Author's Notes;
-Hey guys, hope you're doing well. Also, sorry for no updates in a long while, but I have my reasons. Let's just say that 2022... has not been kind to me so far (for a variety of reasons...) Looks like my prediction from the last chapter's author's notes couldn't have been more wrong...
Also, I worked hard to try and make this a good chapter. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it!
Sometime later, Ruby and co. were in the forests of Anima. Ruby held onto the reins of a mule, pulling a wooden cart with Nora, Ren and Jaune sitting in it. All of their baggage was in the back of the cart, along with a wooden coffin.
Dark grey clouds covered the land, making the forest seem even darker. Despite this, the young warrior was not saddened or scared. Instead, she was smiling, happy to be on the road with her friends.
"I must say, we are making good time." the silver-eyed girl told her teammates.
"Indeed we are." Ren spoke. "I'm just glad we haven't had to fight the Trojan Alliance in a week."
Nora grimaced. "I think we got ripped off. He should have given us a real horse. I swear, mules are so slow."
The mule appeared to be upset by her remark. "Just be thankful that we got anything at all." Ren remarked. "Do you know how hard it would be to carry a coffin, especially with a dead person in it? And that's counting the rest of our baggage."
"Hopefully we don't encounter any more trouble." Ruby said.
I just hope we don't see Crimson again... If we do, it'll be ugly. Jaune thought.
"You okay, Jaune?" she asked. "You've been awfully quiet for a while."
"I'm fine." he lied.
A moment of silence passed. "Is this about Crimson?"
He sighed. "It doesn't make sense. Saphron had told us, us being the entire Arc family, that Crimson was called to protect Aslolis two years ago, and she hadn't been heard from in over a year before the CCT system went down. The youngest of her daughters was calling her one day and she seemed to be running away from someone or something and the line cut. No one knew what had happened to her. Most of us presumed that she was kidnapped or more likely eaten by a Grimm. But now... she's here, she's lost her mind and she's turned from greedy to rogue huntress."
"Jaune, I know you must be upset about your aunt joining the Trojan Alliance, but she might not be evil; she might just be misguided." Pyrrha's voice spoke from inside the coffin.
"I thought the dead weren't supposed to speak." Ren reminded her.
"Sorry!" Pyrrha apologized.
Jaune looked away in sorrow, looking at the trees they passed by. "You think you know somebody... but then you don't."
How did this happen? he wondered.
"Look on the bright side," Ruby began. "At least we haven't fought the Trojan Alliance in a week. This coffin act has been preventing a lot of conflict."
The knight smiled. "You're totally right there. We should have done this earlier. Atum mentioned that he and his team should fake Pyrrha's death so that the remains of what was once the Scarlatti Trojan Alliance could go home. Their loss and our gain."
"They mentioned bringing a wax mold of her head back to Scarlatti, and there's no way of knowing whether or not she would be smart enough to realize it's a fake." Ren reminded them.
"Honestly, they should have just kicked her butt out of that office." the hammer girl said. "I know it's unlikely we'll ever go back there, but if we do, I am so breaking her legs."
Jaune looked at his teammate with some concern. "What is it with you and wanting to break people's legs?"
There was no answer before Ruby asked, "Hey um, Jaune? Do you think that this coffin/fake death plan will work in the long run?"
"We've fooled the Trojan Alliance four times in a week." Jaune put his arms back. "At the rate we're going, we should be able to get to Mistral without any more problems."
Nora sighed. "I hope you didn't just jinx us again."
"Again?" He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean again?"
"Remember the tavern?" the lotus warrior reminded him. "You shouted out at the bartender that we knew he and the tavern patrons were trying to kill us, and then a big bar fight started. Not exactly the smartest move."
"Well what would you have done differently?" Jaune posed.
"I would have asked him to taste a bit of the food he prepared, and/or then asked for a replacement. Once he was distracted, we'd sneak away."
"But wouldn't the bartender notice us leaving?"
"Crud, you may have a point there. Still, there are better ways to handle the situation."
Not like it matters now... Ren thought.
The leader of team JNPR slumped, his back against the coffin. "Man, I am an idiot."
"Jaune, you are not an idiot." Pyrrha was then shown inside the coffin, Milo and Akouo safely in place on the wall above her. "You're learning. Wisdom comes from experience. The unfortunate thing is that sometimes we have to learn the hard way."
Like I did... she thought.
She closed her eyes, tuning out the sounds of the wheels and the steps of the mule as she allowed herself to return to her dead state.
Yang found herself in the streets of Vale, riding her motorcycle at a gradual speed. It was a cloudy day, casting this perpetual gloom.
Damn, this is depressing. she thought. I've heard many say that the cloudiness never seems to leave... As if this entire land is cursed... A shiver crawled up her spine. Cursed? Could it be true?
