AND I'M BACK! NEW CHAPTER! Thunderer of Atlas! LET'S GO!
"hello"- regular speech
'hello'- regular thoughts
"hello"- phone/ radio calls
'hello'- internal discussion
Disclaimer: I. OWN. NOTHING. Not Naruto. Nor RWBY. Nor Star Wars. Or any other miscellaneous items, characters, tech or skills I may bring in.
(At the Schnee manor)
The bodies from the massacre had been moved out into the backyard, a series of tarps covering the bodies to keep them from being spotted by civilians. The walls and floors were still stained red with the blood of the intruders, but that would have to wait until it could be cleaned. Whitley hung up his Scroll, turning back to face the rest and speak to his mother and sister.
"That was Klein, he'll be here to treat Nora's wounds soon enough." He informed the group at large, before turning back to ask his mother some rather burning questions, much like the sensation on his back. "So, Queen of the Valkyries, Hmm? What exactly does that mean?"
"I profess to be rather curious myself mother. Where did you even hide those wings?" Agreed Weiss, before revealing her own curiosity on her mother's, admittedly gorgeous, wings. Why was her back itching when she looked at them though? Their mother sighed before leaning against the wall, her wings vanishing when she did, the strange sensations on their own backs disappearing when they did.
"Before you all were born, there was a top secret super soldier program headed up by your father and performed by the kingdom's top Biologists, Neurosurgeons, and Geneticists. The goal was to create a superior breed of soldier that could become the shield against the darkness and the horrors of the Grimm. A new race of Super Humans and Faunus alike." Explained Willow, folding her arms over her chest while she did.
"Was that even legal?" Questioned Weiss, thinking of all the moral and ethical violations that would no doubt be committed to do so.
"Not likely." Remarked Whitley, his eyebrows raised at the truths he was learning today.
"Once word got out to those who knew and were complaining that your grandfather was funding the project, and father leading it, complaints and rumors of the project seemed to mysteriously vanish. No idea why." Shared Willow, looking like that caught the canary and ate the whole family. "Besides, it was completely voluntary, you couldn't be forced to join or be conscripted for the experiment. It wasn't allowed, by my father or your own. Anyone who tried to push that line of thinking, found themselves missing rather quickly."
"Still, the moral ethics behind such a thing alone…" Questioned Weiss, uncomfortable with the thought of what her own Kingdom was willing to do to achieve victory.
"Weiss, you have to understand the situation Atlas found itself in at the time. We kept it quiet, but we were on the verge of being overrun by the Grimm at the time. We had to do something, even your fathers own powers weren't enough to protect everyone. Mantle was about to fall when we decided to take the plunge and begin the experiment." Comforted Willow, hugging her children close. She released them to continue her story when they were both ready to continue. "It was as much a last, desperate, final rallying cry as it was our peoples one shot at survival. It had to work, or Solitas was done for as a Kingdom."
"I guess desperate times really do call for desperate measures, Huh?" Asked Whitley quietly, his rhetorical question reaching both his family members ears with ease.
"I volunteered to be the first of the female half of the experiment, the first of the order of Valkyries. Your father volunteered to be the first of the male half, the first of the order of the Adeptus. The experiment, while long and painful, was a resounding success. We were faster, stronger, more durable, and it even increased our intelligence, all beyond normal human measures. Beyond that, we seemed to have slowed our aging process to a crawl, and gained access to magic of all things, using it to hide our newer, more exotic features, like both of our wings and your fathers own… physical changes." She continued, before being interrupted.
"Magic mother? Please, Magic isn't real." Proclaimed Whitley, before a large but thin vine sprouted out of a circle that appeared in the air behind him and smacked him over the back of his head, before tripping him up, leading to a harsh fall to the floor. The circle vanished into motes of light, taking the vine with it.
"Wanna try again for a Lien?" Asked Willow, her right eyebrow raised. When Whitley remained quiet, barring a bit of muttering under his breath, which another vine spawned and lashed on his ear lightly for (much to his pain), she turned to Weiss, who seemed to be a bit panicked now that she was the focus of her mothers attention. "You don't seem very surprised Weiss, care to share with the family what you know?"
"…I may or may not have already learned about magic…" Answered Weiss quietly, before explaining their journey so far and the information that they had gained from the relic of knowledge.
"Well, we already knew most of that. Except the immortal part, but if your father finished his part of the plan, it won't matter. And if he's here, he finished it." Assured Willow, closing her eyes and leaning back against the wall, getting shocked looks from everyone at her casual dismissal of the immortality of Salem, the supposed unkillable queen of the Grimm.
