A/N: Here we go~!
Still in pain, still writing despite it all.
With my fifteen year anniversary on this site finally here, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.
And of course, there are times when I look to the future and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. Feels like everyone's lost their minds sometimes. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.
So here we go. The fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback determines the fate of this tale, and many others.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.
As ever I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. They're merely tributes.
Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that.
In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
That's the joy of writing before volume one of RWBY.
Just about anything can happen...
"You're blind to what true power can bring you.
I'm going to let you in on a very important secret, one I learned when I was younger than you are now. You see, power, real power, doesn't come to those who were born strongest, or fastest, or smartest. No, it comes to those who would do anything to achieve it. Look at you. Struggling to have everything you want, all while the world tries to make you choose. Good. Evil. Hero. Villain. Light. Dark. Choose, they say! CHOOSE! Pick one or the another, but not both, oh no, never both!
Real power means you don't have to choose.
Be who you want to be.
And so will I."
~a future scene.
Draw Your Sword
"Adam is dead."
Sienna Kahn took that bit news with all the fanfare it was due; which was to say none whatsoever.
"Is he now?" She laid a fist against her chin and leaned upon it, the better to hide her smile as she looked down upon Corsac and Fennec from her throne." A shame."
Pity the Albain brothers didn't feel the same. They looked downright aggrieved. Wounded, even. She wasn't surprised. Adam had been a useful pawn to them; an inspirational figure, one the organization rallied to...and someone meant Corsa and Fennec intended to have usurp her in due time, no doubt.
At the end of the day, they'd favored Taurus, not for his personality, but because Adam was strong; because Adam won victories; because Adam was a fiend, both against the SDC and their enemies at home and far afield. But their precious Adam wasn't winning anymore now, was he? Nope. He was moldering in Forever Fall somewhere, food for Grimm. So much for their grand rebellion. All those precious schemes were so much ash in their mouths.
Good. She hoped they choked on them.
And if they had a problem with that?
Too bad. Get mad. So very sad.
The White Fang was hers. She'd wrested this once-useless band of misfits out from under Kali and Ghira all those years ago and made them into what they were now. Something to be feared. And she'd be damned if some arrogant pup tried to take from her in turn. And now he never would. All to the good so far as she was concerned. Her rival was gone and their was no one with the wisdom or the wit to supplant her. Her reign was secure for years -if not decades!- to come.
If she ever found his killer, she'd give them a wet, sloppy kiss.
Of course, she couldn't say or show any of her glee. Not outwardly.
She led the White Fang, and as High Leader, everyone looked to her for guidance, now more than ever.
"He will be missed, of course." she feigned a sorrowed look that didn't quite reach her eyes." We'll hold a candlelight vigil in his honor."
Fennec bowed his head."Indeed."
Corsac kept his hands in his sleeves, mirroring his brother. "May he rest in peace."
Peace, sure.
She would "honor" Adam today, and tonight, in the privacy of her chambers, she would laugh herself silly into her pillow.
'Rest in pieces, Adam. You won't be missed.'
She had warned the fool of a boy that targeting a SDC convoy in Forever Fall with anything less than two full squads was a bad idea. There was just too much that could go wrong with a raid like that in contested territory; the Schnee were upping their guards, the Grimm were unpredictable, and two people were simply not enough to subdue an entire train worth of dust and people. He should've waited for reinforcements.
He hadn't listened, of course. He never did. Now he lay dead.
Doubtless there would be a shift in the White Fang for days to come.
Adam had been loved by the lower levels of the White Fang, the grunts, not the leadership. Not her.
Oh, he was a capable commander in the field make no mistake but he' been growing too big for his britches. She practiced targeted aggression, Adam favored mindless madness. He didn't care who he hurt these days, so long as they were human, and he brought vengeance to the Faunus. Targeting SDC convoys was all well and good. Going after civilians? Not so much. He was becoming a threat. In time he would have no doubt challenged her for leadership. Why, with his skill, he might have managed to kill her-
"And what of the Belladona girl?"
Sienna blinked, drawn from her reverie. "What about her?"
"She dropped out of contact shortly after telling us of Adam's death." Corsac supplied. "She did not tell us who killed him, only that someone did, and now she refuses to answer her scroll."
