Summery/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Frostbitten Arrow. Enjoy the 3000-word chapter. I don't own RWBY or Destiny, Monty Oum, Rooster Teeth, and Bungie do.
(Solitas, Atlas, Schnee Castle 2:20 PM December 12th.)
"I'd like to make a report," Mason said as Nomad floated around him. "The House of Devils. They sent a force here. I don't know if the rest of their forces arrived. Make sure Cayde gets this. The enemy assault failed; I'll keep updates at the moment until further notice." Mason added before Nomad beeped.
"Hello, Princess." Mason heard from Nomad before he turned around to notice Weiss. "Mason is just making a report to the council in Vacuo. I can assure you it's nothing major." Nomad added as Mason pushed his ghost away.
"Thank you for completely lying," Mason snarked as he sighed. "I was talking to my mentor, he's on the council. I don't know if he got it, Nomad said the weather is kinda off. I don't know if that scrambled the signal." Mason added before he hopped down from his ship.
He looked at Weiss who had ditched her formal attire for a simple blue nightgown with the Schnee symbol. He was quite sure it was probably made of Atlesian silk or some such thing. Still? He didn't judge her; she had shown more moxie than it was possible.
"If it helps? Solitas storms tend to make it impossible for transmissions out or into the city." Weiss said, slowly walking forward as she made sure not to press barefoot to the snow.
"Well, Vacuo sandstorms kinda do the same thing so I guess I should be used to it," Mason said as he urged Weiss inside. "My mentor said it was a natural defense or something. I guess it was true when it came down to it. Still? I don't know if it works on the Fallen." Mason added before scratching at his neck.
"Will they send reinforcements?" Weiss questioned to which Mason shrugged. "The fallen, I mean. I've their noble nature means they don't let grudges go. It wouldn't surprise me if they came back… Father has doubled security around the cities so they don't land more soldiers." Weiss added as Mason hummed.
"Trust me. Their kell has been on my hit list for a long time, I doubt they'd risk it so easily," Mason said as Nomad spoke up.
"Would that have anything to do with the bounty placed upon Solkis by the council?" Nomad questioned to which Mason could only shake his head.
"No. You seem to forget I have a bone to pick with Solkis. I don't know if the bug-brained monster is just a coward or what." Mason added before he shook his head. "I do know he and his little empire are going down. He almost got away at the moment." Mason added to which Nomad was silent.
The princess looked at the hunter and his ghost. There was a kinship with him that she rather enjoyed, even if his behavior was quite immature. Then again? There was quite an interest in that, almost nobody in Solitas cracked jokes like this at the moment.
"How are things at the moment?" Mason asked to which Weiss shrugged. "I hope everyone is good. Do you think the House of Devils was behind this? They'd burn and loot the rest of the city. I don't know what they'd be doing at the moment if they aren't planning another assault." Mason added as Weiss nodded to herself.
"We have plenty of work when you think about it," Weiss responded as both looked out the window. "My parents will be busy restoring the city. I wish that they could think of more than just certain topics like wealth and recreational projects." Weiss stated while she put a hand to her temples.
"What do you expect at the moment?" Mason said while he started to lean on the wall. "They have reputations when it comes down to it. I know there are plenty of issues for them to deal with. You should know for a fact that as leaders? They need to put on a bright face and make people think there's nothing wrong with their subjects and every single thing." Mason put in before he shook his head.
"It's still just weird for them to constantly act like these issues don't mean anything," Weiss said while Mason shrugged to himself. "They constantly act like nothing fazes them and yet they never let me do something. Father acts like some defenseless flower who can't do anything." Weiss put in while she leaned on the wall as she watched Mason nod to her.
"You want to be out there so badly that you could end up being killed by these things?" Mason asked while his friend shrugged to herself. "It isn't as easy to be the hero as you think. So many people will want you dead. The fallen, the Vex. There's no limit to the bad guys that will try and kill you." Mason said while he rubbed his temples.
Weiss was silent as she reflected on this information. Her friend wasn't wrong, the world was a very dangerous place for her considering the number of enemies in it. The princess was well aware of the enemies in Remnant.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Mason asked while he raised an eyebrow. "I know what it's like to constantly want to help but have issues with that sort of thing. Nomad and I constantly have arguments… But we both know the type of stakes that are on that road. Your good, but so are the fallen… Trust me. They almost killed me plenty of times." Mason said, closing his eyes.
