"YOU'VE SENT US ON A DEATH MARCH!?" Yang's tone did not hold back the fury burning within her words, and it was only exasperated further as her semblance flickered for just a second, yet that was all it was; a flicker. She lacked the inflicted violence to draw any more power, and still it seemed her instance of rage was enough to draw Ozpin's attention.
"I didn-" He never got to finish his words before Oscar's body was pulled up by the collar, and strangely enough it had been Qrow to do this. The man was just as hateful as Yang with his accusations.
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! WHY, WHY DIDN"T YOU TELL US SHE WAS IMMORTAL?! DID YOU EVER HAVE A WAY TO DEAL WITH HER, OR WAS THIS JUST A WASTE OF TIME!?" Qrow steeled himself for a moment, doing his best to reign in his emotions. His glare still held that rage, even if his tone lowered slightly. "How many have you sent to their deaths knowing they couldn't stop Salem?"
"N-none." He was struggling to breath through Qrow's iron grip. With a desperate grasp he choked out the rest of the statement." I've never s-sent any to face her directly. *gasp* They only ever go on their own. There was nothing I could do-"
"BULLSHIT!" Qrow hurled the boy's body towards a tree, and with a loud slam it was easy to see the wind knocked from him. Oscar's body let out some coughs, and the furious hunter continued his verbal assault. "You knew damn well there were those willing to try and stop her, and yet you let them, didn't you? Have you ever once told them she was was unstoppable; honest and true immortal Ozpin!?"
"O-once before." He coughed out the strained words, and stumbled to his feet. "They all turn coat and run when they learn; telling them the truth only gives Salem more pawns-"
The boy's breath left him again, though this time it was Yang's doing as she thoroughly buried her fist in his gut. A small bit of blood was spit from the kid's mouth, and when she pulled away the boy dropped.
"That was for leading us on." The blond sent a kick into the boy's ribs, both intensifying her point as well as rolling him onto his back. Her boot pressed into his chest, and as she started stepping down her voice flowed with enough venom to still the hearts of Grimm. "What were you planning for us? Did you just want to use us to run away from the big bad Salem? Were you just going to let us die."
"Yang." Blake pulled at the enraged woman's arm. "You need to stop. You're only hurting Oscar."
"Fine." Yang lifted the pressure away, only to send out one final declaration as the duo stepped away. "Ever since we arrived at Beacon it's been mess after mess. Who knows, maybe we would have all been better off without you; at least then we wouldn't be strung around like puppets."
That seemed to have hit a chord.
"Maybe you're right..." His words tapered off, and the look of stony regret was replaced with a much livelier face of dread.
"No, no no no!" Oscar slapped his hands against his head an shook. "He's... he's gone deeper inside. I can't hear him anymore! I can feel him worming around in my soul."
"What..." Weiss's words cut through the boy's panic. "Are you saying he's abandoned us?"
"Good." Yang snapped. "Let him rot. For all we know he was just going to throw us away and keep running."
"Yang." Blake was visibly worried now. "Calm down. I... I know what he hid away was bad, but don't let it make you someone you're not. You saw it too, we all did. He's... been through a lot-"
"That doesn't justify what he's done!" Yang cut harshly, but her expression of hate soon eased as she saw Blake pull away a little in fear. With a sigh she continued. "He's been through some shit, okay, but that doesn't make what he did right. What would have happened if, say, Ruby figured out where Salem was located?"
"Well..." Blake began, but was cut off by Yang as she answered her own question.
"Knowing Rubes as well as I do, I can say with no hesitation that she'd draft us into an assault, and I know just as well that we'd all be for it. Ozpin can warn us all he wants, but we'd charge in anyway; straight to our deaths. Unless he told us she couldn't be killed we'd ignore everything he said." Her face hardened. "I nearly lost her once, and I know damn well I won't be letting that happen ever again."
Weiss walked over as the blond calmed down, checking on Oscar who was muttering to himself.
"How are you feeling?" She asked, and the boy was about to speak, but was too busy clutching his gut. Yang saw this, and sheepishly she apologised.
