Hunters of Justice (RWBY/DC)
Chapter 55: Wild, Wild West – Part 1
West Texas, 1889
Ever since Ruby and her friends had arrived on Earth, she had experienced plenty of strange things that, just a year ago, she would've dismissed as impossible. She'd been to space. She'd had her atoms disassembled, then beamed and reassembled to another location through a teleporter. She physically entered one of her friends' minds and then did the same to her own through demonic magic. She went to a realm between planes and had to deal with a sapient house that liked to rearrange itself whenever it wanted. In the beginning, Ruby found it hard to believe that such things were happening to her, but with each outlandish act and scenario, the barriers in her mind broke down more and more.
Which brought her to now as she, her team, Uncle Qrow, and the nice lady from the future phased in and out of existence. It was a somewhat uncomfortable experience, but it didn't feel all that different from using the Watchtower's teleporter, so she got used to it quickly. While she couldn't make out her surroundings at first, her team and Imra looked just as nonplussed as she did. Uncle Qrow, on the other hand, looked like he could barely keep it together. It only got worse when they finally fully phased back into reality, and they no longer found themselves in the bustling urban jungle of Metropolis. Instead, they found themselves on a dry, rocky escarpment, looking over a vast desert.
Imra immediately tapped a few buttons on her ring's holographic projector and then announced, "Chronological traversal was successful. We are now in West Texas in 1889, Common Era."
A heavy silence fell over the group as they took in what Imra said. Then, to punctuate her remark, they could see a steam locomotive running along a railroad track a few miles south of their current position, a heavy column of steam rising from the engine car's smokestack into the wide open, blue sky. The air even felt cleaner, untouched by decades of industrialization and pollution. Imra was telling the truth. They had traveled back through time.
Ruby had only one thing on her mind, and with a smile, she turned to Yang and said, "You owe me twenty bucks, Yang!"
"…Darn it," Yang grumbled as she reached into her pocket, pulled out her wallet, and handed Ruby a twenty-dollar bill.
"What's going on?" Weiss asked, her awe at their current situation replaced by a more familiar exasperation.
"Oh, just settling a bet with Yang," Ruby cheekily explained as she put her winnings away. "She said that if we ever traveled through time, we'd most likely end up in World War II. I said we'd go to the Wild West. Clearly, I was right."
"I wanted to punch a Nazi in the face," Yang complained, holding her arms close to her chest.
"You can still do that in the present," her little sister tried to assuage her, only to deflate at that thought. "Oh, I just made myself sad."
"Those are just Neo-Nazi losers; it's not the same as beating up Hitler," the brawler dismissed in disdain.
"…You two had a bet we'd time travel?" Blake asked as she raised an eyebrow, with Uncle Qrow looking like he really needed a drink right about now.
"I mean, after all the stuff we've been through so far…yeah. It was bound to happen eventually," Ruby pointed out, with Yang nodding in agreement.
Blake and Weiss were silent for a moment, then simultaneously replied, "Fair enough."
Qrow stared at his young nieces, his head already beginning to throb at the implications of their lack of reaction. After a moment, though, he forced himself to close his eyes, take a deep breath, and calm himself. He then turned to Imra and asked, "Alright, since whatever you did clearly worked, how's about some answers?"
"Thank you, Uncle Qrow. I was just about to say the same thing," Yang added, causing the rest of the Remnantians' attentions to turn squarely towards Imra, who finished typing into her ring's holographic projector.
"We're about a day away from the heist, so we have time," Imra confirmed, then held up a finger. "A few things, though. One, under no circumstances should you take off those things until we get back to Metropolis."
"…Okay, why?" Blake asked while the others looked at the gold rings on their hands.
"They're the only things keeping you in sync with this time period. If you take them off, you'll be sucked back to your actual timeline," Imra explained. "Also, the stabilization field prevents you from contracting any diseases native to this point in history that have since been eradicated and vice versa. The last thing anyone needs is for you to accidentally bring back smallpox to the 21st century or COVID-19 to the 19th."
Everyone stared at her with wide eyes, then Weiss numbly noted, "Okay, we will not do that."
"Thank you," Imra gratefully said. "Two, I cannot, under any circumstances, give you specifics about your future. The only thing I can say is that the Legion of Superheroes is an interstellar superhero organization from the 31st century and is a successor to the Justice League. Anything more than that, and I can't say a word."
"Let me guess: telling us our future could prevent it from happening?" Yang suggested, and Imra nodded.
"That and I honestly don't know what's going to happen next," Imra clarified, which confused the Remnantians.
"What do you mean? I would've thought our records would've survived to the 31st century?" Weiss pointed out, already dreading the implications.
"They do, but the problem isn't in the records. It's the time period you call home," Imra began to explain as she tapped a few buttons on her holographic projector, showing a long, straight line that eventually split apart and became a curvy, jumbled mess. "This is your timeline, the one that eventually leads to mine. Until the 1940s, everything is firmly set in stone, with a few minor chronological disturbances here and there notwithstanding, like the one we're here to deal with. But after that, things start to get frayed."
A marker showing the current year on the timeline began to move forward as Imra continued, "Despite the noticeable decline in chronological cohesion, the timeline was mostly stable. Any new timelines created were naturally reabsorbed and integrated into the main timeline through temporal inertia."
"Temporal what?" Qrow asked, as the only one of them who hadn't heard that term before.
"Long story short, Uncle Qrow, the universe, and the multiverse, really like things to go a certain way," Ruby explained to her uncle. "So long as the change isn't too drastic, like the Nazis winning World War II, things will generally go the way they're supposed to, or at the very least echo. If it's too drastic, a new universe is made."
"There's more to it than that, but she's more or less correct," Imra confirmed, and Qrow released a heavy groan.
"Gods, I'm getting a headache," Qrow muttered, and Yang patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.
"Anyway," Imra picked back up, "the timeline was mostly stable up until the 1980s, then by the point of what you call the 'modern-day,' there are so many alternate timelines constantly being formed and reabsorbed that people in the 31st century don't really know what happened until it happens to you."
"…Huh?" Ruby asked while tilting her head to the side, prompting Imra to sigh.
"Our records for the entire 21st century are incomplete. Besides keeping you safe from time-traveling assassins, one of my tasks is recording what happens and reporting it to my superiors. So I know what happens next just as much as you do."
"…That sounds incredibly convoluted," Blake pointed out, and Imra shrugged.
"Yeah, well, when the Flash completely resets the multiverse around this point in history, things are bound to get messed up."
"Ah, now it makes sense," Ruby added.
"Not to me. Barry did what?" Qrow demanded, his eyes going wide once again.
"He tried changing the past by saving his mom, which nearly destroyed the world. He was forced to run back in time to stop himself from running back in time in the first place, which created a Flashpoint Paradox that screwed up the multiverse. He accidentally hard reset everything," Ruby quickly clarified, but Qrow was still lost.
He wanted to ask more, but with his headache worsening, he decided it was best to put it off. So instead, he focused on the relevant part of that statement and said, "Alright… So I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that the 'Flashpoint Paradox' is why you don't intervene more often. Like on Remnant."
"Yes. I wasn't there, but…a few of my friends were," Imra answered, her face and voice falling. "They wanted to help. They wanted to stop Brainiac, to save as many lives as possible. But they couldn't. The risks were too great. Believe me when I say that leaving was the hardest thing they'd ever done. Last I heard, they were still on mandatory leave so that they could recover."
Ruby's face softened at that news, then she gently replied, "We understand."
Weiss nodded in agreement with the rest of Team RWBY and even Uncle Qrow after a moment. She then asked, "But, if you couldn't intervene back on Remnant…isn't us being here also a risk?"
"I'm monitoring the chronological stability to make sure we don't change things too much," Imra declared, shifting the holographic projection to a chart that reminded Ruby of a seismograph. "So far, everything's stable. If we're lucky, this is one of those 'we were supposed to go back in time' causality loop situations. Just in case, don't do anything drastic, like kill anyone, and try to blend in as much as possible. We'll need to get some new clothes and weapons for you, but your money is useless here, so you can't buy anything with it."
"What? But they're dollars!" Weiss protested, only for Blake to cough into her fist.
"Dollars made in the 21st century aren't like dollars in the 19th, Weiss," Blake reminded her. "They'll think it's counterfeit."
"I… Darn it," the rich girl groaned and hung her head, prompting Ruby to hug her shoulder. She futilely protested, "Don't touch me…."
Ruby didn't stop, knowing that Weiss didn't really mean it. She then asked Imra, "Okay, so we need to blend in, which explains why we couldn't bring our weapons. Our money is useless, but I'm not even considering stealing some from here. What do we do?"
