Here we are at Chapter 131. Let's see if Team RVWBY can get back together before Velvet's old world makes things real difficult for them. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 131. Enjoy.
Chapter 131: Wanted
On the island of Titania, Ruby and Zaveid watch the ocean as they see a large, black ship approach them.
"I thought as much. The winds always know," Zaveid smirks.
"Friends of yours?" Ruby asks.
"Not personally, but someone on that ship that is a friend of mine. Eizen," Zaveid says.
"Eizen? From Velvet's old group? So, then, they'll help us," Ruby starts to brighten up.
"Remember now, the people on that ship are old friends of Eizen's, but they can't see him anymore. However, that doesn't mean they won't help out. Don't worry, It'll be fine," Zaveid says.
A minute later, the ship docks at the port while Ruby walks up to it. However, the welcome she receives isn't exactly... welcoming. If the pirates aiming swords at her as soon as she hops on board with her semblance is anything to go on.
"Hold on there, kid. You got some nerve just jumping onto the Van Eltia with... whatever you just did there," one pirate says, eyeing the rose petals that fall off her cloak.
"Are you the one that brought us here? Who are you?!" another demands.
Ruby takes a breath, "Look, I'm not your enemy. I didn't come here to make trouble, I just need a ride to the nearest city or town and then I'll be on my way,"
"Do we look like a transportation boat to you, little girl," Benwick says as he comes onto the main deck. "We are Aifread's Pirates. We own the seas and we man the wheel of our own ship. No one controls our ship but us. Are you the one who made the winds force us to come here?"
"No, a friend did, but they're gone now. Please, I need your help," Ruby replies.
"Are we even getting paid for our services?" Benwick says.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have any money to pay you," Ruby says. "At least not the money of this world."
"Then that will only-," Benwick begins before a sudden feeling overcomes him and makes him stop.
Ruby looks up and silently gasps, "...Eizen?"
Eizen stands at the helm of the ship, equally surprised, "Ruby Rose. How in the name of Aifread did you end up here?" he asks before jumping down to join her.
"Eizen, I-," Ruby stops when she remembers that they have an audience.
"Did you just say... Eizen?" Benwick asks.
"...I did," Ruby admits.
"How... How do you know that name?" Benwick asks slowly.
"Eizen... is my friend. And I... know Velvet... Velvet Crowe," Ruby admits.
"And she just outright says it. Man," Eizen shakes his head.
This confession causes the other pirates to lower their swords a bit, looking between one another.
"Velvet Crowe... There's a name I haven't heard in a while. Alright, you got yourself a ride, little lady," Benwick smiles.
"Wait, really?" Ruby asks.
"Yep, we may be pirates, but we're not complete creeps. We do have our creed after all. Plus, I want to ask you something, but that can wait. Alright boys, let's get this boat moving. Come on, move it!" Benwick commands the crew.
The boys get moving, and the Van Eltia is back at sea in moments. On one of the masts, Eizen speaks with Zaveid.
"And then after she came to, she found herself here," Zaveid finishes telling Eizen what Ruby told him.
"Hmmm, so things are getting pretty hectic over there on Remnant. I didn't think it would be that bad," Eizen notes while flipping his coin.
"Yeah, so I guess we're helping them out all over again. Only this time it's to get back home rather than save it. Still, what about Innominat?" Zaveid gets serious.
"I'm afraid that's out of our hands. However, I do have an idea on how we can help them get back home," Eizen notes.
Zaveid smirks, "Oh, you mean the little pipsqueak, right,"
"He's hardly little now. And he can slap you all the way to the other side of the world if he wanted. But, since he's the one that sent Velvet to Remnant, then he might be their best bet to get them back there. But, first we need to deal with the more immediate problem," Eizen explains.
Zaveid sighs, "Yeah, get the team back together. Still, that's gonna be a tough sale. Where are we gonna find them in all of this?" Zaveid gestures to the ocean around them.
"Well, it's a good thing we have a wind malak here who can help with that," Eizen smirks.
"You owe me a few drinks for this," Zaveid says, but agrees either way.
Meanwhile, Ruby looks out to the ocean, wondering where her teammates are.
