man in front of them, he appeared to be leading them but in reality, the man was nothing but a headache.
"Imagine being so useless that you need the aid of others, I knew Cinder was incompetent but, I did not realize that she adopted two more failures in her list. I just simply don't get, why the mistress has kept you even as her inner member should be put to a debate. You should be thankful for even given a chance to be in her presence, more than that isn't she benevolent that a pathetic maiden got her second chance? Rejoice Cinder, but you will not fail in your next endeavor, for I will be supporting it as welllll~"
Tyrian Callows, one of the few known serial killers, and a member of the inner circle of Cinder's mistress. He gets the job done, yes, he does. Does that make him tolerable? No. Tyrian Callows is loyal to no one except for his mistress, which tends to show in his behavior.
Nikola Watts sighs as he scans through his scroll, he looks up, "Listen, the four of you, to avoid any suspicion…I will leave today and return on the day of the tournament. Tyrian, for the love of your mistress, it was hard enough to smuggle you inside this place, keep your face hidden, let no else see you. As much as I hate to say, you are a renowned killer, if someone recognizes your face…the plan could fall into jeopardy, so please…do not ruin it."
Tyrian grumbled but agreed.
"Cinder, I want you to go and register yourself for the tournament, it would be better if you do it as early as possible, and please do it properly this time, we failed the attack on Beacon, but we should not fail this."
Cinder nodded at that, even if it was her that was supposed to be the boss, she had to listen to Nikola Watts, the man could conjure one of the best plans.
"Mercury and I would look for rooms, get a good location from where we could gather information, and Emerald, go gather information, anything that could prove to be useful, when does King arrive? Would he attend the tournament from the start till finish? Find out what does the king loves the most? The people around here would know. Also, look for traces of Summer Maiden. All of you, scram now…I will send the information of which hotel to stay in."
Emerald Sustrai was tired. Everywhere she asked, she received the same answer, the king loves his people the most. King Gabriel Pendragon's past is shrouded in mystery, the only thing that was known that he is just as kind as his father, the king before, Arthur Pendragon. Well, the only public knowledge regarding Gabriel Pendragon was, which could be considered personal was the death of King's father.
Apparently, King Arthur Pendragon had committed suicide, after his wife, Queen Guinevere committed adultery. With who? It was unknown, after the death of Arthur Pendragon shortly after Queen Guinevere committed suicide. Sheesh. Talk about tragedy, due to which Gabriel Pendragon, became the youngest King, age 11 to take the throne of Camelot.
Now Gabriel Pendragon is married to Venelana Cammello of Vale, a high-class noble and aristocrat. Then they had two children, Prince Mordred Pendragon and Princess Artoria Pendragon, but it would seem that Prince Mordred had fallen in battle a few years ago.
This was the general information available to the public, apart from this nothing, absolutely nothing.
On the contrary, the people here call a girl The Mad Maiden, who happens to go around helping people, calling herself that she is incarnate of Summer Maiden, she has her powers. Well, if it was before, even Emerald would not have believed the madness of the woman, but with time spend with Cinder, and the information she that gotten from Cinder's mistress, it would seem that the Summer Maiden, is definitely here.
Ding! Emerald's scroll beeped. The information and location of the hotel have been provided.
Well, Emerald could use some rest-
She stopped in her tracks as her eyes fell on a figure.
No way.
No fuckin way.
That damned Faunus should be dead.
Emerald's eyes fell on Tsukon, the book-seller in Vale, a former member of White Fang. Mercury said Emerald not to worry as he would kill the guy.
Emerald wanted to approach, but that would be highly stupid and in an open place like this no less. However, Emerald used her semblance, just on Tsukon, and made him think that the person walking towards him, was Mercury Black.
Tsukon turned around with a smile on his face.
"If it isn't the guy who saved my and others' lives."
"Y…Yeah, how are you doing? Everything, okay?" Emerald who illumed herself as Mercury, to Tsukon replied, now, she needs to get insight on what actually occurred.
"I just wanted to thank you again, you held me and those White Fang hostages as well, I thank you for that, from the depths of my heart. You being a human did something for us, for me. Thank you."
"Yeah…no problem, just making sure you are okay, I was just visiting this place, see you around yeah?"
"Yeah, sure…by the way, you have a very reliable semblance, Mercury."
Emerald stopped in her tracks. Semblance? Did-did this guy figured out, Emerald's semblance?
"What about it?"
"I mean, I have seen the same type of semblance that you have but damn, you were good at using it."