"Sorry, I... I wasn't thinking straight."
"I-it's... It's good." Oscar replied in a pained voice, only Yang steeled her look.
"No, it's not. But thanks for not screaming out how trashy I am; I know I would."
"You were-" He coughed hard, and some blood sprinkled the snow. Breathing a bit he continued, all the while whittling a smile out. "It was for him, not me, and I know he felt it. We may share a body, but it's the one who's in control that feels the injuries in the moment. He took all of what you and Qrow dished out; I'm just stuck with the after effects, and they're finally kicking in."
Yang continued to apologise, and Weiss did her best to soothe the boy. Blake was questioning why he never used his aura, and was given the answer that Qrow's toss had shattered it. Qrow was fuming silently, and Maria had been the one to try and calm him down, as well as chastise him for losing his cool.
Ruby paid no mind to any of this, as her focus was elsewhere.
He just stood there unmoving, even after the reveal had wrapped up. Ruby couldn't read him, and that frightened her. His face was... soulless, if that made any sense. He didn't look angry, or sad, or really much of anything. It was as if he'd stopped functioning. No, that wasn't quite true; he was still there in the moment, but...
"V?" She called out calmly, holding back the unease within as he failed to respond. "Can you hear me?"
He continued to stand, his brow slightly furrowing. Ruby decided to approach, slowly as to not startle him. Carefully, step by step, she walked over to the seemingly spaced out man. His form held no tension, and his face was plain, as if he were a student at lecture. Ruby stood just before him, and hesitantly she reached out to him.
"V?" She pulled back quickly as a sharp feeling shot across her palm.
With a flinch Ruby stilled, and looking down to her palm the reaper was greeted with a lightly bleeding cut across the skin. It wasn't all that deep, and her aura almost instantly healed it up, but it was startling nonetheless. He'd moved so fast she never even saw it, to the point she never even got to think about activating her aura. The wound had torn her glove, but that didn't stop her from looking back to Vermillion, who was looking casually at his hand. Still his face was void of feeling, and with his right hand sitting at chest level she saw the single claw extended from his index finger; lightly her blood painted the tip.
She wanted to question him, to ask why he lashed out; to ask what was wrong. The act had been so sudden, to the point where she wondered if it was more of a reflex than an intentional strike. Had she gotten too close and startled him? Before she could press on the matter V turned away, and he started off in the opposite direction.
"V? Wait, where are you-"
"Don't." It was so... plain. His tone was even, and disturbingly casual. Ruby felt a jab in her heart at how distant he sounded.
"What's wrong?"
She was desperate now, as rather than speak he continued on his way. The snow was picking up, and as it began to fall harder she noticed the blue glow. Her head whipped back, and the girl noted how Jinn was still out of the lamp. In desperation she called out to the spirit of knowledge.
"What's wrong with V?" It was a waste of a question, but she cared more for him than she did some stupid secrets.
"Silence." It was V's voice that answered, and Ruby saw how Jinn's attention was pulled to the man. Ruby looked back to V, and saw how he looked at the ghostly naked lady. His face wore emotion again, and although it was small Ruby could at least tell what it was.
Hate.
"What is it you desire?" Jinn asked, and V answered curtly.
"From you, nothing." His voice dropped even deeper, and grew raspy. "I would burn you for the putrid deception you spat, but that would be a waste of my time." He turned away, and began walking again. "Speak no more of your nonsense, unless you wish to lose that tongue altogether."
Ruby felt terrified as he finished, not because the speech was scary or anything, but he practically radiated doom. She saw it however, and though he was wandering into the quickly worsening storm the girl caught the feint flickers of shadow burning from the black webs across his skin; just like Pyrrha.
And then Jinn spoke.
"If that is your desire, master."
Like that she was gone, and as the lamp's light dimmed with the spirit seemingly resting inside Ruby saw that V had disappeared completely into the storm. Her worry continued to grow, but she had little time to dwell on it as she heard Maria call out from behind.
"Now look at what you've all done." The elderly woman sighed. "Now this is a fine mess you've all concocted."
