Chapter Eight: Cold Upbringing.
Frost formed on her fingers as the cold froze the sweat to her skin, each labored breath came out in a puff of white. The gash on her back that she had received earlier was now frozen shut, a plus to the extreme cold she thought, at least now she wasn't as likely to bleed out. Weiss slumped to her knees as the last Grimm dissolved in the cold, she had been at this for hours so many that she had lost track of the exact number a long time ago and since there was no clock for her to check she would remain in the dark for how long she had been at it until they were either finished or she passed out from exhaustion again.
This type of training was not unusual for her now. Ever since she was eight and had decided on becoming a Huntress the young Heiress had been put through a rigorous regiment of combat along with her studies to become the next President of the SDC. At first they had only placed her in this chamber to begin extreme temperature training, then they started forcing her through obstacle courses, having her run endless miles or preforming fencing sequences. Each day was different running in a simulated hurricane, an obstacle course sixty feet in the air with scorching temperatures in the hundreds, fencing in a white out blizzard.
Now that the young girl had gotten use to those they had added live combat into the mix as well. Atlasian Knights, Grimm, even the occasional human combatants were thrown at her in endless waves. Today was a mix between the robotic knights and Grimm in shifting waves of size and ability. "Stand." A voice broke through the silent cold that was today's training, endless cold. No snow to whip in her face, no wind to move the stagnate air, no sound save the young girl's pants, just an endless, silent, deep cold.
With a grunt Weiss staggered to her feet not using Myrtenaster to prop herself up, if she did that the Heiress knew they would lower the temperature again. They'd probably do that anyways but there was no need to provoke them into doing it any earlier. Honestly Weiss had actually been surprised that they had let her rest for as long as she had most of the time the next wave would start the moment the last combatant fell to her blade.
The door she faced opened slowly revealing her next opponent, a single black robot exited to the Heiress' shock. The robot was about as tall as her and just as thin, the black orb that served as its head bobbed slightly as it walked, it was eerie how fluid it moved almost human like. Weiss readied her rapier for the robot to attack.
"This is a prototype of new project the President has invested in." The voice once again broke the silence, "Its combat protocols are much different from any of the other Knights that you have faced. Unlike them it will be able to react and adjust to your style as well as any human opponent would but like the others it is programmed to try to kill you." That news didn't bother the Heiress, since day one the things they sent at her had been trying to kill her and she had survived so far. The robot cocked its head to the side almost as if it was studying her. "You should also know that this model has had a one hundred percent success rate against opponent waves nearly ten times the largest size that you've be able to beat." That bothered Weiss, her largest wave record was fifty opponents and even then she had struggled for every kill and they were telling her this thing could take on five hundred with out much effort. This would not end well.
As silence settled into arena again the robot took its stance, arms wide head held straight legs together. A clicking noise from the robot filled the air, Weiss watched in fascination as ten swords drifted into the air behind it and began to fan out. The Heiress steadied her breathing, she was a Schnee she would not fall to this robot she would not fall before she had the chance to correct everything.
Before Weiss could steady her guard the robot rushed her. With quick motions it covered half the distance between them in a blink of the eye arms swinging in wide arcs. The white haired girl was instantly put on the defensive as she blocked the incoming swords. Some would act independently from the rest while others worked in concert trying to punch through her guard.
Weaving in and out of the blades Weiss lost ground rapidly. Just as she knocked one sword away two more came in from a different direction. Each second brought the blades closer to her skin a few had already nicked her but they were small and shallow cuts that her Aura would mend in a few minutes. She was going to get nowhere if she couldn't get in closer to actually tag the robot.
Creating five projection glyphs the Heiress shot five ice infused missiles towards the swords hoping to freeze a few and let her gain some ground back. Each of the projectiles missed their marks as the swords just dodged around them but Weiss had seen something. Just as the last projectile pasted the handle of a sword she had seen what looked like a wire attached to it.
A plan began to form in her mind; if she could immobilize those wires then she could anchor the robot in place then she might just have a chance. A bump against her back brought the Heiress form her thoughts and caused dread to fill her. She had lost her spatial awareness from constant flow of blades and had backed herself against the far wall. Like lighting a blade hurtled towards her sternum giving her practically no time to deflect it.