"Yeah…Thanks…"
"Don't mention it, see you around."
Sigh.
Emerald hastens the distance and hid in an alleyway.
…This, what should she make of this.
Mercury Black is a traitor.
It…it all made so much sense. In a way Mercury was never bad, he collectively made sure that the opponents don't die, rather he knocks them out. Until it was highly required, he used the force to kill.
It was an impressive feat, it had to be after all he is an assassin.
Emerald would be transparent with herself, she…did not have what it takes to deal the final blow. Maybe in some other time, she would have caused chaos, but now, the only ones she had killed were members of White Fang and bandits, simply because it was self-defense.
However, there were three instances.
The first one, was when a group of Faunus noticed the killings of White Fang, from what Emerald could tell they didn't want to be there. They were just caught up. Cinder asked both Mercury and Emerald to get rid of them, with no witnesses.
Emerald didn't know she could do it or not, there were children with them, killing an adult would be a different thing, she could do it- however, children on the other hand? She no matter how hard she tried, she just cannot.
That's where Mercury came in, he said he would do it. From that point onward, no one saw that but Emerald maintained a bit of distance between her and him. It was just so dangerous and sad…and agonizing for her to realize that children died because of something that wasn't even their fault.
The second one was her boss, Cinder's fault. A small traveling group witnessed Amber's condition that the trio did. It was once again on Mercury and Emerald to eliminate the group. Once again Emerald was oscillating in her thoughts, these people did not deserve this, they were just at the wrong place and at the wrong time.
Once again, it was Mercury who took it upon himself to do it.
The third and final one was the attack on Tsukon.
However, with her conversation with Tsukon, it would appear that Mercury did not kill anyone, any innocent.
However, that puts Mercury in a hypocritical position, if he was helping the innocent, then why attack Amber? Amber was innocent. The plan went-
A memory flashed in Emerald's mind.
Amber was begging for her life.
Cinder looked at Mercury who was holding on to Amber's scroll, asked him-
"What are you doing?"
"I'm destroying this."
The scroll was crushed in Mercury's arms. However, even for a second, there was something that Emerald caught on to.
Something that she did not question.
Mercury, that time Cinder could have had the full power of Fall Maiden. She did not. Because Mercury must have done something with the scroll, perhaps sent the distress call that called upon or exposed Amber's location to Qrow Branwen. That…that was it! That should be, or else, Cinder should have taken the power, but she failed she was sabotaged.
Wait…sabotaged?
Cinder's master plan for the Fall of Beacon.
It was weird. She knew it when something was amiss. Just a few minutes before when it was time for Cinder to sneak into the CCT tower, Mercury left for the washroom, which was plausible given how much he was drinking.
However, something caught Emerald's eye which she chose to ignore. While exiting, it was quick but Mercury stole one of the students' scroll, at that time she didn't think much of it.
She should have connected the dots.
A minute later, Ozpin, Glynda Goodwitch, General James Ironwood, and Specialist Winter Schnee along with Qrow Branwen, just left. She did not saw beyond that point.
When Cinder left to plant the virus, for her nefarious plant to succeed, she made sure no one would follow her, she wanted a smooth execution of her plan. However, her boss failed. The CCT tower had Ozpin, Glynda Goodwitch, General James Ironwood, and Specialist Winter Schnee, of course, Qrow Branwen as well.
Her boss, Cinder Fall failed.
She failed to attain the maiden's powers, she failed to complete the task at Beacon.
It occurred because their partner was a traitor.
However, if that was the case, why didn't Mercury sell them. Why is he working with Cinder?
She has to uncover this.
Emerald was now standing near the hotel, their staying place. Damn, the place was beautiful, much better than the ones in Vale for sure.
"There you are, wonder where you had been, lost in this beautiful city perhaps?"
Nikola Watt's voice ruined it for her. No matter what, Emerald just could not put a finger on it that why she hated this man. There was absolutely no reason to yet, she felt compelled to.
Something about this man was just wrong.
Whatever.
"No, I was just looking for information as I was ordered to."
"That is good, someone here is good at listening after all. Now, tell me, did you find anything useful?"
"I don't think so. Whatever I have, I am sure you would have that information by now, am I wrong?"
Nikola gave a mirthless chuckle.
"If only Cinder operated with brains such as you. Truly a mind of a thief or should I say, a detective?"
Emerald stiffens at that, which did not go unnoticed by Nikola who pressed on to that.
