Disclaimer: Anon Noir and Billy Bombastic do not own RWBY. RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum (RIP).
Anon and Billy Productions present…
Vytal's Hope
Episode 7: A Lotus in the Wind
It had been almost a month since docking at the port city of what the locals called "Lower Cairn". And already my rations had been reduced to just a few weeks worth of it. A cloaked figure wrote as he drove a wagon through the thick forests of Vale.
He sighed as he continued to write.
Ever since docking, as well as procuring this book which I now use to journal my journey and… "borrowing" a wagon I use to store my rations as well as personal belongings of mine, I feel like I have been watched. He paused as he looked around, before lowering his straw hat and continued.
This was not some Creature of Grimm, although I sometimes hoped it was, as I've encountered several during my trek. For I had not heard of a Creature of Grimm that can stalk their prey for almost a month at most, moreso stalking them from inside a settlement like a city.
The figure briefly looked up to see a large gate of a fortress ahead.
So it was either something else… or someone else. Regardless, whoever or whatever they are, they cannot stop me from completing what I have come to do here, from finding what I seek.
He heard a voice calling out to him, but ignored it.
My best and only hope, or at least my only choice in the matter, was Vale. Stories tell of their "River of Magic" which flows in the heart of their city, but they can keep their "forest magic" to themselves, for I come seeking knowledge.
The figure kept hearing the voice but ignored it again.
Knowledge that not even the so-called "Great Mistrali Archives" have. I seek a cure.
He heard that voice becoming a shout before multiple voices talked amongst themselves.
A cure to the disease which plagues my home, my clan… and my mother. A cure which can only be known by the one they call, "Ozpin".
THUD! NEIGH!
Feeling his wagon stop, Lie Ren looked up from his journal to see an arrow that barely missed his horse.
Scowling, he pocketed his pencil when he heard the whistle of another arrow towards him before he held his hat and flipped backwards towards the bed of his wagon, landing before looking up with a glare as he closed his book and pocketed it.
"That's as far as your horse can trot!" A voice called out from above the gate which he arrived at.
"And unless your ears are still clogged with Nevermore shite, I suggest you state your business, otherwise we'll have to take out the shite for you, and your ears, and shove them up your-!"
"That's enough, Sergeant." Another voice on the ground called out as a man with fancy looking armour compared to the rest approached the man with sword in hand.
"I think he heard your warnings based on his reaction. Have you?" The man, the captain, Lie suspected, asked.
"Yes, I have." Lie responded evenly.
"Well, I believe that's enough of a reaction." The captain said amusedly before becoming serious.
"Now, just state your business, have us inspect your wagon- assuming this is yours, and if everything is in order, you can be on your way." The man ordered in a calm tone.
Lie looked at the captain for a moment before speaking up.
"I am a merchant from Mistral, seeking to restock my wares in the city." Lie uh… lied.
"I have heard much of Vale's market district, and I hope to go seek what I wish there. Is this what you needed to hear?" He said the last part with snark and a bit of bite.
The armoured man seemed deep in thought before replying.
"Yes, precisely. Now if you would please step out of the wagon and have my boys inspect it?"
Lie soon enough stepped out without much of a word and let the guards snoop around for any suspicious items, of which he himself knew there would be none.
Because most of them are in his person, and he knew the laws of this land do not condemn the owning of personal weapons.
"I must say, for you to venture this far from Mistral of all places. It's a miracle you made it this far alive." The captain commented but received no reply from the cloaked man.
"Well anyways, everything does seem to be in order." The captain said as Lie hopped back on his wagon and urged the horse forward.
"Watch yourself, merchant. And try not to be a deaf ear, one can never know the dangers that lurk out there." The captain warned.
You have no idea. Lie thought as he smirked underneath his bandana.
Days passed as there were sleepless nights and Lie Ren had elected to make camp for the night on a small clearing in the forest, overlooking the city's inner walls.
Lie ate a bundle of bread and dried meat from a ration bag as he stared at the fire.
He then sat into a full lotus position as he breathed deep as he focused on his soul, recalling the words his parents once told him when he was little as he recited them.
Magic and Aura. Two strings, cut from the same cloth.
Magic is fire, burning and enlightening. Aura is water, cooling and nourishing.
Magic, the Aura of Nature; Aura, the Magic of Man. Coexistent, Independent.
Alone, they are powerful. United as one, they are invincible.
Lie breathed deep once more, focusing on his Aura. And like a pebble on water, it rippled, he could feel the forest's energy but could not tap into its power. Only that he could feel the souls of every living being around him, from the tiniest worm to even the mightiest trees.
Such is the nature of an Auralite. Lie mused before opening his eyes.
WHISTLE!
He leaned his head sidewards, narrowly dodging the arrow as it planted itself on a nearby tree.
Hearing more arrows, Lie flipped from his full lotus and landed, but not before dropping a smoke bomb.