…
Meanwhile, Yang and Velvet continue their quest out at sea to find the others.
"So, are there any pirates or sea monsters that we should be worried about out here?" Yang asks from up on the lookout on the mast.
"Well, there's one group of pirates that I know we can trust, as for the rest... not so much. There weren't that many of them during the days of the Abbey, who controlled the world basically. However, with them gone, that may give new pirates a chance to pillage the seas. As for sea monsters, we did encounter a few aquatic demons during my previous journey here. That may have also gotten worse too. We'll just have to hope we find the others and then find a way back home," Velvet replies.
"And you wouldn't happen to have an idea about how to get home, would ya?" Yang asks.
"I do, in fact. After we find the others, we'll go looking for Laphicet. He's surely got a means of sending us back, given his powers. I don't know where he is, but I'll bet my old friends might know. We'll need to look for them too," Velvet says.
"Okay, that's something at least. Your pendant doing anything yet?" Yang asks.
Velvet check her pendant," No nothing. Come on, you stupid piece of jewelry. Show me where they are," Velvet mutters. She hopes. She prays. She wishes for the pendant, which has never failed before, to continue to succeed. Luckily for her, it answers her wishes and starts to emit a faint glow. Velvet's eyes widen before she points the pendant in different directions The glow is at its brightest when she points it in one south. "I think I got something,"
"Is it Ruby?" Yang asks.
"Unsure, but I do know one thing. That's where we're going next," Velvet says and steers their ship in that direction.
…
Back with Ruby, she continues to watch the ocean, wondering where her teammates are and if they're alright.
"Doing any better, kid," she looks back to see Benwick approach. "Ah, I'm sorry, Ruby, right,"
"I'm fine. Thanks again for giving me a lift," Ruby says.
"It's fine. Any friend of Eizen's is a friend of mine," Benwick says.
"You sound like you admire him," Ruby rests on the railing.
Benwick joins her, "Yep. He's Aifread's first mate. His right-hand man. Despite the fact that he called himself 'The Reaper' has always worried about us. Making sure we were okay, especially when it came to his curse. Those two got into all sorts of trouble together, and pulled us along with them. But... it sure was a fun and wild ride. I didn't regret a single second of it," Benwick looks back to the rest of the crew working around the ship. "And it's the same for the rest of the crew."
"Sounds like you guys had quite the wild ride. Velvet told me about it," Ruby says.
"So, are you and Velvet..." Benwick trails off.
Ruby holds her hands to her chest, "...Yes. She means SO much to me. More so than I could have ever realized. I know what she is, I know what she's done. But, I also know that she's kind, despite everything that she's been through. That she's filled with life. That she's protective of those she holds dear. And that I love her,"
"Then hold onto that," Benwick says, gaining her attention. "The oceans can be rough, for anyone. That's why we always work together on a single ship. We've even helped those we called enemies when they needed help out on the open water. There are no lines in the sand out here. After Velvet completed her mission, we couldn't see Eizen anymore. But... every now and then, I'd get this... feeling. Like there was someone there, looking over my shoulder... I'm sorry, but I got to ask... do you see him? Here?" Ruby looks back, seeing Eizen talking with Zaveid on one of the masts and nods. Benwick smiles, "Then think of it like that. You may not see them right now, but they're here. In here," he points to his head. "And in here," and then his heart. "You'll see them physically soon enough. So hold onto those memories and feelings. Keep them safe from the high tides, and let them see the ocean at its most beautiful," Benwick encourages her.
Ruby actually smiles a little at that, "Thank you, Benwick," she looks back to the crew. "Um, is it true that when Velvet was here... That whenever she berated the crew for something they did or didn't do; did they really seem to... like it?"
Benwick sighs with a slouch, "Oh great, and our reputation has now gone down the toilet, even in another world. Yep, that's true. Even I don't know how it happened. It just... happened. All it took was one young woman to turn the fiercest pirate crew in the world into a bunch of idiots," he says, making Ruby laugh a bit.
…
Blake and Weiss reach the port after travelling though a local highway, finding it bustling with people and ships.
