Happy Thanksgiving for those that celebrate.
This is not a return to the site, as there is still much FFN needs to do to fix itself.
I'm still more or less protesting until more of the bugs and kinks are worked out as there are still quite a few.
Notifications still aren't entirely working for everyone from what I'm seeing and the site sometimes I'm still running into issues where chapters aren't appearing, issues I feel that still need to be addressed.
There are stat issues that still ongoing, etc... and I won't go further on.
Just know that is why I'm not posting here as my main site for the time being.
But, today, I felt like I should at least give an update along with a chapter for your reading pleasure while also realizing, ONCE AGAIN, that for some reason, trying to delete notices off stories updates them randomly.
If you would like to continue, there is a chapter after this on Ao3 (ZaggertheBloodyAngel) or Quotev (if you prefer that, again Zagger the Bloody Angel) along with two chapters posted for Fairy Tales of the Sun, a chapter of Legend of the Golden Kitsune, and Embers of a True Hero since I haven't been updating here.
If FFN can stop glitching for a few months, a tall task, I will post everything I'm working on over here.
So, until then, my trust in this site is nonexistent, and I will periodically post something over here for those that for one reason or another don't want to read over there.
So, have a good turkey day.
Enjoy.
Browning…
She never asked what her mother's maiden name was before. It had never crossed her mind. She never thought it was necessary.
They were Vanilles. Part of the new Vanille dynasty that her father had managed to build with his father before him and forged into a robust business within the walls of Vale. It had extended beyond as Dust had become such a valuable commodity as Huntsman and Huntresses became increasingly reliant on it. The resources were becoming slimmer now that their uses had expanded so much that it was used to power everything in daily life.
Well, it was always a valuable commodity, but charging so much for it in the past had been seen as too greedy when the only people that used to wield it were Huntsman to protect everyone, but that time had passed, and everyone wanted it.
But now it made sense why her mother insisted on her coming here…
This was where her adoptive mother raised her.
Beatrix was not blood-related by any stretch, no. She had raised her mother from a very young age and treated her mother as her very own daughter. So in essence…
She was Neo's grandmother, and why she was willing to accept her here regardless. Went out of her way to exonerate the crimes that she committed and instead interject her sentence by having her serve it out as a student here.
Lady Beat wanted her family close to her.
And it left Neo livid, bubbling with a seething rage at where she had been the rest of her life.
Perhaps her father and mother had something to do with it, but if her grandmother had this kind of established presence, something could have been done.
Yet she waited until now?
Then, there was something that disturbed her about her grandmother. That cold, calculated gaze of hers despite the warm, deceitful smile she displayed to the world. She could see right through it.
She was hiding something… Holding something back, and she knew it!
This school was mysterious in every sense of the word. The Art of the Smile class Lady Beat would teach every week to young women clued her in that there was something weird. She didn't think that seemed like a normal thing to teach…
Then there was how those who broke the rules weren't ever actually punished. Maybe they'd get a slap on the wrist style of punishment, and if it were severe, Lady Beat would handle it…
But none were ever actually punished. In fact…
It seemed it was encouraged to find ways to skirt the rules. To know what they were and bend them. Find ways to use them to your advantage…
That was the way she had seen students actually get others in trouble with detention and instead be rewarded with a day-out pass.
Oh, how she wanted to get one of those! But she felt that was precisely what Lady Beat was expecting and knew it would be difficult for her to get one. She knew where she wanted to be, and it wasn't her, despite the revelation they were family.
She had someone who had shown more active care for her, and she wanted to be there, not here.
Yet as she looked at the other students who had all conformed to the uniforms and the rules, well, most of them, there were outliers. And they were the same ones that pushed the boundaries and got away with it.
And they were adored by a few specific teachers, the same ones who were trying to approach her the most…
Was she missing something…
"Attention Ladies." Lady Beat's voice filled the hall as everyone, drawing silence as her authoritative voice and genuine smile drew the entire room to gaze upon her. "Today marks a special occasion. Not only are we blessed to receive yet another wonderful lady to these halls today, but we have two joining my prestigious academy. Please warmly welcome them as they came from Mistral and are tired from the journey. But remember, we are proper ladies, and to give them space and courtesy when asked."
Neo's eyes narrowed.
Two students? At once? From Mistral. Well, that was a change of…
Two young and pale young ladies already wearing the school uniform stepped beside Lady Beat, gently bowing to the rest of the students. They both had brilliant, mineral-like black hair, one wearing it in a short bob and the other had hip-length. And both of their vivid green eyes held a natural sheen to them.
They were twins.
