Chapter 1- Truths and pancakes
"Salem?" Jet asked, sat in the main tent with Raven, the two of them sat around a wooden table and on a red carpet that sprawled throughout the room with a cup of tea for each of them resting on the table, Raven had pulled Jet away from his work to discuss something with him even though he had no intentions on talking with her but has no choice since he was "Rescued" by her so he has to listen to what she says, they had been in a conversation about the leader of the Grimm, Salem since Raven has a particular theory about her.
"Yes, to put it simply, the one who controls the Grimm." Raven took a sip of her tea and stared at Jet who had his hand on his chin, taking a moment to process that thought, then glared back at the bandit leader.
"Well I would've never expected the Grimm to have a leader until a certain recent incident but why should I believe you? Plus, what does this have to do with me? I'll just return to my hidey-hole if I think this is pointless." Jet clearly showing he doesn't want to be anywhere near Raven had more important things to be getting on with.
"I'll put it bluntly, she has an interest in your sister, I need to know what she could be after from her." As soon as Raven said those words, Jet instantly perked up to listen.
"Tell me… how bad could this be? And where is this "Salem" Person? Not to mention what does Sky have to do with this now?" Jet shot a glare, worried for what this sudden and mysterious name could do, now it being something he can't ignore.
"First of all, Salem can't be stopped, she will use anyone and any method to get what she wants, she's too powerful, we can't beat her."
"Then why doesn't the whole of Remnant know?"
"She's good at keeping herself a secret, plus if everyone knew, people would start to panic and when everyone panics or becomes afraid it attracts Grimm, no?"
The two sat in silence for a moment while Jet takes in the information and understands where she's coming from, thinking of the benefits if everyone doesn't know, meaning that people would be less worried and if everyone knew and began fearing Salem, it would only make the Grimm more powerful.
"But let me ask again, what does me and Sky have to do with her?"
"I believe Salem is gathering an army, not like the usual Grimm but using humans to act like a battery or power boost if you think about it, to be stronger, faster and smarter, just like how we as humans grow in strength, so does Salem and there's no telling about what she's about to throw at us next." Raven explained her theory, dragging her finger around her tea cup.
"So basically, like having an elite army using our souls to bring strength to the enemy?"
"Exactly, Salem must be targeting those who have a specific hate towards something that has a connection to humanity and to know that I need to know something you have a grudge or something you hate that would let Salem take advantage of to turn you over to her side."
Jet sat for a moment, going through the things that would fit that description and then it clicked.
"Alright, looks like I don't have a choice either way, basically we have a grudge against Atlas, mine is way stronger than hers for specific reasons that I am not prepared to go into, so it would make sense if this so-called Salem came for me but if she's gonna go Sky then I can only conclude that she can't find this hideout, correct?"
"Correct, I have chosen this particular area that makes it difficult for Salem to find us, I was planning in taking the both of you in, but it seems she managed to find you before we took action." Raven said with a glare, but Jet didn't feel threatened, instead it just brought up more questions.
"Then tell me, why did you attack us all those years ago to kill us?" Jet pressed the question with some heavy weight behind those words.
"At first I thought to kill you and make it quick but of course your defence was just too good for my men to handle, I know you can't forgive me for what you've done but I had to look at the situation and make a choice, whether let Salem gain more dangerous allies for her dangerous experiments or kill them beforehand or bring them to me." As soon as Raven said her piece, Jet slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage, he found what she said ridiculous and couldn't just bear to listen.
"So, you just thought to kill us because it was convenient?! You never thought to try talk to us or convince us?! What the hell is wrong with you, if it wasn't for you, my mum and dad would still be here for the love of all! - ah" Jet yelled in anger, slamming his fist on the table once more, splintering the wood where his fist left a mark. he took deep breaths to calm himself down as now wasn't the time to get angry, he just needed to listen to her.
"I just had to let it out, as much as I hate you, you saved me, so I'll repay my debt."
"Smart boy, smarter than my own brother anyway." Raven cracked a smile while taking a sip from her tea.
"So, is that all you dragged me in for?"
"Not quite, how is the project I tasked you with coming along?" Raven asked expecting some good news.
"What you're asking for is not easy, you know that right?" Jet took a sip of his tea, frowning now that it went cold and left it on the table, Raven giving him a quick look of disappointment that Jet didn't even drink his tea.
"It's just a weapon to cut through aura, is that really so hard?" Raven said mockingly, pouring herself another cup, the reason why she had asked for such a thing was, so it would be easier to deal with any huntsman she or her tribe fights as well as it means that it will be easier for the others to kill huntsman themselves if need be.
