Really quickly: I know that the trope I used last chapter of "Character A reveals their trick to Character B after they use it on them" is overdone and cliché, but it was meant to show that Yang was being cocky and bragging to her opponent even though she wasn't out of the fight yet. I could've done a better job of showing that last chapter, but hopefully this new one clears that up some more. Speaking of, here is the newest chapter of Silver Spectre:
Weiss's fist slammed into the rotting wood, making it explode into splinters. Her teeth were clenched as she stared at the spot where the girl had just been before rising to her feet. She turned around to regard her allies, and Ruby frowned when she saw how the girl gripped her sword tightly.
"We need to go after her!" Weiss urged, but Yang just shook her head sadly.
"Weiss, she got away. There's nothing more we can do," She explained, but Weiss brushed her off.
"If we wait, she'll only get further!" She argued, but Jaune just placed a hand on her shoulder.
"We don't even know where she went. We should get back to Vale; that's where she is likely headed toward," He suggested. Weiss glared at him, but acquiesced. She sheathed her sword with one swift motion and began to walk purposefully down the stairs. Yang and Jaune shared a look before following after her. Blake merely looked at the ground, unable to look at Weiss.
Ruby followed after them, staring at Weiss as she cursed softly to herself. The girl was being too harsh, but Ruby knew that this wasn't a good time to confront her on it; it'd likely cause an argument, and Weiss would look like a lunatic to the others arguing with empty space. Instead, the ghost waited anxiously for someone to speak up, desperately hoping they'd diffuse the situation.
It was Blake who ironically enough broke the silence. Her feline ears were flat against her skull as she shyly muttered. "I'm sorry, Weiss. I should've stopped her," The raven-haired woman said with a downcast expression.
"Yes. You should've," Weiss stated venomously, making Ruby and Blake gape at her in surprise. "You should've been able to subdue her. Yang should've been focusing on the opponent instead of bragging, and I should've been able to stop her with my glyph. But none of that happened."
Yang sent her an angry look. "Hey, she tried her best. The last thing she needs is for you to start criticizing her for that," The blonde woman growled, causing Weiss to whirl around to face her.
"Oh, she tried her best? Well that's wonderful; why don't we tell that girl that Blake tried her best, then maybe she'll give us the book back," She exclaimed sarcastically. Yang just took a step back as Weiss got in her personal space. "We failed, and there are no excuses. Every one of us would've been able to beat that girl in a fight alone, but she managed to outmaneuver all of us!"
Blake just frowned. "Weiss, I promise I'll help get the book back," She declared, but Weiss just sent her an angry glare.
"Are you sure you won't just lose it a second time?" She sneered angrily, making Ruby recoil as if struck. She had never seen Weiss act so hatefully. Yang was furious at her words, and her eyes turned crimson as she clenched her fists and stomped up to Weiss.
"Listen here, princess! We tried to help you get your stupid book, so the least you can do is be grateful we did that much for you, you spoiled little brat!" The knight-in-training roared, taking a step toward Weiss with each word. The white-haired girl backed away from the furious blonde as her eyes widened.
"Yang, stop!" Blake called out, stretching her arm to try and hold her friend back, but Yang just shrugged her off.
"I actually thought you were pretty cool for a noble. But after seeing you throw a temper tantrum over something so meaningless, I realized you're just as bad as every other little noble brat," The red-eyed girl spat out. Ruby yelled out when she saw Weiss scowl and straighten up, but her companion ignored her plea to stop.
"A stupid little book? Something meaningless?" She cried out in disbelief, seemingly offended that Yang had so casually dismissed something of such great importance. "That 'stupid little book' represents the only thing I have left!" She exclaimed, making Yang pause. Blake wilted further where she stood, and Jaune just glanced between the two in worry. Ruby prayed for her blonde friend to intervene, but he merely watched.
"I gave up everything to come here!" Weiss explained, taking a step toward Yang and forcing the taller girl backward. "I left Atlas with nothing but some books, a sword, my armor, and a goal. I gave up everything I'd ever known just for a chance to translate that damned tome and finish my grandfather's work, but that was just stolen from me, right in front of my eyes. I'd say my anger is justified, wouldn't you?" The ex-heiress ranted.
Yang opened her mouth to retort, but Jaune cut her off. "Stop it, you two. You can have this argument once we're back in Vale. Out here, you're just drawing the Grimm to us," He told them, pointing a finger out of a window to where they could see several Ursa pause and seemingly sniff at the air, as if they had smelled something.
