Hi-Dilly-Doh guys and welcome back to a new chapter of RWBY STAMPEDE! It took a while, I'll be honest, because I had a lot to do irl. I got a new job (Again) and now I am pushing the stories that I know I can write with no problems...plus FFXVI did NOT helped, okay- it was worth it, though. One of the best FFs made since...ever, lmao. So, how are you on the other hand? Have you spent summer holidays with no regrets and enjoyed them? For work, I couldn't do them (Emotional Damage meme). Now, it's time for the reviews!
Shadow Joestar- It was hard to write it actually, because I had to show that no matter how many times Glynda tried to actually force Vash to fight, he NEVER pulled out his gun to fight her back. Even before Glynda, who in this fic is his adopting sister, Vash always pursues his ideals of total pacifism. And don't worry, a bit of their backstory will be revealed in the next chapter!
Slime Reader11- Thank you for the support man! And about Wolfwood...EEEEER-
Guest- Vash will always have badass scenes. Jokes aside, I really love all the support you guys are showing for this fic! Regarding the pairing I can't say anything: You have to stick with me for a bit before getting it!
Zetazero246- Thank you for the support man! I hope you will love the rest of the first arc then!
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TRIGUN AND RWBY.
The golden sun shone in an orange sky, blessing the island of Patch with its rays and light. Standing over the tall grass and with the autumn trees behind and the edge of the cliff before, the young girl couldn't hide a bit of remorse as she looked down at her feet, focusing her attention on the beautiful gravestone with the inscription that says "Summer Rose – Thus Kindly I Scatter". In front of Summer's Gravestone, with hands clasped and hood up, Ruby Rose stands over the white stone memorial.
The tournament will soon begin, but before the Team RWBY could get in some last-minute prep time, their leader Ruby, however, had something to do before that, something that was long overdue…
"Hi mom, it's…been a while, right?" Ruby, with a sad smile and a soft tone of voice, began to say to the gravestone of Summer. "I'm sorry I haven't come to talk lately. Things have been kinda busy, heh…" The little red reaper apologized, before brightening up significantly. "Oh! Dad's here too. He still teaches at Signal, but he's been going on missions lately. I guess he misses adventuring with you. I miss you too." At the last part, Ruby looked a little down. But then she brightened up again, "Haven't been kicked out of Beacon yet. I think being in a team with Yang helps…I keep her in line."
At that moment, a light snort sounded from a little behind Ruby. When the huntress turned her head, she saw her father scratching the back of his head, smiling a bit.
"That was a joke, eheh…" Ruby chuckled. "She's actually a really great fighter now, and so are Weiss and Blake. Oh! They're my teammates. Together we form Team RWBY!" At the last part, Ruby seemed really happy before continuing again. "And before you ask, it does cause some confusion. Anyways, I made a bunch of new friends, and then I met some...let's just say, uh, odd teachers. Oh! We've also stopped some bad guys, too! I guess it's like they say: "like mother, like daughter"!"
Then, Ruby's soft smile disappeared, having been substituted with one filled with doubt. "I still wonder why Ozpin let me into the school early. But uh, I guess he'll tell me one day. You know how he is. It's funny, the more I get to know him, the more he's starting to sound like Uncle Qrow—Oh yeah! This leads me to the biggest news of all: I met the Humanoid Typhoon Vash the Stampede!" At the mention of the legendary gunman's name, Ruby smiled once again with her eyes shining like stars. "He is so cool, sweet and gentle! He doesn't seem like people say he is, he saved Vale together with us—Oh, and he is Professor Glynda's brother too, you know?"
A sudden bark interrupted Ruby, letting her notice that Tayiang and Zwei joined her Team that was waiting for her. With a nod to them, the red reaper turned her head to the gravestone again. "Looks like Dad's back! I gotta go! He's dropping me and my Team off at Beacon for the tournament match before he goes on his next mission. Wish me luck!" She said and turned to her Team but, before walking towards them, she gave one last word to her mother's grave. "It was…a good talk"
With that said, Ruby jogs back to her family and Team as a group of crows fly into the sun to make a very familiar sight. "Talk went well, I take it?" her dad asked as she neared.
"Yeah, it went well," She replied.
"Good to hear," he said as Zwei jumped and barked, "Well, we better get you girls over to Beacon so you can compete. If I'm lucky, maybe my mission will have TVs around so I can watch you and Yang kick ass."
Ruby giggled as she started heading down the path, Zwei at her side. However, she stopped when she noticed that her dad wasn't walking with her. Turning back, he saw dad looking to mom's grave, and was close enough to hear him say something.
"Take care, Summer."
Ruby smiled as her dad turned back and joined them, all walking back to the house. After a bit, Ruby started running ahead, unable to contain her excitement anymore. The tournament was here, her team was ready, she'd be hanging out with all her friends the whole time. No one noticed the falling white rose petal shifts from the sky, being drifted by the wind…
Bullet 5: Round One
"Hello and Welcome to the 49th Bi-Annual Vytal Festival Tournament!" The voice of Professor Port bellowed out from every single speaker from every single Tv, Scroll and anything that could broadcast the start of the most anticipated tournament in all of Remnant: The Vytal Tournament. Up in the sky, hovering above the City of Vale and Beacon Academy, an almighty stadium filled with thousands of citizens from each Kingdom came to see their future protectors compete for glory against each other.
"This year we have a wonderful showcase of fights to present to you this year! Brought to you by the Schnee Dust Company!" Suddenly Dr. Oobleck stated through the speakers. "We are your hosts this year: Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck and..."
"Peter Port!" Port concluded Oobleck's sentence before he began to talk about a different topic. "The rules of the tournament are quite simple! The first round starts with team matches, the next is 2V2 matches and finally we have the 1v1 Finals! Each of these matches is chosen at random, with the winning side advancing and the losing side being ejected from the competition!"