Flicking her rapier out Weiss pushed the blade enough off course so it would not impale her, instead it left a long deep gash across the ball of her right shoulder. Pain flicked across the young girl but she had no time to cry out, she had to act. Before the robot could retract the blade that was now imbedded in the wall she brought her rapier up and incased the blade in a block of ice holding it tight to the wall.
A clicking noise sounded out again as the robot tried to retract the blade only to fail the wire going taunt as it pulled. As if it didn't understand what Weiss had done the bot tilted its head to the side. Pushing off the wall the young Heiress rushed her opponent. Using repulsion glyphs the girl dodged in an out of the blades reaching the body of the robot for the first time.
Delivering quick slashes and jabs Weiss inflicted small numerous cuts into the metal. It would seem that the blades could not operate this close to the body as none came to defend the robot. Before she could continued her advantage the metal foot of the robot shot out and connected with her stomach throwing her backwards.
Blood filled Weiss' mouth as she bounced and rolled off the ground. A prick on the back of her neck told her to roll once more, the sound of two blades impacting the ground followed just milliseconds later. Flicking out her rapier again Weiss froze them into place as well. Once she had finished rolling the Heiress rose to her feet and looked at her opponent.
If it was possible for the robot to glare at her the young girl had no doubt that it would be giving her one that would rival her fathers. But she had grown immune to that glare along ago, she had gotten use to the near constant look of disappointment and contempt he gave her. Spitting the blood from her mouth the Heiress assessed her condition. Her Aura was low forcing her to no longer focus on healing but on what she would need for combat, she could feel two of her ribs shift letting her know they were at least cracked if not broken, the blood on her shoulder already frozen sealing the cut just as the larger one on her back had.
Five blades rushed towards her, Weiss jumped with the assistance of a repulsion glyph sending her into the air. Two blades were instantly in front of her, using another glyph the young girl flipped over them. Another blade shot up from below slashing her left calf sending pain up her again. Twisting away from the sword she angled herself towards the ground just above the robot. Pushing off another glyph she dove towards ground.
Swords rushed to intercept her but she was moving two fast. She flashed past them and plunged her rapier into the exposed neck of the robot the blade fueled with yellow Dust. Sparks shot into the air, the clattering of blades rang out as the Heiress discharged a bolt of lighting into the internal workings of the robot.
Finally the robot crumpled to its knees before slumping forward face first on to the ground. While it was capable of handing five hundred Grimm it apparently couldn't handle an opponent that wasn't mindless. Stepping away from the robot Weiss turned; pain raced across her right sight as a blade darted past biting deep into her flesh.
This time the Heiress cried out in pain as she fell to her knees clutching her side. She could feel the blood pulse out with every beat of her heart; the robot had one last attack before it finally died.
With labored breaths Weiss tried to focus on healing the wound with her Aura, the bleeding slowed as it congealed. She knew she couldn't force the wound closed to fast or she might black out from the sudden depletion of Aura. "Stand." The voice broke through the silence. Eyes still down at the ground Weiss felt her stomach drop, they expected her to keep fighting.
"But Doctor." A second voice cut in, the mic in the observation booth must have been left on, "She needs medical attention right away."
"She will stand at the ready or she will die on her knees." The Doctor's voice drifted out again, it sounded lazy and carefree. "The President has ordered today's training himself. If she cannot handle it then she is to die."
"But Doctor she's only fourteen." The second voice cried out again, "Not even a fully train Hunter could keep up with this pace."
"A fully train Hunter would have complete this exercise in half the time it has taken her to reach this point." The Doctor explained voice still bored. "Now stand Miss Schnee."
"I will not stand for this." The second voice yelled back, "I am ending this now, send in the med-" The voice was cut short by a sudden wet sounding splash. Weiss glanced up to the observation window, a large spray of crimson now coated half of it.
"It seems that I am in need of a new interne." The Doctor's voice drifted out through the speakers, the voice still calm and bored as if it had never happened. "Sylvia please fill out the proper request forms and send word to the Universities as well, there should be plenty of young candidates who are clamoring for a chance to study under me."
"Right away Doctor." A cheerful female voice chimed out, "Should I also let the President know what has transpired here as well?" Weiss cursed that voice, she was always so willing to do whatever was asked of her no matter how cruel.
