A/N: Aye, heads up that this story implies/references torture, and later depicts PTSD - but also know that nothing gory/overly graphic is in this fic! It deals with torture as a subject, but it's not explicitly shown. Just some Qrow Whump for an AU I thought of a while ago (post vol 7 but pre vol 8 as this is being written), and some HC for how the characters might evolve in the future!
Huge shoutout to Aelic on Discord and Linkfanfiction for helping me with this fic, check out his stuff too!
Please enjoy!
"We're getting close." Weiss announced from the cockpit. Everyone in RWBY and JNOR sat up straight, carefully looking out of the airship's windows. Before them, among the ghoulish purple landscape, Evernight came into view.
Ren let out a steadying breath, and stayed focused on cloaking their ship. Grimm were everywhere in this land, even with Salem and most of her followers away. They were counting on finding the last relic at Beacon, leaving Evernight almost entirely unguarded.
The Teams hated leaving Beacon to fend for itself, but at least it was still abandoned. Penny and Oscar agreed to stand ground at Beacon to keep Salem from being suspicious. And if it comes to it, they'll let Salem and her followers look in the wrong place. This was their only chance to gain the upper hand.
If their plan works, and RWBY/JNOR are able to find the Lamp and Sword within Salem's castle, their ambush at Beacon might actually end in victory.
Ruby gripped Crescent Rose tight in her hands as she laid eyes on Evernight. "Everyone get ready." She told the others, all grabbing their weapons. "There might be something in there we don't know about."
"We're able to handle anything, Ruby." She felt Yang's hand on her shoulder with a comforting smile on her face. Flames, the display of Raven's maiden powers now flowing through her, flickered from her eyes. "This will work."
Ruby tried to smile back, and forced it to look sincere. She had to believe that, that this wouldn't be anything like how Atlas and Beacon fell. They weren't on the defense anymore, and in the years passed, they trained. Their powers, semblances, and fighting ability, they had all grown so much.
"And if anything is in there," Nora said. "We have so many secret weapons, we'll beat them by surprise alone."
"Right." Jaune agreed and stood, holding his fist out. "My aura siphoning can at least bring whoever's in there down to our level."
"And if it's Grimm," Weiss calls from the cockpit again, a smirk on her lips. "My time dilation is enough to give you a few seconds and activate your silver eyes."
Ruby's smile came naturally now, she looked between each of her teammates. Her family. They planned for this, and are actually ready. No matter what, they'd stand together. "Okay," she rested her hand over Yang's, and gave a firm nod. "Let's do this."
The airship glided smoothly to the base of the castle. It looked like a landing pad of sorts, and with Ren still hiding their ship from the wandering Grimm, they decided it was as good a place as any to land. As planned, there were no guards. No security by the doors, or seemingly anywhere. Salem's main defense was secrecy, and the hoards of Grimm surrounding the castle that anyone - who didn't have their very own Lie Ren - would perish to try and cross.
As they all filed out of the ship, Nora cleared her throat. "Would now be a bad time to say this feels a bit too eas-"
"Yes." Jaune and Ren said in unison. She frowned. Ruby saw Weiss beside her shake her head, and tried to keep a smile.
As they entered the castle, it quickly fell from her lips. There was a kind of hum in the air, Ruby wasn't sure if she just heard it or felt it around them - some kind of dark aura. She kept her grip tight on her weapon as they walked through the entrance hall. The castle's halls were all tall ceilings, the pillars carved with intricate, sharp edges. Their steps echoed through the gothic halls.
The entrance hall branches out to a grand staircase, to both a lower and upper floor. Two hallways flanked their left and right. They knew they were going in blind when it came to the layout of the castle, but Ruby already felt her nerves peaking. They really had no idea where to start, and this was only their first choice.
Blake was the first to speak. "Maybe they hid them down in a dungeon? Maximum security?"
Yang shrugged. "That's how it is in video games, right? All the good stuff is in the dungeons?"