"Yes, there are two main ways of elimination, there is an out of bounds area to the arena, and there is also an aura threshold that if a fighter's aura reaches it, they are automatically eliminated!" Dr. Oobleck explained while, on all the monitors in the Arena and the broadcasts system as well, a scale showed 15% to be that number appeared. "However if a match gets close enough to where both opponents Auras are below 15% then the fighter with the higher aura is declared the victor. In the case of a tie, it comes down to who's aura dropped first."
"And of course this year's prizes are quite excellent, apart from the winning Kingdom winning the Privilege to host the next Festival, the Winning team will receive a special mark of advancement that will grant them immediate access to higher ranking, and higher paying Huntsmen jobs immediately upon graduation!" Professor Port nodded as the display showed a trophy as well. "Not to mention this glorious trophy that the winning Academy can display!"
"Yes, and now without further ado, we will begin with the first match of the day! Team RWBY from Beacon vs Team BRNZ from Shade!" Dr. Oobleck declared.
"Go! Go! Go! Team RWBY GO!" In the middle between the docking bays and the main avenue of Beacon Academy filled with stands, Vash was cheering- cough, I mean watching the tournament matches from one of the several monitors that were present…while sporting several RWBY-based scarves over his neck.
"Do you know that you are making a fool of yourself in front of everyone, Vash?" Glynda shook her head, trying to hide quite the embarrassment of standing close to such a weirdo. Let's just say Glynda was slightly…annoyed by her adoptive brother's attitudes.
"Gasp" Vash looked at Glynda with a sad comical expression. "Why are you so cold again?!"
"You don't realize that we are still the main gossip topic among my students, do you?!" Glynda comically snapped, hitting the back of Vash's head with a punch. "We are even supposed to be members of the security so snap out of it!"
"Yes sorry ma'am…" Vash said before assuming his composure, throwing the scarves away and looking back at the monitor, watching Team RWBY effectively fighting against Team BRNZ. "But I must say they got what they need to pass through their adversaries"
Glynda looked at Vash's expression before focusing on the monitor too. "...They're a good Team. High capacity of coordination, fantastic leadership…Ozpin was right to let Ruby Rose skip grades and join now. She has talent…just like her"
"...Yeah, she does" Vash smiled softly as he scratched the back of his head. "By the way I'm sorry...for one month ago"
"Huh?" Glynda gave a confused glance to Vash.
"Your birthday" Vash explained as he looked at her. "I forgot to be at your birthday for too many years, this year included…I'm sorry"
"...Pfft…" Glynda giggled for Vash's sudden statement and awkwardness. "Oh don't be worry about it, no takes at all. I know why you couldn't be there and I forgive you for that"
"But still I feel I broke the promise I made to you" Vash looked at Glynda, recalling a memory of the woman's childhood in the orphanage.
"Mhh…let's see…" Glynda tapped her chin with the left index until she spoke, the symbol of Lien on her iris. "Maybe the new Gucci bag made with Nevermore's feathers?"
"Something that doesn't cost like a lung no?!" Vash comically fell on the ground for the request.
"Maybe you're right. Between me and you, the one with an actual positive Bank account is the younger sister after all" For a second, Glynda teased Vash about a— well— serious matter that visually killed all Vash's motivation, with him imagining a dry land as his own Bank account while Glynda having a literal oasis. Chuckling, Glynda gave a warm smile to Vash. "I'm joking, Vash. But if you truly want to do something I have just one request"
"A request?" Vash looked at Glynda who was strangely fidgeting, clearly embarrassed.
"If you could—"
"Mr Stampede, Glynda" Suddenly, between the two, James Ironwood stepped before, surprising the two blondies.
"James! / General?"
"Am I disturbing something?" The Atlesian general looked at them with an eyebrow raised.
"Not at all" Vash said to James before Glynda could've opened her mouth. "Something happened?"
"I was searching for you, Humanoid Typhoon" James said to Vash, calling him with his infamous title. "Can we exchange a word or two…" He slowly glanced at Glynda. "In private?"
"You can't arrest or harm him, James" Glynda crossed her arms. "The councils—"
"I know the conditions, Glynda" Ironwood looked at her before his attention focused on Vash. "I just have to ask him a question or two" He said with a strange tone of voice, worrying Glynda as she glanced at Vash who sported a soft smile.
"Don't worry, I know that he will not harm me" The Humanoid Typhoon gave a nod to Glynda before he looked at James, scratching the back of his head. "Can we actually stop to eat? I actually skipped lunch, haha"
"...Very well" James managed to repel a sigh. Who the hell wants to eat together with the Humanoid Typhoon? "Shall we go?"
"Just a moment" Vash looked at Glynda, and his question made James intrigued. "What was your request?"
"...Nevermind" Glynda looked away. "Just…come to the Academy's auditorium later, okay?"
Deciding to not ask further, Vash simply nodded to her before waving his right hand. With the greetings done, the Humanoid Typhoon and the Atlesian General walked towards the plaza where all food stands were located. Reaching a noodle shop stand, the soldier and the criminal sat down in an awkward silence between the two.
"How is it supposed to work here?" After a bit, James broke the silence as he looked at his hands, trying to not sacrifice his pride and ask Vash for actual help. Yet the blonde haired man smiled a bit.
"Two Red Geranium, please" With his robotic hand, Vash made the 'V' to the old shopkeeper who nodded.
"Geranium…?"
"It is a flower, never saw it? A beautiful crimson red flower" Vash looked at James, who was not amused by Vash's answer.
