LIX - Mycorrhizae
~~~(LIX)~~~
Oxon awoke to someone jostling him. Whoever it was was officially on his shit list. He weakly tried to bat away the annoyance, but it persisted. Couldn't the asshole just let him sleep? He'd been up late keeping them all warm.
"Oxon, get up, we're going to be heading out soon."
Sadly, it seemed falling back asleep wasn't in the cards. The constant pushing on his shoulder mixed with the light from outside has him slowly becoming alert. Well, alert as he could be. He was still incredibly tired and was very close to just finding a new place to nap.
Pushing himself off his stomach, he turned his head to see that it was Oscar who had woken him. Oxon vowed vengeance on the farm boy. It wasn't every night that he had a blissful - zero nightmare - sleep. Though, last night he didn't have any at all. Once on his knees and vertical, he noticed the others getting up from their dreams at a lazy pace.
Rubbing his face, he looked at the cold embers of the fire. Idly, he noticed there were half burnt, unchopped logs inside. He must have put them in minutes before falling asleep himself, he'd never do that otherwise. He had an idea to light it up again, but was too tired to try. He was warm enough.
Eh, they were done with the place anyways, it hardly mattered if it was properly burned. As long as the place didn't burn down or we didn't freeze in the night, then I'll call that a success.
The group lazily piled their blankets over the couch as they got their things together. Oxon looked at the large ax leaning against the wall. Last night he had the idea to bring it with him, so he had a semblance of his primary fighting style available, but he couldn't bring himself to grab it. He had his guns on him and the thing would just weigh him down. Turning away from the tool, Oxon followed the others as they walked outside.
After a bit of weak arguing with Yang about her "beautiful baby", Weiss used Myrtenaster to weld a metal ball to create a makeshift trailer hitch that would allow the flatbed to be attached to Bumblebee. Honestly, he didn't see what the fuss was, it was that or walking. And he didn't much care to hike through the snow.
Spying a nice stump, Oxon sat down and tried to get a bit more rest. He watched the girl slowly weld the two prices together, it took a while. "There." Weiss seemed tired and unenergized. The same was true for Blake and Oscar. The two chatted in a slow manner.
"Can we just go back to bed?"
"If we're all so tired, maybe we should make breakfast?"
Oscar replied without even glancing her way. "You wanna make it?"
Blake thought for half a second before sighing. "Not really."
Oxon took a long blink, somewhere between his eyes being open, He saw Ruby and Yang finishing setting up the trailer. Ugh, he must have dozed off... Once it was in position, Ruby walked up to Yang.
Ruby, the only one with any clear energy, spoke up to the crowd. "You guys got the bike ready?" Yang just gestured limply to it.
Qrow walked up and rested his foot on the side of the trailer. "Well, it's done now. So let's hook this thing up and-" As if by the whim of an angry god, the tire on the opposite side popped and went flat. The man groaned in frustration before checking on the tire.
"You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you?"
Oxon called out to the wan in a bored voice. "Yeah, it kinda follows me around..." Qrow just shook his head in annoyance. Frustrated with the situation with the tire, the man walked over to a nearby fence post and plopped onto the ground. Yang followed suit and sat on the ground by the well, using the stone to hold her up.
Well-girl spoke up soon after sitting. "I'm starting to think the universe just doesn't want us getting to Atlas."
Ruby sighed at the mood of everyone. "It's just a flat tire, I'm sure there's a spare."
"It's not just that, it's everything. Storms, crashes, monsters…" The blonde sighed. "I'm so tired…"
"Me too. It feels like we're always having to fight to get by."
"Yeah. But that's what we signed up for."
Oscar looked over to the girl, face bored and still sleepy. He'd been dragged into this mess by Cinder, though he did agree to join them after Haven. "We signed up to try and save the world, not just... delay the inevitable."
"Did you actually sign up? Or did Ozzy make it seem like you did?" The kid had nothing to say to that. In the back of his head, Oxon did feel a little guilty about saying that. But he didn't have the mental energy to bother apologizing.
"Last night, I…" The dust-using girl put a hand on her arm in an uncertain pose. "I couldn't stop thinking… Why are we even going to Atlas?"
"Weiss, we have to."
"Why?" The girl got back on her feet and approached her sister. "Ozpin hid the Relics behind giant doors under enormous schools, but... how long would it take Salem to find a lamp in the middle of nowhere?"
