Hey guys, sorry for not posting in so long. I've had some rather unfortunate things happen in my life and I needed some time to get my head on straight. For a while, I was in a real funk.
The ending of volume 6 didn't help much. I'm not saying it was the cause, it just tacked on to it.
Admittedly, the volume started really well but just went into a tailspin.
I honestly considered just posting a summary of the plot and letting the fic end. What actually got me going again was you guys. A few of you PM'ed me asking if I was okay. It may not seem like much, but it really is the small things that can have the biggest impact. Before anyone freaks out, I will still be continuing the fic. So, don't worry.
Before continuing, I just wanted to thank you guys for all of your support. So please enjoy.
Chapter 18: Unexpected Turns
The Schnee family heiress slowly woke. Her circadian rhythm had been tuned to wake up before her teammates on most days. Especially a particular teammate with an affinity for whistles. One day Ruby, one day I will destroy that whistle.
I might just use Crescent Rose to do so. She mentally giggled her nefarious plan as she took a moment to take in the revitalizing smell emanating from her pillow; mint.
A trick she had learned from Klein, her family butler and the closest thing she had to a father figure. A few simple sprits of mint on her pillow and she always slept peacefully and woke refreshed. Something her teammates initially mocked her for, but all eventually adopted.
She could only smile to herself remembering when Ruby tried to emulate her by trying to put cookies in her pillow. It was lumpy and unpleasant, nor could she get them to continue their fresh baked smell.
Not to mention she kept eating them…even in her sleep, as strange as that may seem only to wake and wonder who ate them. According to Yang, her family had to use a cylindrical safe, complete with a turn-style lock, to prevent Ruby from sleep eating her favorite treat.
If it had been anyone else, she would have thought it impossible. Yet for Ruby…it was completely reasonable.
The younger huntress almost hit the ceiling jumping for joy when she had been kind of enough to give her a bottle of fragrance that produced the desired smell.
While it was truly heartwarming, to the point she was almost taken aback by her leader's praise and admiration, it was more for her own good.
No one, rich or…not so rich, likes to wake up to a trail of ants on their bed.
Yang chose her pillow's scent to be strawberries. Something typical of her big sister status. As it happens, while being famous as a cookie devouring fiend, Ruby's favorite food is, surprisingly, strawberries. Something the sisters have in common. She could understand that completely. She adapted her preference for mint from Winter.
Lastly, Blake had chosen an ocean scent for her pillow. She said it reminded her of Menagerie where she grew up. Such things as missing one's home were somewhat of a foreign concept to the snowy heiress. Blake insisted it was a good thing to remember her home, even if it was in such a trivial way.
For all their uncivilized, and sometimes manic, behavior, her team, team RWBY, were always themselves. No one forcibly groomed them to act silly and obsess over weapons, flirt with cute boys while flaunting their…assets, or read smut in the middle of the day. They just…they just did what they wanted. There was no restraint or formality to how they interacted with others, it was just them.
That, she supposed, was what separated her from her team. No, more that it was what attracted her to her team.
Weiss felt a warm smile creep along her face ever so slightly. She looked at Blake turning on her side for the hundredth time as she could hear Ruby stirring above her murmuring about cookies. What was probably the most fascinating part was how Blake and herself had learned so quickly tolerate Yang's snoring. The brawler sounded like an Ursa with a head cold in a saw mill.
Ruby said she was used to it. Given that they grew up together she guesses that made sense.
At least sense enough for them.
Even still she couldn't feel anything but warmth towards her teammates. Beyond her crush on the Bumble Bee duo and admitted respect for their leader, she felt like they were family. What family was supposed to feel like.
Something she scarcely felt towards anyone except Winter and Klein in she could not recall.
Then there were still her feelings for Blake and Yang. She could only shake her head at what the tabloids, or more specifically her father, would say. If anything, that just made her want them more.
Yet…
there she was, again, wanting what should didn't have…what she couldn't have.
Hoping that someone would just give it to her.
She knew that wasn't possible. She, the eternal coward, would have to try to do it herself. But would ultimately shy away too intimidated to truly break the mold her father had poured her into.
Her bad habit was still present. A reminder of her life as the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. Where any trivial thing would simply be handed to her after merely asking. However, when it came to anything resembling the warmth she felt for her team, they were always unobtainable.
Once upon a time, the name Schnee meant something honorable and noble. Now…now it was only a chain on her freedom…and her heart.
It was a title she cherished, remembering her grandfather's stories of how he founded the company. The tales of the sweat of people's brow as they united for a single goal. It was what drove her to excel, to be worthy of such a name.
Now… now it was a title she wished she could wash her hands off.
But was too afraid to.
Yet again, she was speaking of honor and duty, but never having the courage to do anything. She had hated herself for her weakness that left her hollow and bitter unable to be who she wanted to be. Always pretending to be perfect while keeping her true essence locked away so that she wouldn't be anything other than the run-of-the-mill, cookie-cutter, Atleasian heiress. Incasing herself in a frozen demeanor, preserved to be perfect in terms of appearance, but never truly alive.
It wasn't until her team…her family, that her prison began to melt, and she was able to breath fresh air again.
It brought just a little bit of warmth to her face, she was too afraid to admit she loved two of her teammates romantically, but…maybe, just maybe, if someone asked if she loved them like family, she would say yes. Just maybe.
Still, at the same time it was different. It wasn't like with Klein or even Winter. It was a feeling she couldn't quite describe, it was- FWEET! Ruby's whistle sound rattling the three members of team RWBY from their beds. "GOOD MORING TEAM RWBY!" She cheered.
Oh, now Weiss could describe it; a desire to use Ruby's own gun-scythe to toss her and her whistle out the window! Weiss snarled as she got herself off the ground.
/-/
Ozpin tapped on his keyboard, he instantly regretted his decision to take over some of Glynda's duties while she was with her young charge.
How in the gods' names did that woman not kill me yet? He wondered looking at the sheer volume of forms he needed to fill out. There were forms for venders, forms for maintenance, forms for accountings, hell he wouldn't be surprised if a child sneezed there was a form for it.
Then there were the reports on the end of his desk. For the last month, he had been getting Vale's more covert huntsmen teams investigating the White Fang and their affiliates.