If the hair wasn't the only tell, thankfully, the two also wore different accessories on the right side of their hair as they must have difficulty being told apart and wanted to make sure they were identified correctly. A white flower and a red and white feather hairpiece…
Wait, were they already wearing altered uniforms? They had purple halter tops!
What was the meaning of this? Why were they being given special treatment?
How… Why… What did this mean?
Wait, what was that on the back of their necks? It looked almost like something with multiple legs, but she could make it out from this distance…
Neo wanted to make it out, but as she did, Lady Beat gently placed her hands over the back of the girl's necks and whispered gently into their ears, and they nodded. "Well, I hope everyone will give our two new ladies a warm welcome later this afternoon as they need to finish packing and adjusting. So let's give them their space for now."
"Melanie and Miltia, you may go to your dorms. I expect you to arrive at your class by the scheduled time this afternoon once you are prepared. Is that understood?"
"Yes, mam." Both bowed, and Neo squinted as they both left, her focusing on the back of their necks, finally getting a glimpse of what she wasn't able to before.
It was that of a spider.
She had seen that before! Wait, she remembered what Naruto had said before. Members of Spider had graduated from this academy, but there had been no proven links…
Yet…
Lady Beat had the same tattoo hidden just underneath the cleavage of her left bosom…
What did it mean? What was going on here?
Neo's eyes sharpened onto Lady Beat. A deep seething filled her as their eyes met.
Oh, she would solve this mystery and get to the bottom. And once she did…
She would expose this place for what it was and return to where she belonged.
This place was the bane of his existence…
He hadn't had a drink in so long because of it…
As he was intent on solving precisely what they were hiding.
He trusted his instinct. He refused to react rashly, acting in accordance with the laws, only pushing them when necessary. That wasn't uncovering enough information.
There was nothing to expect on the surface level. If he wanted to uncover something more, he would have to dig deeper.
And now…
What they did to his family pushed him to revert to this.
He was never above breaking the law. It was in his blood. And if it would get the job done…
A little breaking and entry wouldn't be the worst thing Qrow had done in his life. If they even caught him…
And he highly doubted that.
If the kid could infiltrate this place daily, so could he.
Their business records here were clean, which didn't surprise him. Love or hate him, Jim ran a legitimate business. If he was doing any illicit and shady dealings, he was smart enough not to keep the records.
But that wasn't what he was searching for. Qrow knew better than that.
He was searching for anything that didn't add up. Any clue that would indicate there was a fluctuation of the capital or assets that didn't line up.
To give him a hint so he could begin sleuthing around.
Eyes shimmered.
There it was. What he was searching for.
That was an intriguing development.
He was keeping track of their bank records and trying to solve a discrepancy in their finances. It seemed he had become aware of a steady amount of lien mysteriously disappearing from his account and was tracing its origin.
Perhaps that was a lead he should…
Crimson eyes glinted. It was subtle. Extraordinarily so.
He wouldn't have been able to detect the movement if he hadn't been so alerted to his surroundings. But a barely registerable metallic click was all he needed to be aware of to register it.
Qrow shifted his feet, swiftly turning his entire body as a rapier narrowly avoided piercing his kidneys.
Crimson eyes bored into caramel browns.
And he skidded across the room as he deflected a thrust poised to penetrate his heart.
Extending Harbinger as he looked upon his attacker, a scowl crossed his lips. "I do have to ask, just exactly who are you, Carmel Vanille?"
Standing before him, with a rapier in hand, the lady of the mansion stood, her eyes cold and emotionless. Boring into his gaze with lethal intent.
His eyes narrowed, stepping to the side after a careful parry.
Her closing speed was not something he expected. She was well trained . Not enough to pose a threat to him…
But she knew that as well. She knew she wasn't a threat to him in a direct confrontation. With her footwork and carefully aimed strikes, it was as if she was leading him.…
Qrow's eyes slitted further, recognizing that this office had small Dust containers…
A gun drawn into her hands, he realized her exact plan as she took aim.
And he leapt out the window, fire and various elements rupturing behind him.
That was too much of a gamble…
She knew he would have escaped the blast radius. However, now, there would be no evidence to follow if he were to return.
One loose end covered…
Snarling as she stood in wisps of a smoldering room filled with ice shards, electric discharges, and suction gulfs of wind, caramel brown eyes glimmered scornfully at the devastation. A caw beyond the destruction elicited her ire further, hearing the guards shout and scream, unable to do their job.
It wasn't like she expected them to be capable against this adversary.
Attempting to press this Huntsman would prove to be difficult. Using her husband's resources would be one way to apply pressure, but it seemed that was no longer enough.
