Chapter 5
"Come onnnnnnn," whined Ruby. "Tell us who that girl wasssssss."
This had been going on for several minutes, much to everyone's annoyance. Alear's meeting had ended about twenty minutes ago, with everyone giving him questioning stares as Xera vanished.
Alear had had enough, and based on their facial expressions, so had Jaune and Ren. He sighed and placed his hand on her head. "Will you be quiet about that if I let you see my weapon?" He moved the bottom of his jacket to the side, revealing what was hidden underneath, and tapped the end of his weapon a few times. "It's right here."
Ruby became starry-eyed, snatching away his weapon with lightning speed, causing everyone to giggle at her enthusiasm.
"Why don't you girls go shopping? It'll give Ruby time to look over my weapon while you guys browse." The wolf Faunus ruffled Nix's hair, much to her irritation. "Plus it'll help Nix here fit in. She needs friends and I'm hoping you guys can become closer."
Nix slapped his hand away. "I don't need your help making friends!"
Yang effectively silenced the tiny illusionist by shoving her head between her abnormally large breasts. Nix struggled, but she wasn't strong enough to break the Brawler's grip. "Don't worry, Wolfy. We'll take good care of her." Yang slung Nix over her shoulder, her head facing behind Yang.
Pyrrha beamed at the opportunity to make another friend. "I'm sure we'll have a grand time," said the Spartan, giving Nix a reassuring smile. The three quickly disappeared into the nearest clothing store, with Blake and Weiss following closely behind.
Meanwhile, Ruby and Nora were messing around with Alear's weapon. Nora spotted a small button and immediately pushed it. The compact rifle unfolded into its full length, its scope popping into place.
"Whoa," they said unison. Ren and Jaune were peeking over their shoulders, interested in his weapon as well.
Ruby ran her hand down the length in an almost hypnotic way. "What's its name?"
Alear smiled, glad that Ruby was enjoying herself. "In its sniper form I like to call it Storm Breaker."
"This form?" asked a confused Ruby. Her face soon dawned in realization. "Oh, right! You had something sheathed on your hip during story time!"
He could not believe she just referred to him spilling his guts out the other night as "story time."
He decided it wasn't worth the trouble to bring it up and pushed another, more hidden button on the bottom of the rifle. The scope retracted into the gun. The outside metal casing of the rifle split into two parts, forming two swords, one longer than the other. Hilts emerged from the bottoms of the two blades.
Ruby jumped at the sudden transformation, dropping the swords with a yelp. She rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Heh, sorry…" She pouted on the inside, not believing she just dropped someone else's weapon like that. She would want to kill someone if they did that to Crescent Rose!
He gave her a warm smile. Ruby always seemed to remind him of a girl he met while he was enslaved. He could barely remember her, but what he did remember was that her personality always made everyone's day a little brighter, the rough work of a slave a little easier. Ruby had this same quality, the same child-like innocence.
"It's quite alright, little one," he said gently, picking up the two blades. "The materials I have available to me at Beacon are of a much higher quality than what I'm used to. It's likely that they're stronger now than they've ever been. A little fall like that isn't going to do anything." He held the swords, hilt first, toward the two girls. Nora took the short sword and Ruby took the long sword.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to give Nora a sharp item?" asked Ren with a little concern.
"Yeah…I'm with Ren on this one," agreed Jaune.
Alear raised his eyebrow in concern. "Is she really that bad?"
Ren and Jaune slowly nodded their heads with wide eyes.
Ruby looked lost in her imagination as she gazed at the sword in her hand, thinking about how Alear must use it in combination with the short sword. She wanted to see his fighting style.
Nora poked the short sword through the air like a child who found a new toy.
"What are their names?" said Ruby, breaking out of her trance.
"Surge and Shimmer."
Nora bounced excitedly. "Oh, oh, which one do I have?"
He chuckled lightly. "That's Shimmer, my curved, single-edged, short sword."
"Why do you call it Shimmer?"
"Pour a little aura into it and you'll find out."
She complied almost immediately and the blade started shining with a brilliant light. She moved Shimmer through the air a few times, admiring its beauty. It was made of a special reflection type metal, making it hard to keep track of during a fight. When charged with aura, Shimmer literally seemed to shimmer back and forth, even when it's not actually moving.
"Shiny!" she exclaimed after a few moments, causing everyone to face palm.
