Alright, here we go... with some motivation. Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of A Simple Mission Rebirth! Uh, I've been playing too much Yu-Gi-Oh and you know, school. Now, admittingly I do have a chapter already written up and ready to post but that's related to the Angel's mini-story arc. I'm actually finishing up the finale of Angel's arc but I'm having trouble with some parts. Admittingly, I kinda don't want to write the first part of this chapter, but it sets something up for the future. Though, I might post up the emergency chapter to give me time.
Um, future UknownHero here, and um... yeah. Bad timing on my part of throw out a chapter from the Angel's Story Arc but it's there in this story for a reason.
Onto the reviews. To EvaShinobiKaiserKnight: Oh absolutely. I won't pair Jaune with Ruby. I admitted several times that I hate Jaune-centric fics, especially those with harems. They're overdone and there's always the feeling that the author is projecting themselves onto yet another underdog character who try too hard to make him darker or sexier or some bullshit. Like Naruto and such. To AJ: Hm... didn't actually think that through but I'd say no. To GuestQuestion: Yeah, I should've probably written in that they were holding back. It wouldn't much fun to just completely overwhelm their opponents. But don't worry, the Cinder fight is going to be epic.
That's it for now! Time for some fury.
Load Game... Start!
Chapter 28: A Simple Stance Change
"Go JNPR go!" Ruby cheered out as the JNPRs entered the battlefield. "Come on, those other guys don't seem so tough!"
"Well, compared to the other things we've fought they really aren't." Blake pointed out.
"Yeah, if we weren't holding back the entire time we would've been discovered." Issei said as he looked around. He noticed that there was circle around him void of the opposite gender apart from his friends.
"Issei, don't worry. We're here to have fun and see Remnant." Rias assured her only Pawn. "I mean, it's not every day we go to a completely different planet."
"It is. However, there is this... odd air in the atmosphere..." Kiba admitted. "Like something is off..."
"Probably Grimm and stuff. We'll take you to Emerald Forest to kill some tomorrow." Ruby said before seeing that the JNPRs were readying themselves against their opponents: Team BRNZ. "Oh, look, it's starting!"
"3... 2... 1...!" Professor Port announced.
"Come on guys! We can do this!" Jaune encourage as he pulled out his sword.
"BEGIN!" And with that, the JNPRs and three members of Team BRNZ charged at each other.
"So there are people who wield scythes that double as sniper rifles, guns that shoot swords and an axe with an air cannon on it and best Jaune could come up with was... a sword and shield?" Issei asked as they watched the ensuing fight.
"He said it was a hand-me-down from his grandfather back in the Great War." Ruby explained.
"It between Mantle and Mistral against Vale and Vacuo. Mantle and Mistral hoped suppressing individualism would protect them from Grimm and Vale, who weren't exactly friends with the two kingdoms in the first place, didn't like that." Blake continued. "It's long and terrible and complicated but it changed modern Remnant in a lot of ways. It's why we have our naming convention."
"Guess even when monsters rule the world, people will still fight each other. It's just nature." Rias sighed out as they turned their attention back to the fight.
Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Ren was hit in the chest with prod and was shocked to hell before collapsing right next to Nora.
"Ren!" Nora called out before scowling at Nolan and taking a swing at him with her hammer, who promptly dodged it and again unleashes his weapon's power into her corset, though this caused a quite different reaction from the grinning redhead.
"Look at that..." Akeno whispered out as she leaned in closer.
"Oh-ho! Looks like one of my favourite students, Nora Valkyrie, is charging up to use her Semblance!" Port noted.
"What?" Nolan got out in surprise.
"Yes, Ms. Valkyrie's Semblance lets her produce, as well as channel, electrical energy straight to her muscles! This allows her to jump explosively into the air, wield her mighty hammer, or in this case, absorb Nolan's attacks and send the young man flying!" Oobleck explained.
"And all the while, she's absorbing more power as he explains." Kiba muttered out. "The abilities of Huntsmen and Huntresses are rather varied, though they lack the power of Sacred Gears..."
"Okay, do they seriously have to explain every Semblance?" Issei asked.
"It's why it's on the entry form. It's for the audience." Ruby replied as they watched Nolan get sent flying.