"We could always stay away from people and track this Chronos guy down in the wild," Qrow suggested. "Might just circumvent this risk you're so worried about entirely."
"That is an option, but we don't have supplies on hand to make it feasible," Imra replied. "We'll need to go into town to get food, water, weapons, and anything else we'll need."
Qrow frowned, then said, "Damn it. This wouldn't have been an issue if you gave us just a bit more time to collect ourselves."
"Time was of the essence, in case you couldn't tell," Imra pointed out, then began tapping into her holographic keyboard. "It doesn't matter. Luckily, the Legion has currency stores from across history. I'll have Fives send us a couple of hundred dollars. It should be more than enough to get us what we need."
A moment later, the Remnantians watched as a wad of pristine 19th-century banknotes phased into existence and dropped right into Imra's waiting hand. They stared at it for a moment, then Yang said, "Huh, neat."
"Don't we need a bit more than $200?" Qrow asked, only for Weiss to fervently shake her head while looking at him with wide eyes.
"You're forgetting inflation," she rebuffed, then quickly did the math in her head. "$200 in 1889 is roughly equivalent to $6,500 in the modern day. This is more than enough."
"…Wow, I'm honestly impressed you did that all in your head that quickly," Yang admitted, and a proud Weiss smiled and crossed her arms over her chest.
"If you can pull any money you need from the future, why do you have a job?" Ruby asked as Imra began dividing the money out to everyone.
"Field agents are only allowed so much. Plus, my job gave me ample opportunity to observe you undetected," Imra replied.
Yang pointedly stared at the time-traveling superheroine, then released a sigh and shook her head. Now wasn't really the time to delve into her hang-ups regarding people keeping secrets from her, even if it annoyed her. She understood why people kept secrets, but if those secrets involved her and her team and especially could put them in danger, Yang felt she had a right to know. It sounded like Imra's intentions were good and genuine, but she still couldn't help but feel like she had manipulated her.
Still, they had a time-traveling thief to worry about, so she said, "Okay then. Hopefully, the money this Fives of yours sent us will be enough. Who is he, by the way?"
"Our tech specialist and mission control," Imra answered as she wandered over to the escarpment's edge to get a bearing on their surroundings. "He's a big fan of you guys, actually."
"Aw! Can we meet him?" Ruby asked, but Imra shook her head.
"That would not be a good idea. His words," Imra declared, refusing to elaborate further.
"…Oh, okay then," Ruby muttered while wondering if that was because he was a descendant of theirs or something, then shook her head and walked over to join Imra. Setting down on one knee, she asked, "Where's the nearest town?"
"About ten miles south of here, according to this map," Imra explained, showing the young leader a map projected from her ring.
"Hmm, that's quite a trip. Couldn't you have gotten us closer?" Blake asked, but Imra shook her head.
"This was a rough job. Didn't have time to get us closer."
"Figures," Blake said, then released a sigh while shaking her head. "In any case, we'll need to get us some horses or something. Otherwise, we're hoofing it."
"Ooh, ooh! Let's find us some horses!" Ruby excitedly suggested.
"I agree, Rubes, but the problem is where?" Yang pointed out. "Also, while I know you're a fan of Westerns, and I love your enthusiasm, we've never ridden a horse before. Weiss, Blake, Uncle Qrow, what about you?"
"I took equestrian classes when I was young," Weiss confirmed.
"Figures for a rich girl like you," Yang remarked, then turned her attention to Blake and Qrow.
"We didn't have horses in Menagerie," Blake pointed out.
"I rode horses bareback when I was a kid," Qrow added with a nonchalant shrug. "Kinda had to when growing up in a bandit tribe."
"Right, right. Imra, can you ride a horse?" Yang asked, and Imra nodded.
"Yes, I can," the Saturn Girl answered, and Yang nodded while cupping her chin.
"Okay, that's…doable. Now we gotta find some horses. The question is, where?" Yang asked while rubbing the top of her head. "I don't see any nearby, and it's not like some are just gonna show up out of nowhere."
"Yeah, I'm not that lucky," Qrow added.
No sooner had the words left his mouth when the hairs on the back of his neck rose, and he heard a series of clicks. Qrow slowly turned around, his body tense, and he watched four armed men appear, all aiming revolvers at them. They had come up from below the escarpment, and it wasn't hard to figure out from their patchy clothes, thick beards, and open mouths filled with yellow or missing teeth that these men were outlaws. Outlaws with four horses being pulled up behind them on leads.
"Well, well. Look what we got here," the apparent ringleader said as he confidently strode up to them, aiming his revolver at Qrow's head from the hip. "Buncha Yankees all lost in the desert. Well, now, that's a crying shame if you ask me. Folks run into all types of nasty critters, Injuns, and highwaymen out here. Tell you what, though. Give us all the money you have on hand, and me and my boys will gladly take you to the nearest town. What do you say?"
The highwayman punctuated his demand by pulling back the hammer of his revolver and smiling wickedly. He was also giving a nasty look to the girls behind Qrow, which the other bandits seemed to share. Rather than be intimidated, Qrow gave them a blank stare and turned around to look at Team RWBY and Imra, who were sharing his expression, then nodded.
"Well, that was easy," Yang remarked as she slapped her hands together before four tied-up and thoroughly beaten bloody bandits, all of whom were staring up at the Golden Dragon with abject terror in their eyes.
"Please don't kill us!" the bandit leader begged, his voice a higher pitch than normal after receiving a particular wound to his nether regions, prompting Yang to smile wickedly.
"Sure, so long as you give us your horses," Yang offered, and the highwayman frantically nodded.
"Take them, take them! Please!" he cried, and Yang smiled while lightly slapping her hand against the side of his head, making him flinch in fear.
"That's a good boy," Yang remarked, then got up and returned to the others.
"Here, Yang," Ruby said as she handed her older sister a Colt Single-Action Army revolver and an accompanying holster. As Yang inspected the weapon, which was surprisingly well maintained despite the condition of its previous owner, she noticed that the rest of her team also had a similar firearm holstered as well.
"Sweet. What else we got?" Yang asked as Qrow and Blake inspected the haul, with Weiss and Imra wrangling the horses together.
"Almost a hundred dollars, a few dozen .45 Colt bullets, and a whole bunch of looted jewelry," Qrow announced. "Not to mention some food and water. A pretty good haul. Reminds me of my childhood, but backwards."
"We'll still need to go into town, though, if only to turn these men in," Blake added, throwing her thumb behind her shoulder to the tied-up criminals who were beginning to cry.
"Thought so," Yang replied. They may have had the misfortune of trying to rob a bunch of Huntsmen and superheroes, five of which were completely bulletproof, much to the men's surprise and horror. But that didn't mean Yang and her friends were the only victims of highway robbery. Undoubtedly these bandits had preyed on people passing through these lands for years, which was an injustice that needed to be addressed.
Plus, if they were lucky, there would be a bounty on these men. Of course, they wouldn't be here long, but more money was never a problem. Not to mention it, according to Ruby, added to the 'Wild, Wild West' experience they were currently living. When Ruby said that, Uncle Qrow looked like he was about to have an aneurysm, but he took it like a champ.
"Alright, we got food, water, guns, and horses. Now we gotta bring these boys into town, get the rest of what we need, and track down this Chronos guy," Yang said, then turned to face Imra. "Anything else you can tell us about him, Saturn Girl?"
"Only that our records show that, before he did this, he was an easily pushed around Gotham University professor from the 2070s. No clue as to why he decided to do it in the first place," Imra answered, and Yang nodded.
"Better than nothing. Well then, better get this show on the road," Yang replied as she went back to the men, grabbed two at a time, and hoisted them atop her shoulders. She placed them on the back of the horses, with Uncle Qrow doing the same for the other two.
"I call steering!" Ruby declared as she petal burst to the front of the saddle of the brown horse she affectionately named Chocolate Hooves. Shaking her head, Weiss looked up at her partner and leader as Ruby grabbed onto the reins with a broad smile on her face.
A moment later, Ruby promptly slid off to the side and onto the rocky ground with a loud "Ooof!"
"I'm okay!" Ruby cheerfully announced, then awkwardly climbed back on the horse to try again, this time remembering to put her feet in the stirrups. Unfortunately, this just left her sitting there as she tried to figure out how to move her mount over to her expectant partner.
"Uhhh…forward!" Ruby limply wiggled the reins to no effect while Weiss made a show of tapping her foot with her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.
"Mush?" she tried again, but Chocolate Hooves remained patiently impassive.