Sienna leaked back into her throne with a sigh.
Ah, little Blake. Always so quick to run from her problems. She'd been having doubts before the mission. No doubt she'd been spooked. It didn't matter. The White Fang had no need of weak-willed warriors like her. They were better off without her, and pursuing her would only invoke Ghira's ire. Best to cut ties with her and let her be.
"Leave her." Sienna flicked a hand. "She's of no use to us. If she wants to cut ties and run, then let her run. Its not as though she knows anything useful."
No, her thoughts were with Adam, or rather, the lack of him. So far as she was concerned, whoever killed him had done her a favor.
A mighty favor indeed.
Sienna Kahn paid her debts. Let none say otherwise.
Covertly, of course. Wouldn't do to upset the rank and file...
(.0.0.0.)
"Why didn't you take her Semblance?"
That was the question, wasn't it, Emerald?
Naruto supposed he could have claimed Blake's semblance back on that train if he really felt like it, but he didn't. No, he didn't want it, nor did he need it. Hers was just a glorified substitution jutsu. And didn't that just speak volumes as to the nature of her soul? Hers allowed her to run away; to escape while leaving a fake behind to take the hit for her. Why waste a semblance and aura when he could already do that without barely a thought? No, she would make better use of it than him; would be given one chance to turn her life around. Just the one. A second chance.
There would not be a third.
And if she wasted that...well. He could always snatch her semblance and give it to someone else.
Huh. Now there was a thought.
"You're smiling again."
"Am I?" he glanced at Emerald, clasped both hands behind his back and kept walking.
"Oi, quit it!" he heard her hasten after him through the tall grass. "That's seriously a scary look for you! C'mon, knock it off!"
They'd left the train -and Blake!- behind and headed back into the wilds shortly after leaving Forever Fall...though not without taking a few souvenirs. As of now, they had more than enough dust for the foreseeable future. Not like the SDC would miss it. He wondered if they'd notice a certain Faunus stowaway. If they did, that wasn't his problem. That flighty catgirl would have to fend for herself in the future.
All in all, he considered Forever Fall a successful venture. Now only had put a lunatic down and nicked a fair bit of dust, but he'd acquired a useful weapon and a powerful semblance at that.
"If its power you're after, you could always pay the Schnees a visit. I've heard their Semblance is hereditary and quite...versatile."
Cinder in his head again. She really knew how to sour his mood. "If I see a Schnee I don't like, then I'll consider it."
...were you talking to someone?"
"No one you need concern yourself with." He waved Emerald's concerns away and held up his scroll. That it still had signal way out here spoke well to the CCT. "According to the map, Ansel should be relatively close. We'll probably reach it before nightfall."
"Good." her head bobbed. "I'd rather not rough it." she paused a moment later, realizing what she'd just said and what it implied of him. "I mean...!"
He clicked his tongue at her and gave her a cross look. "I've told you to speak your mind. You've slept outside before, I take it?"
"One, when I pissed off a gang." she shrugged a shoulder, warily giving him her two cents. "Wasn't fun."
Naruto smiled, recalling his encounter with Amber. "It has its own charms."
By her expression, Emerald disagreed. "...I'll take your word for it."
"Whatever you say, city girl."
A harsh CRACK pervaded the air, echoing in the distance before she could think tor eply.
He craned his neck toward. "You hear that?"
"Sounded like a gunshot." Emerald inhaled deeply through her nose, then scowled. "Nevermind the noise, do you smell that?"
He did and he dearly wished he hadn't. It smelled like fire. Ash. Death.
Cinder had gone strangely silent in his mind.
Three guesses why. First two don't count.
Sure enough, he saw a black plume on the horizon, just over the nearest hill. He lengthened his stride and jogged up it, leaving Emerald to scurry after him.
He found Ansel on the other side; a homely little village rimmed by a large, sturdy-looking wooden palisade ending in a large gate. One that even now creaked under the sheer weight of the monsters trying to batter their way through to the screaming folks other side.
For there were Grimm at the gates.
