Ch. 53 A peaceful sleep
"Stay awake Weiss!"
…everything was on fire…
"Nora… I…"
…the Dust from the cracked Myrtenaster…
"Don't you dare die on me now, Weiss! Fuck that's a lot of blood."
…Weiss screaming as the burning Dust seared the wound…
=O=O=O=
Nora woke up with a silent scream, clutching to Virga Fulgur as if she was back in Beacon. Taking a deep breath she looked at Ren's sleeping face next to her. It was just a nightmare.
She put the spear back on the ground next to Manghild and tried to calm herself.
It wasn't the first time she had that particular nightmare. The loss of another home, friends left behind, Weiss… gone… taken away. But right now those dreams, those thoughts, put all four of them in danger.
Nora looked towards where Yang sat by the fire, keeping night watch. She thought about just going back to sleep, hugging Ren and hoping for a peaceful rest, but she knew it wouldn't go that way for her… it never did with her nightmares.
Yang looked over, allerted by the rustling of a sleeping bag, to see Nora approach her.
"Can't sleep, huh…"
Nora nodded, no more explanation needed. All four of them had nightmares of what happened, and all four of them knew what it looked like to be woken up by one.
"...You can keep me company then. The sun'll be up in two hours or so."
They sat there in amiable silence, before Nora broke it with a question.
"Do you ever think about the rest of your team? Sky and Cardin?"
Yang sighed, knowing where it came from. To Nora, team RNJR was like a family… SWNY wasn't nearly as close.
"Sometimes…" Yang lied a little "...not often though. I mean, I know the guys'll be fine."
Nora hugged her knees and buried her face, mumbling a reply.
"Are you worried about Ruby?" asked Yang.
"I mean, yeah… but I know she won't be alone. She has Jaune and I know he would never abandon her outright. He'll come back to her…"
"Then…?" Yang left the question hang in the air.
"I'm worried about Weiss…"
"...oh…"
Yang didn't know how to reply to that. They all heard what happened and there was little any of them could do about it.
So she just stared into the smouldering embers of their campfire. There was something calming about the sight. Yang always had a fiery personality, but this was new. A calm brought about like a hum of a melody from deep within the fire… from deep within herself.
=O=O=O=
Not too far away from the encampment two black birds silently acknowledged each other. Their red eyes met and they embarked towards a cliff lookout a distance away.
They landed a metre away from one another and waited. A silent agreement to enjoy the calm before they spoke.
It was Qrow that first turned into a human, sitting on the edge of the lookout, focusing on the speck that was the campfire in the distance. He kept his silence, an acknowledgement that they were here for the same reason.
Rawen took a step forward and sat next to him, focusing on the bond her semblance provided. She took off her Nevermore mask and set it aside before speaking up.
"It's been a while since we met like this, wouldn't you agree, oh brother of mine."
"Yeah."
"Has she told you?"
"What Oz tried to pull? Yeah, I knew she was a candidate, but when shit goes south this bad… I'm… fuck I hate even saying this in front of you. I'm starting to have my doubts about Oz."
Raven was stunned silent for a second, not expecting Qrow of all people, her brother turned Ozpin's lapdog, to express doubts of the old fucker.
"I am… surprised…"
"Really? Well, I specifically told Oz not to make RNJR into another team STRQ. I warned him that he would lose not just any trust Tai had left for him, but mine as well if something happened to Yang or Ruby. And thanks to his scheming and inaction, after another seeing the bigger picture fucking decision, both of them and their partners nearly ended up dead on top of that fucking tower."
Qrow deflated once he aired his grievances. He reached to his belt, palming at The Long Memory - Ozpin's cane.
"And that is after Yang used her one save. She is lucky that she had Summer's kid with her."
"Do I even try to tell you to save your daughter more than once?" questioned Qrow with a tired exasperation.
"Not how it works Qrow. Everyone gets one. One second chance from me. If they need any more, they're weak."
"...damnit, whatever Rai… the question is what now?"
"Well, since Tai convinced you to shadow Yang and her posse, I would suggest you do that. I have my doubts that Yang got nothing from that encounter as she says."
Qrow turned to Raven in surprise.
"I thought the transfer failed? That's what Yang said."
"Not entirely… but handing over the maiden's power in such a crude way is bound to leave wounds… scars on her very soul…"
"And what would you know about that?"