Ruby had become curious about Surge and decided to see what would happen if she poured aura into it. She immediately regretted the decision. Lightning coursed through Surge, causing Ruby to toss it back and forth between her hands like a game of hot potato. She threw Surge toward Alear and he caught it with amusement.
"I assume you know why I named it Surge now?" he said with a raised eyebrow. Ruby nodded, teary-eyed, hiding behind Nora. "Don't be afraid of it, little one. Its lightning will not harm its wielder." He reclaimed Shimmer from Nora and rejoined the two swords back into Storm Breaker, folding it back into its compact form, and strapped it to his lower back once again, hiding it under his jacket.
"How does it do that?" Ren asked with genuine curiosity. He had never seen a weapon do something like that before.
"I made it out of aura-receptive metal I found here, and enhanced it by coating it with lightning Dust. When aura is channeled into it, the Dust activates, creating lightning."
Ren nodded in understanding. Jaune was a little bummed, thinking of how his own sword, Crocea Mors, didn't match up to Alear's.
Nora had grown bored and wandered off to join the other girls in their shopping.
"Well Ruby?" asked the wolf Faunus.
"Well what?" replied the cookie-loving teen.
"Are you satisfied with the little demonstration of my weapon?"
She nodded vigorously. "Despite my startled reactions, I'm glad you shared with me. I don't know much about you, so I like to think as every time you open up as a victory." She pointed to Alear with determination in her voice. "One day, I promise you I shall learn what makes you tick!"
Alear huffed. "You already know my past."
"Yea, but not much about you personally."
He shrugged. "I guess I see your point, but don't expect it to be easy. Now shouldn't you go meet up with the other girls? They'll probably need all the help they can get with Nora. You know how she gets when she's excited."
Ruby grimaced and shot off toward the others, using her semblance to disappear in a blur of rose petals.
Alear grinned widely and turned toward Ren and Jaune. "Now that they're gone, what do you boys say about a little poker back at my place?"
-With the girls-
"Just try it on. You'll look cute!" said Yang through the changing room door. All the girls had come together to help Nix get more clothes, seeing as she only had the one outfit. She didn't even have pajamas, having to borrow Alear's shorts and t-shirts as sleeping attire.
There was an audible groan from inside the changing room. "F-Fine, just give me a moment." The illusionist was nervous about this whole situation. "I'm gonna look dumb!" Nix complained.
"Oh hush. Just come on out already," replied Yang. All the girls were waiting anxiously to see how their new friend would look.
The changing room opened with a pout from Nix. The little mirage artist now wore a pink, sleeveless t-shirt with her symbol freshly emblazoned in blue upon the right breast of the shirt. The symbol consisted of an elegant looking mirror with a large crack going down the center, as if it was shattering. She also wore a skirt similar to Ruby's, but Nix's was white with pink trimmings. She wore no leggings this time, leaving her pale white legs exposed. The outfit was completed with a pair of dark-blue boots with pink laces. The outfit's color was as mix-matched as the girl herself, but all in all it looked good on her.
There was a brief silence as the other girls looked her over. Nix averted her gaze, thinking the silence meant she looked bad as she had feared.
But this wasn't the case. They were all stunned at how she looked, particularly Weiss. The heiress's face was sporting a healthy blush. Her heart rate steadily increased.
"Beautiful…" muttered Weiss. Nix raised an amused eyebrow. "I-I mean you look adequate," Weiss said, quickly regaining her composure.
Nix had gained some confidence and did a twirl, showing off the back of the outfit. She winked at the snowy heiress at the end of the spin, causing Weiss to blush again. Nix had found a new way to entertain herself.
The girls stayed shopping for several hours, entering store after store, each buying new clothes. They even picked out some pajamas for Nix. They were black sweatpants with pink hearts along the legs and a blue tank top.
Eventually, they all proceeded to checkout. Everyone paid for their clothes and now it was Nix's turn. She started pulling out her purse when a hand stopped her. It belonged to Weiss.
"I'll cover this, don't worry about it," stated Weiss with a hint of compassion in her voice.
"But-" Nix was hushed by Weiss holding up a finger to her lips.
"No buts, Nix. We picked out your clothes so it's only fair that one of us pays for it, and I have the most money out of all of us so it makes sense." Weiss quickly slid her credit card to the cashier before Nix could argue any further.
Once they were outside with their shopping bags, Nix couldn't help but ask. "Why did you pay for me? I have my own money." The group started making their way to the airship docks.