"I know what a geranium is, Stampede"
"...Ooooh…I just ordered spicy ramen?" Vash nervously chuckled, making James sigh this time and killing the conversation for enough awkward time before the shopkeeper gave them their order. In the same silence, the two began to eat their noodles until Vash decided to break it. "Soo…?"
"..." James stopped to eat, glancing at the half filled cup of noodle in his left hand. Closing his eyes, the Atlesian general sighed like trying to turn off his pride until he spoke. "...Thank you"
That clearly surprised Vash who was almost choking with the noodles. Coughing, the Humanoid Typhoon drank a glass of water before looking at James. "I-I-I'm sorry?"
"I will not repeat myself, Stampede" James glared at Vash. "I cannot and will never forgive you for what happened to Lost July, and be assured after the Festival I will arrest you, but if it wasn't for you…" As he spoke, James clenched his right hand. "...The woman I loved—No, the woman I love wouldn't be alive. That's why, only for this time, I have to thank you"
"So Oz told you that…" Vash smiled softly as he looked at James and shook his head. "You don't have to thank me. I just did what I had to do"
"Still, I needed to properly say it to you, and now we are done"
"Aaaw, come on brother, don't be so harsh with me"
"Do not call me like that, Stampede"
With the little gag done, the two resumed eating their noodles until no one was left. With a satisfied noise, Vash patted his belly. "Now I'm really in heaven…well, time to get back at work" Getting up from the chair, he looked at James while slowly walking away. "Thanks for the food, general, but I have to go. See you later?"
"I have one more question, Stampede" James called Vash who turned his head to meet the general's inquisitorial glance. "Who is the leader of the Eye of Michael? You have a story of sorts with them, do you?"
"...Have you ever tried to talk with a god, general?" Vash cripticaly asked James.
"What do you mean by that, Stampede?" James asked, but when he did it, Vash already walked away. Looking at his empty cup, James mumbled to himself about Vash's question. 'A god…?'
Of course, Beacon wasn't the only place you can watch the tournament live. Thanks to the CCTS, everything was streamed worldwide, reaching every single possible media and anywhere, like a certain bar close to Beacon, a bar where a certain dusty old crow was going to drink his own soul together with the shots together with a black haired white man wearing a black business suit.
"And then I was like: "You have to pay for that, idiot!", and she was like: "You're an arshole!", y'know? An arshole! Ahahah!" The man in the business suit said to Qrow Brawnen, his eyes hidden by a pair of black sunglasses as he looked at the huntsman who was laughing off.
"Ahahahah! Oh come on, really?" Qrow laughed, holding on his right hand a glass of whiskey. Raising it like a cheer, Qrow drank it while being followed by the other man.
While the two were clearly minding their own business, the bartender was instead focused on the tournament which continued through its matches, with the Team SSSN winning its match. Whistling, the bartender smiled and looked at the two drunker. "Now that was a match, right?"
With a light slur in his words, Qrow glanced at the bartender with a cocky smirk. "Heh, that was a mess, not a match!"
"Come on man, you didn't like them, the Vale kids, or any of the rounds before that?" The bartender proved a point. "What fight are you here for?"
The professional and experienced huntsman was going to reply, but the rumble of engines called his attention outside, where he saw an aircraft with elegant ribbons flying from its wings behind him. "...That one" He said, finishing his drink before tossing the glass on the bartender, raising at the same time with enough speed that made everything blur to his drunk vision for now. "Wooh…"
"Are you okay?" The bartender asked.
"Y-Yeah, I can make it" Qrow stated before pulling out a few Lien, ready to toss them until his hand was grabbed by his new mysterious drunken fellow.
"Huh-huh" The business suit man said with a gesture of his right hand. "Drinks on me" He said, making Qrow smirk.
"Really? Ha! Thank you my buddy!" Branwen turned his head and waved to them, now clearly amused. "Happy Vytal Festival!" He said before walking away.
The bartender watches the interaction as his patron staggers away. Putting down the glass he just finished cleaning, he only knocked it down but, before it could shatter, the man in the business suit grabbed it in time. "Oh thank goddess, thank you. I was going to get a lot of misfortune from that"
"No problem, beside the Lords will never give misfortune to one of their lambs" The man smiled a bit, resuming drinking as he gave a quick glance to what he left hanging close to the wall: An enormous cross-like object covered in cloth and belts. Of course such a thing was noticed by the bartender since he stepped inside hours ago.
"Say, are you a priest of sorts?" He asked the man. "You came with that big thing together, no?"
"Me?" The man adjusted his black sunglasses with the gesture of a hand. "Nah, not at all. I'm an undertaker, although I'm trying to follow the path of a priest"
"An undertaker? Why did an undertaker come to Vale?" The bartender, genuinely curious, asked. "Even with the train incident weeks ago no one died, this place is not worthy for your affairs"
"I know that, but I'm searching for someone" The man stated, taking a sip of the drink.
"Someone?"
"Yup. That man" The man nodded to the wanted poster hanging behind the bartender who widened his eyes when he read the name.
"V-V-Vash the Stampede?! T-The legendary gunman who destroyed July in one night?!"
"Bingo, that's the one I'm searching" The man confirmed.
"Are you, sorry for this, crazy? No one managed to capture him, and I even heard that he evaded Atlas's custody after the Breach" The bartender said, clearly worried for his customer. "Do you have a death wish?"
"Let's just say it's for a 'job' of sorts, although maybe I truly desire death, who knows?" The man pulled out a few Lien from an internal pocket of the suit's smoking and tossed it on the counter before getting up, grabbing the cross-like object and carrying it behind his back. "Happy Vytal Festival, my friend" With a wave of his free hand, the man left.
"..." The bartender looked at all the glasses he drank together with the huntsman, and the two drank quite a lot of gallons, yet the undertaker was walking like nothing happened. "That's a weird one…"
Crash
"Oh jeez, dang it!"