Raven closed her eyes and shook her head silently, letting a tired expression slip out. She wasn't used to looking tired. To looking weak. When she opened her eyes again the green flames of a maiden's magic lit up her face.
"I know it all, brother."
=O=O=O=
Cardin crashed on the couch.
It had been a long day, and despite his father's insistence that he should come home and leave it to the full fledged huntsmen, Cardin had spent it in one of the kill zones beyond the new wall.
There was another breach, and while the Ursa was killed swiftly, it still left a hole that needed to be patched up, leaving huntsmen to go into the zone and protect builders working to patch the wall up. He wasn't alone in that effort. Sky was still in Vale, determined to do his part in eventually retaking the academy. Of course they were still students, but after Beacon fell huntsmen were playing things by ear. You could fight? Great, learn the rest on the job.
Most of those students that were still in Vale worked under a certified huntsman to learn the ropes. Cardin wasn't quite as lucky. Or perhaps he was luckier than most, hard to tell. Either way his "supervisors" weren't actually certified, but they certainly were skilled enough to be.
Cardin would have never agreed to it if one of them wasn't his girlfriend. In fact, Goodwitch straight up told Sky that the two of them were supposed to supervise Roman and Neo, not the other way round, since technically they were pardoned criminals.
It was an easy gig, since Roman had adopted the mindset of "Nothing to steal if the city burns to the ground." And Neo was easily placated by promises of couples activities.
Which circles back to why Cardin crashed on a couch instead of returning to his home. He was currently in Neo's apartment, waiting for her to vacate the shower so he could clean off the grime of the day. They had quickly discovered that while taking a shower together was fun, it in no way saved time and often left them not as clean as they wanted, since they focussed on other things rather than cleaning themselves. Thus his current plight. He silently cursed the thieves for not getting themselves a house with two bathrooms.
When Neo came out of the bathroom in just an oversized shirt and ushered him into the bathroom, it finally dawned on him just how much he promised today to keep Neo placated and focussed on the job at hand.
Suffice to say, he didn't see much sleep in his immediate future.
=O=O=O=
When Atlas personnel finally reached them, both Jaune and Ruby were surprised to see Winter Schnee arrive with the recovery team.
"Specialist!? I thought you would be overseeing from the command camp?"
"Yes, well I had a change of mind, miss Rose. Or is it Arc-Rose now? Congratulations by the way."
"Oh, right, guess my file got updated. Either way, it's good to be working alongside you again, specialist."
"I hate to break up your little reunion, but I need to remind you that we're on a timer, specialist."
Jaune recognised the man as the same voice that spoke to them over comms. Going by what little he knew about military rankings, the man outranked Winter and everyone else present.
"Right… Mister Arc, I believe you two mentioned Dust?"
"Yeah, from what I can tell, it's mostly the environment controls for the arena. I'd say we're lucky it didn't go off yet, but I have a reason to believe it may be the forest's intrinsic properties that keep it relatively inert. I believe we should…"
Before Jaune could offer his opinion, the man seemingly in charge piped up again.
"I believe my men can handle the situation without your input, mister Arc. We've worked around exposed Dust before, this will be no different. Your role as a scout ended when we entered the Amity."
Ruby was stunned by the disrespect and was about to say something when Winter interrupted.
"That is quite enough Lieutenant Colonel Airgiod. You may have command of the troops, but the retrieval operation falls under my command. So far mister Arc and miss Arc-Rose have proved to be competent in navigating Forever Fall, something some of your troops failed at. And seeing as the forest has claimed Amity, there is no reason to ignore their advice without hearing them out."
"Very well, specialist…" Airgiod spat with thinly veiled venom in his voice, showing Winter the same disdain he showed Jaune.
"Mister Arc?"
"... I propose we go in as a small team to minimise the potential for setting off the Dust. As we've been here before Amity crashed, I believe Ruby and I have some idea of where Penny might be, so I propose we should be a part of the team."
"A reasonable proposition. I believe a team of four should be sufficient. Lieutenant Colonel, do you have a fourth you wish to nominate or would you prefer to join us yourself?"
The man was visibly unhappy with Winter including herself in the operation, but eventually turned towards the soldiers setting up a semi permanent communications relay and yelled out. "Corporal Blackwood! You're going with them."
"Sir, yes sir!"
