STOWAWAYS
In a dark alley in Kuchinashi, Mistral...
The rain was loud and heavy. Too loud to hear any of our screams of anger, fear, sadness... and pain. Especially pain.
My vision was clouded by the mist that was eerily floating on the stone steps of Kuchinashi, but despite all that, I can still tell that everything around me was covered in crimson red, or is that just the tint of the blood running down my forehead? There in lies in front of me, the body of a lifeless woman whose stare pierced through my soul, her last moments was spent asking for my help, but how could I when countless knives dug deep within my body? I can barely move a muscle without feeling like I was about to tear something apart.
Her name at least, I remember. Heather Shields. I was on an escort mission issued out by Headmaster Lionheart. The payout was big, so me and Heather decided not to call out any other huntsmen so we could have a bigger sum when we split. She had a family after all, and I was in debt. The money would have been more than enough to pay off that grouchy bar owner. I would have been rich. Shiro Wan, richest huntsman in Mistral, I thought.
Kuchinashi was barely a day's trip from Haven. It was easy money, little did I know that our escort would also be our murderer.
None of that matters now, I have but a few breaths left in me, and all I can think about now is who is this cruel person that took away everything from us. So I reached out to the woman standing in between me and Heather, and raised my hand out to her pitch black coat and asked...
"Who are you?"
The woman elegantly knelt beside me and pulled her hood down. She had on a black bird mask covering the top half of her face, and her jaw was smooth and clear as porcelain, unbefitting of the malicious grin she wore. That sight will undoubtedly haunt me to my next life.
Whether it was pity or not, the woman obliged with my request. With a whisper so soft and terrifying, she spoke close to my ear as my final breath began to drift away with the cold mist embracing my body.
"Swan."
Ruby
Shion. That was the name of the village on the map that we were supposed to stop in. A tangible milestone that symbolizes how far we've gone in our efforts to reach Haven. Not to mention it's one of the bigger villages in Anima, meaning airship transport in that area should be possible. It's been weeks since we've left Patch, and to say that we're all exhausted is an understatement. There are days where I wonder if all of this is even worth it. I mean we can't even hold on to a damn map, lost count how many times we've dropped this thing already.
But everytime I think about giving up, I think about Beacon, Pyrrha, Penny, Ozpin, and everything we've lost along the way. I have to soldier on, if not for me, then for them.
"I don't see this village anywhere on this map."
We all look up to see a small village running through the trail. Very few residents, but enough to house an inn, a small marketplace to stock up supplies, and a blacksmith- something Jaune has made no secret to everyone that he needed to go to. Betcha that's the first thing he notices.
"Hey, they have a smith!"
Called it.
Jaune enthusiastically raised his hand, eagerly pointing at the wooden sign of the smithy right off the village entrance. The sudden appearance of this village was a welcome surprise to me, and by the looks of Ren and Nora, it was to them too.
"Probably a good idea to look around and stock up."
Ren logically brought up, but Jaune ignored him and quickly made his way towards the blacksmith. The villagers began to stop and stare as we pass by, it was obvious that we were the first visitors the village had in a long while. It wasn't long before the three of us caught up to Jaune, who stood in front of the blacksmith's shop while he caressed his backpack that he now is tightly clutching in his arms.
"Jaune?"
I called out to him, but all I got as a response was a soft smile and a nod.
"I'm fine, let's go."
The three of us nod our heads and followed Jaune in. What greeted us was a faunus with two bulging horns on top of his head coupled with a hearty laugh.
"Welcome! Oh- visitors! Haven't had them in a while. What can I do for you?"
Jaune scratched the back of his head, hesitant to ask the blacksmith at first, but he gathered up enough courage to voice out his request.
"Well, I sort of need an upgrade... with my gear."
The faunus smith crossed his arms at Jaune's vague request.
"Okay. Gonna need a little more details about what yer talking about son."
Jaune carefully dropped his backpack on the smith's desk and began pulling out a worn down golden armor, the sight of which was all too familiar. First it was a pair of bracers, then the shin guards, then chest piece, and finally, a circlet.
"Pyrrha..."
I whispered to myself. The sight of her circlet brought back memories I was slowly coming to terms with. Its... not doing so good, but I think I can manage. I now understand Jaune's hesitation earlier.
