Here we are at Chapter 134. It seems more problems are being added to Team RVWBY's growing list in Velvet's world. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 134. Enjoy.
Chapter 134: Letting things Out
The team look down at Yang and Velvet's wanted posters. 10,000 gald was quite the pretty penny for most people, which didn't bode well for them.
Weiss glares at her girlfriend with her hands on her hips, "Yang, what in the world did you do this time?!"
"Hey, I didn't do anything. I swear!... I think," Yang's argument doesn't make Weiss feel any better.
"Apparently, you guys are being charged with assault, fleeing/eluding, and stealing a ship. Wait, was that the boat you two were using when we found you?" Eizen asks.
"Oh, yeah, I guess a few things did happen back at Hellawes. I wasn't expecting it to reach the capital city so soon," Velvet notes, nonchalant.
"Velvet, this is serious. If you two are wanted, then the authorities will be looking for you, and anyone associated with you. Which means us. We'll be stuck looking over our shoulders until we can get back home," Blake says.
Ruby sighs, "I thought we were done being fugitives after Atlas,"
"Well, for now, it's just those two. You guys are in the clear... hopefully," Zaveid says.
"I wouldn't be so sure. Blake and I were originally aiding a navy vessel with looking for Eizen's pirate friends, only to basically turn traitor when we found Ruby and the others. I wouldn't be surprised if we soon have bounties on our heads too," Weiss slouches.
"My people have gotten a hold of this information before it reached the city. We confiscated as many posters as we could, to ensure no one saw your faces. But, that won't work forever, and there may be some holes in our web that information got through. The fact remains: your time in this city is limited. So, what information were you looking for?" Tabatha asks.
"We're looking for a friend of ours, and Ruby's weapon. Her weapon, Crescent Rose, is bascially a large, red scythe, but with a few modifications. We want to find it for her, before someone else gets their hands on it and does something stupid. As for our friend, his name is Jaune Arc. Young man, blonde hair, blue eyes, wields a sword and shield in battle. Wearing a black shirt under some white and bronze armor and blue pants, red scarf around his waist. Sound familiar?" Velve gives the descriptions.
Tabatha think for a moment, "As far as the scythe goes, I haven't heard anything. Neither have my people, and with a description like that, it'd be hard to forget something like that. As for your friend, weapon description won't help. Plenty in the royal army wield shields and swords. For his features, I know no one in the city matches that description. With some time, we can narrow down some possible matches by broadening our search, but... I'm guessing you don't have much time, do you,"
Ruby shakes her head, "No, we need to find a way back home, as soon as possible. We have... things to take care of there,"
Tabatha sighs, "And here I thought you'd want to slow down for a change after returning from the dead," she looks to Velvet.
"Where's the fun in that?" Velvet shrugs her shoulders.
"I'll have your rooms prepared. I suggest you and blondie here stay inside for the time being. Things gave been crazy as of late, so you should stock up on supplies before heading out on your journey," Tabatha says before exiting the room.
The group all heave a heavy sigh, "So, what do we do now?" Blake asks.
"I don't think there's much we can do for right now. We certainly can't be found by the authorities, or else getting back home will be a lot harder," Ruby says, sitting down on a bed.
"Okay, then Weiss and I will head out with Zaveid and Eizen to get some supplies. The rest of you should stay here until we get back," Weiss suggests.
"Actually, I'll take a look around the city. See what I can see in case people are talking about you guys. I'll give you a heads-up if I find anything," Zaveid says before taking his leave.
"Then we'd best get going to. The sooner we're back, the sooner we can rest. It's been a long day for all of us," Blake says, putting up her hood again to hide her ears.
Weiss nods, "Right. We'll be back soon. Yang, try not to get in any more trouble while I'm gone," she chastizes her girlfriend.
Yang groans, "Okay, okay, I won't do something crazy again. I promise,"
With that, half of their group leaves the room, leaving just Velvet, Yang, and Ruby. The room is silent, but Yang and Velvet glance between each other and then look to Ruby. Both of them have noticed that their leader hasn't been herself lately. Now that they have some time to themselves, maybe they can figure out a way to help her.