"No I'll tell him when I speak to him later, he'll make the proper arrangements for the family of this one." The Doctor replied, the Heiress knew what he had meant. In roughly two days the family of the man who had spoke out would meet with unfortunate ends all declared accidents. "Now Miss Schnee, stand."
With a labored breath the young heiress pulled a blue vile from her pouch and uncapped it pouring a handful of the substance into her hand. Coating the Dust with her Aura Weiss pushed the freezing material into her side and calf feeling the wounds freeze, it would have to do until she was done or dead.
This time she had no choice but to use Myrtenaster as a prop to rise to her feet, the temperature took a sharp dip just as she suspected it would have and raised her rapier. Her hands shook from the loss of blood, not the cold. Weiss hadn't felt the cold in years.
Weiss awoke in a cold sweat. Barely a night went by when she wouldn't relived a day in that chamber but it had been that day that had been the turning point. On that day she had learned her father didn't care if she lived or died, he only saw her as a tool to be used. It had been that day that she had sworn to herself as she was dragged out by a medical team half unconscious that she would never become just a tool for him to use that she would rip down the tyranny he ruled through and begin righting the wrongs.
Knowing she wouldn't be returning to sleep anytime soon the Heiress rose from he bed quietly, slipped on a robe and left the room, her three teammates none the wiser of her absence. The halls of the dormitory were dark as she made her way up to the up one flight of stairs to the dormitory roof, a plus side to having a room on the top floor was that she didn't have to climb a lot of stairs to reach the quiet spot.
Reaching the open air, Weiss took a deep breath of the night. Summer still held a firm grasp on the weather with long warm days but the very beginning hints of autumn could be found in the crispness of the air at night, it wouldn't be long before the days would begin to grow longer and lose their heat. Leaning on the railing that ran the perimeter of the roof the Heiress looked up at the shattered moon.
At half shatter it filled a good portion of the sky illuminating the night with its ethereal glow. Weiss closed her eyes and basked in the muted light letting the memory fade but not before she reaffirmed her vow, she would rewrite the legacy of the SDC. "Weiss?" A soft voice called from behind her making the Heiress jump and spin about. Ruby stood near the doorway to the roof, sliver eyes glowing in the pale light.
"Don't do that to me Ruby." Weiss hissed as she clenched her chest, "You can't just go sneaking up on people at night. Especially here where everyone is becoming a highly trained Hunter to attack a noise first before asking questions."
Ruby chuckled as she stepped on onto the roof still in her pajamas, a long sleeved black shirt, baggie pants with her rose emblem dotting its surface, a black stocking cap with the emblem sown in resting on her head. "Sorry I got up and you were gone so I decided to go looking for you."
"Well you found me." Weiss sighed turning back towards the courtyard below as her crimson partner joined her at the railing.
"Yep." The girl grinned up at her, "So whatcha doing?" Weiss looked at the large grin with a small frown how could this girl be so chipper even in the middle of the night?
Deciding to humor her Weiss sighed, "I was enjoying the silence of the night before you showed up. It was rather peaceful."
"Yeah it is a nice night out isn't it?" Ruby continued to grin looking up at the moon. Weiss watched as the sterling silver orbs reflected the pale light making them shine even brighter, it was odd to her she had never actually looked at a person like she did the younger girl. Never once in all the dates she had been sent on had a the person interested her in the least but for some reason this girl with dark red hair, silver eyes and a wide grin could hold her attention. "Weiss?" with a blink the Heiress realized she had been staring at Ruby.
Clearing her throat Weiss looked away from the silver eyes and out over the campus, a small amount of heat graced her cheeks. "Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."
"I noticed." Ruby continued to smile, "Mind sharing?" Weiss looked back at the smaller girl raising an eyebrow at her. It was a look she knew would get the redhead sputtering and rambling, which she instantly did. "I mean you do have to tell me if you don't want to but I know sometimes talking things out make them easier to understand and stuff but it's totally your call if you want to talk about it or not cause it's your thing to talk about not mine but I wouldn't mind listening cause you're my partner and I'll always listen to you and I'm just gonna shut up now."
Weiss gave a small chuckle it really was easy to make her young leader nervous, "It's fine Ruby." She could act like a Schnee and not bother to tell the redhead what was on her mind to just brush it off like it was nothing but she had promised to try and be more open with her since the first week so why not start here? Letting her mind settle Weiss looked away from her partner, "Tell me, what do you know about my family?"