"Okay, so which one should we pick?" Weiss asks.
Blake looks around, "I don't know. We have no idea where exactly to go, and no possible leads on the others. We may very well leave just as they arrive and miss them completely,"
Weiss sighs, "Sometimes, I wish we had Velvet's pendant. It was how she was able to find Ruby. If we had that, then we could find them,"
Blake wraps a hand around her shoulders, "We'll find them. From what I can tell, this looks like a major city. Maybe they'll come here. More people, more eyes, more chances of finding us,"
"So, if we choose to stay, then what?" Weiss asks.
"We ask around more. We keep an eye out for our friends. We'll give it a few days and if we see or hear nothing, then we'll move on. We'll find them, and then we'll go home," Blake starts to walk away.
"Well, if that's the case, then we'll need to find a place to stay and food. Which means we'll need money from this world," Weiss says.
"Then let's see if anyone needs bodyguards, mercenaries, or hunters. If we can find some work that goes with our skill set, then we shouldn't have any trouble there," Blake replies.
"Okay, then let's find a guild or a wanted board or something," Weiss and Blake.
They move through the crowd, listening in on conversations for anything that might prove useful. Most of the conversations proved to be useless, but they did manage to find one piece of information that proved useful.
"I heard Aifread's pirates hit another military vessel again and made off with the supplies," one merchant said.
"Yeah, ever since the Abbey shut down, piracy has been making a comeback. But, even during those days, Aifread's pirates never got taken down. Guess some things never change," one person says.
"Maybe if the royal navy sent out their entire fleet, they could take them, but with things as they are now, they can't focus on just one ship," the merchant says.
"Yeah, and that's why the reward that's been put out for them has gotten so high. I hear it's 50,000 gald now at least," a customer says.
"Wouldn't that be a nice safety cushion for any hardworker around here," the merchant jokes.
Weiss and Blake listen in for a few more minutes before deciding to leave, "Piracy, huh. Well, I think we can help with that," Weiss says.
"Right. First, we'll need an idea of where they are, and then we'll need a ship that can take us. Of course... we could always steal one. It wouldn't be the first time," Blake whispers.
"Don't remind me. I rather not increase our track record of stealing military property," Weiss notes.
"Okay, if I wanted to hunt down a ship of pirates, what would be a suitable ship to do so?" Blake looks around.
"Let's look for a military vessel. A civilian ship wouldn't try something so crazy. And the navy put out a bounty on these pirates," Weiss suggests.
Blake nods. At least now they had a more concrete plan.
…
Back with Velvet and Yang, Yang has taken the helm of the ship while Velvet sits in a meditative position behind her. Her Maiden powers are active as she focuses wind currents into the sails, propelling the ship forth at a fast pace.
"Your powers sure come in handy when they need to. Think you can give us perfect sun too? I wouldn't mind catching a little tan out here while we're sailing," Yang asks as she glances up at the sky.
The sky was a bit gray and dreary.
"It's a little more complicated than that, Yang. Besides, I'd rather focus on speed than sun right now," Velvet notes, staring at her pendant as the glow gets brighter. "We're getting closer. You see anything up ahead?" Velvet asks.
Yang looks ahead, "Uh, a bunch of very small islands and large rocks. Think there could be something there?"
Velvet stands up and looks at what Yang sees. Sure enough, there are some large rocks and very small islands ahead of them.
"Either what we seek is there or is hiding behind it. Pirates like to use spots like these as little hideouts when ditching the authorities. Let's be ready for trouble," Velvet says.
…
"What the Hell?!" one pirate of the Van Eltia yells as tentacles start rising out of the water around the ship, knocking it around.
"All hands, to your stations! Let's move, now!" Benwick gives out orders.
"What is that thing?" Ruby asks.
"Wait, can you see what's going on? What do you see?" Benwick asks.
"Lots of big tentacles all around the ship!" Ruby replies.
"Damn it, this reminds me of that Kraken that Velvet and the others took care of that one time. If you can see them, then you can help us out. We need to go out of here. Tell us when we have an opening and we'll make a break for it," Benwick says.