"Now, Emerald Sustrai, that's a good name. If that is your name, I knew about your parents, I am still not sure as to why you decided to join, but I won't pry, unless it would cause disruption in my mistress's plans…however-"
The implications were not lost on Emerald.
"Before I forget, I should have given this to your partner, but I forgot. Here-"
Nikola hands over a package, a dress? The same kind that Mercury used to wear, but something was different about it.
"This- this is not just an outfit, is it?" Emerald asked,
"Indeed, so, you have a good eye too, huh. No, it is not, it's lightweight, protects against abrasion, and is enormously heat-resistant and made it reinforced tripolymer."
"I-isn't that something generally used by firefighters or people who are excavating depths of the earth where heat is high?"
"What do you know, the little thief has some science knowledge, good. What you said was correct, if you would remember your boss's failure against Adam Taurus, led to Mr. Black's loss of his prosthetic legs. I had to make new ones, and he asked for this suit. I do not know why, probably he would be adding thrusters or flame throwers in his legs. Whatever."
Nikola started walking off. Mercury said he never had a semblance. The only thing she knew that his father took away his semblance and cut off his legs, in return, Mercury killed off his father.
Nikola was about to walk off before he asks-
"Before I depart, I question, Miss Sustrai."
"Yes?"
"You wouldn't happen to know what happened at Beacon, that led to your failure, did you?"
Emerald, was now once again at a crossroads.
"No, I did no, all I know that Cinder returned and told me that the plan has failed."
"I see, well. Thank you for that."
Emerald turned back, staring at Nikola's retreating figure. Why did she lie? She could have told him about what was going on. Yet, she did not. Why did she defend Mercury?
If she does not sort this out, her mind would stop functioning. She was walking in a think line of crossroads. Cinder or Mercury?
Who was correct? Who exactly was she helping? Was she aiding Cinder in her ruthless destructive path? Or Mercury who made him appear as the bad guy but is the person who has been sabotaging Cinder?
Who?
Who to trust?
Emerald Sustrai is a thief. A being of lies and deception. Following her boss, Cinder would be the most correct option, after knowing who Cinder takes orders from, it should be clear. It should, shouldn't it?
So why does her heart say it's Mercury?
A/N:-
Okay, so this is going to be a bit long, but I need you guys to bear with me a little bit.
So, first, I rewatched all of RWBY, till Volume 8, I needed to make sure was I missing something or not? What do you know…I indeed missed a key point in volume 2. Due to which, my publication was delayed, I had to delete my old notes and make new ones.
The main reason I wanted to write a fanfiction where Beacon does not fall, because let's get real guys. Most of the time Beacon always falls, Pyrrha dies, or just Beacon Falls…I wanted to do something different.
I wanted the characters to have more depths as such many roles were changed and many roles were added, if you guys think anything would be cannon?
You are WRONG. Nothing, would be like cannon.
The next thing being addressed is, the fanfiction has just started, I see reviews expecting instant OP, but to me, that just feels cheap power up for the sake of power up. Earing it is more endearing; the journey is more endearing. That what would make the characters memorable.
So, if you want to judge, judge…but all I ask, give them time to develop, I am sure all of the characters would amaze you all.
Now, you heard Arjuna criticizing the idea of Harem, that's what I want, I want a logical harem as I told before, as such, everything would be challenged.
The conversation between Dove and Fox, what it meant to be hunters, I think it was never properly solidified in RWBY, as such, I need to do that. A realization that, Grimm are not the only ones that the heroes need to hunt.
Okay, you the second part, this is actually a bit of lore-
Ozpin and Theodore were young when this happens, not even in their teens. Ozma's soul when hosted in a body, would always change the location of the relics, because Salem herself kept attacking. This happen one day when, teen Ozpin (with Ozma's soul) and Theodore came across a man in his forties. His name was [Redacted], he was the first man who faced Salem, the Immortal Grimm Queen head on. He also became the first human to bring Salem to her knees and force her to retreat, even though the latter was immortal. The man [Redacted] still lives to this day, due to which, Salem does not actively attack. As such, era of peace is maintained.
The next lore,
After the election was declared Ironwood arrived back at the base, where the current Winter Maiden was about to lose her life, she was walking on a fine line. Specialist Schnee was still in Beacon; this would cause troubles. The old woman, the Winter Maiden could not be saved…in her passing, the last person she looked for was Penny, as she was the one taking care of Freya. Making Penny, the next Winter Maiden.
The last one,
Cardin has a back story with Faunus. A person does not change instantly, however, due to Jaune's actions he was realized that how wrong he was.