Sadly, there was nothing. Literally nothing. Organized crime in the City and to an extent the kingdom of Vale had ground to a halt. There wasn't even so much as a jaywalking ticket.
All of which coincided with Roman Torchwick's arrest. Roman may have been the crime kingpin, but this goes beyond that. Someone had somehow managed to take command of the entire criminal underground. Even extremist groups like the White Fang were laying low.
Groups like the Hand of Humanity who broke this silence seemed to be left in the cold and fed to the wolves. In this case, he was referring to the fact several members of the Vale branch were only just recently found either dead in their own homes or found that their locations were not so mysteriously leaked to the police.
Executing those that won't follow orders. He surmised. A simple but effective strategy. One to insure loyalty.
For those members who were captured, they remained silent. A look of fear was present in most of the interrogations according to the police chief. Not to his surprise, unfortunately. This enemy was not only cunning but brutal in their efficiency. Given their reach, it would not surprise him that his adversary had ways to silence anyone who talks, whether in prison or through the judiciary system.
What was more concerning was what happened while everyone was looking at the White Fang, The Hand, and Roman. He sighed as he moved the reports in front of him.
Of course, he would be interested in the Dust robberies. Dust was a necessity of life for civilian and huntsmen alike. Thus, easy to sale and always in high demand. However, not even a single speck had re-entered the market.
If the Mountain Glenn incident was of any proof, they were going to use the Dust to attack Vale. Though more concerning was that the amount of Dust used on the train, and even that which was used for to detonate sections of the tunnel along with what was probably used for daily necessities did not even account for a third of that stolen. There was still so much more out there. Enough to takeout an entire section of Vale…or to arm an army.
By some strange bit of luck, however, Mountain Glenn helped make things clearer. He had recalled that roughly six months ago the City of Vale's City Hall's Historical Wing was broken into. Nothing was stolen and with no leads the case went cold. However, Ozpin remembered that there was a blue print from what would have been Mountain Glen's subway system connecting it to Vale in its vault. He also remembered that archived there was the original plans for Beacon Academy when it was an emergency bunker during the great war.
Thankfully, that diagram was inaccurate even then, and they had since remodeled multiple times. He breathed a sigh of relief that his foresight all those years ago was not in vein. Just one of the, probably billions of, little countermeasures his paranoid mind conjured whenever he remembered the terror Salem has inflicted.
Even still, it made their target clear. And given the old wizard the idea to look at other thefts besides Dust in that time frame.
Unfortunately, that meant combing through over six months of reports. While the bulk was either Dust-related or petty items such as a car, an antique lamp, or for some reason a bullet proof costume bear head- sometimes he truly wondered why he even bothered- there was something that stuck out to him. Roughly four months ago, there was a string of robberies for heavy-duty animal cages.
Assuming it wasn't Peter, sometimes he wasn't sure the man was in his right mind, it meant they were planning to capture Grimm for some purpose. This coincided with a number of reports he had received from the last few weeks from huntsmen assigned to exterminate large pockets of Grimm only to find less than the reported amount.
Originally it was chalked up to abnormal Grimm migrations and the positive atmosphere of Vale driving them off- at least that's what the council tried to sell the people. In truth, they weren't really sure. Negativity certainly attracts the beasts, but the inverse does not repel them. It just does not attract them.
But why make huntsmen's jobs easier. Wouldn't it be better if the huntsmen were busy felling Grimm as opposed to being in Vale?
Most likely as a way to draw attention or reinforce their main attack.
But where? Vale was too big to simply spread its huntsmen to cover all major points. They would be spread far too thin and even trained huntsmen can be overwhelmed if attacked from multiple fronts at once. If the White Fang would be accompanying the Grimm it would not end well. As untrained as the Vale branch had proven, they still had numbers. Sometimes that is all that is needed.
That wasn't even counting the number of illegal weapons they potentially had in their possession. The key word being 'potentially'. Roman Torchwick was a skilled thief and smuggler, having gained access to decommissioned Paladins and transporting them to Vale without anyone even noticing. If Oobleck's reports were any indication, he had armed them with enough Atleasian weapons to qualify as a full-blown army. If not for their more reckless attempts, all caught in the act, following Roman's incarceration, who knows what might have happened. Their supposed pride (radicalism) as the superior blinded them, making them overconfident and ultimately bloody demise.
Their fanatical rage may have made them more simple minded, but if channeled properly that could be a serious threat.
He rubbed his eyes trying to keep them from closing for good. yesterday had been restless for him. He needed to refocus his efforts.
His plan was initial to distract Glynda's ire while trying to get William to continue to bond with his lieutenant. She needs the time off to relax- gods know that woman rarely did- and William could use the bonding experience. It also gave him a moment to…discuss things with James and the council. James Ironwood had crossed the line.
This was getting ridiculous.
Even the Atleasian general had admitted his mistake. A sight rarer than getting Glynda to smile and laugh. As much as he appreciated the effort, but maybe Qrow shouldn't have spiked her tea. Glynda was a rare instance of a happy and incredibly violent drunk. It would be safe to say that neither of them could see a riding crop as anything other than an object to be feared.
Speaking of drunks. James' apology could have done without Qrow spitting his flask's content over the back of his head in surprise- what was the Branwen tribe's obsession with mixing whisky and cola?
Regardless, James was not wrong. Perhaps just too focused on potential harm to see potential good.
One of his more overbearing traits.
He had spent nearly four hours trying to convince the council to amend their decision to back Ironwood, at least when it came to William. His support as Beacon's headmaster was still waning, but with the most recent incident damaging a dorm that three of the council members had paid to renovate only last year definitely gave his claim the credence. Coupled with Ironwood's men failing to properly screen the security guard who let the Hand of Humanity charge into Beacon, getting nowhere in locating where in his organization had Roman Torchwick secured not one, but multiple, Atlesian Paladins and the fact that his own methods for dealing with William have proven more fruitful, gave him more to work with when propositioning the council.
As much as he missed the power of a king, there was something to be said of the political elites' desire to save face. At least when it worked in his favor. With elections not too far off, voters would rather not have the anymore unwanted surprises. Less their positions dangle by an even thinner thread.
While James had showed less…passion about his approach than before, he still believed that he could contain William. He brought up the possibility of more permanent containment and ever increased security.