"Aren't you supposed to be Red Riding Hood?" Weiss asked, thinking of their run-in with the Queen of Fables, and suppressed a smirk at how Ruby whipped her head around to shoot a peeved look her way.
When that shifted her in the saddle, Ruby pulled back with a worried, "Whoa!" But, of course, that got a response as the horse tossed its head and tried to back up. "Ah! No, not reverse!"
After watching the young girl all but hanging off the horse's neck as she tried to usher it the right way, Weiss finally had enough and said, "That's it. Ruby, I'm steering. You ride behind me."
"But, Weiss!" Ruby childishly complained, but like a stern mother, Weiss shook her finger.
"No, you clearly don't know what you're doing," she chastised. "Look, I'll take you horseback riding when we get home, but we have a job to do right now. Okay?"
"…Okay," a defeated Ruby said as she slowly slid off the horse.
Weiss released a sigh, then expertly climbed onto the saddle and helped Ruby settle in behind her. The young girl was still pouting, crossing her arms across her chest before hurriedly grabbing onto the equestrian's hips as she started slipping again, but Weiss ignored her. Instead, she turned her attention to the others. Qrow and Imra had expertly mounted their grey and white-haired horses, respectively, while Yang and Blake were standing before the golden one.
"So, you wanna try it?" Yang asked, and Blake shook her head. The Golden Dragon shrugged, then said, "Okay, might as well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?"
With that, Yang climbed onto the horse as smoothly as she would on her motorcycle. Weiss was prepared to offer some pointers, but Yang managed to secure herself perfectly, to her befuddlement. A pleasantly surprised Yang then said, "Huh, what d'ya know? That was easy."
"Are you kidding me?" an annoyed Ruby complained as Yang trotted over to Blake and offered her hand.
"Howdy pard'ner, need a ride?" she teasingly offered, and the wind tossed Yang's hair behind her as her horse artfully lifted a foreleg.
The faunus rolled her eyes but couldn't completely hide a smile as she let herself be pulled up in front of Yang. The blonde helped Blake settle between her arms, then immediately turned into an expert gallop heading straight towards the nearest town. Taking that as their cue, the others spurred the horses on, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.
Thanks to the horses, it didn't take long for the group to reach sight of the town. Ruby was forced to hold her arms around Weiss' waist to keep herself from falling off, but Weiss was taking care to keep the ride as smooth as possible. Much to her sister's annoyance, Yang continued to prove herself to be a natural horseback rider, acting as though she'd been riding them her entire life and not just for the past thirty minutes. The others weren't having any difficulties either, other than making sure the hog-tied bandits weren't slipping off the horses' backs.
Otherwise, they weren't having any issues, aside from the blazing heat. As it turned out, winter weather gear wasn't suited for the hot desert. They'd already been forced to take off their jackets, but that did little to stop the burning sun from shining down on them from above.
"Gods, this heat…." Weiss complained as she wiped away a sheen of sweat off her forehead. "This is unbearable…."
"Eh, it's not so bad," Yang replied, still in her position at the front of the group. She then smiled at her teammate cheekily and remarked, "But for an Atlesian girl like you, I can see how this could be hard."
"Yes, it is. Thank you for acknowledging it," Weiss replied, not in the mood to play along with Yang's antics.
The Golden Dragon chuckled and shook her head, then returned her attention to where she was going. They could see the town fast approaching on the horizon, and to Ruby's delight, it looked exactly like one of those small towns she'd see in the Western shows and movies she'd become a fan of. It was a small community centered around a large main street with a row of houses and buildings on both sides, with a few adjacent streets intersecting it to form a rough square. Everything was made of wood and iron, with the tallest structure being a water tower on the northwest corner of the town. Painted onto the water tower was a sign that read 'Sanctuary.'
"We're here," Imra announced, slowing her horse down by pulling back the reins gently and saying, "Whoa, whoa…."
The others did the same, slowing the horses down from a gallop to a trot as they entered the town, passing underneath an arching wooden sign with Sanctuary written on its face. Most of the citizens ignored them, at most giving a few curious stares at what they were wearing and, most notably, the people tied on the back of the horses. They, in turn, ignored them back, except for Yang, who gave a few people cheeky smiles and nods before going on her way. She'd have tipped her hat at them if she had one, but unfortunately, she didn't. She could've taken one of the bandits' cowboy hats, but there was no way in Hell she would let her hair touch whatever those filthy people were wearing. That and they were blown away during the fighting.
Coming to a stop near the jailhouse, the time travelers disembarked their horses and tied them up to a hitching post located just outside. As they did, the sheriff and a pair of deputies came outside, all wearing matching outfits comprised of a white long-sleeved shirt, dark blue vest, and a tan coat with a five-pointed golden star pinned to the left breast.
"Well now, what's all this then?" the sheriff gruffly asked as he wandered over to the back of the horses, rubbing his hand through his thick, bushy white beard. "Heh, I'll be damned. Ain't that the Duffer Brothers. How'd you lot come across them?"
"They tried robbing my nieces, their friends, and me a few miles north of here," Qrow explained as he slapped the back of one of the Duffer Brothers, who whimpered pitifully. "As you can see, it didn't turn out well for 'em."
"I can see that, hehe," the sheriff replied while shaking his head and smiling. "You must be quite the fighter. I've been try'na wrangle these boys in for years for all sorts of things. Highway robbery, cattle rustling, a few murders here and there, and all sorts of other nasty business. Kept evadin' me, so I had to put out a call for bounty hunters, much to my displeasure."
"Didn't know there was one," Qrow admitted. He might've suspected and even somewhat hoped for it, but he didn't have a guarantee without a flier.
If the sheriff suspected Qrow's hopes, he didn't show it as he nodded gratefully and replied, "Regardless, you've done me and my town a service, and that deserves compensation. Come on in, and I'll award you lot the bounty. You two, bring 'em in and throw 'em in the cell!"
"You got it, Sheriff!" the deputies replied, then began to hoist the criminals off the horses and onto the ground with a heavy thud while Qrow followed the sheriff inside. As they struggled to drag them through the dirt into the jailhouse, Yang and the rest of team RWBY decided to help by effortlessly lifting the boys atop their shoulders and carrying them in themselves. The deputies could only stare slack-jawed at the casual display of strength, and when they entered the building, the sheriff also gave a surprised glance. But that quickly turned into annoyance once the deputies entered behind them.
"Are you men seriously gonna let a bunch of ladies carry everything for you? Didn't your fathers teach you any manners?" the sheriff chastised the deputies, then shook his head when they frantically relieved Team RWBY of the Duffer Brothers and dragged them to their cast-iron cell.
"I swear…" the sheriff grumbled under his breath, then shook his head and finished pulling out a hundred dollars from a safe underneath his desk. "Here ya go, one-hundred dollars. You can keep anything you found on the Duffers. Call it a finder's fee."
"Much obliged," Qrow said as he rifled his fingers through the stack of gold-backed currency, then placed it into his pocket.
"By the way, just what in Sam Hill are you all wearin'?" the sheriff asked, pointing to the winter gear they had partially discarded and wrapped around their waists.
Qrow came up with a lie on the spot and answered, "We were hiking up in the mountains when we lost our gear. This was all we had left."
"Hiking, huh? Well, at least all ya lost is your clothes. Could've been worse," the sheriff grumbled, then pointed towards a building at the center of town. "But it's too hot down here for that. You can take your bounty on over to the general store; they got vests and such for you and dresses for your girls to cover up proper. New hats, too," he suggested while glancing at their bare heads.
"Thank you very much," Qrow said, trying his best to ignore the casual sexism the sheriff was displaying. But, from what he understood, such attitudes were standard for the times, and at least his heart seemed to be in the right place. He then glanced at the revolver holstered on his hip and added, "By the way, after almost getting robbed…any place where we can get some more guns and ammo? My girls and I would feel safer with more than just a Peacemaker in our pockets."
"I hear that," the sheriff replied understandably, then pointed to the other end of the main street. "Head on over to Carver's. Just across the street from the saloon, you can't miss it. He's got a bit of everything, and you're in luck. He just got a fresh shipment the other day."
"Perfect. Thank you very much," Qrow replied with a smile, then got up from the front desk and made his way over to the front door, where Team RWBY and Imra were waiting.
"Y'all have a good time, now," the sheriff called out and waved, which Ruby eagerly returned before exiting the jailhouse.
"I can't believe we just turned in a bounty! This is so cool!" Ruby exclaimed as they made their way over to the general store. "It's like we're in an actual Western!"
