Chapter 14
Long ago, there was an old hermit who had hidden his home deep within the forest, away from the world he had abandoned. One day, he was visited by four young sisters who were lost in the woods.
The old man reluctantly allowed them a place to stay at his home. The sisters, grateful for his help, provided their own kindness.
The oldest sister, Winter, provided advice and counsel to the old man, suggesting he meditate and reflect on the world around him and the life he had lead.
The second, Spring, brought him fruit and flowers, and tended to his garden until it was fruitful once more.
The third, Summer, with her lust for life, convinced him to step outside once more, and embrace the beauty of the world around him.
And the fourth, Fall, reminded him to be thankful for all that he had.
The old man, touched by their kindness, asked why they would do such a thing for a man as old and bitter as himself. They responded that they merely showed kindness to all.
Moved by this, the hermit revealed his powers to the sisters, and gifted them with great powers of their own, embodiments of the four seasons, so that they may go about Remnant spreading their gift of kindness.
As thanks, the Maidens promised to visit the old man once every year from that day forward…
"My mother loved that fairytale," Pyrrha sighed, wistfully. "I just never imagined it was real."
She looked out the Beetle's window, watching Chicago pass by. After briefly speaking with Harry in Edinburgh, Pyrrha had shut down. The few memories Rashid had unlocked troubled her greatly. The realization that what she knew of Remnant was false, and had been actively hidden from her was a blow to her world view that she couldn't shake. How much of Remnants history was true, if even their fairy tales were truths hidden behind a curtain of lies?
Pyrrha trusted and respected Ozpin, but what he had revealed, and what he had asked of her…
The oppressive nature of the Edinburgh complex had not been conducive to her mental well-being, and Harry had spirited her away with surprisingly little fuss from the Council. At least, that was what Pyrrha could remember. They had returned to the Beetle and began the drive to the home of William Borden, the person that had called Harry before they left for Edinburgh. There was a potential Grimm problem, which meant they had a new lead.
That was minor to Pyrrha though, as she sorted through her memories, none of them pleasant. Harry had let her be for a time, but they both knew that she had no time to play the role of a traumatized damsel. He had been very gentle in asking her about the Maidens, and the story had spilled out before Pyrrha had a chance to think on it.
Harry kept his eyes on the road when he said, "It gets easier kid, trust me. So that's what your Headmaster brought you in for?"
Pyrrha looked at her hands, "It was more than that. He said the Maidens had existed for thousands of years, their powers passing on when the previous generation passed away to whoever they last thought of. If they were not a young maiden though, the power would go to a random person."
"So not immortal, and power passes on to the last person they saw basically. Sounds ripe for abuse, no wonder they kept it secret." Harry said.
"That's what he told me. Those hungry for power went after the Maidens and if they succeeded, would wreak untold havoc. So their existence was covered up and faded into myth to protect them."
Harry frowned, "I'm sensing a 'but' coming up, and it's going to be a big one, isn't it?"
A pit formed in Pyrrha's stomach, and her hands clenched tight, "Yes. Someone had attacked the Fall Maiden. I saw her with my own eyes. Her attacker left her in a permanent coma. They were keeping her alive, but if she passed away…"
"Then some power-hungry mook would probably get their power," Harry finished, "Lovely. What does this all have to do with you though?"
The pit dropped and tiny tremors wracked her body, "They… wanted me to take on the mantle of Fall Maiden."
There was a screech of tires, and Harry blew out a string of colorful curses at the car next to him, before he managed to calm the Beetle and continue on his way, "I-I'm sorry. What?"
"That was why Ozpin called me up to his office. With my skills and… personality, he figured the power would be in safe hands if I had it."
Harry set his jaw tight, "So he was going to… what, make you murder the Fall Maiden?"
Pyrrha felt sick, "No, one of his associates from Atlas had developed a… device. Something that could possibly transfer the Maidens Aura into me, giving me her powers."
"They were going to rip her soul out and shove it into you, and see what happened." Harry said, the steering wheel creaked in his hands. "Any particular reason they couldn't have, I don't know, found an adult to do it? Or tracked down the monster that attacked her in the first place?"
"Harry, remember? The Maidens power can only be transferred to a young woman. As for tracking down her attacker…" Pyrrha shrugged, "No one knew where they vanished to, and the Fall Maiden didn't, or doesn't, have a lot of life left in her."