"Wait, so she had power over electricity and wields a hammer? She's starting to sound like Thor..." Rias noted.
"Thor? Who's Thor?" Blake asked.
"He's a God from Earth in Norse mythology. He's associated with thunder, lightning, storms, strength, the protection of humanity... oak trees..." Rias explained. "I think in one story he even dressed up as a woman. Hm, probably a coincidence though."
"That's kinda funny." Ruby chuckled out. "Any other legends from Earth we can be compared to."
"Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast and Goldilocks." Akeno casually spoke up.
"...What?" Ruby, Weiss and Blake got out in confusion.
"Let's keep watching the fight, shall we?" Kiba suggested as they turned their gaze back to the battlefield.
"Nora! Get to the mountain!" Jaune ordered.
"You got it!" Nora responded with a salute as she sprinted off to start her climb.
"Ren! Try and distract the sniper!" Jaune told the boy as he ran off to join Pyrrha.
"Sure... Why not." Ren sarcastically replied as a shot barely missed his head.
Jaune, Nora and Pyrrha ran forward as Nora hopped up and rapidly ascended the mountain. Roy threw the saws from his gloves into Jaune's shield, which still managed to bend the metal and slam the leader's own defence into his face before the weapons returned back to their master. Pyrrha got up close to him, and he delivered a series of spinning swings with his arms into Akoúo as Jaune shook off his disorientation and charged into battle yet again.
"Yeah! Go get 'em Jaune!" Ruby cheered out.
"He certainly improved." Weiss noted.
"Man, Pyrrha's really kicking ass down there." Issei stated in awe, seeing the Champion fighting two people at the same time with little to no effort.
However, Rias narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward. Why did she have the feeling... that something wasn't right with Pyrrha...?
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the Champion was trying to ignore the pangs of hunger. She hasn't eaten anything since yesterday! Even if she hasn't been feeling all that well lately since... since... that... she should've taken better care of herself.
If she falls here... she would be letting down her teammates and Jaune... Jaune would... would...
WHAM!
Pyrrha grunted as she took a glancing blow before retaliating with a quick to one of them before she deftly dodged and blocked the discs of the other, throwing her javelin to distract the latter while she somersaults back to use both feet in landing a blow on Brawnz.
The Champion cursed under her breath as she rubbed her cheek. She didn't lose a lot of Aura, but she couldn't let herself make a mistake like that again.
For Team RJNR!
Dammit, she meant JNPR! She needed a nap after this...
"Hey, what are all of Team JNPR's Semblances?" Rias had to ask as the battle continued.
"Well, Ren is masking negative emotions… Pyrrha's is pole manipulation…" Ruby started to answer.
"What!?" Issei exclaimed.
"Polarity. She's a magnet." Weiss corrected with a sigh.
"Oh, whoops. Sorry. Anyways, Nora's was just explained earlier and…" Ruby continued before frowning. "Huh, I don't think I've ever seen Jaune use his Semblance…"
"Yeah. Don't think I've seen it either…" Blake admitted as she shook her head.
"Maybe it isn't as generally useful as his teammates." Weiss reasoned. "I see him more of a commander than someone who should be in the frontlines. He's surprisingly quite resourceful. He's… just an idiot."
"Like Issei." Koneko spoke up before popping in another sweet into her mouth.
"Such simple yet cruel words." Issei groaned out.
"But even Knights can take down Kings just like Pawns." Ruby stated. "Jaune isn't that bad."
"What are they doing…?" Blake deadpanned as Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, getting everyone's attention. The rest returned their gazes back to the battlefield and saw that Team JNPR were standing around, arguing, while the other team was just staring at them in confusion.
"Arkos?" Pyrrha repeated with an unsure look on her face.
"Yeah! It's our names put together!" Jaune explained.
"Right, no, I get it..." The Champion assured the Leader.
"What, do you not like it?" Jaune asked.
"No, no! It's... good?" Pyrrha answered in an uncertain tone.
"Mmm, I sense hesitation." Nora teased.
Brawnz finally got annoyed enough to call out to them about why they were having an entire conversation in the middle of a tournament fight. "Hey!" He shouted out, getting Team JNPR's attention. "What do you think you're doing!?"
