Hey guys welcome to the start of the Mountain Glen arc I hope you enjoy the opening chapter.
I don't own RWBY if I did I wouldn't be so bad at editing.
"Ruby you're okay!" cried Yang as they all rushed into the infirmary.
Ruby didn't respond and just stared at her hands with a troubled expression, causing her teammates to share a confused look between them. "Hey sis, you feeling okay?" asked the blonde, pointing at Ruby's bandaged arms.
Yang frowned as Ruby shook her head, snapping out of her daze before quickly shoving her arms behind her back. The troubled look on her face disappeared and was replaced with a fake smile that Yang recognized as Ruby turned to face them.
"It'll take more than that to keep me down Yang," she said with a laugh.
"Ruby what's wrong with your arms?" interrogated Yang.
"Nothing!" replied the reaper, quickly.
The rest of team RWBY's eyes narrowed in suspicion at this and Blake wordlessly handed Ruby a change of clothes. Her expression brightening Ruby grabbed the clothes before shutting the curtains, blocking off their view as she got changed. Blake then nodded to Yang, realizing what the Faunus meant the brawler frowned as she walked past the curtain. Ruby was in the process of getting changed when the blonde walked in and Yang's eyes narrowed as she saw some sort of tattoos covering the inflamed skin of her sister's arms. Hearing the curtain open Ruby quickly covered herself in her hood, hiding the tattoos from sight.
"Yang what are you doing?!" demanded her sister, angrily.
"I thought you might need some help getting changed, you were injured pretty badly after all. Besides I used to help you get changed when you were younger after all," lied Yang.
"That was then and this is now. Get out!" growled Ruby.
"Ok sheesh sis no need to rip my head off," joked Yang, noting how Ruby flinched at the mention of this.
"Ruby if something's bothering you… you know you can talk to any of us about it," frowned Yang.
"I know Yang but this is something I need to do myself," sighed Ruby.
Yang shook her head and walked back to her two teammates, ignoring the questioning looks Weiss and Blake sent her. 'Later,' she mouthed to them as Ruby walked out in her combat gear and the team headed back to their dorm. As they walked in Weiss tripped over a package that had been dumped in the middle of the room.
"Yang what did I tell you about leaving your things on the floor!" raged the heiress as she picked herself off the ground.
"It's a package from dad," stated Yang, ignoring her teammate as she picked up the cylinder.
Opening the package they were all surprised when a dog fell out followed by multiple cans of dog food. Instantly Blake was on the bed and glaring at the dog from above as it barked at her, Yang suppressed a snicker as she picked up a letter.
"Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei today for you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang," read Yang.
Ruby looked at the letter curiously, "so he's leaving Patch for a couple of days?" she asked.
Yang nodded before her eyes widened and she turned to look at her sister, "how did you know we lived in Patch?"
The rest of the team turned to look at Ruby who was blinking in surprise, "I don't know," replied the reaper.
"Maybe Zwei will jog more memories," said Yang, eagerly as she shoved the dog into Ruby's face.
Zwei just sniffed Ruby's hand before he began growling and barking, making Yang struggled to keep her hold on the dog. Ruby instantly leapt backwards onto her bed and watched from a safe distance as the blonde struggled with the squirming dog.
"Zwei what's wrong? It's just Ruby," lectured Yang, trying to quiet the barking animal.
As Zwei began to quieten down they all heard Ruby's scroll go off before the reaper just sighed and headed to the door. "Cya guys later Ozpin wants to talk," she said as she shut the door, leaving an angry Yang to scold Zwei.
"They were here! Ozpin, they were here!" shouted Ironwood as he slammed his fist onto the desk.
"We're very much aware of that! Thank you, James," stated an equally annoyed Goodwitch.
"Fantastic! You're aware! Now are we going to do something about it or should we just continue to let that ticking time bomb do the work for us!" shouted the general.
"That 'ticking time bomb' as you so eloquently put it is one of our students and will be shown the proper respect General," came Glynda's cold reply.
"But for how much longer Glynda? You both saw the markings on her arms as well as what Port's told us, you both know what that signifies," argued Ironwood before turning to Ozpin.
"We should place her into protective custody. Not just for her sake but for the safety of the other students as well," he told the headmaster.
"We cannot lock up Miss Rose for something she hasn't even done!" shot back Glynda.