She heard a bell being rung. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an open-air trolley cart going around. There were a few seats at the bar, and several bottles of alcohol overhead. And she couldn't believe who was piloting the trolley...
"Ice drinks!" Hei Xiong called. "Get your iced drinks here!"
The blonde brawler blinked in disbelief. "Junior?"
The trolley cart came to a stop before her, its bell silenced, and the owner smiled nervously. "Well, hello there Blondie."
For a moment, Yang was left speechless. "Surprised that you're still here."
"Unfortunately, yes. I tried continuing my business in the aftermath of Beacon's fall, but alas, it was ultimately unsuccessful."
Yang parked her motorcycle against the trolley and looked on, more in curiosity than sympathy. She stepped onto the trolley and sat on a bar-top stool. "What happened?"
Junior sighed. "With the death of Roman Torchwick, Vale's underworld fell into chaos. The Grimm may have been confined to Beacon Academy, but the criminal underworld had opened its gates into this city. Roman's associate, a criminal named Neopolitan, has risen as the Queen of Thieves in Vale. However, thanks to her illusion making semblance, no one knows what she truly looks like, making it impossible for the authorities to track her down. Not to mention other criminals and fallen heroes rose to power and started causing chaos. She recruited many criminals to her cause, including all of my henchmen. Even the Malachite Twins deserted me! Not to mention, Neo betrayed me, leaving me with no money! With no staff, and my club still being in ruins from Blake's fight against Neo..."
Yang appeared shocked. "Wait. Hold up. You mean Blake Belladonna?"
"Yes, that was her. Well, anyway, after the Black Loophole was destroyed by their fight, I realized that I didn't have enough money to repair the shop. I also realized that the Xiong Family no longer had the power we once possessed due to... well, a wide variety of factors. After three months, I had no power, no staff, no money, thanks to Neo stealing it, and a destroyed club. So I decided to give up the crime business and take my business on the road. Salvaging what I could from the club and the items civilians left behind in their homes, I took my business on the road and soon found a historical trolley cart from a museum. I've been selling drinks ever since. I've managed to make decent money from heroes and villains alike, so I got something going for me at least."
"Really?"
Hei Xiong nodded. "Um-hmm. Now if I recall correctly, you ordered a drink the very first time you came here and never got it. You look like you're old enough to drink. Now, what was it? I'm trying to remember... Oh! Strawberry sunrise. No ice. And a little umbrella."
"You remembered. How cute."
Yang watched as he made her drink, even adding a red umbrella to it to top it off.
Junior noticed her mechanical arm. "You look like you've been through a lot. This one's on me." As he handed it to her, he asked, "Have you ever had a drink before?"
She slightly shrugged. "Yeah, once. Tried a glass of Merlot from my uncle. Wasn't a big fan." She took a sip. "Mmm. This is really good. I'll be sure to savor it."
"You're not going to drink it all at once?"
"Well, I'd rather not be taken advantage of in a city of criminals. Also, it would be wise to not drink and drive."
The newfound bartender smiled. "Smart lass."
"I would hope so, after everything that happened."
She took another small sip.
Junior stared at her right arm. "So what happened? If I might ask?"
Yang would admit that she was not very close to him, but being honest (and wanting to kill time to pace herself), she told him the story of how she lost her arm, the aftermath, gaining the new arm, her therapy sessions with Madame Mallari, and how she rose up to fight again. By the end of it, her drink was half-full and Junior looked at her shock.
"Damn." He sat down next to her. "And I thought I had problems."
"Honestly, considering the state of the world, who doesn't?"
She took another sip.
"So what brings you back here to Vale?" Junior asked.
"I'm looking for my own sister. But I know she's far from this place."
"Last I saw her, she was helping to save civilians. But that was on New Year's Eve, many months ago. Rumors say that Charles Mustard went off the rails and lost all his marbles."
The former Beacon student raised an eyebrow. "Professor Mustard? I thought he already lost his marbles."
"His... mental state has been in decline for years." Junior clarified. "But more recently, he developed an unhealthy grudge against Pyrrha Nikos and even set buildings on fire just to kill her!"
Yang gasped. Her left arm shook, and she shook her arm as she took a gulp of her drink, trying to soothe her nerves.
"Yeah, it wasn't pretty. Thankfully Pyrrha and her teammates caught him. However, due to Neopolitan's reign, there were no jails to place him in. God only knows if Mustard is still alive or not. My guess is that they had to kill him before they reached Sumire."
The blonde brawler sat in somber silence, mourning a man who lost his mind.
"How did he get to be this way?"
"No one truly knows, not even me. Some say he learned something with his semblance he was never supposed to learn, and that he hasn't been the same ever since. Others say that the amount of knowledge he gained from using his semblance overwhelmed him but he couldn't stop because he wanted to have all the knowledge in the world. Did you ever have any classes with him?"