"Trying to have a team meeting, thank you very little!" Jaune called back, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yeah! Team ears only!" Nora added as she pointed to her own ears.
Brawnz merely looked at his shrugging teammates before he went back to yelling at his opponents. "WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT!" He loudly reminded.
"WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CONVERSATION! WHAT DON'T YOU GET ABOUT THAT!?" Jaune screamed at the leader.
"Um, Jaune?" Pyrrha spoke up.
"Yes, Pyrrha?" Jaune replied in an annoyed tone.
"I think that he means that we're all in the middle of a fight." Pyrrha stated, as the sound of the crowd roared around them.
"GET BACK TO THE FIGHT!"
"I didn't waste 2000 Lien for a front row seat to nothing!"
"Aren't front row tickets 100 Lien? Dude, you got scammed."
"I WANNA SEE BLOOD!"
"Ugh..." Jaune groaned out as he put his sword up to his forehead in exasperation. "Nora, just... hit them with the hammer." He ordered half-heartedly.
Nora just gave one more evil smirk. "Got it." She replied as she tightened her grip on Magnihild.
"Wait, what?!" Was the last thing Brawnz managed to say before being blasted out of the arena.
BOOM!
"And with that, it appears Team JNPR wins by knockout, literally!" Professor Port announced. "...Can someone go make sure they're okay?"
"Woo! I knew you guys could do it!" Ruby cheered out, happy that her friends made it to the next round.
"Yes. If we ever face JNPR in the later round, they could be trouble to deal with." Kiba got out.
"Well, I guess I know who they're sending to the Doubles round..." Rias muttered quietly as several plans already formed in her head. Just because they were holding back doesn't mean they should lose on purpose of course.
(Meanwhile...)
Yang looked around as she stepped out of the portal with Raven, wondering why they were in the middle of a forest. "Um... You know Beacon has a bunch of training fields and there's Emerald Forest..." The Rook of RWBY got out.
"Yeah. I know. I went there." Raven sighed out. "But they have security cameras and I'd rather not let anyone know I was in Vale. So instead, we're here in Mistral."
"You really don't want to be discovered huh..." Yang mumbled out. "So, what's this special training?"
"Yang, I'm gonna teach you a little thing I learned while in Kamurocho." Raven said as she cracked her knuckles. "The Essence of Kiwami."
"The Essence of Kiwami?" Yang repeated in a curious tone. "The hell is that?"
"It's a... way of life. A path only few choose, but all who come out of it become legends." Raven explained as simple as she could.
"...What is it exactly?" Yang pressed further as she narrowed her eyes.
"The Essence of Kiwami represents life and all its curious wonders. It encompasses love, loss, will, tragedy and comedy. Where you go down paths of your own choosing, no matter how brutal or how troublesome it may be the Essence of Kiwami can turn even the weakest of humans into the mightiest of warriors, provided they allow it to guide them." Raven clarified.
"...What?" Yang got out, not quite understanding it.
"Essentially, as long as you travel the paths of your choosing you will never know defeat." Raven stated in layman's terms. "It's better to learn by doing than explaining it. So give me your best shot."
"Huh? You wanna spar?" Yang asked, a grin on her face. "Oh, I've been waiting for this. Bring it on!"
Raven took in a deep breath before flaring her power, red energy flowing out like fire. "Bandit." She whispered out before going into her stance.
Yang tilted her head in confusion at the sight. This wasn't Aura as she knew, but shrugged it off and charged at the newest Pawn of RWBY. Yang went for a few quick jabs, with Raven swiftly dodging it each strike. Raven countered with a left hook, with Yang dodged under as she went for a liver blow.
However, Raven dashed back before kicking Yang in the jaw. Not letting up her advantage with her daughter stunned, she grabbed her collar and threw her into a nearby tree, ran up and drop-kicked her in the stomach.
Raven then grabbed Yang's wallet and stole a few cards for herself.
"Agh..." Yang got out, a little dizzy though not hurt, before noticing Raven holding some Lien in her hand. "Huh? Hey!" She called out as she got back up.
"What? Oh, force of habit." Raven sheepishly replied as she gave Yang her money back. "I usually robbed jackasses blind while fighting them back in Kamuro. Make fights last longer as I take everything from them."