"What can you do with these?"
He laid down his sword and shield beside Pyrrha's gear, and gain the blacksmith crossed his arms, and closed his eyes deep in thought. When he finally opened his eyes back up, his sudden enthusiasm exploded right back into us, but only briefly. He nodded his head and leaned forward, carefully inspecting the gear laid out in front of him.
"Probably a new chest plate and some fortification to your sword and shield. Can do it in a hurry too, not like there's a long line outside. Sound good to you?"
Jaune excitedly smiled.
"Y-yeah! Of course! That'd be great! How much is that gonna run me?"
The Blacksmith twisted his lips and nodded while he stared at him.
"See that's the thing, it's gonna cost you a lot." He grabbed Pyrrha's gear and ran his fingers across. "See this steel is special, ain't seen nothing like this in a while. It's gonna take some special care to preserve some of it's properties. I'm guessin' you'd want that gold glint retained huh? That part's extra."
He pulled out a piece of paper and began writing numbers on it. He wasn't even done writing and I can already tell that we couldn't afford it.
"WHAT! That much? We still have to buy supplies."
Jaune's shoulder dropped. He held on to Pyrrha's gear and was about to put em back in his backpack till the smith's unusually loud sigh caught us all by surprise.
"Well... there is something you can do for me."
Me, Ren, and Nora looked at each other. We all shared the same feeling that has been all too familiar by now. After all, it's a request that's been asked of us so many times this journey.
"Grimm."
Called it. I'm on fire today.
"There's this Geist giving us trouble for the past couple weeks, and we'd really like it gone. I'll work on your gear for free if you can get rid of it. Even start it right now."
Jaune smiled and agreed right away without ever so much as a consultation from the three of us, and Ren wasn't all too keen about it.
"What if we fail? How will Jaune fight without his sword?"
But the smith had a response for that too.
"If you fail, I'll resell the gear for a higher price. How you deal with the grimm is all you I'm afraid."
Not wanting to let Jaune down, me and Nora stepped in to rationalize the potentially horrible situation.
"Jaune will be fine! He'll sit back, call out formations, and strategize!"
Ren sighed and placed his palms on his face. Left with no choice but to accept the decisions we all just made, he agreed. With that settled, the four of us left the shop, following the smith's direction to where the grimm was seen last. It wasn't a long trek, maybe half an hour walk at the most. Jaune took the opportunity to strategize, while Ren offered up ideas how to track it. Nora didn't care, which is typical cause all she cared about was when and where she would have to swing her hammer. I didn't say nothing, cause something else was bugging me, and it didn't take very long for them to notice.
"Ruby, everything okay?"
Jaune asked, while the other two stopped to look back at me.
"I've been meaning to ask Jaune, but how did you get your hands on Pyrrha's stuff? You weren't there when she... and Qrow said there haven't been any attempts to even try to get to Ozpin's tower so how?"
Jaune's jaws dropped. He smile awkwardly and began to look at Ren and Nora, who shared the same hesitant and awkward look as he did. The three began to chuckle trying to look for the right words to tell me, but they didn't have to, there's only one person kind and thoughtful enough to do such a thing.
"Is he okay?"
I asked, saving them from the situation I unwittingly placed them in. The three looked at each other with relief, then shifted their gaze at me with a soft smile.
"Yeah, he's okay." Jaune said. "He misses you- all of you."
That's good to hear.
"What's he been up to? He's probably all torn up about this whole thing worse than we are. Oooohhhh. Did he tell you where he's going to be? Is he back in Vale? Do you know what he's doing right now?"
Nora laughed at all my questions, while Ren composed himself enough to answer.
"He's... doing the right thing, Ruby."
A part of me is upset that he's not here with me, but the fact that he even reached out was a relief. I can only imagine what he's going through. Now more than ever, I need to be with him as his friend, but the fact that all my questions were only met by uncomfortable laughter tells a lot. He's still in pain, and is not ready to see me yet. That I can understand.
"As for where he is..."
Jaune blurted out, but stopped himself halfway after he saw me raising my hand at him.
"You don't have to tell me. Ezra's sorting through some things right now, and I believe that if he wanted me to know where he was gonna go, he would have told me. I understand. Whenever he's ready, he knows where I'm at right?"