"So we wait for her to attack and possibly kill the other students before trying to stop her? Can you tell the parents of the dead children that when you meet them Glynda?" replied Ironwood.
"I didn't mean that and you know it!" growled the professor.
"Enough! This childish bickering is pointless. General I understand your concern but I'm am not giving up on Miss Rose just yet. She has fought it off for this long and I fail to see why this should change, she is a stubborn soul," lectured Ozpin as a smile appeared on his face.
Ironwood just frowned, "tell me Oz have you felt her aura since the incident last night?"
This time it was Ozpin's turn to frown as Glynda looked between the two of them with a confused look, "what are you talking about James?" she asked.
Ironwood glanced at her with a sigh, "did you not find it strange that her aura has taken so long to heal her this much considering the amount of it she has? Before she gave off a dominant Remnant aura with the Earth one hidden beneath."
The general paused and Ozpin took over, "her aura now gives off very little Remnant aura but an overwhelming Earth one. Almost as if one is shutting the other down," concluded the headmaster.
Glynda's eyes widened and a silence descend on the trio before Ozpin spoke up, "we can discuss Miss Rose's condition later for now we need to focus on the White Fang."
"What do you have in mind?" asked Ironwood.
Ozpin frowned as he folded his arms over his table, "we all know how accurate Earth aura is. Last night I spoke to Miss Rose and she mentioned how she didn't feel safe here anymore, it is possible she had detected the infiltrators."
"And if so it's possible she might be able to track them down," finished Ironwood with a thoughtful expression on his face.
Glynda looked at the two headmasters in shock, "you want to use her as a tracking hound?!" she exclaimed.
Before either of them could respond the all heard the sound of the door opening and turning around they saw Ruby walk in. Glynda noted that the bandages hadn't been removed from her arms and that the reaper's eyes never left the general's, who returned her weary gaze.
"Thank you for coming, Ruby. How are you feeling?" asked Ozpin.
"Okay, I guess. I'd feel better if I had more success at catching criminals then being one," she joked, only to rub the back of her neck as silence filled the room. "Okay, so that's the tone we're going for, got it."
"Ruby do you remember anything more then what you told Glynda?" asked the headmaster.
"Sorry Headmaster if I did I'd tell you," she replied with a shake of her head.
"I see…never mind. Tell me you said that you didn't feel safe here recently, has this feeling passed?" he asked.
Ruby cocked her head in confusion before frowning, "no Headmaster it hasn't. In fact it's only gotten stronger recently," she answered.
The three teachers exchanged a worried glance, "It would seem your aura may be the answer to our problem, have you had any more of these 'feelings?'" replied Ozpin.
Ruby didn't say anything before a smile spread across her face, "actually Headmaster I remember something about somewhere outside Southeast Vale."
"Southeast Vale? That is oddly specific," commented Ironwood, suspicious.
Ruby just shrugged and Ozpin smiled, knowing the real reason for this information. "Thank you Miss Rose you can go now," he dismissed with a wave.
Ruby nodded and left the office as Ironwood and Glynda turned to Ozpin. "Southeast Vale? That can only be one place," stated Glynda.
"Indeed it would seem the universe does indeed have a dark sense of humor," agreed Ozpin.
"We need to send as many troops as we can into the southeast, find out exactly what's going on, and eradicate any forces that stand in our way," said Ironwood.
Glynda rounded on the general with a glare, "why must your answer to everything involve a triumphant display of military bravado!? You treat every situation like a contest of measuring di—!"
"Glynda!" interrupted Ozpin.
"Well, he does," sulked the professor.
"She's right. As much as I too would love to end this situation once and for all, we must remember that this may go beyond Vale. Beyond Beacon. And if this truly is part of some master plan for which we know not the final move, we mustn't be so bold. Nor can we risk the spread of panic," said Ozpin as he turned to face Ironwood.
"I have served you faithfully for years... but if you mean to tell me that your plan is to hold the defenses, and wait—" stated the general.
"It is not!" shouted Ozpin, getting up from his chair. "You're a general, James. So tell me, when you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first? The flag bearers, or the scouts?"
Ironwood took a deep breath, "very well I suppose now that the hound has got the scent it's only a matter of time until we reel them in."