Pyrrha could not remember how events ultimately unfolded. Until she had a solid answer, she would assume that the Fall Maiden was still alive. The alternative was far too terrifying to consider.
"That doesn't justify it." Harry growled. "You're not even eighteen, you shouldn't have something like that thrust on you. Hell, you shouldn't be in a combat school in the first place. You should be living a normal life worrying about boys, and grades, and normal stuff. Not this supernatural bullshit."
Bitterness seeped in Harry's words, and Pyrrha felt that she wanted to agree with him. It wasn't fair that Ozpin had asked this of her. Yes, she had a 'choice' on the matter, but he knew she would never say no to something as potentially dangerous as that. He had planned on her saying yes, and she should be furious at him for it, and yet…
"I would love that, more than anything Harry." Pyrrha said. "But as long as the Grimm exist, we don't get the luxury of living 'normal' lives. And if I'm honest, I don't think I'd want to."
The car fell silent, Harry focused on the road, his hands gripping the wheel until his knuckles were chalk-white. Pyrrha returned her gaze to the window, watching the streets pass by. It was several minutes before Harry finally spoke in a much calmer tone.
"I understand all of that Pyrrha… And that's why it makes me angry."
Harry drove them to an apartment complex located near what he called a 'college'. From his description, it sounded similar to the Academies in Remnant or a Scholarly University. In fact, it was called the University of Chicago, and resembled a massive castle built of old stone and brick with high walls and large expanses of parks. It reminded Pyrrha a lot of home.
The complex where his friends lived was a few blocks away, in a neighborhood that could, at best, be described as 'unfriendly'. It wasn't an ugly neighborhood, but definitely not a place to get caught in after dark.
"Huh, looks like Murphy's awake," Harry noted.
One of those big wheeled motorcycles was parked on the side of the street in front of a shiny new pickup. Pyrrha felt her spirits brighten at that. Murphy had practically forced open Pyrrha's shell and was very open-minded about what Pyrrha shared with her. Given everything she remembered, the shock of the Maiden revelation and the painful aftermath that followed, Pyrrha found herself thankful for Murphy's stubbornness.
Harry parked the Beetle behind the pickup, and they took the stairs up. Several flights up, they reached the right apartment, and Harry rapped on the door with his staff. Footsteps sounded immediately, and the door cracked open to expose a brown eye.
"Harry?" a low baritone rumbled.
"Hey Will," Harry greeted and, for some reason pinched the fleshy underside of his left index finger with his nail until a tiny drop of blood formed. Pyrrha stared at him in bewilderment, but Harry ignored her and held up his finger for the eye to see.
The door shut and several locks could be heard clicking open. Harry glanced at Pyrrha and chuckled at the look on her face, "Some supernatural creatures can shapeshift to look exactly like people you know. The one thing they have trouble with though, is imitating bleeding. So if things are tense and someone shows up at the door, ask them to bleed. It's not foolproof, but it's better than nothing."
Pyrrha frowned, "I see…"
The door swung open to reveal a stocky young man with short brown hair and dressed in loose fitting grey sweats. He grinned at Harry, "And, if that doesn't calm you down, wait for them to exposit about magic."
Harry shrugged, said "It's a gift" and shook the young man's hand.
"Good to see you're alright William. Can we come in?"
The man, William, nodded and stepped aside, "Murphy showed up a few minutes ago, said you had some things to tell us?"
"A lot of things," Harry said while stepping inside. He jerked a thumb at Pyrrha, "And I brought my expert along to fact check me too."
Will blinked, only now noticing Pyrrha for the first time. She took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face, "Hello William, my name is Pyrrha. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The man smiled immediately, "Pleasure is mine Pyrrha. Come on in."
She did, and Will locked the door behind her. The apartment was nowhere near the size and scale of Harry or Thomas's, but it had a cozy lived in feel to it. The door opened into the living room,where mall flat screen hung, decorated with DVD's and a plethora of action kitchen was to their immediate left, plain and functional. Directly across from where Pyrrha stood was a hallway intersection that split to the left and right. Posters of old movies were neatly plastered along the living room wall, and there were two windows open in the kitchen.
Several folding chairs had been opened in the living room, and were occupied by several faces, some familiar and some new. To Pyrrha's surprise, Butters was there, wearing a light brown robe and fussing over a shapely young redhead in a far too short purple dress. She had several long but shallow cuts along her legs, old ones that had obviously been tended to earlier.