Weiss felt ashamed for running away from the festivities after Team SSSN's match. Of course, for her friends it was weird because she had agreed to plan the victory party with all of them after that and she never missed out on a chance to plan something.
Studying, projects, dust allowances, plans to discover and exploit the deepest darkest secrets of their competition, if it required organization then Weiss was surely there with them.
But when she received a simple message on her Scroll from her sister of all the people, then Weiss had to prioritize her idol. Little did she know that on the way to reach the docks the living topic of every student and non-student present at Beacon was in the middle of the streets, the mechanical arm holding a box of donuts while, with his goofy smile, waves at people with the still organic arm.
"V-V-V-Vash?" Weiss stopped on her tracks like a frozen deer when she saw the Humanoid Typhoon, her movement resembling a car suddenly hitting the brakes.
"Oh, hi Weiss!" Turning to the heiress of the Schnee, Vash smiled at her. "I saw your fight before, you girls truly rocked it, trust me!"
"W-We truly did?" Weiss looked away as she brought her left hand behind her ear, trying to keep away a blush on her face until she shook her head, remembering the reason why she was there. "Forget it, have you seen an Atlesian ship landing here?"
"An Atlesian ship?" Vash repeated, grabbing a few donuts before eating them whole, too much shock for Weiss, before gulping and nodding, pointing at the precise dock with his free index finger. "Yeah, it landed just right now"
"Really?! Thank you Vash, bye!" With the adrenaline rushing through her body, Weiss literally disappeared from view for how fast she was running, although she returned back to Vash just once, holding a calling card to him before disappearing again. "By the way, Nightow's make the best donuts in Vale, if you want to try them with me here's the address"
The Humanoid Typhoon blinked twice looking at the card the Schnee gave him before putting it inside one of his jacket's pockets. "That was…something?" The man said to himself confused before he went to another donut inside the box only to find it, well, empty. "...Aw man, dang it!"
When she got closer, Weiss cupped her hands over her mouth at the sight of her older sister getting down from the bullhead. "Winter!" She called out, getting her sister's attention as the younger Schnee ran towards her sister.
A soft and small smile appeared on the older Schnee's face until Winter suppressed it. "Hello, Weiss" Winter greeted just when Weiss reached her.
"Oh, Winter. I'm so happy to see you," Weiss said happily, before remembering her manners. Shaking her head, she bowed a little. "Your presence honors me"
"I'm very glad to see you too," Winter added before taking in the surroundings. "The air feels…different now."
"Well it is fall I guess?" Vash pointed out, which earned her a whack from Weiss when she noticed his sudden presence.
"W-What?! Why are you here?!" Weiss suddenly hopped a little for the surprise as she looked at Vash who just raised his human hand and said 'hello~!'.
"...A friend, Weiss?" Winter asked, an eyebrow raised at the sight of Vash.
"S-Something like that, yes" Weiss decided to speak up before Vash could do or say something else to embarrass them both. "So, why are you here?"
"Classified." was the simple response.
"Oh, how long will you be staying here?" Weiss tried again.
"Classified." Winter repeated.
"Of course," Weiss then said, understanding that Winter won't be allowed to talk about it.
"Is 'Classified' the only thing you can say?" Vash suddenly interrupted by asking Winter, who gave an instant reply.
"Classi—I mean, no!" Winter widened her eyes as she suddenly corrected herself, but it was too late since Vash heard it, pointing at her while smirking.
"Aha! Gotcha~!"
"Ugh, idiot…" Weiss groaned and shook her head. "Sorry Winter for his actions…"
The older Schnee looked at Vash, her eyes narrowed on the Humanoid Typhoon's figure. "...It's okay, Weiss. He seems pretty unique, I do admit" Winter said, a bit of curiosity in her voice. "May I know your name, mister…?"
"O-Oh, yeah!" Vash coughed a bit, until he became suddenly serious before smirking a bit, the robotic hand under his chin as he spoke. "I am a hunter of peace, chasing the elusive mayfly known as love. My name is Va—"
'T-This idiot!' Weiss mentally shouted to herself. Maybe Winter knew about Vash's presence and his status as a member of the security, or at least she hoped for. However, maybe her sister did not know about it, and to pull up a possible fight was not in the day's plans. So, with a huge fake smile, she put her right hand in front of Vash's mouth, who released a suppressed sound. "V-Va-Vari! His name is Vari!" She looked at Vash, mentally praying the wanted man in the entire Remnant realized her game. "Vari, meet Winter. Winter, meet Vari!"
Winter looked at the scene and made a loud sigh, shaking her head before focusing her eyes on her younger sister. "Weiss, General Ironwood told me about everything, you know?"
"Wha-?!" Weiss made a comical shocked face before she looked at the blonde haired young(?) man. "Is that true?!"
With his mouth free, Vash looked confused at Weiss. "Huuh, yeah? That's why the soldiers haven't shoot me down for now"
"I actually have the feeling they want to, Humanoid Typhoon" Winter said to the man, her hands behind her back once more.
"Ahah, well…in that case I'll just run away then" With a chuckle, Vash scratched the back of his head, surprising Winter a little for his answer. This man was truly a mystery, maybe the biggest mystery in Remnant.
"R-Right? Ahahah!" Weiss put on a laugh, and her sister noticed a slight red stroke on the young girl's face.
'...Is she—?'
In that moment, however, the mysterious gunman lost his laugh, his eyes hidden behind the orange glasses as he suddenly pulled his revolver and aimed at Winter's head direction and shot.
The two dismembered pieces of an Atlesian knight-200 flew at the trio's sides before landing with a loud crash. The young Schnee blinked for the act until she let out a shocked gasp and looked where the robotic soldier came, an act that her older sister already did seconds before (and she will scold her about it later).