Ozpin did not find joy in doing this, even now James still wished only to protect others. But they were wasting too much time and resources trying to "contain" William. Each time only undoing any good that had come of their efforts and attempting to place a wedge between them. Usually causing property damage, injury, and a certain level of destruction. Not to mention the negativity that no doubt affected the young man himself. It was time and resources that could be spent on finding their true enemy.
So he argued about potential fear his actions might produce. People were unsure about William as it was. While he has proven more benign, for the most part. The Hand of Humanity had done its job in planting the seed of doubt. Increasing security around him, given how charged his existence already was, would only exacerbate the situation. The resulting exacerbation would undoubtably attract Grimm, which would draw on their forces even further.
It hurt him to do this to such a loyal man. It really did.
But he did not have a choice and the council ultimately agreed, begrudgingly as the man of late had become known for, that William's supervision would shift to solely that of Beacon Academy. William would still need a chaperon, but he could go into the city or at least the mall in the CCT now. Something he was sure he was missing.
He also had a feeling Glynda would not mind having another mother-son outing.
This also meant he could define how William was being supervised.
Despite how it may seem condescending and just plain insulting to ask the general for help after so thoroughly discrediting the man. The general still acknowledged that dividing their forces unnecessarily only played into their enemy's hand. And they would need every advantage they could get. Especially if his latest plan succeeded.
Getting him to agree had been daunting, but not impossible. It did require him to agree that if William did ever turn against them that Ironwood would be absconded of any penalty for subduing him-even if it meant termination. He knew it would never be so simple, but nonetheless, he agreed.
While as the headmaster of Beacon Ozpin abhorred the potential of military force against a student, he still relented. It was a good idea to invest in William becoming an ally of humanity, but there was still the possibility of the opposite occurring. He could not be allowed to fall into the witch's hands. The potential for harm was too great.
Something he and the general agreed on. He even offered to relent on William, so as to not pressure the situation.
Perhaps this was progress.
Perhaps, when this body gives out, he wouldn't have to make Glynda burden all the most inner of inner workings by herself. The thought was hopeful, if not a little too presumptuous.
Speaking of burdens. There was one more he still needed to place upon another. Glynda had been opposed to the idea, but with recent White Fang activity, her consent may be irrelevant.
Still, he would need to time this right. Taking out his scroll he quickly typed up a message and sent it to his target.
"After the doubles rounds have concluded for today, come by my office. Do NOT tell anyone about this. Including your team. It is of the utmost importance."
He did not wish this, but with his other leads not panning out what choice did he have. Tai Yang was doing his best, but there was little progress. No matter how much he despised it, he must endanger more young souls. He must replenish the pieces on his board to counter Salem's growing forces. Even if it meant by deception.
Sacrificing a few to save the majority. A phrase he has had to tell himself too many times for too long. But it always seemed to be true.
…or had he just been saying it for too long…
/-/
Doctor Plum observed the three monitors before him as data streamed before him. The concept of a semblance was always indeterminate within the scientific community. Aura, souls, even what are humans have always been considered taboo by many. To a degree, he subscribed to this belief.
To a degree.
He could understand how some feared the possibility of someone trying to create or destroy a soul with such knowledge- not sure which of the two would be more of a disaster. Yet Richard Plum still found himself drawn to the topic of semblances.
It could probably be expected given he worked at a Huntsmen Academy and regularly researched ways for the students to gain even the slightest of a hair's width of an edge over the Grimm. Granted that was usually through researching the Grimm themselves, but he digressed.
The concept of a semblance has never truly been defined. Sure, it's a manifestation of one's aura and by extension their soul- not exactly the most scientific explanation in the world.
While most semblances had their own governing rules like needed to receive damage to activate or receiving an electric discharge- not sure if the two could count as the same thing in that instance- but for the most part semblances could only be learned through haphazard trial and error or by pure happenstance under the best circumstances. Again, not exactly scientific in approach.
Even if no two souls are the same, they are still souls. Would that not imply there was some type of underlying baseline or core structure that all semblance stem from; to at least some degree? There had to be more to it.
So many huntsmen never discover their semblance, and in all likelihood so many lost their lives because they had one less weapon at their disposal. This though weighed heavily on him as he moved his curse to enlarge a section of the data flowing before him.
For all his passion and vigor as a man of science, he was still a man; a human. Every day for over twenty years he had seen countless students all bright-eyed and full of warmth enter only to leave with hardened icy expressions. At least the ones that managed to leave when their time at Beacon had concluded.
It felt so unlike him to be this melancholic, especially with the data before him. He was examining a semblance that integrated itself within one of the most basic functions of biology- and could be his backdoor into the world of the soul. Yet it still weighed on him for some reason.
"Doc…" What was it that had him so down anyway, "Doc, Remnant to doc…" Had his age just finally caught up with him and he was lamenting his past short comings?
Or was it something more?
Could it have related to-"Richard!" a female voice shouted.
"HUH?!" the man popped out of his seat at an upright stance. He looked around to see his superior Glynda Goodwitch sitting next to William Beorthwulf eating some leftover Grimm scraps from a preservation jar. His shirt removed, and sensors were taped to his stomach.
That's right he was studying the young man's ability to absorb Grimm.
"I know when you called me at breakfast, that I'd like to get this over with quickly, but if you're too tired, I can come back." The young man offered showing a look of concern on his face before continuing to take another large bit of a Beowulf claw.
Originally, Ozpin had only asked him to merely repeat some of his previous tests….but this would help get to the core issue they wished to understand. How William integrated Grimm into his biology so effectively.
…and admittedly he was running out of room for the Grimm specimens William provided on his second to the last trip to the Emerald Forest.
More importantly had he read his negative emotions? No, no he couldn't have. From what the young man had said it himself; his current range was less than four feet. Due to the setup of the lab his desk was at least fifteen feet from the young man. Unless…
"Did eating those Grimm parts extend your range to sense emotions that much?"
"No, you were just making a really weird face and you weren't responding to us. Are you sure you're okay?"
The man looked to his superior nodding her head in agreement as his face gained a little color. "Oh, um, just lost in thought." He waved off. "You'll find that the longer you live, the more that tends to happen." He chuckled.