"What? The Grimm might-"
"They'd find it eventually, sure, but bury it or just throw it down the well, it would take years. It might not even happen in our lifetime. But we could be done with it now." The girl made good sense, Hazel and the others would never look out in the wilds. They had made plans to take it to Atlas, that might even throw the bastards off. They'd focus on the most well defended kingdom on Remnant while ignoring a shitty farm.
"Seriously, that thing is trouble. We could be endangering Argus by bringing it there, not to mention the long trip from there to Atlas. If we take a boat north, the large aquatic Grimm have ample chance to strike. Air might be safer, but still not guaranteed; more manticores, sphinx's and Nevermores could attack the bullhead at any time." There was no place safe with the thing, so why bother holding onto it? It would just drag the chances of survival and success down.
Ruby, having no real answer, detached the Relic of Knowledge from her belt. The girl sent a glance at it before looking up at the rest of them. Ruby stared at the relic for a little bit longer before walking over to the well.
Once there, she held the glowy Grimm-bait over it. "I am... really... tired…"
Ruby hesitated for a bit while she held the stupid thing over the edge before eventually composing herself. Annoyingly, she started to pull the Relic back, but something caused her to flinch. Due to whatever it was, in her fright, she ended up dropping the relic into the well. Ruby watched it fall into the darkness below with a spooked expression.
He shrugged at her and took a sip of water from his canteen. "Great, that's the Grimm attractor dealt with. Now we just need to deal with that bum tire."
Ruby spun on her heels to look at him, eyes darting between the well, her team, and Oxon. "No! No! No! I didn't mean to!" The others that agreed with him tried to console her as best they could.
"Ruby, it's okay."
"No! No, there's something down there! I saw it, it was looking at me!" The girl seemed to refuse to calm down. Oxon was getting real tired of the frantic words coming out of the small girl. What was done was done, time to move on.
"It's the wilderness Red, and a farm at that. There's all sorts of critters around. Snakes, rats, foxes. You probably saw a little animal and got startled." Oxon shrugged in a "what can you do" manner. "Happens to the best of us."
"Mice don't have glowing red eyes!" Ruby looked back inside the well, though it didn't look like she saw anything. Maybe it was a trick of the light? Sunlight reflecting on the water.
"They can be reflective though."
Yang put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. You just said you're tired. It's probably nothing. Now let's go."
"Let the damn thing sink into the well. The rats can have it."
Ruby swatted Yang's hand off her. "What's wrong with you?! We can't just leave, we have to go down there! We have to get the Lamp back! Oh, what was I thinking?!" The girl smacked herself in the face. Overdramatic much?
"All we have to do is fix this trailer. Hey, farm boy, check the shed for a spare." The young boy got up at the request of Qrow. Ruby wasn't letting the conversation end though…
"I'm not leaving without the lamp!"
Blake sighed at the agitated mood of her leader and stepped forward. "I'll go down with you…"
Weiss also spoke up. "We'll go down together."
"Fine!" The man got up to his feet, annoyed by the new plan. Oxon agreed, they really should just stick to one idea and not flip flop back and forth. "Get the stupid Lamp. Oscar, fix the stupid tire."
Qrow headed to the house and passed by Maria who was still sat on the porch. "Where are you going?"
"Where do you think?" The elder huntsman shook his empty flask and walked back into the house. Maria just looked down while Oxon shook his head.
Off to fill his stupid flask…
Ugh, they weren't leaving yet? "I'll join him, see if I can't load up on some more food."
The lady sighed at the older man and turned towards Oxon. "Make sure that stupid drunk is in a good enough state to travel." That seemed like a chore… Oxon was certain the guy could take care of himself. Maria took a seat on the porch steps and continued to read another volume of Bartleby's diaries. Oxon spared half a glance as he walked inside.
~~~(LIX)~~~
Back inside the house, Oxon followed the drunk to the in-house bar. It was probably used to create positive emotions back when the farm was still operating, it was a good idea if a bit counterproductive for their specific group. The older man immediately sat down and pulled out a bottle of scotch and a glass tumbler. Oxon had assumed he was just going to refill his hip flask, and he did, but then he began taking sips as well.
Oxon walked up beside the man and looked over in disappointment. "Great example of a huntsman you turned out to be…"
Brawnwen scoffed and took a sip of the amber liquid. "Sorry for ruining the illusion. Why don't you go scrounge around the food storage, maybe see if you can find me something nice in there to go with my drink?" The man raised and lightly swirled the booze, annoying the teen. Oxon wasn't the man's - or anyone else's - gopher. He let out a subdued growl and pushed into the second room.
