RWBY: Son of Salem

Chapter 40

Marek

"I can't believe it. You... You're the Grimm Reaper, you were a legend! And then you disappeared..." Qrow said in disbelief. Maria had just finished telling us how she lost her silver eyes.

"How exactly does a legend just disappear?" Oscar asked.

"You never used your name, never showed your face." Qrow said. "Lots of us thought you were just layin' low. Eventually, we just came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper."

"Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment, so you're well on your way." Maria said.

"How can you say that?" Blake asked her.

"Child, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end. But after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself." Maria replied. "Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight. Afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started. You shouldn't aspire to be like me, especially when some of you are clearly stronger already."

"It's... comforting, seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world." Maria said. "I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape."

"Well, maybe you can do something now. Teach me to use my powers the way you did." Ruby told her.

Ruby's scroll suddenly buzzed. "It's Jaune!" she said happily.

Upon hearing this, Yang stopped the bike. "How?"

"Hello?" Ruby said once she answered her scroll.

I couldn't hear what Jaune was saying. "The city? Wait..." Ruby pointed her scroll around and watched as the signal got stronger.

Minutes later, Argus

Yang locked up her motorcycle. "So, did Jaune say where we're-"

"Cute! Boy! OZ!" I looked back just as Oscar was tackle hugged to the ground by Nora.

"Are you all okay?" Ren hugged Yang.

"We were so worried!" Jaune hugged Blake.

"It's been kind of a crazy trip." Yang told them.

"That's an understatement."

"Wait, who's the old lady?" Nora asked, pointing at Maria.

"I'm so glad you're all safe." Blake said.

"Seriously..."

"Ah! You're gonna love this place!" Nora said.

We all walked towards a trolley and hopped on.

"It's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be." Yang said.

"It's actually one of the largest non-capital cities in all of Remnant." Ren said.

"No way! But wait, wouldn't it be harder to settle something this big away from the main Kingdom?" Ruby asked.

"Well, it was, until Mantle showed up. Early settlement attempts by Mistral didn't go well. But colonists from Mantle were able to help them brave the cold climate and return for goods that Solitas couldn't provide." Jaune explained.

"The two nations worked together to create a hybrid city." Ren added. "While it falls under Mistral domain, Atlas keeps a military presence here to help keep the people safe and keep trade between the two nations steady."

"Well, until recently..."

The trolley stopped and we got off. "So, where have you guys been staying?" I asked.

"There you are!" we all turned around to see a blonde woman holding a baby.

"Who's that?" I looked to Jaune.

"Hey, Saph." Jaune waved.

Looking back to the woman, I noticed a bunch of similarities between her and Jaune. "Well, come on!" the woman shouted at us.

"So...she's...your sister..?" I asked Jaune.

He sighed. "Yeah..."

Minutes later

"I can't believe I'm meeting your sister! I have so many questions." Ruby squealed.

"Oh, I can give you the rundown later!" Nora told her.

"Will you guys knock it off?" Jaune groaned.

"What? I love telling stories about my baby brother." Saphron said.

Jaune groaned as he flailed his arms at his sister. "I am not a baby! That is a baby." he pointed at Adrian.

Adrian huffed in reply, causing Yang and Weiss to fuss over him.

"So Saphron, you're the only Arc living here?" Blake asked.

"Yep! Moved the second I could. Jaune and I are the only two living away from home." Saphron replied. "I guess he just wanted to be like his big sis." she teased Jaune.

"I, uh..." Jaune groaned.

"Aw, you didn't deny it!" the two siblings started play fighting as the door opened. A dark-haired woman with glasses walked in carrying groceries. "Everyone, this is my wife, Terra Cotta."

Everyone greeted her warmly.

"Why, hello there! Wow, quite a party, you weren't kidding. Hun, can I get some help please?" Terra asked Saphron who quickly rushed to help.

Later in the day, Jaune, Ren, Nora and Pyrrha went to make sandwiches. "And you're sure it's alright if we stay with you?" Weiss asked.

"Of course, we're happy to house Huntsmen and Huntresses."

You all risk so much to keep people like us safe. It's the least we can do." Terra said before she turned to Qrow. "Especially for such an elite Huntsman like yourself. Although, I will say I was surprised to learn you had students helping you. Is that even... legal?"

Seeing Qrow wasn't paying attention, I bumped his arm. "Uh, of course. Think of it as an extended training mission. Trust me, I was a professor. Even went to the same academy as them. Let me tell ya, these kids are way better than we were at their age."

The others walked out with the sandwiches and placed them on the table. "Well, not better than me specifically, but a lot of students-"

"Shut up, there's food!" Ruby interrupted.

Taking a sandwich, I pulled my hood back a bit and took a bite. Hearing a soft wimper come from Adrian, I glanced at him before putting the hood back. Once we entered the city, I made sure to hide my face as best I could.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back." Terra got up and left the room. "Hello?"

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah, it will be. Terra's a technician for the town's relay tower. Unfortunately, the military's radar system is also housed there." Terra told us. "Guess what's been on the fritz lately and who's getting falsely blamed." she said in a baby voice.

Terra peeked back into the room. "Me."

"So, what's your plan for tomorrow?" Saphron asked.

"We're trying to get to Atlas. We'll probably start with the military base." I told her.

"So, we kind of already tried that, and... it didn't go... super great." Jaune told us.

"Come on, it couldn't be that bad..." Yang said.

The next day we went to the base just to have the gates slammed in our faces. "This isn't going to be easy." I rubbed my forehead.

End of chapter 40