"Yeah, just with all the racism and sexism not whitewashed away," Yang remarked, a slight frown on her face. They hadn't seen any overt racism yet, but she knew it was there.
"Yes, well, in this case, I can quite literally say that we are in a different time and place," Weiss pointed out.
"I know, which is the only reason why I'm not blowing a gasket."
"Oh, I agree. Just wanted to say it aloud."
"Focus. It's annoying, I know. But trust me when I say it could be far, far worse," Imra pointed out. "There are entire points in history where we can't send Legionnaires simply because they're the wrong gender or ethnicity."
"Right, right," Blake agreed, absentmindedly adjusting the bow on her head that masked her feline ears. She then asked, "Speaking of, how do you solve the language problem?"
"Our rings have a built-in translator. The English I'm speaking is not the same as your English. There's about a thousand years of linguistic drift between us."
"Like Old English to Modern English."
"Not as profound, but along those lines, yes," Imra clarified as they entered the general store. Then, taking the lead to the front clerk, she asked, "May we see your store's catalog? My friends and I are in need of some new clothes."
Compared to the horse ride to Sanctuary, selecting new clothes for them to wear during the mission proved to be surprisingly more time-consuming for the group. Except for Qrow, who was able to find something that fit him and matched his previous style fairly quickly. It helped that, in retrospect, his usual attire had a western bent already. Wearing a pair of black pants, a grey button-up shirt, a dark maroon vest, and a white coat, topped with a black wide-rimmed cowboy hat, he looked remarkably similar to what he usually wore. Imra was in a similar position, finding a pair of white pants, a light-grey shirt, a tan vest that matched her cowboy hat, and a matching pair of leather boots. As expected for the time period they were in, the clerk tried to get her to wear a more traditional petticoat, saying that a woman wearing men's clothing was inappropriate, but the money from clothing six people ultimately made him more open-minded. He was also occasionally distracted by what he saw of their modern clothes.
No, the problem was with Team RWBY, especially their leader. Not just in terms of finding something that actually fit them, but finding something that, as Ruby claimed, fit the "Western" ideal and formed a matching set between all of them. Part of Qrow and the others were getting somewhat annoyed, but ultimately they knew it was harmless fun on Ruby's part. It didn't stop Weiss from nearly yelling at Ruby when the young girl tried to get her to try on the tenth outfit, however. No one commented on how their positions probably would've been swapped if they were shopping in a modern mall instead.
Eventually, they were able to find something for each of them. As expected, the general store was able to provide the same basic set of clothing for all of them, each starting with a pair of dark blue pants and light-grey shirts, along with dark brown boots equipped with spurs. Then they each started picking out different accessories in their preferred colors, or as close as they could get with what was available.
Ruby managed to dig up a dark red cowboy hat, and threw on a red and black patterned Mexican-style poncho. Weiss wore a white flat-topped hat with a wide brim to protect her from as much of the sun as possible, and a white vest. Unlike the others she preferred not to go with pants, and opted for a split skirt instead. Blake selected a black waistcoat rather than a vest, eventually deciding on a bowler hat to go with it. She had to carefully adjust it so that it was tight enough to not be blown off her head while not squishing her poor upper ears.
Unfortunately for Yang, her preferred bright yellows and golds simply weren't available for the regular clothes and materials this store had on hand without custom orders. So she made do with a distribution of brown and the lightest tans she could find, going a bit heavier than the others with leather chaps and a jacket. She fended Ruby off when she tried to force a Stetson on her head though, saying that she'd prefer the sun over having to deal with hat hair as she made with tying an orange neckerchief around her neck.
As they made minor adjustments to their outfits to make them fit as well as possible, Qrow gave them a look over before nodding in approval.
"You girls look good," Qrow admitted, then turned to Imra. "I would've thought you'd have them wear dresses, given how we need to 'blend in.'"
"Dresses aren't suited for our mission. Besides, I have standards," Imra admitted, and Qrow let out a snort.
"Heh, I'll bet," he said. He then paid the clerk for the clothes they had just bought, along with a day's worth of food and water that he gathered while waiting for them to finish. Rather than keep the supplies on hand, he requested the store hold onto them before they left to find Chronos, which the clerk agreed to. There was no need to give themselves an unnecessary burden.
With everything set, they left the general store. Ruby then proclaimed, "Alright! Now, all we need are some guns; then we'll be set!"
"Uh-huh," Qrow agreed, then held up a finger as he began walking down the street. "But, before we do that, I'm gonna get a drink."
"What? Why?" Ruby asked, and Qrow gave his niece a flat stare.
"Ruby, I have been on this planet for a week, not including the month I spent in space, and I have already traveled through time to the 19th century. I need a drink."
Ruby was silent for a moment, then she admitted, "You know what, that's fair."
"I'm pretty thirsty, too, and hungry. Wasn't able to finish lunch," Yang remarked, and the rest of the team and Imra nodded in agreement.
"Perfect. We'll go to the saloon, get some grub and a few drinks, and then we'll head out of here and find Chronos. Speaking of, any idea where this train robbery's supposed to happen?"
"Along that railroad we saw earlier heading westbound. Don't know the exact location, but it's near a canyon pass," Imra revealed, and Qrow shrugged.
"Better than nothing. Now come on, let's get something to drink," Qrow said, but before he could enter the saloon, an excited Ruby beat him to it. She enthusiastically pushed through the saloon doors, sending them swinging loudly behind her as she tromped in with heavy steps of her new boots.
"Howdy, y'all!" she proclaimed to the patrons and workers inside, hoping to receive a warm welcome. All she accomplished, however, was startling the mostly quiet bar room, with one man who'd been lazily leaning his chair back at one of the poker tables toppling over in surprise, his hand of cards fluttering around him.
"Ow! What in tarnation?!" he cursed angrily while a couple of the other players moved to help him back up. The rest of the saloon stopped what they were doing to stare at her in either confusion, annoyance, or with a snicker of amusement, causing Ruby to blush red in embarrassment as social anxiety suddenly caught up to her excitement.
Wanting to avoid causing a scene, Qrow gently pulled Ruby out of the saloon and then suggested, "Hey, Rubes, how's about you head over to the gun store and get us the guns first?"
"What, but I—" Ruby began to protest, only to feel more stares thrown in her direction. Deciding that it was a lost cause, Ruby hung her head, released a sigh, then said, "Okay, fine…."
She then stood upright and pointed at Yang and Qrow, firmly ordering, "But before I go, let me say one thing: don't make a scene."
"Like what you just did?" Weiss teased, but Ruby shook her head.
"I mean, start a fight, like when you destroyed that nightclub. Remember that, Yang?" Ruby pointed out, causing Yang to smile and give an exaggerated shrug.
"Aw, c'mon, it was a gang bar, and I was just taking some cues from Qrow's stories on extracting info from criminals! And that was only one time; they'd all learned their place and there was no fighting at all when I went back," she rebuffed, but Ruby merely narrowed her eyes.
"The police still brought us both in and grilled us until Dad could come get us. And I didn't even do anything; I just walked in on you after it was over! You're lucky that Junior guy didn't press any charges."
"Only because he was a mobster and he didn't want to be investigated," Yang grumbled, then she sighed and said, "But I see your point. I won't do anything."
"Good, thank you," Ruby replied, then pointed her finger into Qrow's chest. "That goes double for you."
"No argument here," Qrow readily agreed, knowing precisely what Ruby was talking about and not eager to have his sordid past get brought up. Of course, he wasn't planning on starting anything. All he needed were a few well-deserved drinks, and that's it.
Ruby stared at them for a few more minutes before she nodded in satisfaction. She then held out her hand, and when Qrow handed her most of the money they had left, she turned around and skipped across the street into the gun store. Qrow and the others watched her enter with a smile on their faces; even Imra, who felt that her joy was infectious, then turned around and entered the saloon as it went back to a state of normalcy.
Moving past the swinging wooden doors, Qrow took a moment to take in his surroundings. He hadn't been on Earth for very long, so he wasn't as familiar with the concept of a Western as his nieces and their friends were. But from what he had seen, primarily by watching Ruby play a Western video game while they were stuck on the Watchtower, this saloon certainly looked the part. It was a two-story building with a flight of stairs leading up to an upper floor with a series of rooms. Judging from the women waving down at the mostly male patrons from the wooden railing who were, comparatively speaking, given the time period, scantily clad, and the muffled noises coming from behind the closed doors, it wasn't hard to discern what that floor was used for.