"Ehh?" Ruby blinked in confusion at the sudden question, Weiss glared at her from the corner of her eye. "Oh, umm, well not much besides they are the world's largest supplier of Dust. My parents had a few dealings with their company but they never talked about it much just saying it was a job and they need to do it to protect the workers. I know my dad isn't really a fan of the SDC and neither was my mom, she'd buy her Dust at any store that wasn't supplied by them." Weiss heard the cringe in younger girl's voice as she admitted it to her.
"Don't worry." Weiss shook her head, "Anything you say won't upset me." She heard Ruby sigh with relief. "Anything else?"
Ruby hesitated before she spoke, "Well besides that I know they have a hatred of Faunus and are pushing for resegregation between Humans and Faunus. They also treat Faunus employees very poorly and they often have high mortality rates on the job." Now it was Weiss turn to cringe, it was true and the fact that that was one of the most prevalent things thought of when people thought of the SDC made her want to change it that much stronger.
"Yeah there's that." Weiss muttered, "I hate to say it but when people think of the SDC they think first of Dust then the hate, but they aren't wrong, it's the two most publicized things about the company. The same could be said about my family itself as well, they only care about the money and that they are better than anyone else. That's something that started with my great-great grandfather, Augustus William Schnee the First, a man who was obsessed with genetics. He deemed his genes to be the pinnacle of the Schnee name." Weiss caught Ruby's questioning look, "He was the first Schnee to have a glyph semblance, white hair and blue eyes, a cold personality, ruthless cunning and to him that was what a Schnee should be. So he decided to start researching how to make sure those traits were the ones to continue on."
"Sound's stupid." Ruby scoffed, "Why would you want everyone to look like you? There'd be no uniqueness and it would be so dull."
Weiss rolled her eyes at her words, "Because that's how he was, he had built one of the largest companies that stretched to all corners of the globe so he felt that if it was to continue then his line should hold more of his blood than his spouse's. Of his five sons it was the youngest that had all of his traits; the white hair, blue eyes and his semblance and it was him that he named successor to the Schnee name." Ruby's look of confusion deepened. "In my family if a child is born without all three of the traits they are thrown aside into a branch family."
"Seems cruel." Ruby muttered.
"Oh it is." Weiss agreed, "Branch family members have no say in how the SDC is run or their own companies as well. Everything they do comes as a direct order from the current head of the Schnee name. They are used as scapegoats when something needs to be covered up or if the public needs someone to blame it falls on a branch member to take it just as long as the SDC profits are not affected."
"Is that what you were thinking about?" Ruby asked coming up beside her.
Weiss rolled her shoulders even while she was trying to share some of what was on her mind she wasn't sure if she should tell the younger girl about the training she had gone through. "Some of it. I was also thinking how I was trained to be nothing more than a tool for my father."
"A tool?" Ruby cocked her head the side. "What do you mean?"
"Ruby you've come from a very kind and caring family but me, my family was the exact opposite." Weiss kept her back to her partner, "They only look at a person for how they can use them. My father doesn't even love my mother; he only married her because she had recessive genes that would allow his to have the greatest chance of being passed on. I don't even remember the last time I had physical contact with him, I was five maybe and the last time I had any with my mother was when I was sixteen. They only see me as a means to pass on the genes to the next Schnee and to grow the company." Suddenly she felt two arms encircle her waist as Ruby placed her head between her shoulder blades. "R-Ruby?" Weiss stuttered at the sudden contact her body becoming ridged. "What are you doing you dolt?"
"Hugging you." Ruby replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Th-that's not what I meant. Why are you hugging me?" Weiss tried to twist out of the crimson girl's grasp only to have her arms pull tighter. "Dolt let me go." She felt Ruby shake her head adamantly clinging even tighter.
"Not until you feel better." Ruby told her. "I've always been told that hugs makes a person feel better and I'm your partner so one of my jobs is to make you feel better."
"That makes no sense." Weiss twisted again, how was this girl so strong? Oh right her weapon was a giant scythe that probably weighed more than she did of course the girl was strong.