"Oh…ooookayy." He responded somewhat incredulity before a long pause.
"…so", William tried to start the conversation again, "What does the data show?"
"Hmmm", the man placed his hand on his chin, stroking it, "That is a bit hard to say at the moment. While we can measure aura levels, Grimm levels are completely new territory." He said looking at the three monitors showing concentrations of aura moving from the mouth down and through the digestive track, ending after the stomach and repeating with each time William bit off or chewed a piece of Grimm. Once reaching the stomach his aura would radiate and dissipate throughout his entire body before repeating.
"I can safely say that your semblance, based on the increased aura reading, operates along what we had already known; regarding the digestive process, but does not convert it into waste."
"I could have told you that." William replied casually as he opened another jar with the severed tail of a juvenile Deathstalker in it. "What about the ultrasound?"
The doctor shifted his head towards the left most monitor, "That is probably where your semblance helps integrate non-organic material into your body. Anything that isn't normally edible, upon entering your stomach causes the PH level to rise to the point it can disintegrate bone and hair, as well as substances as dense as titanium, almost instantly; while simultaneously protecting the lining of your stomach from any damage." He said smiling. "It's rather amazing. Perhaps your semblance allows for such a high level of absorption and integration that you do not even produce waste when using your semblance."
Looking up from his monitors the doctor noticed William's discomfort, "Are you okay?"
His expression shifted from what looked like discomfort to unsure and back, "Yeah…well no…Hey doc, can we not talk about, um, waste."
He ventured a guess for the reason, "Because you are eating right now?"
"No, well yes- that's part of it-, but it is more that after everyone asking me if I poop that I kind of don't want to talk about that stuff too much."
"…I see. I'll try to keep the topic of excrement to a minimum if I can."
"Thank you, doc."
Shifting in his seat the doctor looked at the note he had written to himself, laying on his desk, blending into the disorganized mess. "By the way William,", "yes doc?", "have you ever tried to manifest something you had used your semblance to consume after you have eaten it?"
William looked puzzled, "um, yes? I do that all the time."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I should have chosen my words better.", the doctor apologized, "What I meant was have you ever manifested something sometime after you have consumed it. You know; hours, days, weeks, etc."
It was then both Ms. Goodwitch and the doctor noticed a visible twitch in the young man. Which he almost instantly corrected. Did he just read Glynda's emotions?
"No,…well yes. Yes and no. I have done it…but I didn't know I did it. A few times I've manifested things like tree bark or stone but couldn't remember having eaten it beforehand. I honestly thought I had just forgot." The black haired faunus waved off.
"I see. Well if you don't mind, do you think we could do some test?"
The young man looked displeased by this idea. Was he smiling too much again? He wondered sometimes as the young man's guardian had once pointed out that even she felt his fervor for study was a little unnerving. "Don't feel up to it?"
"Its not that, its just I want to meet my team for breakfast and wish them luck in the tournament." His words came out seemingly a little forced. It was clear the young man wanted to leave, but didn't out right say it. No matter, he still had all of his data.
"Oh, I see." He bellowed, "The tournament is still going on. Please forgive me, I was so lost in research I thought it was still a day off. The entire team must me excited for the second day of the singles round." He laughed off, trying his best to imitate Port.
William felt himself and his guardian both flinch, "Um, actually doc, it is the doubles round today."
The doctor stopped his chuckle. "Really?" he asked eyes surprisingly big as he turned to Glynda.
"Really." She responded.
"I see", he paused for a few moments, "You two can go, I think I'll just review some documents and take a quick nap." Sadly, he only lied about the nap part.
/-/
Making their way to the cafeteria. The two meet up with teams RWBY and JNPR…along with Winter. William wasn't sure what was worse: the mental death gaze his guardian and the specialist were giving each other, complete with mental images of them beating the other- in more ways than one- or the icy glares Winter was passing him in between.
The Were-Grimm remembered feeling anger from the woman after Ozpin reprimanded the group. Combined with Winter watching the general she "Respected" getting admonished and that basically made you one of Winter Schnee's enemies for life, apparently.
It was at this point William realized that maybe Weiss was the warm and welcoming member of the family. Even before he met her.
/-/
Sitting down across from the blonde leader of team JNPR as he flinched from his mere presence, William knew he had to do something before all else. "Jaune, I'm sorry about before."
"Oh…um, that's okay. Huh." He paused, judging by his emotions he was probably expecting William to knocking him through a wall or something to that effect. "It's okay. I guess you got hit pretty hard with those negative emotion…things."
"You could say that." The wolf faunus accepted, smiling when he didn't sense any lingering hostilities. In all honesty, Jaune was pretty much the only guy friend he really had. Ren, was okay, but he was too quiet, internally and externally, to really know. Not to mention the liquified green death he is always drinking.
Were they sure Ren was human?
"I'll be the first to admit, I'm happy for you two", he smiled again seeing the couple holding hands, blushing when their eyes met one another's. "That's why I should probably warn you to not be left alone."
That got the red off of his face and caused Jaune to turn a little pale. He probably already had an idea of what he meant. "You don't mean…?"
Pyrrha's crazy fanboys, was what most of the table were thinking.
William cleared his throat, "Aside from her parents", the Mistral champion straightened up in an instant at the statement wondering how he knew, "I can detect at least four of Pyrrha's fanboys and two of her fangirls." He held up the representing fingers in succession as he ate his pancakes. He could sense Winter mentally hacking at the volume of food on his plate.
Given how the general and even she runs her soldiers into the ground, one would expect her to be used to people needing to eat half their weight in food to survive.
"You don't think any of them would willingly harm Jaune?" Phyrrha tried to play off despite her eyes practically screaming for him to be kidding. That was all William needed to see so many very disturbed, if not terrifying, fan interactions. They honestly made a pack of crazed Grimm look inviting by comparison.
At least you can kill Grimm.
"Unfortunately, I do.", his eyes moved slowly to his right drawing that side of the table to a blue and black-haired young man with a matching color schemed jacket. The same young man also seemed to overt his gaze almost instantly. William lowered his voice so no one beyond the table could hear as he leaned closer to the blonde, "Let's just say they are thinking of some really horrible things- strangely all involving a weapon being shoved into a very unpleasant place."