He saw them from afar, a small pack of twelve assorted beasts hammering at the walls, fended off by a band of plucky pikemen standing atop them. Not a large group at all. For those on the walls it may well have been a swarm. As he looked on, an Ursa got ahold of one and managed to drag him down, a youth too either foolish or frightened to let go of his spear. Both boy and weapon pitched into the mass of Grimm and vanished from sight.
Someone cried out.
"JAUNE!"
Naruto never knew who said the name; he'd already broke into a run the moment the boy went down. He heard Emerald shout behind him, but by then he was already pelting down the hill at full speed.
He heard the boy scream and ran faster still. One hand gripped Blush, the other thumbed Wilt free from her sheathe. She sang in his hand, eager for blood and battle. Could a sword be sentient? Nonsense. Not important right now. He hefted her like a spear, judged the distance...
...and left her fly with a cry.
Wilt drilled the nearest Beowolf right between the eyes, nailing it to the wooden wall with an audible thunk. Its body slumped down and dissolved in so much smoke. One down. Eleven to go. The remainder paused, briefly baffled by the abrupt death of their kin. They sensed the negative emotions he was bleeding and rounded on him. That was all the distraction he needed; even as they turned to face him, he poured on one last burst burst of speed, and leaped at them.
Blush barked like the shotgun it was, blasting a hole through a Deathstalker's torso. Two down.
He was among them a heartbeat later, vaulting a Boarbatusk before stomping down on its skull with both feet. His boots clicked and fire dust flashed forth, obliterating its skull and clearing a path in the same moment. Fur caught fire and every remaining Grimm went mad, falling back to claw at themselves. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. Three down. That left nine. Maybe less if the Dust did its work.
He could've continued the onslaught but his last attack had gap opened in the pack and he saw his target. Remarkably, the boy was still alive. Bloodied, with a wicked gash across his forehead, but alive. He huddled behind a battered shield with both hands, clutching onto it for dear life. Well, it had been a shield once. It wasn't anymore. Grimm claws and paws had rendered the poor thing so much scrap metal. Still, it had done its duty. He wouldn't be alive without it.
Unbidden, he felt a flash of pride Good lad, holding out this long.
Ducking a Beowolf's frenzied paw, he grabbed the plucky survivor -a blond boy- by the scruff of his neck and heaved him upward. "Its your lucky day, bub. Up you go!"
Startled blue eyes blinked back at him, framed by lank blond hair. "Wait wait whaaaa?!"
A quick jump brought him to Wilt, still buried in the gate. He hopped off it and alighted atop the wall, where ten startled militiamen awaited him.
He thrust the bleeding boy at them. "Here you go!"
No point in waiting for their thanks. There was work to be done. He kicked back off the wall, snapped off a merry salute in midair and crashed down among the Grimm again like a meteor, leaving a crater in his wake. Yet another fell to his boots before the rest truly realized what was happening. Four down, he ticked off in his head. Eight remained.
A particularly large Ursa saw him coming and pivoted on its hind legs, braying a challenge.
Slow. So slow. So very slow.
It was the simplest thing to rip Wilt free from the wooden gate and place the blade directly in the beast's path. Gravity and momentum did the rest; letting him lopped off its paw at the elbow. The Grimm balked at the ruined stump of its limb, not quite comprehending.
Something ugly reared its head in Naruto heart and with it came scorn. "Pathetic!"
It yowled and swiped at him with its remaining limb.
Fury lent him strength and Naruto snarled back, caught the paw that swept in on the flat of the blade and let momentum slam him backwards, boots biting into the grass as he skidded away. He dragged the blade back into its sheathe as he went, clicking it shut. Aura swelled within him, shooting into his Adam's -his!- now buried blade.
For a fleeting second, his silver hair flashed red.
A wild grin tore across his face.
Gotcha.
Wilt tore free from her sheathe with a wordless roar. Adam's semblance, already pent up for so long, didn't just flash forth; it erupted in a singular slash of death; A massive slice of energy that seared the world scarlet and scythed down everything before it, mowing down five more Grimm and cutting a deep crescent in the dirt before finally fading.
Three remained.
"Well!" he grinned at his smoldering blade. "That settles it! I'm keeping you!"