Qrow couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle, having grown used to the presence of such places across Remnant. While he'd never been a patron of the oldest profession before, preferring to earn such things on his own merits, so long as everyone involved was a willing participant and was adequately treated, he didn't have a problem with them. The same couldn't be said for Weiss, who was looking at a woman leading a man upstairs, her arm wrapped around his and practically shoving her bosom into his chest, with a scandalous and affronted glare, along with a copious blush. Yang, Blake, and Imra merely gave the escorts a passing glance before moving on.
The rest of the saloon was much more like a typical bar. One wall was behind a thick counter with an extensive shelf behind the bartender, stacked to the brim with various glass bottles filled with alcoholic beverages. In the far corner, next to a stage where burlesque performers were putting on a show, was a man playing the piano, filling the saloon with old-timey music that matched the dancers' movements. Across the ground floor were around a dozen round tables, many of which had patrons playing card games with each other.
Luckily, none of the patrons were looking at them anymore, allowing Qrow and the others to move unimpeded through the saloon towards the bar, which, aside from a man wearing a black coat and hat whose back was facing them, was empty. Qrow sat at a stool a few places away from the man, with Yang, Weiss, and Blake sitting to his left and Imra to his right.
"What can I get 'ya?" the bartender asked as he finished using a rag to clean a glass mug.
"Do you serve any food?" Blake asked, and the bartender gave a half-shrug.
"Got some chili cooking in a pot," the bartender revealed, and Yang snapped her fingers.
"We'll take a bowl of that each," Yang requested, and the bartender nodded.
"I'll also have a whiskey, hardest you got. It's been a long day," Qrow ordered, and the bartender nodded in understanding.
"I hear that," the bartender replied, pulling out a glass and partially filling it with whiskey. Then, as he handed it to Qrow, he asked the others, "What about the rest of you?"
"Just water is fine, thank you," Weiss requested, with Blake holding up her hand to ask for the same thing.
"Beer, please," Imra ordered.
"I'll take a beer, too," Yang requested, prompting Weiss and Blake to give her an aside glance.
"Alright, two glasses of water and two beers, coming right up," the bartender replied, then moved back to fulfill the orders.
"Really, Yang? You ordered a beer?" Blake asked while raising an eyebrow, and Yang nodded.
"Yep. It's not the first time I've drunk alcohol," she reminded her teammates. Granted, a strawberry sunrise had hardly any alcohol, but the point still stood. "Besides, there aren't any minimum drinking age laws out here, and let's be honest, the beer is probably safer than the water."
"I keep the water fresh and clean here, ma'am," the bartender pointed out as he filled their glasses, and Yang quickly nodded.
"Fair enough. No offense."
"None taken, ma'am. I know where the reputation comes from."
With that, the bartender handed Yang and the girls their drinks, then moved on to serve other customers. Yang couldn't help but grin cheekily and raise her glass, which Weiss and Blake pointedly ignored. Imra didn't look like she particularly cared; only Qrow raised his glass and tapped it to hers.
"Cheers," he said, then gulped his drink down in one go. He released a content sigh as he managed to get his first proper drink in what felt like an eternity while Yang and Imra gently sipped their beers more reasonably.
"A refill, please," Qrow requested, which the bartender fulfilled as soon as he was able.
"Going a bit hard there, aren't you?" Weiss asked as, once again, Qrow downed his drink in one go.
"Don't worry, I know when to stop," Qrow attempted to placate the young woman, but Weiss merely narrowed her eyes.
"Uh-huh, sure," Weiss said, then went back to drinking her water.
Truth be told, compared to her mother's previous state, Qrow Branwen seemed to be able to hold his alcohol much better than Willow could. Probably had to be, given his occupation. But over the years, Weiss had unfortunately grown accustomed to the workings of an alcoholic, and Qrow had repeatedly displayed many of those same warning signs ever since they met. Judging from the occasional glances Yang and Ruby would send his way whenever Qrow wasn't looking, Weiss knew they felt the same things she did. But the subject made them uncomfortable, and they were just happy to have their beloved uncle back, so they were content to ignore it whenever they could. Weiss wasn't entirely certain that Qrow was a functional alcoholic, but she did not like the implication that he was. It hit far too close to home for her tastes.
Still, now wasn't the time to bring it up. So long as Qrow didn't get blackout drunk, and she certainly hoped he had the self-control not to do that, they could bring it up another time. But, for now, they had a mission to complete. So when the bartender returned with their bowls of hot chili, the Atlesian girl blew on it a few times before using the offered silverware and began to dig in. She chewed on the dish a few times before shrugging and moving on. It wasn't the best thing she ever had, but it could've been worse.
"Wonder how Rube's doing over there?" Yang asked as she leaned back and turned to look over her shoulder towards the gun store, where she could barely see Ruby talking to the store owner through the window.
"Now then, my dear sir, my friends and I are in dire need of some weapons and ammo," Ruby proclaimed as she leaned across the counter, resting on her arm while propping her other fist on her hip, and gave the nonplussed proprietor a confident grin. "What do you got?"
"…How old are you?" the store owner asked while raising an eyebrow, and Ruby's smile grew.
"I am sixteen," she confidently revealed, then pointed to the saloon behind her. "My uncle's just across the street."
The store owner stared at her for a bit longer. He looked about ready to refuse to sell her anything, which almost made Ruby begin to panic. But then he shrugged and asked, "Okay then, what do you have in mind?"
Ruby smiled, then answered, "Okay, so we all have revolvers, specifically Colt Single-Action Armies, so I'm gonna need a bunch of .45 Colt bullets for them."
"You're in luck; we just got a huge shipment the other day, so we're well in stock."
"Great! We're gonna need a bit more than that, though. What long guns do you have?"
"Bit of everything. Double-barrel and lever-action shotguns, bolt-action rifles, and repeaters. Even a few cavalry swords. You name it; we got it."
"Perfect. Luckily for you, I already have a list of what we need," Ruby said as she pulled out a list of various guns and their calibers that were written on a yellow piece of paper.
As the proprietor read over the list, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "How, exactly, do you intend to pay for all this, kid? These guns and ammo you listed can be pretty expensive."
Ruby simply pulled out a thick wad of cash and placed it on the counter. The storeowner stared at it for a moment, then looked back up at Ruby with dollar signs practically in his eyes, and he added, "Just wait right here."
"Eh, I'm sure she's fine," Yang remarked, then went back to focusing on her meal and drink. She idly glanced at the black-clad stranger seated at the bar next to them, who hadn't said a word since they sat down. With his head tilted down and the rim of his hat covering his face, she couldn't get a good look at him. But the man seemed content with being left alone, so she was okay with giving him what he wanted.
She wasn't okay with the undue and unwanted attention that more than a few patrons sent her and the other girls. Many of the men, especially the more inebriated ones, were openly gawking at them. Yang knew how good she looked and was proud of it, but that didn't mean she wanted to be ogled at by a bunch of drunk old men. But not all of the stares were lustful. Others were confused at what she was wearing, with hushed whispers among their friends asking why a bunch of women were wearing men's clothing as though such a thing were alien. Some even looked outright angry at the concept. Which was stupid even for here, now that she thought of it; surely women had to dress more practically sometimes to get things done out here in the frontier, right?
Blake, Weiss, and Imra seemed to be just as aware of the unwanted attention as Yang was, and she knew Qrow noticed it as well. Usually, she would've called them out, but she promised Ruby she wouldn't make a scene. So she remained seated, happy to eat her warm chili and drink her glass of beer.
At least until she heard a chair nearby scrape against the floor, followed by a series of heavy footsteps coming in their direction. Turning around, Yang saw a group of four men with thick black beards and dirty clothes coming towards them. They looked to be ranch hands, and they did not look happy.
"Oh, Gods…" Weiss groaned and hung her head, and Imra leaned over to look at Yang.
"Don't start anything," the Saturn Girl warned, and Yang nodded.
"I'm not going to throw the first punch," she said, then fully turned around to face the men. "Hello, boys. Sorry, but these seats are taken."
"Why you wearin' that, girl?" one of the men immediately demanded, his face warped in a deep scowl. "Don't 'cha know it's inappropriate for a woman to wear such things?"
"Okay, starting off on a strong foot here, aren't ya, big boy?" Yang replied with a cheeky grin, then shook her head. "To answer your question, it's none of your business what my friends or I wear, so why don't you and your friends head back to your seats and leave us alone?"
"It is my business when a bunch of queers wanders into my saloon dressed like men!" the man angrily countered, causing the saloon to fall eerily quiet.
"Queers? You hear that, Weiss, Blake, Imra? They called us queers," Yang mockingly replied while shaking her head, doing her best to keep her rising anger down.