What they saw was a black haired man dressed in white and black donning a red cape. The man, clearly drunk for how he was standing, held the head of the Atlesian knight-200 as he pointed at the trio. "Hey, you!" the drunk shouted. "Yeah! I'm talking to you, Ice Queen!"
Winter's look hardened at the sight of the drunken buffoon, while Weiss took it much more personal. "Excuse me?!" Weiss exclaimed as she stomped towards the drunk, with Vash following in an attempt to stop the teenager from doing something stupid. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?!" Weiss questioned, before getting the guy's palm into her face with him shushing her like one would a small child.
"Not you, snowflake" The man said before unceremoniously pushing the girl out of his way, which was grabbed back by Vash.
"Oh you drunk—" Weiss was about to get back at the guy to give a piece of her mind, before Vash wrapped his arm around the girl, making her gasp suddenly. "V-Vash?! Let me go!"
However, any attempt of trying to be free was shut down when Vash looked at her, his blue eyes reflecting hers. "And letting you get wounded? No, that's not a choice" He then looked at the man and Winter. "I'll stop them though"
As Weiss was protesting to her friend clearly-not-possible-crush, the drunk man had his attention on Winter. "You. Saw that gaudy ship of yours in town and I figured I'd find you here as well."
"I'm standing right before you," Winter pointed out with a glare, although she mentally thanked Vash for holding Weiss on his side.
The man squinted his eyes as if trying to confirm the Specialist's words. "So it would seem." He said, showing a huge and prideful smirk on his face.
Oh boy, Vash was not going to like where this was going…
Looking at the black short haired man dressed in a black business suit throwing inside a bin made Ruby feel unease…and it reminded her of Qrow. Too much of Qrow. She did not expect this twist of events when, after they ate the noodles, she decided to take a stroll for think about the next match as she bumped into him.
I mean, since the beginning the man was literally pale on face, even with the black sunglasses hiding the eyes.
With a sigh, Ruby decided to use what she learned from her experience with her uncle as she took out a tissue and held it to the man. "Are you feeling better?"
"...Ay, thanks…" Without looking at the girl, the black haired man said as he took the tissue and cleaned his face. With a last cough, he threw it in the bin. "Hope ya did not expected me to clean that, do ya?"
"I think I don't need that" Ruby said with an emotionless face for the familiar situation. When the man completely rose up, she waved a hand at him. "Huuuuh, welcome to the Vytal Festival?"
The man blinked a few times until he grinned a little towards Ruby. "Heh, never heard of students greeting visitors before. Not saying I dislike this."
"I think there is a first time for everything, no?" Ruby then widened her eyes when the man grabbed from the ground a very huge cross-like object covered in a cloth and held it with a one hand. That thing could be even heavier than Crescent Rose. "Woaaah! What is that, mister?! Can I try it, please?"
"This? Oh, it's nothing. Just a cross full of mercy" The man giggled at the sight of a hyperactive Ruby. "Besides, I don't think you're strong enough to wield it" He said before looking around. In an awkward silence, the man coughed a few times.
The girl noticed the act, she knew how confusing Beacon could be at the best of times and with all the visitors from other kingdoms coming in for the festival. "Are you looking for the bullhead to the coliseum? It's just a few turns down that way." If there was one thing a huntress should do, other than kill Grimm and defend humanity, it was help people who are lost.
"The coliseum? Nah, I don't need it thanks" The man took out a cigarette from his jacket and brought it to the mouth. He then pulled out a golden zippo before…playing with it? The girl raised an eyebrow while watching the man perform a trick of sort before lighting the cigarette. Letting out a cloud of smoke, he looked at Ruby, his eyes hid behind the sunglasses. "I'm actually here to search someone, I don't know if you can help me"
"You don't know, maybe I can do even more" Ruby put her hands over the hips, smiling for her pride in her abilities until her eyes widened when the man held her a wanted poster. She could instantly recognize the face. "V-V-Vash?!"
"Yup, the one and only Humanoid Typhoon" The man said, letting out another cloud of smoke from his mouth thanks to the cigarette. "Why are all you Vale guys freaking out? Have you ever seen a bounty hunter at work before?"
"I- I don't mean that but still…why him?" Ruby asked, her figure tensing a bit. Wanted or not, Vash was her friend.
"Easy there kiddo, ain't going to kill him" The man revealed. "I'm a church man, not a killer"
"A church…man?" Ruby looked at the man first and then at his cross-like thing on the back later. "O-Oooooh…"
"Yup" The man held his hand to Ruby. "Name's Ni—" A loud shout echoed through the avenue, interrupting the man and Ruby's dialogue with the two looking around. "What the heck was that?"
"We're going to find out soon" The huntress in training said before she went towards the avenue, noticing a crowd of people gathered on the docks' main avenue. Eventually, Ruby spotted Weiss and Vash near the front of the commotion and ran up next to her partner and her friend, followed by the mysterious priest. "Guys, what's going on?"
The Humanoid Typhoon looked at Ruby and the mysterious man, nodding more to the girl than the man. "Weeell, how can I put it…"
Weiss noticed her and pointed to the center of the crowd, where Winter was crossing swords with someone in a dirty dress shirt. "Some crazy guy just started attacking my sister."
Ruby paled. "Oh no, who would do such a thi—" She was going to finish her sentence until she spotted a familiar great sword striking Winter's saber, making Ruby squeal. "—Thaaat is my uncle!"
Weiss' eyes widened. "What?!"
"Kick her butt Uncle Qrow!" Ruby called.
"Teach him respect Winter!" Weiss hollered into the crowd.
"Wait wait wait hold on! We must stop them before someone gets hurt!" Vash comically snapped when he heard the girls' cheers.
