RWBY: Son of Salem

Marek's POV

"Come with us!" one of the guards ordered.

I kept my head bowed as I felt something wrap around my wrists.

He led me back to my dorm room and pushed me inside, taking off the handcuffs.

"Someone will be by soon." he said as he left the room. "There will be guards here to make sure you don't leave."

I kept my head bowed as he left the room.

Cinder's POV

"It's done." I said into my scroll.

"Good." the girl replied. "Continue with the plan."

"Understood." I hung up.

Marek's POV

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the ground.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Marek?" a soft voice asked. "It's me, Ruby."

I kept silent as I stared at the ground.

"I'm coming in, ok?" I heard the door creak open as she stepped in. "How are you doing?"

I kept silent.

"We're worried about you and-"

"Don't lie to me Ruby." I interrupted. "I saw the looks you gave me. You, your team, JNPR and...Velvet."

"You did attack him without reason." Ruby replied.

I shook my head. "He attacked me." I said softly. "He attacked me."

"That's not what we saw." she said.

"I acted in self defense!" I got up and walked over to the window.

"That's not what we saw." she repeated.

"But it's what I saw!" I turned to her. "He attacked me, so I attacked back!"

"I-"

"Get out." I turned back to the window. "You're not helping."

"I just-"

"Get out, Ruby." I told her again. "I should've never let myself open up around people."

"But-"

"What's the point of having friends if they don't help you when you need them the most?" I asked her. "Everyone thinks I'm a monster again."

"I don't think th-"

"I know you do!" I yelled at her. "I can hear it in your voice!" I turned back to the window. "Just get out."

I heard the door open and close a few moments later.

Ruby's POV

"How is he?" Yang asked when I got back to our room.

"Not good." I told her. "He thinks everyone's against him again."

"What'd he say?" Weiss asked.

"He said he shouldn't have let himself open up." I told them. "That there's no point in having friends if they don't help you when you need them the most."

"Damn." Yang said softly. "He really thinks that?"

I nodded.

There was a soft knock on the door. I opened it to see JNPR standing there.

"How is he?" Jaune asked.

"He's not doing great." I told him.

"Why'd he do it?" Pyrrha asked. "Did he tell you?"

"He said he acted in self defense." I told them. "That Mercury attacked him."

"But...Mercury didn't do anything to him after the fight." Nora said.

I looked at the ground. "He didn't seem to be making it up." I continued. "I think he's telling the truth."

Marek's POV

My door opened as Ozpin walked in.

"You want to know what happened." I said as more of a statement than a question.

"Yes."

"He attacked me first." I told him. "So I attacked back. I don't care if you believe me or not, it's what happened."

He nodded. "I believe you."

"Huh?" I looked up to him. "You do?"

"You've never done something like this before." he said. "And I think something bigger is going on here."

I smiled. "Thanks."

He nodded as he left the room.

I sat in silence for a few more minutes before another knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Marek? Can I come in?" Velvet asked.

I didn't move.

"I'm coming in, alright." a moment later my door opened as Velvet walked in. "How are you-"

"I know you asked Ruby if she talked to me." I interrupted her. "And I know she told you what I said. If you don't believe me, please leave, I don't want anymore-" I was cut off as a pair of arms wrapped around my neck.

"Of course I believe you!" she said as she held tighter.

"You do?" I asked her.

"Yes." she pulled back. "Ruby told me that you said he attacked you."

I nodded.

"But we just saw you attack him for no reason." Velvet continued.

"This doesn't sound like you believe me."

"Coco told me that during her fight in the doubles round, she saw Yatsuhashi in the forest but he never made it out of the geyser field." Velvet said.

"What?!"

"It could be battle stressed hallucinations or something like that." Velvet said. "If it can happen to Coco it can happen to anyone."

"So you believe me?" I asked her.

She sat down next to me. "I...had my doubts at first, who wouldn't?"

"Thanks, Velvet." I smiled. "That means a lot."

She stood up and walked to the door. "I'll get out of your hair." she opened the door. "I love you." she said before she left.

"I love you, too." I said as I fell back in my bed. I closed my eyes and let sleep take over.