She shook her head. "No, but I know a few people who did have classes with him at one point. Team CFVY had him for a dustology class during their first year, and they each had varying opinions about him. Coco says that he gave her bad vibes, Fox didn't see anything wrong with him, even though he can't see at all, Velvet was just happy to have a professor who respected her faunus heritage and Yatsuhashi had mixed feelings about him."
"Hmm... How peculiar."
A few more moments passed by, in which Yang took three more sips of her drink. She had a quarter of her drink left.
"So how long do you think you'll be here?" Junior asked.
"Not too long I hope. Really I'm just passing through. I'm adventuring with many goals in mind."
"I see. I thought you may have come here to help out the remaining Beacon staff with the Grimm situation at the academy."
"Sadly no. Although I feel bad... Knowing that there's so much gloominess that has risen over the city and that there's very little I can do to help."
The tormented ex-trainee took another sip of her drink. "There might not be much that you can do. Unless you know what Neopolitian looks like."
"Actually, I think I do. I've encountered someone called Neo once or twice during my days at Beacon. Although, you seem to know what she looks like. Why don't you say anything?"
"I can't." The former bar owner tensed up. "I'm under oath to not rat her out due family history. If you tell the authorities what she looks like, well, you'll be gone by the time she figures it out so you should be fine. And that's if she's smart enough to connect the dots..."
"Well, I know something I have to do before I leave Vale then. I should probably also thank Glynda and the staff for recovering the missing piece of Ember Celica."
"Sounds like you'll be busy. Hopefully they'll catch that dastardly traitor and throw away the key."
"If they don't think she's too dangerous to live."
"Oh they actually have a prison to store her in."
Yang blinked. "They do?"
"Oh yes. Since team JNPR and Ruby were here they managed to secure a prison stronghold, but they only have one, and it is supposedly very crowded."
"Well, that's some good news. I can drink to that."
With this declaration, Yang finished what was left of her drink.
"I would advise you to be careful with your alcohol consumption."
"Oh I'm sure I'll be fine."
"You think you can drive?" he asked.
"I think so."
She got up from her seat and hopped off the trolley.
"One more thing. Think I can get that kiss you said you'd give to me?"
Yang grinned. "Don't push your luck."
He shrugged. "Eh, can't win 'em all. Good luck out there."
"Thanks, and to you as well."
With this, the blonde brawler back again hopped back onto her motorcycle and drove off.
Later that day, Ruby and co. were still in the forest. It was still the same color of sky, with no way of telling when the sun would set. There was dead silence as the group went along.
Jaune turned to the coffin, asking softly, "You still alive back there?"
"Yeah." Pyrrha softly yawned. "I was taking a nap."
"Sorry."
"It's okay." Pyrrha whispered, shown inside her coffin. "I know it's... disconcerting, but don't worry. We'll see justice done."
"You halt!" a male voice yelled outside.
"Aw crud." Ruby muttered.
I hope they didn't hear her... she prayed.
Outside, the heroes stopped their carriage and saw a number of Trojan Alliance members, including two police officers. Leading this pack was Wyatt Forest. They too stopped their cart and they soon saw the gun strapped over his back.
Oh boy. Jaune thought. Here we go again...
"Can we help you guys?" Ruby asked clearly.
"This is the Trojan Alliance, commander Wyatt Forest speaking." the rogue huntsman began. "We're seeking Pyrrha to be given trial in Shion. If you surrender her peacefully, maybe we won't have to hurt you."
"If you're seeking to kill Pyrrha, then I'm afraid you're out of luck." Nora sobbed, tears falling from her face. "She's dead! She's dead and she's never coming back!"
Wyatt Forest looked at Ren. "Is this true?"
He nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so. Her will stated that she wished to be buried in her homeland, and we are taking her back to Mistral. We do not wish to fight you, so before you try to engage in combat, know that your efforts are for nothing."
The huntsman raised an eyebrow as the view shifted back to the inside of the coffin. "Really?" he asked off-screen. "We've heard a lot of reports that you have been dragging her corpse around in a coffin. Where is it?"
Pyrrha tensed, softly breathing to calm herself.
"Right there," Ruby answered.
"Put it up against the wagon." he ordered.
Outside, Nora lifted the coffin and set it against the frame of their weapon. Pyrrha tensed and bit her tongue to prevent herself from screaming. "Open it."
At this, Ruby, Nora and Jaune tensed, the facade beginning to crack. Still, the Valkyrie opened the coffin and allowed him to look inside.
"Hmm... she looks dead." Wyatt noticed her stillness. "No movement. Her eyes aren't reacting to the little light outside."
"I don't know boss," a police officer told him. "how do we know she isn't faking it?"
"Check her vital signs." the second officer advised.
Wyatt went forward. "Good idea."