Jaune stepped up to be at Ruby's side. "We gotta start somewhere."
The stairs led to another hall, though the castle walls gave way to a natural cave. The purple rock seemed to glow, and the ominous feeling Ruby felt in the air thickened. Each step they took down made her throat tighten, she wanted to ask Ren to start cloaking them again. Ruby just set her jaw, and forced herself to focus on the walls lining the long, darkening hall. Half circles were cut into the rock, crude metal bars surrounding them.
Weiss covered her mouth with her fist. "They look like cells,"
A howl sounded, echoing through the cave's hall. More followed, an amalgamation of alerts from barking to screeches. Ruby gasped as pairs of red eyes glowed from behind the bars, stalking closer. Metal clanged with the sounds of scraping claws. "Ren!"
She saw the shimmer of pink aura, and suddenly colors seemed muted. No one had moved a inch, the noise from the Grimm stopped within an instant. The cave was silent, the Grimm suddenly still as if they were frozen. It lasted a moment, then they relaxed, moving ambiantly within their cells.
"What," Nora's shaky voice filled the silence, pointing to the nearest half circle in the rock. "What even are those?"
A beast of a Grimm paced behind the bars, its body a mass of black ickor and bones. Its head looked similar to a Beowolf, with four extra sets of eyes randomly across its snout and skull. A mix of human looking black arms, mammalian paws, and slimy tendrils served as legs bursting from its body. What looked like a fish tail slapped against the ground from its backside. More monstrosities lied within each cell, lining the wall all down the cave tunnel.
Experiments . Ruby felt bile rise in her throat, and felt Weiss grip her wrist. "We need to go."
"No," she shook her head, steeling herself. "What if the Relics are down here? At the end of the hall or something?"
"Are you sure it ends?" Ren asked.
Ruby turned to face her team. Weiss looked about as sick as she felt, Yang and Blake were tense and on guard, Jaune watching their backs. Nora kept a hand on Ren's shoulder. It'll take a lot out of him if this goes on for longer than we think. "Okay," she sighed. "I'll speed ahead, see if there's something on the other side."
Yang frowned. "You shouldn't go alone."
"Start looking upstairs, to the west, and I'll meet you there. I won't even come out of Petal Burst, okay?" She held up a hand, but she didn't leave room for argument. Yang clenched her jaw. "I promise."
No one wanted to move, but eventually, Jaune sighed. "Just be careful."
Ruby gave him a nod, and before the intense want to stay with them overwhelmed for her, morphed into Petal Burst. It was an odd feeling to really describe - but she always felt weightless, fluid through the air. Less like running, and more like gliding. Free, more than anything else.
Now, it felt like a shield. Her speed didn't let Ruby actually look into any of the cells, see whatever Salem was creating to torment humanity next. The cave did go far beyond what they could initially see. Cell after cell after cell, Ruby had to keep herself from falling into a sort of hypnosis among the dark purple haze and how fast she pushed her semblance.
The solid rock wall at the end of the tunnel came up fast. Ruby's boots skidded for yards before stopping before the wall. She frowned at the sudden end, no grandeur, doors to other halls, or some recognizable mark to signal the end. Salem must have just...stopped.
Ruby blew out a breath, at least that was that. The trip back would be a chore, but better than keeping her team waiting. A low growl sounded from the cell beside her, Ruby dashed off again before the ghostly tendrils from the creature could reach through the bar.
When she caught up to the others, the hall was lit from several grand, stained glass windows high on the walls. "Find anything?"
"Not really." Nora deadpanned. "Besides a lot of windows."
"There are doors up here." Jaune called, pointing to where the hall turned.
Ruby jogged up to him, seeing the short hall. Wooden and iron doors line the right side, with more windows on the left. "Okay," she shrugged, reaching for the first door. They've already seen where Salem keeps her Grimm. Part of her wished for a bedroom, at least then they'd know there was some semblance of a home to this place.