"Ruby, are you okay?" Velvet asks, sitting next to her girlfriend.
"I'm fine, Velvet. Just tired," Ruby replies, barely looking at her.
"Ruby," Yang kneels before her. "I've seen you when you've been down. I've taken care of you when you've been sick as a kid. I've seen you when you've been hurt emotionally. I know this is none of those things. I'm your sister. You can lie to everyone else, maybe, but you can't lie to me. What's wrong? Tell us, please,"
"I... It's my fault. It's all my fault," Ruby admits, hanging her head.
"What are you talking about?" Velvet asks.
"Everything. Ironwood, Atlas, Mantle, the relics, Salem. All of it. It's all my fault. I failed. I came up with a stupid, crazy plan, and now we're stuck here. Meanwhile, Salem has two relics now, which means she's halfway there to destroying the world. Every choice I made led to Atlas' fall, and the loss of the relics. Just like when I sent out the message to the world, and no one came. I just keep making one mistake after the other, just keep failing. I've failed," Ruby says, her mood worsening with each word.
"Ruby," Velvet wraps an arm around her shoulders. "None of that was your fault. We all agreed with your plan because we knew it was the best move we could make. It was a risk, but so is everything else. We were in a desperate situation that was beyond our control, beyond your control. You were just trying to help, like you always do,"
"But my help only made things worse," Ruby doesn't agree.
"That's not how it is. Ruby, while many others would've simply given up or run away, you chose to stay and fight. And we did too, because we wanted the same thing. Ironwood gave up; you didn't," Yang says.
"But he said that things would get worse because of me, and they did," Ruby's mood only gets worse.
"Ruby, Salem has always fought from the shadows, using others to do her dirty work for her. No one could've predicted that she'd come at us herself. We've had plans that didn't go according to plan in the past, but she either still won or we still made it out alive," Yang notes.
"Ruby, look at me," Velvet coaxes her girlfriend to meet her eyes. "The first time I fought against Artorius, I had my friends with me... and I lost. Luck was on our side that day and we got out of there alive. The second time we faced him, I found out that my little brother Laphi had been reborn as Innominat. I became a mess then. I was ready to give in to despair and die. But then, Laphicet smacked some sense into me. I've never heard him yell like that before. He certainly gave me an earful. But, thanks to him, I got out of my despair, and I found the strength to keep fighting. Ruby, you are our leader. Not just of our team, but our group. We will always follow you, no matter what. But, this isn't your burden alone. Ironwood had an army at his command, but at the end of the day, he stood alone. That's why he lost. He wanted to unite the world against Salem, but he was doing it the wrong way. Unlike you," she rubs a thumb across Ruby's cheek.
"You bring people together Ruby. You bring out the best in them. And you try harder than anyone else to help others. You've helped each and every one of us. This time, it's our turn to help you," Yang says.
"But, I have to-," Ruby says until Yang puts a finger on her lips.
"Ruby, remember what I said on our first day at Beacon. I said that you're special. And I still believe that. But though you're special, you're still you. Someone who wanted to be a normal girl with 'normal knees'. You're still my adorable little sister. I would do anything for you. I'd be a poor excuse of an older sister if I couldn't help you out when you really needed it," Yang moves to sit next to Ruby. "We're a team, but more than that, we're a family. Any challenges we face, we face them together. We'll shoulder all of our burdens together. Including yours," She wraps a warm arm around her sister.
"If we're going to get back home and stop Salem, it needs to be all of us. Not just one of us, Ruby. So, when something is troubling you, you don't have to face it alone. And it doesn't make you any less of a person, or a leader. It makes you human," Velvet says.
"Remember what you said in your message to the world, Ruby. That the only way we're going to stop Salem is by working together, all of us. That includes you and us. We'll face all of our own problems together," Yang adds.