"Disgusting. Didn't your mothers teach you how to address ladies?" Weiss replied through a scowl, and the homophobic man matched her glare with his own.
"My mama taught me well, but I don't see ladies here," he claimed.
Qrow decided to step in and say, "How about you leave my niece and her friends alone? Before I make you?"
"You threatenin' me, boy?"
"No, a threat implies I might not follow through with it," Qrow clarified. "I'm making a promise."
"Uncle Qrow, it's okay. I got this," Yang said while holding up her hand.
"I know, Yang, but I don't think they do," Qrow remarked.
At the mention of their names, one of the men repeated, "Qrow? That German? And the hell kind of name is Yang?"
"Yang's my name. Yang Xiao Long," Yang proudly declared, which, to her surprise, only made the men sneer even more.
"Your daddy a Chinaman, too?" he asked, making a show of eyeing her blonde hair in confusion, and Yang shrugged.
"Nah," she answered. She did have Mistralian roots, but she and her family were firmly Valean. Not that she had to tell the racist men before her that. "But I don't think that matters."
"You and your kind have been stealing jobs from hardworking American men like me! So yes, it matters!" the man practically screamed, black saliva splashing into Yang's face as he did.
Yang stared at the man, her eyes briefly flashing red. Qrow looked half ready to throw hands, along with Blake. Even Imra was losing her cool, with only Weiss maintaining her composure. Rather than stoop to his level, Yang wiped away the saliva from her face, closed her eyes, and then stared at the man with blood-red eyes.
"You kiss your mother with that mouth? Can't imagine you have a wife, or maybe you kiss your sister? Which is it?" Yang mocked, causing the man to recoil at the insinuation. He looked ready to try and deck her, but a new voice spoke up before he could.
"I'd recommend leaving the lady alone, now," a deep, gruff, and scratchy voice commanded. It washed over the entire saloon and drew the men's attention.
"This ain't none of your business, stranger! So how's about-!" the ranch hand began, only for the stranger to cut them off.
"You misunderstand me, boy. I'm tellin' you to back off for your sake, not hers," the stranger said, never looking up from the bar. "In case you're too stupid to figure it out on your own, this girl and her friends can kick your ass nine ways to Sunday before you can do a damn thing. So do the smart thing for once in your life, turn around, and return to your table. Before she puts you through it."
Now incensed, the man clenched his fist and demanded, "Just who the hell do you think you are?!"
The stranger said nothing at first. Then he sat up straight and slowly turned to face them. Yang and everyone else gasped as they saw his face for the first time. The left side was perfectly fine, if grizzled from years of exposure. But the right was covered entirely in a massive burn scar that exposed his teeth through the remains of his cheek, and left his right eye a milky white. Strapped to his hip was an empty holster, but even unarmed, the intimidating man terrified the drunk ranch hands accosting Yang and her teammates.
"Jesus Christ…" one of the ranch hands muttered under his breath.
"You recognize me now?" the stranger rhetorically asked, and the ranch hands nodded.
"You're…you're Jonah Hex," another of the men answered, and Jonah Hex nodded.
"That's right. Now git," he ordered.
Everyone in the saloon was staring at them now. It was so quiet one could hear a pin drop and a heartbeat. The ranch hands suddenly looked unsure of what they were doing, then the apparent leader scowled, turned around, and finally began to walk off.
"Whatever. I'm not about to worry about a bunch of useless dykes. They'll burn in Hell anyway," he claimed as his back turned towards the Huntresses. But, before he could reach his table, a glass cup suddenly soared through the air and struck him in the back of the head with enough force to completely shatter. He stumbled forward, crashing into a table where a poker game was being held.
Qrow's eyes widened as the man fell to the ground, then turned to face Yang. Yang was similarly surprised, and slowly her eyes fell on her teammates. There she saw a furious Weiss standing up, her arm outstretched and practically glaring holes in the back of the man's head.
"Goddammit, girl," Jonah muttered as the saloon finally reached a boiling point.
"You bitch!" one of the ranch hands yelled, then everything fell to complete chaos.
"Listen, Mr. Carver," a more exasperated Ruby began as she talked to the gun store owner before her, trying her best to ignore the crowd of would-be patrons who had begun gathering around her, curious as to the sight of a sixteen-year-old girl buying a bunch of firearms. "The metal etching and wood engraving are nice and all, but I can do that myself. I have done that myself. All I need are the guns and swords."
"Of course, of course. But what about customization? We got blued steel, nickel plating, pearl grips. I can layer it with gold and silver, anything you want," Mr. Carver claimed. "You, my good ma'am, look like a connoisseur who loves her weapons."
"I am."
"So, shouldn't your weapons be more than just tools? They should be reflections of yourselves."
"In any other case, I would agree with you. But we're kinda on a time crunch right now, and we need these guns as soon as possible," Ruby claimed. "Besides, many of the options you're offering don't make the gun perform better. If anything, putting gold and silver on it would make the gun wear out faster."
"Ma'am, I assure you I have personally gilded dozens of firearms in spectacular gold and silver finishes over the years. My customers have never once complained."
"Uh-huh. Are they repeat customers?"
"Yes, they are."
"I can't imagine why if their guns keep breaking."
As some of the crowd audibly gasped, Ruby thought she heard the sound of breaking glass coming from somewhere behind her. But she ignored it, for now, instead focusing on getting what she needed from the man who was either trying to swindle her or knew less about firearms than he let on.
Yang threw a punch into a rowdy saloon patron, sending him flying into another table and toppling it over, spilling its contents everywhere.
"Come on! Who wants some!" she taunted as she bounced back and forth, then ducked underneath a sloppy haymaker before retaliating with one of her own, knocking the man down immediately.
The entire saloon had descended into what could only be described as a bar brawl. As it turned out, mixing alcohol, gambling, prostitution, and a touch of racism and homophobia led to a violent reaction when given an appropriate spark. In this case, Weiss hitting a man in the back of the head with a thrown glass. But, honestly, Yang was proud of her teammate, especially as she watched the customarily reserved and refined rich girl dangling from some guy's back and pulling him into walls by his beard while screaming at the top of her lungs.
As she watched Jonah Hex and Uncle Qrow tag team a bunch of rowdy men with punches and kicks of their own, Imra and Blake lost somewhere in the crowd, she heard a scream coming from overhead. The fight had spread upstairs, and she saw two men fighting each other accidentally knock a woman over the railing. Yang reacted immediately, running underneath and expertly catching the woman in her arms in a bridal carry.
"Ma'am," Yang said with a confident smile and a nod, even as someone else's cowboy hat fell from above to place itself jauntily on her head for her tip in the lady's direction. Then, as she gently placed the saloon girl back on her feet, she added, "Might wanna get outta here. Things are gonna get hairy."
She punctuated this by lifting the tan hat by its pinched brim to adjust her hair underneath it before deciding to accept the headwear while thinking, 'I mean, c'mon, it's a matching color and everything.'
With a blush on her face, the girl nodded before moving back with her friends, allowing Yang to cry out and bowl through a bunch of people futilely attempting to gang up on Blake, knocking several through the glass windows.
"So you're saying bolt-actions are the way of the future?" a patron asked Ruby, who fervently nodded while holding her newly obtained M1885 Remington-Lee Navy rifle.
"Uh-huh. They are easier to use and maintain, and they can fire stronger bullets. Trust me, trapdoor rifles and even repeaters will fall by the wayside. They are still really cool, though," Ruby claimed. "Now, let's find the gun that best suits your frame and your budget."
"Hey, this is my store!" Mr. Carver protested, but Ruby and even a few of the much larger group of patrons simply glared at him.
"You tried to sell me an upmarket Springfield Trapdoor Rifle, saying that since it was an 'American classic,' it was better than this! Well, it isn't!" Ruby countered, then returned to helping the customer. "Hmm, you have a light frame, and your grip is shaky. I know you wanted that Schofield revolver, but stick to the Single-Action Army. It's better suited for you."
"You sure?" the slightly disappointed man asked, and Ruby nodded.
"Yes. Now head over to Mr. Carver; he'll ring you up," Ruby said, then added, "And don't let him sell you on things you don't need! Customizing your gun is important, but so is financial stability! My partner taught me that!"
"I will! Thank you!"
"Gagh!" Mr. Carver groaned. "Just take your guns and go!"
"Not until I help your customers make smart gun decisions!" Ruby cried out, only to be interrupted when something was hurled through a glass window. A few patrons cried out in alarm, but Ruby simply turned around and looked to see where it came from.
"What the…?" Ruby muttered, moving to the shattered pane.