"Mother maybe you didn't hear me, but Salem is immortal and resurrects upon death. Even if this supposed father of ours is as strong as you say he is, he can't kill what won't die." Reiterated Weiss, getting a smile from her mother in the process.
"Maybe not, but he can erase her. That he can and will do." She answered, confusing everyone present. "Anyway, when we tried the experiment, we only had enough for one shot, as the lead Geneticist and Biologist had both been killed in a massive Grimm assault not three days before. We were lucky to have saved the Neurosurgeon, as she was the only one who was able to properly connect the new organs and muscles to the already existing nervous system at the time."
"New Organs…?" Whispered out Ruby, having begun listening to the story early in. She wished that she didn't at this point, but she was too invested to back out now.
"All genetically cloned from me and their father, dear child. No forcible organ harvesting or anything like that." She reassured them, much to their visible relief.
"Anyway, your father had a wide variety of organs and a few attachments implanted. A second heart to help pump his blood to his extra limbs and organs, a second smaller stomach specifically for catching poisons, Metallic cables weaved into the muscles, acting as reinforcements and enhancers, A third lung to help breathe oxygen in areas where there is less oxygen than normal, like high in the air or deep underground, and a second, smaller but more powerful kidney to help him maintain all of his other bodily functions, what with the new organs and the like." She explained, much to their shock at the organs implanted into him. " That's when the wings were attached and bound to the Nervous and Vascular System, allowing him to use his wing to their full capabilities, much like mine own."
"As for me, I had much of the same done. Though I denied the metallic cables on the grounds of it affecting my flexibility too much, I did have a second heart, second stomach, third lung, second kidney, all that fun and jazz. But there were a few extra given to me that were meant to help me with other, womanly, issues." Explained Willow, getting looks of jealousy from the female in the room, which is to say, everyone but Whitley and Nora, purely due to the unconscious state of the latter. "Cut those glares, I'm not talking about periods. If anything, those are just as bad, if not worse than they were before. We have our perimetrium reinforced, endometrium reinforced and expanded, two extra ovaries are added, and a genetic manipulation to allow faster transfer of nutrients and accelerated growth of any child we carry. The three of you were only in me for about four months before I gave birth to each of you. Took an enormous amount of illusions to keep the mustached dickhead from noticing how quick you all came into the world."
"What's up with that? Why have all of that on top of everything else?" Questioned Blake, most of the young women agreeing with her, getting a raised eyebrow from Willow at the question.
"Ever had pregnancy cramps or morning sickness? The faster we can get through that part of pregnancy, the better. Besides, we're meant to carry the next generation of super solider. When you volunteer, we're not only told the risks, but are informed we're expected to carry at least two kids to term and raise them to their potential. It's part of the deal. Male or female, doesn't matter, just need to give birth to two kids, minimum, baring life threating circumstances." Explained Willow, much to the surprise and slight shock of the young women in the room. "So, the womb is reinforced to better protect the children, the extra ovaries are added to increase the odds of conception, the endometrium expanded to aid in giving birth and delivering the child, and the genetic alteration to decrease the down time of having a Valkyrie out of combat ready status, as every Valkyrie out with children is a major loss to our overall military strength."
"So, why didn't you train me then?" questioned a confused Whitley, getting a smirk form his mother in the process. One that confused them all, seeing it as a valid question.
"Why indeed? Whitley, may I borrow Ingrid please?" she said, getting a raised eyebrow from her son, before he looked at the sword on his back when it started chittering and jangling in its sheath, before he removed the sheath and tossed her the sheathed sword, only to catch his mother's two blades when she threw them at him.
"Defend yourself!" She declared before lunging at Whitley with a naked Ingrid, only for his body to respond while he was shocked, flicking the sheaths off of her blades and catching Ingrid with both swords. While everyone was shocked at Whitley's sudden skill, Willow lashed out again, only for Whitley to catch Ingrid again, shocking everyone once more. They then descended into a mad flurry of combat, Whitley surprisingly keeping pace for a short time, before Willow kicked him away. Expecting to take a tumble, he was surprised further when he balanced out and caught himself on his feet, blades coming up in a ready stance. Only to lower them when he saw his mother had already sheathed Ingrid and was walking towards him.