A young woman with tan skin and short black hair handed off the component to another soldier and swiftly walked up to join the retrieval team. She was nearly as tall as Jaune and with a standard issue rifle slung over her shoulder she had an imposing presence.
"We leave immediately, Corporal. I want project P.E.N.N.Y. retrieved and on the way to Atlas by sunrise."
"Yes, maam!"
=O=O=O=
Weiss woke up in the middle of the night. Whatever the doctors had her hooked on had finally run out for the day and left her with a relatively clear head. She only had to pray that no stupid monitor would alert them to the fact that she was awake, lest they re-up the dosage.
Her father may have the public believe that she was in the care of the best medical professionals on Remnant, but in truth, it was a glorified prison where the only qualifying quality the doctors had was that they would never disobey Jacques Schnee.
Weiss sat at the edge of her bed and surveyed her left leg, or what was left of it. Amputated above the knee in one clean cut. It awoke memories, feelings she didn't have time to process yet, thanks to the everpresent drugs.
She stood up to Adam Taurus to save Blake's life and lost the leg in exchange. Though they would both be dead if it wasn't for Nora.
She surveyed the room, noting once again that there were no crutches or anything to help her move on her own anywhere to be found. No way out of her room, no way to move around, everything safe for her bed placed out of her reach. She had no doubt that it was her father who made the arrangement. To make her feel dependent. To make her feel weak.
Weiss sighed as she anchored a glyph around her waist. Ever so slowly, she shuffled the short distance to her side table, placed deliberately just out of arm's reach from the bed. Just far enough that she'd have to ask the staff for help, something easily denied given the contents of the case on top of it.
It was the one thing her father let her have from her time at Beacon. No doubt he thought it a reminder of the end of her career as a huntress, as that too was just out of reach. But every so often, on nights like these when she could move on her own power she would open the case and remind herself why she was here.
Tonight as well she ran her fingers along the broken blade of Myrtenaster, along the cracked vials of the revolver chamber devoid of Dust. It was a tangible reminder that she made a difference in the world.
For the better.
=O=O=O=
Jaune led the four person team through the overgrown seating of Amity. By all means the descent towards the centre shouldn't have taken that long, but the roots glowed with colours of Dust, forcing them to take detours.
On the other hand, normal foliage, the red plants devoid of Dust seemed to make way, leading them around the pockets of volatile Dust.
Winter observed in silence. She knew there was something more going on here, but as the General hasn't divulged the true nature of the secrets Ozpin's inner circle were privy to, she found it easier to not question the Arc-Rose pair for now.
Corporal Blackwood had no such qualms.
"For real now, that's freaky. How are you doing that, civie? That your semblance?"
Winter resisted the urge to reprimand her.
"Classified I'm afraid…"
That answer was unexpected for both the Atlassian soldiers.
"...no way is your semblance classified! Yer a glorified civilian, an academy dropout on a technicality…"
Jaune chuckled, a well practised fake smile firmly secured on his face.
"No, my semblance is just a regular personal secret. The plants though, that's definitely classified. I'd suggest you ask headmaster Ozpin for clarification." he replied, trying to keep the snark out of his voice.
Winter's mind was going a hundred miles an hour as she tried to wrap her head around whether this was the same Ozpin secrecy the General would enlighten her to, or something completely unrelated.
"He's dead though."
For how long though? Thought Jaune before replying.
"Not that he'd divulge the secret anyway. Oh and I think I see her."
Ruby, who walked behind Jaune, let her steeled expression fall into excitement when she saw the same. It was an ethereal sight to behold. The arena now looked more like a clearing filled with fallen red leaves with roots propping up one spot in particular. The roots formed an altar of sorts, illuminated by Dust crystals embedded into the roots around it.
Penny's body was neatly arranged on the altar, the various severed pieces held together by a net of thin red vines, leaving her looking as if she was merely asleep.
When the four of them reached the altar the Corporal stepped between them and Penny's body.
"Freaky! Well, end of the line I suppose."
"What?"
"Oh, didn't you know Specialist? No loose ends."
"What are you…?"
The Corporal aimed her rifle, not at them but a Dust pocket, before speaking.
"It's very simple Specialist. I have my orders. The weapon is to be retrieved in secret. Officially it was lost, destroyed by a Dust explosion set off by the incompetent civilian helpers. It's a shame you had to interfere, we could have gotten rid of them… in a more humane way. My semblance allows me protection from explosions, I can extend that protection to the weapon, and if you cooperate, to you as well specialist."