On the walls were a good amount of canned foods and preserved produce. The farm had done well in producing a wide amount of food for themselves; paired with the kingdom bought goods, they had a few months worth of supplies, maybe the contaminated well was the right theory. Looking closer, Oxon saw a few neat things he remembered wanting to try yesterday: apple butter, cinnamon preserved apples, B.E.A.R jam, and a few other things he'd never heard of before. He got to work slowly stuffing his pack as full as it could get, he didn't know how much further they were from the city after all.
Honestly, Oxon wondered what the plan was for once they reached Atlas. They would seal away the relic in the vault there, but then what? Go back to Vale and try and clear up Beacon? Travel to Vacuo to see if their school was also involved in some kind of awful plot? Cinder was the fall maiden, Raven was the spring one, but the others were unknown. Hopefully they were loyal to humanity and not Salem…
If there was nothing they could do, why not just find a nice village out of the firing line and settle down there? Prism did well, maybe there were other such isolated populations that have survived longer and had gone unseen? That was something to think about if they had no plans after the northern kingdom. Oxon sighed as he inspected a can of processed meat, it didn't look all that appetizing, but the protein would be very useful.
Muffled noises suddenly could be heard from behind him. Turning his attention away from the can of spam in his hands, he idly wondered what it could be. Maybe some sort of animal was down in the cellar? Perhaps it was what Ruby saw, a bug rat or something. Maybe it was some vengeful spirit of the dead farmers? Either way, it wasn't like it was something he needed to worry about.
Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew team RWBY was in the waterway. They were down alone and Ruby said she saw red eyes. It has been unnerving to hear that, but they were fine. Not like they needed him to lift a finger since they worked so well together.
Eventually the noises began resembling voices. Ruby's was the loudest. Surprised at the odd commotion, he turned his head towards the source, the wine cellar. Placing the can in his bag and turning the rest of his body towards the metal doors, he focused on the noises a bit more. Said metal doors shook slightly against the chains and he could hear Weiss cry out from below.
"It's locked!"
That was all he needed to drop his pack and rush over. The shock that they were below him, and apparently terrified, spurred something inside him. He gripped the handles with the intent to rip the chains apart, right before he could use his strength in the metal, a wave of exhaustion spread through him. The thoughts he'd worked hard to suppress now had free reign in his psyche.
Why do I even bother? They could do this by themselves if they need to, Yang could break the doors or Ruby and Blake could slice them. I'm nothing but a convenience for them; not important in the slightest. Oxon released the chained handles and sat down on the floor, eyes facing the ceiling. I have been trying so hard… but nothing seems to be working. I tried to keep them safe back at Beacon, instead, they got injured and friends died. I tried sitting out my sentence, but even just sitting in a room was too hard for me. On the train I was told to help protect the people, yet my selfish desires got in the way of their logic. Hell, the whole journey Ruby has been leading us towards is pointless since we can't win. Only delay…
Oxon looked to his hip, to the hanging fabrics and his revolver that hung on his right side. He was proud of them, right? They were supposed to be proof of his achievements in life and represent who he was as a person.
Am I even making a difference here?
Thankfully, that line of thought did not last long. As quick as it came, the strange feeling of defeat was suddenly gone and he quickly got to his feet. Finding his clarity returned to him, Oxon slid New Leaf free of its holster and raised it high. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he had an inkling that hurrying was a good idea. With a furious yell, he slammed the blade into the lock and chain, severing it and a few of the links in a spray of sparks. Not wasting any time, Oxon ripped open the cellar doors and jumped down. Once inside though, he flinched in shock at what he saw.
The ghoulish forms of the shambling humanoid Grimm shook him. Most of what he'd seen were animalistic in nature, and some may have been scary, but none unnerved him quite like these. But after a short bit of focus, that shock turned to anger. These bastards had done something to him, played with his mind. He had doubts, sure, but they'd no right to be so defeated.
Directly under the door and only a single step down from him was Weiss. The girl looked up at him with clear relief. "You came for us…" He gave her a smile as he helped the girl get back up to her feet.
"Of course I did. I told you I'd be your shield, didn't I?" He didn't know what these creatures did to make him give up so wholey, but he'd never forgive them for almost letting her come to harm. Gently, he put slight pressure on her back to push her towards the exit. "Keep going, I'll support the others."
