Chapter 31: Lost and Found
Time moved slowly as Levi narrowly avoided Adam's sword, the ground quaking from the strength of his strike. He followed up his attack with another chain of quick but powerful slashes, aided by his holster, which seemed to power up his sword whenever it was sheathed.
Levi used his semblance, creating a glyph beneath Adam's feet that grounded him in place. He let out a cry as Overture's cylinder clicked loudly, water dust flowing through the chamber. He delivered several powerful slashes, his aura glowing blue with each strike. A thick sheet of steam covered the area from each clash, as Adam moved his sword, making sure to absorb the energy from each strike. Levi stepped back, panting a bit as he watched his opponent's katana glow a brilliant red. He let out a cry as the man raced forward, having broken out of his glyph.
He shouted as he threw slash after slash at Levi, who could do nothing but parry and dodge whenever possible. The miqo'te faunus leaped away with a reverse somersault, just as Adam unleashed a strike that sliced a car and a nearby tree clean in half. He landed on the cobblestone road, not missing a beat as he threw another slash at Levi, who could do nothing but parry the attack, the shockwave going through his arms.
"Goddamn, it's like he keeps getting stronger with each hit. What the fuck is he made of?!" Levi thought as he shifted the dust in his cylinder. His estoc adopted a bright yellow glow as he channeled lightning dust through it. "I doubt I'll be able to get a time dilation glyph out. He'd slice me in half before I can even attack."
"You are in my way,"
"That's kind of the point buddy, I'm here to make sure Blake gets help. Clearly, you didn't get the memo when she told you she was leaving the White Fang. So it falls onto me to clue you in," he said, snapping his fingers. Adam was surrounded by brilliant yellow glyphs, all of them sparking with electricity. "Leave. Blake. Alone!"
Sending himself flying with a combustion glyph, he threw several wide slashes at Adam, making sure to avoid clashing with his sword. He formed a glyph beneath his feet, sending the bull faunus flying into the air. With a snap of his fingers, the lightning glyphs turned inward, unleashing the pent-up lightning that had been crackling within. The thick bolts of lightning struck the man, who screamed in sheer agony.
Levi slammed bullet after bullet into Overture, cocking it to make sure there was a round in the chamber. He aimed it behind himself, using the recoil of his gravity bullet to send himself into a spinning attack. At the same time, he channeled ice dust through his estoc, letting out a scream as he struck Adam. Ice grew around him, encasing him in a solid block.
"Hah… take that, asshole," Levi mumbled. His ear perked up a bit, as he heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle. Blake drifted into the street, stopping a few paces away from him. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Making sure he doesn't kill you, idiot. Get on!" she shouted. Just as she did, the ice cracked, freeing Adam from its icy grasp. His head snapped around, eye glowing brightly as he focused on Blake.
"Good of you to return, now I can finally end you!"
"Go, Blake! Forget about me, just go!" Levi shouted, aiming Overture at Adam, firing all the bullets he had left. The man deflected each one of them, closing the distance. He raced forward, about to meet Adam in a clash, only for the faunus to shift his direction. He sheathed his sword, taking aim at Levi, firing it at him. It struck him in the chest, making him gasp, the air in his lungs leaving.
Even with his armor, he felt the power behind that strike. In his stupor, he didn't see Adam's sword until it was too late. He took the attack head-on, flying back into a solid brick building, his aura flashing as he slid to the ground in a heap.
"Levi!" Blake cried. She grit her teeth, glaring at Adam before twisting the throttle, lurching the motorcycle forward. Adam chased after her, throwing wild slashes at her, hoping to strike her motorcycle. He was forced to stop the moment she darted into an open street, flying down it as fast as she could.
Adam growled as he sheathed his sword, looking around for a moment. He spotted a tow truck not far from where he was and moved toward it. He climbed onto the edge of the truck, throwing the door open, taking the driver by surprise.
"What the hell?!"
"Get out!" he hissed, grabbing the man's shirt. He threw him out of the truck, the man landing hard on the road, almost being hit by another driver. Adam slid into the driver's seat, hands wrapped around the steering wheel as he floored the pedal, hoping to catch up to Blake.
At the same time, Levi stumbled onto the street, having reloaded his weapon, only to see the large tow truck speeding off, slamming into cars and flinging them out of the way. He looked around for a moment, spotting a pair of motorcyclists that had stopped to film what was going on. He reached for his scroll, racing up to them, flicking it open.
"Official Huntsman business, I need your motorcycle," he said, as he held his license up. The owner looked at him, a stunned look on his face.
"What? You aren't getting my shit, and you aren't even a huntsman. You're in training!" the man said. Levi cocked his gun, pressing the barrel underneath his jaw.
"Unless you want to die tonight, you'll hand it over," he hissed, his silver eyes flashing, making the man step off the bike. He walked around it, grabbing a hold of the throttle, sliding Overture into his holster. He kicked the stand up and sped off, following the trail of destruction Adam was leaving in his wake. "I'm so glad mom taught me how to drive Harveys. Should have gotten my driving license when I had the goddamn chance,"
At the same time, Blake was doing everything in her power to avoid Adam, who was gaining on her. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing a car being shot out of the way by the much larger and stronger tow truck. How the Military Police hadn't noticed was beyond her. She looked around, spotting an open street with no cars, quickly darting into it. She noticed it led toward the city's waterway, which would hopefully give her the edge she needed.
She slowed to a stop, slamming the brakes as she saw she had lost the large tow truck. She darted across a puddle of stagnant water as her motorcycle slowly came to a stop. She reached into her pocket for her scroll, quickly dialing Yang's number. She held it up to her ear, Her eyes darting around as she looked for any sign of Adam.
"You've reached Yang's voicemail, I can't come to the phone right now, so leave your message, bye!"
"Goddamn it Yang, pick up the phone! I need you!" she screamed, ending the call. She tried Weiss next, holding the device to her ear. Her eyes widened a bit as she looked to the bridge above her, seeing the hulking form of the tow truck slamming into the edge of the wall, shattering the brick and railing separating the street from the large fall into the waterway.
"Hello? Blake? Is something-"
The loud screeching of Adam's tow truck slamming into the ground virtually silenced any attempt Blake had at asking for help. She shoved the device into her pocket, letting go of the brake, twisting the throttle as hard as she could. Her dirt bike chugged along, just as the truck started picking up speed. She spared a glance back at the driver's seat, seeing the look of anger on Adam's face as he squeezed the wheel, his eyes were focused on a single thing, and that thing was her.