"That's why Whitley. You inherited more from your father then you realize. If your father is one thing, he a damn natural savant with all forms of battle. You inherited that more then either of your sisters, meaning your body is already naturally growing in a way suitable for combat, and already knows how to do things most huntsman wouldn't know how to do until they have ten years of active combat experience. When your puberty begins properly, you'll grow to match your fathers true size, eventually. And you'll only get stronger and faster as you do, along with sharpening your skills." She explained, getting looks of understanding form Whitley and the girls as she did. She slotted Ingrid's sheath on his back, before taking her dual blades back and sheathing them on her back. "That's not to say your naturally better then them at combat, however. Training is still going to be needed before you can truly surpass them. You'll just have an easier time reaching and breaking your barriers then they will. They will get better then you and trounce you if you get lazy or complacent."
"Wait, so there's an entire race of super strong, super-fast, tougher than Hunters, magic wielding Warriors, and you all just stay hidden here in Atlas?" Questioned Blake, only to get a shaken head from Willow.
"Naruto and I were the only ones to unlock our magic. The men don't even have their sires wings, the biologist who developed the male wings was killed alongside the two division heads. The organs that the rest of the two orders got, while a cloned version of our own superior ones, were far inferior due too the loss of the Biologist and Geneticist division heads. They were missing something that we instructed the division heads to not write down anywhere. A failsafe for if the information got leaked, and somebody tried to replicate it, they wouldn't have the same quality or full power our own had. It unfortunately worked against us, as before they could take apprentices to teach their secrets and knowledge too, they were killed. We lost a lot of information that day." Explained Willow, a sad frown taking over her face. She missed Kisuke and Aizen. They kept things interesting around the facility, what with their constant fights and arguments over the smallest things. At least Unohana was still around, else she'd have gone spare over the years. Besides, she trusted no one else with her children's medical care, baring Klein. "And we didn't just 'Sit here in Atlas' Young lady, we were constantly on deployment all over the world, slowing and reducing Grimm Hordes in order to make them manageable, all under secrecy of course. Until my beloved went to ground for the superweapon project, that is. At that point, we all were under orders to go to ground as well, wait for his return and have and raise our children in the meantime. The project temporarily shut down in the meantime."
"How many of you are there, anyway? I can't imagine that many with how hard and dangerous it is." Questioned Blake, getting a small smile from Willow.
"Outside of myself and Naruto, there are ten members in each order. Ten Valkyries, and ten Adeptus. That's it. The process of growing the organs, not to mention the surgeries, training, armor and armaments, makes each one of us an incredibly Valuable and near irreplaceable resource. We are so few, that we are practically family." Answered Willow, thinking back to her time with her order, The 'order of Willow saplings', as her had husband joked once, only for the name to stick when her girls heard it, each taking it as a massive compliment.
She in turn had called his order the 'sons of the storm', only to get cheers and shouts for her joke. Realizing what they had done, they just accepted their positions as 'Parents' of each order. They still didn't let the joke die.
"So, what, you're all just super soldiers who are meant to have kids with the average soldier or civilian and spread around the genetics in your off time?" Questioned Blake, only to be surprised by the negative response from Willow.
"None of us have managed to find a partner among the common populace who understands the life we've lived, nor the changes we underwent to become what we did. Valkyries end up marrying the members of the Adeptus. They understand the pains we feel, the lives we've lived, the choices we've made. The choice to become something inhuman, in the pursuit of defending sentient life. It's not an easy choice to make, nor a painless one. We would be feared by civilians, regular soldiers, and Hunters alike, often searching for comfort in each other, the only people who can understand our pain." She revealed, much to the further surprise of the children in the room.
"But your all heroes! You literally give up a normal life even more than a Hunter does, why would they fear you?" Asked Ruby, confused about that. They were Heroes, why did people fear them?!
"You need to get rid of that black and white way of thinking, little Rose. You're going to lose people for good if you keep that up." Willow criticized, before using herself as an example "Did you not all fear me when I first revealed my true form? Do you not fear what I'm capable even now? That I could kill you all with minimal effort on my part?"
The looks on the faces of the Huntresses around her were a telling story. "And your fully trained and licensed Huntresses, people who are already separate from the common people. How scary do you think we are to them?" She asked, getting further looks of understanding and sympathy from the girls and her son. Bar one.
"But that's not right… why would they fear a guardian like Hunters? Even greater than Hunters even?" Ruby questioned, getting a sad look from the Schnee matriarch before she turned to her daughter.
