RWBY: Shadow Company
Chapter 36
"They're staring at us," Leon said. He watched the windows as they walked by. Lots of faces were looking at them.
Frost looks as well, "They're just curious, Leon. They've never seen us before."
"Yeah, if you count the glares as curious. They look like they hate our guts."
Frost sighs.
"So be it, then. Don't let that bother you, Leon."
"I'll try my best. But don't count on it."
"I won't. I know you well enough." Frost taps his shoulder.
Leon smirks, "Heh, old man."
They reached the front gates, and the two guards from last night were waiting for them. One of them walks forward.
"Oh, you both are here, good," Matthew said.
"As we agreed. Care to fill us in on your mission for us?"
"There is a bandit camp, but it's a bit of a walk to get there," Matthew explained.
"They like to live close to keep us in check." Said Greg.
"Bandits aren't an issue for us," Leon added.
"Here, you can follow this pathway. It will lead you to the base."
Frost and Leon marked it on their maps.
"Anything else for us before we go?" Frost asked.
Matthew and Greg shook their heads.
"Well, we'll be off then."
"Good luck. You'll need it." Matthew said.
Leon nods, "Thanks."
Matthew watched as they left the town. Once they were far away, they felt it was safe enough to talk.
"I can't believe we're doing this," Greg said.
Matthew nods.
"We are."
"They were our only hope. And we're choosing to betray them?"
Matthew sighs, "It's not like we had a choice. The bandits had us at our throats. I'm not going to risk the safety of our home."
"That girl they brought in. It's her they want. But who is she? Is she not a huntress?" Greg asked.
He shrugged, "Maybe she is, or maybe she's not. Either way, as long as they have her, we'll all be safe."
"She must be important if they wanted her so badly."
"Shut up. Someone's coming." Matthew warned.
Just then, two huntsmen came out of the woods.
"Sorry, no entry. Town's closed." Matthew said.
The two huntsmen pulled out their weapons.
"We're here to collect." They didn't want to waste any time.
"Of course, come in."
"Thanks." He said as he bumped into his shoulder. They laughed as they entered.
"Assholes. I bet they stole those clothes." Greg said.
"Even if we want to stop them, we couldn't. They'll warn the others. And if it's not them, Branwen would still know."
"What are they going to do when they find her?"
"Who knows, but I hope Frost and Leon will kill every last one of them," Matthew whispered.
"They have to survive. They have to." Greg said.
/-/
Leon takes the lead while Frost follows behind.
"I sure hope Weiss will be okay without us for a while," Leon said.
"I am too, but we'll be back before she knows it."
"She's getting weaker again. That nullifier has got to go."
"Delta said they'll be there soon. They need to clean up a few messes first." Frost said.
"Right, you mean that mess those rogues did? I was surprised they didn't kill them."
"We don't kill huntsmen, Leon. We detain them if we can. It's not nice for the public to know we kill their protectors."
Leon rolled his eyes, "That shit doesn't sound right."
Frost laughs in response.
"I can agree with you on that," Frost said.
"Hold up. I think this might be the place." Frost said.
They arrived at the location on the map. But there was something off that Leon noticed.
"This fort. It's a piece of shit." Leon groaned.
"But where's everyone? Shouldn't someone be guarding the place?" Frost asked.
Leon scoffs, "This smells like a trap to me, Frost. Bandits never leave the camp unguarded."
"There's a chance that Branwen might be here as well."
"Fuck that. We need to get out of here. An ambush is the last thing we need right now."
Frost nods, "You're right. We need to,"
Leon suddenly tackles Frost, "Watch out!"
They dived onto the ground as bullets whistled above them.
"Shit! They blew our plan! Get them!" A bandit shouted.
Soon, more came out of hiding, waving their weapons and charging at them.
Frost and Leon rolled away from each other and fired back, "Thanks for saving me back there, Leon." Frost said.
"You're welcome."
"We got to move. There's too many." Frost said.
"Go where, to the camp? That's crazy!"
"No choice. Get a grenade ready."
Leon primes a grenade, "Ready."
"Throw it!"
Leon nods and throws it at the bandits.
"Go!" Frost shouted as they got up and ran.
"Grenade!" They panicked. They stopped attacking and took cover, waiting for the blast to arrive.