Damn it. Usually they believe us from the coffin or resting alone! Jaune cursed. This plan is about to fall apart!
The rogue huntsman reached his left arm out to place his fingers to her neck.
Well, time to break out of the coffin. Pyrrha thought.
At that moment, Pyrrha opened her eyes and punched him right in the face.
He landed into a tree and cursed, "Crap! She's alive!"
Pyrrha got up as though she was a reanimated corpse, and used her semblance to retrieve her weapon. Unfortunately, she had shots incoming. Fortunately, Ren and Jaune protected the group with aura shields as the "dead girl" activated her semblance once again. She quickly disarmed the Trojan Alliance members with a wave of her hand, their metal swords and guns tossed away from them.
"Hey!" a man exclaimed.
"Our weapons!" a woman cried out.
The first cop growled at her. "You witch! You're under arrest!"
He ran and tried to slap some aura-canceling handcuffs on her, only to miss her wrist by a few inches. Some of the warriors, including Wyatt, took the opportunity to retrieve their weapons.
"I don't take orders from corrupt cops." she responded.
The spartan warrior used her spear to strike the cops in their left and right arm, causing them to bleed. She followed with a roundhouse kick to keep them down, disorienting them.
As Pyrrha worked to take down the cops, Ruby spun her scythe around to deflect incoming bullets from the Trojan Alliance soldiers who picked up their guns. Nora used her hammer to knock down a tree, forcing her attackers to retreat... only to find themselves shot in the back by Ren. Jaune knocked a few guys down with his sword.
The cops fumbled around for supplies to patch up their injuries, Pyrrha took the opportunity to swipe their handcuffs and bind the first officer.
"Ow! What the?!"
Soon she handcuffed the other one as Wyatt also recovered his gun and ran into the forest.
"Curse you, Pyrrha Nikos!"
She spun the keys around on her fingers before widening her eyes in terror.
Jumping back into the fray, she blocked a few gunshots fired at Nora with her Polarity and threw them back at their senders. The soldiers scrammed every which way in an effort to dodge the bullets, with offscreen groans heard.
Nora gently smiled. "Thanks, Pyr."
"Don't mention it."
One of the gunsmen was groaning, bleeding from his arm. "Whhhhhhhyyyy?"
The gunsmen put their weapons aside and retrieved wooden swords and wood staves. Pyrrha manually disarmed her foe, snapping their stick in half and throwing the staff halves at two other TA fighters. She did the same thing several times, alternating between throwing the staves at her opponents, fighting them with their own confiscated weapons, spearing them in the arm, and using staves and swords to trip up her foes.
Soon enough, they were all knocked down. Nora looked around, seeing the unconscious Trojan Alliance members. "Is that all of them?"
Reinforcements appeared about twenty feet before them, quickly approaching the quintet.
"I'm afraid not." Pyrrha answered.
Ruby soon noticed Wyatt's absence. "Hey, where's Wyatt?"
Behind them in a patch of trees, Wyatt fired his gun at the group, rapid rounds aimed at the heroes. The reinforcements joined in. Ruby screamed as she turned around and quickly twirled her scythe. Jaune put up his shield as Ren put up an aura shield. Nora tried spinning her hammer to defend herself, but the bullet still hit her in the gut. Even though aura protected her, she was still sent flying back.
Jaune dodged the swings of wooden swords from the reinforcements as he tried to find the rogue huntsman. "Damn it, where is he?"
Pyrrha looked around, her shield on her left arm and spear in the same hand. With her right, her hand glowed on and off as she sensed Wyatt's gun nearby. Her vision was highlighted in red, showing his supposed location behind several throngs of trees. She charged forth, weathering her way through the bullets of the reinforcements soldiers.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going after Wyatt. He said he was the commander. He must know who's behind all this."
"Wait." Jaune took her hand. "Be careful. We don't know what tricks he has up his sleeve."
"Will do."
With this, he let her go and she ran into the forest. Her hand pulsed with a black glow, using it to pinpoint Wyatt's location.
Over there. the Mistralian champion thought.
She silently crept forward and continued activating and deactivating her semblance until she saw him. She hid against a tree to remain out of sight.
"Where are you, witch? Show yourself!"
At this moment, she disarmed him with a wave of her hand, lodging his gun into a far off tree. She approached him angrily, her weapon raised.
Wyatt began to panic. "Wait, you wouldn't attack a defenseless huntsman would you?"
The spartan warrior glared at him. "Do you think I'm above such actions? You're no better! You're part of a tyrannical hate group that only causes trouble to achieve your so-called justice!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Do you truly think you're noble? Prove it! Fight me without your weapon."
"Very well then." She put her weapons behind her back. "I'll accept your rules, but if I defeat you, you must tell me what I want to know."
"You'll regret that, red-head!"
The two dashed towards each other.