Summary/Disclaimer: Time for another chapter of A Lingering Ember. Enjoy the 5000-word chapter. I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum, and Rooster Teeth dos.
(Vale.)
Trivia had never taken someone's life before. She was no stranger to violence, mind you… However? The act of taking someone's life was a lot bothersome.
Ollie blocked the sword of one of the grunts before he sent the man backward with a punch as he twirled the weapon around and fold his other arm behind him, taunting them.
It almost made Trivia giggle before the man charged forward, Ollie brought up his weapon which sent sparks skidding around the area. She had been silent… Well, more silent than she had normally been. It had been something that she hadn't fully embraced. It was something she hadn't fully allowed to have gotten where it should have been.
Trivia watched as he seemed to have toyed with the man, dispatching them with a kick and tossing them back and into the tree. He sighed and cracked his arm while his aura sparkled.
"Ow, damn it… He clipped my arm a few seconds before I parried his hit." Ollie said as Trivia tilted her head.
There were several seconds of silence as he turned to Trivia who approached him cautiously. He growled and went to draw a gun from his pocket only for a kick from Trivia to send it skidding along the floor.
"You, ok?" Trivia heard as Ollie knocked the man out with a punch to the face. "Damn it, he put up a bit more fight than he had at the beginning of the fight."
Still, to her? Trivia? Well, there was a lot more on the line to have gotten where it should have been. Trivia looked at him with interest as she did so. They had something else on the time for them to have worried her. She didn't want to have to do this, but she knew that was something she'd find herself heading towards it.
Ollie hummed and dusted off his hands, she didn't know what it'd have been worse and such… There were a few more problems she didn't think they could solve with it all coming crashing down.
"Triv? You, ok? These guys didn't hurt you, yeah?" Ollie asked before he put his weapon on his hip. "I told you not to take them lightly… This is how the Crown does things, there's always a Grimm or crazy science expert." Ollie said while he sighed and started to slick his hair back under his hood.
There were a few seconds of silence as Trivia hummed and poked and prodded at the boy who had properly thrown off for now. This hadn't yet become less of an issue to her.
"We need one of them to help get us inside… But killing him is… Not something I wish to do." Ollie said while he rubbed at his eyes, unsure of the proper idea or how to have gotten this all done and sorted for now. It had to have ended a certain way for now.
"If we're going anywhere anytime soon? Then I want you to know that we're going to have to fight a lot more people." Ollie said which wasn't a lie at all.
It wasn't what he had envisioned, this place was a nightmare… One which had been truly populated for now.
"We're both going to suffer, we both know that… Well. I don't know for sure, but I do know that we're going to have to act fast and quick." Trivia heard as she nodded, too unsure for now.
Trivia watched as she seemed to have understood his instructions which made him sigh as he realized this wasn't going to be happening anytime soon. They had so much more to have done according to what he told her.
"Are you going to be, ok?" Trivia heard before Ollie sighed as he turned to have gotten worse.
"I got to stop asking that. You're ok, I think. I mean, I can't see you, but you didn't get hit yet, did you?" Ollie questioned as she gave a smile with her fingers. "Good then we can get going and we can all get out of here. I'll dress up as him, and you go find one of the lady Crown members and then take their clothes… With any luck? We're going to be able to sneak in. Unless you think you can copy one of their clothes with your semblance?" Ollie questioned which made him sigh.
He hadn't yet gotten where this had all started to have gotten out of control. He hadn't yet seemed to have gotten where this seemed to have gotten worse. It had always found a way to be worse, even if he could have been in such a position. He wasn't sure what it was like to have a partner, not for now. This was a lot weirder than it had been for the time, he never had a Trivia for the time back then.
"There are a lot worse problems like this," Ollie stated before he rubbed at his temples with a hand as he did so. "We both know what will happen when it comes," Ollie stated before he seemed to have prepared for the worst.
He knew he had to. He knew what would come if he wasn't prepared for it. They had far too much to lose if they got anywhere else and then got captured. They couldn't be allowed to be caught. They couldn't let this all come crashing down, Ollie wouldn't let it all come crashing down as he seemed to have prepared for the worst.