But instead of a fiery blast of shrapnel, all that came out was a cloud of white smoke engulfing them.
"What? It's just smoke. Find them!"
But they started coughing, their eyes watering, and their skin itching like crazy.
"What is this!? My skin is burning!" One of them cried.
"It's not smoke! It's a poisonous gas! Get out of there!"
Leon was the first to enter the camp, "Oh great, now what?" He turns around only to find that Frost is missing.
"Frost, where are you?" Leon spoke on his radio.
"Look, there he is!"
Two more ran towards him and aimed their guns, But Leon was quicker and shot both of them down, denying them a chance to get a shot at him.
"Hah, you're outmatched." Leon said, "Uh oh."
But as soon as he said that, more bandits came out of the woods and started shooting at him.
"Not good." Leon dives behind a large fallen tree. Thankfully the tree was thick enough to block the oncoming fire.
"Frost, I'm taking fire over here. I could use your help, like right now, please." He said.
Leon reloads his rifle and spends a full mag blind firing in their direction to keep the heat off him. While practical, he couldn't afford to waste more bullets on them like this.
"Frost now would be a good time!"
"He's pinned. Move, flank him!"
They spread out and moved towards Leon. They had him right where they wanted him. "Once you guys see him, shoot him."
Out of nowhere, Frost dives into the air and slows down time, allowing him to shoot mid-jump.
Frost grabs a stick of dynamite and throws it at the group of bandits. He aimed his revolver and shot the crystal, sending the explosive destruction to them.
Frost lands on the ground and shoots off the survivors. Leon joins in and finishes them off.
Once the last has fallen, the silence has entered the camp again.
"That hurt. I'm getting too old for this." He groaned in pain.
Leon gets over to Frost and helps him up.
"We're clear. The others will be here soon. We should think of a plan while we're ahead."
"Yeah, a plan is good. But getting out now is impossible. The bandits got us surrounded."
"It's been a while since I've seen you done that stunt, Frost. You are used to that all the time. What happened?" Leon asked.
Frost massaged his shoulder, "I'm in my sixties, Leon. Give me a break. I'm not young anymore."
"That was pretty cool, though. It reminds me of the old days."
The previous group from the ambush caught up with them, "There they are!" The leader shouted.
"Oh shit. Our friends are back." Leon said.
"Shoot them!"
"Get to that cabin. We can barricade over there!" Frost pointed at the far end of the camp.
"Wait, but we'll get trapped in there. We'll have nowhere else to run!" Leon said.
"It's better than dying out here, now, come on!"
They entered the cabin to continue the fight, "Alright, here we go." Frost said.
"They're in the cabin!"
The bandits began to shoot up the place.
Leon and Frost continued to shoot from the windows, "I don't think this cabin is going to hold for long." Leon said.
Frost throws another grenade out the window, "It won't, but we'll make it."
"Hold your fire." A voice from a woman said.
The shooting stops.
"What's going on? They stop firing at us." Leon asked.
"I don't know, but stay down. Don't peek out the windows."
"I never thought I'd see the day. And it looks like it was much easier than I thought." She said.
"Leon, don't. Stay down. That's an order."
"Is that Raven? Shit. Just our luck."
"Just stay low and keep quiet. I don't think that Raven knows that it's us." Frost pleaded.
"I suggest you put your weapons down and give up. There's no need for more violence."
Leon had enough, "That's not going to happen, Raven." He replied.
"No, damn it, Leon," Frost whispered.
"Leon? Shadows? Oh shit, just my luck." Raven whispered.
"Uh, is there a problem, boss?"
"No, just meeting an old friend of mine," Raven said.
"It's terrible to see you again, Branwen. I thought you were dead after the battle at Long Bridge." Leon said.
"The same to you too. I haven't seen your ass since the last skirmish we had. How's the family?" Raven asked.
"Who the fuck starts with that question? You already know." Leon said.
"It must be a pain that you can't see your wife often."
"Careful, Branwen. You want to start something other than that with me. At least my wife is still loyal. Your husband has moved on now."
"I don't care about that man one bit."
"Yeah, keep lying to yourself. You ran away from what I heard, you unfaithful witch," Leon said.