As the thick smoke covered his surroundings, Lie focused on his Aura, directing it onto his eyes before he shot them open.
His view darkened as he spotted several licks of fire in varying colours behind several bushes and trees.
Ten men, four in the trees, six on the ground. Lie counted as he nocked an arrow.
As his vision returned to normal, a large brute charged from the shrubbery and through the smoke, claymore in hand.
The brute swung in a downward arc, but Lie dodged right and fired.
SQUELCH!
The brute yelled in agony as his left eye was pierced through before he was stabbed to death, courtesy of Lie's dagger.
Pulling the arrow out, Lie studied the corpse.
No markings of any bandit clan that I know, although… Lie noticed a distinct tattoo on the side of the brute's neck.
I feel like I've seen that Will-O'-The-Torch symbol somewhere, worrying… He frowned before hearing another grunt come rushing out.
Lie deflected a sword strike with his bow before whacking the side of the grunt's head before sweep kicking him to the ground.
WHISTLE!
Lie sharply turned to catch an arrow that was dangerously close to his face before twirling and firing said arrow.
He heard a yell of pain followed by a thud before hearing a groan of pain behind him as he turned to slit the throat of the downed grunt, ending his suffering.
Three down, seven to go-! Lie felt the ground shake as he jumped out of the way, just in time as a grunt came digging out, his hands glowing a distinct yellowish-green hue.
"Time to die!" The grunt yelled with a mad look in his eyes as he raised his hands as the ground shook once more.
Lie jumped out of the way again just as sharp wooden spikes suddenly jutted out of where he once was.
Warlocks. He thought venomously as he charged towards the Warlock.
Lie nocked a red-tipped arrow and fired, only for the arrow to hit a wall made of earth.
"Is that all you got?!" The Warlock mockingly asked.
Foolish. Lie countered in his head as he snapped his fingers and suddenly the arrow burst into strange, green flames. The flames then spread through the earth wall before engulfing the Warlock, as he screamed in pain and agony,
And as the Warlock screamed, Lie was then knocked back by something, as he was sent tumbling across the ground.
He groaned as he struggled to get up. Lie saw a jade green light flickering along the length of his arm and his entire body.
Not good, I don't think my Aura can last for long. Lie thought as he saw another brute armed with a mace walking with an arrogant gait towards him.
The brute chuckled with wicked intent as he slowly approached Lie, but before he could deal the final blow, his vision was suddenly obscured by a cloud of red smoke.
Taking the initiative, Lie slid behind the brute and fired an arrow to the brute's heel, forcing him to go down as the Mistrali held the large man in a chokehold with help from his bow.
"Come on…" Lie muttered before with one swift swipe, he snapped the man's neck, finishing the brute off.
As he released his hold on the corpse, Lie panted as his Aura slowly recovered.
I should head back to the wagon. He thought, sneaking his way back.
As Lie slowly made his way back to his encampment, he could spot the four remaining grunts looting his wagon.
It's not even mine to begin with, although I'm keeping the horse. Lie decided, before shooting a grey-tipped arrow near the feet of the grunts.
With a snap of his fingers, the arrow exploded into a cloud of smoke.
Those are two arrows down, I might have to restock. Lie sighed before regaining focus as the grunts coughed.
Without a second to lose, the cloaked man rushed towards the four. He shot one grunt in the head before pulling out his dagger and gutting another.
As the smoke cleared, the head grunt and his other lackey retaliated.
The head grunt charged with reckless abandon, blade in hand, as the other grunt fired several arrows.
Lie dodged some of the arrows as he crossed blades. But a few hit their mark, he grunted as one scraped his shoulder, leaving him open to a devastating kick to the gut from the leader which would've killed an ordinary man, but it only served to knock Lie back to the ground.
Aura's all but spent. Lie cursed as he rolled out of the way, the grunt's blade narrowly missing. He quickly stood to nock another arrow to shoot when-!
GROWL! HISSSS!
The distinct growl and hiss of the twin headed King Taijitu was all but enough of an opening for Lie as he heard its slithering grow closer and louder.
Throwing his last smoke bomb, he retreated to the safety of a thick tree branch.
As he heard the confused cries of the two remaining grunts, he could also hear the slither of the King Taijitu growing ever closer.
It was here that Lie opted to sit in a full lotus, focusing on his recovering Aura and direct it on to his entire body, slowly coating himself in a jade green glow.
Then all of a sudden, he saw that his clothes started to turn grey, even his skin started to turn grey. And as this greyness spread throughout his body, he saw the glow slowly dim and he started to feel… at ease.
He felt the weight of his mission, his worries, leaving him.
Until he finally felt at peace, tranquillity.
Calm and collected, Lie barely registered the large serpent Grimm that passed by him without so much as a glance in his direction, as if he was never there.
What's more, he could barely even register the horrified, blood-curdling screams from down below…