He hadn't yet seemed to have prepared to have done with this had been a lot worse of a problem. There was something else on the mind… There was a problem that this had gotten where it had been there was something else that hadn't yet gotten where it should have been.
He seemed to tap at her, poking her nose playfully for the time being. There was a much more chaotic factor that had been all over and over. It hadn't yet gotten anytime soon. He didn't understand what she was going to be worried about… Well, besides the problems of almost getting killed, he'd not let them for now.
"Triv? Can you look at me for a second?" He said as she nodded and poked him to show she was listening. "I got your back in there… If something goes wrong and I go down? You get the hell out of there… As far as you can. I know you don't want to trust me yet. I ain't going to let them kill you if I mess up. Ok? Can you promise me that?" Ollie asked as she paused for a second as tilted her head to the side.
"No." Trivia said while she drew a frown. "Friend. Help… Won't let you die, I'll hurt them first." Trivia typed before she sighed.
"Why? We've just met for a day or so. You want to help me out that bad?" Ollie asked as Trivia drew a smile. "Ok… Thanks, Triv. I'm going to make sure we both get out of here, though." Ollie said as Trivia hummed.
"What plan?" Trivia signed to him as he hummed and tilted his head.
"Don't know yet. We're going to have to have something planned… Nothing else will work, we have to be prepared for the worst. I just hope you notice that." Ollie said before he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
He wasn't going to have done with their problems. He watched as she writes a smile before she seemed to have done something that hadn't yet gotten. This had been such a thing that seemed to have been a problem when this was all over now.
He ran his fingers through his hair and questioned before it seemed to have gotten worse. He prepared for the worst what was a lot more nightmarish thing. He wasn't sure of what to have done next for the time being when it came.
"There's a lot more to have prepared." Trivia seemed to have said before he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
This was a problem that hadn't yet bloomed. This was a fun little thing before it clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
He was sure that this was all said and done. He tapped on the tree behind him as he did so. There was too much that he hadn't conquered or wished to have conquered. His mind was breaking so much that he felt he'd scream if he wasn't able to have relaxed so much at the end of the day.
There was a lot more to have done when it was all over before it was all over… Their problems wouldn't end so easily. So easily had this gotten when it was all over for now…
"You, ok?" Trivia signed on his hands as she looked around at everything around her.
"Well, things won't be as easy as you think they're going to be," Ollie said. "We're going to be fighting tough criminals. These guys will try and kill us or worse when it comes down to it. If you want to live? You have to fight or you run and make sure there's something between them and you." Ollie stated which wasn't at all a lie.
He wasn't trying to scare Trivia. The damn world had already done enough of that to her… There was the fact that such an issue would have gotten where it should have been when it came down to it.
There was a lot more to their little game than what had been brought towards them. Whatever else came their way? He'd have to be more and more ready for now.
"What's going to happen next?" Ollie asked before she shrugged.
He sighed and gripped her hands before starting to trace the palm lines of her hands. Ollie cursed his lack of perfecting tactile hand signing which if he survived Mistral? He'd be fixing up properly.
"Follow me, ok?" Ollie signed as she nodded. "I've got you're… Back, k?" Ollie signed as she rolled her eyes at his attempt at hand drawing.
"K… Stay close, I'll protect you." She signed back as she slipped her gloves into her pockets unless she needed them.
The two slowly started to drag away the Crown member they had taken down, there were a few murmurs within the shrubs which caused the duo to rest their hands on weapons.
"When the hell are the rest of them getting here? This damn place is already feeling like a damn jungle." One of the members stated as another rolled their eyes.
"When they decide to get here. We've already lost one shipment to those damn Spiders; you want to explain to the damn boss why you're complaining about what the plan is?" They heard as they shared looks at each other.
"Spiders? Why do I feel like I've heard that name before?" Ollie asked as he tapped at his chin.
Trivia almost winced at the name. She knew it damn well. It was the name of that group her father spoke with whom was far more powerful than the crime family who ran Vale. They were far more vastly connected than she assumed.
"You, ok?" Ollie asked as she turned to him and nodded. "Good. Then we got to go… I'll meet you inside the camp. I'd use your semblance to blend in until I can find someone who might have clothes that fit." Ollie said before he shook his head.