"Then it's because I'm your friend." Ruby huffed. Weiss froze at the girl's words. Ruby considered her a friend? How could she do that? Sure it was true that the Heiress had started to open up to the younger girl but she was still harsh and cold towards her the majority of the time. She hadn't been anything like a friend should be so to hear the young girl say that she was her friend confused the Heiress.
"You're my friend?" Weiss whispered as she stopped struggling in the smaller girl's arms.
"Of course." Ruby chirped happily. "We're all your friends; me, Yang, Blake and all of JNPR think of you as our friend." Slowly Ruby released the white haired girl and stepped around face her. Weiss looked at the clear silver eyes looking for any deception, but there was none. Of course there wasn't Ruby always meant what she said so why would she lie now.
"You dolt." Weiss shook her head at the crimson girl.
"Hey you can only call me that when I do something stupid." Ruby pouted sliver eyes narrowing playfully.
"Your logic is flawed." Weiss sighed stepping away from the smaller girl. "While you can say you are my friend you cannot know what the others think of me."
Ruby snorted causing Weiss to glare at the girl, "I'm pretty sure you're being the stupid one now. I mean I've been living with Yang for the majority of my life now so I'm pretty good at telling what's going on in her head."
"What about Blake?" Weiss sighed leaning back against the railing.
Ruby hesitated again. She knew the exact reason why the black haired girl was hesitant around Weiss it was the same as hers she was a Faunus. While Ruby was growing more sure each day that her partner was not like her family the panther had more that she wasn't telling them that made her hatred for the Schnee's much greater. "Well she's not good with people, I'm sure if you reached out to her she'd be more open with you as well."
"I'm sure that will work." Weiss replied sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. The black haired girl was just about as open as she was when it came to talking and since the boisterous blonde seemed to follow her everywhere the Heiress hadn't had much success with talking to her.
"Of course it will." Ruby smiled widely there was little doubt in her mind that the two wouldn't get along; they were more alike than they let on.
"How are you always so chipper?" Weiss asked her partner.
"I just always look for the good in things." Ruby smiled as she adjusted her stocking cap, "My mom always tried to see the best in everyone so I decided that I should too."
"She sounds like an amazing woman." Weiss shook her head wondering how the world could handle two people like Ruby.
"She was." Ruby's voice was wistful and sad catching the white haired girl's attention.
"Ruby…" Weiss looked at her partner, silver eyes were staring into the distance glazed over in a distant memory and full with unshed tears. Something deep in the Heiress hurt as she watched her partner. Ruby wasn't supposed to look hurt, she was supposed to be smiling and happy. Her sliver eyes were supposed to shine like fresh polished silver not have this matted dull look to them and watching them grow sad hurt.
That was a peculiar sensation in the Heiress. She had never felt anything towards another person before in her life but yet this small redhead had elected more than one with increasing frequency. Almost everyday something would buzz in her when she saw her silver eyes shine with happiness. A sharp thud in her chest when the redhead laughed or smiled at her would make her pause and wonder why. And now she felt pain as she watched the younger girl. It made no rational sense to Weiss, empathy was one thing but to feel how Ruby could make her feel was just confusing.
Shaking her head Ruby shook herself out of her memory causing Weiss to come out of her thoughts as well. "We should probably head back." Ruby noted whipping her eyes with the back of her hand, Weiss could hear some pain still in her voice but didn't know what to say to the redhead so returned with a nod. "Besides Professor Goodwitch won't be happy with us if we fall asleep during her combat class." As if a switch had been flicked the happy crimson girl was back and bouncing back towards the door.
"And Professor Port won't?" Weiss shook her head following her partner.
"Psssh." Ruby shrugged off the question, "He's never caught me yet."
"That's not the point Ruby." Weiss sighed. With another laugh the crimson girl disappeared down the stairway leaving the Heiress to pinch the bridge of her nose and follow her back to the dorm.
A/N: So there's some more of Weiss' background and a small cameo of Penny. With volume 3 letting us know that the Schnee's share a genetic semblance it makes my idea just a bit easier to go with cause yeah crazy family members who are obsessed with genetics. Anyways we're moving forward and I'm really excited for next weeks chapter which was one of the first one's written when I was coming up with this story.
With that: I thank you all from the bottom of my heart, share your thoughts, and may your day be bright.