The tentacles start to wrap around the ship, applying pressure. However, sudden artes spring forth and knock the tentacles away. Ruby looks up to see Eizen and Zaveid working their magic, trying to keep the tentacles away.
"Oh, of course I don't have my Crescent Rose right now," Ruby curses.
"Ah, someone help me!" Ruby looks as one tentacle wraps around one sailor, bringing him over the water.
Ruby races forth to try and help. Zaveid notices and throws out a wind arte. The wind arte cuts the tentacle off. Ad the sailor falls, Ruby uses her semblance to grab him and bring him back safely onto the ship. She looks up and gives a nod to Zaveid, who winks back in kind.
"Benwick, we're free now!" Ruby yells.
"Get this ship moving, now!" Benwick commands.
The Van Eltia unfurls the sale and Zaveid conjure more wind artes to propel the ship forth. Ruby looks back and see the Kraken's shadow beneath the waves, chasing down the ship.
"This is a big one, huh," Eizen notes.
"You think? I've never even liked octopus!" Zaveid complains.
Even with Zaveid's aid, the Kraken was gaining on them. However, just as the Kraken got right behind them, it suddenly stopped and turned in another direction.
"Huh? What's it doing?" Eizen mutters.
Ruby looks at where the Kraken is going and gasps as she sees another ship approaching them, albeit a much smaller one.
"No..." Ruby mutters.
"Damn it! That little thing will be easy prey for that thing," Zaveid curses.
"Benwick, there's another ship nearby. The Kraken is going after it now. We gotta help them!" Ruby says.
Benwick uses a spyglass and spots the ship, "Damn it! We won't be able to catch up to it before it hits the ship. The best we can do is look for survivors after it hopefully leaves. Men, get the beds and medical supplies ready! Come on!"
The Kraken gets close and unleashes its tentacles in front of the smaller ship. However, a sudden spread of dark clouds forms above them. A moment later, lightning bolts rain down on the Kraken, causing it to scream in pain. A few more hit the daemon before it finally retreats into the deep below. The crew on the Van Eltia look on in shock and awe at the spectacle.
"What just happened?" one crew member asks.
Eizen squints at the ship and smirks, "Ah, it took her long enough,"
The smaller ship comes up to the side of the Van Eltia, only for two young ladies to suddenly jump onto the main deck.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" one crew member yells as more appear.
"Really, I save your sorry asses and this is the thanks I get. Talk about gratitude," one of the ladies says.
The crew members freeze, "Wait... isn't that voice... familiar?" one asks.
Ruby walks up and finds her sister Yang and her girlfriend Velvet standing before her, "Yang... Velvet..."
"Ruby!" Yang smiles and immediately runs up to hug her sister. "I'm so happy we found you!"
Ruby returns the embrace, "Yang... I thought you were... I'm so happy you're okay!" she tears up a little bit.
The sisters remain in that hug for a moment longer before they separate, allowing Velvet to come in and wrap Ruby in her own arms.
"Ruby..." Velvet mutters with relief, holding her a little tighter. "I'm so glad I found you. I've missed you... so much,"
"Velvet... It's really you," Ruby cries again.
The two separate a bit, only to lean in for a kiss. The crowd stares in shock at the display.
"Um, guys, I think we have an audience," Yang whispers to them, causing the girls to separate with light blushes on their cheeks.
"Well, I guess a lot of things have changed since we last met," Benwick says as he approaches the group. "Velvet... You look... different," he notes to her new look.
"And you look the same as always, Benwick. How've you been?" Velvet greets him.
Benwick shrugs his shoulders, "Still causing trouble; what else is new?"
"Welp, I guess we're on for another crazy journey huh. Sounds like fun," Benwick smirks.
And that's the chapter. Velvet and Yang finally reunite with Ruby, but have yet to reach Weiss and Blake. Meanwhile, Jaune and Neo are still unaccounted for. I know that humans can't see daemons or hellions in her world, but I decided to at least let them see Velvet since she's unique and because it helps with the story, and I wasn't quite sure if they actually could or not. Anyway, most of the team is back together, but will they find the rest before things get really crazy? Until then, please Read and Review.