He knew better than to get involved as of this very moment for now. It had to happen sooner or later. There was such a degree as to how this would have gone to have seen this through.
He snorted. Him blind and half unable to see anything and he was worried about his sight in general. That was enough for a chortle from him, it was only the fact he was around someone who hadn't been used to his sense of humor that it hadn't been.
There was a lot more he didn't understand and this was one thing he needed to. If he hadn't the ability to protect Trivia? Then he'd end up dying here out of heartbreak or perhaps some need to have avenged her if she lost. He doubted he would have to do either, but he'd be damned if he let that happen anytime soon. This day seemed to be marked by tragedy and yet? Here it had all gone downhill sooner or later, it hadn't yet seemed as if that'd be ending.
He clicked his fingers against his head while he slowly looked at her while she tilted her head.
He hummed to tilted his head. He tapped Trivia on the nose which made her turn, a mock gasp purging itself from her throat at the second.
"You better be ok," Ollie stated before he rested his weapon on his side. "Ok, I'll see you into the jungle… Damn it, I'm still talking about seeing with all of this crap going on… Ugh, my damn head hurts." Ollie said before she poked him in the nose which made him shake his head back and forth as if he was thrown into a block of ice.
"Lady if it was so damn easy to get me to have a headache? I'd already had one something else." Ollie stated before he clicked his fingers. "Ok, I'm going to be inside the damn tent… Over there." Ollie added to which he tossed his finger in the northern direction.
"Are you sure you going to be, ok?" Ollie questioned before he sighed. "Ok, I'm shutting that crap down. I asked that several damn times." Ollie stated before he dragged the soldier around the corner before he slowly started to get into the base.
Trivia sighed and then slowly started to bleed into the city, using her semblance to look like a Beowolf which she knew would only fool their eyes, the second she didn't act like a Grimm? Well, that would give her away quickly and she knew it… She had known it from the bottom of her heart.
There was too much on her mind. She wanted to have fun and she knew how well this would happen. She tilted her head at Ollie sighed and struggled to get their boots on. He sighed before he turned to Trivia with a roll of his eyes.
"Triv, can't I get dressed into a criminal's clothes in peace?" Ollie joked to which she seemed to roll her eyes and sighed. "Hey, this is as weird to me as it is to you," Ollie stated before he turned.
"Weird?" Trivia signed with a smirk.
"Yes." Ollie signed back to which he felt some annoyance. "I don't want to have to point out how much I suck at signing… But I suck at this. It's not as easy to sign as you think." Ollie stated to which he rolled his eyes.
"Ok. Let's get this on." Trivia stated as she slowly turned on her semblance before she started to vanish into the brush.
He seemed to find what it should have been when it came down to it. This hadn't yet seemed to have been something for now. Ollie wasn't entirely sure to have to focus on when her mission was over. He didn't know what she should have been over for now.
"Whatever you're going to do? I just want you to know that I'm going to back you up." Ollie said to which she smiled. "We're going to be ok; I'm going to have your back when it's all said and done. I just want you to know that when it comes down to it." Ollie said as she wrote a smile across his face.
He smiled at her as she nodded and then vanished, her semblance transforming her into another Crown member with a brown shirt, a tan pair of pants that stopped at her knees, a pair of yellow eyes, and blondish hair.
She blushed some of her blonde hair upon her back before she looked around. She didn't know what the Crown was and she didn't know what to have done next. What she did know was that these pieces of trash were in her way and she had little or no control over if she could just take them out. There was a movement of contemplation as Trivia considered how best to fight the rest of the group. She didn't know what would have happened for now. Only that such a problem was beyond her abilities but not their combined powers to which it came down to it.
"What's going to happen next?" She heard from one of the people when it comes down to it. "They had something else plan when all of this is done is over when it's all over." Trivia sighed before she rubbed her eyes.
These people were slightly boring when it seemed to have been odd when it came down to it. All these criminals and she didn't seem to even be a blip to them. It was part exciting and partly boring simply because of her semblance letting her just dodge around them like they didn't exist. If anything? She didn't know what they knew, but she was too bored with their antics when it came down to it.