To her shock, she saw that the saloon her team, Uncle Qrow, and Imra were waiting for her in had somehow descended into absolute chaos. Windows were shattered, boards were broken, and men were beating each other senselessly. The entire sheriff's department was trying to round up the rowdy drunkards, barking orders and throwing men into carriages to be wheeled off to the jailhouse. To her surprise and horror, one of the carriages had her team, Uncle Qrow, Imra, and a bunch of other men she didn't recognize being carried off down the street and then escorted into the jailhouse.
"…Did I miss girl's night?" Ruby asked herself, then shook her head and turned back to Mr. Carver. "Just put everything in a box! I'll be right back!"
"Good, just get outta here!" Mr. Carver demanded, and Ruby nodded before running off.
"I can't believe I did that…." Weiss muttered as she sat down on a bench inside a jail cell, her face buried in her hands and her back hunched forward. "I can't believe I did that…."
"You did, Weiss. You sure did," Yang reminded her teammate, grinning widely while patting her shoulder. "I'm so proud of you."
Weiss briefly looked up at a grinning Yang, only for her embarrassed blush to deepen before reburying her face into her hands. As Yang chuckled, Qrow shook his head as he leaned his shoulder against the iron bars, with the mysterious Jonah Hex sitting down across from him.
"Thanks for stepping in. You didn't have to," Qrow thanked the man, and Jonah waved him off.
"Wasn't doing it for you lot; that drunkard wasn't letting me drink in peace with all his blabbering," Jonah replied, and Qrow shrugged.
"Either way, much appreciated."
"Hmph," Jonah grunted, then looked through the bars into the other jail cells.
The saloon brawl resulted in dozens of arrests, leading to every cell being packed with bruised and beaten drunkards. Some attempted to glance in their direction, but the rest were absolutely terrified of them, especially the man whose insulting of Yang sparked the whole thing in the first place. Yang had taken great pleasure in showing him who the real 'bitch' was, and now he couldn't even look in her general direction. But Jonah was more focused on another cell that only housed four men, and he frowned as he recognized them.
"Is that the Duffer Brothers?" he asked, and Qrow nodded once he saw whom he was looking at.
"Apparently. They attempted to rob us on our way into town," he revealed. "Didn't turn out so well for 'em."
"Ain't that right?" Jonah asked, glancing up at Qrow and the girls he was with. He narrowed his eyes slightly, then released a sigh and admitted, "Well, that's disappointin'. Hunting them down is the only reason I came here to these parts, but it looks like you beat me to the punch."
"Sorry about that. It wasn't our intention," Qrow said, but Jonah waved him off.
"Not your fault. From what I saw in there, the Duffers got what they deserved try'na rob you."
"That they did," Qrow said, then returned to looking out the iron bars while trying to figure out how they would get out of there.
If push came to shove, they could easily pry the bars apart with their bare hands or break down the walls and walk out. 19th-century construction wouldn't hold a candle to Aura-boosted strength, and it wasn't like the sheriff and his deputies could hold them. But neither Qrow nor the others with him wanted to become jailbirds unless they had to.
That was when the door opened, and Qrow saw Ruby run inside. She frantically looked around to try and find her friends and family, and when she locked eyes with Qrow, her expression turned from worry to sheer anger. Qrow simply waved his hand at Ruby, and her glare deepened before she turned to face the sheriff.
"I am so sorry, sir!" Ruby apologized to the sheriff, who was frowning slightly. "What happened?"
"One of your friends started a bar brawl," the sheriff revealed. "Threw a glass at the back of a man's head."
"…Did they now?" Ruby asked, her tone growing angrier as she briefly faced her teammates again.
"Yep. Whole damn thing is just a mess," the sheriff complained while releasing a heavy sigh.
Ruby turned to the man, slightly bowed her head while clapping her hands together, then said, "I deeply apologize for their behavior, Sheriff."
"It's fine, don't worry about it," the sheriff said as he waved his hand. "My boys and I have been takin' statements, and from what we've heard, the man who got hit deserved it. Unfortunately, things tend to escalate in a saloon. Alcohol…it's the Devil's drink."
"I agree wholeheartedly," Ruby said while giving Qrow another glare. She then began to pull out the money she had on hand and asked, "How much is their bail?"
"It's already been paid. I've just been holding them for statements and was about to let 'em go when you walked in," the sheriff revealed, much to Ruby and everyone else's surprise.
"Really? Who paid it?" she asked, and the sheriff pointed to the still-sitting Jonah Hex.
"That gentleman over there," the sheriff answered. He then released another sigh and snapped his fingers at one of his deputies while saying, "Alright, get 'em outta there. The lot of you…don't go startin' any more trouble in my town. I won't be so courteous next time."
Holding up a ring filled with iron keys, one of the deputies walked over and unlocked the cell door. It was pulled open with a heavy groan as it scraped against the wooden boards, and an unrepentant Yang led the way out of it as she folded her hands behind her head.
"That's right, get outta here!" one of the drunken ranch hands tried to yell at her, only for Yang to grin wickedly and jolt in his general direction, causing him to yelp and fall backward in a desperate attempt to get away.
"Heh, that's what I thought," Yang said, then joined a frustrated Ruby at the front of the jailhouse. She smiled and moved to rub the top of Ruby's head, only for her sister to swat the hand away angrily.
"Come on, let's get out of here," she ordered while opening the door.
A slight sense of embarrassment finally registered for Yang as she received the full force of Ruby's disappointed glare. She then walked outside of the jailhouse, the rest of her team, Uncle Qrow, Imra, and Jonah right behind her. A fair amount of people were watching from the sidewalks, and a few more arrestees were being ushered in as they left. But Ruby and the others ignored them, passing the gathering groups to a more secluded area away from any would-be eavesdroppers.
When they felt that they were out of earshot, Ruby turned around to glare harshly at Qrow and hissed, "I can't believe you started a bar fight, Uncle Qrow! I told you not to start anything! After we all agreed to stay out of trouble!"
"I know, I know," Qrow replied, then shrugged. "But I didn't start it."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"He didn't, girl," Jonah gruffly answered, much to Ruby's surprise.
"…Oh," Ruby said, then shifted her ire to Yang. "Are you serious, Yang?! Just because Qrow didn't-!"
"She didn't start it, either," Jonah interrupted, stopping Ruby in her tracks.
A now somewhat more confused Ruby was looking at her friends and teammates with narrowed eyes, then shifted her gaze toward Blake and said, "Now, Blake—"
"I didn't do it, but I really wanted to," Blake cut her off.
Ruby blinked her eyes for a moment, then looked at Imra and said, "Imra, I don't know you that well, but—"
"I didn't start the fight, either," Imra revealed.
"Oh," Ruby said, then turned to look at the heavily scarred man with them. "I don't think I got your name, Mister?"
"Jonah Hex, and I didn't start the fight either," Jonah introduced himself. "Was actually trying to stop it from escalating before things went to hell in a handbasket."
Ruby's eyes briefly widened in recognition, but then she slowly turned her gaze to the only person she hadn't accused yet. Stupefied, Ruby looked at a crimson-blushing Weiss who couldn't match her gaze, then asked, "Weiss? You started a bar brawl?"
Weiss merely whimpered in embarrassment, which was only added to when Yang wrapped her arm around Weiss' shoulder and declared, "Oh, Ruby, you should've seen her. This guy came up to us and started insulting me, and I was doing my best not to punch him in his stupid face like you told me to. But Weiss…defends my honor by chucking a glass cup into his head. It was glorious, and I couldn't be prouder to call her my teammate."
"Shut up!" an extremely embarrassed Weiss demanded, only for Blake to add to the teasing.
"It was impressive, especially when you smashed an empty beer bottle into one of his friend's face," Blake said with a grin.
"Stop it!" Weiss begged.
"Remind me to tell your mother how you defended your friends with such…gusto when we get home," Qrow finished it off, and Weiss could only cover her face with her hat to let out an embarrassed scream into it.
Ruby, meanwhile, no longer felt angry. Instead, all she felt was surprise. Weiss was the last person she would've expected to start something as rowdy as a bar brawl, much less leap into it with open arms. When Weiss finally looked at her again, she muttered, "Huh…."
Weiss would've preferred Ruby to have yelled at her. But, instead, her mild disappointment and surprise felt even worse. Imra, meanwhile, turned towards Jonah Hex and said, "Thanks for paying our bail."
"Figured I might as well, seeing as how I got mixed into all this with you," Jonah said as he reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette and a match, then began to smoke. "So, where y'all from?"