"Of course you do." Yang growled out before going back into her battle stance. "Now keep fighting."
Raven nodded before she shifted into a different style, a white flame flowing out of her this time. "Huntress." She whispered out as she took out a bokken.
"Hey, no weapons!" Yang called out. "Where did that come from, anyways!?"
"Don't care. And neither will your enemy. Plus, bought it while in Vale." Raven replied. Yang just sighed before activating Ember Celica and rushing towards Raven, blocking her swings with her gauntlets. However, she was kneed in the stomach before Raven retaliated by beating her senseless with the training sword before stepping back.
"Maiden!" Raven shouted out as a black aura flowed out, floating slightly off the ground before going back in and started kicking Yang, moving and attacking as she kept punishing Yang for every opening she found while circling around her.
"Ow! Ow! OW!" Yang yelled out as she tried her best to guard against Raven's attacks. She felt her anger rise as her Semblance kept making her stronger and stronger. Raven was not holding back in the slightest, it felt less like a sparring session and more like her using Yang as a punching bag. Finally, after a few more hits, Yang had enough.
She burst out of the combo and rushed down the bandit, wildly punching and kicking trying to get a real hit in. However, Raven either kept dodging or deflecting her attacks, increasing her frustrations. Raven noticed this very quickly, seeing Yang's attacks become sloppier and easier to predict. She decided to end this now.
Raven kicked Yang in the stomach and forced her away, allowing her to steady her breathing as a golden aura engulfed her body. "Life!" She shouted out.
"Come on!" Yang growled out in frustration. "Let me hit you!"
"That's the problem with how you fight." Raven stated as she frowned. "You burn your anger constantly, give into your emotions and allow it guide you through your battles. That will not win every fight. That will kill you."
"Shut up!" Yang shouted out before charging at Raven and throwing a punch, only for Raven to catch it as it was a leaf in the wind.
"Anger is useful emotion. When it's controlled, it can give you strength. If not, it becomes a weakness." Raven said, her eyes glowing. "I'm not teaching you to calm down in fights... I'm teaching you to find a moment where it can be unleashed."
And with that, she tightened her grip on Yang's fist as the golden flames around her burned brightly.
"RRRAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH...!" Raven roared as she punched Yang straight in the sternum before going for some punches to the gut. Then she slammed her fists against the side of Yang's head before jumping up and throwing her down into her knee.
"A-Ah..." Yang groaned out in pain, lying down on the ground.
"You okay?" Raven asked as she helped Yang up, her aura dying down.
"I hate you..." Yang managed to get out as she recovered from that last hit.
"Yeah. I know." Raven sighed out. "Look, you still have a long way to go but I can feel you have the Essence within but you'll never be able to use it in the state you're in now."
"Ugh, why should even learn this stupid stuff? I don't see how the hell I can control this stupid thing just by learning some bullshit fighting style you got from Earth." Yang got out as she summoned Bloodlust.
"It's... about trying to control your anger by not calming down." Raven answered. "It sounds stupid, but it's the easiest way to explain it."
"You suck at teaching." Yang deadpanned. "Look, can you just help me control Bloodlust and end the day?"
"Alright." Raven replied with a nod. "Now close your eyes. Breathe in from your mouth and out through your nose." Her daughter nodded as she did just that. "Good. Now, focus on the darkness. Try and block out the world around you. Stop listening to me and just focus on the nothingness. Let it embrace you."
Yang nodded once again as she tried to shut out everything around her. The gentle breeze, the smell of grass and trees, the faint sounds of Grimm. It was...
Suddenly, she found herself back in the infinite darkness where she first met her other side.
And right in front of her was the dragon. Sleeping.
Yang didn't dare to say anything or make any noise, fearing that she could wake it up at any moment.
'What do I do now...?' Yang thought. Hesitantly, she slowly made her way to the dragon's head, feeling the heat radiating from it as she got closer. 'Don't wake up, don't wake up...!' She mentally pleaded as she got nearer.
Eventually, she was right next to the dragon's snout. The power she felt, despite the dragon being unconscious, it was starting to overwhelm her. She could feel that the dragon was hungry, how much it craved blood and violence. Nothing but instincts and want.