The door creaked open to show a simple, empty, stone room. Not even the odd purple rock like the Grimm dungeon, it looked more like concrete. Ruby frowned.
Yang sighed from behind her. "It's like this place is a doll house." Ruby turned to see her shiver. "How does anyone live here?"
"Oh, gods...Ruby! Ruby, come here!"
Ruby whipped her head around towards her partner's voice. "Weiss? Did you-" Her question died in her throat at Weiss' expression of horror towards whatever was in the room she stood at. With a flash of her semblance, Ruby was by her side. "What is it?"
Weiss didn't answer, only guided Ruby's gaze through the door. It wasn't a room, but a small hall that led to a cell. The light from the hall shined through the bars, Ruby had to squint to make out the form in the dark.
It wasn't a Grimm, like the horrors of the lower floor showed them, but a human. They sat on their knees. Black feathers were scattered across the floor. Their wrists were chained to a post above and behind them, and their head hung loosely to their chest.
Ruby could make out wounds, new and old, on their skin. Tattered remains of clothes hung from one shoulder and their hips, at least offering decency. Adrenaline rushed through her, they hadn't even thought of possible victims. They had planned for Grimm, monsters serving as security dogs, a hidden follower of Salem's they would have to take down. Not people. Of course Salem would have prisoners. There could be more, maybe even Silver Eyed Warriors.
"We have to get them back to the ship. There could be more people." Ruby kept her voice steady. If they started panicking now, this whole castle could turn on them. Blake, Yang, and JNR were standing behind her now, taking in the scene.
She turned back to see Weiss suck in a breath, and compose herself. The rest of the team nodded too. It wasn't part of the plan, but they couldn't leave innocent people here. No matter what.
Ruby turned back towards the cell, stepping into the room. Her boots made a scuffing sound on the concrete, and the prisoner behind the bars jerked. She stopped, rested Crescent Rose on the small of her back, and held out her hands. "Hey, you're gonna be-"
The words died on her tongue as the other lifted their head, striking red eyes burning into Ruby's.
She gasped, and felt her blood freeze. It can't be, her mind screamed at her. It can't be him.
His face was battered, his ribs showed through his skin, and his hair hung down to his chin, but Ruby knew him. She thought of him the most when they held a memorial for Atlas' fallen. Her throat went dry.
He's been here ?
Yang pushed past Weiss, voicing what Ruby couldn't. "Qrow?"
A shocked "what?" cracked from each of the rest of the team. Yang's voice seemed to shake Ruby out of her shock. Her feet moved for her, morphing her into Petal Burst to slip right through the cell's bars. Blood roared in her ears. Distantly, she heard Yang break the locked door open with a powerful kick and stood behind her.
Ruby felt her heart racing, and her throat start to burn. She had only dreamt of seeing him again. They had searched the tundra for days after Atlas fell, far longer than they should have with Salem moving quickly towards Shade. All they knew was that Tyrian's prisoner transport had gone down after Ironwood ordered Atlas' retreat, but the debris from the city's fall had covered the entire landscape for miles. When the teams found half-buried remains of an airship with only a blood-stained Harbinger, they knew they had to move on.
We left him with them.
Now, Ruby's hands were close to shaking, her mentor alive and breathing and here in front of her. Beaten and weak, for sure, but Ruby counted all four limbs and a relatively whole face - she's counting this as a win no matter what. "Qrow? You're, Uncle Qrow, it's-"
"Ruby." He finished for her. The familiar roughness she associated with his voice had turned more hoarse and quiet, lower than a whisper - but she still smiled. Water burned her eyes. "Yang. How're you-"
"We're here." Yang stepped forward, gently placing a hand on his shoulder - a spot that was at least less filthy or bloody. Ruby sighed slightly at the contact - she wasn't seeing things. He was here. They would save him. We have to save him.
"Get him down." She found her voice surprisingly even as she looked to Yang. Her sister swallowed, and grabbed the chains wrapped around the post. Weiss was suddenly at Ruby's side, ready to take on Qrow's weight with her. Blake was at Yang's, an entire, silent conversation passed between them in an instant.