"She's from a Hunter family, isn't she?" She asked, getting a nod in return. Sighing, she turned back to a confused Ruby Rose, knowing she'd have to shatter her preconceptions and mindset with this revelation.
"Tell me little Rose, when you look at a civilian, what do you see?" Willow asked, sitting on the footrest in front of the young lady's chair.
"Someone to protect, a person who can't fight as well as we can and needs our help to fight off the Grimm." She answered, getting an encouraging nod in return.
"A good mindset for a guardian like a Huntress to have. But what do you think a civilian sees when they see a Hunter?" she posed, getting a confused look from Ruby.
"A Hunter, A hero, someone who will protect them from the Grimm." She responded, getting a shaken head from Willow.
"Wrong, little Rose. They look at a Hunter in the cities, and they see a psychotic Warrior that can disappear in the blink of an eye, shatter concrete with ease, and break their lives apart in an instant. They see someone who is willing to throw away their life fighting a threat that is either too far away from them to be a concern, or not real to some." She revealed much to the horror of the youngest Huntress there. "In the outskirts and the wilds, they see Hunters, and they see someone who will demand an exorbitant sum from them, usually in the form of room, food, pay and regular and varied company at night in the forms of their sons and daughters, with no guarantee of protection if the going gets tough. And they can't drive them away, because the Hunter can dodge or block bullets most times, bullets they can't afford to waste, and they have far more martial training then them, so a physical confrontation is out as well. They have to refuse and hope the Hunter doesn't take offence. Because if they do, there won't be much they can do to stop them from taking their pound of flesh for the slight." She revealed, heart clenching at the heartbroken and terrified look on the young lady's face.
" When the Grimm are around, and they need to be protected, they'll cry for help and praise the Hunters who help them, showering them in praise, thanks and usually monetary reward. But when the Grimm are gone, and Hunters are left destitute and hungry, those same people, they'll spit on them before offering them a lien. To civilians, Hunters are even scarier then The Grimm they face. And that is a fact, young lady." She finished Sadly, heart hurting at the anguished tears on the little girls face, before she pulled her into a hug, letting the little girl bawl out her tears and vent her emotions.
The room was silent as the young girl cried, reminding them in spite of being a team leader, she was still younger than them (Bar Whitley) by a couple years, and she was still learning. Sure, her martial skills were on par with theirs, no one could deny that, but she didn't see the world for what it was in her youthful optimism. She was learning, but still kept a grip on her naivety from her upbringing.
Not like Weiss, who learned the harsh realities of life from the cruelty of her father- no, from Jacques- and the attacks of the White fang at a young age.
Not like Blake, who faced discrimination all of her life, who turned herself into a terrorist in order to get back at those who discriminated against her people, even if it was (admittedly) misguided.
Not like Nora, who grew up alone on the streets after her mother abandoned her in the face of the Grimm, and only found her first friend in her whole life in the ruins of Kuroyuri.
A few minutes later, the sounds of her tears quieted down. Willow pulled her away, only to smile sadly at the sight in her arms.
"Poor girl, she cried herself to sleep." The Schnee matriarch Sighed out, before standing with the young lady in her arms, her head resting on Willows shoulder and supporting the young girl.
"Weiss, help me take her to a guest room please. She needs rest, proper rest." Requested Willow, getting a nod in return from her middle child. As they walked up the stairs and saw the remains of Willows room door, they both had a sweat drop roll down the back of their heads. A small chunk held on by the top hinge, the rest was in tiny pieces scattered across the hall floor, barring the doorknob. That piece found itself imbedded in the wall opposite the door. Weiss turned her head and stared at her mother, raising an eyebrow while she did.
"I was in a rush. Didn't exactly have time to properly open or close the door." Defended Willow, quickly moving passed the door and too the guest rooms, opening one of them and depositing the girl in her arms once Weiss had pulled back the covers on the bed. Covering the girl, they stood as one and stared at her, not wanting to break the silence or disturb her. As one they moved out and shut the door behind them, before Weiss turned to her mother.
"One last question. You said you were the first of the female and… father the first of the male. Doesn't that mean…?" She asked, before her mother cut her off.
"That all three of you are natural born super soldiers? Yes. You inherited our changes, our Powers, our Blood. It was only thanks to a careful combination of Magic, Political Maneuvering and Bribery that Jacques never caught on to your true lineage. It wasn't easy to keep all of that hidden, especially not once Winter went to the military to hide in your uncles shadow in an effort to escape Jacques. That was a stressful day." She muttered at the end, her features darkening at the memory of her daughter fleeing to her unknown and unknowing uncle and the amount of favors she had too call in to keep her eldest daughters true lineage from coming out.