She looked around for Ollie and knew she'd need to help him. His semblance didn't help him much with getting around and she knew his eyes weren't in a position to do much of anything when it comes down to it at the end of the day.
Such a problem only sought to resolve itself more and more, there was such a thing that this almost hurt. It'd have hurt more if he had much if at all sympathy for such a measure but he didn't feel he owed anyone anything at all.
Neo looked around, curious as to what to have brought and how this could have happened. If anything? She was glad to be able to do this for him. She'd be getting exactly what she wanted and more. They had to be willing to do something or at least die trying. Anything else wasn't going to mean much and yet? She had so much on her mind to draw to a conclusion.
It was odd as she walked among people with fake smiles and waves as if she wasn't capable of just flicking out Hush and going to work… No. She didn't want to do that, not if it wasn't what Ollie wanted. He understood, she wanted him to understand what she was far beyond such little things and she knew it.
She turned in time to greet a tap on her shoulder which made her feel someone also draw a smile across her face.
"Glad you're helping… Also? Your disguise thing kinda doesn't work as well when it comes to disguising your footsteps by the way, really doesn't help that you have dainty feet." Ollie stated as she elbowed him cheekily, all too interested in what was coming and what was going on.
She rather liked this; she liked this a lot. It was nice, happy to a degree, and willing to let this go when it came down to it. This was such an odd little thing to him that he didn't know how to have focused more.
"We both know this isn't going to be the end anytime soon, isn't it?" Ollie asked as she wrote a smile across his face.
It made him roll his damaged eyes; he knew her sense of humor when it came down to it. They didn't at all have much if at all anything. He didn't at all know what to have done for now but he damn well did know he wasn't going to have stuck around if something hit the fan. They had so much left to try and do, so much they needed to handle… Yet? They weren't exactly that hard to have stopped.
He didn't at all know what to have done or how it could have been for a time, she wasn't going to have gotten this anytime soon. She wasn't going to have gotten anywhere important.
He was so tired, so focused on other things. Yet? It had simply been too much for him to have handled for now.
"What's going to happen anytime soon? We're not going to have to focus more on guarding this damn base, not when it's going to be airlifted out." Ollie and Trivia heard.
There was a smack as the man was hit in the back of the head as the man was cuffed to the ground before they turned their attention to the man in charge, a very burly man who was covered in a fancy golden robe. It was only a few seconds before he spoke.
"Quiet, you damn fool." The man barked, leveling his club again. "You damn well should know that we're in the Spider's territory. The second I hear one of you speak when it comes down to it. You will be moved when it's all over for the moment." He barked as he spits from under his mask before he seemed to have looked around.
"Big bad guy," Ollie said while he elbowed her in the side. "I don't want to point out that something that stupid, but it seemed to have to understand that constantly," Ollie stated before he shook his head before he questioned what to do next.
He shook his head before he got over himself while he hummed to himself. He didn't know what to say to her before she shook her head to the side which meant they had to be more careful as she was amused and not sure of what was coming.
He didn't know the proper focus upon which seemed to have to question for now. She didn't know what to think as he was bothered by now. They had a lot more to do at the moment.
Ollie had to form a plan. They had entered a nest of Rapier Wasps and it damn well would be horrid to escape for now with them being in the middle of such a thing.
"Be careful or they will kill us and we will be sure to have killed us all," Ollie stated as he sighed. "We need to find out where the supplies are and get them out of here. I'm going to need to talk to the boss and see if we can try and get around this without fighting them all." Ollie stated to which Trivia had fallen silent.
He knew her, he knew she'd try something. He had to make certain she didn't she'd get killed and he'd damn well have to entirely breach his thoughts to purge them from his mind.
He didn't know what to have to do if she did something insane, though. Perhaps it would sort itself out, perhaps he'd find out for now. He had to be beyond their skills, beyond his type of madness.
He had to surpass them and make damn well certain they couldn't have risen from anything he did, anything he wanted to do. This had to be more flawless than anything he did or would ever do at the end of days or else it'd all come crashing down to the ground in a giant ball of fire.