She also felt aroused, which Yang decided to ignore as best as she could.
Against her better judgement, the Blonde Brawler slowly placed her hand on the golden scales.
Yang felt her all bones crack as a rush of energy shot through her. She wanted to scream but her fear of waking the dragon made her force it down.
The power... it felt... awesome.
She had felt this power before... before she had given into her Sacred Gear.
All the pain she felt as more and more power flowed into her had turned into pleasure. All the bad memories she couldn't forget were nothing but dreams. It was addicting... and all without the dangerous amount of blood loss.
On the outside, Yang started to breathe heavily as her Sacred Gear started to grow golden scales on her arm. She could feel it, she could feel her other side. It was starting to awaken but... if she just focused...
"DRAGON!" Yang roared, her eyes flashing yellow, a golden aura enveloping her as the ground cracked underneath her feet. "I can... feel it...! I can feel everything! It's... amazing...! It's... awakening...! It's... no. NO!" She then screamed out as her aura died down in an instant. "I... I... I can't..." She panted out. "It was... I was going to wake up...! I felt that it was already going to my brain...!"
"A dragon never yields." Raven sighed out. "And neither should you. You and the soul inside Bloodlust are one and the same. If you keep resisting it, you'll never reach your true power."
"Raven, the last time I had that type of power, I... I..." Yang growled before sighing. "Just... Power is meaningless when you're the one endangering the ones you love."
"Don't you think I don't know that?" Raven stated as she created an ice crystal in the palm of her hand. "I'm a Maiden. I can destroy villages with the flick of my wrist. This power... it's more a curse than a gift."
"So you admit that this," Yang said as she held out her armoured arm. "This... blood-sucking arm is just a cursed passed down to me."
"No, I didn't mean that but... dammit! I'm not good with this type of thing!" Raven groaned out. "Just... Let's get back to training. I'll teach you a few moves you can use. We only have an hour until you have to go back."
"Alright..." Yang got out as she went into her battle stance, taking in deep breaths.
(Some time later...)
The sun was setting on Beacon Academy's courtyard, and yet the day was not over yet as Weiss and Ruby ran up the main avenue towards the docking bays. Team RIAS had chosen to explore more of Vale and get some training in. After all, night was when they performed best.
"Weiss! What is the big deal!?" Ruby called out as she caught up to her partner. "Who is it? Who is she!?"
Weiss stopped as she smiled at the sight in front of her. "Winter."
Ruby and Weiss watched as Winter Schnee, escorted by crimson-colored Atlas Soldiers and Atlesian Knight-200's, exits her airship. Ruby could feel elegance and confidence in every step she took.
"Wait... Your sister?" Ruby got out in surprise.
Weiss ignored her King as she cupped her mouth. "Winter!" She called out as the two ran up to the elder Schnee as she turned to see them. "Winter! I'm so happy to see you! Oh..." Weiss started before she suddenly curtsied. "Your presence honors us."
"Beacon... It's been a long time. The air feels... different." Winter commented as she looked around.
"I mean it is fall, so, eh, it's probably colder." Ruby pointed out before being punched in the shoulder by Weiss. "Ah!"
"So, what are you doing here?" Weiss asked while ignoring the small glare Ruby gave her as she rubbed her shoulder. It still a bit sore from the Rating Game.
"Classified." Winter replied.
"Oh, right. Well, how long are you staying?"
"Classified."
"Of course." Weiss replied as she nodded and smiled in understanding.
Ruby looked pensively around in the silence. "Well... this is nice... I think." Ruby mumbled out. She really wasn't used to such a professional relationship between family members.
"You're going to love it here! I know you travel a lot, but so much of Beacon is different from Atlas!" Weiss got out excitedly before discreetly whispering. "Vale, too. The government and school are completely separate! Can you believe it!? I-"
"I'm more than familiar with how this kingdom handles its... bureaucracy." Winter interrupted. "That is not why I came."
"Right! I'm sorry!" Weiss quickly apologized. Ruby was kinda weird out about how… not-Weiss she was being.
"Nor did I come here to watch my own blood fail so miserably in battle. But it appears that I have no choice in the matter." Winter continued.