Murphy was sitting nearby, talking with a tall blonde woman of a lean build and wearing a light summer dress. In her arms was a tiny toddler, no more than two years old and giggling at Murphy. The short woman was making funny faces at the the little girl, and cooing with an excitement Pyrrha hadn't seen from her.
"Murphy, you're being maternal again," Harry warned.
"Bite me," Murphy said without looking away from the baby.
Harry shook his head, smiling, and tapped his staff on the floor three times, "If we're all here, what exactly do all of you know about the current situation."
Murphy sat up and the lean woman stood with her daughter and left the room. Butters and his female companion turned towards Harry, while William took a seat in the middle of them all.
"I think I know more than the Alphas," Butters said, "But that's not saying much."
"Harry, what is going on?" asked the red-headed woman.
Harry sighed, "Well Andi, you see…"
He explained the situation to Butters and the 'Alphas'. Pyrrha took a seat on the futon while he spoke, explaining her arrival, the differences in their worlds, and the possible invasion of the Grimm. He left out the unimportant stuff, like the tussle Torchwick had forced them into, and finished up with explaining the legend of the Maidens to them and its relation to Pyrrha herself.
When he was finished, everyone looked… well, not quite amazed, but surprised for certain, save for Murphy. William leaned forward and took a deep breath, "So there's an inter-dimensional force of nature barreling down on our city, a super-warrior is now sitting on my couch, and to top it off, there's probably a master manipulator behind it all and after these Maiden powers."
"Pretty much." Harry said.
"Sounds like a typical Wednesday," Butters grumbled.
"How're we playing this one then, Harry?" Will asked, ignoring Butters.
Harry scratched his chin, "That's the thing. I've got a broad strategy, but this is a whole new can of trouble that I'm still figuring out."
He gestured at Pyrrha. She blinked and pointed at herself, "Me?"
"You're the Huntress, you understand what we're dealing with better than anyone." Harry confirmed.
True, and Pyrrha had certainly been busy explaining details to Harry and his allies over these past few days. But there was a difference between parroting facts and suggesting strategies for others to use. Pyrrha could list a half dozen strategies for handling a single Grimm, but they all focused around her skills, her abilities. As she had once told Weiss so long ago, Pyrrha preferred to let the cards fall where they may, and work from there.
Yet here she was, being presented to a group of people she barely knew to provide intel for them before they went off hunting for Grimm. Pyrrha barely had her own thoughts together, her memories were a jumbled mess. She was confused, unsure of herself, and wanted to tell someone, anyone, about it.
But there wasn't time for that. Grimm had been spotted in the area, and if one had been seen, it was guaranteed that others would soon follow. Like it or not, Pyrrha knew that now was not the time for indecisions. She had a duty to do, and her worry's could wait until it over.
Pyrrha took a deep breath and pulled her Scroll from her backpack, "You described the Grimm as a bipedal wolf, correct?"
"Yeah, and a big mask that looked like it was made of bone," William said.
She nodded and flicked on her phone, "All Grimm have something similar, it's their mark. What you're describing though, sounds like a Beowolf."
"What, like the old folktale?" the blonde woman returned, sans the baby, and took a seat next to Will.
Pyrrha raised a brow, "What folktale?"
"Nevermind," the woman said, and added, "My name is Georgia, by the way. Thank you for your help, Pyrrha."
'Right then," Pyrrha returned her attention to her Scroll, "Part of my assignments at Beacon required detailed analysis of the common Grimm. I've held onto the details, and I should…"
She found the file and opened it, then set her Scroll on the floor. There was a flicker of light from its screen, and a Beowolf appeared in the room. Everyone shouted in surprise, before quickly realizing that Pyrrha had projected a hologram. Streams of statistical data appeared a moment later, confirming the fact.
Pyrrha looked at everyone with confusion, "It's just a hologram. You've seen those before, right?"
"In movies, yes," Butters said, "In real life, no, not really."
That made Pyrrha blink, "Really? That's strange."
While it was a relatively new feature to the Scroll, holographic projections were very common in Remnant. Video screens, info-boards, telecommunication, all of it was done via holographic projections. How odd it was to be in a world where they weren't common. It would certainly explain the prevalence of television.
"Just warn us before you do that next time," Will said, leaning away from the hologram.
"Right, I'm sorry," Pyrrha brushed her bangs out of her face and took a deep breath.