The three of them nod with a genuine smile in their faces.
"Then I wish him the best. Wherever he is."
Ezra
What's worse than the constant sway of a boat in open water? The constant rambling of a captain despite every indication of wanting to be left alone.
"Old man..."
I cut him off mid story.
"I paid full price for a seat at the bottom of the ship where you keep all your cargo. All this dust and dirt scattered around here doesn't do my payment any justice. With all of that in mind, what made you think I want to talk?"
The old man looked at me with a curious eye, and began stroking his beard.
"That's exactly why I wanted to talk to you. Not many people travel by sea alone, let alone to Menagerie. Me and my crew are practically the only humans who travel there. Figured a fugitive like you would have an interesting story to tell."
Ah, so he knew. Seems this man is a bit wiser than the rest of Remnant. One of the few. Even though Cinder flashed my face all over the news, she still hampered communications throughout the world, Vale at the very least. No one has a working wanted poster of me, and attack on Beacon itself would have still taken center stage over me. This man definitely has a keen eye and a good sense.
"Just, please Captain. Leave me alone."
He sighed then chuckled.
"Alright, alright." We waved his hand. "Figured with your paranoia, I thought having a few friendly faces wouldn't hurt."
"Who said I was paranoid?"
The captain exploded into laughter as he went back up.
"Funny! The bow wearing faunus girl said the same thing?"
Bow? Faunus? I rush towards him and grab him by the shoulder before he could climb up.
"Wait, you said faunus with a bow? Long black hair with yellow eyes? Cat ears as her trait?"
The old man nodded three times, one for each of my questions.
"Yeah, gloomy too. Wanted to be left alone like you. Though I guess the bow doesn't really apply anymore. She got rid of it before I can even say a word."
Yeah, that's Blake alright. Heh, I took into account that I probably would have see her on my way to the Belladonnas but I didn't think I'd run into her now. I planned on going to Menagerie to convince Ghira to talk to Sienna Khan about the White Fang before they could attack Haven, but I'd be lying if said I didn't wanna go see Blake too. After all, out of everyone in my team, it wasn't Yang that hated me the most, it was Blake. The way she looked at me, her anger was so pure and genuine that it cut me almost as deep as Yang breaking up with me.
Hate is a strong emotion. It takes a lot of energy to harbor that much anger, almost to the point where you have to force yourself to be mad, and that is an absolutely suffocating feeling. I don't want Blake to suffer because of me any longer, so I wanted to make amends with her right away, and if I could fix the White Fang then all the better.
I've considered the other possibility though, that White Fang would actually be my purpose, in case Blake doesn't... well... forgive me. Which is honestly very likely. However, that knowledge alone Blake is here with me, trapped in the ocean for a couple more days. I don't think the resolve I have is enough to talk to her now.
"What's wrong son?"
The captain asked. I scour my brain to come up with an excuse till the sudden shaking of the boat provided me with all the excuse I needed.
"You feel that?"
I ask the captain, who now had a terrified look on his face.
"I do. Get to the top and see what it is. I'll tell my crew to prepare for battle just in case."
Me and captain urgently ran upstairs as fast as we could.
Blake
I just wish they'd all leave me alone. Maybe I am paranoid like the captain said, but so what? I just lived through one of the most horrifying experiences one can be in. I'd say all that fear is justified.
"Why am I even letting that get to me?"
Though I have to admit, I don't even know who or what am I truly afraid of. I can scoff it off to the grimm that attacked the academy, or the people behind it- the White Fang... Cinder. But I know deep down that what I 'm truly afraid of is me. After all that I've done to my friends, leaving them in their moment of need. Ruby, Weiss... Yang... how can I even look myself in the mirror anymore?
"RED ALERT! RED ALERT!"
What now!? I push myself off the guard railings, swiveling my head back and forth, trying to search for the source of all this commotion, but it never occurred to me that I should have looked in the water instead. Out of nowhere, a massive sea serpent erupted out of the water and the ship came face to face with a grimm that can only be known as the famed Sea Feilong.
The grimm shook its whole body as it roared, forcing its forearms to protrude from its side. The scar that ran along its scale began to ominously glow red the same way its menacing eyes did.
"BATTLE STATIOOOONSS!"