While Winter stood shocked by the revelation, Ruby was going through every possible scenario they could attempt to escape. Going up with her semblance was pointless, the fire Dust alone would be enough to incinerate them even if they managed to clear the red canopy. Jaune could possibly tank the explosion, but that wouldn't help her in the slightest and would leave him exposed to further attack. Her eyes darted all over the place before landing on the altar, giving her an idea.
"Ask Keel for help!"
It was the only option, an ace up their sleeve. Jaune didn't have much time to formulate a proper sentence and even less time to move.
He slammed both his hands together while engaging Ocultus Ferrum, the hidden blade slicing into both his palms, spilling blood onto the roots.
"Keel! Defendat nos!" he screamed, hoping the immortal was listening.
Before the words could leave his mouth Blackwood fired her rifle, keen on blowing the three of them up. To her surprise however, the roots that she was aiming at moved out of the way before they could get hit.
Frustrated, she opened fire and sprayed every source of light in the clearing. When her magazine ran empty, the clearing was plunged into darkness as all the Dust got covered by newly grown deep red roots.
"Gratias, Keel. Now then Corporal, let me just say how incredibly stupid what you just did was. I don't particularly care for your orders, but considering how much Dust there is beneath this arena, not just environmental, but the propellant once keeping Amity afloat, I have my doubts your semblance would protect you. Even if the explosion didn't kill you, the effects of the Dust, even just the electric and freeze kind, definitely would. My guess is that Lieutenant Colonel chose to sacrifice you."
While Jaune spoke she felt roots rapidly crawl up her body and bind her in place. Same was true for Winter and, as Jaune suspected, the soldiers outside the coliseum. Before the Corporal could say anything in retort, a root lodged itself in place of a gag.
Ruby was next to speak, turning to Winter.
"I guess you didn't know anything about this?"
"No… I was ordered to get Penny back home to her father."
Jaune was rubbing his bloodied palms. The cut's have already closed thanks to his Aura, but it wasn't anything pleasant. He looked at Winter, recalling a conversation they had, back before even he knew Penny's true nature.
"I guess not everyone is treating Penny as they should…"
"...and I apologise for that. I… I guess I thought better of them, of Atlas."
"Is your moral compass still pointing where it should?"
To Winter, Penny was like family. Perhaps not a daughter or a sibling, but she saw herself as Penny's aunt. Hell the only reason she wasn't in Atlas, helping Weiss back on her feet, was Penny.
"It is. Penny is a person in every way it matters and she should be treated as such."
Jaune smiled at her and slid his hands along the roots binding her in place, releasing her from their grasp. Winter rubbed at her wrists as the roots weren't exactly gentle when restraining her.
"I'm sorry to make such a request but I don't suppose you'd help me arrest the soldiers? You seem to have… command of the forest." Winter glanced at Blackwood who was currently chewing on the piece of wood that served to silence her.
Jaune smiled at Winter, leaving the "classified" secrets to hang in the air for now.
"Sure, but before that, let's get Penny ready for transport. I'm sure the soldiers can wait a little while longer."
=O=O=O=
Author's note:
As I'm sure you can tell, some of this chapter was meant to be slotted into the last one. Ultimately though I think it fits just as well if not better here. Cardin and Neo had their appearance in this chapter and it's likely the last one for the foreseeable future. They will appear again at some point, but right now they're not where the story is happening. We saw a bit of what Weiss is going through and we'll see more in the next few chapters as they're going to be Atlas focused. Ren and Nora are currently following the canon route to Haven and we'll come back to them soon as well.
By the way, we've been here for a year now! Well, give or take two days... But either way I'm actually proud of myself for sticking to the schedule without missing a single week. This is possibly the longest I've managed to do something this regularly without any breaks. And we passed a 1000 followers on Arsenal of Arc, which is really cool too. Really appreciate y'all giving me the time of day and reading my work.
Now more to the IRL side of things, there is another exam period coming up in a few months so I'll attempt to stock up on chapters again to avoid rushed chapters like last week. My family has been pressuring me to monetize my writing so I may do that in the near future in some capacity, we'll see about that, but nothing changes here, weekly chapters should go out as planned.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and are looking forward to the next chapter: Ch.54 City in chains