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[Argus: Kingdom of Mistral]
Throughout the city of Argus Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, Oscar Pine, and Qrow Branwen were scattered about trying to figure out what they were going to do next after learning the truth about Salem and what their friend and Ally Jaune Arc plans to do, and to say they were confused couldn't have been any more than an understatement.
Currently Ruby was with the rest of the members of her team as they were near the docks of the harbor as they tried to figure out what they were going to do. Yang was throwing large stones into the river trying to vet her frustration as Blake said quietly with her ears down. Weiss meanwhile it was pacing around trying to figure out what they were going to do next.
"Ahhh! This is so frustrating!"said Yang as she threw another stone into the water.
"I know what you mean! What are we even fighting for when ultimate foe isn't even killable."said Blake, feeling like all those people hurt by Adam and by proxy Salem will never be avenged.
"We can't give up hope!"shouted Ruby, trying to knock some sense into her sister and friend.
"Ruby, what are we supposed to believe?! Ozpin lied to us and Jaune doesn't even plan to fight with us! All he cares about his facing that Kaido guy and taking his head! Nothing more! Nothing less!"said Weiss as she got in her friend's face.
"We cannot give up! If we give up then all the suffering and people who died at the Battle of Beacon would have died for nothing!"said Ruby, trying her best to keep hope.
"But what is that hope when our best asset doesn't even want to fight Salem."said Yang, referring to Jaune.
"Jaune has taught us the basics of Haki. We are improving day after day and I'm sure we'll be able to master the art if we give it more time and practice!"said Ruby, despite knowing that her friend taught her Haki in the first place just as to act as a substitute in his place.
"Ruby, I don't want to give up hope either but how are we supposed to fight someone who cannot be killed!"said Blake, as how were they going to fight and defeat someone who can just come back over and over again?!
"We just need to get stronger! Like that Whitebeard in Roger guy!"said Ruby, confusing her teammates.
"Huh?"said the rest of team RWBY.
"You guys offer yourself how Whitebeard and Roger managed to almost destroyed that island with their blades even though they weren't even touching! And you guys personally saw how powerful the tremor tremor fruit was. All we have to do is get stronger and I'm sure even the unkillable Salem won't stand a chance against us!"said Ruby with her usual optimism.
"But how exactly are we going to get that strong when we don't have anyone besides vomit boy who is that strong! And even then he says he's nowhere near as strong as those guys!"said Weiss, once again having to be the voice of reason.
"Well we have the perfect teacher!"objected Ruby.
"Jaune may have taught us the basics of Haki, but even he says it takes a lot of time and effort to learn the fundamentals before we can even use that advanced version he uses! Ruby, you're my sister and I love you but how are we supposed to face someone who just keeps coming back, stronger and stronger each time!"said Yang, as she didn't want to give up hope but at this point what were they even fighting for.
"Don't forget smarter as we still don't know if anyone else besides Cinder is working for Salem. Lionheart turned out to be a traitor in the end and who knows who else is helping her in Atlas! Can we truly trust anyone besides ourselves?"questions Blake, as everyone fell silent as they knew she had a point.
Lionheart was considered one of the closest to Ozpin as he was in his inner circle and he ended up betraying them in the end, if someone that close to the guy who knew Salem the best could betray him, who else will betray them in the long run?!
"We just have to keep fighting!"spoke Ruby as she broke the silence."Sure it looks like things are bleak right now but we got to remember there are more good people than bad people! I mean think back at the Battle of Beacon, even after all hope seemed lost we still kept on fighting until the very end! People from Atlas, Mistral, Vale, and Vacuo stood up against the odds and fought to protect the innocent from the Grimm, the White Fang, and Cinder's group! Jaune may have survived his sacrifice but it was his sacrifice that allowed more people to be saved than people that would have been lost if Cinder hadn't been severely wounded! It doesn't matter if Salem is immortal or not! Because if we don't stop fighting then she wins! And I know none of us want that!"
Weiss, Blake, and Yang looked at each other as they felt the weight of Ruby's words go through them. Ruby did have a point! If they stop fighting now then Salem will just keep on attacking with no one standing in her way! Good people had to stand against her if there was a hope for a tomorrow! And Ruby did make another good point, none of them could stand the fact of letting that old which win without a fight!
"Hahahah! I guess once again my little sister has to be the voice of reason!"said Yang with her usual upbeat attitude."So what's the plan?"
"Your just like those heroes in the books I like to read Ruby. Even in the face of impossible odds you stand on your own two feet ready to fight some more."said Blake as she got up."So how do we take the fight to Salem?"
"Well someone has to look after you idiots before when you gets killed."said Weiss with a smile."So how exactly are you going to lead us to victory, team leader."
Ruby couldn't help smiling as she saw that her words managed to sink into her friends minds and now the fear and anxiety they once felt was no longer there, or at least mostly not there.