At the same time, Levi had managed to catch up with Adam, riding alongside the outer edge of the waterway. He braced himself as the front wheel of his motorcycle struck open a fence, sending both of them sprawling as he kept going through the dirt path. He looked down at the waterway, seeing the truck inching dangerously close to Blake. He grabbed onto Overture's handle, taking aim at the truck, pulling the trigger. The energy round struck the side of it, doing nothing to slow it down. He spun the weapon around, aiming at the window, shattering it in a single shot.
Adam turned his head, shooting daggers at Levi, who once again took aim. He missed his shot as the truck drove beneath a bridge. The miqo'te faunus cocked his gun again, this time aiming at the locked chains barring him from moving forward. He tucked Overture away as he was forced to retake the wheel, cutting across traffic in an effort to keep pace with Blake and Adam.
At the sound of the shots, Blake spared a glance over her shoulder, spotting Levi on the upper ledge, somehow keeping pace with them. She turned back to Adam, before changing her gaze forward, her hands squeezing the handlebars hard as she drove beneath a bridge, almost sliding onto the ground from the large puddles of water.
"Why the hell can't I ever have a normal night without some crazy shit happening?" she thought to herself, as she looked behind herself. She saw the tow truck go beneath a bridge, the span sheared the truck's roof clean off, sending pieces of metal and plastic lights in all directions. She looked at the driver's seat, seeing Adam was gone, and briefly sighed in relief, only for him to reappear behind the wheel, pushing the shattered windshield out of the way.
She noticed how dangerously close he was to her, and pushed the bike harder, only for it to start sputtering. It was already at top speed and almost on E, meaning she likely didn't have long until Adam ran her over. She screamed in fear as the truck slammed into her tail, causing her to lurch forward, head snapping back as she tried to stop herself from falling over.
"Oh gods, please let this end soon!"
"Why do you keep running from me, Blake? Why don't you stop so I can finally end you! Do your mentor a favor and let him kill you!" Adam shouted as he bumped into her again.
Levi grit his teeth as he took aim at Adam, firing another round at him, striking the shattered dashboard. He shifted his gun again, firing on another lock, his bike slamming through a closed gate. He quickly cut through traffic, the cars slamming into each other as they attempted to avoid him. Out of ammo, the young man had nothing to do but focus on picking up speed.
He realized rather quickly that he was running out of road, seeing it slowly turn into a triangular-shaped cut-off. He grit his teeth, using his semblance to form a path of hard light glyphs at the end of it, acting as a ramp as he drove off the edge of the path. They all shattered under the weight of the motorcycle, which slammed into the ground, sparks raining around him as the metal struck the concrete. He shuddered a bit, but quickly fixed his wheel, shifting gears. The motorcycle trudged on, despite the damage it had sustained, it was still capable of reaching top speed.
Adam glanced over his shoulder, smirking as he turned the wheel, slamming the truck to the side of the waterway, preventing Levi from darting past him. Levi turned to the left only for the same thing to happen. Levi however was smarter, he shifted toward the left, making Adam do the same only for him to change directions, slipping past the gap.
The miqo'te was able to match pace with Blake, who looked at him stunned. He grabbed a hold of her arm pulling her onto his motorcycle. He sped up, just as Adam's truck crushed the dirtbike Blake had been using moments ago. Levi adjusted himself in his seat a bit.
"Drive, I'll hold him off!" he said, drawing Gambol Shroud from its place on her back. He flicked his wrist, changing into its gun form, aiming over his shoulder. He pulled the trigger, slamming round after round into the truck, missing every shot at the bull faunus.
Blake shifted directions, moving toward the right path, almost slamming into the shell of an abandoned car. Adam's truck cut through it as if it wasn't even there. Levi fired the last of the magazine at him, reaching around Blake's waist. "I need a magazine!"
"Left jacket pocket, on the inside!" she cried over the roar of the wind. He reached into her jacket, drawing the fire magazine from within. He slammed it into the receiver, once again taking aim, the orange rounds plinking off the front of the truck to little effect.
"He isn't slowing down!"
"Use your semblance, don't you have a glyph that can speed up bullets or something?" she asked, making him gasp.
"I'm so stupid!"
"Heat of the moment, I don't blame you for forgetting. Now do something!" she cried, avoiding some more abandoned cars that had been left in the waterway. Levi sat up a bit, partially turning around as he wrapped both hands around Gambol Shroud's handle, forming a pink glyph at the end of the barrel. This glyph was one he used rarely to propel things forward with energy. He pulled the trigger, the fire bullet sailing forward, punching a hole through the left side of the truck as if it had been an RPG. He took aim again, blasting a hole through the engine, and finally one at the front tire.
He saw Adam start panicking as he lost control of the truck, turning the wheel toward the left with all his strength. He slammed onto the brakes just as he reached an overpass, the wheels running right up it, slamming into the upper edge of it. Blake slammed the brakes, slowing to a stop as she watched the truck fall into a heap on the ground, fuel leaking from the tank. Levi took aim, pulling the trigger, setting the fuel ablaze.
The result was instantaneous, the truck was covered in a hellstorm of fire before finally exploding, sending the cars above careening in surprise, several of them slamming into each other. The pair could feel the heat from the burning fuel where they were. Levi kept his aim trained on the truck watching a burning tire rolling toward them. He panted a bit, lowering Gambol Shroud.
"Let's get out of here," he said softly. Blake nodded, releasing her hold on the brakes, he wrapped his arms around her waist as she zoomed forward, sparing a glance back at the burning fire. He swore he saw Adam standing just beyond the flames before his body was swallowed by the smoke.
xxx
After ditching the bike in a river, having wiped their prints from it, Levi walked Blake back to Saphron's, the pair not wanting to do anything with Argus, the theater, or anything else. They just wanted to get back to their friends without much issue. The military police had been doing their patrols, with several mantas floating around the smoke cloud caused by Adam's blown-up truck. Levi kept his arm firmly around Blake's waist, Gambol Shroud still in his grasp as the pair walked.
He didn't really care if people were staring at them, wondering why they were walking fast or why he even had a weapon drawn. All he wanted or even cared about was her safety. After a moment, he felt her slowing down, causing him to stop.