Red sighed as she walked into the library, her mind thinking back to the conversation from Ozpin's office. 'Was it really a good idea to mention that? Oh well too late to take it back now. Hopefully they others aren't mad,' she pondered before taking a seat in front of a computer. After taking a couple of minutes to figure out how to use the different Remnant systems she started up the internet browsing function and went to what looked like a search engine site. 'Ok here goes nothing,' she thought as she began typing. As predicted however typing in 'Earth aura' only got her a list of known Semblances that use the earth element or how to boost your aura with earth Dust, both interesting but neither what she was looking for.
"Well I suppose it was too much to hope for," sighed Red when suddenly a thought came to her head.
Frowning she typed in 'other worlds' and 'Earth' and to her amazement there was a single result. "The scientific community has become intrigued by numerous ruins that were excavated near Mistrals border," she read out loud.
"The ruins in question were discovered by a group of hunters on one of their daily patrols when they were chased by a large group of Grimm and got lost in the nearby mountains. After making their way back to the city the hunters informed the council of what they'd found, instantly sparking a number of archaeologists to come rushing due to the pristine conditions of the ruins," she read, her interest now beginning to grow.
"Archaeologists were stunned to find a primitive form of modern day Valiyic being used as the previous inhabitant's language, leading some to speculate that the language had originated there. The ruins depicted pictures of an individuals fighting Grimm with weapons that bore an eerie similarity with a current modern day weapon known as the scythe," continued Red as the sound of pouring rain was heard outside.
"This made some believe that like Valiyic the original style of this fighting may have been conceived here. After months of excavating the scientific community was salivating as the teams uncovered a library, holding large amounts of knowledge including the first recorded instant of Dust being used in combat. However before the archive could be studied in depth the teams had to abandon the site as large numbers of Grimm attacked," she frowned as she kept reading.
"Multiple attempts to reclaim the site were made but the Grimm just grew in numbers and never left the ruins, baffling experts as to why they would inhabit such a hostile area in the large numbers present. Thus the site was closed off and a team of hunters assigned to watch it and keep an eye on the Grimm leaving the archaeologists with only the few books they took with them before they fled. Most of which appear to be some form of folklore or fairytales of the ancient civilizations which although interesting has disappointed experts compared to what has been lost," finished Red.
Sighing she scrolled down and her eyes widened as she stared at the screen unable to believe what her eyes were showing her.
Translated extract of suspected folklore book.
Original name: unknown
Given name: A story of two worlds.
It all started with a question, "What is better; to be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?"
This was debated for many millennia with arguments for either side being made but no conclusion was reached. So to answer this question two identical worlds were created, one with beings of pure light, born from Dust to fight the darkness and one with beings born from Earth who carried their own darkness locked inside them. And so the two worlds grew under the appraising eyes of their watchers, each beginning to reflect their inhabitants. As the years passed the debate began to grow one sided as the creatures of light grew and prospered while their darker counterparts painted a history of blood. Yet despite the numerous bloodshed being displayed one of the watchers refused to acknowledge the creatures of light as better and despite all its companions siding against it, the watcher would not be swayed and so the debate continued.
"Look at the violence displayed. They will surely destroy themselves at this rate, you cannot still believe they are better!" argued one of the watchers, as they saw the dark world once again be consumed in the fires of war.
"In order to fight the darkness you must first experience it yourself," mused their lone opponent.
And so their silent observations went on, with the world of light creating great utopias of cities and sharing a time of unprecedented peace and development. The beings of Dust learning to use the light of their souls, their aura, to grow in power while their darker counterparts continued to wage a bloody conflict that scared the very world itself. Death became a constant companion for this world as disease, famine and war continued to rage on its surface, however much to the annoyance of its competitors the lone watcher never swayed from his choice.
"Why do you continue to put such faith in these beings? They are clearly flawed compared to their counterparts," asked one of its opponents.
"Yes they are flawed…but a lot of them try, to do better, to forgive," sighed the lone watcher.
"Look at both sides of every conflict, every act of darkness they commit and you will see individuals who do not give in to it. Individuals who have faced the worst horrors and yet still fight for the good of their people and not just for rage and vengeance. Everyday these beings are tested against the darkness and everyday more and more resist it," it concluded, much to the shock of the rest of the observers.