Ollie knew his course and knew it well. If something bad happened? Well, it was clear while it questioned what to have to focus upon next.
Trivia felt herself fall silent and it was entirely clear they had more to handle than this, more and more did it bother them when it came down to it. Trivia glanced at Ollie who had fallen silent before long and glanced at her with mild interest.
She forgot for a second he was not at all able to see and as such was simply attempting to see through his other senses.
"Hey, move these damn crates, we need to be out of here before the spider and all her damn henchmen show up." Trivia heard from one of the henchmen as she looked upon them and then turned to look at Ollie who nodded.
Trivia rolled her eyes and slowly started to pick up the box before she started to carry 2 more towards the piles as Ollie did the same. He pivoted his head towards the henchmen, clearly interested in what they were going to do and how they'd get out of here. They had more to focus on, a lot more, and yet all this was doing was terrorizing them.
"Keep calm, these idiots are scared of the spider more than us… Not that I blame them. That woman is evil." Ollie said as he sighed. "We can drop this as soon as we get to their camp," Ollie stated before he patted her shoulder. "But if they get dangerous? Get dangerous back… Trust me, they will be dangerous if you push them." Ollie stated before he shook his head.
He knew more than anything that something else was going on, whoever ran the Crown was dangerous and he had to predict for the time being what it was to have been.
Ollie felt her lean against him before she questioned what to do next. The two continued to load cargo along with the other crown members as both of them felt tired, too interested, dragged downwards as to have done something for now.
It hadn't yet before now that they had problems. It was something that they had more and more problems which meant something had to give and it'd need to give before now… All too much for them and it had been falling apart slowly yet surely.
She hadn't yet crashed into the ground alongside him, she'd always been crashing down to it. She tilted her head before she poked at Ollie. It was entirely too much for him and entirely beyond her control while she yawned and leaned on the wall or rather tree.
"Hey, hurry up!" One of the crowd members before she tilted her head to the side.
"We are, boss. We're new here!" Ollie stated before she looked around to the side.
"Then prepare for the rest of the bosses to get here." Ollie heard before she yawned and tilted her head. "This isn't going to be easy, but we need to wait. If we go now? They're going to find out and make our job a lot harder than it should have been. I don't know how best to describe it, but we're in deep here with all these guys around us." Ollie stated which was true.
Even Trivia with all of her skill knew fighting an entire gang of people at the same time was something that could have been done for now. It wasn't going to have been that easy and she knew it. She also knew Ollie wasn't trying to look down his nose at her or her skill, it was entirely due to the fact they were just straight up outmatched and outnumbered by these odds. She sighed mentally as she knew her ego would not have allowed such an insult to go easily.
However? She felt Ollie turn his head towards her and smile which told her that he was simply looking around before he questioned what to do next.
He wasn't going to be ready for now which it seemed to question upon now while it came down to it.
They had a lot more problems which questioned what to have prepared for now. It was a lot more to have questioned what to do next.
It wasn't going to have been easy, it'd not have been at an advantage that they won, nor would the odds have been in their favor at all. It was clear both of their paths would have eventually separated for now. it was purely something they had to pull from thin air, they'd have to surpass their skills and pull strength and skill from beyond to have done such a thing. It would have been easy, not at all.
However? Part of what made this fun to them was the fact that they neither had any idea if they'd have won or if they'd drown in the sludge of life. It made their battles interesting and interesting still that such problems had only served to have made them stronger.
They'd not have much more work to have done if not for the fact they had more and more Crown members to have fought off. it was entirely clear such measures would not have kept them out entirely, but if they were lucky? Owl guessed the Spiders for them would have handled the rest. It was all too clear to the boy that their problems would and could have been solved themselves. If anything, it was just going to give them more and more of an idea of what would become of them all when push came to shove.
It was all too clear for now that if they got too far along the Spiders would become a problem for THEM as well as the Crown which was the last thing Ollie had wanted to contend with for the time being. It was all too much for them and it was clear such measures had come from a good place at the end of the day.
Author Note
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will show both Ollie and Neo fighting the Crown and setting up another of the villains. Until the 900–6500-word chapter. Until the 900-6500 words.