Chapter 41
The sounds of crashing waves gave way to a strange calm. The wooden ship creaked as it adjusted to the sudden change. Sailors rushed back and forth, working to guide the boat into the calm waters of the Shallow Sea.
A dozen children let out sounds of awe as the boat pulled into the docks. They were welcomed with smiling faces. A massive man with an exposed furry chest bellowed out a cheerful greeting.
Soon each child was given a home, some had family already here or they travelled with them, while others didn't have any left. Those were taken to families who would care for them.
One young boy, scarred from his days in the Schnee mines, was welcomed into the home of the chieftain. There he met a girl who would change his life.
A girl he would protest alongside.
A girl who would fight at his side.
A girl who would support him.
A girl who he would manipulate.
A girl who welcomed the violence.
A girl he abandoned.
A girl who maimed his partner.
The fires continued to rise around him. His clothes were soaked in blood, just as his hands were slaked in it. The girl he loved watched on as his world crumbled again.
He stared down at his bloodstained hands. They shook as he realised.
He was responsible.
Adam sighed as he awoke. Another fitful night of sleep, and another dream to accompany it. A twisted memory of his arrival on Menagerie, a dream that led to Blake once again.
It always leads to her. He sighed again and prepared himself for the day. The slow rocking of the floor beneath him reminded him of where they were and perhaps why he had dreamed of his first time in Menagerie. First night on the boat and I'm already having dreams of it. Huzzah.
Thankfully he had a room to himself, for the first time in a year. SSSN had taken other rooms and there weren't that many people heading to Menagerie these days. Or ever really.
Adam pulled on his new attire, more form-fitting and utilitarian than his previous outfit. Of course, he still wanted to show off some style, hence the folded cloth at his waist. The extra pockets would help him hold all of his gear as well.
It hadn't been much of a choice though. He wasn't exactly going to return wearing his bloodstained equipment, and the journey could be dangerous so his casual clothes weren't ideal either. He sighed and poked at his scar. It hadn't much air during his time at Beacon. He'd needed to wear his blindfold almost everywhere. But having a private cabin, no matter how small and cramped, afforded him the luxury.
I should thank Neptune again for getting us all on here, especially the private cabins. I never knew being the son of a lawyer would let you afford such. Well, maybe I should thank his mother for giving him money. Adam smiled and pulled his blindfold back on. No point sitting in his room all day.
The smell of saltwater greeted him as he exited onto the deck. It had been a while since he'd travelled by boat, and longer still since he'd allowed himself to enjoy it. Adam leant against the railing and looked out over the great blue ocean.
A content smile took his lips as he stood there watching it drift by. He rubbed his hands together as he thought back. A couple months had passed since Beacon had fallen. It had taken a while to find a boat heading to Menagerie but they had managed to. He wondered how the others were doing.
He wondered if Yang had forgiven him yet.
I doubt it. She's always been stubborn. Should I even be forgiven anyway? I am abandoning her, just like I did Blake and the White Fang. Just like her mom. He sighed again.
"You've been doing that a lot," Sun said as he leaned in next to Adam with a smile plastered in his face. "Deep thoughts?"
"Something like that," Adam replied.
"Well don't let them take up too much time okay? Unless they're about how you want to talk to these people. Who are they again?"
"Ghira Belladonna, the chieftain of Menagerie and former leader of the White Fang, and his wife Kali."
"Right right. Because they can help you deal with your ex, who is also their daughter, right?"
"Yes."
"Whew boy, they are gonna have a field day seeing you huh?"
Adam grit his teeth. "Yes. I doubt it'll be a happy reunion. In fact, I'd count on them wanting to throw me off the island."
"Ouch. What'd you do to deserve that?"
Adam scoffed. "Aside from turning their daughter into a murderous psychopath and helping throw them out of the peaceful organisation they created so it could be turned into a terrorist group?"
"Good point." Sun winced. "How are you planning to convince them then?"
Adam hummed. "Not really a plan. I'll do whatever it takes to prove how regretful I am." He shrugged. "It's not going to be easy, but I'm not expecting anything. I only hope they'll agree to help. I don't care about getting their forgiveness."
"You don't care, or don't think you deserve it?" Sun sighed and turned so his back faced the ocean. Adam remained silent, rubbing his hands awkwardly. "I can't blame you for thinking that way, ya know? If I were you I'd probably be the same. Just don't let it stop you, alright?"
"Stop me?" Adam quirked a brow upwards.
"Yeah. People who think they don't deserve something will try to refuse stuff like gifts right? That can be deadly in the desert. You gotta do whatever you can to survive and sometimes believing you aren't worthy of help will kill you." Sun shrugged. "So yeah, don't die because of it."
"I won't. I have a team to get back to after this."
Sun smirked. "Good! Now I'm gonna go get some of the food! It's actually really tasty!" The blonde said before he bounced off down the deck.
Adam sighed. This was going to be an interesting trip to be sure.