Weiss then looked confusingly at her sister. "Wait, you didn't hear? I'm… I'm sorry… but…" She tried to explain, only for Winter to lean closer to her.
"What is it?" Winter asked.
"…Classfied." Weiss sighed out. "But just know that… due to unforeseen circumstances, my team cannot participate in the tournament." She said as she flinched, waiting for Winter's more-than-likely negative reaction.
"…Well, I guess this allows us some time with each other." Winter said before she turned to her security.
"Leave us." She ordered, the AK-200s quickly obeying, walking two steps backwards into formation as she sighed and smiled a little more warmly at Weiss. "It's okay, Weiss. It's fine. There's always next time. How have you been?"
Seeing the kind response, Weiss instantly perked up again. "Oh, splendid! Thank you for asking. I'm actually in the very top ranking of our sparring class! And the rest of my studies are going wonderfully, too! I'm-" She started to babble until Winter slapped Weiss in the head, leaving quite a bump.
"Silence, you boob! I don't recall asking about your ranking, I'm asking how you've been. Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making new friends?" Winter asked, concerned about Weiss' time in Beacon. Considering their upbringing and being the current heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, there were bound to be problems with social interactions with other students.
"Well, there's Ruby." Weiss got out as pointed at her King.
"Heh, boob." Ruby giggled out as she pushed the lump on Weiss' head down.
Weiss' eye merely twitched as she glanced down at Ruby and the new balloons she gained after her little transformation. "Ruby, you've been hanging out with Issei way too much."
"N-No I haven't…!" Ruby sputtered out, a blush on her face.
"I see. So this is the leader you wrote of. How appropriately..." Winter started before trailing off as she really got a good look at the supposed leader of RWBY. Other than her face she looked way too mature to be the person her sister described in her letters. And her eyes… There was something off about them… Also, what the hell does she eat!? "Wait, I thought you said she was 15?"
"Growth spurt." Ruby and Weiss answered in unison.
"…" Winter looked on with skepticism in her eyes.
"…It's a genetics thing. Uh… I'm an early bloomer." Ruby lied.
"Well… you certainly have… exceeded my expectations." Winter stated, deciding not to mention how low they were in the first place while deciding not to add that she exceeded her expectations in looks as well.
Especially around the chest area.
"Uh... Thank you!" Ruby awkwardly replied.
"Greetings, Ruby Rose. I wish to thank you for taking an interest in my sister." Winter said.
"Oh! Uh, yes, of course!" Ruby got out as she attempted to salute and curtsy. "The honor is in my... court!" she added before nearly losing her balance, waving her arms until she can get back up.
Weiss couldn't help but sweatdrop. This was the very same girl who not only stared death in the face and dared him into a fight and here she was failing her first impression with her sister.
"I have business with the General and your Headmaster. But, seeing as I'm early, why don't you take me to your quarters?" Winter requested.
"Really?" Weiss got out in surprise.
"Yes." Winter replied as she and Weiss began walking towards the Academy, followed by the androids. "I wish to inspect them and make sure that they are up to my personal standards."
"Of course. Just so you're aware, the bunk beds only look unstable." Weiss informed. 'And hopefully you don't see all the devil stuff we have now.' She mentally added. She was not going to reveal that she was Devil to Winter. Her father, she could probably take.
Winter, however? She would die before she would get her sister to hate her.
"Bunk beds?" Winter repeated in confusion as they went on their way, leaving Ruby alone.
"I'll catch up- I mean, I will... reconvene with you both... at a later..." Ruby started as she awkwardly waved goodbye behind them before she paused with her hand on her head, wracking her brain for the right word. "…Juncture! At a juncture. Yeah."
Meanwhile, as Weiss, Winter and the androids walked towards the courtyard, someone dizzily snuck up behind the AK-200s and promptly decapitated one, before kicking its head towards the group.
"Hey!" The drunk called out, causing the group to turns around to see the man. He had graying black, spiky hair, dull red eyes and slight stubble along his jawline. Along with a red, tattered cloak, he wore a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants and black dress shoes. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, Ice Queen!" He shouted out as he tossed the decapitated machine aside.