The rest of the watchers just voiced their counterarguments but seeing that their opponent would not be swayed they introduced the embodiment of darkness into the world of light. Hoping to prove to their lone kin wrong and finally put this debate to an end they all watched as the creatures of darkness, the creatures of Grimm, invaded the world of light. It was there that things started going wrong, the beings of light began fighting, not the creatures of darkness but themselves, failing to see the true threat. For the first time in its history the world of light erupted into war as the once united people splintered into factions, each determined to spill the others blood even as the darkness advanced. The watchers were shocked at this display for if there was one thing they'd learnt from watching the darker world it was this. There was always one truly unifying force, one call that would always unite their darker kin. The emergence of a common enemy.
It had been shown time and again in the beings of Earth, even the most bitter of enemies uniting against a common foe before stumbling into an odd sense of peace however short it might be. Yet the creatures of Dust failed at this very basic principal, caring only for the survival of their own faction and failing to see the bigger picture. Thus the once might kingdom of light crumbled under this assault and the remaining remnants began a long and brutal struggle for survival. In this time the darker world also suffered the largest war ever fought in its long and bloody memory, and for the first time the darker counterparts began to grow weary of conflict. The observers watched in amazement as the beings began using what they'd learnt in conflicts to other areas; factories that once fuelled war machines were repurposed, medicines became wide spread limiting most of the diseases, trade began with the different nations as food and culture was exchanged which in turn created closer ties as well as fended off starvation. The beings then built great cities to rival even their counterparts at the height of their glory before sending their gaze towards the stars.
The watchers could only look at their lone companion in disbelief as this scared and flawed world began growing, creating masterpieces of art and engineering that the creatures of light had only dreamed about. Even after discovering and unlocking the secrets behind the darkness within them, they still turned away from it. Refusing to lose the last bits of light they had left for the sake of power, while the creatures of light began to greedily horde power. The watchers could only watch on in disappointment as the lights of the creatures of Dust began to slowly but surely get corrupted in their lust for power. As more conflicts spread over the once light world and the creatures of Grimm began to multiply it was clear that the debate had come to an end.
Sighing they all turned to their lone companion and congratulated it before preparing to leave, the debate having finally come to a conclusion. "It is not over yet," announced the lone observer.
This startled the rest as they turned to face it, "how so? It is clear what the outcome will be," asked one.
"There will be no victory in strength yes. But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that they've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul," mused the loner.
"No matter how brilliant the light, you have made it clear that all will become corrupted and eventually flicker and die," came the counterargument.
"Indeed so let us save that innocent light by engulfing it in the darkness, after all the brighter the light the longer the shadow," replied the lone observer.
There was a stunned silence as they all realized what was being suggested, before the excited group returned to their previous spots near the two worlds. The two worlds, one of light yet full of nothing but remnants and the other of darkness yet peaceful and growing. Two worlds that had been joined by fate and yet never met. Two worlds that should have remained separate were for better or worse now linked together and in this process one shall rise, either as our savior or our destroyer. Whatever the consequences it is clear that the Red Reaper is coming and is destined to change the fate of both worlds forever, for good… or ill.
Shutting down the computer Red walked back to her dorm, 'that has to be a coincidence doesn't it?' she thought worriedly. Opening the door Red was immediately grabbed by her teammates before being dragged to the airship terminal. "Come on Ruby we had to cover for you at the presentation the least you could do is pick up the pace!" lectured Weiss.
"What's going on?" she asked, struggling free from their grasp as she ran alongside them.
"We just got given our grading mission and guess what? It's in Southeast Vale how lucky is that?!" exclaimed an excited Yang.
Red grinned, equally happy to get and start exploring when Weiss suddenly stopped in front of her. Sending Red crashing into the heiress as the two tumbled over, climbing off her annoyed teammate Red looked at the figure before them and her heart sank.
"Why, hello girls. Who's ready to fight for their lives?" asked a cheery Oobleck.
Well there we go another chapter unfortunately I won't be able to work on any new ones until Feb sorry guys. At least I didn't end on a cliff hanger (sort of). Also is there anyone who is willing to edit the chapters written so far...I'm kind of getting tired of rereading them again and again while correcting mistakes.
P.S. Valiyic is the name for English in the world of RWBY since I don't remember them ever giving it a name, if I'm wrong feel free to tell me and I'll change it.