"Don't go blaming us?" Yang spoke, her face more of fatigue now that anything else. "Ozpin's the one to blame here. If he just told us the important stuff from the start none of this would have happened."
"And would blaming your problems on others make said problems go away?" Maria challenged, and Yang's face twisted a bit.
"No."
"So why then?" Maria, not giving a chance for the girl to answer, instead passed her eyes from the blond and over to Oscar. "He's inside your head isn't he boy?"
"Y-yeah." He began, his face falling as he carried on. "But I can't seem to reach him. He's hidden himself away."
"Figures. The one person who potentially had answers to most of our problems is out cold for the time being, and already we're fighting one another."
"He was leading us to our deaths. What use is there in fighting an unstoppable enemy?" Yang brought up, and Maria crossed her arms.
"Maybe he was, but there was also the chance that he had something else in mind. One can only run for so long before they tire themselves out. Tell me girl, when was the last time you heard of Salem?"
Yang paused, and gave a suspicious look.
"Never."
"Yes, never." Maria smirked. "If what we saw was true, then this Salem woman is an immortal killing machine. If that man, Ozpin, really was doing nothing but running, then why hasn't anyone else in Remnant heard of her?" When nobody answered the old lady carried on. "He must have been doing something to keep her at bay."
"So we're just supposed to forgive him? He leads us on a doomsday walk, and we forgive him?" Yang spit out in ire, only to look confused as Maria laughed.
"Of course not, but shoving him off is hardly helping either. Yes, it was wrong of him to keep such an important thing secret, but if what he said was true then it makes some semblance of sense." As she paused for a bit to let it sink in Qrow unleashed his own thoughts.
"And who's to say he was telling the truth anyway? For all we know it was just an excuse." His words were deflated, and tiredly he pulled out his flask. "We never saw him tell anybody Salem's secret in the lamp lady's story, so there's no way to verify if it's true or not."
"Young people." Maria shook her head, her face turning to Ruby, and the girl looked with a mix of questioning emotion. "Well." Maria started. "You going to go after him? I can see the worry in your eyes dear."
"I... I don't know." Ruby faced the direction once more, yearning to chase after her friend, but also afraid to do so. "I want to, but that might just push him away even more."
"Ignore him." Yang said with a huff. "He'll be back; they always come back." Even though her sister spoke with pride, Ruby could see the worrying doubt bubbling below the surface. "Now come on, it's getting cold."
Weiss flatly faced her golden haired teammate.
"And where can we go." Her arms shot up. "We're in the middle of nowhere." She wasn't speaking lightly either as a mild unease mixed near the end of her statement. Blake though seemed to have an answer, and the cat-girl in turn spoke up.
"Argus is just up the mainland, isn't it?" She faced the same direction V had taken off in. "It'll take a while, but we should be able to make it in a couple days."
"Of course." Yang replied as her shoulders dropped and sass drizzled her voice. "Sleeping in the snow; wonderful."
"Deal with it." Qrow quipped, and with a large drink from his flask he started down the path. "We don't have a choice. It's either walk to Argus, or stay here and freeze to death; I'm like to think we're all on board the second option."
Ruby watched as the rest of her team began to follow her uncle in various states of unease, and while she understood their sour mood Ruby couldn't help but worry. This was bad, very very bad. Everyone was mad now, and she had a terrible feeling in her gut that this was a sign of things to come. It was so weird; she never used to believe in things like omens and all that, and yet here she was.
"Come on." Maria looked at her with a warm smile, and noticing Oscar next to her Ruby decided it was time to quit the panic and focus on the path ahead for the time being. With a nod the three followed after the others, and Maria offered one last reassurance to the fretful girl.
"With any luck we'll meet the boy again in Argus."
Ruby looked to her with a strained acceptance.
"I hope."
.
.
I'd managed to reel in my emotions, and looking back over it all I felt stupid for ever allowing said emotions to overcome me.
I see now why he wants to keep them safe so badly. When the headmaster tasked me with protecting the kids back at Beacon I'd assumed it was because they were his students. I'd seen it more as an official reason as to why I would remain at his side, and assumed he saw them as mere apprentices in the grand scheme of things. I should have known then and there it wasn't that simple.