Sighing and throwing the finished cigarette on the ground, the priest looking man shook his head. "...I'm not liking how this'll end" He looked at Vash who did the same, both the men's eyes hidden under their sunglasses.
Qrow and Winter barely registered the shouts of encouragement as they dueled at lightning speed. Winter feinted with a stab left before smashing her pommel into Qrow's face. The drunkard came up smiling afterwards and countered with a low sweep. As the specialist danced away, he brought down his great sword in a heavy slash. Winter dodged by leaping away, but a significant portion of the courtyard was not so lucky.
Winter flew into one of the pillars of the courtyard's aqueduct and stabbed the support with her blade. With the new hold, she skidded down back to the ground.
She and Qrow faced each other again.
Winter glared.
Qrow smirked.
Winter charged.
Ruby and Weiss winced as a rush of air blasted past them both. The Humanoid Typhoon and the black haired man in the business suit suddenly appeared in between Qrow and Winter, with Vash thrust out the mechanical hand at Qrow while the other man blocked Winter's sword with his huge cross-like object, producing sparks at contact. The ground nearly cracked into a crater and a pulse of wind sent both huntsman and huntress flying back.
Qrow and Winter managed to land on their feet. Their heads shot up to see who would be stupid enough to get in the middle of a fight between huntsmen.
The answer glared back at them with gentle blue eyes hidden behind orange sunglasses and sharp black eyes hidden behind a pair of black sunglasses.
Blinking twice, Ruby looked where the man she helped and Vash were and where now the two are. "EH?!" Gasping for the surprise, Ruby couldn't believe that in that second those two were faster than her, especially the priest giving the huge cross he carries with.
"Enough!" Vash yelled to both of them, yet Winter noticed that he especially glanced at Qrow who widened his eyes. "You two are huntsmen, not children! And I especially expected more from you, Qrow!"
Narrowing his eyes, Qrow looked at Vash in confusion until he made a surprised face, his jaw almost falling. "...Spikey?" Not caring of saying the name so loudly, Qrow spoke. "Is that you?"
"Bgh—" Covering his mouth with the free hand, the man in the business suit held back a retching for the hangover before he looked at Winter who glared at him. "Oh come on Snowflake, don't make that face and say that you missed me"
"Me? Miss you? Don't make me laugh you depressed of an undertaker" Winter spitted.
"Wait, Vash knows your uncle?!" Weiss said, surprised. "And how does my sister know that drunkard?!"
"I don't know!" Ruby replied. "I mean, I know that Vash knows my uncle but I don't know about the other man!"
"Schnee!" It seems the time for answers is not now. Winter instantly turned to the voice and, after taking a split second to recognize who it was, saluted General Ironwood.
"Sir!"
"What's going on here?" Ironwood demanded.
As Winter tried to explain the course of events- with Qrow chipping in to point out how unprofessional she had been although Vash always pushed him away while the priest smirked all the time- the surrounding crowd seemed to get larger.
"Now, now everyone" A calm voice called out from behind Ironwood. Ruby noticed Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch walk into the courtyard. The headmaster's gaze scanned the crowd while Glynda was already glaring at Vash. But a moment after, his kind and collected demeanor returned. "There is another fight going on right next door with much better seats. And popcorn."
The people dispersed upon the Headmaster's reasoning and Winter followed Ironwood back to the academy. Qrow, instead, remained where he was before Vash himself.
"I…wow…you're so…" Qrow stammered, surprised by Vash's presence and, if Ruby and Weiss were right, something more. "You're looking good, Spikey. Fancy new arm you got there"
"Oh this?" Vash raised the arm, scratching the back of his head with it. "Yeah, it's a good friend's creation and I owe them one for this, ahah"
"I…I see" Qrow seemed to make a somewhat sad smile. "You look like…what, 20 years younger? What the hell man, are you for real?"
Vash chuckled a little bit, and while Weiss would love to hear more, her leader made her way to them.
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby latched onto her mentor's arm. He lifted her up until they were face to face. "Hi."
They went through their usual greetings and Qrow put her back on the ground. Then, Professor Ozpin called him over.
"I think I might be in trouble" Qrow whispered to her.
"Well, you did tear up our courtyard" Ruby pointed out.
Her uncle smirked. "True." He looked at Vash before he held his fist to him. "I'll still find you here later, Spikey?"
Blinking, Vash sighed with a smile and bumped the huntsman's fist. "Don't be late or drinks are on you, Qrow"
"Ah! Look who's talking" Qrow said when he heard Glynda calling him. Sighing, he walked away to meet the others.
"And here he goes…" Vash muttered.
"Yeah…" Ruby's eyes lit up. "About that, how much time passed since you saw my uncle the last time?"
"Mh…about…twelve years or so?" Vash crossed his arms and thought a bit before replying.
"The same year of Lost July. Talking of a coincidence right?" Stepping forward as he was behind Vash, the priest looking man said as he lit up another cigarette, making the Humanoid Typhoon turn his head to him.
"..." Vash looked at him, his eyes hiding behind the sunglasses' shades.
Feeling that the tension was rising, Ruby clapped her hands and looked at the man. "O-Oh yeah! Weren't you searching for someone, Mister…?"
"...Yes, I do. But I'm here for another task too…" The man looked right at Ruby before his attention returned to Vash…then he pulled out something completely random, a grin on his face. It was a small reproduction of a church, which made the gunman and the red reaper blink with their eyes, confused, as the man pointed at a coin slot on the puzzle. "Do you need to confess your sins before our Lords? Come on, just put a coin in here and no matter the worry, I'll listen to them~!"
In that moment not only Vash and Ruby, but even Weiss, who was behind them, comically fell on the ground for the man's sudden request. Raising up, Vash chuckled a little. "You're really good at your trade, huh?"