"First things first! I have to master the power of my silver eyes! You guys on the other hand will have to master the powers of Haki! We also need to convince Jaune and Cat Viper that this is their fight as well what do they like it or not! And let's not forget that we need to head to Atlas to meet up with General Ironwood! He fought at the Battle of Beacon on our side so I doubt he's a traitor! So let's meet up with his forces and join up together to face Salem and force her to never show her face again!"said Ruby as she maintained morale.
"Yeah!"said the remaining members of team RWBY.
[Meanwhile]
Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren were deciding amongst one another what the next part of their plan was now that they learned that Salem was immortal and that their leader who had come back older and stronger had no plans to stay with them and help the fight against Salem!
"I can't believe fearless leader went through all of that. I can't even imagine what it's like being stranded in another world only to see the guy you owe everything to boil alive in boiling oil."said Nora, who felt bad for Jaune and all he has lost.
"That still doesn't give him an excuse to just abandon us and go fight another world's war."said Ren, as he felt like Jaune should have an obligation to this world first before he does anything else.
"Salem and Kaido seem like undefeatable foes. One is immortal in the other one cannot be harmed by any normal weapon and has only been wounded once in his lifetime... and that was by a samurai who had the power to cut a boar the size of a mountain..."said Pyrrha as she was facing a wall, away from the others.
"Pyrrha..."said Nora as her friend continued.
"I thought things would be better now that I'm back home. I went and spoke with my mother and I felt like I could fight another fight. But things have not been the same ever since the Battle of Beacon. I haven't been able to use my semblance polarity, I lost the man I love, and now that he's back he doesn't even want to stay..."said Pyrrha as tears fell down from her face.
"I thought I would follow you three and see what you were up to but now I see you all crying like whiny little babies."said one Maria Calavera as she made her presence known.
"Ahh! Where did you come from?!"questions Nora as she jumped back.
"I've been here the whole time I'm just a little bit slow since I'm freaking old!"answered Maria quite rudely.
"What do you want?! Can't you see we're in the middle of something!"said Ren in a rude attitude.
"I'm just surprised that you watch all of that and you can't even understand how much your leader has suffered."said Maria, shocking the rest of the members of team JNPR.
"What on Remnant do you mean?"asked Pyrrha as she wiped away some tears.
"Think about it for a moment. You find yourself in a world completely different from your own with no one you know and no way to contact them to see if they are all right. Then you have to start over from scratch again in that same environment again while thinking that said friends and family may be dead. Now imagine having to get to know the people of that world, eating with them, sleeping with them, becoming good friends and even the closest thing you have to a family, only to lose the one you treasure most in such a horrible way! Then you are burdened with honoring that last request of that said person who you felt like you owe everything to! So tell me, who has really suffered out of all of you?"questions Maria as the rest of team JNPR look at each other nervously.
"I understand where you're coming from kids, I really do. But you all are still young and have not seen the true cruelty of the world like your friend has! He has seen the worst of humanity in is barely being able to hold it together as what has been a while for you guys has only been a few days for him. Kozuki Oden is a man who I've never met but wish I had. He was everything I was not. He wasn't a coward. He didn't hide when the going got tough. And he was loved by so many that are willing to lay down their lives for him even after so much time has passed, along with the fact that he is no longer around! Your teammate and leader is bound by his honor to finish the last request of Kozuki Oden, and he will never feel complete until that request is fulfilled. So instead of being angry with him you should be questioning yourself to see if you are right! You have obviously decided amongst yours that you're right and he is wrong! But from where I'm standing at the opposite!"said Maria as she scolded the members of team JNPR.
"She's right."said Ruby as she and the rest of her team appeared before team JNPR.
"Ruby."said Pyrrha as she noticed her.
"Jaune is bound by his honor and his promise. But that doesn't mean he gets to skip out on helping us defeat Salem! I say we talk to him and work something out as we're going to need him in the fight against Salem, along with Cat Viper!"said Weiss with a smile.
"But how? He is so stubborn!"said Nora, knowing that they've tried but their leader will not listen.
"Then we just got to keep drilling it into his head until he agrees!"said Yang as she cracked her knuckles.
"Hmph!"was all Ren said.
"I guess we cannot give up as all hope is not lost!"said Pyrrha as she wiped away her tears."Even if he is different the Jaune I know and love is still in there, he's just matured."
"Pyrrha..."said Nora with a smile.
"I can't let myself wallow in self-pity just because Jaune is willing to lay down his life against a seemingly undefeatable foe. We have to believe in him! And we will believe in him as I'm sure in the end he will do the right thing and help us out in the war against Salem! I know he will, after all...an Arc never goes back on his promise!"said Pyrrha with a smile.
"So what's the plan?"asked Oscar as he appeared now wearing a green jacket.