Yang and Weiss glared at each other, but both understood that continuing to argue like this would get them killed. They were in the center of a city teeming with Grimm, and if they were attacked they'd have to fight their way through hordes of the creatures just to get away. Ruby let out a relieved sigh, thankful that Jaune had managed to get them to stop.
But the spirit couldn't help but worry as she followed the group out of the ruined library. Yang and Weiss scowled at each other every time their eyes met, and Blake couldn't even meet Weiss's gaze. Jaune just looked panicked at the thought of being the most stable of them, and Ruby could understand. The day where Jaune was most fit to lead a group consisting of her sister, Weiss, and a skilled swordswoman was a dark day indeed.
Ruby had to work extra hard to scout around for enemies, as the Grimm were naturally drawn closer to the quartet. It wasn't hard to figure out the reason, as she didn't need Grimm senses to know that Weiss and Yang were spewing negativity. Fortunately for them, there were plenty of Grimm around for them to release their anger on.
An Ursa meandered out from behind a pile of rubble just in time for Weiss to shoot forward and stab it through the eye. The creature roared and reared up on its hind legs, exposing its stomach for Yang to cleave through, killing the beast. The pair had struck so quickly, Ruby hadn't even had time to warn them about it. But instead of complimenting each other on their skills like they should've, they just scoffed.
Blake was almost worse, in a way, since she was so cautious about angering Weiss further. Her attacks were overly methodical and calculated, only striking when she was certain it would be a killing blow That disappointed Ruby, because she wanted to see the enchanted blades in real combat, not this. Myrtenaster and Ember Celica were cool, but Blake's weapons were new to her and thus exciting.
Jaune and his sword, Crocea Mors, did most of the heavy lifting. Yang and Weiss killed any Grimm they came across, but were so lost in thought that many of the black monsters managed to sneak up on them. Jaune would quickly deal with those ones, often with a single slash. Ruby, despite the bad situation, smiled as she saw how much her friend had improved.
Eventually, they had managed to reach the edge of the city. In the distance, they could see several massive Goliaths as they traveled in a line away from Vale. The group had quickly ducked for cover, but the Grimm barely spared them a passing glance. Goliath Grimm were known to not only be ancient, but also ruthlessly intelligent. They knew that they would flee if they approached, so it would be pointless to even try.
Curiously, the large Goliath at the front seemed to glance at Ruby as she floated in the air. Its twin orbs of red light glared balefully at her before it snorted and continued its walking. The lost soul frowned to herself. That was the second time an ancient Grimm had stared right at her. "Can they see my aura?" She thought to herself briefly, before shrugging.
That was a mystery for another time, because right now she had a different problem to solve. Yang and Blake were setting up tents a good distance from the city, and Weiss and Jaune were out collecting firewood. Ruby followed them along at a distance, not quite ready to confront Weiss at the moment. How was she supposed to solve this problem? The girl shot a glance toward the west, where the sun was setting.
"I could use some help right now, Mom. How do I get out of this one?" The ghost thought to herself, but received no answer except a small gust of winter wind that blew several dead leaves through her spectral form. Figures. She had to fix this situation on her own, and that was easier said than done.
When he heard the familiar sound of shattering glass, Roman perked up. He'd been worried these past few days while Neo had been gone, and it was a relief to know she hadn't been eaten by a Grimm. The cocky thief turned around to greet her, but his jaw, along with his cigar, fell to the floor at what he saw.
Neo was breathing heavily, with several lacerations along her arms and abdomen. Sweat poured down her face as she gasped for air, causing her entire frame to shake with each deep breath. Her mismatched eyes seemed unfocused, and the poor girl looked like it was taking all she had to stand straight. Suddenly, the girl's eyes rolled up as she vomited on the floor, clutching her stomach.
"Neo! How long did you use the mirror for?" Roman exclaimed in concern. Bleary eyes glanced up at him, and the frail-looking girl held up five fingers. Roman nearly fainted in fear. Using the mirror for anything over one hour had disastrous effects on the body, and it only grew exponentially worse with each added hour.
"Gods, are you okay Neo?" He asked, but the girl just smiled and snuggled into his chest, sighing contentedly. He hugged his surrogate daughter closely to his chest as he took in her injuries. "How'd you get all these cuts?" He asked, but the multi-colored girl just frowned. She withdrew one of the knives strapped to her leg and showed him its silvery blade.
The thief recognized the weapon as one of the magic artifacts he'd given Neo and took a look. Instead of showing his reflection, it showed whoever's blood the weapon last drew. Torchwick could faintly make out the image of a cat faunus in the center of the blade, with a blonde-haired woman sitting next to her at a campfire. Across from them sat Weiss Schnee, and Roman cursed to himself.