The hunter raised a hand to his head. He was almost annoyed by the Fallen. They had brought death and mayhem everywhere they went. He didn't consider them monsters; it was similar to a force of nature.
"You hadn't told me about that face scar." Mason heard from Weiss as he turned to her. "It was about the fallen, right?" Weiss asked to which the hunter turned to the side while shaking his head.
"It's a long story that might not be as much fun to hear as you think," Mason said as he leaned on the wall. "Yes. It is. the fallen did that to me. It's not the reason that I have a bone to pick with the fallen, though." Mason said while Nomad popped out of him.
"That is a very personal part of Mason's past, I am afraid to say that." Nomad stated before his master pushed the ghost to the side. "You cannot lie to a friend; we both know you would care a lot about the princess." Nomad put in while he sighed as his master was silent a second later.
He was silent at the time. He wasn't going to try and do something stupid. However? He didn't want to have to deal with his friend.
"If I tell you about… This?" Mason said while he gestured to himself. "Then I want to ask my question now. I want to know something about you. Is that a decent deal?" Mason asked while he slowly started to walk towards the sofa and brushed off his armor.
"I suppose that's a decent deal as you said," Weiss said before she sat down next to the hunter. "You still owe me a story before I say anything," Weiss said and watched Mason chuckle as he crossed his arms over his chest.
He turned to the woman and cleared his throat as he started the story. He knew enough to realize the question he was going to ask was still worth it.
"Ok, it started in the deserts of Vacuo when I was a kid," Mason said while he cleared his throat. "I was part of a group of traders who traded dust and materials across Vacuo. I was young. Real young." Mason said and started to recline on the sofa as he did so.
He rubbed at his temples while he gazed up at the ceiling while he did so. He was silent as he did so while he started to reminisce on said memories when it came to it.
"I do want to point out that it's also not a very nice story," Mason said before he turned and started to think of what happened. "Ok. They had come. The Fallen, I don't know what they wanted, but they had come in force. I was told to stay with the cargo. I think I was doing something stupid to try and be a hero." Mason said and leaned back.
"And one of them…" Weiss started to say before Mason held up a hand.
"No, I decided to try and be a hero as I said," Mason responded while he shook his head. "I blasted a few of them, a few of them were killed. Their captain? No. He didn't like what happened to his men. Decided to make an example of me." Mason stated as he put a hand to his helmeted head.
"One of the captains leading the attack assaulted Mason with a shocking sword." Mason heard from Nomad to which he nodded to himself while he raised an eyebrow. "Those scars are from the blade slicing and burning his face." Nomad stated to which he nodded to himself while he started to roll his eyes.
"Thank you for blurting out what happened next," Mason said while he started to crack his fingers. "Yeah. Their boss cut me across the face. It hurt me bad. My old man ended up shooting him to death. Scar never healed upright; I took it as a sign to not be an idiot 24/7." Mason stated while he started to shake his head.
"That didn't seem to stop you from fighting the fallen tooth and nail all up the entire region." Nomad responded while he rolled his eyebrow at the machine.
"Fallen are worse than the Grimm you seem to forget," Mason stated while he rolled his eyes to himself. "They wanted us dead badly, House of Devils are mad at us. Guess they're mad at the first hunter to dismantle their entire empire like how we did. It's amusing if I'm being honest. I didn't expect there to be so damn many of them, though." Mason stated while he raised an eyebrow to himself.
"And yet there are dozens of enemies that the fallen have made." Nomad stated before Weiss cleared her throat.
Both rotated towards the woman as she looked at them with an interest that didn't seem as natural. Still? He didn't want to think of the princess being mad at them.
"Are you going to be, ok?" Weiss heard from Mason while he started to look up at the ceiling above them.
The princess fell silent while he laid back across the couch... There seemed to be a weird vibe at the moment. Mason couldn't question what the fallen would next. He was well aware of the power and danger the group held towards Atlas and him.
It was entirely something that made him scared of what they could do if they damaged the city's defenses. They had more than enough firepower to reduce the city to ash if they so choose to. It made him curious about their options if decided to fight back.
"How does your father plan to deal with the fallen?" Mason asked while he slowly looked downwards. "I don't know if the fallen started another assault on the city," Mason added with a sigh.