"Oscar..."said Ruby, before noticing that Oscar was struggling to carry a hungover Qrow.
"I found them getting thrown out of a nearby bar so I decided to pick him up before he was pickpocketed. He's a little heavy so do you mind helping?"said Oscar as he appeared to be struggling.
Ruby and Yang looked at each other for a moment before nodding their heads and going over to help pick up their drunk uncle.
"I...I... I can't believe he lied to me all these years!"said a drunk Qrow, before his face was splashed with cold water"Whoa! What the!"
"That always sobers him up!"said Ruby as it was shown that she was the one who threw the cold water in his face.
"Ruby, what the!"said Qrow, before he was slapped in the face by his niece.
"No, I'm the one talking so you listen!"said Ruby, silencing her uncle.
"Look I know you feel betrayed because the man you swore loyalty to ended up betraying you in the end by not telling you everything. But none of that matters anymore! It doesn't matter if you feel like you don't have a place to belong anymore as you do, with your friends and family. Ozpin may have betrayed you, but we have never betrayed you! So I'm giving you a choice right now. If you want to wallow drunk in self-pity, I'll let you. Or you can go with us to Atlas and try to find a way to permanently deal with Salem!."said Ruby before she crossed her arms across her chest."So... what is your choice?"
Qrow looked at her for a long moment as he couldn't believe that his loving niece had actually slapped him in the face... then he started to slowly get up as he let out a loud burp that smelled like booze. Everyone cover their noses as Ruby continue to stare at him despite the fact she wanted to cover her nose as well.
"Your growing up to be more like your mother everyday! Alright kid, what's the plan?"questions a now fully sober Qrow.
"I uh..."said Ruby who didn't think that far.
"I'll tell you what the plan is."said Jaune as he appeared with Cat Viper.
"We need to steal a ship from the nearby Atlas base in order to get to atlas. And fortunate for you guys while you guys were considering what you were going to do next, I came up with a plan on how to steal said ship, and it's going to require all of you to lend your aid."said Jaune with a smile.
"Jaune...I...uh..."said Pyrrha, who found herself choking on her words.
"Look, I know I've been a complete jerk these last several weeks and they probably deserve a lot of hatred from you all of you. I still plan to fight in Onigashima as a retainer for the Kozuki clan, but that doesn't mean I forgotten my obligation to this world as my friends and my family live here. So until Cat Viper and I can figure out a way to get back to Wano, we have decided to help you guys out in the fight against Salem."said Jaune, causing his friends to smile.
"So, what's the plan fearless leader?"questions Nora.
"First were going to need Weiss to convince that Cordova lady that she wants to go home."said Jaune, as everyone turned their attention to Weiss.
"Me!"said Weiss, who had a feeling that this plan was going to involve a lot of headaches for her.
"Yes!"said Jaune, knowing that everyone had their play their role if there was any hope of getting to Atlas without being detected or affected by the embargo/closure of the Kingdom!
Meanwhile just outside the walls of Argus, someone was watching a certain someone from the group very closely with a pair of high precision binoculars.
Meanwhile, from the ocean someone had just washed ashore on a small raft.
"I sense two people I haven't seen in a long time... I wonder how they've been."said the mysterious figure as he began making his way inland.
Well there you have it folks!
I have finally written the next chapter of The Tenth Red Scabbard, and I decided to finish it off with an air of mystery as two new characters have popped into the scene!
Now the only question is how are they going to affect the story going forward?
But I bet you're wondering who the characters are? Well that's for me to know and you guys to find out later in the next chapter!
Sorry, but I don't do spoilers!
Anyway I actually have a question for many of you.
Do any of you know someone gets their fanfiction drawing on deviantART?
I mean this story is the most popular one I have and I'm still wondering if I'm doing a good job as many of the greatest stories written on this site have gotten drawings on deviantART?
I'm not sure it's me or do I need to post a drawing myself... well that will be kind of tough seeing as I haven't drawn anything in quite a while and I don't know if I still have the skills I once had.
I once made it to second place in an art competition back in elementary school but that was a long time ago... I don't think my rusty art skills can draw the drawing I envision in my head.
Sorry for rambling about that as I'm very curious on how I can get a drawing of my work on deviantART.
But enough about that...
The next chapter should be out soon and I hope I can make it longer than this one as riding long chapters are not my thing as they take forever in my opinion and I feel like decent size chapters get readers more interested as I'm one of those guys that have a chapter is too long I stopped reading at some point as I get completely lost and immersed in the literature.
I know that sounds like a good thing but let me tell you that has gotten me in trouble on more than one occasion and both my personal and social life.
Oh, here I go rambling again... sorry everyone!
Anyway, the next chapter should be out soon so I hope to see you all next time!
Stay safe out there everyone and I hope to see you all again in the next chapter!
PrimusPilus signing off and wishing you all a good day!