Ruby gasps at being reminded of that. Here she was, thinking she had to face all of her own problems herself because she was the leader. Everyone was counting on her, and so she felt she had to live up to their expectations. And if she couldn't, she'd felt like she failed them. When they were separated, she wanted her team back together more than anyone, and yet, here she was, trying to do things herself without them. A batch of tears fall from her eyes. While they were tears of pain and sadness, they were also tears of relief and joy.
"How about we make a new promise? Like the one Blake made to us back at Beacon. From now on, when something is bothering any one of us, we'll tell the others and work it out together. Isn't that what Team RVWBY is all about," Yang smiles, patting her head.
Ruby wipes her tears away, "Y-Yeah, thank you. And I'm sorry... for causing you so much trouble,"
"No trouble at all, little sister," Yang hugs Ruby.
Just then, the door opens and in walk Blake, Weiss, and Eizen, "Did we miss anything?" Weiss asks.
The trio look between themselves and smile back at them, "Not exactly, just working out a few things," Ruby says.
"Well, I hope everything's taken care of. I'm sure you're hungry, so we brought food for dinner," Blake says, revealing a few bags with ingredients inside.
"I'll help out with the cooking. Maybe Tabatha will let me borrow the kitchen," Velvet gets up to put her cooking skills to work.
With that, the group relax and talk over a nice meal, and Ruby feels much better after getting everything that had been weighing her down off her chest. It didn't take long after dinner for Ruby to feel tired. Her personal problems must've really been bothering her that much. Velvet and Yang helped put Ruby to sleep, leaving Velvet behind to watch over her. Yang went back to talk with the others. She went on to explain what happened while they were gone.
"I'm glad you were able to help out Ruby, Yang. It must've really been bothering her," Weiss says, sipping a cup of hot cocoa.
"Ruby has always helped us out before. I'm just sorry we didn't notice it sooner. Think she'll be okay?" Blake asks.
Yang nods, "I can't say for sure, but at least we'll be here to help her out. Even after Beacon fell, she was out there fighting. For us and everyone else. Now, it's our turn to fight for her. But, we won't hold her back either. She's our leader after all,"
Eizen flips his coin, "That was ultimately how we were able to defeat Artorious before. We all worked together. And he was practically a god by that point. Even gods can lose, you guys. This Salem may be immortal, but she's not invincible. If she were, she would've destroyed Remnant long before any of you were born. What matters is moving forward. Manning the wheel of your own ship and letting no one, whether they be gods or monster or crazy people, dictate your life. That's how it's always been for me,"
"We've had to deal with so much in such a short time. Anyone would be tired if they were in our positions... especially when losing someone you love. Like... Like your mother," Weiss says tentatively as she eyes Yang.
Yang stares down at her cup, "That... was a tough pill to swallow. I always wondered what happened to Mom. And now, knowing that the insane witch we're going up against... is the very reason why she never came home. And then when we fought that Hound... Learning what was within it..." Yang can't bring herself to finish the sentence.
The others understand. Blake and Weiss were there. They saw what that thing really was. To imagine that Salem did that to Summer Rose. It terrifies Blake and Weiss. They can't even imagine what that did to Yang and Ruby.
"Well, I guess I fit that bill too... after what happened with my father," Weiss notes.
They remember how Jacques Schnee wasn't among those that made it to the gate, and they didn't see him in the realm between the kingdoms. Most likely he didn't make it.
"I'm sorry, Weiss... for you losing your dad," Yang offers her condolences.
"The thing is... there's a huge part of me that isn't sad about him being dead. I mean, I do feel sad that he's gone, just... not as much as I thought I would. It was my decision to bring him to Vacuo, and I don't regret that. I wasn't going to leave him to die, even if a part of me wanted to. *Sigh* I guess that makes me a horrible person, huh," Weiss laments.
