The Master and the Apprentice
-Mistral-
"Our ssspies in Atlas Academy indicated that Zeos is nowhere in ssight. It appears he has other plans since Mercury's arrest." Zerena called Jupiter from her scroll in a hologram call.
"I guess with Mercury in prison, that'll hold him for a little while before he can interfere with our plans. This way, we can worry less about him getting in the way. After all, he is destined to rot in a cell as his father should've been long ago." Jupiter folded his arms, determined to take out Salem's subordinates and get on her good side until the moment is right. And having so much hate for Mercury and his father for being low-lifes.
"I know he isss a thorn to your ssside. But on the bright ssside. Time itself might have plans for us. I'll send out more sspies to keep an eye on Zeos." Zerena said to him. Smirking with assurance that they have victory on their side.
"The more we create distrust between Sssalem's factions, the more she will be on our side. The side of the Black Vipers." Jupiter sighed. Wanting the plan to work. After years of planning, Jupiter has to make sure he is one-step ahead than anyone else.
"Get thiss," Zerena takes out a piece of an ancient fragment. "While I was infiltrating the mines where the bombings happened. I found something. Something that might intrigue you."
"Enlight me, Zerena." Jupiter said.
The silver fragement was written with the initials on the corner side of the piece: N.S.
"The initials might be familiar. This is an ancient hologram orb that might belong to Nicholas Schnee. It appears he might've broken it in order to rebuild it for later use." Zerena explains.
"Leave it to the old man who left this for breadcrumbs." Jupiter remarked. Aside from technology and archeological research, Jupiter is fond of puzzels that can lead to any answers.
"The mining area in Solitas was the last place the SDC founder was seen when ssearching for before his death. And it was the same place his father ussed to work as well before his demise." Zerena concluded.
"Interesting. Maybe this could lead us somewhere." Jupiter agrees. "Looks like he was aware of Salem after all. And Winter Schnee is one of the few who knew. But what of the other family members?"
Zerena shook her head to confirm that no one else know of Salem's existence. "No one other than the ex-Schnee heiress knew. And for now..." Zerena, along with Roth, kneeled to him. "It stayss this way."
Jupiter nods, hoping this is what they need to find whichever relic they need to take. For now, they need to stay on Salem's good side while also sabotaging Cinder.
"Your observations enthusiast me, Zerena. Keep it up."
"I already found the girl that Cinder kept going on about. The one with silver eyes. She was taught by none other than Qrow Branwen." Zerena confirms after her encounter with Ruby. "She is just like the rest of us."
Jupiter's thoughts turned to Qrow Branwen. His old teacher and mentor. He used to be like a father figure to him than his own father. He idolized him as a hero. A hunter who does believe what must be done right.
Which is no wonder where he got his rebellious nature from. With Qrow doing things his way despite what others said. They used to call him "The Rebel of Beacon," when he was a student at the time. And girls adored him. This inspired Jupiter to boost his own ego. While Qrow tried to limit his teachings to not let his student take things the wrong way, it was already too late.
So, my old teacher was the one who taught that kid. I never thought about anticipating this.
Jupiter was then sent photos of Ruby and her friends. And there she is, the silver-eyed scythe-wielder. In this picture, Ruby was holding her own scythe, thay can also be a gun. "Looks like I'll need new apprentices after all."
He picked up some leaves and crushed them. Jupiter then releases the pieces of leaves and sees where the wind is going. The leaves flew into the opposite direction. "That way." He said before sprinting off.
Out of nowhere, Kali II and Yomaru leaped from the trees after hearing something about a map. "We can't let him get the map. It's our only lead to the relic of choice." She said quietly.
"There has to be other pieces somewhere." Yomaru reolied. Then their teammates, Tide and Erina, came behins them. "Maybe this is what we're looking for." Tide threw them a piece of the technological piece to Kali. It was another one of those pieces of the map with the initials: N.S.
"N.S...Maybe there is still hope we can find the relic and bring it back to base. For the Resistance. For Remnant." Kali replied to her team. The nodded.
-Vale, 10 years ago-
"Can you feel where that wind is blowing, kid?" Jupiter (15 at the time) looked behind to see his teacher, Qrow. Both master and apprentice are on Mountain Glenn. "Just somewhere in the east, Master."
"Actually, it's in the west." Qrow corrected.
"How can you be so sure?" Jupiter asked.
Qrow picked up a few dirty, dry leaves from the ground. Jupiter watched in bewilderment. "I am not one for long speeches when it comes to teaching, kid. But think of the wind as the ocean. Only it's air. It's how I learn back when I trained with the Branwen Tribe. Bunch of crooks, but their techniques come in handy." Qrow explains.