How strange it was to feel weak once more. For so long I had steeled my resolve, intent to never allow anything to pierce through the invulnerable shield I had erected. Yet it was through the kind words and joys of these girls that I found myself only now realizing how much of it they had stripped away, with nothing but some kindness and companionship. At what point they had torn through my defences I couldn't say, but I knew for certain that I would not allow that to happen a second time. I needed to get away from them, at least for the time being, otherwise they might rip away my strength entirely.
And then there was Jinn.
From the moment she whispered into my ears I should have realized her lies. Spirits themselves should have little reason to aid the living, and with one such as Jinn, who made it startlingly visible that she enjoyed the mix of emotions mortals could display, I should have seen her willingness to tempt the heart. For a moment near the end of the illusion I was nearly on board with the ideas she whispered to us all...
Then my sensibilities broke through the lies.
There was nobody to confirm that anything Jinn said was true, and without such proof only a fool would believe such an asinine tale. Yet I couldn't deny the headmaster's reaction, and part of me still toyed with the possibility of some truth living within those words. However I knew they were false, as when threatened Jinn shied away. A spirit of divinity has nothing to fear from a simple mortal, and the fact that she echoed just the barest hint of stagger in her stature confirmed her falsehoods in my eyes.
Had she truly been the spirit of such caliber then only the divine could harm her, and yet she left on my command. Had it truly been fear, or just a desire to keep up the act and milk out more of a scene for her own twisted entertainment? In the end it mattered little.
However, as I trekked through the raging cold I felt another worrisome thought come to mind, and unlike Jinn who I could vanquish at any moment, this problem could not be tackled in such a simple manner.
Team RWBY themselves.
Part of me wanted to return to them, to ensure they were alright, and this itself was a terrible sign. It was Angela all over again, and while those memories hurt, they also guided my hand and direction. I would not allow fate to take them like it had my love, and so knowing they held that level of importance to my heart I made the needed decision right then and there.
I would seek the truth out on my own.
My god had shut himself away, and Jinn's lies turned the innocent girls against him, as such I was left with one lonesome option. Jinn infected me with the seed of doubt, and Ozpin hid his words for reasons even I had not been privy to. Despite never saying fully I had an inkling the reason was to protect the others further, as he simply allowed them to kick him around in their anger.
He never fought back, and while my gut reaction had been to step in I stayed my hand. From their perspective it was all a lie, and in their eyes he dragged them to their supposed doom. Had he been in real danger I had no doubt he'd defend himself, but the way he pleaded with them told me he didn't wish to fight. They threw accusations, and while they were fired in rapid succession I noticed he never truly gave any answers. With the others turned against him he should have had no reason to withhold anything; this told me that all was not as it seemed, and I knew then I'd get nothing from him.
He'd spoken about the power the relic held, but seeing as that was in the presence of the others I was left to wonder if any of it was true, or just another altered tale to defend their ignorance.
Ignorance is bliss as they say.
This, in turn, left me with one last hope to finding the truth. I would seek the one I wished to save most; the living divine I still had yet to find...
Salem.
The storm was stinging, however I knew my aura would protect me from any true harm. The cold was nothing to me, and the little physical pain its chilly breath wrought only helped to remind me I was still alive. I didn't know how much farther the town was, but I knew I would reach it eventually. My mind now was stuck thinking of the method I would use to locate the goddess. There wasn't much to go off of, but if what I understood so far amounted to anything, then she was targeting these relics for some reason.
Though their true purpose and power was up in the air, I knew one thing for certain, Salem wanted them, and if she wanted them then it meant she'd attempt to take another one.
Fortunately we were headed towards another maiden anyway, and while I knew the others were most likely going to continue on with the original plan I still held an advantage. Unlike them I was more than capable of trudging through rough weather like this; something I knew they had little experience in. I could go days without rest, and had done so many times before, whereas they would likely set up camp for each night. This meant I would be ahead by at least a day or so, and I would use that time wisely.
