Chapter 65: Bounty

In which Penny plans ahead, Jaune sees more than he was supposed to, and Yang moves on.

The Faunus in question did bear a striking resemblance to Blake Belladonna, but Penny was able to pick up on the minute details that Friend Weiss had missed. The interior portions of her cat ears were a shade darker and had been pierced. Her outfit, also black and white, had golden linings along the outer edges. Also, she appeared to be approximately thirty years older. Seriously, Weiss needed to run a sensor system diagnostic ASAP.

Friend Weiss was too shocked to speak, so Penny took control of the situation. "Salutations, Friend Whitley. Salutations, unknown White Fang agent. Please identify yourself or be dest–"

"Y-You're his sister."

"No, I am not. Friend Whitley's sister is Winter Schnee, who unable to attend this mission on account of Friend Weiss dumping that dirty bitch like a load of hot garbage."

"Not you! Her! She's Weiss Schnee! I-I thought it was more White Fang."

"Friend Weiss and I have come to eliminate the White Fang's presence and rescue Friend Whitley."

"Oh, thank the Brothers! They turned on me and tried to kill sweet Whitley."

"And who are you?" asked Penny politely.

"K-Kali. Kali Belladonna. I'm Blake's mother."

That seemed to break Friend Weiss out of her stupor. Though she continued to stare at New Friend Kali as thought her Faunus trait was a third arm, she seemed to have recovered her ability to form coherent sentences.

"You're Blake's mother? Why are you with the White Fang?

"Blake asked me to come."

"But she said she hated you!" Weiss shouted.

The Faunus' face fell. "Oh."

"Wait, I didn't…that is to say…well, she…I-I'm sorry. I have no excuse for what I said. I was her partner. By the end, she'd become unrecognizable from the person I thought she was. I'm not really a good authority for how she truly felt."

"I know. It tore me apart when I heard she died, but what was worse was seeing how far she'd fallen. My baby…I let her down." Friend Kali's eyes began to water.

Penny cocked her head. "If you two disagreed so much, why were you involved in her plot against Friend Weiss' family?"

"She needed someone she could trust not to lose their temper and kill little Whitley for being a Schnee." The boy in question was latched onto the Faunus and tightly hugged himself to her chest. "I said yes because even though I despised what Blake had become, she'd go through with it no matter what, and this sweet innocent boy would be exposed to all the horrors that the new White Fang had become. They'd prop him up as a puppet, manipulate him until he was no longer useful, shred his entire life to bits, and spit him out onto the floor when they were done. I couldn't let that happen." Friend Kali rose to her feet with Whitley still clutching her like a lamprey. "Blake is – was my daughter. If she died a monster, it was my fault for not protecting her from those who made her that way. I know that I'll never be able to undo all the evil my daughter did, but I have to try. I played along with her little scheme, but I kept him safe. That was my only goal."

Friend Weiss nodded sagely. "I understand. Even if it's not the same, I suppose feel a similar way about my father and his company, in that it's my responsibility to fix the damage he made."

"No, you don't understand," Friend Kali said with a frown. "Jacques Schnee was abusing my people for years before you were born. Ghira and I raised Blake into the woman that she was. I taught her to stand up for what she believed in even when the world was telling her it was wrong. I said that if we did our best, she would live to see the day there was Faunus and human equality. She only tried to kill you and your family because I filled her head with dreams and laid the burden of making them come true on her shoulders."

"I'm sorry. I take it that you're the reason Penny and I only ran into a skeleton crew of White Fang inside the manor."

"Yes. I fought off as many as I could when they realized you were still alive and on your way. Most of their forces retreated back to Menagerie to rendezvous with the main forces under the High Leader. The ones who stayed were the impulsive ones, mostly newer recruits. They wanted to kill a Schnee. I objected."

"M-Miss Kali?" said Friend Whitley. "Are we safe?"

Friend Kali looked between the two girls. "Are we?"

Friend Weiss nodded, and the Faunus set the boy down. Friend Weiss holstered Schachmatt, and Penny retracted her swords into her back. Friend Whitley, a blubbering mess of tears and snot, seemed to finally notice that it was his sister who'd been chasing them and embraced her.

"Whitley?" she asked, patting his back.

"Y-Yes, Weiss?" he responded. His entire face was buried in Weiss' overshirt. Penny surmised that the ordeal had likely been a trying time, even with the protection of Friend Kali.

"Did Kali treat you well?"

