Here's chapter 59, everyone.
Glynda walked over, arms crossed behind her back. "You four did very well, but remember that your auras have taken some damage from this encounter." She eyed Yang specifically. "Miss Xiao Long. The use of earth dust was a clever move, but the aura you must have lost from your reckless attack is not something you should repeat."
Yang grumbled a bit. "I know that, but I'm still good on aura."
"Maybe so, but don't just become reckless on each encounter you come across, or else your aura will shatter, leaving you a liability on the field." Glynda countered.
Blake spoke up, coming to Yang's defense. "She only used the amount of aura she had because of me. Yang saved me, so if there's anyone to hold responsible there, it's me."
The blonde brawler was taken aback, smiling a bit, while Glynda shrugged. "Placing blame is not what I'm here to do, Miss Belladonna. You must all be sure to not exhaust your aura so early on in a mission."
Instead of whining about, the team simply nodded and continued on with the mission. Weiss was still a bit upset about the blood on Yang, the Strom's blood. "I can't let this distract me." The white wolf sniffed out any scent she can some across again, trying to find any more Grimm in the area.
Ruby held Crescent Rose tight, making sure to keep her partner covered while she was tracking any Grimm down. "Ms. Goodwitch, are we being graded on this?"
"Evaluated is the better term, Miss Rose. So don't think that just killing Grimm is how you'll show me you can handle being huntresses." Glynda remarked.
The rose girl nodded, not wanting to fail the life she was aiming for. "Got it." She thought about her studies, how boring they were, but also how helpful they could be. So when she glanced at the sea, she took a second to examine it. "Hang on, guys."
As she said that, the team stopped and looked over at the ocean, seeing ripples in the water. Before any of them could react, out from the water popped out an Okean. Glynda stepped back, letting the team handle it.
The Okean was a giant black toad like creature. Its eyed blood red, and when it slammed down on the beach, the sand under it was flooded with water that appeared from its body.
"Looks like fire is definitely a no go here." Yang stated the obvious, swapping over to lightning dust for Ember Celica. "Here's hoping it goes down easy with lightning."
Just as she shot out a shell of lightning, another Okean jumped out of the water, using an aqua blast to meet the lightning shell halfway, saving the other Okean from being damaged. Yang grit her teeth at that, while Glynda examined the team, waiting on how they'd respond.
Willow sighed, looking out the cabin window. "Why are you sulking when you could be training?" Raven asked, startling the white haired woman. "Still getting startled, huh? Thought you'd be used to this by now."
"I-I'm just worried about Weiss. She's on her first mission at the moment." Willow explained.
"You already heard your daughter before. She doesn't want you worrying over her so damn much. Besides, she's a huntress in training, meaning that kid is even more capable than you." Raven smirked, trying to rile Willow up.
It didn't work, as Willow simply nodded in response. "I know she is. Weiss has never shown me any reason to think she can't handle something like this, but I'm still her mother and I worry no matter what."
Raven crossed her arms, rolling her eyes at her words. "And that's what annoys her, idiot." Willow glared at her from the insult. "I'm not wrong. Now drop it. We still have work to do." Before Raven continued, she examined Willow's new outfit for a moment. "Hmm, didn't say it when you showed up today, but not bad on the gear you finally picked out."
She was wearing white knee high combat boots with red straps, while her long sleeve closed white coat, with blue lining was tied around the waist with a belt. Under the coat was a simple red v-shaped shirt, white buttons and at the base of the neckline was a blue broach she had put on inspired by her eldest daughter, Winter. While her pants were covered up by the coat, Willow was wearing white pants, with a red belt, while her family's snowflake design was on the back of her coat, since while Jacques may have owned the company, she knew what her family's true life was.
Willow conceded and got up from the chair. She walked over to the door with Raven and stepped out, both keeping pace with Willow's aura training. "What are we working on today?"
"Same as we normally do. Before you use your semblance, show me you can call forth your aura. I need to see if this month and a half hasn't gone to waste." Raven explained as she waited on Willow.
The white haired woman took a breath, nodding to her trainer as she focused on her aura. It didn't take nearly as long as before, ever since she's had so much time with training it. The light blue aura surrounded her, the calming feeling settling in as it slowly disappeared, showing Raven she had control of it.
"Not bad, but remember that aura isn't just something you call upon in time. It should be there the moment you need it." Raven reminded, showing the moment she focused on her aura, it flickered all over her body instantly.