"Because, as I remember it, you didn't exactly come with us by choice," explained Weiss. "Plus, considering your past, any money you have is probably from my family anyway," she joked.
Nix laughed nervously and slowly nodded. "Yeah, you got me there." She paused, deep in thought, trying to figure out how to word what she was about to say. "Hey guys? I'm glad we're all bonding or whatever, but I need to apologize to you guys, especially team RWBY."
"Hm? How come?" asked Blake.
"Yea, what do you have to be sorry for?" chimed in Ruby.
Nix stared at the floor while they walked. "Well…it's just I used to be a member of the White Fang."
"We know, and it doesn't bother us in the slightest. Our resident Kitty Cat and Puppy Dog used to be members too, but we love them just the same. There's no reason you should be a different story." interrupted Yang. Blake rolled her eyes. Everyone else nodded in agreement.
Nix smiled lightly to herself. "I'm glad that's how you all feel, but that doesn't change the fact that I want to apologize. I have to, for fighting people as kind as you all. I had no idea that you were like this. We were always told that you were the bad guys. Now that I know the truth, I have to apologize for the horrible things my sister and I did."
"Hey, come on now," said Yang. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You changed your ways, came here to Beacon to have a chance at a better life. You've turned your back on all that evil stuff. As far as I'm concerned, you've more than redeemed yourself already."
Tears welled up in Nix's eyes. She quickly wiped them away, but not before Weiss noticed.
Weiss gave her a warm smile, ironic considering her nickname. "Yang's right you know. None of us blame you for anything the White Fang has done. All the pain and grief is on them, not you. Your sister has chosen her path. Unlike you, it's the wrong one. She'll see the error of her ways eventually. I just hope, for your sake, she does before it's too late."
Nix nodded grimly.
"Blah, blah, blah," said Nora. "Enough of this sad talk. Let's get back to the dorms and show off our new clothes for the boys!"
"I'm down for that!" exclaimed Yang with a seductive gleam in her eye. She was never one to shy away from showing off her body. "Maybe Blake can show her new swimsuit to Wolfy."
Blake's face grew hot. "I only bought that because it's almost summer and I didn't have one!" she yelled defensively.
Yang shrugged, while Pyrrha giggled. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Blakey," said the brawler nonchalantly. The two teammates continued to argue while the group boarded an airship back to Beacon. The others watched in quiet amusement.
Luckily, they had grown weary by the time they had reached the dorms and threw the argument aside. The two teams, minus Jaune and Ren, entered their respective dorms. Nix went into RWBY's dorm, stashing her clothes there for now.
"Um, hey Ruby?" called Pyrrha from across the hall.
"Yesssssss?" replied Ruby, poking her head out of her room.
"Are Jaune and Ren over there by chance? They aren't in our dorm."
They were interrupted by a male voice shouting. "FUCK." The voice came from Alear's room.
They all cautiously gathered outside the room and exchanged worried glances. They opened the door slowly, steeling themselves for what may be happening, but nothing could have prepared them for what lay within.
A big, circular table was in the center of the room. Alear, Ren, and Jaune sat there. A card game was going on.
What really confused the girls was that Alear and Jaune were missing articles of clothing. Jaune was almost naked, only in his boxers, while Alear only had his shirt and boxers. Ren however, was still fully clothed.
"How indecent," muttered Weiss, slightly flushed at the strange sight.
"Umm, what's going on guys?" asked Ruby nervously.
No one looked at the newcomers entering the room; they were too focused on the game.
"Playing poker," grunted Alear.
"Not that I'm complaining," started Yang. "But why are you and Jaune almost naked? You guys playing strip poker? You should have invited me!"
Alear laughed while Jaune blushed at the thought of Yang's body.
"It didn't start out that way, I assure you. Ren here has been kicking our ass to the point where Jaune and I ran out of money and all we had left to bet was well…the clothes on our backs."
Ren looked at the girls with a smug smile on his face, clearly enjoying destroying the two at cards. Pyrrha couldn't stop staring at Jaune's mostly uncovered body. Even though he didn't have much muscle at first, their late night training sessions had caused noticeable difference. His arms and chest were now much more toned.
"Come on Ren, I got you this time!" declared Jaune.
"Oh I gotta see this," said Nix, sitting down on her bed. The other girls followed suit.
Alear looked to Nix with an amused smile. "Hope you girls are ready for seeing Jaune naked. He's been getting beaten worse than I have."