"Yeah!" Whitley immediately brightened up. "We spent so much time together! She played games with me and taught me about the five kingdoms. And when Mother and Father died, she took care of me. Oh, Weiss, she's the best person in the world!"

Friend Weiss smiled. "I'm sure. How about you and Penny introduce yourselves to one another while Kali and I discuss…some business stuff? M'kay?"

Friend Weiss mouthed 'look after him.' Penny led Friend Whitley outside of the generator room. The loud hum of the power systems died down as the approached the mansion once more. Friend Whitley guided Penny to the kitchens, where she began to prepare him a snack. The entire building was empty, but the larders were still well stocked.

"So, Friend Whitley. My name is Penny Polendina. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Why don't you tell me about your time as a prisoner of the White Fang?"

"Prisoner?" Whitley blinked awkwardly. "Miss Kali didn't hold me prisoner. She protected me."

"From the White Fang?"

"No, she said that they were her friends. All of the Faunus are friends. It was Father she protected me from. When he got angry at me or mother, I would hide in her quarters, and she would sing me a lullaby. She's from Menagerie. Did you know that Kuo Kuana's port brings in more fish than the rest of the kingdoms combined? And that the Faunus there use both lien and their own local currencies? There're so many amazing things in Menagerie. I wish to visit the capital city one day. Miss Kali and her husband are the chieftains of Menagerie, so they can show me."

"I'm glad to hear you were treated well by Friend Miss Kali." Penny delivered a plate of food into his hands. "Here, eat up."

Friend Whitley eyed the mashed potato garnished with roast applesauce and handed it back to Penny. "On second thought, I think I'm not hungry."

"Well, you'll have to keep your strength up. As CEO of the SDC, you'll be making the calls from now on."

"But Weiss is back. She's older. She should be the CEO."

Penny placed her hands on Friend Whitley's shoulder. "It's not going to be that simple. Friend Whitley, I have a suggestion to make. Rather, a favor to ask."

"What do you want me to do?" asked Friend Whitley, a note of well-concealed but still detectable fear in his voice.

"When Friend Weiss returns with Friend Miss Kali, I think you should offer to take over the SDC and remake it as a better company. Blake Belladonna's plan was a faulty one, but now that it has been set into motion, we should not make the death of those caught up in it be in vain. You can tell Friend Weiss that, with her reputation in tatters, only you can ride this wave of negativity and distrust aimed at your family and convert it into reforms."

"Why?"

Penny gripped Friend Whitley slightly harder. "Friend Weiss needs to return to her role as a huntress. She cannot be held back by misplaced feelings of guilt or familial duty. Promise me, Friend Whitley."

"Okay, okay, I will, but what is this all about? Why does Weiss need to be a huntress?" He scratched his head. "Is the situation with the Grimm that bad?"

"Friend Weiss is capable, but more than that, she is one of the last three remaining members of Friend Team Rainbow. There is much I cannot tell you, but know that the part Friend Team Rainbow has to play in this story is not yet complete. Friend Weiss and Friend Yang will need to stand together to support their leader. For better or for worse, Friend Ruby has been placed in the eye of this storm. Friend Whitley, the White Fang's plot was only the beginning. Remnant is changing – no, it has already changed. It is too late to turn back now."

Sneaking out of Vale was the easy part. Apparently, one of the older incarnations of Oz had been a smuggler, so Ozpin was able to tell Jaune all of the most common places that customs personnel forgot to search. The two of them were currently stowed in the cargo hold of a freighter that was headed south of Anima that would then curve around and take them into the eastern coast of the capital city. From there, it was a straight shot to Haven and to Lionheart. Jaune wasn't sure how he was going to overpower a fully trained huntsman and coerce him into switching sides again, but he figured they'd cross that bridge when they got to it. For now, Jaune was just happy he wasn't sharing the experience of vomiting aboard an airship with his immortal wizard companion.

Vale slowly floated away out the porthole. They'd stolen just enough provisions to get them through the voyage, but they could also just sneak into the ship's mess hall and grab some more if they needed it. Stealing wasn't ideal, but Jaune had very little lien, and their mission was to save the world, so he figured it'd be alright as long as they kept it to a minimum.

I have my scroll. Is there anyone in Mistral who we should contact? You know, any friends of yours that might be able to help us out?

Oz?

Headmaster Ozpin?

"What?"

I asked if you have any contacts in Mistral.

"Unfortunately, no. The only remaining individuals who are aware of our secret remain in Atlas."

So, could you, like, not hear me?