The next day

I woke up to an ear piercing alarm. I sat up as I covered my ears.

"Alert. Incoming Grimm attack." an automated voice said. "Threat level: nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner."

I stood up, grabbed my weapon and bolted out of my room.

I ran outside and saw countless Grimm roaming the courtyards.

I started to kill Grimm and collect the dust that remained. I noticed White Fang members releasing Grimm into the school as I fought.

"Damnit!" I grit my teeth as I jumped over a Beowolf, stabbing my blade into it's back, and yanking upwards as I landed, cuting it in half from the chest up as I spun around and cut horizontally, cutting the beast into 3 pieces.

It turned to dust as I collected it.

My scroll buzzed and I pulled it out, continuing to fight off Grimm as I read a message from Oz.

'Beacon Tower, now!'

I put my scroll back as I cut a Grimm in half that stood in my way, rushing towards the tower.

I made it into the lobby as Oz beckoned me over to the elevator.

Pyrrha and Jaune were also here.

"What's going on?!" I asked the trio.

"The White Fang are attacking the school!" Jaune replied. "The Grimm have invaded, it's chaos!"

"No shit!" I turned to Oz. "Why did you call me here?"

The elevator descended.

"I need your help to protect the Fall maiden." he replied.

"Maiden?!" I asked as the doors opened. "I thought they were a myth!"

"No." he said as we ran down the long corridor. "They're no myth."

We stopped when we approached a girl in some sort of pod.

"Pyrrha!" Ozpin pointed to the other pod that was open.

She nodded before climbing inside.

"What should we do?!" Jaune asked.

"If you want to help, stand guard!" Ozpin replied.

I turned around and readied for anything.

I kept my focus trained on the elevator as Pyrrha began to scream in agony.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune spun around and rushed to her side.

I kept my guard up as a girl jumped down the elevator shaft.

I readied my weapon as the girl made a bow and arrow out of glass, aiming at the maiden.

I stood in the way as she shot the arrow.

I used the flat side of the blade to block the arrow but heard glass break and the girl gasp.

I turned around to see the arrow sticking out of her chest.

"What?!" I turned back to the girl as an orange light rushed into her. I readied my weapon as Jaune tried to attack but was blasted back.

Pyrrha tried to attack as well but Ozpin held her back.

"Go!" he ordered. "Get Glynda, Ironwood, Qrow, bring them here! The tower cannot fall!"

"We can help." Pyrrha replied.

"You'll only get in the way." he said.

"We need to go." I grabbed Pyrrha's wrist. "Now!" I looked towards Ozpin. "Goodbye."

He nodded as we turned and rushed back to the elevator.

We took it to the lobby and rushed outside.

"I think I have Glynda's number." Jaune said, searching through his scroll. "Pyrrha, what was all of that?"

"I-" she was cut off as that girl flew up to the top of the tower.

"Ozpin." Jaune said softly.

"There's no time..." Pyrrha said. "Go! Get to Vale, and call for help!" she told Jaune.

"Huh? What're you gonna do?" he asked her. She looked towards the top of the tower. "Pyrrha, no! You can't! You saw how powerful she is! Pyrrha, I won't let you do-" he was cut off as she pressed her lips against his.

"I'm sorry." she pushed him into an open locker and started to approach it.

I looked down at my weapon.

"Pyrrha! Pyrrha, don't do this!" Jaune pleaded.

I walked up behind her and pulled back the handle of my weapon, hitting her in the back of the head and knocking her out.

I pried open the locker. "Get her out of here." I told him. "I'll handle her."

He looked to me then the top of the tower before nodding.

"Call for help." I told him.

"How are you going to get to the top?" he asked.

"I have my ways." I smiled as my red eye began to glow as my blue eye darkened. The veins on my face spread as my nails grew into claws. "Go!"

I ran towards the tower and jumped onto the side, digging my claws into it and started to climb at a fast pace.

I made it to the top and punched through the glass, landing inside.

"Figured you'd be here." the girl growled.

"Let's get this over with!" I pulled out my weapon.

End of chapter 17