"Gee thanks William", Jaune gulped and grimaced at the end. The guy could already imagine more than a few horrible things they could/would do to him. Strangely enough, he wasn't far off.
Poor guy.
The young faunus gave him a sympathetic look, "They anything worth doing is never easy, so I guess that applies to dating." He tried to boost his spirits, "And I can tell you believe Pyrrha is worth it."
The blonde perked up, a little at least, rediscovering the warm and firm, but still delicate hand wrapping around his as he turned to meet her gaze. "Yeah, she is." He smiled in a goofy, but warm kind of way before meeting her lips for a chaste kiss.
This earned a few 'aaws' from those at the table before Nora materialized just between the causing the couple to separate with an "Ahh?!"
"You don't have to worry Jauney, with me, Rinny, and Pyrrha here", she beamed, again somehow materializing behind the spartan point to her from either side, "No one is gonna lay a finger on you." The hammer wielder grinned. "If they try anything, we can just break their legs." She smiled a strangely innocent smile with a double thumbs up.
Everyone else was still unsure if she was serious or not. Based on their emotions the table was roughly split fifty-fifty.
"Just don't break her heart, or we'll break your…everything." Nora playfully added with her tone somber and dark at the end.
Oddly enough Jaune, perhaps simply used to it, just smiled. "Thank you Nora. And I won't." He said as he held Pyrrha's hand, "I made her wait too long as it is, I could never do anything to make her sad like that again." The arc knight puffed up his chest only to get a mix of snickers and 'awws' at what was probably one of his corniest lines yet. Even Pyrrha was tittering through her hand covering her mouth.
It was in that moment that William sensed something new from Weiss. She was longing to tell her loves her secret. But a scene kept playing over and over in the back of her mind.
/-/
Weiss couldn't have been more than eight or nine. Her father was forcing her to shower in freezing cold water and he cranked it up to max pressure insuring she felt the chill "No representative of the Schnee Dust Company will take in any part of such debauchery." He cried as lowered the shower pressure to only return it to full blast.
"The Sirens disowned their eldest for such deviancy, do you want me to do the same for you?" he threatened repeating his use of the pressure nozzle. "Do you want to shame the Schnee name?"
"No Father! I don't!", Weiss sobbed uncontrollably, "I promise I won't do it ever again!" She cried curled up as her head rested between her knees and the feel position.
"Good, and don't ever let me hear of this again." He straightened his expensive suit, obviously angry that it was now wet. "Because if I do, I'll only have one daughter."
/-/
William could only smolder his rage at the images passing before his eyes. Had Winter known about this? If so, why didn't she stop it?
If that was his sibling he would have done everything he could to protect her….why was he thinking about having a sibling? Did he want a sibling?
Never mind.
He had to take a deep breath or else risk transforming. Before coming to Beacon, he transformed as his mood dictated. However, given that turning into a Beowulf in public usually got him shot, he had since begun learning to preemptively stop his transformations. If he did say so himself, he was actually starting to get good at it.
Wanting to shift to a more pleasant topic would probably be best for everyone. "So…", he began trying to think up a topic, "What is everyone's plans for the doubles round?" he asked. Honestly, it was the only thing he could think of. Not that it was a bad topic per say.
The mood almost instantly exploded. There were a few teams everyone had their eyes on: Teams SSSN, STNE (stone), and TOXK (toxic) from Haven, Teams PNNY (Penny) and SABR (Saber) from Atlas, Teams OCEN (ocean) and SKKY (sky) from Shade. Not discounting Beacon's own teams RWBY and JNPR.
Apparently, it was rare for so many first-year teams to participate- according to Winter eight of the thirty-two teams were all first years. It may not seem like a lot, but previous years scarcely saw one or two first-year teams. So eight was actually significant. William recalled that Ms. Goodwitch told him that participants in the Vytal Festival were all teams that distinguished themselves.
He could understand teams RWBY and JNPR. They were skilled, and they had racked up some good accomplishments…typically by being magnets for trouble.
What he couldn't quite get was what about the other teams. What about them?
Sun had once bragged about how he, Blake, Ruby, and Penny had fought Roman Torchwick at the docks, but that didn't really matter in terms of merit towards the tournament as he had already come to Vale to participate in the tournament. Same for Penny.
While he had no problem seeing Sun as the type to get into trouble- and then have to get out of trouble- Penny didn't strike him as the type. Maybe it was because of those weird wires she used.
When they had fought, he had to strain to see them. He still had no idea how she controlled them so well though.
Returning to the conversation, coincidently on said topic, Weiss was working under the theory that it was either some form of control/manipulation-type semblance or cybernetic enhancement. Which apparently were not uncommon for some huntsmen from Atlas.
Though Winter trying to hide an all knowing smile said there was more to it than that.
At least it got her mind off of things for a little bit. But the Were-Grimm could tell it wouldn't be that easy. She was fighting an instinct that had been ground into her and her sister's precedence only brought it out of the back of her mind and into the front of her thoughts. Her years of having to smile and wave gave her a near perfect poker face, but William could tell the pressure would reach a breaking point sooner or…well probably, definitely sooner. He needed to act on this one.
/-/
As the four groups left to go their separate ways, William was able to whisper a few select words of encouragement to Weiss who was participating and some very loud cheers to teams RWBY and JNPR.
The group, minus the Were-Grimm, were unaware of the eight eyes watching their movements. He knew this scent well by now, an unspoken signal that only the two involved were aware of. Something, if not for the situation, would consider it a lover's secret between them. Trying not to smirk while thinking about it as he thanked whatever god or gods made him a wolf faunus.
Though William had to wonder where Neo found a perfume that smelled like bubble gum - probably having something to do with the amount of ice cream she eats making her skin smell naturally sweet. He could confirm.
Nonetheless, this was not the time. though improvised, Neo's choice in perfume was her way of signaling him: I'm not fighting today. This meant that she would be away from Beacon most of the day doing recon for her mysterious boss.
/-/
As William and Ms. Goodwitch made their way to her office, his thoughts soon turned to last night. Last night had been something. Neo had kept her end of the bargain. That isn't to say that he agreed with her plans. He wasn't exactly happy with the idea of being arrested…again…again.