"…the connection that binds us is a unique one. Over time, our minds are fated to eventually merge. However, I'm hoping that if we kill Salem before that happens, we might be able to then focus our efforts on finding a way to separate ourselves into two distinct bodies. For now, I'm attempting to isolate our minds in hopes that it will slow down the melding of our souls. To do so requires immense concentration on my part. I've been doing it whenever you are in control."

How does it work?

"Basically, our thoughts shall remain separated – I will be unable to hear you unless you become agitated or excited, and my memories shall not be available to you. Additionally, your body will have significantly decreased access to my magic, regardless of who is in control."

That sounds like it might make us run into some problems down the road.

"It will be a hindrance, but it shan't cripple us. I believe that the risk is worth it."

The door opened. Jaune rushed behind some wooden crates and held his breath. The voices of two men could be heard, though they both sounded jovial.

"Jaune."

Yeah?

"I can take care of this."

Sir, I'm a huntsman-in-training. These sailors don't have aura.

"Yes, but we are alone on a ship, miles from our destination. If you disable them, their crewmates will come looking. We could no doubt fight our way out with aura to spare, but where would we escape to? Our only options are stealth or, failing that, negotiations, both of which are my fortes."

Jaune agreed mentally and let his mind slip into the immortal's control. The world went dark around him before suddenly growing bright again. Jaune felt a humungous weight descend across his body, as though he'd suddenly put on a second set of armor. His hands moved of their own accord, and he lifted a sword and shield out in front of him.

Why was he holding a sword? He used a cane! This didn't make any sense. The sword in question looked a little like Crocea Mors, but it was jewel encrusted at the pommel and had a thinner, longer edge. Jaune's hands ran along its blood soaked blade, and a tear fell down his cheek.

"I'm sorry, my son."

Jaune looked down to gaze upon the dead body of a young man, no older than twenty, with green hair so bright that it offended his eyes. The body wore armor, though his breastplate was pierced. Thick maroon blood was pouring out, and the boy's skin was growing paler by the second. A shield lay on the floor next to the slain boy, bearing the same crest as the one in Jaune's hand.

He was in some sort of palace. It looked like Vale, but if Vale forgot how to use Dust, modern machinery, and technology. Stone pillars and wooden beams seemed to hold the place together, and banners of brilliant green and gold hung down from every available space. Light crept through stained-glass windows to illuminate the ghastly scene.

"Sire!"

Jaune's body turned away from the corpse to face a humungous horned Faunus holding a broken spear. He had to be seven, no, eight feet tall.

"The prince's forces have laid down their arms. The rebellion is defeated. We have won!" He raised a fist in triumph.

"Have we, Sir Hadrian? Has anyone emerged victorious on this bloody day?"

Hadrian's expression drooped. "My liege?"

"My line is ended. Ramses killed all of his brothers before I slew him. I am a frail old man with no more than a decade at most left in me before I pass from this world to the next. Who shall rule when I am no more? I may have clung to this damned crown for a few more years, but I have no heir to hand it to. The kingdom is finished."

"You may choose a stadtholder to reign until you remarry and sire a–"

"To what end, my commander? So that I may pass my titles to a mere babe? All so their children and grandchildren may slaughter one another for the throne? I think not. There shall be no king."

"Then who shall rule Vale, King Ozymandias?"

"Perhaps the age of ruling is at a close. Kneel, Sir Hadrian."

The Faunus, still baffled, complied with the regal command. Jaune's bloody sword was gently placed on his head, then both shoulders.

"I name you, Hadrian Taurus, stadholder of Vale. I charge you with organizing the formation of a new office: high councilor of Vale. This title shall not be decided by ancestry but by the collective decision of all ten leal lords and ladies of Vale. Usher in a new era, my friend, an era of freedom from power-hungry monarchs. Never again shall the darkness fall upon us."

Blackness consumed Hadrian, the dead body of Jaune's son, his bloodstained sword, and everything else around them. Within seconds, Jaune was back on the boat. In place of a sword was the familiar feeling of Veneficus, his cane, resting in his hand.

"The sailors didn't see us. We're clear, but I rigged a small bell to ring when the door is opened. It should provide us with some early warning, especially when we sleep."

W– oh, right. G-Good.

"Is everything alright Jaune?"

Yeah, no, yeah. I was just worried that those two men would be trouble. I'm glad everything's okay.

"I see. Well, I shall resume my efforts to distance us. Please alert me if any more sailors return."