As he was explaining, Qrow mashed the leaves into tiny pieces in his palm. Then released them into the wind. The wind blows into the west side of the mountain.
"Just one question. Why didn't you stay with the tribe to change things?" Jupiter asked, curious about the history of the Branwen Tribe. But Qrow said nothing. "Trust me, you don't wanna know. But what you should know was that you can't trust them."
"But aren't they your people? Your family?" Jupiter asked. Those words stopped Qrow for a few seconds before turning around to his student. Kids today would never stop finding out, or asking more questions. "Family, tribe or not. I left that a long time ago. Since then, I have to let go of everything to free myself of that cursed tribe and their terrible customs."
Jupiter watches the leaves curling up on the stream of the wind, like the crashing waves of the sea.
It would seem that Qrow is hiding some things he never want to speak about. Then Qrow jerked his head towards the dorection the leaves were flying at. "Let's get moving." He said.
Jupiter sighs as he cocked his sniper. "Yes, sir." He replied.
-Anima-
Blake was scouting out the last place Mercury had lived. It was a small wooden house that was burnt into the coloration of gray and black. "My guess is, this was his old house. Hidden right under our noses since our parents' time of youth."
"Man, if that old man, Marcus Black is in this house. He's gonna get a beat-down." Sun slams his fist into his palm, wanting to release the frustration he has over Mercury's deception towards his friends
"I beg of you. Something big is coming."
"Sun, you know I can..." Blake appreciates him accompanying her. But she doesn't like being helped much. Sun stops her there to at least let him check. "It wouldn't feel right to let you go without seeing what might come next." He said.
To Sun, he would give anything to keep his friends safe. Including Blake, cause to him, she means a lot to him. Blake grasped onto the hilt of her katana, Sun twirls his staff in case there will be an ambush.
Blake kicks the door and readies herself in a battle stance. Sun shifts his staff into guns. They two looked around, and it was empty. It was nothing but burnt items, a weapon collection. Which are trophies of the huntsmen and huntresses he assassinated.
"Looks like a fight broke out." Blake deduced, seeing the items like furniture, cabinets and others burned into ashes.
"And it looks like it took place years ago." Sun replied. Seeing the one picture of Marcus Black and his son, Mercury, who appeared 10 at the time. This is the only photo since they can't find any more in the old bedrooms, nor the living room. Judging by the photograph, both father and son (Marcus and Mercury) are not the definition of a family.
"My guess was that Mercury did not get along with his dad despite their thirst for sport." Blake states. Seeing the photograph and placed it back on the draw. Blake then searches through a garage and sees a weapon collection. Swords, axes, knives, spears, etc. All were tropies of the huntsmen he killed.
Then Sun stapped on a floor piece that made a sound of squeaking sound. Underneath his foot, it was a smaller panel. Linear, and it seemed to be loosened from the floor. He lifts up the floor piece, and it reveals a secret compartment with a plastic bag of files filled in.
"Hello, what do we have here." Sun spoke like aome detective. He missed his days working as a Junior Detective in Vale. Blake then came to him. "Let me have a look." Sun slowly gives the items to Blake for her to have a look.
Blake opens the secret stash of paper. And with one look, Blake sees the names of huntsmen and huntresses he killed. And there are one of the files of huntsmen he failed to kill: Qrow Branwen and Saturn Vasilias. Those of the huntsmen he hadn't assassinated were written with big letters of failure.
One of the files that caught Sun's eyes was a file of Pluto Vasilias. Where it was written in big green letters: Complete. This comes to show that Marcus Black was responsible for Pluto's death. "It can't be."
"I knew it. With monsters like Marcus Black, they would go as far as to destroy lives." Blake said. The two walked out from tbe cabin, and saw a spot where it seemed to be dug out and then buried with something. Due to the length of the hole, Blake figured it might lead to something.
She and Sun braced themselves as they were about to find something they won't like under the hole. They dug off the dirt from the spot. When they are done, the two gasped to see a skeletal body. With the clothes similar to Marcus Black.
Sun barfed, disgusted at the sight of the skeleton. Blake remained calm. Seeing the remains of Marcus Black, Blake realized how dangerous Mercury can be judging by the fight that started years ago in that same cavin.
Sun recovered after seeing this. "It's him." Blake deduced.
"What the heck happened before...this?" Sun asked.
"I guess this is how Mercury was recruited by Cinder in the first place. Guess he was no different than his own father." Blake said. Deciding to bring back the evidence. Blake took a picture to let the officials know tbe events that occurred.