The captain yelled with such vigor that I was forced to turn my head to see the crew preparing a ballista strong enough to kill the creature. Only problem is that it takes a while to load and the grimm practically had to stand incredibly still for it to even have a chance to land a hit. I have to keep it occupied and somehow distract it for the crew to make that shot, otherwise, bye bye Menagerie.
I tied my ribbon on my wrist and launched Gambol Shroud at the Sea Feilong, lodging it deep into its neck, and angering the grimm.
"Okay, that work. Now what?"
The grimm swung its head in pain, launching me high above the sky, giving me a chance to pull Gambol Shroud out and shoot it from above, but it's skin was too thick. The creature roared so loud after that that it sent me flying back to ship, barely landing on the crow's nest. In a fit of desperation, the captain heaved the ship to side, avoiding a head on collision with the grimm. Cannons began to pop out from the side of the ship and began open firing on the creature, but it was all largely ineffective.
"Sir! Ballista's ready!"
The captain gritted his teeth and yelled as loud as he can.
"FIRE!"
The ballista fired a massive arrow but the grimm easily avoided it. The Sea Feilong arched its back, as began to sprout wings. It flapped it wings with such forced that the gust of air it created rocked the ship so hard that it almost tilted over.
"Hold steady men! It's not done with us yet! Get the ballista loaded again!"
As the crew scramble to load the ballista, but the grimm began to charge a massive amount of electrical energy in its mouth and aimed it squarely at us. A hit that massive will not only sink this ship, but obliterate everything in its path. I have to do something. I cock my arm back, ready to throw Gambol Shroud back out, but the sudden pain on my shoulder stopped all of that from happening. It seems I injured myself when I was thrown back into the ship.
"Don't just stand there! Do something!"
Just then, a familiar voice echoed from the distance. All I saw next was a metallic wire plunging into the side of the grimm's head. On the other end of the line was a man wearing a gray cape, getting yanked by the gun attached to the end of the wire. He pulled out a katana whose blade was so cold, mist began to fume out of it. The man jammed his sword on the side of the grimm's face, freezing half of it, and knocking it sideways just enough for the creature's attack to miss.
"EZRA!?"
Ezra held on to the grimm, who was desperately trying to shake him loose.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
The grimm began to shoot electricity out of its tendrils, shocking Ezra and knocking him off. Out the corner of my eye, I see a lone rock behind them. I spring into action, using my semblance as a spring board to hop over and save Ezra from falling into the sea.
"Got you!"
Ezra wrapped the two of us in ice that shatters just as we collided with the rocks.
"Ha! My hero!"
He jokingly laughed.
"You're not supposed to here! Are you following me!?"
Ezra's cheery demeanor quickly changed into that of a serious one.
"Really!? Now!? We're under attack!"
I groaned, and hesitantly agreed with him.
"Fine! Just shut up and fight!"
Me and Ezra ran across the adjacent boulders, while we watched the grimm narrowly miss the ship with its attacks. That old man is one hell of a captain. But I doubt even with his skills, can he keep avoiding all those attacks.
"Blake, we need to clip that thing's wings! Otherwise the ship won't be able to hit it with its ballista."
"Agreed."
Ezra nodded while I throw away my pride, and fully invest myself in cooperating with him to save the ship.
"You still up to speed right?"
He smiled at me cockily.
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
With that settled, Ezra yelled.
"CHECKMATE!"
Ezra slid forward, then used his momentum to change his direction. He began to sprint in open water, freezing the sea beneath his feet as he ran, while I use another clone to launch myself atop the grimm. I slash forward at its face, drawing its attention, then used the creature's snout as a spring board to backflip away.
The Sea Feilong dove down to chase me, but Ezra jumped in before it could take a bite at me, using his katana to slit one its tendrils off its face cleanly. The creature winced in pain, slithering in the air, and agilely turning towards Ezra. I catapulted one of my clones towards him, pushing him down underneath the ocean, narrowly avoiding the charging grimm.
Using his semblance to quickly heat up the water, Ezra erupted out of the sea with a geyser underneath his foot. He launched him just pass the grimm's wings, leaving behind a trail of water that he used to freeze them. He then looked my way and shot his grappling gun towards me. I quickly held on to the metal wire that yanked me towards him at blinding speed, taking this opportunity to extend Gambol Shroud and slashed through its wings, knocking the grimm off the sky.