"Knowing him?" Weiss questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Possibly with violence. He's well aware of what happens if Solitas is seen as weak when it comes down to it. There will be more air traffic in Solitas, but I believe that will be the most of it." Weiss stated to which the hunter shared a look at Nomad.
Both were aware their ship could be in and out of the city within seconds. It paid that the hunters had the more advanced tech due to being scavengers who spent weeks or more there. It was something that he started to think of.
"Nomad, will that message make it safely?" Mason asked to which the small machine was silent. "Nom. I need to know if the council knows what happened. They're in charge, remember?" Mason questioned to which the machine nodded.
"Yes. I sent it through one of the CCTS towers. It should be there already if not tomorrow." Nomad responded before he let out a chirp. "Now, if you need me? I will be inside the light your body is currently holding onto. I don't need to be out at the moment." Nomad added before he shook his head and vanished into his friend's body.
Mason shook as he tried to adjust as well as he could. It was sometimes odd when he vanished into his body considering.
"It's really weird when he does his tech stuff," Mason said while he closed his eyes. "He means well at the time; I'd be dead by now when it comes down to it. Still? He's weird, feels a lot like a little brother than a computer who sits inside me and does the hacking and all that." Mason started while he started to clear his throat.
Mason was entirely silent at the moment. He turned to see what Weiss was amusing herself with. It almost made him start to like this place… He would if it wasn't cold and constantly full of monsters who wanted to kill him.
'Then again? Name a damn place on this planet which isn't dangerous to people.' Mason thought as he placed a hand on his temples.
He sighed before he started to speak once more, a strange amount of exhaustion.
"So. If I can ask?" Mason questioned while he raised an eyebrow. "How does one exactly become someone like a warrior princess? There's not a lot of reason to want to become a warrior, you know there's plenty of soldiers who do that for you." Mason stated as he crossed his arms while he placed a hand on his temples.
He was entirely focused on what she said next. The princess was someone who was trying to carve her destiny. He could relate to that type of drive.
"Does it beg that much of a question?" Weiss asked as the hunter nodded to himself. "It was… Part of something I asked the family butler," Weiss added while Mason blinked.
"Your well aware that it's not that easy to train with swords." Weiss heard from him as he started to clear his throat. "All I've heard about the Schnee Family didn't say anything like sword fighting. Their aristocrats, business owners from what I heard." Mason stated with amusement and surprise in his tone.
Mason did hold some respect for the princess that he didn't know much about at the moment. He was indeed interested in more of her story at the moment than he let on. Mason did want to know what happened to make her this way in life.
'Then again? If I was cooped up in some hidden part of the world and sat alone in their room? I think I'd go insane and want out from that sort of life.' Mason thought to himself while he started to check.
"It sounds like a good start to a good story that I can't wait to hear," Mason stated while he leaned back across the sofa. "I told my story at the moment, now it's time for your story," Mason added as he shook his head.
Weiss fell silent before this as she pondered if it was a nice idea for her to speak about the story that had been part of her life. She was also a warrior when it came to it. She supposed that what he asked was a fair question as he started to think of what that story was like.
Weiss cleared her throat as she started to speak, forcing her friend and a new ally to tilt his head. He waited for the next words to pass through her throat.
"My parents don't think I can do anything safely without a dozen bodyguards," Weiss stated while her friend nodded towards her. "They constantly think I'm bothered if I do anything vulgar. It was annoying when I was a child when all of them babied her." Weiss added as she frowned to herself before she cleared tapped her fingers on her dress.
Weiss didn't think they were bad people at the end of the day. If they wanted to pamper her? They were allowed to do so. She wanted nothing more than to be involved in the affairs of her homeland. She also understood the fact that her father didn't feel like was safe for a few reasons. It still bothered her that her father thought she was more of a doll that needed to be protected rather than a woman who had been raised to be the empress of their home.
Weiss watched as Mason spun towards the window as a transmission blasted over the communication system. Mason slowly started to walk towards his ship.
Weiss was left alone with her thoughts as she sighed to herself. There were more pressing issues for her to deal with at the moment than her feelings at the moment.
"She's pretty good at killing fallen, isn't she?" Nomad asked before Mason nodded
Author notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be delayed. I also want to point out I will be working on making better chapters now. The next chapter will be delayed at the moment. It will also set up more of the politics and such. The next chapter will be in 2-10 months at the moment and will be 900-6500 words. until then, Lighting Wolf out.