"Is something wrong?"
"I should be asking you that," Blake said, turning to fully face him. "Levi I… you shouldn't have seen that. You shouldn't have been involved in that."
"You're saying I should have let him kill you?"
"He wasn't going to kill me,"
He quirked a brow, placing a hand on his hip. "He stole a tow truck, forced you into an aqueduct, chased after you, and almost crushed you beneath his wheels. He was aiming to kill you, Blake."
She sighed. "Yeah… yeah, he was. I just…"
She licked her lips, reaching up to her head, pulling her bow off from around her ears, wiggling them a bit. "I just wanted to forget about all this. For one fucking night, I just wanted to pretend like everything was alright. But I can't even do that!"
"I doubt we'll ever be normal, Blake. Look at where we are, look at what's happened to us. We can't afford to be normal. Not anymore. But I do promise you this. He is not going to lay a finger on you ever again. If I have to kill him myself, I will." he said, his grip on Gambol Shroud tightening. "Now let's go back, the others must be worried about us."
"Y-yeah,"
They walked in silence the rest of the way to Saphron's, glad they had managed to get the address from Jaune before they headed to the military base that morning. Just as they were about to head inside, Blake pulled Levi to a stop, making him look back at her. "You okay?"
"For the most part. I wanted to thank you, for the movie, I mean. I wish we had gotten to see the ending of it. It was actually a lot better than I had imagined it would be." she said, her cheeks flushing. "Even if people around us were… you know."
"I was trying to forget that, Blake. I don't think I'll ever forget that smell or those sounds," he said, shuddering a bit. "And hey, somehow you didn't lose your penguin and I got us some new scrolls. So we all win, I think."
"We did win, but I did promise you something else on the trolley, didn't I?" she said, grinning as she moved forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips against his, much to his surprise. He found himself kissing her back, placing a hand on her hip, his ears wiggling a bit. The two of them pulled away the moment the door opened, making the two look up at a very very angry-looking Weiss.
"Do you have any idea how fucking worried I was about you? The news reports have been stating things about a madman chasing some people on a motorcycle. I listened to that entire chase, and neither of you thought it was a good idea to oh… I dunno, CHECK YOUR SCROLL?!"
Blake cringed, as she dug her hand into her pocket, seeing the ongoing call with Weiss, which was over an hour long. She ended it a moment later, looking up at the former heiress. "Weiss I uh… we can explain."
"Oh please do, because nothing would make my headache disappear faster than getting the full story. On top of the shit you pulled on us, we're stuck with no ride to Atlas. Oh, and Oscar is missing!"
"What?" Levi cried, a fearful look washing over his face. "What do you mean Oscar is missing? Since when? Why didn't you call me?"
"We tried, Levi," Ruby said, joining her partner out on the top steps. She held her scroll up, frowning a bit. "The CCT Relay was on the fritz earlier, and calls were dropping left and right. We tried to call you a few times, but we got no luck, that is until Weiss got a call from Blake. We thought she was returning a call, but we ended up hearing what happened to you two."
"I'm… I'm so sorry," Blake said, rubbing her arm.
"Don't worry about it. But do explain what's going on, Yang ran off searching for the two of you. She's likely driving around the city like a madwoman looking around." Weiss said, turning on her heel. "Alto, Jaune, Ren, and Nora are out searching for Oscar, and Neo disappeared shortly after you left. We believe she went to meet up with you know who."
Levi sighed, slowly climbing his way back into the house. Just as things were starting to calm down they had to get so much worse.
xxx
"And that's it, the two of us were in the theater and he just appeared out of nowhere," Levi said, clutching his cup of tea tightly in his hands. "I tried holding him off, but he wanted Blake. It was like he had tunnel vision,"
Weiss and Ruby shared a look, both of them being concerned. Neither of them had seen or even met Adam, aside from seeing pictures of him on the news. Hearing Levi speak of him that way certainly made them fearful of the man. Blake had remained quiet, likely processing what had happened that night. On top of everything that was going on, Oscar was still missing and Qrow wasn't back yet. It was as if the world kept kicking them down at every step.
"Okay then… clearly this man is going to be an issue going forward. So from now on, Blake doesn't leave on her own. We'll be traveling in full teams from now on, to make sure she isn't ambushed or worse, kidnapped." Weiss said, sparing a glance at her close friend. "I don't want to treat you like a child or anything of the sort, but this is for your own safety,"
"Don't worry about it, Weiss. I can see your intentions, and honestly, I am very grateful. I just… wasn't expecting to see him alive. Sienna delivered such a nasty stab, I thought he would have bled to death somewhere. But I suppose he used his semblance to absorb the shock and pain."
"What is his semblance?" Levi asked, sitting up a bit. "He turned almost into a wild animal as if his senses had sped up. All I saw when he moved were crimson after images, and with each hit, he hit harder. He sliced a car and a tree in half in a single slash."
"He calls it "Moonslice". It works like Yang's semblance, only he can take the hits with his sword and send the stored energy back whenever he wants. His semblance used to work on that principle, but it seems he's grown stronger. Now he's able to project after images that take the hit for him, allowing him to dish out their absorbed energy."
"It almost sounds like an amalgamation of your semblance and my sister's," Ruby pointed out, shuddering a bit. "Being able to take hits but not feel the pain… what could have happened to him that made him unlock something like that?"
"Who knows? What matters is that this man is dangerous. We can't risk Blake, but we also can't risk ourselves. It's entirely possible he's aiming to bring us down in order to get to her. Which is also why I propose we never leave her alone. At least until we get to Atlas." the white-haired girl said, rising to her feet. "Now, about Oscar-"
She was cut off by the door opening. Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Alto stepped in, disappointed looks on their faces. Saphron followed after them, holding Adrien tightly in her arms, the infant having fallen asleep on the walk. Ruby gave Jaune a smile, but it wasn't returned. He rubbed his shoulder, glancing away from them.
"We couldn't find him," he replied. "Yang is still out there looking for him, we let her know that Blake and Levi had made it back here safely. She scanned the area where that truck exploded but the police forbade her from getting too close. From what she heard, there was nobody in the driver's seat."
"The son of a bitch survived," Levi said, eyes narrowed as he spoke. His ears twitched a bit as he lost himself in thought. "We have to find Oscar quickly. The faster we get out of Argus, the better."