"Right, well verdict is it's possible to damage the aura quicker if I charge lightning dust through a blade that will act like a catalyst to weaken the aura on impact as it will produce a small shockwave to disturb one's aura, you've got Vernal to thank for being a test subject though I don't feel like she's too happy about it."
"While making it easier to get their aura down is nice, what about destroying it or cutting through it?" Raven now pressing forward to hear what Jet has to say.
"I have a theory that if I can charge aura through a weapon instead and change its properties to act like a negative ion, it should slice through aura as the aura would naturally separate from each other, like putting two magnets of the same poles together although it won't damage the aura, only move it aside for a brief moment but I need to do some research into autonomy and molecular structures of Aura if possible." He had finished his report and sat back.
"If you're able to do that, that would be magnificent, but it will only work for those who have aura, correct?"
"Yes"
"I see… I will continue to provide you with research materials if it helps" Raven pondered to herself for a moment and then looked back at Jet.
"I have nothing else to tell you, you're dismissed."
"Alright." Jet stood up and turned his back on Raven without taking another look back as he went back out into the camp where he was confronted by a girl with very short hair and in a sleeveless jacket and burgundy jeans and some walking boots as she curiously looked up to Jet, it was Vernal, the "Test Subject".
"What did she have to say?" She asked curiously with a smile curling.
"Just the usual gotta do more." He sighed, walking past her without much attention.
"You better start showing results soon otherwise you'll just be excess baggage to the camp you know!"
"Yeah, I know, keep your pants on."
In a small hut Jet had constructed he sat on a sat down on a stool facing a makeshift bench filled with multiple wires, tools, nuts, leaves and scraps of metal along with a half-finished sword with a half a circle on the back of it, the room was quite messy but an organised kind of messy where Jet knew where everything was, he was just too lazy to tidy the place as he believes it will just get messy again so never bothered, he built several containers and boxes to store any components and anything he built in and a rain catcher outside so he can supply himself with water without needing to leave the hut when he is busy.
Ever since Jet had been kidnapped, he never got along with the bandits, he would always be at ends with them even when forced to come out on their raiding missions which he couldn't just leave as Raven would be able to use her portals to drag him back again, so he is forced to work for her, even more so after hearing about this so called "Salem" becoming a threat to them but how she used the word "Experiment" brought back painful memories to the inventor of being tested on, having things inject into him and being brought into surgery facilities in a plain but clean facility although he dismissed those thoughts, thinking they aren't important now although he has a crest of a unusual shape as if it was from an old tribe inscribed onto him.
He looked up wondering how Sky is doing right now, as long as she's having a good life at Beacon is what's important to him right now as he looked back down at his bench and thought to get to work again, dragging out plans for the second version for the Rail-Blade MKII and leaving the other plans that detailed the anti-aura blade, new gauntlets and support items, bombs, an anti-Grimm beacon and finally one more plan that was specifically top secret in a trunk, locking them up and getting to work on focusing on the Rail-Blade for now and then soon onto a high capacity wind turbine to provide extra power to his hut.
"There's a food fight!" Sky sprinted through the corridors dragging Ray along with her who looked like she really didn't want to get involved along with Wave and Claus running behind them where they were all in their usual Beacon uniforms straight from having class with Professor Mint, Sky used her semblance to move anything in her way to the side as she clearly didn't know how to slow down in her excitement.
"Sky! What's so important about them? We are just going to get dirty!" Ray yelled out loud, but Sky wouldn't listen as she burst through the doors to witness the glorious food fight before them with all the students running around throwing food and yelling out in their battle cries that encouraged Sky to join in as she rushed in, picking up pieces of bread and joining in the fun.
"We're gonna get into so much trouble…" Ray signed in disbelief even though she's more worried about a teacher coming in now.
The rest of the team stood in shock at the whole mess until a banana flew into Wave's face where he grabbed it and looked at it before noticing that it was Sky who did it to provoke them as she looked at them with a cheeky smile before running off.
"Ray… if you ever wanted to get revenge on Sky for the pranks she pulled this is the best time." He patted her shoulder before grabbing two baguette sticks and shot off to go fight his teammate.
"Not like I have a choice, Claus you're my bodyguard."
"Wait! I never agree-"
Ray ran ahead with some leeks and Claus followed on with a can of soda as the team went to confront Sky while dodging the mess of all the other student's food flying around.
Sky had flipped up several tables to use as shields while jumping between them, launching food at her team and hitting anyone else she can really with a couple of other students joining her in the onslaught.
This became a desperate fight to get each other as Wave was launching his baguettes at Sky but she kept doing a gymnastic style of dodging while mocking him while Claus was shaking the cans and throwing them like grenades and just when it seemed Sky had the advantage, Ray vaulted over one of the tables and aimed for Sky with the looks which were blocked by a large fish Sky had picked up as now the two were involved in a intense battle of speed as thrusted their…. "Weapons" At each other while flipping over each other and parrying each other's attacks.