Ezra caught me mid air, clutching me tightly in his arms. He extended his cloak out, turning them into wings as we softly glided back down. We managed to clip its wings like we planned, but creature was still long and big enough to reach us in the air even without wings... and we have no way of dodging. An unfortunate miscalculation.
"Oh no..."
We're all we could muster, but just then, the ship rammed into the creature and fired off its massive arrow, chopping the grimm's head right off.
Me and Ezra sighed in relief as we glide back down to the ship's deck. We were greeted by applause and gratitude, a sight I'll never tire off. It took a moment for us to get through the line of people that wanted to shake our hands, but eventually, we did and the two of us were left alone.
Ezra leaned close and rested his back against the railings.
"So-"
But before he could finish, I felt this sudden urge to slap him in the face, and really, I have no reason not to.
"OWW! What was that for?"
I crossed my arms and furrowed my brows.
"Okay, I know what that was for, but I swear I'm not following you..."
Again, I only skeptically stared at him in response.
"Come on Blake, would I really kill Adam Tauros if I was working for the White Fang?"
That's a fair point, I did see him fight Adam at Beacon, and I'd be lying if I convinced myself to say that I didn't hear all that crap Adam was spouting. I just don't know which of the two I should believe, or if I even should. Regardless, Ezra got one thing wrong.
"Adam's alive."
Ezra's eyes widened in shock.
"What?"
So he really doesn't know.
"I saw him when the White Fang retreated. He was struggling to walk, half his upper body burned, but he's alive."
Ezra sighed and scratched the back of his head, frustrated.
"So, why are you following me?"
But Ezra protested.
"I'm not following you, like I said. I swear, I wanna right my wrongs Blake."
I scoff at him, righting his wrong? Please.
"Nothing you can do can make me forgive you Ezra."
His face softened. Ezra stared at the floor for a few moments, hoping to find the words to tell me next.
"I suggest you buy a ticket back to the mainland after we dock. I'll even pay it for you. Actually, do you one better, I'll pay for a room at the inn so you can sleep comfortably before you leave the next day."
Ezra however, wasn't so easily shaken.
"Blake, I..."
He paused for a second, but continued on with a renewed resolve.
"I can't do that."
"And why not?"
He turned and looked me straight in the eye.
"I've come to terms with it. I've come to terms with the fact that you, or anybody else for that matter can forgive me, but that doesn't mean I should stop and not prevent the same thing from happening again to other people."
The same thing?
"What do you mean?"
Ezra sighed, and flopped to the ground. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes, trying to hide the desperation... and fear he had in them.
"Haven might be under attack. It's only a small lead that I got right before I left Vale. It might not even be true, but... I can't, Blake... that night..."
He couldn't finish what he wanted to say, but he didn't have to. As bad Ezra is, he still had family in Vale, that part I believed. My hate for him doesn't change the fact that he lost a lot that night like other people, even if it is his fault. I can sympathize with that at least.
"You know where this ship is bound for right? Why Menagerie then and not Haven?"
Ezra chuckled.
"Some of the Beacon students are heading to Mistral to warn Headmaster Lionheart already. If Cinder really is planning an attack on Haven, they're gonna need an army to break through, and the White Fang is the obvious answer to that need. They won't listen to me, but maybe if I convince your father-"
All of this is doing nothing but making me angry. Now he wants to involve my family into this!?
"Ezra, I hate to break it you, but I'm not going to Menagerie to fight the White Fang. Ezra listen, we lost. Because of you. I'm not going home to recuperate and formulate a plan to crush the Fang, I'm going home cause I lost and I need to figure things out... and I'll be damned if you think I'm gonna let you anywhere near my family."
I was expecting some form resistance, but Ezra just sat there. I know that look all too well, cause it's the same look I still wear to this day: that of defeat.
"I'm sorry, Blake, but I have to try... even if you shoot me, stab me, or cut off my legs, I'll still crawl towards your parents and beg them to talk to Sienna Khan and stop the White Fang."
Hearing him say that, I can only muster one word out of me.
"Why?"
Ezra raised his head, his eyes filled with resolve and determination.
"I made a promise."