"Halt!" Winter ordered as one of her automated soldiers advanced, rifle raised.
Weiss, angry that someone was interrupting one of the few times she got to see her sister,walked up to the offender's face. "Excuse me! Do you have any idea who you are talking to!?" She yelled at the man, grimacing at his smell. The man reeked of alcohol, so she was tempted to cast some ice magic on his ass to see if it would sober him up.
The man just placed hand on Weiss' face and shushed her. "Not you." He said as he pushed her out of his way as he moved forward.
"Hey!" Weiss called out indignantly.
The man lookedat the irritated elder Schnee as he clarified who he was hunting down. "You." He said, his voice full of contempt for the woman. "Saw that gaudy ship of yours in town." He got out as he glanced at a raven perched on a lamp post, staring at him. "I guess you're here, too."
'You stupid drunken dumbass, why are you here now…?' Raven thought as she saw her idiot brother pick a fight. Again. 'Some things haven't changed, huh Qrow.' She mentally groaned out. She was going to meet with Ruby to talk about Yang, but with the crowd quickly forming she decided it would be best to watch from afar in her bird form.
Oh yeah, she should probably reveal that she could turn into a bird soon. That's probably a thing she should mention.
"I'm standing right before you." Winter got out as she glared at the drunk.
Qrow squinted through his hazy state of mind before nodding. "So it would seem." He replied.
"You realize you just destroyed Atlas Military property." Winter stated.
"Oh, oh I'm sorry. See, I mistook this for some sort of... sentient garbage."Qrow sarcastically apologized as he looked at his surroundings.
Winter walked over to the man and glared even harder. "I don't have time for your immature games, Qrow."
"Wait, you two know each other?" Weiss got out in surprise.
"Geez, you Atlas Specialists think you're so special, don't you?" Qrow growled out.
"It's in the title." Winter pointed out, quickly getting to her tolerance limit for the man.
"Well, you know what you really are? A bunch of sellouts. Just like your boss."
"I'm not sure what you think you're implying, but I've heard enough."
"Oh I heard, too. I heard ol' Ironwood finally turned his back on Ozpin." Qrow stated.
"Ozpin?" Weiss whispered to herself. What did this drunk have to do with the Headmaster?
Winter shoved Weiss aside, her icy gaze focused purely on the man. "Weiss, it's time for you to go." She ordered.
"What-" Weiss managed to get out before Qrow interrupted her.
"Listen to big sister, Weiss. She'll protect you. Just like Atlas is going to protect all of us, huh?" Qrow taunted.
"If you won't hold your tongue, then I will gladly remove it for you!" Winter declared as she drew her sword.
"Alright then..." Qrow got out as he slicked back his hair. Weiss noticed they kind of looks like crow feathers like that. "Come take it."
The square clear out before Winter charged at Qrow, starting the fight.
'You two are children…' Raven mentally deadpanned. She would tell them that physically, but she didn't exactly have the right type of vocal chords right now considering she was a bird. 'Of course, my King is a child and she's… nice, I guess? She's stupidly brave, I'd give her that. Hm, I wonder how'll they react to finding out their relatives are no longer human…' She wondered as she continued watching the fight.
As the two were spinning and trading blows, Ruby entered the crowd next to her teammate having noticed the commotion.
"What's going on?!" Ruby asked as she looked on. Sure, there were fights around Beacon, often due to drama between teammates but this seemed less like blowing off steam and more like actively trying to kill each other.
"Some drunk just started attacking my sister!" Weiss replied. She had never really seen Winter lose her cool quite like this. Who was this man and how did he know her sister?
"Oh no! Who would do such a th-wait, drunk?" Ruby got out as she suddenly noticed a familiar smell. Boarba-bourbon. A drink she was quite familiar with. Then she saw who Winter was fighting. "That is my uncle!" She hadn't seen him since she left for Beacon!
"What?!" Weiss exclaimed. How could Ruby be related this drunken psycho!?
"Kick her butt, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby yelled out, cheering for her uncle to win this little dispute.
"Uh..." Weiss got out before deciding to shout her own encouragement. "Teach him respect, Winter!"
The fight soon came to a close, with Winter propelling herself forward, screaming in rage and preparing a thrust towards Qrow. However, just as her blade was mere inches from the drunk's neck…
"SCHNEE!"