More drastic measures would need to be taken…
"Carmel!"
The worried voice of her husband echoed from outside.
The lady of the house sighed, her eyes rolling as she carefully hid the sword. This man was the bane of her existence. If only he didn't exist…
Perhaps if only then she would be here with her instead…
"No! No!Breathe, dammit! Breathe!"
"...You are the worst at CPR… Is this Vacuo all over again?"
"Summer! Oum, you came back to me! Hold on! I'll get us out of here…"
"...What about Juniper? She's…"
"I don't give a damn about the Spring Maiden! I'm getting you to safety! We can't win this fight! We can't beat her!"
"I know… I miscalculated. When I heard she was Grimm, I believed it could be possible… No, I felt I could end this once and for all…"
"We were wrong! But that doesn't matter right now! We have to get out of here…"
"Don't let her get Juniper. We can't…"
"Summer! Think about Ruby! Think about Yang! Tai! They need you! I need you! You were always what I wasn't! …What I couldn't be… Now, come on! I'm getting you out of here!"
"No… I am thinking about them. If we fail here and she gets a hold of Juniper… She's one step closer to victory. I can stop her, even for a short period…"
"Summer! No!"
"Forgive me, Raven… I leave everything in your hands… My friend."
"Summer!"
Raven jerked awake, sitting up, drenched in a cold sweat. Her body shivered as she raggedly took in a breath.
These memories were nothing new to her. Bitter reminders of nightmares that haunted her.
But to vividly relive them in her dreams…
That was new and had only started recently. Ever since her altercation with the boy…
And now she experienced these memories again as if they were fresh. Drawn into them once again and feel the agony she did then…
"I can't…" Raven shuddered, her hand sweeping through her hair as her crimson eyes shifted around the room fearfully, searching for something with a terrified glint. "I'm not…"
Finding her tent clear, she let out a haggard breath. Then, gazing at her trembling hands, she clenched them as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Strong enough…"
She choked back her sobs, releasing her clenching fists only for her eyes to tremble at the sight of the blood as she tore into her flesh with her fingertips. They would regenerate soon enough…
Her potent aura made sure of that.
But it couldn't keep her from shuddering at how weak she was!
How helpless she was!
How insignificant she was…
Especially when compared to her friend…
"I was never good enough. It's why I left you with them, Summer." Raven whispered as she solemnly reached over and grabbed one of the many liquor bottles resting next to her bed. "You always thought too highly of me… Why, I have no idea. You always thought I was more than I truly was. You and Tai… Qrow kept telling you both, and you never listened…"
Raven pitifully laughed as she emptily stared at the bottle, popping the cork with her teeth, her eyes glistening. "Now we all suffer for our mistakes… I'm not strong enough to go back. I was never the person you thought I was…"
"Forgive me, Summer… I cannot be who you wanted me to be."
Chugging it without hesitation, she drank to the last drop. She made sure there wasn't anything left in it. Even if it was an expensive brand she had stolen and the flavor was supposedly exquisite…
She did not care.
All it was for her was to numb the pain.
So she could start her day, much like her drunkard of a brother…
Could she really call him out on that, though, when she was just as bad?
Well, she didn't show it outwardly like he did. She had a higher tolerance, and he always was a lightweight…
Tossing the bottle uncaringly, the glass shattering as she clutched her temples, and a wave of nausea rushed over her. The pain of drinking so much so quickly doused the thoughts going through her mind, and the wave hit her, tingling through her spine.
"There we go…" Raven muttered as she slowly picked herself off her bedding, a slow stutter of step before she righted her movements, and nothing seemed wrong as she moved to dress for the morning. "Gah, could use my other method to numb this tension… Ugh, best not. Don't want the boy getting ideas about me if he hears me do that…"
"Oum knows I'm not quiet…"
Where were they heading?
Scowling, following behind with a shimmer unseen by all, Neo glared at her unsuspecting targets.
She despised the twins.
Miltia and Melanie.
Oh, they had been a thorn in her side since they had arrived.
Unlike her, they had fit into the school culture with alarming ease. They were already among some of the most popular students in the entire Prep School.
And they were cocky and arrogant. Pretentious cu…
Oh, she wanted to bring them down several pegs! The moment they attempted to deride her, on her man, drove her insane.
She wanted their throats!
If Lady Beat hadn't gotten in the way…
But what they knew disturbed her, and now she needed to learn more about them.
They shouldn't have known what they did about Naruto.
Knowing that a Huntsman adopted him? One that was known to come from the Branwen bandit tribe? Using that to call him scum…
It boiled her blood!