However, she was up to compromises so long as she got what she wanted. A trait he was beginning to grow fonder and fonder of. If only because what she wanted was him…and ice cream, but mostly him. Or if he read her emotions right, potentially him covered in ice cream.
Then again, he would much prefer the reverse…NO, focus.
What he had been able to learn was that Neo's boss has infiltrated Beacon. Neo was doing everything in her power to keep him and her boss from meeting. In her mind, that meant something akin to an untimely demise at best.
While Neo wasn't exactly clear on the matter, it seems that her teammates were involved. At least that was what he could sense. He didn't have a lot of interaction with Mercury and Emerald and even less of Cinder. But there was no way they didn't know about his abilities.
Hell, he had actually told them about his strengths and weaknesses. Not to mention, teams RWBY and JNPR probably mentioned something in conversation. They did mention that Emerald and Ruby got to know each other in the weapons workshop.
They all seemed strong. He knew from firsthand experience that Mercury could kick like Yang could punch, if not more, and it would probably be safe to say that Emerald was at least on the same level. Though it seemed like she was more into mid and long-range combat from what he saw.
However, in all honesty, it seemed like Cinder might be on the weaker end of the team's skills. She seemed capable in hand-to-hand, but he wasn't sure, she just seemed lacking. With the exceptions of those physically weaker like Ruby or grossly inexperienced like Jaune, most could probably take her with only moderate difficulty. From the rewatching their first-round match, it looked like her role in the team was strategy, and assistance. She barely fought.
If anything, it seemed like Mercury and Neo could handle her in direct combat with relative ease. So that rules out Cinder as the boss.
So, who could control four people like that?
Then again, Neo's boss may only be threatening her. He didn't think it would be that hard to find people willing to go along for the right price. What little he could get from team suggested none of them had a very pleasant upbringing- not that he was one to talk. He also knew Emerald, Mercury, and especially Neo had to do some less than noble things just to survive. Which means whoever was pulling the strings was someone connected enough to sneak literal criminals into a huntsmen academy and someone dangerous enough to the point they couldn't run or fight.
It had to be someone pretty high up the food chain to set this up. It just had to be.
What else did Neo mention…their records. She mentioned she got into Haven with fake transcripts. I wonder if Jaune might know something?
Considering his lack of resources…that actually might be a good place to start.
"William we've arrived." His guardian waved her hand in front of him to wake him from his stupor. "Are you okay?"
"Um, yes. Just trying to figure out Doctor Plum."
She chuckled, "When you do, please tell me as well."
Opening the door to her office. "I thought you might like to cheer your team on from my office. My desktop's screen isn't as big as the one in the lounge, but I can guarantee that its less crowded."
/-/
Something William didn't noticed at first, but now came to understand that the four kingdom's huntsmen were rather different. Vacuo huntsmen, for example, used simpler weapons with very few transformation functions. The most complex actually only just having a Dust infused function. Their fighting style was wilder than the others, often incorporating sporadic strikes and feints to have keep their opponents off balanced. There appeared to be little in the way of planned strategy, all seeming to be improvised on the spot. They could improvise when things got bad and apparently were no strangers to having to use debris and other things as weapons when they were disarmed, but against more methodical and well-planned tactics they seemed to fall apart.
Contrasting Vacuo was Atlas. Their weapons were incredibly advanced and complex, striking a good blend of power and performance. Often utilizing Dust to a great degree, not surprising given Atlas' technological expertise and access to the Schnee Dust Company. However, their tactics seemed predictable, polished, but it was almost like they were going by a hand book- given their headmaster, they just might be. While well-rehearsed, it seemed that they relied a little too heavily on standard tactics making them less flexible than the other students. When their strategy fell apart, so did they.
The students of Haven from Mistral were more adept in martial arts and aura manipulation. Their weapons were there to support them and not the other way around. While not as complex as the Atlas Academy students, they were still more versatile than Shade Academy's. from what Ms. Goodwitch had told him, it was common place for Mistral's huntsmen to regularly participate in tournaments not dissimilar to the Vytal Festival. Given what he had seen from the teams so far and his time with Pyrrha, he could well believe it. Did that mean they were more suited for fighting criminals than Grimm though? Then again, they also seemed only to show effectiveness in direct combat. Indirect combat like ambushes and traps seemed to throw them off their game in an earlier match.
Lastly, Vale's huntsmen seemed to strike a better blend of the three. Technologically speaking they were about even with Mistral; if just maybe a little ahead of them. Seeming to stress a more versatile approach as opposed to an all-encompassing singular fighting method. Though a few still did. Their reliance of Dust was little outside of what could be considered moderate. Mainly just Dust infused ammunition. Tactics-wise, they were the most fluid of the four kingdoms; more planed out than Vacuo, but far less rigid or formal than Atlas or Mistral.
The first few matches of the day were rather lack luster, Penny and Pyrrha all but one-shot their opponents. While Nora did assist Pyrrha with a student from Haven, who William could have sworn was some type of shaved Ursa in a suit of armor, Penny stole the show by single handedly driving Russell and Sky into hiding behind boulders to avoid her attacks only to use her blades and wires to lift and drop said boulders with them still clinging to them. Neither one of them managed to even damage her or her partner's aura.
If it wasn't for the events of the past, William might have actually felt sorry for them. Instead he almost died of asphyxiation from laughing so hard. He almost died, but it was still funny.
/-/
As the deputy headmistress of Beacon patted her ward on the back while he caught his breath, she felt herself automatically lecturing him-despite her slight smirk at the members of team CRDL's humiliating defeat. One of her habits from daily practice. She supposed.
Despite the lecture, she enjoyed when William was laughing. It never occurred to her at first, but ever since the night, he had visited her home she had come to see a lot of his mother in him. Both hot headed and stubborn at times, both gluttons for food and punishment a like, and both knew exactly how to make her worry. He had her smile and her eyes. Those same eyes his mother would widen into the all-encompassing orbs that could out cute the most adorable of puppies to goat her into giving Dawn whatever she wanted.
Sadly, if William, with his faunus ears and kind smile, tried that on her she may very well let him get away with murder. The deputy headmistress had to end the thought as she felt her cheeks redden ever so slightly.
However, that wasn't to say he was Dawn's carbon copy. William was more composed than his mother, when he wanted to be, and Dawn was rarely ever as quick for retribution- something she would have to break him off later. Yesterday made that clear. They were running out of excuses. He means well, but he can't be so impulsive.