"There's a leak in your defences!" Sky yelled out, Ray got caught off guard by the awful pun while she was clobbered in the face by the fish like a baseball and was launched to the other side of the room.
"Special move! Pun-cobbler!"
Sky yelled her victory cry but was now at the mercy of Wave and Claus when they charged in with their bread sticks forcing Sky to go into a defensive position with her fish to block their attacks until she was finally defeated after Ray threw a soda can and exploded between the 3 followed by several more cans being thrown into them with the other students being blasted away but throwing their breadsticks back at Ray in which she dodged them with elegancy.
"How do you like that?" Ray walked up to the group covered in pieces of food and yogurt and boasted.
"Not bad… not bad at all…" Sky praised her, slowing getting up and holding out her hand in respect although Ray refuses to take that hand cause simply, Sky's hands are just sticky from the soda.
Then all of a sudden, an orange splatters on Sky's head, dying half of her hair orange as she looks behind herself to see a girl with bright orange hair and a love heart on her white shirt, wearing a pink skirt as she giggled and ran away.
"Right… let's get her." Sky looked unamused, picking up her large fish and holding it like a baseball bat.
"Wave"
"Got it"
Wave picked up whatever fruit he could and started pitching them to Sky where she batted them like in a game of baseball at the cheeky girl as she just jumped around laughing out loud while it seems her teammates started stacking the tables and chairs into a large pile, dwarfing the team.
"I'm the queen of the castle, I'm queen of the castle!" She cried out in her overconfidence but just as Wave was about to launch a watermelon at Sky to bat…
"Glynda is on her way!" A male student with scarlet red medium length hair shouted as some of the students ran out of the dining hall to not get punished.
"Oh, crap we need to go team!" Sky shot up and yelled before dashing out of the dining hall, throwing the fish away and picking up any food she thought was edible still to eat later on.
"Don't leave us for dead, I'm too young to die!" Ray ran after her but was picked up by Wave as he could run faster and Claus following behind as the team exited the building like their lives depended on it as they just made out Glynda walking out from one building to the dining hall, praying that the rest of the students survive her punishments.
Back in the dorm the team was stood around panting, catching their breaths from their long long run to safety.
"Dammit Sky… first you drag up to the dining hall like that and next you almost get us into serious trouble, what's gotten into you?" Wave was the first to ask, sitting on the floor and letting out an exhausted sigh.
"Well ever since I got out of the hospital things have been boring and nothing much has been going on, so I wanted some excitement you know? To relax a little." She said, falling onto her bed and kicking her legs out in the air but realising how sticky she is from the fight, so she picks up a towel and her usual clothes.
"I'm going to take a sho-" Sky was about to say but Ray gripped onto her shoulders with a lot of force put into it and glared in her face.
"No, you're the one who started this, I think I need the shower the most here." She said half threateningly while taking a fish scale out of her hair.
"But aren't the shower rooms shared here?" Wave pointed out to the girls and they just look at each other before Ray goes to get a towel and a shower bag plus a shower cap as she looked at Sky and looked towards the door.
"Let's go."
Sky nodded and turned to the guys.
"Aren't you going to shower?"
"We didn't really get much on us, so we'll wait till the evening, the shower rooms are sure to be full by now for us." Wave said, and Claus agreed with him.
"Plus, we've got to go over our notes anyway." Claus added.
"Well have it your way, hey Ray come with me to get some strawberry soda after, I think they got a new shipment of my favourite brand in today."
"Only if you're paying."
The two approach the door and Ray opens it but to their surprise, Professor Mint is stood on the other side looking like a storm is about to come down on them.
"So… care to tell me where you ran off to Ms. Boltwight?" She asked in a silent rage, this caught the two out by surprise, they quickly looked back to the guys for help, but they already ran to hide from what is about to happen as now Sky was in the hot seat.
"Well you see… we were hungry and-"
"You went to the dining hall correct?"
"Yes."
"And what was you doing in that dining hall?"
"Just eating you know, I heard it was strawberry cheesecake day for desert." Sky attempted to make it sound like everything went as normal as possible to hopefully avoid any trouble, Ray was making full use of her right to remain silent.
"Not throwing I assume?" Mint peered closer into Sky's eyes, only making her more nervous.
"Of course, not…" Sky cracked an awkward smile, feeling like she's gonna break at any point.
"The CCTV says different as among the ruckus that was happening, you seemed to have taken part in that fight, even if it was for a short time, it was clear since you're the only one with ridiculous hair like that."