After taking the evidence with them, theu went back to Haven Academy.
-Haven Academy-
"To think Marcus Black had gotten away for this long. Even in death, he still had." Leonardo Lionheart, a lion faunus and headmaster of Haven Academy, pressing his fingers when sighing.
His desk now sat with files of the previous huntsmen (some who are his former students) that had been killed by Marcus. Including Pluto, who is one of Lionheart's former students.
"That's not all, Professor. He also killed Pluto Vasilias since he was found." Sun said someberly. He may not have met his best friend's elder brother, but he knew how much the Vasilias eldest son meant to his family. But with Marcus' son (Mercury) on the run, Sun will have no choice but to bring him to justice.
"Do you have any record on Mercury? Or Emerald? They claimed to be students in this school." Asked Blake.
"I am sorry, but I don't." Claimed the professor. This makes Sun's fist clenched. Just as he thought about getting the answers they needed. There was still no sight of Mercury and Emerald.
"The shameful part was that none of us saw it coming. If we had, then those two would've been stopped." Lionheart's right hand shook despite being still on the desk.
Sun sees a sweat on his head from afar. No matter how small it was, it's a sign that the story didn't fit right. He remembered his headmaster not being present at the Vytyl Festival.
"Professor, something doesn't add up. Earlier, other students claimed they never saw Mercury, or Emerald in the school. And back in Beacon, they claimed to be transferred students from here." Sun explained. Using his detective skills back in Vale when applying to be Junior Detectives in the Police Force. "And how come you failed to notify the other headmasters of you knew about this?" Sun interrogated, wanting to understand. Last he heard, Lionheart was navigating a huntsman for a mission he assigned.
"By the time the mission with a "search and destory" mission was completed. It was too late, a list of huntsmen and huntresses got stolen from my devices and used to track them down. I have to have one of my former students to search for any suspicious activity." Lionheart explains.
Sun notices red coloration in Lionheart's eyes. Didn't seem to have much sleep. His face seemed to be disheveled. "Um, Prof? You alright?" Sun asked. Lionheart shook his head as he took a deep breath. This feeling of suspicion rose on Sun, as he felt his fist quenching for answers. As a student, he trusts Lionheart as his headmaster and mentor to all students.
"I'm fine. These events are just...uneventful." He lied again. The thought of everything happening had him shaken. And not because of Beacon. Sun narrowed his eyes. Pondering what else is Lionheart hiding.
"Uneventful, huh?" Sun decided to wait for another day. He looked at Blake, a d she knew what he had in his mind. Not that she can read minds, but what he has been expressing on his face.
The two teens nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Professor Lionheart. But today has been really long. Sun and I have to get going to check on Menagerie to see what we missed." Blake stood from the chair from the front desk. "Thank you for your time." She adds.
Lionheart nodded and led them out the door. "I appreciate your concern to bring in, Miss Belladonna. And you too, Mr. Wukong." Lionheart then has one more thing to say to his student.
"Oh, and Mr. Wukong, while we are still closing in Haven. You might have to catch up on your...homework that you missed since the first semester." That statement made Blake give Sun a light glare for missing some of the classes before the Vytyl Festival. Causing him to chuckled nervously. "Oh, that."
"If something came up, let me know through a call." Professor Lionheart offers. Blake nods. "Will do. Thank you again."
Lionheart then closed the door. Blake and Sun exited the academy. The way Lionheart was in denial. There was no way he couldn't have known the deception of Emerald, Mercury and Cinder. "He tried to brush off the questioning of their whereabouts." Blake deduced.
Sun cannot help but agree with her. He wasn't sure if his headmaster can be trusted.
Author's note: We now get a glimpse of a map left behind by Nicholas Schnee that has a map to the relic the Vipers and Team KYTE were looming for.
But as for the reason why Salem wants the relics remains a mystery. Either to destroy the world, or to rewrite reality in her own image (and not in a good way).
Sun and Blake meet with Professor Lionheart for a discussion about Mercury and Emerald's whereabouts. But for some reason, Sun cannot trusts every word his headmaster said.
We also get a flashback of Jupiter's time he was being taught under Qrow. And wonders why Qrow would abandon on what he was trained to do.
Also the title of this chapter, The Master amd the Apprentice, was a reference to Qrow as the master, and Jupiter as an apprentice when he was 15 (same age as Ruby since Volume 1). It's also a reference in the Skywalker Saga in Star Wars.Also, the reason I am doing timeskips, it's because I like some of the movie references that has timeskips, or flashbacks.