"Easier said than done, thanks to Adam the military police are on high alert. Convincing them to bring us there is a shot in the dark. The only one who can potentially even get there is Weiss," Nora said, falling into the couch. "Things keep getting worse for us."
"I'm going to put Adrien to bed, it's already late. Maybe you should all get some rest, it's been a long day for all of you." Saphron suggested, heading up the stairs.
"Ain't that the truth. Hard to believe we made it to Argus today, and all this shit happened one after the other." Blake said with a sigh. "Any word from Neo?"
"Not yet, she'll usually contact me," Levi said, glancing at his scroll. He hadn't activated his new one yet, wanting to wait until everything had calmed down for that.
"Levi, do you think Oscar is going to hate us?"
He glanced up, seeing the look of sadness and regret on Alto's face. She was clearly hurt, not just from what she had learned, but what had happened with Oscar. He shook his head, giving her a grin. "He's not the type to hold a grudge. He's confused just like the rest of us are. Everything has been getting steadily harder for us, but we've been tasked with something important, and that is to somehow save the world."
He paused a bit as he licked his lips, gathering his thoughts. "Sure, it'll be hard, but not impossible. After all, we know our silver eyes do damage on Salem, thanks to my mother. But that alone isn't enough to end her. We need to think our strategies clearly, trust no one but ourselves."
"That sets us on a course for failure, you know that, right Levi?" Ren asked.
"I do, but if we take too many liberties and trust too many people, someone might leak information. Someone might threaten what we have and I am not going to let anyone take that. We haven't been tasked with just delivering the Relic of Knowledge to Atlas, but also keeping them safe." he said, standing up from his seat. "We need to figure out how we're going to do that, and I propose that instead of heading to Atlas, we head to Vacuo."
"Vacuo? Why there?" Ruby asked curiously.
"My mother is the Summer Maiden. I learned through Jinn that her successor, Professor Peach, never got her powers. That only means one of two things. One, my mother chose someone else to get those powers, which is highly unlikely. She wasn't a very trusting woman and I sadly lack lady parts, or else I would have it," he said, earning chuckles from the group. "Number two, my mom is alive. Heavily wounded, but alive. We're not exactly sure what Ozpin did to her, but apparently, she could turn into a cat, just like Qrow and Raven could turn into birds. Meaning she has a significant trait, cats have nine lives. It's possible she lost one of those lives and is somewhere in the world,"
"So what you're saying is, Professor Athan could very well be alive somewhere in the world? And you think Vacuo is the place she'd pick? Why is that?" Jaune asked curiously.
"She can open the Vault and she has before. The last Summer Maiden was a young girl of fifteen, and she used the sword of destruction to kill her, all so she could safeguard those powers. Salem is likely going to search for someone to track her down, but my mom is a wise person, who wouldn't let herself be caught easily. Why should we head to Vacuo? Simple, because if we find her, we have a maiden who can open a vault. A maiden who can safeguard two relics." he finished.
They remained silent, pondering what he said for a moment. Nora piped up, sitting up a bit from her seat on the couch. "It would be significantly easier to get into Vacuo than it would be Atlas. But we also have to take some other things into consideration, including the fact that Atlas is the safest place for us."
"Nora makes a good point, we came all the way here in order to head to Atlas. It might not be ideal to head there, but General Ironwood is our best bet at getting help. Not only that but all of us could use new gear, state-of-the-art stuff that only Atlas can provide." Ruby said firmly. "As much as I would love changing our course to Vacuo, we are better off heading to Atlas."
"Not only that, but I'm sure the Atlas Military knows where the Winter Maiden is. Wouldn't it be better to head to Vacuo with two relics and not three?" Weiss asked, giving Levi a small smile. "I don't exactly like the idea of heading back home, but you have to admit, they possess some very good tech. If we can use that to our advantage, then there's no reason we shouldn't."
"We get in, get our licenses, new gear, find a way to take the Relic of Creation and leave for Vacuo," Jaune said, placing his fist in his hand. "Sounds like a good plan."
"A dangerous one. Especially if Salem manages to intercept us. Look at everything that has happened to us since getting the Relic of Knowledge. Do you think it's a good idea to walk around with two of them?" Blake asked firmly.
"The Relic of Destruction might be a good one to have with us, it could at least buy us some time until we think of something. But finding Professor Athan, wherever she may be, isn't a good idea either." Ruby said, turning back to Levi. "It's a good idea, but what if your mother really is gone? What if the Summer Maiden is someone else? We'd be shooting ourselves in the foot by heading to Vacuo."
"You… make a good point there, Ruby. I really didn't think that one out,"
"No shame in that, you had an idea and you threw it into the pot. We're all just really tired, let's just get some rest and see what we can come up with in the morning. We still need to find Oscar, after all," Ren said.
It didn't take long for everyone to break off, all of them getting ready for a long and likely restless night. Levi rubbed his eyes, sighing as delved into his mind. Millions of errant thoughts flew around it, none of them making much sense. He felt someone sitting next to him, his vision changing slightly.
"Did you have a good night?" Weiss asked curiously, making Levi shake his head. "Oh, don't lie to me, you got a kiss from Blake. That certainly means something."
"Not really. We're still just close platonic friends. She decided to treat that outing as a date, for my sake. She gave me that kiss as a reward, likely for saving her life from that bastard Adam. I appreciate the gesture, and I enjoyed it like any growing boy would, but it just made me realize a lot of other things about myself,"
"Such as?"
"The fact that I'll likely never lead a normal life. I feel like everything is spiraling out of control, and each day I sink deeper and deeper. I feel like I'm complaining too much. Maybe I'm just tired," he said, tugging on his cloak.
"We're all tired, Levi. Trust me, if it were up to me, I'd be in Beacon, likely forcing Ruby to study, making sure Yang didn't wander off and getting Blake to put her books down. I wasn't expecting my life to take this sudden turn, but I am grateful that it did. It led me to my friends, it led me to make new ones. I feel a lot happier now than I did half a year ago."
"Well, almost dying to some zombie-Grimm is better than being sold off by some bandits," he said, making her giggle. "Blake told me earlier that I was where I was supposed to be. That this was my destiny. I'm surrounded by wonderful friends, all of them being very pretty girls, so in some ways, I am glad this is my destiny,"
"You are such a boy you know that?"