A brutish Berringel pounced at him. Without looking back he ducked low, hewed its legs out from under it, then drove his sword through its chest.
Two left.
It was...surprisingly easy to use Adam's sword. Not effortless, he had to work at it, but it was easier than he thought, and became easier still the longer he fought. Had he taken the man's muscle memory alongside his semblance? Or was there something more sinister at work? There was no second voice in his head -yet!- and he could only assume Cinder was being silent for her own reasons-
"You assume correctly."
Grrr! Just when he'd thought himself rid of her. But at least he didn't have a brash bull in his brain.
That was Adam's cue, if he was still around in some shape or form.
"..."
Nothing. But the anger persisted. Was that a good thing...?
He wheeled his left leg back and blocked a paw while striking out with Wilt. Blush barked, spraying shotgun shells, forcing it back-
The whistle of a sickle and the the sharp crack of a chain heralded Emerald's arrival into the fray. Another Berringel toppled to the dirt behind, tongue nailed to the roof of its mouth and two hooked blades through its brain. His partner tumbled off its back, eyes wide and chest heaving. She'd never fought Grimm before; he could see in the panic on her face, but she had aura alongside her semblance and had acquitted herself reasonably well just now. She met his eyes and dared a tremulous nod.
Between the two of them, the last living Grimm -a Beowolf- didn't stand a chance.
Together, they fell upon it and cut it apart.
The beast died screaming.
It was easy to be confident when you had someone to watch your back. Killing monsters together felt pretty damn good, all things considered.
In short order the last of them lay dead and dissolving at their feet. Mission accomplished.
"Not bad." he gave Emerald's shoulder a brisk pat. "You did well."
"And you threw yourself at them!"
"I did. Not sorry."
"I...you...ugh, forget it. She shook herself and sheathed her weapons, trembling a little. "That...that was a lot. Why were they here...?"
"Negativity attracts Grimm." he looked past fading Grimm to the village of Ansel. "Whole buncha them. Which means..
...he looked to the gate.
"There's probably a story to this."
Together, they approached the battered gate.
He heard a commotion and in no time at all, an old man's weathered visage leaned over the wall. He glimpsed a balding head of silvery hair and brown eyes, a scarred visage set in the scowl, lips puckered in distaste. For all that they'd saved him and the others, he didn't look much pleases for it.
"Who goes there?" he spoke with a faint twang in his voice, an audible accent he couldn't quite place. "Be ye bandits?!"
Naruto exchanged a wry glance with Emerald and looked back. "Would bandits knock on the gate? Or save one of your own?"
The man winced, but clung to his pride. "A-Aye, they would! They're a right sneaky sort."
He laughed a little. "We're not bandits. And you are...?"
Name's Samuel. I lead this lot. Hunters then, are ye? Got yer licences and everything?
Not at all, but...well, better a white lie than a painful truth. "We're still in training."
"Can ye fight?"
Emerald tutted. "Better than you."
He quelled Emerald with a glower. "We can."
...hmm!" Something softened in that craggy visage. "Then you're welcome to our village if you mind your manners. Best be careful, though. There's a witch hereabouts!"
"A witch?" Now it was his turn to scoff. "Lemme guess, does she have green skin and a pointy black hat?"
"Nay! She's a demon with a red blade, skin white as snow with hair dark as night and eyes the color of blood!"
"But didn't you just call her a witch-
"A DEMON I SAY!" the man ranted, shouting them down. "She's hit villages nearby with her men. Proper bitch, too. Always picking fights and doesn't give a flying fig for who she hurts...or what she takes."
He quirked a brow at him. Something didn't add up here. "But not you?"
The elder shook his spear down at them. "Why do you think we had this many Grimm?! Half of us want to leave, the other half think we'll be next!" he seemed to chew on the words a moment more. Someone nudged him and he heaved a sigh. "Look, lad, there's a standing bounty on Grimm in these parts. Its not much, but-
"Keep it" Naruto waved him off. "We didn't save this village for the money."
Emerald whispered in his ear, low enough for only him to hear. "We need lien."
"And we'll get it. But these people have even less than we do. We do not take from the poor.
