Chapter 39: Reasons To Fight, Riddles To Solve
It had been hours since we'd arrived at Mountain Glenn, and the Grimm just refused to offer a moments peace. After I had killed that first group of Beowolves, even more Grimm had revealed themselves to us. Beowolves, Ursai, and Nightmare Maws… along with some I didn't recognize. One based on some kind of bipedal lizard, and another which resembled an elephant. The lizard went down easily, but the elephant refused to attack me, only giving me a harsh glare before moving to the outskirts of the ruined town.
Right now, the sun had begun to set, casting an orange glow over most of our surroundings. Another Beowolf pack had revealed themselves, and had begun to attack me. But it wasn't long before the tide had turned, and with a combination of smoke arrows, silent strikes, and quick movement, by the time the cloud of smoke had abated, all my foes lay dead on the ground, their bodies having begun to dissolve into wisps of smoke.
"What of you, Mr. Conway? What made you decide to embark on a Huntsman's path?" Dr. Oobleck's voice rang out, startling me slightly. Yanking my blade out of the final Beowolf, I flicked off the last of the blood, before watching it collapse away into my gauntlet, and I immediately came face to face with the doctor, as he sat on the edge of a crumbled fountain, which trickled softly with stale, stagnant water. Wiping some sweat free from my brow, I began to answer.
"What do you mean? Is this some kind of test?" I asked, struggling to get my breath back. Dr. Oobleck merely shrugged, and began to write down something in a notebook. I couldn't see what it was, but I had a feeling this was some kind of assessment. Seeing no way to escape the question, I decided to humour him.
"Well, when I arrived in this world, I only knew of one occupation: Hunter. That was all I had seen, and I fell in love with the idea of running around the world, helping everyone with their problems." I explained. Dr. Oobleck looked up and raised an eyebrow.
"I can understand how such a life would be of interest to you, but the police would also provide a similar lifestyle. My question is, why did you decide to become a Huntsman?" He asked.
"Um…" I paused, trying to think. For such a simple question, the answer was difficult to give. True, I became a Huntsman because I didn't know about anything else in RWBY. I loved the idea of action, helping the helpless, saving the day and getting the girl. But why was I attracted to it?
"I see." Dr. Oobleck said, before scribbling into his notebook, and walking away. I just stood there, the sun's glows warming my cheeks, as disappointment bubbled within me, along with one burning question.
Why become a Huntsman?
It was beginning to get dark, and the population of Grimm had taken an enormous downturn. Where they once littered the streets, prowling for their next meals, now the town was seemingly empty, as if the Grimm had been present for only a few days, instead of years. Looking up from my latest kill, I saw a blue flare soar into the sky. The signal to regroup. Yanking my blades free, I flicked the blood away, and watched as it collapsed into my gauntlet, before readjusting my rucksack, and heading back to where we had landed in the city.
Arriving in the square, I was greeted by the sight of Ruby playing keepaway with Zwei, using a whole roast chicken impaled on the end of Crescent Rose. I sighed, and shook my head: even if that was valuable food going to waste, Ruby and Zwei's cutesy look would soon shut down any form of objections. Looking up to see Dr. Oobleck approaching from another street, Ruby hastily removed the chicken from her weapon, and stowed both away.
"Sorry! So, uh, are we gonna keep going?" She asked, as the rest of the team appeared.
"No, I believe we've done enough today. It will soon be getting dark." Dr. Oobleck stated, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. Whirling around, he threw a bag towards Yang, who caught it with a grunt.
"You four, set up camp in… that building." He ordered us, pointing to a partially crumbled, but still standing four storey building. As we all turned to look at it, I looked back to Dr. Oobleck.
"What about you and Ruby, Doctor?" I asked.
"Ruby and I will secure the perimeter. We don't want any… unwelcome surprises in the night, do we?" He answered, before walking away. As Ruby turned to follow him, he looked back to us.
"Oh, and do make sure there are no more of those… creatures lurking about." He added, before resuming his pace, Ruby at his side.
"C'mon, we should move." Blake said, before turning to walk towards our campsite. We all followed her, and soon got to talking about the day's events, as we set up sleeping bags, rationed out food, and soon had a small campfire burning away. Most of the chatter was about two things: how many Grimm we had killed each, and whether we had seen any trace of the White Fang in the area. In all honesty, I had spent a little too much time focussing on not dying at the hands of the Grimm. But it was a moot point, as nobody had seen hide nor hair of the radical group.
"I can't believe we didn't find anything." Weiss scoffed, looking out of a crumbled wall and to the darkening sky.