"I do try," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I gotta just keep moving on, one step at a time. It might feel like we're at our lowest point, but hey, it could be worse. We could all be dead."
"How enlightening,"
"That kiss with Blake taught me something else though. She's a great friend, a wonderful woman, and a nice person, but she isn't what I am looking for in a woman," he admitted, making Weiss tilt her head slightly. "I think I'm in search of someone who would help me better myself. To help me hone my skills and improve my craft. There's no reason to believe she wouldn't do that, but I feel like she'd do a lot better with someone who makes her see the joys in life. That not everything is black and white, someone who tells her, 'hey, life is shit, but it's pretty fun too'."
"That's… a surprising assessment of her. You got all that from a single kiss?" she asked.
"No… just spending time with her in general. I can tell you what Yang is searching for in a romantic partner if you'd like? Or maybe even Ruby?" he asked, his eyes widening a bit. "Oh… maybe I can tell you what you are looking for."
"Absolutely not!"
"I'm gonna tell you anyway~," he said in a sing-song voice, making her growl. He gave her a once-over, a firm look on his face. "You are searching for someone who will love you for you. Not for your money, not for your name, and not for your reputation. You want someone to see Weiss, not Weiss Schnee. But you are also a dutiful woman, so someone with a sense of pride in their work, a good sense of justice, and someone who knows what they want in life is ideal too. Not an immediate deal-breaker, but they would have to be someone who can cover your weaknesses, and keep you in check. Making sure you take in the true beauty of the world. And most importantly of all, someone who will cherish everything you do for them, someone who doesn't think you are damaged goods because of the scar on your face."
She felt her hand flying to her eye, tracing the gash she had gotten all those years ago. She bowed her head slightly, her bangs covering her eyes. "How did you know about that?" she asked, barely above a whisper.
"Contrary to popular belief, Miss Schnee, faunus with two sets of ears, have hearing on par with actual animals," he joked, hoping to get her to smile. When she didn't he adopted a more serious tone. "Rumors move around really fast, especially when it's someone of high class. All I ever heard about in the hallways were how much of an annoying brat you were, or how bossy and mean you were to people. Never about your strengths, never about your grades. It was always those traits. But it was Cardin's comments that bothered me the most. He kept saying you weren't a good catch because your face was damaged. It's too bad the idiot never saw the beauty beyond the scar."
"You know… out of everyone who always wanted to befriend me, and everyone who was after me because of my name, I never let what they said bother me. But the comments about my scar, those always affected my self-esteem. No one ever understood why I had it. That it was a badge of honor for surpassing my father's ridiculous test. That never matters though, why would it? All they ever see is the Snowflake on my jacket and all they hear is the name Schnee." she said, rubbing her arm. "It's one of the main reasons I don't want to go back to Atlas. I feel like I would be returning to the life that I desperately wanted to escape."
"It doesn't have to be that way if you don't want it to be," Levi said, glancing around for a moment, making sure they were truly alone. "We could take the Argus Limited back to Mistral, get a train toward Port Ulysses, and head to Vacuo."
"You know we can't do that, as much as I like the idea," she said, holding back the urge to flush. "My, it sounds almost as if we were eloping."
"I bet that would set your father's mustache on fire. Imagine his former heiress and missing daughter, running away with a damn dirty faunus. My, how scandalous," he said, this time earning a laugh from the girl. "I know we can't run away from our duty, but we can imagine what it would be like, I suppose. I guess after finding out the truth behind my mother and her life, I just want to return to my roots."
"And you will, once we get to Atlas and get our licenses. That is our priority now, and it should be for the coming year. Atlas Academy doesn't work like Beacon, Haven, or Shade. If we rise through the ranks, we'll be able to get them faster. After all the shit we've been through, we're likely on par with fourth-year Beacon students."
"Damn straight," he said, chuckling. Weiss suddenly leaned forward, giving Levi a firm kiss on the cheek. His ears stood on end, his face glowing red. "W-what was that for?" he asked, voice sounding flustered.
"For cheering me up, and for making me forget about our situation. We should get some sleep. All the beds upstairs and the guest room were claimed, so we're going to have to share the couch." she said, making him stand up, unstrapping Overture's holster. He set the weapon down on the coffee table, grabbing one of the plush couch cushions.
"You can take it, my princess," he said, giving her a wink. "Only the best for the most alluring woman in the estate."
"Ew, none of that. I don't mind sleeping on the floor, you know. Not like I didn't spend doing that the last few months of my life. I swear when I'm 85 I'm going to feel everything,"
"I'm feeling it now, Mr. Krabs," he said, causing her to laugh. "In all seriousness, we do need to consider all our options. I just hope Oscar is doing alright by himself,"
"I do too. Things just… keep getting worse for us, huh?"
"Could be worse, we could be dead."
"Goodnight, Levi."
With that, the former heiress shut the lights off, making him chuckle. He was in for a terrible night, but at least it would be spent in good company.
The Next Day:
Breakfast at Saphron's was rather quiet. Yang had gotten home at around three in the morning, but she hadn't found Oscar. Everyone was tense, but none more so than Jaune, who had been the one to yell at the boy. He felt terrible for what he had said to him, how he had slammed him into the wall, and just blamed him for Pyrrha's death. It had been nagging at him all morning and had practically kept him up the night before. It was one of the main reasons he hadn't spoken a word since waking up. Ren and Nora were in similar states, while Alto focused mostly on cooking and cleaning the kitchen.
Yang had still been asleep from staying out late, and Qrow had been gone and hadn't bothered showing up. This left the remaining members of Team RWBY and Levi in silence, processing everything that had been happening. Levi, of course, had been watching the news, a habit he had picked up from Sienna back when they were traveling to Mistral. All it talked about was the same tired politics he was sick of hearing, but what had interested him the most was the news about Adam, or lack-there-of, seeing as no one knew he had stolen the truck. It was just one of the many things they now had to deal with.
Not even Alto's delicious food could make him forget about recent events. So much had happened recently that it was beginning to break his mind. How he hadn't been driven mad was beyond him. He figured it was the great support system he had with Team RWBY and Neo, had it not been for them, he probably would have caved mentally after Brunswick Farms. He set his half drank tea on the table, making sure the cup had a coaster underneath it. He turned his attention back to his new scroll, which he had been fiddling with for a while.