"Of course it's her fault," He muttered to himself before assessing Neo. "I take it you didn't get the girl," He said frustratedly. The small girl flinched, making him sigh. "Sorry, Neo. I didn't mean it like that. I'd never hurt you. Did you at least get that book they were talking about?" The thief queried, receiving a nod.
The pink-and-brown haired girl withdrew a large, leather-bound book titled A Treatise on the ancient languages of Sanus. His eyes flicked to the author's name, Maria Calavera, and he flipped open the book. Detailed notes greeted him, with the two pages seemingly being written in an ancient language and the modern tongue respectively.
"I imagine the scholarly types will pay quite a handsome fee to have something like this back," Torchwick chuckled darkly. "Good work Neo. This'll cover the cost of the boat," He declared happily, causing Neo to shoot him a curious look. "It's nothing you need to worry about, kid. Just something I've been thinking about," Roman lied to the girl, who gave him a suspicious look.
"Come on, Neo. We've got about three weeks until the next full moon, so we need to hurry our asses up and get the next shipment moving along," The thief stated, rising to his feet and twirling his cane. "And as much as I hate working with those mutts, they certainly get the job done better than any of our men."
Neo gave him a determined nod, making him chuckle and ruffle her hair. The pair of them slipped out of the warehouse and headed from the Industrial District toward the Commercial District. Few people were out on the streets, and those who were knew better than to mess with Roman Torchwick, the lord of all crime in Vale.
But unbeknownst to Torchwick, two pairs of eyes followed him all the way to his destination, a small bookstore located on a quiet street. When the thief entered the building and never left, the two sets of spying eyes looked toward each other and nodded. Junior would want to know this information, and there was no way for them to follow Torchwick into the building without being caught. For now, this would do.
The walk back from Mountain Glenn was miserable. They hadn't received much sleep last night thanks to the frequent Grimm attacks that kept them awake, and said attacks only continued during the day time. They'd been able to avoid the brunt of the Grimm on the way to the ruined city thanks to their high spirits, but with Weiss and Yang arguing the Grimm were drawn to them like moths to a flame.
When they finally reached the gates of Vale, they were all exhausted. There had been no large, ancient Grimm like that Nevermore that attacked them on the way in, but there were hordes of smaller Beowolves, Ursai, and Boarbatusks. By the time the high walls that surrounded the agricultural district were in sight, their armor was covered in dirt and their blades felt heavy in their hands.
The first thing they did was head toward Beacon Castle to inform Doctor Oobleck of what had transpired. As the lift took them to the top of the cliff, they all sat in silence. A few merchants shared the space with them, but could clearly see the tension in the air and opted not to speak. The silence caused Weiss and Yang's anger to fester, and by the time they had reached the top their anger was reinvigorated.
"Let's just go, Blake. We can get Jaune to pick up our payment," Yang declared, grabbing onto Blake's hand and pulling her away. The cat-eared girl held firm, standing in place.
"No, Yang. We need to explain to the Doctor what happened," Blake stated. Yang could do nothing but stare at her in disbelief.
"You really want us to go and listen to Weiss badmouth us to some scholar?" The blonde girl stuttered out, and Weiss scoffed.
"I have no intention of badmouthing any of you. I plan to tell Oobleck the truth; that we were cocky and failed to recover the translator," The white-haired girl spoke up. Yang just rolled her eyes.
"You see, that sounds like badmouthing to me," She snarked, and Weiss clenched her fists.
"If you put half as much effort into your training as you do getting on my nerves, you might've been able to stop that girl from getting away," The Atlesian noble mocked.
"I don't need to put in effort. It's a talent," She bragged. "And to think I thought you were pretty cool. But here you are, getting so worked up over a little book. Didn't you even say that there were other copies of this book elsewhere?" She asked.
"Yes. In other kingdoms. As in, Atlas, where I can't go without being caught by my father, Mistral, which is in the middle of a civil war, and Vacuo, which is the most disorganized mess of settlements that dares to call itself a kingdom," The white-haired girl ranted. Blake just frowned.
"I can understand your anger with us, but you are really obsessed with this book. If it had been destroyed, I could get it. But it was just stolen, and there are even other copies if you can't find this one," Blake stated, causing Weiss to turn to face her.
"The issue is that I don't have the time for this. My father will eventually find me here in Vale, at which point moving around will become difficult. I need to gather everything I need to translate my grandfather's ancient tome before my father stations men in Vale to 'recover' me," She explained.
"So you're in a rush to help yourself, but barely lift a finger when thousands of faunus slaves die in your father's mines every year?" The black-haired faunus asked with a raised eyebrow, making Weiss scoff.