"We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. I guess we can't always have luck on our side." Blake remarked offhandedly, as she continued to scribble in that book of hers. I didn't know what she was writing, and frankly, I didn't dare to ask. Just because Blake had revealed her secret past to us didn't mean we should pry any further.
"That's not what I meant." Weiss responded, looking back to the fire, and warming her hands against the blaze. Blake looked up in confusion.
"Huh?"
"Earlier, about... upholding the legacy. There's more to it than that." She clarified.
"Yeah... No, me too. I mean... I don't know." Yang agreed.
"I don't know, either. I know what I want to do, but I figured I'd always take things one step at a time." Blake sighed, snapping her book shut, and stowing it away.
"Sorry, but am I missing something here?" I asked, confused about what was happening. The girls looked to each other, before Weiss turned her gaze back to me.
"The professor asked us all about why he became Huntresses. Did he ask you too?" She inquired. I nodded.
"Yeah. I mean, I loved the idea of helping others. Ever since I came to Remnant, hell, even before then, whenever I saw movies and books about the hero who stops the villain and saves the day, I just wanted to stop anyone from stomping on the defenceless. But it feels like there's more to it than that." I explained, fishing in my bag for a granola bar, unwrapping it, and taking a bite. Yang just sighed.
"Sounds like you had a better time than we did." She said sadly, taking a bite out of a bread roll.
Swallowing, I looked to her.
"Whaddya mean?" I asked. The three girls looked to each other, before Weiss glanced at me.
"Well, I wanted to uphold my family's legacy. Carry the Schnee Dust Company forward, and free it from the controversies that surround it." She explained.
"I just wanted to fight injustice, but… how?" Blake breathed. Yang swallowed a mouthful of buttered bread, and finished up.
"I… I dunno. I just wanted to enjoy not knowing what'll come next." She sighed. I looked into the crackling flames, and shrugged. If neither Weiss, Blake or Yang could answer the same question…
"Hmm…"
"Ah, wonderful! A textbook campfire!"
Dr. Oobleck's voice startled us, as the professor suddenly appeared from nowhere, with Ruby and Zwei quickly rounding the corner after him. Ruby squealed quietly at the sight of the blaze, and dashed forwards, warming her hands against it, Zwei by her side.
"Very good! Eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Any volunteers for first watch?" Dr. Oobleck asked. Before he could even finish, Ruby raised her hand to volunteer, without even tearing her eyes away from the fire.
"Yo."
And with that, Dr. Oobleck sped away further into the building. As Ruby got up to take watch position, Yang stood up, and began to ask her something.
"Hey, did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to be a Huntress? I mean... what did you tell him?" Yang asked, a serious look in her eye. Ruby looked away briefly, deep in thought, before turning back to her.
"Hmm... No, he didn't. Weird. Oh, well; good night, guys!" She saluted, before taking position in a hole in the wall, with Crescent Rose at the ready and Zwei by her side. She looked down, and scratched his ears.
"Don't worry. Things will be better tomorrow." She reassured, looking back out to the night sky. As I lay down my head against the bundle of down, I tried to sleep. But no matter what, my eyes just wouldn't comply.
Things will be better tomorrow...
Somehow, I don't think so.
Tossing and turning on the sleeping bag, I just couldn't get comfortable. No matter where I lay, spiny pebbles dug into my back, and the harsh glare of the moon was helping in no way whatsoever. It just didn't seem like this night was going to bring me peace. What else was new?
"Blake, are you awake?" Yang's voice, even if it wasn't directed at me, roused me from troubled slumber.
"Yeah." She muttered, rolling onto her side.
"Why do you think he asked us about being a Huntress? Like, what was he trying to say?" Yang asked. Blake just shrugged.
"Maybe he was just curious." She responded, a little uncertainty in her voice.
"You think?" Yang asked, concern apparent with the question. Blake didn't answer for a bit, before rolling onto her back, and looking up at the starry sky through the shattered roof.
"No." She muttered. Yang looked into the embers of the crackling fire, before turning to Weiss.
"Weiss, are you awake?"
"Of course I'm awake! You two are talking." She snapped. Yang winced, as Weiss continued to talk.
"And I think he... When I said I wanted to honour my family's name, I meant it. But, it's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a... morally grey area." Weiss paused.
"That's putting it lightly." Blake muttered. Looking at Weiss, I half expected her to shoot the Faunus a dirty glare, but she did nothing of the sort. Instead, she hunched her shoulders, and continued to talk.
"Which is why I feel the need to make things right. If I had taken a job in Atlas, it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it." She finished, clenching her fist at the mention of her father. Blake sighed.