"Wait, wait." Qrow croaked, twisting his arms against the bonds with a grimace.
Ruby didn't want to entertain an argument. She wrapped an arm around his side. "We're getting you out of here."
"No, it's- ah!" He jerked with a gasp, as if something had hit him, and started twisting away again.
"What!"
"Ruby, it's a Grimm." Blake's calm voice directed her panic away from Qrow's pain. "The chains, look. They're controlled by a Gheist."
Ruby followed her hand, pointed towards the top of the post. The ghoulish mask of the Grimm was resting at the center of a mass of chains. Its black smoke of a body lining every link, from Qrow's wrists, down his arms and to his legs, and around the thick, heavy ring of metal around his neck.
Immediately, the others started planning.
"It's been feeding off his aura."
"Gods, how long.."
"How do we get it off?"
"Can we attack it's face?"
"We'll have to lure it out or it'll hurt him."
"If it escapes it could attract others to us. Or set off a warning, or-"
"Ruby," Jaune's voice cut over the rest, placing a hand on her shoulder. It jerked her gaze away from her Uncle. "We can get it out, can you use your eyes quick enough to stop it?"
The thought paralyzed her, and with her blood pumping through her in anger and panic. Ruby opened her mouth to say no. "Okay," came from her lips instead. Below the fury of seeing her Uncle's state, there was an astounding joy to see him at all.
The desire to protect - what Maria had drilled into her head over and over in their training, was ready to burst from her eyes.
Jaune gave an affirmative nod, and turned to Ren. In a flash of a leap, Storm Flower's sickles were dug into the mask. A wretched scream from the Grimm filled the room, no one flinched away. Ruby kept her eyes firmly trained on the pale face being pulled from the chains. Beside her Weiss has Qrow's head cradled in her shoulder, away from the sound and sight of the ghost.
Ren thrust himself back, and the Gheist was yanked from its host. Ruby didn't need to think twice to call on that protective feeling - the light from her eyes spilled into the room before it could even think to phase through the walls. The Gheist screeched once more, before fading away.
Qrow slumped into Weiss and Ruby's arms as the chains loosened. They fell down the post, landing in a snake-like spiral at their feet. He cried out in pain as his arms lowered.
"Easy," Ruby gripped his shoulder, pushing him to lay on his back rather than his knees. Weiss mirrored her, taking as much weight as she could while they moved him, and rested his head in her lap. Ruby tried not to look at his left forearm, purple and swollen from a recent break. Wounds across his shoulders broke open at the movement, bleeding fresh slowly. "Yang, melt the cuffs off."
"Ruby," Yang said softly from above her. "It'll take too much time to get them off or else I'll burn him."
"We need to get him out!" She snapped. All of her team tensed, even Nora standing guard in the doorway looked backed to her. Ruby sighed.
"Kid," Qrow shakily reached towards her, Ruby took his hand in her own. His words slurred together. "You need to get out of here."
Weiss shook her head. "Salem's not here. They're all looking for the Crown at Beacon. We came here for the other relics while we had the chance."
"No," Qrow squeezed Ruby's hand, trying to push himself up. "No, Hazel. I heard Hazel here."
Everyone tensed. They had prepared to face a possible guard, even a tank like Reinhart, but it would be close. He knows how Jaune could take aura from people, and would probably be targeted first.
Blake took a breath, and asked softly. "When? How long ago?"
"I," Qrow frowned, mouth gaping. "I don't know. It's hard to- I don't know."
"It's okay. We can handle him." Yang spoke up, Ruby nodded in agreement. They would manage - if they met him at all. She forced a smile down at Qrow.
"Hey," Jaune stepped forward, shifting Crocea Mors to it's full form. "We gotta keep looking. We're not leaving without you," he promised, which made Ruby bite her lip. Jaune brought down his sword, hard, on the links nearest to the post to break them open. Pieces still hung from the shackles of Qrow's wrists and neck, but they would at least be able to move him. "Do you know the layout at all? Did they take you anywhere, or say anything about the relics? Even to gloat?"