Sky gulped, sweating from her sheer amount of nervousness and the fact she got busted.
"Uhhh…hehe…ha…ha" She couldn't muster the thought of any words to say.
"I'm sorry."
"You're suspended and your teammate here for 3 days, take that time to reflect on your actions, the rest of your team will take notes for you and you must catch up on everything along with handing in an apology letter, homework and all." Mint forced some homework papers onto Sky and marched on to go punish the next set of students, Sky collapsed to her knees and let out the biggest whine she could.
"Suspended? Oh no, Jet's gonna be so mad at me if he finds out about this." She whined with worry looking at the stack of paper she received, especially when her hands were covered in fish and other fruits earlier.
"If people find out about this my reputation will be ruined, you better take responsibility Sky!" Ray complained at her with a slight tear to her eyes.
"Wow… I didn't expect that from our lovable teacher." Claus came out from hiding followed by Wave, Sky ran over to him and tugged onto his shirt as she looked up him half crying.
"What should I do? I can't just sit around for these days; the hospital was boring enough and if my brother knows that I got suspended like this he will make a fool of me while being mad of me." The poor girl cried out, Wave couldn't do anything but stand there dumbfounded by this reaction, this was the last thing he'd expect to see from the proud and joyous team leader he knew.
"Sky just go for your shower, make it a long one so you can calm down…please." Claus suggested to her and Ray proceeded to drag the crying leader up, handing over the papers to the boys.
"Come on, let's cry all about it when we are not in front of everyone, plus we might see that girl again from earlier, so we can get back at her." She said, giving a sharp glare while also tearing up, being just as upset about it as Sky was but can actually hold it back.
"O-okay…" Sky sniffed, giving the sheets to Wave and picking up the shower and her own wash bag before following Ray out of the room, leaving the two guys in the room.
"Wave… let's-"
"Don't even think about it."
Claus' hopes and dreams shattered before he could even finish what he was gonna say.
In the shower room, along with other girls presumably from the food fight, it was rather quiet, so they probably also got caught by the professors and are all in low spirits, Sky was washing Ray's hair while taking out any fish scales that might be in her hair and well she kind of owed the Idol wannabe after that whole mess.
"Make sure it's all out."
"Yeah, yeah."
Sky was annoyed with the homework she got even though she did deserve it, now finishing with Ray's hair, she turned to doing her own, taking some shampoo out of her bottle and applied it into her hair while she stood under the shower but before she turned on the shower head, the engineer thought to lift her spirits and be mischievous.
She dragged her finger down the middle Ray's exposed back, causing the Idol to yelp and wriggle away onto the floor, looking up at Sky in a curled-up position with her face gone red.
"What was that for?!" She yelled, standing up again, her expression turning from a vulnerable girl to a strong, angry one.
"I felt like we were letting this get to us, so I thought to brighten the mood you know?" Sky smiled, feeling satisfied with Ray's satisfaction, she continued to shower down Ray's hair till she was satisfied with the results.
"Who was that girl anyway from earlier? It was like she took over that whole scene in an instant." Ray asked, now brushing her hair, finding one last fish scale and gave Sky a quick glare but continued with her brushing.
"Her name was Nora, she's in that team with Pyrrha, the popular student here with her amazing fighting skills even though I'm more interested in her weaponry." She said, like she purposely studied about the team.
"And what about the guys?"
"Dunno, one is quiet but looks great to get along with while the other is uh… how should I put it."
"Weak?"
"That's it!"
The girls giggled, Sky started on the conditioner, applying it to her head and letting it absorb into her hair as she scrubbed her body.
"You were talking about Jaune, right?" A figure with long red hair approached them, it was Pyrrha.
The two spun around looking at her in surprise, now it was the case of who was the first to speak.
"But he will improve, won't he?" Sky said, trying not to sound like she's downgrading her teammate.
"He will with training and while he spends time at this academy, I just want to say it would be nice if you kept your comments to yourselves." Pyrrha said her piece and moved on to an empty shower head.
"Welp… we are getting told off left right and centre here, especially by other students." Ray sighed as she grabbed her towel and wrapped herself in it.
"But she's right, with all of us taking training at this academy, we will all improve, it's not bad being weak in the beginning, it just means you have the biggest potential to grow." The engineer said, finishing off washing her hair, turning off the showerhead and grabbing her towel and wrapping it around her, taking a look over to Pyrrha to notice a small smile from her which indicates that she was listening, the two swiftly turned away and just got up and left.
Woo! SCRW is back and with much longer chapters and this time starting with an actual arc, I'm so excited to share this and I hope you all enjoyed reading it too! stay tuned for next week as that's when the main plot begins.