"No, it doesn't. You're a much better person than he was, Weiss. He never cared about anyone but himself. And he even allied with that Watts guy just to steal an election. He didn't care how many innocent lives would be lost in the aftermath of it. He treated you, and the rest of your family like garbage. He used you as a prop to make money. But, despite all that; despite the pain he caused you... You still chose to spare his life. To bring him to Vacuo. That says a lot about the difference between you and him. He didn't care. You do," Blake comforts her.
Weiss sighs again, but more out of relief, "Thanks, you two. I guess I just needed to hear that,"
"These past few days, here and back in Atlas, have been rough on all of us. We're all just a little drained. We definitely need to rest for the night," Blake says.
"Couldn't agree more," Yang pumps a fist lazily.
With that, the group decide to head in for the evening. Everyone is exhausted after everything that's happened. Sleep is in great need that night.
…
The next morning, the gang is getting their stuff ready after finishing some breakfast. Ruby seemed to be in higher spirits thanks to her talk with Yang and Velvet. While it remains unclear if she's one hundred percent alright, she's definitely doing better than yesterday. Meanwhile, Velvet has one more talk with Tabatha.
"Still no news?" Velvet asks.
Tabatha shakes her head, "No, I'm afraid we haven't heard anything. If your friend is out there, they're either keeping a low enough profile to evade us, or they're outside our net,"
Velvet sighs, "Thank you anyway. We'll continue looking for Jaune and Ruby's weapon on our end. Thanks for your help again,"
"You really have changed. It's strange, seeing you like this, but not unpleasant," Tabatha notes.
"You can thank Ruby and the others for that," Velvet shrugs her shoulders.
With the pleasantries taken care of, the gang leave the tavern and prepare to exit Loegres.
"Eizen, where do we need to go to find Laphicet?" Velvet looks back at the Malak.
"We'll need to head a little east by northeast for a while, then north towards a mountain range. It's a bit of a walk, and it'll get more complicated when we get there, but Laphicet's place is near there," Eizen explains.
"Okay, anything we should be concerned about?" Ruby asks.
"Well, aside from the occasional daemons, the mists, and other potential natural dangers, not much," Eizen notes, making it sound like it's not a big deal.
"Great, just like crossing through Anima all over again," Yang rolls her eyes.
"There you are! Stop right there!" they turn to see a group of soldiers in armor looking at them. "You're under arrest for assault and theft. Surrender now!" the leader commands as they approach. But then, the boss stops when he sees Weiss and Blake. "You! You're those two backstabbing mercenaries. Of course you would be in league with these crooks. Arrest them all!" the commander shouts, pointing at them.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Velvet doesn't have time for this.
"Time to go!" Blake says.
Weiss draws her rapier and creates several glyphs at the soldiers' feet. She freezes them in place with some ice Dust, giving them the chance to escape. Though this does create a stir amongst the crowd. They race through the streets, only to find more soldiers waiting for them, creating a blockade. Velvet activates her Maiden powers and creates a gust of wind to blow them away and create an opening. If she were to use her claw here, it would only cause more problems. They keep moving, eventually coming to a square with an exit of the city on the other side. The problem is the soldiers at the gate, and the large number of civilians all around them. Luckily, one idea springs to mind.
"Ruby!" Yang looks to her sister.
Ruby nods and uses her semblance, taking everyone with her. She flies around, moving in between the crowd as they near the gate. Once there, she flies over the guards and lands behind them. With everyone out, Weiss creates a large wall of ice to block the entrance, preventing the guards from going after them.
"Well, it's been fun, but I'm ready to blow this joint. Sorry we had to give you guys the cold shoulder!" Yang shouts as she waves back at the city.
The rest of the group groan. Yang's puns have not gotten any better. Now that they're out of the city, it's time to head to Laphicet, and hopefully find Jaune and Ruby's weapon along the way.
And that's the chapter. Velvet and the gang rest up at Loegres, and she and Yang help Ruby when she's down. Now, they need to find Ruby's weapon, Jaune, reach Laphicet, and hopefully not die along the way. What awaits them on the dangerous path to Laphicet? Until then, please Read and Review.