"Asshole. I should have killed you when I had the chance."
"Keep dreaming, bitch. I'm not that easy to kill."
"I'm not scared of the Beast in the South." Raven declared.
But the mention of that name caused everyone else to shiver in fear.
"Stop it, Leon. That's enough." Frost said.
"What? Was I too childish?"
"Yes, now stop it. It's not helping us in the slightest." Frost demanded.
"You might be wondering how you got into this mess," Raven asked.
"I might."
"Well, convincing the guards to help us wasn't that hard."
"Of course she did, and we fell for it," Leon whispered. "We walked ourselves into a goddamn trap."
"They didn't have a choice, Leon. They were in danger too. It's no use now to blame others." Frost said.
"Is that Frost? Good to see you too, old man." Raven smirked.
"Yes, hello, Miss Branwen. I apologize for the mess and my partner's behavior. I'm sure we can work something out." Frost said.
"Always the gentlemen. You never change, Frost."
"I aim to please."
"But it won't get you out of this mess," Raven said. "My men are on their way to pick up the girl."
"What's this for anyway? Ransom?" Frost asked.
"How about an execution instead? An excellent way to send a message. Isn't it, Schnee?"
Frost and Leon looked at each other in surprise.
"How did she know?" Leon asked.
"I must have been careless. Raven must have been spying on us herself."
Leon sighs, "Great. And to think we were doing just fine. Wait. You think she's working for the fanatics?"
"I hope not. Raven is different from the type to ally with others so easily."
"Yes. I know who you are now, Frost. Or should I say, Nicholas? Who would have thought it would take me this long to know about this? Does your family know you're still alive?" Raven asked.
Frost kept quiet.
"Hey, lay off. This feud is between you and me, Branwen," Leon said.
"What would happen when I get my hand on your granddaughter, hm? Wouldn't that be fun to watch you squirm as I cut her throat?"
Frost started shaking.
"Calm down, Frost," Leon said. "Branwen! I said that's enough!" He shouted.
"She's just taunting you, Frost." Leon tries to ease him.
"But, Weiss."
"I know that, but now is not the right time to get angry. We need to get out of here and head back for Weiss. We can't stay here."
Frost nods, trying his best to breathe in.
On the other side, Raven waited for them to come out.
"If they are not out in the next five minutes. Get our new toys here. I want to see their demise." Raven demanded.
"Yes, boss." Said the minion.
Just then, her scroll rang.
"Report," Raven said.
"We've found the girl." Said the bandit.
Raven smirks, "Good. Now bring the girl here."
"Uh, we can't right now."
"And why not?" Raven asked.
"Because she escaped."
"She what?"
A/N: I'm back.
Raven is here. But this won't be an easy task for her. I gave some backstory about where her tribe had been separated after the massive failure at a place I made called the Long Bridge. More will be explained later. It's an unfortunate event for Raven's tribe that ultimately shattered and went off doing their things.
So, Frost's identity is now confirmed. He is Nicholas Schnee, founder of the Schnee Dust Company, the fabled gunslinger who saved his kingdom and Weiss's grandfather. I had him in my early drafts when I first started this story. I did not intend for him to be Nicholas Schnee at first. But later, when I looked at Vol 7, his portrait hit me. It made me think he is a humble man who would do anything for his family. But also righteous, loyal, and caring.
Then I decided that he would be the gunslinger.
But he does wield a sword, and I have already made a backstory of how and why he became a shadow. It can make a spin-off story of Nicholas in his younger days, even how he lived and made the company through his eyes. That would be interesting. I felt the reveal was lacking, but so far, outside of Raven and her tribe. No one knows where he is or if he's still alive. This reveal is meant for you guys.
The others will know in time, just in a different way.
The smoke grenade used in this chapter is inspired by tear gas. I think the shadows would need some weapon to fight their kind in some capacity. They don't always fight the Grimm.
The next chapter will be Weiss. Will she finally fight back or learn to be humble in her struggles?
Lastly, I don't think I can put more OG shadow companies in the story. It would be a crossover which I do not intend. I want to focus solely on the RWBY world. However, squads with their codename are in mind. I have used the butcher squad for the Black Centurions already. I just haven't expanded on it yet. Not a bad idea, though.
Thanks for reading.