"Hey come on man, have some faith!" argued Jaune.
Ruby was prepared to hide behind Yang. She was too embarrassed for such a thing to be happening right in front of her. Blake, Yang, and Nora all looked as amused as Nix did, while Pyrrha was trying to discreetly take in Jaune without anyone noticing. Weiss looked appalled at the thought of seeing Jaune uncovered. She was really only staying because of Nix. She had grown somewhat fond of her.
Jaune took one last look at his hand and the cards on the field before confidently slamming his hand down on the table. "Pair of kings!" he exclaimed. "Beat that!"
Ren looked at Jaune like a lion playing with its prey. His smug smile never left his face, as he gently laid his cards on the table. "Royal flush, I win."
Jaune stared in disbelief. "Bu-But."
"I believe it's time for payment, fearless leader."
Jaune looked completely and utterly defeated as he stood up. Ruby and Weiss averted their gazes. The other girls couldn't contain their laughter as he slowly slid off his last remaining article of clothing. The knight threw his boxers, along with the last of his pride, onto a rather large pile of clothes and armor next Ren.
"I tried to warn you dude," said Alear sympathetically.
Jaune pouted in response as he did the march of shame back to his room. Pyrrha chased after him, giggling all the way.
"Well, Alear?" said Ren. "Care to try to win back your belongings?"
Alear grinned through a grimace. "I feel like I have to try at least one more time, to honor Jaune's ever so noble sacrifice."
Ren snickered and shuffled the deck. He tossed Alear two cards then drew two for himself. He placed five cards on the table then leaned back in the chair after observing what cards were placed.
Alear was nervous about how nonchalant Ren seemed. The wolf Faunus looked at his own cards and his heart sank. He had quite literally the worst hand he could have gotten.
Ren laid his cards on the table. "Aces, three of a kind."
Alear slumped his head on the table in defeat, tossing his cards on the table. "Pair of twos…" he muttered.
Ren felt kind of bad for doing this to him, but hey, a bet is a bet. "I'll take my winnings now." Ren held his hand open.
"Woo, take it off!" yelled Yang, earning laughter from Nora and Ruby, a stifled giggle from Weiss, and a glare from Blake.
Alear stood up, glaring at Ren. "I swear you're a sadist, Lie." He pulled his shirt over his head and threw it at Ren's face, earning a whoop from Yang. He collapsed on his bed. "Usually I'm the one wiping the floor with people at cards. How'd you get so good?"
Ren shrugged. "Lots of downtime I guess. I needed something to keep me sane, especially since I've been around Nora since I was a kid."
Nora jumped up and hugged Ren from behind. "You know you love me." She blushed after realizing she said that out loud. "I-I mean not like Love-Love, but like you know. Not that you're not handsome, you're handsome. Just um…"
Alear groaned. "You two need to date already. It's obvious she's in love with you, Ren."
"Am not!" protested Nora.
Ren tilted his head to look at her. "Nora, yes you are." She blushed furiously and buried her head in Ren's shoulder. "I love you too, Nora." He gently kissed her cheek.
This earned a round of Awwww's from the girls. Ruby suddenly started bursting out laughing, clutching her sides.
"Um, Rubes?" asked Yang. "What's so funny?"
It took a few moments to answer. Her smile was as wide as anyone had ever seen it. "Alear just played matchmaker in his underwear."
Alear jumped up and struck a heroic pose, which didn't look very heroic since he was only in his boxers, causing another laughing fit to erupt from the scythe-wielder. "That's how I roll, baby," he said in a deep, cartoonish voice.
Nix gave Blake a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry," she said jokingly.
Blake shook her head at Alear's shenanigans, but in truth she liked this side of him. While she was quiet and had a certain mystique, Alear was sociable and sporadic. Their personalities were far from similar, but hey, opposites attract.
The cat Faunus got up and pushed her wolf so he fell onto his bed. "Stop being a weirdo."
Alear smirked as he pulled her down with him, trying to ignite another wrestling match. "Those are fighting words!"
Her face lit up a shade of red that rivaled Ruby's hood. She was embarrassed for two reasons. One, he was doing this in front of all their friends, and two, she was being pressed up against his bare chest. "Alear stop, right now! Bad Wolfy, bad!"
Nix smiled at the two. Despite Blake's reaction, she knew she was enjoying herself. After seeing how happy the wolf Faunus is, she began to wonder if Adam's betrayal was really a bad thing. It did lead to this after all, and it seemed Alear couldn't be happier.