If what they talked about was true then all transport between kingdoms was restricted when it came to Atlas, but seeing as I knew the general personally I was banking on getting his permission to enter the kingdom. From there I was certain he could direct me towards the relic - under the guise of defending it of course - and from there I simply needed to wait for the goddess to make her play.
I would see her again, and unlike her husband she had no reason to lie to me. I couldn't prove it directly, but every fiber of my being was screaming that I needed to see her. The god had said she was deceived, and yet deception relied on a consistent lie. If anything at all could break the lie, then the trick would fall apart. If she was truly a victim of false presumption then I was certain I could speak sense back into her.
Guiltily enough, though she was causing so much chaos, there was nobody I trusted more than her. My goddess had taught me everything I knew about being a knight; encouraging me to keep going no matter how difficult it got. If those years of care meant anything to her then she had no reason to deny my presence.
I bit back a broken laugh as the absurdity revealed itself in full. The queen had taught me the importance of deception, and the king had done so for honesty. Here I was now, witness to caring deception from the king, and knowing my queen would provide the harmful honesty I sought. In a way I was scared, downright terrified of the idea even. I would speak with her, and while I didn't know what to expect I was afraid she'd confirm that Jinn's claims were true; that all of my life was a lie.
Even so I would believe her, because she was my everything. Only she would be allowed to fully pass my shield, because of all the people I knew she had only ever wanted to aid me. Salem was more a mother to me than my own, and it was that emotional link that allowed me to press on with not a scrap of hesitation.
The cold was noticeable now, and as both my heart and body froze I carried onwards; intent to deny the bitter chills of nature any and all satisfaction from my struggle.
.
.
Ruby awoke to the warmth of the mother, and as she leaned up her eyes fell to the woman.
For how long she spilled her tears that night, Ruby couldn't recall, but she most certainly remembered what happened after. The pain had eased up after so long, and gently her lips met with the warmth of another pair. Ruby hadn't stopped herself, and looking back on it now she realised she didn't want to stop. It had been magical to let go of all her worries and indulge in something so nostalgic and carnal.
She allowed a breath to escape her, and pulling herself from the makeshift bedding she stretched. Whether it was morning or night she couldn't say, but Ruby was certain of one thing; she felt refreshed. Was it the pleasure of last night that attributed to her rest, or was it the emotional torrent she unleashed. The woman considered it a little bit of both, but regardless of how both events effected her Ruby still had another thing on her mind.
Quietly she picked her clothing from the side, slipping it on as she prepared to leave.
"Off so early?" The mother's voice broke the silence, and Ruby questioned if she was awake all along. "Let me guess, you wish to check on the boy."
"Yes." Ruby looked back, and saw the woman rise.
"There is no need to worry, he will be present at the morning feeding. Will you not stay longer? I still feel some regrets in your heart."
"No. I'm sorry but I can't. I..." Ruby paused, thinking of what to say. "I have business I must tend to. I can't stay for to long, otherwise all the work I've put in so far will be wasted."
"I see." Her hand pressed against Ruby's chest, just above the heart, and a weird tingling filled her body as it glowed.
"What is this?" Ruby questioned as the woman pulled back.
"Think of it as a gift. My soul grants strength in will, to those I bless with my touch. You've felt it all last night if I do recall correctly." She chuckled, and Ruby smiled lightly as a dust of red etched out across her cheeks.
"I did, though I never expected you to take control like that."
"Yes well, it was you who slipped a couple fingers in first; I was content in the locking of our tongues instead. In moments like that I can taste the soul, and usually find what part of it needs healing. However it was then that you began to feel me in ways beyond the softer of unions."
"Sorry." Ruby admitted with a mild bit of shame. "I... didn't wish to take advantage of you like that."
"It's of no consequence. Had I not accepted it I would have forced you away. Still though..." Her face faltered just a tad, and Ruby paid more mind than ever as her words crossed the space between them. "You move with experience, much more than your age would imply. Every move was... perfect. Is this type of union common for you?"
"I'm not a whore, if that's what you're implying." Ruby turned away. "I've just had my fair share of lovers over the years."