Her room felt cold and inhospitable, especially compared to her room at Beacon. Perhaps it was the bedding, or perhaps it was the lack of roommates, the lack of life. Probably the latter.
Weiss sighed. She hadn't been gone for long but everything felt different, she had changed so much in such a short amount of time. Nothing had changed here, however. And the servants had already realized it. Before she had treated them like servants, now she treated them more like the people they were.
Seeing them smile whenever she thanked them was almost worth returning. Almost.
Walking the sterile white walls brought memories flooding back. She could remember all the tutors and lessons. She could remember the test her father made her complete just so she could go to Beacon. She could remember the pain as the Arma Gigas had nearly taken her eye. An imperfect fight. He barely allowed her to go.
She shook her head. There was no point reminiscing on such things.
Soon she came to a larger room. Various instruments sat around the stark white room. Thankfully she was alone, no audience to watch her practice. I'll need a new song. Playing the old set without anything new would annoy Father.
She sighed again. It wasn't hard to see through his plan. Hold a charity event to pretend to care but really use it to network with others. He didn't care about Vale or Beacon, just how the tragedy could advance his own agenda. Even being there and seeing the destruction was only a way for him to garner sympathy.
Maybe I can do something. Something that would annoy him without giving him a chance to call me out on it. Why don't I use this new song against him?
Weiss could almost laugh. He wants to control me again? Well, I won't let him. This life is mine, not his!
Weiss sat down in one of the many seats, pulled out a notebook and started to write. She would entertain all of them, while telling her Father that she was free of him.
"-and in other news, efforts to retake Beacon Academy have slowed considerably after Acting-Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch transferred many Huntsmen in training to foreign academies. Without their support, the time it takes to cull the Grimm has dramatically increased. Many have begun to question the decision, citing the need to retake Beacon and secure Vale as being of much greater importance than the need for students to finish their studies. We have a special quest today to give us a much-needed perspective, Professor Bartholomew Oobleck. Professor, how do you feel about this outcry?" Lisa Lavender asked.
Oobleck pushed his glasses further up his nose. "First of all, it's Doctor Oobleck. I didn't earn that PhD for nothing you know! And second of all, it's preposterous. Our duty as teachers is to our students first. We need Beacon, yes, but the students are not fully trained, sending them to retake the school will only lead to unnecessary casualties, Vale is secure for now and soon fully-fledged huntsmen will be free to assist us in the effort."
"So what about-"
The TV clicked off. Yang stared at the empty spot the hologram had sat. Beacon this, Beacon that. Every day they talked and talked and talked. They went on and on and on. It was still infested with Grimm and would be for a long long time.
Why go on and on about it? We all know it's not going to be done anytime soon. Isn't there anything else to cover? She hoped they'd find something else.
Fire. The cafeteria. Broken and burning. A single slash, red and black consuming all. Pain.
Yang shook herself free of the vision and sighed. She stood and walked outside, taking the path down to the mailbox. It was empty, however, so she trekked back to the house. It only took a minute or two out of her day, hardly a good time waster.
What am I going to do?
There was no simple answer. Everything she could do felt… boring. It all lacked any lustre it might have once had.
Yang sat back on the couch and stared at the wall.
Life was just… dull.
"Aaaargghh!" Cinder screamed in pain, watching in horror as a new arm grew in place of her old one. It was inhuman, barely trying to appear like a human arm. The bones were there and some of the muscle, but there was no skin. Just a strange black tissue.
Finally, the clawed hand formed and the pain subsided. Cinder panted, all she could do with her voice still so broken. She hadn't even thought she could scream before today.
Salem smiled. "Good. It's acclimated quite well. You shall need to train to control it of course but this is quite the upgrade."
"Hnnn." Cinder gasped, trying to say anything. Salem shook her head.
"Now now. Rest. There is no need to push yourself just yet. You haven't even started training. The others shall arrive in a few days, make sure to be ready for them my dear." The ancient Queen smiled as she spoke and stood, practically floating over the cold stone and out the door.
Emerald and Mercury walked in after the Queen had left. Emerald rushed over to her, a worried look on her face. "Cinder! Are you okay?"
Cinder let out an annoyed gasp in response. Emerald seemed to understand, or was pretending to at least. Mercury made no attempt. He simply leaned against the wall next to the door, still covered in his own bandages.
Cinder ignored him. He wasn't going to try anything. He wasn't that foolish. She allowed Emerald to assist her. For now.
Once I've recovered my strength I shall hunt down that damned Rose girl! How dare she do this to me! Nikos and the Schnee will be next.
And once she was done with them? Well, they did have families. It would be her pleasure to show them what a mistake it had been to stand between Cinder Fall and her Destiny!
A/N: A check-in for most of the cast, rather than anything big. Trying not to recover anything that is just canon, which is why I didn't show RNJR. The RNJR storyline, in general, won't show up much for Volume 4. Not much change for them or Weiss, at least for now. The other two main arcs have much larger changes.
I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you next time!