"Then… why don't we have… you know, wings like you and our apparent father?" Asked Weiss, slowly coming around to the idea of a having a different father then Jacques. At the very least, he couldn't be a worse father then Jacques!
"That was because of your father. He sealed away your blood you got from him and hid your wings in the same breath." She explained, getting a shocked and hurt look from her daughter. Her mother noticed immediately, and quickly pulled her into a smothering hug. "It was to protect you sweetheart. If you looked too much like him, Jacques, as slow as he is, would have noticed, and eventually caught on to the deception. You, Winter and Whitley would have been out on the streets at the mercy of his 'associates' in an hour if he knew he wasn't your father. Naruto locked away your connection to him, to make you look like me. That way, we could claim strong Schnee genetics won out over Jacques own, a very likely possibility anyway."
"So, he locked away a part of me, to protect me? I fail to see how that's possible." Claimed Weiss, getting an amused look from her mother.
"You should, considering you're a natural blond." She retorted, getting wide eyes from her daughter.
"WHAT!?" Screeched Weiss, getting a shushing gesture from her mother. Walking away, she began to explain.
"You took after your father the most in terms of appearance, you inherited his hair and his general face shape as well, the more rounded one he had in his youth anyway. We could get away with leaving Winter's and Whitley's looks untouched, they looked enough like me to pass it off, but you looked like your father. We were just lucky that Jacques never bothered to be present for any of your births." She clarified, stunning her daughter in the process. "As for your wings, they had to be hidden, else Jacques would have known at least what I am, and would have publicly shamed me and raised all hell about how I lied to him. How my father tricked him into marrying his 'less then even Faunus daughter'. Sullying our name even further and making him into a victim of our 'deception'."
A soft look took over her face then. Moving too cup her daughters face, she softly pecked her forehead before leaning her own against her daughters, staring into her eyes. "Weiss, everything I've done, everything your real father has done, every dirty act, every filthy lie. All of it, was done for you and your siblings, both blood and adopted. We will dirty our names, soak our hands in blood, turn our own souls blacker then the depths of hell itself, if it means you children get the slightest chance that you can live a life of peace. Any price is worth your happiness and your peace. Remember that."
AND SCENE! WOW, what a lore drop! Lots to process here, lets run through it.
The Valkyries and the Adeptus. I know, I know. They're insanely strong, with incredibly dangerous lore. I am aware, trust me. But I needed an elite fighting force that doesn't just rely on semblances to fight at their highest level. *Glances at ace ops* Besides, there not a huge number of them, only ten of each. For now, anyway.
Willow and Naruto having access to magic. This might get some complaints, but it's the only way I can see the Valkyries being able to hide their wings regularly and on a long term basis. Besides, it takes a bit of effort to use it. They have no formal training, just what they know how to use. Which is why willow manifests her magic through magic glyphs, much like her semblance. Naruto's will take a different form then that as well, as he has a different path then Willow for his magic.
The change to how people see huntsman and huntresses. Before the breach or fall of beacon, how many Grimm did we see inside of Vale? None if I'm remembering right, baring Forever Fall and the Forest where they collected the sap (I can't remember its name right now). One is specifically stocked for training and exams. The other, we saw one Ursa. One. They obviously patrol it to keep numbers low. For most people IRL, strongmen competitors are terrifying for just how strong they are. Now, imagine someone who can move faster then bullets, break through concrete pillars, and take hits nobody reasonably should. The average person would be terrified of them. I certainly would be. And you know in a world like RWBY, there was some corrupt huntsman or huntress who came up to a small village and did EXACTLY what I said. That shit has happened and still does happen now! Of course, the people are going to be afraid of Hunters!
Anyway, in other news imma shamelessly plug myself now. I recently started streaming on twitch! My name there is Hadradajust, if you got a twitch account and feel like supporting me, drop a follow and hop into stream every now and then to chill. I mostly play single player survival games and story driven games, due to mediocre internet right now, but I hope to play some multiplayer survival soon if I can get a better I.S.P. thanks for your time!
So, if you liked the story, leave a comment! It always helps me to read some positive reviews and constructive criticisms are always helpful. Any flamers will be used to cook well-done steaks for the hunters of Bherna village, the Soaratorium, Astera, Seliana, Kamura village and Elgado outpost. Keep your stamina up folks!