The girl nodded and moved up and out of the dark room. A few steps below him was the crawling form of Yang. The blonde looked up at him with shock and relief as well. "Oh thank goodness…" He had no time to appreciate her not looking at him dirty and instead grabbed her by the armpit and shoulder to lift her up. The girl wasted no time moving out of the cellar and into the house. There was still more to be done.
Further down, Oxon saw the others could definitely use some help here. Further down was Maria, Ruby, and Blake. Blake seemed to have fallen and was being supported by the small girl while the older woman encouraged them to keep moving. Pulling the in-gauntlet trigger, the rusted green segments of Virginiana quickly formed his body shield. He didn't know if they had ranged abilities like the manticores, but he wasn't going to risk it.
Right hand sliding Patris free, he immediately began blasting away. His focus was on the creatures closest to his retreating friends. He took careful aim for the eye sockets of the Grimm the weak points were the target for his bullets. The monsters turned to look at him once the first six fell, he quickly began reloading when all of a sudden a burst of lethargy hit him. If not for his shield, he may have collapsed and fallen down the stairs.
I'm so damn tired… It's nice, cool, and dark down here. Perfect spot for a nice nap. I'm sure the others can deal with them for me. Yeah, Ruby is pretty reliabl- Oxon grabbed his head and pulled at his hair. No! I can't… give… in!
As Oxon fought to take his mind back, a great white light bathed the dark cellar and his mind once again cleared of the mental fog. Blinking away the remnants of the odd mood, he sent a look to the girl now approaching the stairs. She'd done that, how she did though, he didn't care. It saved them again. Realizing a shield did nothing for the horrible power they had, Oxon retracted it and pulled out New Leaf. He motioned for the three to hurry up.
"C'mon! I got the creepy bastards, you just focus on getting outta here!" He blasted the closest two with his shotgun and six others with his big iron. Unfortunately, the six shooter had a long reload, so he holstered it in favor of spamming shotgun shells. The trio eventually passed him by and made their way out of the cellar. Oxon walked backwards up the stairs, rapidly firing and reloading his over under shotgun when he got an idea.
Stooping down, he grabbed the end of the wood stairs and pulled. Rotten wood and rusted nails came free after a brief amount of effort. Underneath the planks was not something people could easily stand on, the Grimm would struggle as well, hopefully. With the junk lumber doing nothing, he threw it down the stairs knocking a few of the lanky freaks over. He continued that method for six more steps, creating a large gap between them and the monsters.
"I'd like to see you jump that!" There was no response other than the horrific sounds they made. Lovely stuff, really. "Yeah… Definitely not getting any sleep tonight."
With the slow creatures getting close, Oxon joined the other five in the food and wine storage. Once out of the tunnels, the group looked around them in surprise. "The tunnels come back here?"
Oxon nodded at Blake's question. "That's how I found you folks so fast, I was getting us some more food when I heard y'all yelling."
Weiss put a hand on his arm, a relieved smile on her face. "Well, needless to say we have you to thank for getting out. I fear what could have happened if you were outside with Oscar." He blushed a bit and rubbed the side of his head by his ear.
"Yes, yes, we're all happy the boy opened the door, but we need to hurry! I'm not sure if they can climb that gap you left, but I don't want to wait and find out." The older woman power walked past him and out of the room.
He and the rest of team RWBY then looked at the bar only to see the passed out form of Qrow leaning slumped the counter. He did remember Maria asking him to watch over the guy, but he'd been in too big a funk. Probably from the Grimm now that he thought about it. There was no time to be frustrated at the man, they had to go. Now.
Ruby ran over to and began violently shaking her uncle. "Uncle Qrow, get up!"
To give the guy some credit, Qrow woke up fairly quickly but wasn't all there. There was a clear slur to his words. "Hey! Get offa me! What are you doing here?"
"We're leaving, you idiot! Come on!" The old lady was quick to leave the area. "I'll tell the boy to get the bike going!"
Maria ran out of the room followed by Blake and Yang while Ruby tried to move her uncle. Weiss looked back towards the basement entrance. "Not yet…" Oxon followed her eyes and grinned viciously.
Moving back into the food and booze room, Weiss grabbed a few of the alcoholic bottles from the shelves and threw them towards the basement, shattering them and spilling the flammable contents everywhere. Oxon followed her example, though pausing to sneak a swig of an apple pie moonshine. Definitely worth it. He threw a few against the nearby walls and onto the booze rack, soaking the bottles. This home was about to become a tinderbox.