William also had a passion for learning that his mother had sorely lacked in their schooling days. She may not have known his father, but she was certain her ward's mind did not come from Dawn. As mean as that may sound.
She watched him cheer as his assigned teammates entered the arena. Their opponents looked to be a somewhat bubbly and brightly colored cat faunus paired with slick dressed young man holding what looked like a trumpet of all things.
Sometimes she wasn't sure if she should be impressed by how inventive the younger generation could be when it came to weapon design or just shake her head in embarrassment at how absurd their ideas were sometimes. Granted some had said similar about her weapon…before being gently levitated off of a cliff.
Still the two seemed to have done their research. The look on Weiss Schnee's face revealed they had struck at her family's empire. Likely making her feel remorse about some past misdeed of her father.
Her partner, Yang Xaio Long, wasn't as easily depressed, so they went with a much shorter path; anger. Despite her laidback demeanor, Yang Xaio Long was easily one of the top students within the first-year class. Coming in second only to Pyrrha Nikos herself- much to the girl's displeasure. However, that was what made her so vulnerable to this type of tactic. She had yet to truly face a situation in which she could not simply force her way through. Based on her transcripts and recorded bouts from Signal, this theory was all but written in stone. It was shaping up to be a true team RWBY debacle as the brawler's eyes turned a telling shade of scarlet, when the unexpected happened.
The usually calm Schnee started to lash out at the faunus taunting her teammate. It caught even the brawler off guard. Whom, in turn, defended her teammate. Their opponents tried to press it but were interrupted by the buzzard.
When the match was signaled to begin the Atleasian pair were obvious about their tactics- divide and conquer. Despite her teammate's best efforts, Yang was still taunted into following the orange haired girl.
Weiss was a capable huntress, but her formal training did not always work in her favor as she tended to have trouble adapting to unexpected situations and direct contest of force. Both things the young man with his cloning semblance proved he had in spades as he took advantage of the terrain and used the surprising force of his trumpet to defend and attack simultaneously.
On the other side, they had chosen correctly in pairing the powerful and hot-headed Yang with a quick and evasive opponent. Letting her punch air while she loses herself to her anger from the taunts as the cat faunus chips away at her aura bit by bit.
They had clearly done their homework and devised an effective strategy. One she was sure would have worked on the old team RWBY. However, the young fencer surprised her again, disengaging the young man, despite his shouts about all Schnees being cowards, and dashing over to her partner.
Neon Katt's roller skates may give her improved mobility under normal circumstanced, however Weiss turned that advantage against her. A spin of her dust rapier released a wave of ice Dust, freezing the street of the metropolis section of the arena robing her of any stopping power and delivering her straight into her blonde teammate's fist.
Even while sliding uncontrollably the orange haired faunus tried to get a swing of her nun chucks in only to miss. Yang wasted no time capitalizing the proximity and her adversary's inability to escape. The flurry of punches causing her to careen into a nearby wall.
Before the freezerburn pair could begin to lay into Neon, Flynt came to her rescue, blasting the two backwards from the force of his trumpet while simultaneous shattering the ice on the road. Weiss and Yang landed safely enough before Neon came darting forward with a speed boost from Flynt.
This allowed her to get in several clean and rapid hits from her weapon. Even managing to freeze Yang's arm only for Weiss to melt it as Neon circled back around to get into position. It was clear the two realized divide and conquer would not work at the moment and intended to join forces to take the down or drive them apart. Either way they were dictating the flow of the battle now.
Neon's enhanced speed would have made defending difficult, so the pair simply separated ignoring her for laying down suppressive fire on her sharp dressed partner. Initially Flynt defended himself astoundingly by splitting into four copies of himself, each with a different shading tone- which is apparently called his "Killer Quartet". Neither Dust blast nor bullets seemed able to pierce that wall of sound, but was ultimately rebound back at their source chipping away at the girl's auras.
Setting up for a second rush, Yang jumped onto a nearby roof and began laying down suppressing fire keeping the two from lining up for the shot. This also allowed them to somewhat limit their movements as Flynt had to step in front of Neon to protect her.
Weiss' plan to capitalize on his divided attention was solid as she had positioned her in their blind spot thanks to Yang's distraction and the dust her barrage had brushed up. She launched several shards of ice towards them.
As it turns out, Flynt couldn't direct his clones in two different directions. One clone deflected the shards while three more collapsed the building Yang was on top of.
Perhaps due to his issues with the SDC he chose instead to focus on Weiss instead of Yang, who was completely trapped under rubble from the shoulders down. pushing her back he ordered Neon to focus on her.
The skater came around for a pincer attack delivering several blows against the heiress. Though not as effective given Weiss could counter the variable Dust attributes of her weapon with her own. But the impact still took its toll on her aura dropping it down to just above sixty percent.
Weiss was on her last legs, between Flynt's barrage of sound and nearby debris and Neon's rapid hit and run strikes in between; she was left kneeling using her rapier to support her.
"This is for my pops." Flynt took a deep breath only for Neon to shout "Look out!"
The young man did not catch the meaning until Yang, having just freed herself.
Neon, distracted by her partner struggling against the brawler changed course to help him, she probably knew a two on one fight would not end well for her.
She avoided another icy finish from Weiss by grinding along a nearby railing before scooping up Flynt in an effort to regroup.
Her efforts were in vain as she crashed into a wall of stone that erupted from seemingly nowhere. Having gained some air in his lungs, Flynt tried to raise his trumpet only for a black color sigil to bind it in place, not allowing him to lift it.
He could only look-up to see Weiss smirk before Yang came charging in her coruscant hair ablaze like the sun as her eyes burned a fierce red. Her charged punch sent him bursting through the air, the wall Weiss conjured, and two adjacent buildings.
At this point Yang had received more than enough damage, her power was at full charge.
Neon ran to her teammate after picking herself off the ground, Yang moving in fast to intercept. The brawler's fist collided with Neon's lightning Dust activated nun chuck with a wave of fire and lightning spirting in every direction before it was the flames that took hold, shattering the weapon. Yang's fist not even slowing met with the roller blader's cheek, not so much punching her as blasting her through the wall behind her depleting her aura.