"And I shouldn't waste so much of it on my semblance, I know." Willow said, expressing how much she's learned from the raven haired huntress. "I've been able to use up to five glyphs so far."
"Is that right?" Raven began to pull her blade out, causing Willow's eyes to go wide. "Don't worry. I'm not about to strike you. Way too early for that."
Willow watched as Raven planted her blade in the snow. "Then why unsheath it?"
Raven walked over, keeping her blade where it was. "Just in case, I'd rather keep it there for hand to hand. No sense in having a weapon on me."
"Hand to hand? But-." Willow gasped when Raven went in to punch her, but she instinctively held her hand out, a glyph blocking the fist, and getting Raven to smirk at her. "W-What was that for?!"
"Your reflexes are getting better. Good." Raven said, not letting up as she went in for another swing, so Willow countered with another glyph. Since she expected her to stop again when it was blocked, she didn't expected the raven haired huntress to sweep her legs, causing her to fall on the snow. "Not fast enough."
Willow groaned as she sat up in the snow, looking up at Raven with an annoyed look on her face. "You didn't tell me about hand to hand training…"
"Shouldn't have to. It's pretty basic, and besides, I wouldn't have gotten a good read on how well your reflexes are." Raven explained, helping the woman up.
"Ugh, well I just used two glyphs, so don't expect more than three now." Willow said, stretching a bit after being knocked down, but when she noticed the unamused look on Raven's face, she blushed a bit. "W-What?"
"Idiot. I don't expect you to only use your semblance in hand to hand. You'll drain all of your aura with that, and then what'll you have to defend yourself? Nothing." Raven stated.
Willow looked away for a moment, thinking about the day she stood up to her husband. Raven was right, if she had used too many glyphs, she'd be defenseless. "Y-You're right. I'm sorry."
Raven rolled her eyes. "No sense in saying sorry to me." She walked back over to her blade, confusing Willow. "Now unless you actually want to continue, say it."
"I do, yes." Willow said, watching the raven haired woman standing by her weapon, only for a moment as she quickly grabbed it and threw it right at the white haired woman, who gasped in shock. Luckily for her, Raven threw it to her side, distracting her as she ran in and punched her in the gut, knocking the air out of Willow, who stumbled back, but kept herself standing.
"Rule one, don't get distracted in a fight." Raven ran in for another punch, but Willow quickly crossed her arms, blocking the continued blows she received, only for Raven to smirk. "Rule two, don't drop your guard. Good job." As she was about to sweep her feet again, Willow used a glyph under her to quickly jump back. "Huh, didn't know you could use it like that yet."
Willow panted a bit, clenching her fists as she raised them up. "I've practiced a bit at home when you couldn't make it out here, so I learned some tricks on my own too."
"At least I know now you're not slacking off in that manor of yours, but that makes three glyphs used now. Two more and your aura is done." Raven used that to her advantage and charged at the woman, but when Willow tried to go for a punch of her own, it was too easy for Raven to dodge, only for her to go for a punch to the face.
Before her fist could meet its mark, Willow brought her right arm up to cover her face, blocking Raven's punch, but it took a bit of her aura down. "I-I felt that… My aura. Okay, I can't use two glyphs now…"
Knowing that, Willow used her left hand to grab Raven's arm, surprising the raven haired huntress. "A grapple, huh?" Raven responded by punching Willow with her other fist, the white haired woman taking it as her aura would keep her from getting too hurt.
Willow bit her lip, as she did her best to keep her hold on Raven's other arm. She knew if she used two glyphs, she was done, so she made the last one count by surrounding Raven's arm with a black glyph, propelling her away as she let go of her arm.
Raven gasped as she was sent flying into the cabin wall, making Willow freeze up since she didn't expect her to get flung over that hard. "R-Raven!" She ran over, but almost fell when she realized how fatigued she was.
"Wow, shit… Not bad." Raven praised as she wiped off the snow from her outfit, showing Willow that she was just fine, surprising her a bit. "What? Did you think a shove like that would hurt? Sheesh, haven't I taught you enough about aura?"
Willow blushed in embarrassment, but the fatigue was getting to her as she fell on her knees, panting some more for breath. "S-Shut up, I didn't expect that was all."
Raven walked over, kneeling in front of her. "Then what was your plan if not that?"