-With Xera, in a dark alley in Vale just after midnight.-
Xera had other business she had to take care of while in the city, and just as she was about to leave Vale she got a message from an unknown scroll.
"Xera, it's Alear. Meet me at these coordinates immediately. It's urgent."
It was shortly after midnight, making Xera suspicious but if Alear needed something, she couldn't leave him hanging.
When she got there, she was surprised to find several people in-waiting. They were her friends, Alear's other contacts. There was Sid, a tiger Faunus; Reina, a fox Faunus; Dom; a deer Faunus; and Millie, a rabbit Faunus.
"Alear message you too?" asked Sid.
Xera nodded, her brow furrowing. "This isn't right. He wouldn't call all of us." Her eyes widened in realization. "It's a trap!"
Her words came too late as a figure came slamming down into the alleyway, causing dust to fly around. They heard a cry as the dust settled, revealing the lone figure that attacked them.
He wore blood red jeans and an armored jacket of the same color. Orange patterns scattered across the clothing. His hair was a bright orange. His eyes were a sickening mix of orange and yellow.
In his hand, currently smashed into the ground, was a large two-handed sword. It was unbelievably massive, much too much for a normal person to use effectively, especially one handed like he was. His other hand was covered to the elbow in a gray metal gauntlet with claws sharpened at the ends of the fingers. What was in his clawed hand was what caused the cry.
The man had grabbed Millie by the face. The claws were digging into her head.
"Ashura?!" exclaimed Dom. "What the hell happened to you? Put Millie Down!"
Ashura merely looked at him, his eyes full of murderous intent, and smiled. He increased the pressure to his hand. Mille screamed as her head was crush under his death grip. Blood splattered against the walls.
"No!" screamed Dom, as he saw his fiancé's body thrown to the side like a ragdoll. Tears streamed down the deer Faunus's face. Ashura looked at him, amused, as he licked the blood off his claws. "I'll kill you!" Dom drew his sword and ran, full sprint, at Ashura. He didn't get very far.
Ashura swung his massive great sword, slashing through Dom and crashing into the side of a building. The sword cut through Dom's aura instantly, severing him at the waist. The others watched in horror as the light quickly faded from the deer Faunus's eyes. His torso was pinned to the wall along with the great sword.
Ashura switched his gaze to Xera. "Adam doesn't appreciate you consorting with that traitorous mongrel."
"Drop the act. We know Adam is the real traitor, you monster!" yelled Reina, her eyes filled with angry tears.
"My, my. Such a mouth on this one. I hope you don't mind if I silence it." Before anyone could react, he pulled his sword out of the wall and swung it with lightning speed toward Reina. The others could do nothing but watch as her head was severed from her body, hitting the ground with a dull thud. Her body crumbled, lifeless, blood spewing from her neck.
Xera pulled out a dagger and Sid detached a battleaxe from his back. They attacked together, Sid swinging overhead, and Xera striking from below.
Ashura laughed maniacally at their attempt to harm it. He swung his destructive great sword again, shattering Sid's battleaxe. The demented killer slammed his weapon into the ground. Sid gasped as he and Xera were grabbed by the throat, stopping Xera mid-strike. Ashura slammed them both against the wall with enough force that the building cracked behind them. His clawed left hand had Xera, while his uncovered right hand had Sid. The two struggled to breathe, scratching at his hands.
Ashura glared at Sid. "I don't need you." Sid screamed in agony as his throat suddenly caught on fire, slowly spreading to the rest of his body. His body writhed in pain for several minutes before he finally died. The charred body was tossed next to the others.
"Wh-What d-do yo-you want?" Xera spat out through ragged breathes.
The murderous madman grinned maliciously. "To send a message." Xera let out a muffled cry as he ripped her throat out. She too fell limply to the ground, twitching as the last of her lifeblood drained out of her.
Ashura sighed in contentment as he soaked his hands in Xera's blood and began smearing it on the wall.
So…uh hey guys. Kind of a dark turn huh? Sorry about that haha. I'm going to warn you now that it's going to get dark like this again real soon. The main plot is going to start picking up, and don't worry. I'm not going to go OC crazy. Alear, Nix, and Ashura are probably going to be the only OC's from now on, but no promises. We'll see how it all unfolds. I hope you enjoy it so far. ^-^