"It's almost a shame, some of this looks pretty good." The girl gave him a flat look and a glance at the older huntsman. Right, maybe thinking about alcohol when the only reliable adult had been drunk constantly was a bad idea. "You're right… That was poor taste."
"Heyyy... Hey! What'are you doing!?" Neither of the teens paid him any attention. A major issue was that the creatures could climb up. He saw there were a good few that fell in the jank pit trap, and that the rest were walking on top of them.
As much as he was annoyed by their persistence, Oxon had to almost respect the monsters using their own to form a ramp. Oxon hit the lead creature with a large growler of homemade Liquor. It knocked the Grimm back a bit and showering the group in moonshine, yet more of the Grimm slowly started to emerge out from the basement.
"Won't they ever just give up!?"
"I think it's time we teach them the folly of their ways."
Weiss brought up Myrtenaster, flames building at the tip while Oxon spun New Leaf and viciously loaded a pair of burn dust shells. Working in synch, Weiss sent balls of fire at the grimm and into the cellar while Oxon shot at and ignited the walls and booze rack. Instantly, the whole room became a roaring fire and Oxon had to shield his face from the sudden heat. He could see flame and smoke rising from the dark, Grimm infested hole.
Weiss, proud with the last "fuck you" towards the Grimm and the awful farm house, turned to give Oxon a satisfied nod and smile. "Now we can leave!" The girl then went to help her partner move the man out of the now burning room.
Said man was still drunkenly trying to shove them off him. Thankfully his strength wasn't enough and he was being dragged away. "Stop it! Stop! What's wrong with you!? What's…"
Oxon, taking up the rear, pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the nightmare fuel behind him. Shambling out of the basement, the Grimm - which were currently on fire - continued walking towards them. Qrow looked on in shock as he was dragged out of the house by his niece and her friend. Oxon threw a few bottles here and there to help speed the fiery collapse of the homestead.
By the time the four got outside, everyone was sitting in the flatbed trailer while Yang was in the driver's seat of her motorcycle. Oxon sat next to Weiss as the rest of their squad piled in. The moment the group were all on board, the blonde wasted no time in driving away from the now burning house.
~~~(LIX)~~~
The group traveled in relative silence for however many miles. Qrow was getting over his intoxication, The girls huddled together, Maria gazed off into the distance, and Oxon informed a confused Oscar of the mess below the farm. The kid seemed glad to have left the homestead, and even gladder to not experience that.
Yang continued driving Bumblebee down the snowy road with everyone sitting in the trailer being pulled behind her. Maria eventually broke her own silence. "The Apathy. They're not strong or ferocious... They drain your will to go on. Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsman protection, but in order to do that, he needed everyone calm... Always."
Oscar began reading from the book. "Managed to get two away from their pack. Hike back was miserable, but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired..." Well. That was a wonderful example of final words. Not horrifying in the slightest.
"The next page proves that he did, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home. My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels that Bartleby sealed up the next morning. Bartleby's plan worked." The woman took the book from Oscar after he read the last page. "No one was angry or sad or scared. No one was anything. And then... no one was left."
Maria took one more look at the final page of the diary. What she was staring at, he couldn't say. She then closed the book and tossed it out into the snow while the group continued to drive down the road. Oxon wondered if they should have kept it. Use the example of Brunswick Farms as a way to discourage that method of thought for others.
Weiss looked sullen as she looked over the group, to Ruby primarily. "I'm... sorry for what I said... about giving up." Oxon saw her expression and placed a comforting arm around her shoulder. The girl leaned into the embrace. Wanting to be heard as well, Yang stopped the vehicle.
Yang spoke up to try and comfort the Atlesian as well. "Me too. We can't quit until the lamp is safe."
"It's not your fault. It was those... things."
Oxon shook his head at Blake's words, there was more to it than blaming the Grimm alone. "We can't deny that we feel, or felt, a bit of doubt though. I don't think they embedded those beliefs in us, just amplified them."
"Maybe." Ruby turned and gave him a firm look. "But we can't give up, we need to take the lamp to Atlas for safety. We can't leave it at Haven only for Raven to sneak in and steal it."
He didn't have an argument for that and nodded in acceptance. "True… She and the security of the school is an issue. A very real one too."
Maria, after hearing their conversation, seemed down about the events a few hours ago. "I should have known. The signs were all there, but I'd never seen an entire settlement withered away like that. I suppose my mind just isn't what it used to be."