Jaune looked out the window and saw the waves rolling back and forth. For the briefest of moments, he thought he saw a shadow underneath the water, but he brushed it off. They were miles from the land, and Grimm didn't swim.

He'd searched the boat from head to bow to stern or whatever fucking nautical term these idiots used, and the Arc boy was nowhere to be found. At this point, he was starting to wonder if the blond bastard had tricked him by doubling back around and getting onto a different boat.

It had started out as a search for Qrow Branwen. It was probably suicidal to go after him, but Merc had nothing better to do. He'd figured that a huntsman with that kinda rap sheet would bring in quite the hefty bounty, but staking out Beacon had brought him a different reward altogether. A teen who was supposed to be dead had snuck into the dorm room of the now disbanded (code for 'pretty much all of them died') Team Adventure and grabbed some shit. Mercury trailed him all the way to Vale. He was planning to lay a trap and nab the guy – this was Jaune Arc, weakest fighter in all of Beacon, and his semblance had no effect on Mercury – but curiosity about how the boy had lived through Branwen's berserk massacre led him to tap the place Arc was staying at instead.

When reviewing the audio, Mercury had heard Arc mumble to himself about Lionheart, Mistral, and Salem.

The whole bounty hunter thing was only just a final fuck-you to his dead father's memory by not becoming an assassin, so he didn't feel like he was losing anything by dropping it. Figuring out just who was this infinitely powerful backer of Emerald and the White Fang interested Mercury far more. Blake Belladonna had shot a lightning bolt out of the sky with the flick of her finger, and Mercury wanted to know just what secret arcane magical abilities Salem had that empowered her minions so heavily. Plus, Mercury was itching for a good fight, and this voyage promised to put plenty of those in his path.

Mercury wasn't sure what he hoped to find, but he knew for a fact that he wanted it. Everyone was always telling him to stop following orders and do what Mercury Black wanted, but Merc didn't have some magic compass pointing him to the next adventure. Thus, he chose the most interesting option that had presented itself to him – tailing Jaune.

"Oi! You there, boy! Help me with these barrels!"

Mercury joined the burly sailor. For now, he had to maintain his cover as a Haven dropout looking to make his way on the high seas or some shit. These sailors weren't the type to hire a man out of pity, but Mercury had huntsman-level training. Ships like this were practically buffets for seafaring Grimm, and it was rare to come by a hunter willing to spend weeks on end in the same rotting cabin when they could be safe within the walls of the city instead.

He and the man hoisted the first barrel into the storage room. Mercury had no trouble lifting the cargo, as he lifted with the robot legs.

"What's even in these barrels, anyways?"

"Water."

"Seriously? We're carrying water?"

"Aye, this life of salt 'n' spray be not an easy one, but 'tis honest work."

"We're literally surrounded in all directions by water." Mercury spread his arms out around him to indicate the obvious fact.

"Do ye not know of fresh 'n' salt water, boy?"

"Yeah, I know, but why not just bring a desalinator? It's not half as bulky as these crates."

"Ye know not of how goings by sea works, child. If we sought to bring yer fancy toys, we'd need to bring Dust ta power them. Pound per pound, it's more efficient to bring barrels o' water. For this long a journey with as many folks as we're carryin', it'd nearly double the weight of our entire shipment. We'd need to bring more Dust to power the ship, and that'd increase our weight, and that means more Dust and more weight and more and more until we start looking like a Dust freighter rather'n a cargo ship. Tis a delicate balance, thrown off by even the smallest of disruptions. We only bring enough Dust to take us to Mistral. No more, no less."

"Damn. So, if someone, I dunno, dropped a single Dust crystal overboard, we'd be screwed?"

"Nay. The younger lads be clumsy, true, but our Dust tank is so heavily secured that not even the Brothers themselves would be able to get into to it. Only the captain and the engineer can get into them."

"What about Grimm? Won't this ship's big ass gun use up a shitload of Dust when fired?"

"It's loaded with three shots."

"And if there's more than three Grimm? What happens then?"

"You tell me, huntsman." The sailor patted Mercury on the shoulder. Mercury brushed the grimy hand off, and the old man walked off, chuckling.

Three shots. A Leviathan would take at least ten to bring down, and there's no way one single huntsman could bring down a beast that big. Not even me.

A truly devilish idea came into Mercury's head.

Blake had kissed her. Yang would treasure that moment forever, whether it was real or not.