Winter stopped as she looked behind her to see General Ironwood standing there, with Penny behind him.
And he did not look happy.
The Atlas Specialist lowered her blades before standing up straight. "General Ironwood, sir!"
Ironwood approached Winter, with Penny following closely behind. "What in the world do you think you're doing?" He demanded.
"He started the altercation, sir!" Winter replied.
Qrow, however, puts his hands behind his head in a relaxed stance. "That's actually not true. She attacked first." He casually pointed out.
"Is that right?" Ironwood got out as Winter searched for words, only to realize Qrow is right. She had no choice but to look down in shame. The general then turned to Ruby's uncle. "And you." He started as he glared at the man. "What are you doing here?"
"I could be asking you the same thing." Qrow was about to say something to until another voice spoke up.
"Now, now, everyone." Ozpin said as he intervened with Goodwitch at his side. "There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the Coliseum, that I can assure you has better seats... and popcorn." He stated as he swirled his cocoa.
"Break it up, everyone! We will take care of this mess." Glynda called out as she glared at the three. The crowd, scared of the commanding woman, quickly left with only Ruby and Weiss remaining in the area.
Ruby and Weiss had to admit, they still found Goodwitch as someone she really wouldn't want to fight. Of course, they did face an immortal enemy and a dragon but there was just something about the woman that made them shiver.
"Let's go." Ironwood ordered, leaving no room for argument. Winter nodded as she followed the general, silently cursing Qrow for interrupting her time with Weiss.
As Ironwood and Winter left, Penny noticed Ruby and quietly waved to her, while her King waved back. 'Hopefully whatever business you're dealing with is done soon.' Ruby thought. If Penny was out and about, that meant no one noticed anything strange with the android or anything hinting that she had somehow turned a Devil. Ruby had been thinking about what changes had happened to Penny other than giving her the ability to use magic. Hopefully it wasn't anything physical though she very much doubted it.
After snapping herself out of her thoughts, Ruby then leapt giddily onto her uncle's arm, shaking her legs in delight. "Uncle Qrow!" She called out happily as she hung on Qrow's outstretched arm. "Hi. It's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me!?"
"Nope." Qrow replied as they shared agrin before her patted her head. "You grew out your hair?"
"Yeah, I've been getting that a lot since I came back…" Ruby mumbled out. She was actually a little surprised that her uncle didn't bring up her new assets. But then again, it would've been really creepy.
"Qrow!" Ozpin called out, interrupting their little bonding session as Qrow dropped Ruby. "A word, please." He kindly requested as Goodwitch repaired the courtyard with her telekinesis.
"I think I'm in trouble." Qrow whispered to his niece.
"You did kinda tear up our courtyard." Ruby then reminded, remembering the Rating Game and what had become of the various areas. At least the courtyard wasn't disintegrated by a dragon-powered pervert.
"Yeah, I did." Qrow said with a wink before giving her a fist bump. "Catch ya later, kid. I wanna hear 'bout that mission when I get back." He got out as he walked off to join the others.
"Trust me. You don't want to…" The Reaper King quietly mumbled out as she blushed. Why did her life end up so weird…?
"And suddenly, your recklessness makes sense." Weiss stated as she walked up her King, arms crossed.
"You're just mad because he whooped butt." Ruby teased as she nudged her partner's shoulder.
"That was a draw, at best!" Weiss called out. Ruby's grin said otherwise as they walked back to the dorm, a raven flying above them.
Save Game... Quit!
So, this chapter was just those scenes with a few changes. I'd personally skip it but this is all set up for future chapters. Anyways, so can I talk about a bad idea? It was supposed to happen in a future chapter but I decided against it. So... there was gonna be a heist chapter. The prize: Amber. I thought it up while figuring out who would end up in Ruby's peerage and considered Amber to be a part of it but I thought better of it. Besides I have other ideas that surely won't fail spectacularly.
Also, sorry for not really writing the Winter vs. Qrow fight scene. One, I suck at them as I've stated time and time again. Two... Volume 3 is still a sore spot to me so I'm not exactly going to watch it...
UknownHero signing off, my friends!