"As I said though, this is a Beowolf. They are a common species of Grimm, particularly in the Kingdom of Vale. They are faster and stronger than an unaided human, and their claws have been recorded slicing through steel. They never, ever, travel alone except on the rarest of occasions.
"So you're saying there's probably more of these things?" Andi asked.
Pyrrha nodded, "Most definitely. All Grimm travel in groups, and Beowolves are no exception. If you fought one, then it was likely a scout. There will likely be more nearby. Hopefully, this will just be a pack of Beowolves, and nothing else."
"Question," Murphy interjected, "Those don't like what attacked you and I in the alley. Any chance we might run into those?"
"You mean the Ursa?" Pyrrha asked, and opened a new file. The bearlike monster took the place of the Beowolf, appropriately shrunk for scale.
Murphy nodded, "That's it. Those things work with the wolfs?"
"Occasionally, but only in larger groups. Ursa will normally travel in pairs or alone. On the rare occasion we see them with other Grimm, it's either the Beowolves, or the Creeps."
Harry raised his hand, and everyone rolled their eyes. Pyrrha paid them no mind and looked at Harry, "Yes?"
"Creeps, what are those?"
Once more, Pyrrha opened a new file and the small theropod appeared in place of the Ursa. "Creeps are the lowest possible Grimm. They are weak, dumb, and uncoordinated. Their primary purpose, it seems, is to swarm a Huntsman until larger, more dangerous Grimm arrive. Unless we were facing Ursa, or a Horde though, we likely won't see them."
"Likely?" Every single one of the Alphas asked.
Pyrrha winced, "Well, there's always a chance. Grimm are unpredictable, and since we've no idea who is sending them here, we could be facing all three."
Harry simplified what she said, "So when we go to investigate, expect us to run into all three."
"I didn't say that," Pyrrha said, defensively. She closed her scroll and slipped it into her pocket.
Murphy chuckled, "Pyrrha, we've been at this long enough to know how it works. If you say there's a chance of all three being there, then all three will be there."
Given her luck recently, Pyrrha conceded the point. They had terrible luck when it came to enemy encounters, that was the simple truth of it. Luckily for them, this was Pyrrha's area of expertise.
"If there are more Grimm," she said, "Then I will do my best to keep them contained. I may be alone, but it would take more than Beowolves and Ursas to break past me."
Harry tapped his staff against the wall and looked at his feet, "Um, yeah… about that. I think it would be better for all of us if you sat this one out, Pyrrha."
That caught her off guard, "What? Why?"
He sighed, "Because you're not exactly stable. You just had traumatic memories forced open, and I can tell you're not firing on all cylinders. If we're dealing with a life or death situation, which it always is, then I want the people at my back at 100%. You've had a lot of emotional problems since we found you. It's not that I doubt your abilities…"
"It's that you doubt my reliability," Pyrrha finished.
An awkward silence filled the room. Harry met Pyrrha's eyes, nodded a little, and Pyrrha felt a little hurt. What happened at Edinburgh had definitely put her through the wringer, those memories were painful. But Pyrrha had been as helpful as she could, proven what she could do in combat, and shown how reliable she was. Only because of Torchwick had that been turned on them, and that was something beyond any of their control.
Looking between the two, William quickly stood up and clapped his hands together, "Right then, um, we'll go get the van ready, you guys meet us down there when you're ready. Come on guys."
The Alphas and Butters got out as quick as they could, leaving Harry, Pyrrha, and Murphy in the apartment. Harry sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Look, Pyrrha. It's not that I don't trust you, I do. You're a very dependable young lady. It's the world around you I don't trust. You come from somewhere very different from here, and you've obviously had a lot of trauma on you. If I brought you into combat, someone could get hurt or worse."
"Harry," Murphy said, "I've seen what Pyrrha can do. If the Grimm are in large numbers at the school, she is our best girl for the job. Benching her won't help anyone."
"And if she freezes in a fight, that would put everyone else in danger," Harry snapped back. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt."
Pyrrha stood up, "Then send me in Harry."
A pained expression flickered across his face, "Pyrrha…"
"Don't," she raised a hand, "Your worry is noted and appreciated. However, this is the one thing I know for a fact I can do. It is my duty, as a Huntress, to protect humanity from the darkness, from the Grimm. Regardless of if you tell me to stay here or not, if there are Grimm out there, and I can tip the balance, then I will go."