"All my life, I fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be not perfect for everyone." She explained. I just thought about that. The train job from before the series began must be what she was referring to, when Adam showed complete disregard for any of the innocent lives on the train.
"I joined the Academy because I knew that Huntsmen and Huntresses were regarded as the noblest of warriors in the world. Always fighting for good. But I never really thought past that. When I leave the Academy, what will I - how can I undo so many years of hate?" She finished.
"Hey, if anybody can, it's you." I reassured. Yang nodded at me, then looked back to Blake.
"Darrel's right. You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake." She reassured.
"But I am! I do it all the time! When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do, so I ran! When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran! Even my Semblance! I was born with the ability to leap behind a shadow of myself; an empty copy that takes the hit while I run away!" Blake vented, her voice cracking slightly.
"At least you two have something that drives you. I've just kind of always, gone with the flow, y'know? And that's fine, I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I wanna be a Huntress, not really because I want to be a hero, but because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing. Being a Huntress just happens to line up with that." Yang explained, rolling onto her front, and looking towards where Ruby was sitting as lookout, around the corner. I just propped myself up on my arm, and looked at her.
"Really?" I asked. Yang looked to me and nodded, before turning her gaze back to where Ruby was sitting.
"I'm not like Ruby, she's always wanted to be a Huntress. It's like she said, ever since she was a kid, she'd dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day, and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today." Yang finished.
"Well, she's still just a kid." Weiss interjected, with a hint of worry apparent in her voice.
"She's only two years younger. We're all kids." Blake pointed out.
"Well, not anymore. I mean, look where we are! In the middle of a warzone and armed to the teeth!" Yang sighed. No one spoke for a while, before a howl emanated from somewhere nearby. We all looked up, hands on weapons, ready just in case. But when nothing happened, we all relaxed, and I felt a familiar feeling deep in the pit of my gut. A sick feeling, one which I knew all too well since I'd arrived in Remnant.
Fear.
I sighed, deciding to get my issues out.
"At least you guys know what to do here. Me? I'm pretty much a pretender. I don't know what I'm doing half the time, so I just… pretend to know what to do. But to be honest, I'm out of my depth in a strange world filled with monsters." I summarized. Weiss looked to me through the fire.
"You've done alright so far, Darrel." She reassured. I just rolled onto my side to look at her.
"Maybe, but how long until I slip up? I just copy what I see you guys do, because it's all I really know. Even my Semblance copies yours. Anyone could have done what I've done in our fights. Riding Nevermores? Punching Boarbatusks? Blowing up Wahtani's stomachs? I've seen them all before, in movies, in games, whatever… and I just copy them. It's even the only reason I became a Hunter: because I only copied what you guys wanted to do." I finished. Blake sighed, while Weiss sat up, and gazed into the embers.
"Regardless, it's the life we all chose."
"It's a job. We all had this romanticized vision of being Hunters in our heads! But at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people! And whatever we want, will have to come second."
I rolled over, and thought about what we'd all said. Weiss wanted her family's company free from the controversial reputation, Blake wished for justice and equality between human and Faunus, and Yang only strived for a better tomorrow.
I, meanwhile, had been brought here to stop the apocalypse. A scared teen, with hardly any idea of how to fight, brought to a place where I didn't even belong, to save two worlds. No one wants that kind of burden. But I'd been saddled with it, and no matter what, I'd have to see it through, regardless of whether I wanted to or not.
Another howl. Chills down my spine, and not from the cold night air.
For the moment, I'd given up trying to rest, and was now huddled in a corner, a room away from the campfire. I'd pulled out my Scroll, and Adam's diary, and was now poring through it, trying to find any hint of the Reckoning. Who these "Founders" were.
But most of it was less viable, and more historical. Reports on army movements. Personal thoughts on supplies and troops. From what I could decipher, Adam and Eve had rebelled after a long period of servitude to their 'master race', some sort of warlike precursors that they knew only as the Founders. After Adam murdered his master, he helped Eve escape, and began to rally other seditious humans, creating a resistance movement, with the goal of a freed humanity.
It was not a simple venture: millions of lives were lost in the conflict, and humankind was pushed further and further back, until finally, their tactics had diverted from war and battle, to sabotage and subterfuge, and finally, down to survival. In the end, humanity stole a spaceship from the Founders, and travelled to Remnant's moon, where they began to construct a gateway, which would transport the remaining humans from one side of the galaxy to another, where they could colonize a new planet, free from the domineering influence of their overlords.
Unfortunately, the diary ended there, with the final entry detailing the oncoming attack from enemy forces, and how all simulations were to cease, with human trials to commence, effective immediately.