"Is that what this is about? The faunus?" The noble questioned, before letting out a dry, humorless laugh. "What would you have me do? Had I spoken out against my father, I would've been disowned. I didn't have the power to invoke any change, so the best I could do was to wait until my father passed and I inherited his territory," Weiss explained.
"Not like that matters now," Yang muttered to herself. When Weiss sent her an indignant look, she elaborated. "I'm just saying that if you were planning on running away, might as well help out as many people as you can before headin' out," The knight-in-training reasoned.
"Easier said then done. And my decision to leave wasn't exactly a well-planned scheme," Weiss said with a sneer. Blake just rolled her eyes.
"That doesn't really help your argument. If anything, it makes you seem more like an impulsive child," Blake mocked, and Weiss just scowled. The white-haired girl wanted nothing more than to drive her sword into Yang's smug smirk, but restrained herself.
"I doubt you could ever understand," She said with a sigh. Yang just frowned at her.
"You're right. I could never understand what it's like to be such a heartless bitc-"
"Can you all just shut up?" Jaune cut Yang off. "Gods, let's just get this over with," Ruby sent Jaune a thankful look, not that he saw it. She hated choosing between Weiss and Yang, but with how hateful they'd been acting toward each other it wasn't hard to see that both sides were in the wrong here.
Weiss opened her mouth to retort, but Ruby shut her up. "Weiss, please. Just talk to Oobleck and get this over with," She pleaded, making Weiss close her mouth and stare at the ground in defeat. Ruby gave her a soft smile, but the mood was soured by Yang almost immediately.
"Fine, but you better not embellish the story and make us look like idiots," Yang snarked, always having to have the last word.
"I believe it was that girl who made us all look like idiots," Weiss snarked back, before straightening up. "We're here. Remember to be polite," She shot that last remark to Yang, who rolled her eyes. With a sigh, Weiss knocked on the door firmly.
"Come in," A voice that was distinctly not Doctor Oobleck's called out from inside the room. The quartet looked at each other before opening the door and stepping into the room. Inside, Doctor Oobleck sat at his desk, drinking from a mug. Across from him sat Commander Port, who regarded them with interest.
"Ah, Ms. Schnee and company! Were you successful in recovering the translator tome?" The excitable scholar asked, mirth dancing in his eyes. He took a long sip of his steaming drink, only to spit it out onto his friend with Weiss's next words.
"No."
"C-Come again?" Oobleck asked, only to receive several downcast looks in response. "I apologize, it's just that you seemed so determined to do so, I can't imagine any Grimm that could've stopped you from returning alive without it," He reasoned, wiping his spectacles on his tunic and passing Port a handkerchief, who scowled at him and wiped his face.
"It wasn't a Grimm that stopped us. It was a girl," Blake told them, causing them to look at her in surprise.
"A girl? What do you mean, Ms...?" Commander Port asked, leaning forward in intrigue.
"Belladonna. Blake Belladonna. And a girl appeared and attacked us before running off with the book," The raven-haired woman said. Port and Oobleck both exchanged worried glances before turning to regard them once more.
"Can you describe her? This mystery girl?" The scholar asked, peering at them from over his spectacles.
"She was wearing a white jacket and a grey tunic. She used knives, and had hair that was brown and pink, with white streaks in it," Yang listed off, counting on her fingers. "She was skilled, but not enough to really beat any of us. The only reason she got away was because she had some fancy magic mirror."
"And because we weren't able to stop her," Weiss mumbled under her breath. No one but Ruby heard her, and the girl in question sent her friend a concerned glance. The scholar sent his companion a curious glance, but the portly commander of the knights shrugged.
"I don't recognize the description, but I'll inform the guards to keep an eye out for someone who matches it. If we find her, you'll be the first to know," He reassured Weiss. "Feel free to investigate in the meantime, but I'd ask you don't do so alone. Roman Torchwick made it clear that he will take any opportunity to capture you, young lady," The older man said.
"I understand," She said, before turning to face the scholar. "What should we do now? Do we look for the copy of the translator the girl stole, or try and obtain one from elsewhere?"
The green-haired man pondered this, bringing a hand to his chin. "I imagine the girl still has it. If she were hired to steal it, then whoever hired her could've taken it at any time before now. So she is likely still in Vale, seeking a buyer. Many scholars of... morally dubious nature would love to get their hands on it, however. I believe that the book will be sold within a month," He rationalized.