"I still can't believe you won two of those," Weiss said softly, grabbing his attention. She was busy brushing her hair, making sure to give it its usual 100 strokes before tying it up in her usual side ponytail. "You shattered the score twice over, or so I heard,"
"You heard correctly," he said, as he sifted through various menus and other things. He really needed a computer for this, but thankfully his old scroll would suffice. He finally got through the first part of the setup and found the 'transfer data' option, quickly connecting his new scroll to his old one. "I just wish they made this shit easy, you know? Pop-out the SIM card from your old scroll and slide it into your new one. That would make things so much easier, but nooo… no, Atlas just likes making unnecessary hurdles for people."
"It is Atlas tech, the finest in the world. It's thanks to them we even have scrolls, to begin with," Blake added, having decided to open hers at a later date. She didn't have the patience to set hers up at the moment. "I always wondered how it was that scrolls even functioned. I know they're made of hard-light dust, but we never have to refill them."
"I heard the device itself is projecting a holographic image and the hard-light dust acts as a tactile screen. It was the first of many such devices, including video game consoles, television screens, holographic stadium projectors, and even road signs." Ren quipped, looking away from his breakfast. "Before scrolls and similar tech had arrived, televisions used to be big and bulky, and consisted of various wires and a large glass bulb,"
"That's so cool, technology has advanced so much in such a short time. Without Atlas, we'd likely be living in the stone age," Ruby said, clapping her hands giddily, as she looked at Levi's new scroll. "So… what are you gonna do with the old one?"
"It's an iScroll 10XR that still works perfectly fine, I think I'll pass it down to Oscar. He sort of needs one if he wants to stay in touch with us. If he had one of his own we could have easily tracked him down using the Find My Scroll app." he said, absentmindedly.
A loud shattering filled the house, causing everyone to look in Alto's direction. Saphron was at her side in moments, looking her over for injury. "Are you alright? Did you cut yourself?"
"No… I'm fine, it's just… I'm a huge idiot!" she said, quickly picking the broken pieces of the dish she had dropped. "Yesterday, before you all left for the military base, I gave Oscar my scroll so he could see our bucket list and how many things I had added. He never gave it back to me, meaning he still has it!"
"Wait, that means we can track down his location!" Blake said, pulling out her scroll. Everyone did the same, quickly booting up their Find My Scroll apps.
"How does this thing work again?"
"You just type the number associated with the scroll you are looking for. If the location is on, which it should be, then it'll track it down. If the location settings have been toggled off, then it'll use the signal that bounced off the CCT Relay." Levi stated.
"I found him!" Ruby cried, holding her scroll up triumphantly. "He's in the plaza seven blocks from here. We can go get him right now!"
"Hang on a moment, Ruby. Maybe we should think about who should go find him," Weiss said, earning odd looks from her friends. "Think about it, he's upset about what happened yesterday. I doubt seeing an entire search party will cheer him up. If anything it might make him run away. Which is why I suggest a small group of us go."
"It should be us," Jaune said, standing out of his chair. "I'm the one who insulted him and threw him against the wall, and I'm the one that needs to apologize. So it should be me, Ren, and Nora that looks for him."
"That sounds like a good idea but, what if he sees you and runs?" Saphron asked, making her brother deflate a bit. "I think it should be Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and Levi that goes to talk to him. Maybe have Alto tag along too, since they get along so well."
"That might be for the best, it works out in our favor."
"Um I uh… sort of told Miss Calavera that I would train with her," Ruby said, rubbing her neck in embarrassment. "She's teaching me everything she knows about having Silver Eyes. I want to make sure I know how to use them, just in case,"
"Blake shouldn't really leave either, especially since Adam is still out there. I propose Alto, Levi and I head out to speak with Oscar. We need to find Neo anyway, she messaged me saying she had something to share with us, so it all works out." Weiss said firmly.
"Then we have our plan. Saphron has to head to work soon, so we'll walk with her and leave Adrien at daycare. Maybe while we're at it, we can search for Qrow and gather information on Adam, if there's anything to gather, that is." Jaune said.
"Don't you worry, Blake. If he even sneezes in your direction, his kneecaps are gone. I promise!" Nora said, resting her hammer against her shoulder. Levi's scroll beeped a few times, alerting him that the transfer of data was complete. He grabbed his old one and pulled the SIM card out, sliding the new one into his new scroll.
"Alright, I'm all set with my scroll. Everything transferred and I thankfully have service. The local comms still work, so if you need help of any kind, don't hesitate to call us. Make sure you're locked, loaded and your weapons are nice and sharp. Especially with Adam on the loose. We don't want a repeat of last night," he said, sliding the device into his pocket.
"Hey, Levi… when you speak to Oscar, could you let him know that I'm really sorry for what I did?" Jaune asked, causing Levi to stop. The miqo'te faunus shook his head, making sure his cloak was securely fastened onto his shoulders.
"Nope, I'm not a messenger, Jaune. You gotta do that yourself. I can tell you're really sorry for what you did. But the apology won't mean jack if it isn't you that says it. Just relax, he isn't going to bite you." he said, hand grasping the door handle. "But he might just beat the hell out of you with his cane. No promises he won't."
"Great… nice," he said, arms crossed dejectedly.
"I'm just joking man, we'll be back soon," Levi said with a wave, leading Weiss and Alto into the half-busy streets of Argus.
xxx
"Do you think he'll be mad at me?" Alto asked as she rubbed her shoulder. She had decided to wear a long-sleeved shirt under her armor, the tight-fitting garment accenting her strong arm muscles. To Levi, she looked quite different from the girl he had met in Mistral not that long ago. "I wasn't on his side, I didn't say anything to stop Jaune, and all I did was express my regret."
"Sweetheart, I doubt he's mad at you. You learned some very heavy news and had your entire life put into question. He isn't going to be mad at you because of that. Worrying about it is silly. Besides, I happen to know Oscar likes you very much," Weiss said, making the girl flush in embarrassment. "I think it's cute that you two are putting together a bucket list."
"Just as long as you don't put dumb shit on there. The last thing you need is something dangerous like 'playing tetherball with a beehive' or 'having sex in a zoo while the animals are watching'. That shit is just creepy and wrong,"
"Why the hell would anyone do the latter?"