"I see..." The woman's smile returned, but Ruby could still see how suspicion clouded the creases of her lids. "Then I shall cast my thoughts aside. Let us head to the feeding."
"Yes, lets." Ruby watched as the woman started back to the gathering space, and followed along as thoughts raged in her mind.
Just what had overcome her last night? Sure, the sex was nice, but that in itself was the problem. She'd been chaste for the past... who knows how long, with her last partner being Weiss. However that union was three or so lifetimes ago; and she hadn't felt any of her more primitive desires since the end of said lifetime, right as she watched the light fade from her lover's eyes at the end of the world.
"I'm sorry Weiss... I've failed us again." She'd only had enough time to close the lids of the Schnee's eyes before facing the return of the brother gods, and it was then Salem made true her goal of complete and total destruction.
Will this time be any different though? The thought had plagued her mind for the past few years; ever since she changed the cyclical pattern. This was the first time she'd gone this far back, and thus the path ahead was blind. Ruby could not predict the events to come in this era, not like she had during the many, many attempts before. She was left to her own wits in this cycle, with nothing but a single predetermined plan to try and make things right.
Ruby had been assured things would be different this time, however she could not tell for certain if it would be for better, or worse. All she could do was hope her manipulations and placements of the seeds would aid him in his journey, even if she knew its end would remain hidden from her. Every seed had shown her a vision of consequence, and the last one of all had been bad enough, but now that the unexpected use of the crown had seemingly created images of prophecy Ruby wasn't so sure the original plan was intact anymore.
She could only pray it was, and hope the hands of destiny were merciful.
"Ruby!" The small weight crashed into her torso, and with a sigh of relief at the familiar warmth she allowed an honest smile to break across her face.
"How was your rest last night Pebble?"
"Warm." The boy sounded a little annoyed. "Too warm."
"Oh really?" She watched as he pulled away, leading her over to the others. Ruby was almost certain the mother was giggling now.
"All of us were crowded in one spot, and sleeping with so many other kids was not as fun as I thought it would be." He sat down in the circle as he was handed a small piece of food; a meat of some sort if Ruby was to believe her eyes.
"Things are almost never as fun as they seem." She took the bit of meat handed to her, noting the strange tint. She assumed it was from the wilk, and continued with her talk. "Even so, you can usually turn things around with a little bit of ingenuity."
"Huh?" Pebble asked, and she heard the mother speak.
"She's saying you need to get creative child." Ruby saw the mischievous twinkle in her eye, and decided to bite down on her own food, doing her best to look away from the taunting gaze of the woman.
Ruby forgot Pebble was still a little child, so it came to reason that there were some words and concepts he didn't quite understand yet. In truth she'd grown used to the pattern of dark adventures over their journey, to the point she'd forgotten he was still a kid, and due to his... unconventional origins she'd began to reason that he knew more than he let on. She was most certain he understood the more painful sides of life, but looking at it now it seemed he had missed out on the simple parts over his years of struggle.
She'd need to try and fix that; every kid should get to experience at least a little bit of childhood, if not all of it entirely.
"So then." The mother leaned over, her eyes calmly locking with Ruby's. "When do you plan to leave?"
Ruby thought it over, and as she watched Pebble talking and laughing with a few of the other children she felt a sense of peace overcome her. It was then that Ruby made a decision, and while not the most optimal, she believed they deserved as much.
"In a few days. We need to rest up a bit."
"Ah, then we shall entertain you as guests until you part." The mother had a warm look, and Ruby chose not to fight back in even the slightest.
"Thank you."
Author's note
...
So here we are, more insanity on the rise. Finally back to a normal length again; certainly better for easy reading. I'm sure a few of you expected some of this, at least based on what happened last chapter.
And then there is V. Poor lad is conflicted to say the least, and I'm sure almost none of you expected him to do what he did. Things are weird again, and exciting too. We've seen one of the planned moments, and believe it or not another one is speeding close by. This part of the story had a few of these crucial events lumped close together, which means we're essentially having a lightning round of chaos.
No spoilers though, just wait and read.
Catch you soon.