"Since there are no other copies within the Kingdom of Vale, this presents an issue. Copies of Maria Calavera's work are rare indeed; and no nation will surrender theirs to another without a price. But with Mistral in its current state and Vacuo being Vacuo, our only chance would be Atlas. But they would surely demand we hand you over to your father," The doctor explained. "Thus, we ought to look for the stolen copy."
"I understand. I will find it!" Weiss declared, looking right at Ruby. The ghost knew that her words were directed at her to reassure her of her promise, but they only made Ruby more worried. How far would Weiss be willing to go to help her?
"Excellent! I like your spirit! Feel free to ask my men for help anytime!" Commander Port exclaimed. Weiss gave him a grateful nod. "Why, I may even ask General Glynda if she'll consider lending her aid. The full force of the Valean military would be enough to drag this girl to justice!" The elderly man declared bombastically.
"I believe that would be an inappropriate use of her time," Doctor Oobleck shot him down, before turning to the others. "Now, I imagine you'll be wanting your pay, correct?" Receiving an excited look from Yang, a nod from Blake, and a sigh from Jaune, he chuckled and pulled out three pouches of lien. "One thousand lien, each. Feel free to count it, I won't be offended if you do so," He told them.
They each grabbed a pouch and smiled, taking him at his word. "Thank you, Doctor," They all said in unison. The man just smiled and pulled out a leather satchel that jingled as it moved.
"I am paid more than enough by the king to read old books. I have no need for such wealth. Which is why I'm willing to offer you all three thousand lien to help in Ms. Schnee's investigation," He declared, emptying the satchel and revealing a massive amount of golden lien coins. The trio's jaws fell to the floor as they took in the glittering pile of coins.
"W-Why us?" Jaune stuttered out, forcing himself to look away from the gleaming golden coins to stare into Oobleck's eyes. Commander Port let out a hearty chuckle and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"I have been speaking to him about how trustworthy you all are. I can't imagine a group of more helpful individuals to aid Ms. Schnee in her goal!" The overweight man praised. "Between you and Ms. Xiao-Long's training, you will be invaluable when it comes time to subdue this mystery thief. And Ms. Belladonna seems to be just the type to be able to chase this thief into your trap," He explained.
"That is what I had in mind," Oobleck confirmed. "If that is alright with you, Ms. Schnee?" He asked. Ruby could see that Weiss wanted to say no, and be done with Yang for good. Fortunately, Weiss also saw the merit in having their aid and nodded. "Excellent. Now the decision comes to you all," The scholar informed them. Ruby's eyes flicked from Jaune, to Yang, then to Blake.
The blonde boy let out a sigh. "I'll do it. I would've offered my help anyway, so I don't have a reason not to when I'm getting paid to do it," He explained, rubbing a hand on the back of his head. Blake just glanced from the pile of lien to the one in her hand, then to Weiss. She also sighed and stepped forward.
"I'll help to. I need the money," She explained, not looking Weiss in the eye. "Not to mention it's my fault she got away," All eyes in the room turned to Yang, who was frowning deeply. Ruby couldn't tell what Yang was thinking, but she wagered a guess that it was either something bad about Weiss or about how much she could buy with three thousand lien. Finally, she came to a decision.
"Fine. I'll help you find you stupid book," She spat out. "Let's go, Blake. We'll search around in the morning," She ushered her companion out of the room. Once the two left, an awkward silence permeated through the office as Oobleck pulled at his collar and Port coughed awkwardly. Eventually, Jaune let out a loud sigh.
"Does anyone else think this entire trip could've gone so much better?"
I'm not the biggest fan of the dialogue in this chapter, but I don't really know how to improve it. I just know that it can be made to look like less of a mess. Overall, this chapter wasn't a very good one in my opinion since it didn't contain anything I particularlly enjoy writing, such as fight scenes or wholesome WhiteRose interactions. Those come in the next few chapters, but this one needed to be a more drama focused chapter.
I know that it was pretty irrational for Weiss to be so angry at Yang and Blake, but just bear with me on it. She's not supposed to be in the right in this situation, and is instead just lashing out in anger and blaming whoever's closest to her for this. And Yang and Blake are also supposed to be hypocritical in this scenario, so don't go rioting about that in the reviews. It's a shitty situation and they're reacting shittily.
Also, this chapter marks the 100K word mark. This fic is officially the longest thing I've ever written, by a long shot. And it's maybe a quarter of the way done. Damn. I hope you'll stick around for the ride, because I don't have any plans of stopping anytime soon.
This chapter is overall not my best work so please give me constructive criticism on how to improve my writing. I really need the help when it comes to writing arguments, since the ones I write are kind of boring. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Have a nice day!