"Wait, you know the signs, have you actually run into them before?" The woman was about to answer him, but Ruby also wanted to ask a few questions.
"Miss Calavera? How do you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels, you knew exactly what to say to make me... to make my eyes do that. How?"
Maria smiled at the group as she prepared to drop a bomb of information on them. "Well, isn't it obvious, girl? I had silver eyes."
~~~(LIX)~~~
After telling the group her tragic story, the teens and lone adult looked at her in shock. Though Qrow was easily the most surprised. "I can't believe it. You... You're the Grimm Reaper, you were a legend! And then you disappeared…"
Oscar seemed confused and curious. "How exactly does a legend just disappear?"
"Death usually?" The old lady shrugged at Oxon's theory. "But since you're not… you know… How did you just fade away?"
Qrow, seemingly still fawning over meeting a living hero, continued to try and get information out of her. "She never used her name, never showed her face even. Lots of us thought you were just layin' low. Eventually, we just came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper."
The woman had a strange expression on her face. The odd eyes didn't help. "Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment, so you're well on your way." Oxon and a few of the others snorted at that. Qrow just wilted slightly.
Blake leaned forward and addressed the former huntress. "How can you say that?"
Maria gave a sad smile at Blake's question. "Child, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end. But after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself. Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight. Afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started. You shouldn't aspire to be like me, especially when some of you are clearly stronger already."
Oxon looked away and Into the trees. He was stronger than he had been, sure, but there was still a long way to go. She may have quit her job, but he'd been an active antagonist to the huntsman efforts in Vale.
"It's... comforting, seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape."
"Well, maybe you can do something now. Teach me to use my powers the way you did." Right the glowy eye beam that killed a wave of Apathy, both the Grimm and the emotion. That was something she should focus on.
Maria looked back at Ruby and prepared to speak, a scroll's ringtone suddenly rang out. It wasn't him, he still didn't have one since his was given to Weiss. Huh, I wonder what she did with that... The others looked at theirs while Ruby pulled her scroll out and gasped in excitement.
"It's Jaune!"
Yang stopped her bike and looked back in surprise. Everyone else seemed equally surprised, Oxon included. Did the guy actually come looking for them? Or were they finally within range of the city?
"How?"
The girl shrugged at her partner before speaking into the device. "Uh, hello?"
"Ruby! Oh, thank you! I've been checking my Scroll for your signal since we made it to the city!" The voice of the blonde was a bit garbled, but slowly improved as she moved the device further to the front of the flatbed.
"The city? Wait…"
"It's good to know you are okay! We'll meet you at the main gate! There's a checkpoint there, but it should be a breeze for most of you." There was a pause for a moment and the others leaned in closer to see if there was an issue. Though soon after the pause, the blonde spoke up again. "Is Oxon still with you guys?"
Oxn leaned closer to Ruby so he could be easily heard. "Yup, hale and hearty as always, Bur Oak. What, you miss me?" He wasn't sure if it was cool to still joke with the guy, but he needed to try and build a bridge between them again.
"Great! That means we can break your legs for ditching us!" That… was Nora. And she sounded rather enthusiastic at the prospect of punishing him. Oxon felt a bead of sweat run down his neck at the thought.
Maybe the farm wasn't so bad…
"If he's still got his ID, then it should work like it did back in Mistral. As long as he doesn't act suspicious at the gate that is."
"Great, my ID…" He still didn't know who was behind the rather embarrassing new name, but vengeance would be swift when he did.
Oxon leaned back and looked as the dense and snowy forest began to shrink in the distance. The two leaders continued to talk before Jaune hung up, once again promising to meet them at the gate. He still had doubts about the mission and its viability, but he'd stick with them as long as they allowed him. The events at the farm only further reinforced his desire to protect them.
As the bike moved forward, the group looked to a hill where the snow gradually ended. Yang continued driving forward up the hill with a grin on her face. At the top of the hill, the group looked down at a walled city in the distance along the ocean behind it.
Yang, with cheer in her voice, turned to speak to the group and gestured out in front of her. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Argus." Oxon too had a grin as he saw they were finally out of the woods. Hopefully things will keep going well.
~~~(LIX)~~~
I hate the Apathy, all my homies hate the Apathy. And once again, we don't need to see the dramatic telling of a clockwork alligator kick the ass of a chick with a genetic oddity. I think I did a good job of showing the effects of the Apathy on Ox, simple things and context clues showing how it impacted him.
As always, don't forget to review! :)