For all it was worth, even when it was two on one, Flynt tried his hardest; activating his semblance he unleashed four blasts from his trumpets now that Yang and Weiss were both in his firing range. Yang managed to hold strong, but Weiss was thrown back into the volcano field.
If not for Yang rushing to save him, the fencer would have been detonated with an eruption of lava.
Weiss quickly repaid the favor by erecting a wall of ice to cancel the lava being redirected by the turmpeter's blast.
As the wall of incredibly thick ice melted away, revealing the duo, Flynt Coal stood ready to fight. In their current field, he knew he had the advantage.
The two responded; Yang taking the lead while Weiss supported her from a far. The two divided his attention as he was forced to keep Yang away as Weiss fired Dust of every variety at him.
As the battle came to ahead it came down to a battle of Flynt's trumpet air force against Yang's tenacity and it becomes clear that he is fighting a loosing battle. He may have been doing some damage by pressuring her aura, but for every push it made her strong enough to inch closer and closer to him. Knowing what was to come, Flynt released an extra burst forcing her back before dispelling his semblance to flee.
Or at least he tried. He noticed too late that Weiss had left him a little present in the form of some very cold feet. The young man tried to break himself free with his trumpet, managing to free one of his legs, before Yang Xiao Long once again came barring down on him.
Raising his weapon, he blew into it for all his worth… but nothing. He looked up seeing Yang's hands clasping the bell of his weapon.
The fear in his eyes said it all as his weapon ruptured blasting back in his face.
The buzzard signaled the end of the match.
/-/
William cheered as his teammates came out victorious. They did not have much in the way of a plan, as opposed to their opponents, but managed to pull it together in the end.
Perhaps it was another good sign that Weiss whispered something to Yang after they took their courtesy bow. It was faint, but William was certain he caught a slight change of color in her features.
Ms. Goodwitch's scroll suddenly buzzed. Upon opening it, she let a smile creep ever so quietly across her features. "William?" his guardian asked.
"Yes?"
"How would you like to have dinner at my home again tonight?"
The young man was understandably puzzled. "What about the general? And not being allowed off campus?" the last thing he wanted was to give Neo's plan a head start.
It was then she gave him a knowing smile and told him all the details. Smiling even more when he gave a loud "wohoo".
"Oh", he stopped himself. "I have one thing I need to do first."
/-/
Looking up from his paperwork Ozpin was alerted the elevator ding as the doors opened.
The dark haired faunus walked into the office. The elderly professor could see the confusion and concern in their eyes as he stood up from his desk to greet them. "I know you must be concerned about circumstances that I would reach out to you."
The student seemed hesitant, ears practically broadcasting it as the flattened, "A little…professor." Taking a moment to put the words in order, "Does…does this have anything to do with my…past?"
The elderly man gave a comforting smile to easy the anxiety in the room as best he could, "Unfortunately.", he paused. "I need you to help me execute a covert operation- I can assure you that you will be surveyed by at least two teams of train huntsmen and will be in no danger. I give you my word."
"I see…will I be able to bring my team?"
Ozpin's eyes lowered briefly, "Not entirely I'm afraid not. You will be working in a two-man team. Any larger and it will not yield the desired effect."
"Do you believe it will make a difference?"
Again, he paused placing his hand on his chin, stroking an imaginary beard. Though, unlike most, he continued the gesture to what was about the middle of his chest. Even stranger was the motion seemed almost…authentic.
Did he ever have a beard that long at one point? The young student wondered.
"It may very well save us all." He answered. His voice was as though he was trying to reassure himself more than anyone else.
"Okay, I'll do it."
"Thank you, Blake."
Surprise~! You were expecting William, but it was me Blake! (Jojo reference) The photo, the plan, it was actually Blake. What does Ozpin have in mind for the young faunus? Well like always, stay tuned to find out.
As some of you already know, I haven't really been responding well to how RWBY has been going since Monty's untimely passing. I had hope when volume 3 concluded because it left a massive impact, but it just slowly fizzled when the main team was divided. Now that they are back together, I thought things would go back to the way they were.
Yeah, I know that would require resurrecting Monty. Unless there are some necromancers reading this, then please if you can do something about that you will have my eternal gratitude. But I digress.
Like I said, volume 6 started off surprisingly promising. The new character, Maria, was actually colorful, in appearance and personality; something I had honestly missed with all the bland colored individuals as of late. Seriously, before we had so many colorful characters, internally and externally, now we have one of the blandest color pallets I've ever seen. Even the main girls' primary colors are not even their main colors anymore.
We got to see more sides to Ozpin. They now know his secrets and the set up for that was really nice.
The Apathy Grimm and the ranch was rather well done. It honestly felt genuinely well done and managed to get my heart beating again. Not because it was some kingdom destroying super beast, but because it attacked your will to go on to the point you just die on your own. Now that is a monster worthy of forcing humanity to seclude themselves off in walled in cities.
The meeting with "the red-headed woman" was kind of touching and kind of gave some closure. It was honestly nice to see something about Pyrrha again.
However, after that, that's about when the plane started pointing downward.
Oscar still doesn't get any character growth that doesn't feel forced. Seriously, we don't even get to see him deal with the fact he may not even be himself anymore. Or even showing him deciding to embark on the journey because a man in his head tells him to. That kind of thing takes some serious resolve to do.
I don't think I even need to explain the train wreck of the last three episodes. Or the wasted potential of Adam. Though I will admit I loved how they used Monty's old animation for the fight scene. I really did miss that. The main thing that attracted people so much to RWBY was how the fighting styles of the characters spoke volumes.
If you read this far, I'm sorry it sounds like a rant, but I just had to get it off my chest. I don't know if RWBY will ever be something close to its former glory again. I see bits and pieces…usually enough to get my hopes up before dashing them. But miracles can still happen.
Regardless, I still plan to continue to write. It may have started out as a little side project to better my writing skills, but it's grown on me. I find joy in what I do.
Having said that, I will be disabling m Reon, not because I plan to not continue or anything. More I just don't think I'm ready to make this something like that. I find myself obsessing about it too much and decided I just want to write for the time being. If things change, I may bring it back sometime in the future.
Let me know what you guys think. And as always, thanks for reading and please comment.