The man smiled wildly. "Hey, I've gotta make a living, it's not easy for a church man you know!"
"You, a drunkard, a churchman?" Weiss got up too, surprised by the man's antics. "Didn't you have the rule of 'not drinking'?"
"It was 'to not kill', Weiss" Ruby pointed out.
"Whatever"
"Ahah! What an interesting pair you are" The man then put away his sunglasses, revealing his sharp yet somewhat gentle black eyes. "My name is Wolfwood. Nicholas D. Wolfwood, at your service"
"I'm Ruby! Ruby Rose!" The red reaper raised a hand before she grabbed her partner's arm. "She's my friend Weiss Schnee while he is—" She tried to do the same for Vash, but the Humanoid Typhoon went in a strange way. Looking above, he began to talk…
"I am known as Valentinez Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz" The Humanoid Typhoon ignored his friends' confused looks as Wolfwood blinked a few times.
"I see…Valen—"
"Gombigobella-" Vash resumed and Wolfwood made a shocked face. "-Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre Andre Charton-Haymoss Ivanovicci Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser the third!" Now he truly finished it as he held his hand towards Wolfwood, who was just confused. "Please don't hesitate to call"
The priest looked at the blonde haired man, blinking several times until he pointed at Vash's badge. "Then what's with that 'Vash the Stampede' thing?"
Vash made a comical face, his eyes widened and his mouth closed and made a line through his face which became pale as he sweated. "Eeeer…"
Wolfwood chuckled a little. "Oh come on, you're not Vash the Stampede. I heard he looks more like a demon than a man" He looked at the two girls. "Right you two?"
"For how strange it is, this man is actually the Vash the Stampede" Weiss sighed, a hand over her forehead with Ruby nodding while crossing her arms, making Vash gulp as he turned his head to them.
"It shocked us too at first" The red reaper commented.
"Huh?! So you mean to say this guy here is THE Vash the Stampede himself?!" Wolfwood said with a shocked face before he grabbed Vash's head and forcibly turned to meet his eyes, his neck comically cracking as the Humanoid Typhoon's eyes went white. "Can this man really be him? He's absolutely not at all like I envisioned!" He wondered, still looking at Vash comically in pain before he turned his neck of 180 once more to point him towards the two students. "How is that possible?!"
"Yeah, we know…" Ruby looked aside, with Weiss mirroring her leader.
"We had trouble believing it too at first…but for what he pulled out he is the real Humanoid Typhoon" The heiress finished Ruby's sentence, although she had a slight flush of red on her face. Hearing the two girls made Wolfwood blink a few times.
"You mean…" The priest then smiled a little as he turned first the body and then lastly the head of the Humanoid Typhoon. "Oh jeez, sorry about that!"
After the painful yet somewhat comical scene, the four headed to the stands area after the priest said he wanted to treat them with drinks- sodas and such for Ruby and Weiss since they're underage- to celebrate their meeting granted by the Lords. Now sat on a table, they were enjoying the moment.
"Aaah, that hits the spot~!" Wolfwood said after a sip of a typical Vale's beer before he looked at the others. "Isn't it right?"
"Huuh…wasn't he drunk when you found him, Ruby?" Weiss whispered to her leader who nodded.
"Yup…" Ruby muttered, putting emphasis on the 'p', before she looked at her left only to see a rather amused Humanoid Typhoon emptying his glass. "Although he is not so different…"
"Aaaah~! You got that right!" Vash said, gently slamming the glass on the table before making a thumbs up with the robotic hand. "I don't like to drink during this hour, but paid drinks taste better, y'know?"
"Oh come'n Needle-Noggin, I thought you were kinder" After another sip, Wolfwood said with a smirk.
"Yeah—" Vash blinked when he realized the nickname Wolfwood used. "Hey, who're you calling Needle-Noggin?!"
"I think that's pretty darn obvious, no?" The priest and the stampede looked at each other before bursting into a drunken laugh, drawing people's attention towards them and making the two girls sigh for embarrassment.
"Those two idiots…" Weiss spitted, her face completely red like her partner's cape.
"But it seems they are getting along really well" Ruby pointed out.
"Ruby. Innocent Ruby. Remember this: The birds of the feather have flocked together" The Schnee retorted, pointing at her leader's nose with a finger before clenching the hand when the two men were still laughing. "ARE YOU DONE, YOU TWO?!" She shouted at them, interrupting their laugh.
"We're just having a drink together; I don't see the problem" The Humanoid Typhoon said.
"It's not okay! Besides didn't that guy said he needed to search for you?!"
"Nah, leave her Needle-Noggin. Plus, she's right" Wolfwood suddenly became serious, his eyes locked on Vash's figure as he out a hand inside his black priest jacket before he held a pair of photos to Vash himself. "I came here for a reason…"
Grabbing the photos, Vash looked at it with a confused face until his eyes widened under the sunglasses, his face quickly becoming pale as his own heart skipped a beat. The two girls noticed the change, and their heads moved a bit in order to look at what shocked Vash so much…
"Is that…?" Weiss muttered under her teeth, eyes widened for what she was seeing.
Qrow stepped out of the elevator with Ozpin and Glynda, coming out into Oz's office. James and Winter were already up there, and were clearly still angry at him. Somehow, this put a smirk on his face.
"What were you thinking?!" Winter demanded.
"If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!" Jimmy said, only to be roasted by the drunkard Huntsman.
"If I were one of your men, I'd shoot myself," Qrow responded, using fire against fire while pulling out his flask.
"While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation," Glynda reprimanded winter.
"He was drunk!" Winter said in her own defense.
"He's always drunk!" Glynda spat back at her as they both glanced over to Qrow who was drinking from his flask before he stopped.