"We're from out east, Metropolis," Imra answered.
"Metropolis, huh? I've been there once or twice. Bit too big for my tastes, however. Much better than Gotham, at any rate," Jonah said as he breathed out a puff of white smoke, some of which flowed out of the hole in his cheek.
"We lived in Gotham for a bit, too," Ruby revealed, getting over her disappointment and letting her excitement at talking to a living Old West legend take over. "It was rough, yeah, but it was nice!"
"Mm-hmm. If nothing else, Gothamites are tough," Jonah said, then dropped his cigarette and put it out under his boot. "I meant what year, by the way."
As soon as he said that, the group went quiet and stared at the bounty hunter. Jonah continued, "Yeah, I know what you are. It's quite obvious you're not from around here. The way you talk, the way you move and conduct yourselves. You're time-travelers; I'm gonna guess early 21st century."
He then pointed at a slightly frowning Imra and added, "Except for you. Your voice doesn't quite match up with your lips. It's subtle, but I've learned to read such things. And that ring on your finger…that's Legion, which means you're from the 31st. Am I wrong?"
Imra stayed quiet for a moment, then answered, "You seem very knowledgeable about such things, Mr. Hex."
"You ain't the first time travelers I've come across," Jonah revealed. "You'd be surprised how often it's happened."
"I can imagine," Imra said, then released a sigh and admitted, "Yes, we're time travelers."
"Thought so. May I ask what for? I don't know about the rest of your group, but you don't look to be the touristy type."
"We're chasing after a thief named Chronos. He stole an Apache war shield from a train scheduled to run through this area tomorrow."
"Which messed with time and threw everything out of whack. Am I following you correctly?" Jonah asked.
"Dinosaurs, Vikings, knights, and samurai started showing up in Metropolis, among other things," Blake confirmed, and Jonah nodded.
"Sounds about right. God damn it, why does this shit keep happening to me?" Jonah groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. After a moment, he looked back up and said, "Alright, let me grab my things, and we'll go stake out this train."
"Wait, 'we?'" Yang asked in surprise, and Jonah nodded.
"Yes, we. I'm involved in this now, whether you like it or not," Jonah declared.
"Not that we don't appreciate the help, but why?" Weiss asked, and Jonah looked at her.
"One, you lot accidentally took the bounty I was try'na get. Helping you with this job might lead to some compensation," Jonah answered while holding up a finger. "And two, the sooner we get this squared away, the sooner this mess gets fixed up, and you lot go back to where you came from. I've had enough experience with time travelers to know that the longer you stay around, the more likely it is for something else to come along and make things worse."
The time travelers looked at Jonah for a moment, then Ruby admitted, "Yeah, that's fair."
"Thought so. Now come on, let's get this over with," Jonah said, then turned around and began walking to the inn he was initially supposed to be staying in for the next few days. "By the way, you never actually said what year you're from."
"Oh, my friends and I are from 2019," Ruby cheerfully answered, only to notice that the rest of her team had stopped.
"Uh, Ruby? No, it's not," Weiss refuted. "It was 2019, but now it's 2020."
"…Huh?" Ruby muttered in confusion as she tilted her head to the side, especially when the others turned to look at Weiss in just as much confusion.
"It's not that, either. It's 2021," Blake said, but Yang fervently shook her head.
"You're all wrong; it's 2022!" Yang declared, then Qrow shrugged.
"I'm not used to Earth's calendar yet, but I distinctly remember the Watchtower celebrating New Year's for 2023," Qrow said.
As Ruby's head began to hurt, an irritated Jonah Hex asked, "Well, which is it, then?"
"Oh, no…" Imra muttered, then quickly tapped a few buttons on her holographic projection.
"What is it now?" an annoyed Jonah asked while the Remnantians tried to figure out why they each thought it was a different year.
"Team RWBY, Qrow, remember when I said that your native time period has a lot of different timelines, all diverging and converging constantly?" Imra asked, and Weiss nodded.
"Yes, why?" she asked, and Imra looked at her.
"Well, that extends to the current year," she revealed. "You're all correct."
"…Huh?" Ruby said, unable to comprehend what Imra was saying, while Weiss began to feel a migraine coming on, and Qrow, Blake, and Yang looked at the Legionnaire with baffled expressions on their faces.
"Thanks to your native timeline being so messed up, it is simultaneously 2019 to 2023 and beyond," Imra revealed. "What classifies as 'modern day' was constantly shifting and moving forward, but thanks to us rushing through our chronological traversal, all of you are now out of sync with each other.
"…You're kidding me?" Blake begged, but Imra shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. But, luckily, you should get back in sync with each other when we return to Metropolis."
Everyone stared at the Legionnaire silently for a few moments, then Qrow muttered, "I need another drink…."
Jonah grumpily added, "This is why I hate time travelers…."
That was enough for an exasperated and existential Ruby to scare everyone else on the street as she yelled, "WHAT YEAR IS IT?!"
[~][~]
Hello, everyone!, and Happy New Year! Here is the latest chapter of Hunters of Justice! Special thanks to Jesse K and NaanContributor for their help in bringing this chapter to life!
Originally, we were planning for this chapter to go a bit further, delving into Jonah's backstory and then the actual train job. But the chapter was getting too long, and so for pacing concerns we decided to cut the chapter off here. The Jonah Backstory section is already complete, though, so we've already started on the latest chapter.
To answer your guys' questions, Brainiac didn't know that Qrow had a thumb drive on him due to a combination of QRow's Semblance/skills and Brainiac's own arrogance. Remember, Brainiac knows he's the smartest person in the universe, so he tends to let his arrogance drive his attention elsewhere and overlook the smaller details. Also, there is no way in Hell Ozpin would ask Brainiac to do anything, much less would Brainiac consider doing anything to intervene in his experiments/observations.
As I've mentioned before, there will be no time travelling to the future, so no Terry McGinnis. We're just focusing on the Wild West.
There will be chapters/mini-arcs focused on JNPR, don't worry.
And yes, may Kevin Conroy rest in peace. He was my Batman growing up alongside Christain Bale. He will be missed.
Please use proper grammar and punctuation in reviews. Makes it easier for me to figure out what you guys are saying.
We don't have any information on the Summer Maiden other than she's most likely in Vacuo. Other than that, we got nothing, which isn't enough for me to want to show her in the flesh. I like to have my stories mesh with canon as much as possible, so when dealing with characters we know exist but haven't been named or shown they are referred to in the general sense. For example, Jaune's family outside of Terra, Saphron, and Adrian haven't been named or described. This is because I'm assuming we'll be meeting them eventually and I don't want to create new characters that canon will later deem non-canon, potentially leading to audience disconnect. The same applies to the Summer Maiden. We'll probably meet her in Volume 10 or something. Until then, I don't need to show her.
None of Team RWBY will be getting the Maiden powers, as in canon.
I will be showing more of Black Adam in the future, but I won't be doing a dedicated Black Adam arc. That's what the Captain Marvel arc was for.
Team RWBY are going to school, actually. Same with JNPR. They're just taking online classes on account of their superhero responsibilities.
Young Justice does not exist here. At most, they would be considered the Youth Corp of the Justice League that younger superhero teams like the Titans would fall under.
You guys will have to wait and see what Damian and Whitley's relationship is like, but I think you guys will like it.
You'll find out about Cinder eventually. Same with the other Lantern Corps.
Yep, that was a reference to For Honor. Felt too good to pass up.
I have gone over Ironwood's arc more times than I care to count. Simply put, I don't care if you didn't like what RT did, or if you think it was character assassination. It wasn't. James' fate was built up to ever since his first appearance back in Volume 2, and his fall from grace is one of RT's best arcs in RWBY. He was a hero turned villain, a tragedy of epic proportions. Besides, his plan was doomed from the start. RWBY messed up, yes, but it's not their fault Atlas fell. It was his. Do not bother trying to rebuke me on this regard. I don't care as I've heard it all before. Ultimately, this is my story and I feel that depicting Ironwood going along a similar path as he did in canon is for the betterment of my story, which is the most important thing.
Brainiac is the main antagonist for this story. As such, he is the biggest threat out there right now. Darkseid and other threats would be a Bigger Bad that doesn't really have a bearing on this story.
Glad you guys like the Camp Camp characters. I had a lot of fun writing them.
Once again, I do not take suggestions for my stories. I already have a plan in place and I don't intend to deviate from it. Also, do not bring up affairs from other boards in your reviews.
Let us know what you guys think. If any of you have a TV Tropes account, any assistance on updating the TV Tropes page would be greatly appreciated. We hope you enjoy!