If Blake had lived, what would have happened? Would they have gone out to movies or eaten at restaurants or taken long walks in the park? Somehow, Yang couldn't imagine that sort of thing being their future together. Yang craved adventure, and Blake sought to make the world a better place. A romantic time for them would've been hunting Grimm together, or arresting criminals, or stopping the White Fang like they had in Mountain Glenn.

Yang switched Amphitere into flamethrower mode. She had to take off Ember Celica in order to switch the modes, it was worth it. The original Atlesian arm only had arm mode – what a boring hunka junk. Yang wasn't sure what she'd expected from a country whose main export was the brown crunchy oat cereal part of Marshmallow Pumpkin Pete's.

Zwei barked excitedly as Yang toasted his steak to perfection. Yang held the meat in front of him, waited until he sat, then threw his tasty treat straight into his mouth. Zwei tore into his meal, biting and chewing as Yang patted his head.

Dad also barked excitedly as Yang toasted his steak to perfection. Yang held the meat in front of him, waited until he sat, then threw his tasty treat straight into his mouth. Dad tore into his meal, biting and chewing as Yang patted his head.

This was nice. It was evening, at the point just before the sun set where the entire sky turned orange and pink. Fireflies were out illuminating the fields with the neat-ass glowing asses, and the birds were singing the same beautiful music that Yang had grown up to. Yang loved fighting monsters and living it up in the city, but nothing could compare to spending some time at home.

Blake was dead. That was the truth, no matter how it had happened. It was time she accepted that. It didn't mean that she simply had to pretend Blake never existed, but no longer would Yang focus her entire life around the girl. Yang was done with Blake Belladonna. And this time, she meant it.

"I'm going to tune up Bumblebee. Be back in a jiff, you two!"

Zwei growled and swallowed a hunk of steak. Dad growled and swallowed a hunk of steak.

Yang entered the garage where she stored her bike and switched her arm into drill mode. Ruby had really outdone herself when she made Amphitere. It was controlled by a small dial right above her elbow that had all the different settings. So far, Yang had gotten the hang of hand, flamethrower, drill, jackhammer, and hookshot. There were six other modes, but Yang was taking it slow on learning them. Also, she was saving the cattle brand one for a special occasion – maybe her graduation.

For now, she began to unscrew some of the fasteners holding the tires in place. When they were off, she adjusted the tire and set it back into place. Yang would've imagined that Ruby's appreciation of weapon parts and engineering would extend to Bumblebee's inner and outer workings, but her sis had never shown even the slightest interest.

Yang wasn't too proud to admit that she wished she'd gone with Ruby, but she also knew that she was in no state of mind to join her when Ruby had asked. She'd needed time on Patch to cool off, get used to Amphitere, and just breathe. It had really helped her balance out, and now she was okay. Not great, but okay enough to know that she was gonna make it.

"All set. Lookin' good, girl." Yang winked at her motorcycle and slapped its backside, then cringed. Even she wasn't cool enough to pull that off.

Ruby was too far gone to catch up to now, so Yang would have to sit tight and wait until she came back. Maybe she could go back to Beacon for a little bit, you know, flash the new arm, show off a bit. Goodwitch had waved her classes, but it wouldn't hurt to brush up. One couldn't become a huntress by slacking off, and Yang needed to become a huntress if she wanted to reach her goal of…

Of…

Bumblebee purred like a kitten as Yang rode off into the night.

Omake

Penny: So, Friend Whitley. My name is Penny Polendina. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance.

Friend Whitley: Didn't we get engaged when you killed Neptune? In Chapter 27?

Penny: That POV segment was non-canon to the rest of the fic.

Friend Whitley: B-But you went to the prom with Sun because of it!

Penny: *whispers menacingly* Non-canon…

Next Chapter: The Horseman – In which a rural legend comes to life.

Author's Notes

Penny might be privy to some sensitive information that the rest of us aren't.

With that, we finally have our cast of survivors who will carry us into the future. Our heroes embark on their quests: Ruby and her Compass Rose (got'em) Dave run their way to Haven, Weiss and Penis liberate the SDC from White Fang control, John sets sail while Minecraft Black follows at a distance. All the meanwhile in the villain's court, Anal Taurus and Tyrone Callows are on the prowl, and Dr. What's and Procyon Grimm boi set up a trap in Haven. As promised, everyone else who was ever mentioned (other than those who are dead [and even them, in some rare cases]) will show up again, but these five main pairs will have the most screentime.

Also, lone wolf Yang rides out in search of money and bitches, but she doesn't have a partner...sad gurl hours (╥﹏╥)

Happy rats, and don't do crime!