"For the sexual thrill, Weiss." the miqo'te said matter of factly. "There are likely over a billion people on Remnant, give or take. Whatever messed up thing you are thinking about right now, someone on the other side of the world is doing it."
"Clubbing baby seals?" Alto asked, making Levi cringe.
"Y-yeah… yeah there's probably someone out there doing that… fuck that image," he said with a shudder. "Whatever the case might be, all of us just have to be mature men and women. If we're old enough to hold swords, or guns, or high-powered sniper scythes, we should be able to handle the truth of the world. Like rational adults."
"I get that but…" the wolf faunus sighed, pausing briefly as she looked up at the sky. She saw a few Manta airships flying high in the air. The people around her were abuzz with life, most of them speaking about the truck chase from the night before. No one seemed to mention them, nor the fact they were faunus, which was rather welcome for the two of them. "Do you think it's pointless to keep going?"
"Pointless to keep going? In what way, exactly?" Weiss questioned, making Alto look at her.
"You know… becoming a huntress. I left Mistral with the intention of finishing my training so that I could give back to my grandmother. But I also left so I could fulfill Aria's dream for her. To pick up where she left off. But if fighting Grimm is just delaying the inevitable, and if Salem can't die then… what's the point?"
Levi and Weiss shared a look, neither knowing what to say. "All of us have been groomed from childhood, about huntsmen and huntresses being the pinnacle of the world. The saviors who can do no harm, who fight the monsters so we don't have to. To protect the weak and the ones who can't fight. But in reality, we were just waging a shadow war, one that was at a stalemate until the fall of Beacon. People died, and Salem likely sat back and laughed, because she had one over on Professor Ozpin. How do we know we aren't just going to be more pawns on his chessboard?"
"We don't know that, Alto. We really don't… the only thing we do know is that we have a mission. To protect the Relics and make sure they don't fall in Salem's hands. The balance is kept, but only just. Now that Beacon is defunct and Haven is being restructured, two of the pillars of stability in Remnant are gone." he said, sighing as he ran his fingers through his hair. "There's a reason why I suggested heading to Vacuo."
"Might you enlighten us on why that is? Especially since you seemed so adamant on heading to Atlas to finish your training." Weiss said, giving him a firm look. "I worry about you, Levi. You're a close friend, but ever since we learned the truth and experienced what we did at Brunswick, you've seemed seriously depressed."
"It's the PTSD. I seriously need to see a shrink sometime," he said, rolling his shoulders as he spoke. "The reason why I suggested Vacuo was because it isn't a target."
"A… target?" Alto asked, clearly confused.
"Well think about it. We fought Cinder and her lackeys back in Haven Academy, and three of them managed to get away. Cinder is likely too scared to head back to Salem, and if she's the woman I saw in Jinn's vision, then she hasn't gone back for good reason. Cinder tried convincing Neo to turn on us, and she figured out we were heading to Atlas with the Relic of Knowledge, who's to say Salem isn't the same?"
The two girls remained silent, coming to a stop at a nearby street corner. Alto hit the button, watching the blinking red light. "Think about it. Salem is likely going to Atlas, because it's where we will be, with the Relic of Knowledge. That means there will be two relics for the taking. Cinder failed her, so it's likely she's going to attack Atlas with all her strength. Going to Vacuo makes sense because not only will we be able to get the Sword of Destruction, but we'd be able to leave the Relic of Knowledge there too. We could head back to Atlas and use the sword to destroy her army."
"It's a good plan, but one that banks on Professor Athan being alive. If she truly was turned into a cat-like you said she was, then she's likely in hiding. Because she knows that if Salem finds her, she'd kill her."
"All the more reason to find her."
"Levi, why is it that you've suddenly decided Vacuo is a good place to go?" Weiss asked arms crossed as the trio started walking across the street. "Be honest with me, I know when you are lying,"
"I… I don't wanna die,"
Weiss remained silent, her lips curving downward at this revelation. He squeezed his eyes shut as he walked, ears flat against his head. "Atlas is likely going to be Salem's next target. Whether we want it to be, or not. We'd be going there and we'd be setting ourselves up for disaster. Ironwood's army is strong, but do you think it's strong enough to defeat her? She can't die, he doesn't know that. What if he ends up firing everything he's got at her and thinks she's dead, only for her to come back and destroy it all."
"Well-"
"What if she brings an army that's way bigger than the Atlas Military can handle? What if Atlas falls from the sky? It would be significantly worse than the Fall of Beacon. I can handle an entire school being overrun, I can handle my friends dying, albeit difficult to deal with. But I cannot in good conscience head to Atlas knowing that we might be the cause of its downfall."
"Levi, you don't know for sure that Salem is even thinking about Atlas. For all we know, she could be targeting Vacuo instead. Vacuo's council is in disarray after the Fall of Beacon and with Atlas closing its borders, it likely will continue being that way, even if it's filled with Huntsman. It's more dangerous to go there than Atlas." Alto said firmly.
"I know that I just…" he shook a bit as he held back the urge to cry. "I don't want to see my friends die, okay? I've spent so much time with all of you, have gotten to know you, and have grown attached to you. You mean more to me than anything else in this world. And knowing that Salem might be targeting Atlas terrifies me."
He felt someone take his hand, and looked up, seeing the smile on Weiss's face. She gave him a hug, squeezing him tightly. "You aren't alone, Levi. We aren't going to die at the hands of that evil woman. It might be our destiny to fight her, but it isn't our destiny to die by her hand. We won't let it, I won't let it."
"But-"
"No buts. Trust in us, trust in Ruby. You and Neo joined our team, right? That means you need to have faith in our leader. Just like I had faith in you and Neo when we left that bandit camp." she said firmly. "Being captured by those bandits was the best thing that happened to me, Levi. It led me to find a wonderful friend like you and someone who has my back through thick and thin like Neo. We need to go to Atlas. Not for ourselves, but to make sure the world knows everything."
"T-the world?"
"Atlas Central Command has the necessary technology to broadcast all over the world, silly," Weiss said, giving him a grin. "We just have to figure out how to get a CCT up and running and tell everyone on Remnant the truth. That way, we no longer have to fear what slinks in the dark."
She stepped back, reaching into her pocket for her scroll. She flicked it open, showing him the notes Ruby had jotted down. "It'll take a lot of work, but with a few shady dealings, courtesy of Neo, as well as some funds funneled from the SDC, our plan is to figure out how to build a new CCT to replace Beacon Tower. Though it's rather likely the military is already planning something like that. In which case, all we have to do is commandeer it and use it for our own benefit."