Murphy snickered, and Harry sent her a glare, "What? You're on her side?"
"Dresden," Murphy smiled, " What she's saying should sound very familiar. She's just like you. No matter what you say or do, you won't keep her from tagging along."
Harry closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, "Hells bells, fine. You'll come too, just… don't do anything stupid, okay?"
Pyrrha smiled and bowed her head, "I won't, and thank you Harry."
"Yeah yeah," he waved a dismissive hand, and turned to the door, "Come on, let's go. We're keeping everyone waiting."
The drive to the University of Chicago was short and mercifully brief. William and Georgia owned a large van that easily fit their entire motley crew and they made the five minute drive with no more unnecessary drama. Pyrrha spent the time staring at the window, carefully turning over her new memories. Some things simply didn't add up.
Why did Ozpin choose her instead of an older, more experienced Huntress? Why not wait until after the Vytal Festival, or ask her to make the decision then? At least the immediacy would've kept the stress of the decision from eating at her for the rest of that day, until she was at the near breaking point. Pyrrha shuddered every time her memories began to trail off again. The last thing the Gatekeeper had unlocked was a memory she wished she could forget for the rest of her life.
Jaune had seen the stress she was under, and made himself a rock for her to hold onto. But even then, she'd let her emotions run free, let herself lose control and she…
Pyrrha shook her head of the memory. Harry was right, her memories were distracting her from the task at hand. She shoved them aside and focused on the battle to come. If they were lucky, it would go off without a hitch.
She felt a hand on her arm and Pyrrha looked over at Murphy sitting next to her. The woman looked concerned. "Penny for your thoughts?"
"Not now," Pyrrha sighed, but smiled, "When this is over, maybe."
Murphy nodded, "Okay. Don't hold it in though, Pyrrha. Trust me, it always-"
Will cursed from the driver's seat and the car jerked to a squealing halt. Pyrrha slammed against the seat in front of her and saw stars. The van exploded into a sea of confused murmurs, until Harry forced himself up front between William and Georgia.
"What's going on?" he asked.
Pyrrha and Murphy peaked out past the driver's seat and saw exactly what was going on. They had stopped at a roundabout, and while the school was mostly empty on account of the semester having not yet started, a few cars had been passing through. Emphasis on had.
A car had been tossed into the nearest tree, its cabin mercifully empty. In the center of the roundabout, a truck had been caved in on one side and slammed into another car. The street was a mess of torn asphalt, grass, and ruined trees. A small three wheeled electric police car was a ruined wreck of steel and rubber, the officer taking cover behind the wreckage, with a cluster of civilians injured or otherwise, cowering behind him..
Grimm prowled the field, at least two dozen of them. Most Beowolves, but the hulking form of an Ursa or two could be seen amongst the crowd, and Creeps skittered between their larger brethren.
Pyrrha didn't say anything, there was no time for words. She flung open the van door and ripped open her backpack, relieving Miló and Akoúo̱ of their makeshift sheathes. The blade eagerly sprung into spear mode, and with Akoúo̱ secured to her arm, Pyrrha took off at a dead sprint down the street.
"Pyrrha, wait!" Harry called, and cursed when she didn't.
Murphy hopped out of the car and sighed, "See? Like I told you, Harry. She acts exactly like you."
A/N: Holy crap I hate this chapter. I hate hate hate this chapter. Maybe it was because we covered old ground a lot during this chapter, or just because I struggle with dialogue heavy chapters, but I hated this chapter with a fiery passion. Now for those wondering where I've been and don't pay attention to the forums, I've mostly either been A) At Monterey for a week, or B) adjusting to the stress that is college life again. Now that I'm getting a handle on it, I hope to return to my old schedule again. I won't be able to update thursday, as I have the first test of the semester that day, but Saturday should be fair game. We'll finally get some good old fashioned RWBY style action, along with some Dresdenverse pyrotechnics.
I'll also add that I ultimately couldn't add in the Councils reaction to the Maidens because no matter how I tried to write it, the result turned into a slogging mess, and as we saw, this chapter is already one. In the future, with help from my editor, I might change that. But as is, the Council had to be skipped over. Sorry, but for the sake of flow and decent writing, it had to be done.
I hope the rest wasn't too much of an absolute disaster, but please, let me know in the reviews what you thought, so I can fix the issues.
Until next time guys!