"To push you away a bit and try to hit you after… I don't know." Willow sighed, feeling Raven lifting her onto her feet.
"A decent move for buying time, but not to win. You would've lost much easier because you lost more aura, but still, I'm impressed." Raven commented, walking the woman back into the cabin. "Sit."
Willow walked over to the bed, sitting softly down on it as she rubbed her own arm a bit. "Can you really blame me for not being able to know how to respond so easily? You never even told me we'd be working on hand to hand practice."
"It's a bit obvious that you should." Raven stated, throwing her a bottle of water, which Willow quickly caught. "Weapons are an extension of ourselves… I learned that years ago from Summer, so if we lose that extension, what do we have left?"
"Ourselves…" Willow answered instantly, knowing of Summer's words. "I understand, Raven… I just… I think more and more about when I have to defend myself, and-."
"And it's getting worse at home, right? I'm not an idiot." Raven said, earning a sigh from the white haired woman. "Slamming you against a wall like that, I can see why you feel you have to keep yourself in practice, which is why hand to hand will serve you well."
Willow nodded, agreeing with the woman, but it didn't make it any less saddening. To learn how to fight to protect herself from her own husband. "Would… Telling my children any of this be wrong?"
Raven shrugged. "It's not my business, Willow. You need to make that decision on your own."
"I'm looking for opinions, Raven…" Willow trailed off.
"And I don't have any on the matter. Your kids are yours, not mine. So if you feel like telling them what their dear old man is making you do, then go ahead. If not, then don't and keep up the charade." Raven said, earning a surprised look from Willow, but instead of being upset, she seemed happy with how she said that.
"I see. Thank you, Raven." Willow let out a small smile, taking a drink from the water bottle. "I suppose some rest will do me good for now." She laid on her side, looking at the time on the clock in the cabin. "I assume the usual hour will do?"
Raven nodded, taking her leave, but before she walked outside, she glanced over her shoulder. "I'll be waiting." She stepped out and sighed, thinking about the mission she was still needed for.
"Finding time to train her isn't getting easier."
After pulling up her scroll, Raven sent a message to her brother. The message was simple enough, asking if he had any leads on the Relentless yet. Summer was with him at the time, so instead of getting a message from Qrow, she was receiving a call from Summer.
"Uh, hey…" Summer spoke when Raven answered the call.
"What's wrong?" Raven asked, hearing the somber tone Summer was using.
Summer sighed, swapping over to the video call as she positioned her scroll to show the body that Qrow was examining. "Still nothing… And you know I don't like this, Raven."
"He's already dead, okay. That woman," She avoided using Lazuria's name in case Willow heard her. "Was the one that dealt with him, so relax. And what do you mean, still nothing? She led us to that body a few days ago. How hasn't anything been found on him?"
"I don't know, Raven. Still, Qrow is trying his best right now." Summer defended.
Hearing how she sounded, Raven sighed. "Look, if this isn't something you're up for, then switch with me. You train Willow, and I'll focus on the mission."
"N-No, Willow wouldn't advance as well as she has if she trained with me, and I can handle this. I just… I just hate defiling the dead. It just feels wrong." Summer remarked, but before Raven could say anything, she cut in again. "But I get we have to… To save her from this nightmare."
"Good. I was worried you were losing what made you a huntress in the first place." Raven said in a serious tone.
"Being a huntress is more than killing monsters and doing things we aren't comfortable with, Raven." Summer reminded.
"Not what I meant." Raven responded. "I'm talking about your drive to help people. It's always kept you going before, so don't lose it now, especially when it's something this important."
She didn't respond for a moment. Raven was about to say something, but Summer beat her to it. "I won't lose that… Thanks, Raven."
I'm sorry if Willow's combat outfit seems hard to picture. I'm terrible at describing clothes, and honestly if I could, I'd redo the look in a way that is more visualizing for everyone, but I didn't wanna delay the chapter.
To JJ- Weiss' thoughts on the blood she tasted on the Strom during initiation is something she still can't get over, but you'll see how I deal with that. And yeah, Yang is a character I don't want to mess up on. Also don't forget, this is a real mission, so Alphas showing up can and will happen.
To GoldElite245- There are definitely hints to it, and while early on it could go either way, well… We'll see. I'm not gonna make empty promises till I know it's a definite thing.
I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 59. Remember, reviews are welcomed, but not required. See you all in chapter 60.