"What's the book?"
The soft voice made me jump slightly. Looking up, I saw Yang looking down at my cradled form, curiosity apparent on her tired eyes. I just sighed, and snapped it shut, resting it on my lap.
"Eh, just some journal I picked up in the library. Not important. What's up?" I asked. Yang just sat down on a rock beside me, and looked to me.
"Just woke up, saw your bag was empty." She explained, taking a seat on a nearby. I gave a wry smirk.
"Can't sleep. And not from lack of effort, either." I trailed off.
"Yeah, I getcha." Yang sighed. Neither of us spoke for what felt like ages, until Yang pointed to the book in my lap.
"You mind if I take a look?" She asked. I just shrugged, and passed it to her. She flicked it open, and began to rifle through the pages.
"Um, Darrel, there's nothing in this." She responded.
"What?"
"It's all blank pages." She explained, holding the book open to me, and showing a section of the diary, detailing the infiltration of a supply cache, with scrawled maps and scribbled plans.
"But… I can see writing in it, I swear." I protested.
"So how come you can see it, but I can't?" Yang asked. Now that was a good question. I thought about this for a long, long time. If I could see it, but Yang couldn't… The ink had appeared suddenly, after I'd cut my finger on it. Maybe…
"Yang, could you try to get some blood on it?" I asked. Yang flinched slightly.
"Beg pardon?"
"I couldn't see the writing initially, but after I got a paper cut, the writing appeared to me. Maybe that might have something to do with it." I theorized. Yang just nodded, and pressed one of her fingers against a page, grimacing as she sliced her finger open on the paper's edge, her blood staining the pages. She looked to the book, sucking her finger dry of blood as she did so, as did I, waiting for something, anything to happen.
Waiting…
Waiting…
Waiting…
"…nothing's happening."
I sighed. It was a long shot. I mean, after all, what I had done was just a fluke. For all I knew, it wasn't my blood that had triggered it.
"Fascinating…"
Both Yang and I whirled around, weapons drawn, to find Dr. Oobleck standing over us. If I had to say one thing about Oobleck, when he moved, it was as quiet as a whisper. You'd never even know that he had moved, unless you were watching where he had just been, and where he had just appeared.
"My apologies, but I heard you two talking in here, and I was curious. So this… diary… you can see it, Mr. Conway?" He asked me. I nodded, and he turned his gaze to Yang.
"And yet, you can't, Ms. Xiao Long?" He continued. Yang also nodded. Dr. Oobleck put his hand onto his chin, deep in thought.
"No, it doesn't seem possible… and yet… after all this time..." He muttered. Yang and I looked to each other, then back to Oobleck.
"Care to fill us in?" I asked. He didn't respond for a few seconds, before suddenly becoming aware of the question posed to him.
"Beg your pardon?" He asked.
"What are you thinking about, Doc?" Yang reiterated. Dr. Oobleck just sighed, and lowered his voice to a whisper.
"I have heard rumours, stories… about information that could be sealed from prying eyes… but I had just assumed them to be fables…" He trailed off. Getting annoyed, I quietly clicked my fingers into his ear, regaining his attention.
"Oh, yes. There are accounts of written texts discovered from historical sites, but all have proven impossible to decipher, some of which even appeared to simply be blank pages. But old documents seemed to suggest that upon the detection of specific biochemical proteins coded to a particularly unique subject-"
"Doc, in English, please." I stated. Oobleck simply gave me a harsh glare.
"Blood, Mr. Conway. That book may be afflicted with a blood seal." He finished.
My mind went a million miles an hour at that. Adam had cursed his diary, with a blood seal? But to accomplish what? If he was departing for Earth, knowing he would never return, why would he leave behind such a weapon? And how did it even get into Beacon Academy's library in the first place? It didn't add up.
"But I offered blood, and it didn't work. Why's that?" Yang asked. Oobleck turned to her.
"I could offer you a slew of theories, but my most likely hypothesis is that your blood is not suitable to reveal that book's secrets." He answered, before looking at a watch on his wrist.
"Good heavens! It's almost time for you to take watch, Ms. Xiao Long. Hurry along now!" He chided, before zipping away. Yang looked to me, as I shot a glance at her.
"Yang, until I figure this out, don't say a word to anyone else, okay?" I pleaded. She just nodded, and walked back to the campsite. I shoved the diary into my rucksack, and began the long trek back to my sleeping bag.
This had not been a pleasant night.
But at least it couldn't get worse.
Yes, yes, cliffhanger, I know. I'm an arse.
Anyway, RTX AU in 2 days! Woohoo!