"Jaune," Weiss balked. "Now's not the time for this."
"He told me." Qrow spoke anyway. "I didn't know what was true, but he- Tyrian told me they got the relics. Atlas fell, and you all were," his voice shook, and faded. Ruby reached to rest a hand on his shoulder. A comfort was ready at her lips, but he seemed to jerk back with them. "I don't know where they are, but there's a main hall above us. There's a kinda meeting room, and one with a throne. They're up there all the time. I think it's...east, maybe. I don't know."
"That's okay," Weiss soothed. "That was incredibly helpful."
"Okay," Jaune took his eyes from the ceiling, as if he were trying to map out the floor above them. "I can heal him enough to get back to the ship, then we can-"
"Don't." Qrow rasped, shaking his head. His whole body was shaking. Ruby frowned, looking down on him. "Don't you dare waste that on me."
Ruby shook her head, but it was Blake who spoke up. "His semblance."
Qrow swallowed thickly, eyes flicking between each of them. "Who knows what'll happen. You kids are already pushing it."
Ruby felt like shouting how much she didn't care, but just squeezed his hand. "You're still hurt."
"I can make it back." He promised, and Ruby hated that he was still comforting her, even now.
There was no painless way to get Qrow on Yang's back, but they slung his arms over her shoulders and she gripped his legs to bear his weight. The remains of his chains dragged behind them. Ruby led, not wanting to look at the disfigurements on his back. Scars old and new, lumps and pocks. She had glanced at two black clumps of ickor against his shoulder blades, and decided they would have to deal with that later.
The ship was still intact, out of reach of the Grimm. Inside, they dismantled the cushions, laying out a makeshift mattress on the ground to set him down. Ruby felt her stomach turn at every flinch and groan he made.
She made herself swallow as they eased him down. "Just lay back, Uncle Qrow." She kneeled to be beside him, and rested a hand on his forehead. "We'll find the Relics and come back as quick as we can."
Ren cleared his throat, Ruby looked up. He had his hands folded in front of him, calm as ever. "I can block his pain."
Ruby nodded, though the thought made her jittery again. Ren's centralized Tranquility can completely numb a person's mind, rather than just hide their emotions. It might as well make them a vegetable, so they save it for emergencies, or particularly frazzled civilians they rescue.
"Someone should stay with you two, then."
"I will." Blake stepped forward, Yang was soon behind her. Before she could open her mouth, Blake held up a hand. "If Hazel is here, you'll need a maiden on your side."
Yang winced, Ruby saw her eyes dart to Qrow. "Blake-"
"What did you say?" Qrow asked quietly, but every eye turned down to him.
He doesn't know. Ruby's thoughts were too loud in her head. He doesn't know about Raven at all.
"Guys," Jaune, waved his hands. The attention turned to him, but Ruby saw how Yang looked away. The pained look on her face. "I'm sorry, but we'll do this when we get back, okay?"
"Right," Ren said, and Ruby forced herself to move to make room for him. He sat cross legged, holding Qrow's temple gently. "This will feel strange, like a heavy sedative. I'll guide you into it, and the feeling lasts a few hours."
"We'll be back before then." Ruby promised, spinning Crescent Rose to its sniper form. She forced a smile, and ignored the thundering sound of her heart in her chest. "Don't worry."
She heard Ren slowly release a breath, his pink aura shimmering from his hands. Ruby tore her eyes away, the rest of her team already waiting at the ramp of their ship. She gripped Crescent Rose, forced herself to think of her go-to Silver Eyes memory, and stepped out to lead them back into the castle.
A/N: Next chapter is planned to be from Weiss' POV as they raid the rest of Evernight! The rest will be from Blake and Yang's POV, respectively, so please let me know how you liked it and want to see more!
Comments are always appreciated for anything, thank you so much for reading!