"That's… ballsy,"
"It's Ruby's style, after all. She was the one who planned everything out when it came to busting that White Fang ring in Vale. Apparently, she was inspired by something Terra said about the CCT relay here in Argus." the former heiress said, pocketing her scroll.
"Wow… I have to give Ruby credit where it's due. She really is a good leader," Alto said, ears flicking about as she processed what she had heard. "So I guess we have our own personal mission for heading to Atlas now. But what about the General?"
"We tell him everything," Weiss shrugged, taking the lead as she walked. "I don't see why we can't do that. It would be ideal for the General to aid us in this crazy idea of ours. Ruby thinks if people know about Salem, there will be less fear that will attract the Grimm, but also people will prepare for the inevitable war she'll wage on humanity. It's our final shot to prove to the Gods that we deserve to live and that they deserve to walk among us, after all."
"So the plan hasn't changed at all. We need to focus on the first and more important thing, becoming licensed huntsmen and huntresses. God, I feel silly for even doubting myself, what was I thinking?!" Alto said, slapping her cheeks. "Alright, let's go find Ozzy and bring him back home!"
Levi looked down at his scroll, seeing the blinking dot on the map hadn't moved at all. In fact, they were just a few paces away, just around the corner. The moment they walked around the building, they were met with something they hadn't expected to see.
The plaza was in fact a giant memorial, that had been erected by the people of Argus. There were a few people pausing to look at it, while others admired it from afar. Weiss, Levi, and Alto slowly crossed the street, seeing more of the monument as they approached it. It was obvious to them who it had been modeled after.
They spotted Oscar standing in front of it, looking at the large granite display, two large stones flanked the large statue in the middle, showing the names of those who had perished during the Fall of Beacon. But the statue itself was of Pyrrha Nikos, the top student of Sanctum Academy, which also happened to be located in Argus. Weiss looked rather shaken at the sight of the statue, hardly containing her tears as she saw her close friend, immortalized for the city of Argus.
Alto meanwhile traced the statue with her eyes, taking in every single detail of it, down to the armor and the intricate designs. She looked down at her arm, where Akouo was firmly strapped, Milo being attached to her hip. They suddenly felt so heavy for her, unlike anything she had ever hung onto before. Oscar didn't bother looking up, likely knowing they were behind him. His frown only grew as he looked up at the statue's face.
"You know, I never considered how much weight was on my shoulders until I stumbled onto this statue. I was walking around, aimlessly, wondering what the heck I was even doing. Why had I come here? Why was I going to bother knowing the outcome wouldn't change? Then, I saw her…" he paused, glancing back at his friends. "The serene look on her face, that smile she always had during her tournaments. It was one of love. She loved what she did, and wanted to become a huntress because wanted to help as many people as she could. I remembered what Jaune told me, and I realized, if she was still here, that she likely wouldn't have given up when hearing the truth about Salem."
"She most certainly wouldn't have. Pyrrha was a fighter, down to the end. She knew she wasn't going to win that fight. But she went anyway because that's what a huntress would do. If it meant sacrificing her life, she would, just to make sure no one else died," Weiss said, wiping away her tears. "It was a noble sacrifice, one that she didn't have to make, but did so because she felt like she had no other choice."
"It was her destiny… just like it's ours to carry on that legacy. To help everyone that needs our help, even if the going gets tough. Even if it seems hopeless," Levi said, a calm smile on his face. "I'm terrified of the future, I don't know what will happen tomorrow, or next week, or next month. But what I do know, is that we need to fight back. Salem has been biding her time, waiting for Ozpin to slip. We can't let her win, even if she can't die."
"Jinn never said she couldn't be stopped, right?" Alto asked, ears wiggling joyfully. "That means we can find a way to incapacitate her. There's still hope yet! We can't lay down and hide, and we can't bow our heads and disappear quietly into the night. We need to fight back, as a team. I'm sorry, Ozzy, for what I did."
"What you did? Last I recall it was Jaune that slammed me into a wall," he said, scratching the back of his head. "You've done nothing but show me kindness."
"I wasn't a good friend, dummy. I just let what happened happen, and then I took a walk and didn't even comfort you. I'm a terrible friend, but I intend to fix that mistake. We promised to fulfill that bucket list, and goddamn it, we will. So don't let what Ozpin did bring you down, you aren't him and you never will be. We'll fight everyone if we have to to make sure you stay yourself." Alto said cheerfully.
"She's right, we wouldn't be where we are without you, man," Levi said happily. A lightbulb went off in his head, a smile appearing on his face. "It just occurred to me, Oscar here is training to become a huntsman, but he doesn't look like a huntsman, does he?"
"No… no he doesn't. He needs a fresh set of clothes, some garments that are appropriate for the career. How you've survived in that farmers get up this long is beyond me. We need to get you some actual clothing right away!" Weiss said.
"Uh… okay? I thought what I was wearing was fine. Plus, don't we need to speak with the others, make sure they know I'm fine?"
"Pfft, they'll be alright for a little longer. Besides, imagine how much better you'll be received when they see how dashing you look in a new combat outfit? I saw a store nearby that might have what we're looking for." Levi said, flicking his new scroll open, sending a message to Neo. "I'll let Neo know where we'll be so she can join us. We have a lot to discuss, I'm sure."
"Al-right, I guess. It's not like you'll let me get away, so we might as well get that new outfit. But I don't have any money,"
"Don't worry about it, this one will be a gift. Me and Levi will pool our money together to make sure you get only the best of the best. It's time you take the career seriously, after all. We've got nothing left to lose,"
"You're wrong, Weiss. We've got everything left to lose, but a lot more to gain, and we need to make sure each and every one of us is ready for the worst. Our time in Anima will be coming to an end soon, and all of us have to make sure we're ready to bundle up. I hear Solitas is quite cold this time of year," Levi said with a wink.
"Solitas is cold every day of the year, it's up in the arctic north, dumbass, didn't you see the map back at Saphron's house?" Alto asked, making the miqo'te sigh.
"Thanks for ruining the moment, Alto. Really appreciate it."
A/N: The chase scene is a movie reference. I wonder if anyone will get it.