Was that a glimmer of respect in her eyes just now? Whatever it was, it was gone just as quickly; anyone else would've thought their mind was playing tricks on them. Not him.
Samuel hollered, breaking his concentration. Are ye coming in or not?! Be in or be off with ye!"
He held up a hand. "Just a moment."
Emerald was waiting for him when he turned to face her. "We're going to help these people, aren't we?
"Maybe...
Her scowl redoubled still. "They're hiding something."
"I know they are. But what choice do we have?"
...best give Amber a call.
Then they could get themselves settled...
...and figure out what the devil was going on here.
A/N: Aaaand scene.
Hope you enjoyed this little ficlet.
Well? Should this remain a story? Yay or nay? What say you.
As ever, the Embers rule still persists. If folks don't like this story? Well...I'll not continue it. I can't bear to write something no one likes. That's no joke. So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter! Really, they do! I'm literally working every day now, so I have less and less time to write. Daily updates might...slow down in the interim, but I know that would upset a lot of people.
So, in the Immortal words of Atlas...
...review, would you kindly?
And of course, enjoy the previews! Rough, though they are...
(Previews)
The bandits came.
They found one man waiting before the gates of Ansel. Sitting, really.
"There you are," Mercury stifled a yawn and rose, propping himself up on his sword. "Kept me waiting...
EDIT: Lots of Marvel/DC references/tributes here, among others. Lets see if you can find them all!
"You wanna protect the world, but you don't want it to change." his word flicked out, taking a head in passing. "How is humanity "saved" if its not allowed to evolve? Y'see, their morals, their code...its a bad joke." he rolled his eyes and cut another man in twine while dodging back from a third. "Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as they "believe" themselves to be. You'll see. When the chips are down, your so-called tribe...they'll eat each other.
And as long as there are those who remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what CAN be. See, now you respect me because I'm a threat. That's the way it works. Y'see, I know what its like to loose. To feel so desperately that you're right...only to come up short.
There it is. That's the look. I enjoy that look of confusion, when an inferior being meets a higher power." Its intoxicating, wouldn't you agree?
What's wrong? You were laughing before.
But you're not laughing now."
He was better.
Pyrrha flew backwards with a startled yelp and crashed through a wall. The people of Mistral just didn't build things to last. Her back struck the ground, then momentum dragged her down, sending her tumbling.
"You alright there, Red?" a familiar voice called through the smoke. "Did I kick ya too hard?"
Green eyes narrowed. "Not...yet...
I don't need you to save me. I don't need to be fixed. You call this a curse? No. No, no, no. This is a gift.
"You're a good singer. Might wanna work on that temper a bit, though."
Excuse me? Who are you?"
No one important. Have a nice night~!"
Ruby squeaked. "Meep!"
The boy tilted his head. ...that's your name? Meep?"
Shame. Embarrassment. Ruby's face burned redder than her namesake.
Oh gods, she wanted to curl up and die. "N-No! That's not it at all! I'm Ruby! Ruby Rose!"
"Huh." That actually got a grin out of the silver-haired warrior. "Neat. Like the color, I'm guessing?"
"Yeah! So how did you do that?" her confidence surge gack waved her hands excitedly, mimicking the motions and high kicks alongsdie the punches she'd seen him use. "You were all "hyah!" and "boom" and "kapow" back there!"
...you saw that, huh?" For some reason that seemed to embarrass him and set him to scratching a whiskered cheek. "Practice, and not the good kind. These idiots didn't even have aura or semblances...they weren't worth my time."
"You mean someone taught you to fight like that?!"
"Well, yeah, like I said before, it took practice-
Ruby latched onto his leg. "Teach meeee~!"
"Hmm...going to a school full of beautiful women like you? Sounds fun buuuut I'll have to decline." he crossed both hands behind his head and walked away. "I'm not a fan of being stuck in one place for one year, let alone four. Hard pass. Later, firecracker."
"Ha?"
"Sorry, school just ain't for me."
Roman took one look at the ruined city block and shook his head.
"Nope. Not getting involved with that. Neo! Time to go-
A hand settled on his shoulder. "Hello...friend."
Ahhh, crapbaskets.
EDIT: Hope you enjoyed~! Have a great day/night~!
R&R~!