"You are dismissed, Specialist Schnee." Ironwood stated as Winter then went towards the elevator. Qrow simply winked at her while she rolled her eyes at him as the door closed. "And you." General Ironwood glared in Qrow's direction, channeling his current fury against him. "Why have you been silent all this time?!"
"Oh well ya know Jimmy, I was out in the field." Qrow made fun of the general as he reasoned, pulling out his scroll. "You do know you could have easily called me. Communication isn't just all calls to you. There's this thing called a send button."
"Why you damn—" James gritted his teeth for the insolence.
"Now Qrow, I need to ask you, why are you here right now." Ozpin leaned over his desk. "And causing a scene?"
"I've come to report that the enemy is here." Qrow stated, touching his device's screen.
"We're well aware of that." Glynda informed him.
"We're well aware of that." Glynda informed him.
"Then what the hell have I been out there doing?!" Qrow furrowed his eyebrows. "Look, we either need to do something about the enemy now, or this whole Festival is going to go up in flames!"
Ironwood simply chuckled as he then placed his scroll onto Ozpin's desk, the black queen virus icon briefly flashed onto it as it then displayed the ships that were currently in the air above Beacon and around the arena. "There's no need for concern. My military has got us covered. Our enemy knows our strength and they're not going to be stupid enough to make a move."
"You think they're scared of your little ships?!" Qrow scoffed. "I've seen the things she's made, Jimmy. They ARE true fear."
"Is there anything new you have to add to your report, Qrow?" Ozpin asked but in that instant her scroll- no, the scroll of everyone minus Qrow ringed. And what they saw made their eyes widen with a mix of feelings, but mostly horror and disgust.
"Yes I do" The black haired man said, from his scroll a hologram of countless photos came out and hovered. Abandoned villages, many of them, but the worst thing was that not only the design was the same of the ones around Vale, but everything inside them was recent, from technology to even the expiring date of the food inside homes. It was like the villagers disappeared without leaving a trace. But what truly made everyone terrified, especially Glynda, were the countless words written around the walls and the streets in a crimson liquid- blood.
KNIVES
"What…is this?" James said, his eyes locked on what the Lords could consider a damnation.
"I said it. The enemy" The black haired huntsman pointed at the photos. "These are the villages of Nizz, Blackwater and Maurbourne. I don't need to remind you of the distance, do I?"
"Kni…ves…" Glynda looked at the name, until her hands went on her mouth when certain memories returned. It just took a mere glance for Ozpin to allow his assistant to get out of the office.
"Glynda—" The general tried to hold a hand towards her before he looked back at Qrow and Ozpin. "What the hell is this?! What is Knives, Qrow?!"
"What I mean, Jimmy, is that not only the ones here are the same ones who attacked Autumn, but something bigger is coming…and your little ships are not enough to stop them" Qrow's glance locked on Ozpin. Slamming his hands against the table, the huntsman looked at his former headmaster. "You know that too, Oz, and you know who is the only one who can help us!"
"..." Ozpin hid his eyes behind the sunglasses he wore, his hands joined together. "...And that's why he is here, but this doesn't mean that I will change my opinion on it"
"What?!" Qrow made a shocked gasp. "You're fucking joking, are you Oz?!"
"I am not. We must make haste with our decision as to who our new maiden will be." Ozpin looked at James who nodded.
Qrow took another swig from his flask. He's not liking this…
"Kni…ves?" Ruby read the word with a confused face before looking at the priest. "What is Knives?"
"It sounds like a name than a thing" Weiss looked at her leader before the two girls' attention went to Wolfwood and Vash. "And so the question is who is Knives…?"
"Not just Knives. It's Millions Knives…" Wolfwood corrected the Schnee, his eyes locked on Vash. "Pretty sure you heard that name before, right Needle-Noggin?"
"...Wolfwood…" With his head lowered and the hair hiding the eyes and the glasses, Vash finally spoke. "How do you know this…?" He then looked at Wolfwood with sad yet angry eyes at the same time. "How do you know that man's name?"
"..." Pulling out a cigarette and lit it, the priest breathed in and then let out a cloud of smoke. "...The church of St December, have you heard it before?" Wolfwood asked, looking at the three before him. Although both Ruby and Weiss shook their heads, Vash remained still. "Heh, figures, after all it is in the middle of Vacuo" Wolfwood couldn't hold back a giggle until he lost it. "That church is also an orphanage, an orphanage which got several "adoption papers" from our friend there…do I need to continue, Needle-Noggin?"
"..." Without spitting a word, Vash got up with enough speed and strength that threw the chair on the ground, confusing Ruby and Weiss.
"Vash…?" The white haired girl muttered confused until the Humanoid Typhoon grabbed her and Ruby's hands, making them gasp for the surprise. "W-Wha—?!"
"...We're going" The gunman said, his eyes lost the softness and gentleness they always have as he was forcing the girls to get up. "Thank you for the drinks"
"Y-You're pulling too much Vash!" Ruby said, an eye closed when she felt the grip of the man tightening, a thought shared with her partner when Vash pulled them.
Consuming the cigarette, Wolfwood glared at Vash. "...Don't tell me that's your answer, Needle-Noggin!" The priest said, gritting his teeth. "It can't be!"
"See you around, Wolfwood" Almost spitting the name, Vash was walking away, with Ruby and Weiss tailing him since he was still pulling them by the arms.
"You're joking, Needle-Noggin!" Smashing the hand on the table, Wolfwood stood up as he clenched his fists. "You know it too, damnit! He is coming! Have you heard me?! VASH THE STAMPEDE?!"
"...Let him come" Vash muttered to himself, his eyes now reflecting pure hatred. "I'll put an end on this calamity!"
Turn to the next bullet: Lessons learned, but don't miss the beat, BABY