But it was something that made her pay careful attention to them. If they knew that about Naruto's history…
It bothered her tremendously. These two were not to be trifled with if they had access to such information.
And then there was that Spider tattoo they shared. The same one her grandmother possessed!
It was all tied together, and she knew it!
Her scowl deepened, recognizing where the twins were heading.
Were they seriously heading out? But they had just arrived here at this school!
There was no way they had a pass!
"Ah, Miltia! Melanie." Beatrix greeted the twins at the door, a smile broadly gleaming upon them as she stood to watch along with another of the instructors as students came to redeem their passes for their day off. "I take it you are here to enjoy your first venture into Vale?"
"Yes Lady Beat." Miltia and Melanie courtesy bowed in unison before the Miltia took over. "I believe it will be a very fortuitous excursion…"
"Ah, now, now. A lady never reveals her secrets." Lady Beat continued to smile that false smile of hers. "After all dears… You may never know who's listening."
Neo snarled. Heterochromatic eyes shimmered in fury behind the illusionary veil she hid under. Her eyes gazed crossed with Lady Beat's…
That woman knew she was watching and listening to everything they were saying. Knew she was following them here…
And she wasn't going to let her follow them into town.
Clicking her heels together, turning around as the Malachite twins were released into the city for whatever nefarious action she believed they were up to, Neo's eyes gleamed.
Very well. If this was how they wanted to play…
She was going to have to escape the hard way.
Naruto scowled, following after the corvid in her human form along with Vernal, traveling through the foggy marsh and towards the mountain path.
Their intended goal?
He wished he knew, despite seeing the walls of a town rising in the distance. She woke him up and then drug him through the wilds and out here for some sort of training regime. Wasn't entirely convinced of that, given her mood…
Ever since he told her off, something was different with her.
She had been more irritated yet quiet. More stern and rigid…
Even to Vernal, she didn't talk very often. There was only a glint in her eyes. A hollow and callous stare that bore into him every time he locked gazes with her.
Not to mention, their training had been more brutal during this stretch. She had been utterly sadistic, and he swore she was purposely attempting to do lasting damage…
She couldn't, thank the damn fox, but…
To make it worse, he felt they hadn't progressed! Her methods were making it worse!
There was a word he wanted to call her, but he held his tongue.
Didn't want to end up tasting a scalding blade for vulgar language!
A cruel smirk slivered onto his lips. If she didn't like him saying it, what would happen if she started calling her by…
"Whatever it is you are thinking, don't." Raven, without even glancing in his direction, condemned him as if she knew exactly what he was thinking about. "You don't want to face the consequences of your actions."
Naruto choked on his spit . His eyes wide.
Could she read minds?
"Gah! Why you…" Naruto wildly ruffled his hands through his locks, annoyed she could so easily read his intent. "What has gotten into recently? You've been more belligerent, and I've about had it! About to beat some sense into ya!"
Raven only grunted, moving ahead and proceeding without any other acknowledgment, further irritating him. Not only had she been harsher, she had been annoying him but mostly ignoring him!
He was about ready to do something about it!
"Know your place and watch your tongue." Vernal snapped, glancing behind with a seething glare. "Count your presence amongst our tribe and Raven's leniency toward your attitude a blessing. You should be thankful she has taken the time to mold your worthless hide!"
"Say that again!" Naruto barked, his issues with her, in particular, failing to have faded in his time with the tribe. "Oiy, you wanna go? Cause we can go out here, and you won't have to worry about anyone else finding out your little secret when I kick your ass! So come on, let's…"
"Enough." Raven calmly asserted her authority without looking back, keeping her pace. " Both of your nonsense and bickering annoys me. We have almost arrived, so shut it."
As Vernal ever so subtly flinched, uttering a quiet apology, Naruto's frustrated scowl only deepened. He scrunched his gaze and expressed his displeasure. "Oh, is that so? And exactly where is it that we are arriving? And what for? Seems like, in your haste, you forgot to inform me of this vital information!"
Vernal bit back a snarl. She wanted nothing more than to scold him. Naruto could see that, that seething rage in her eyes. She despised him for whatever reason, but he didn't care. He was livid with her leader.
Raven didn't even react!
She continued to walk callously ahead in stride.
Was this even the same woman he had been dealing with? What was her…
"Everything will become clear once we arrive, and you see this with your own eyes." Raven's voice resonated with little emotion, the town's walls closing upon them. "This is something, as a future Huntsman, you will need to come to terms with… A grim reality we must face every day if we wish to survive."
With her interruption, Naruto's frustration was mildly alleviated, albeit his expression was still scornful.
Vernal shrinking and slumping alongside Raven was also worrisome. With her shifting, almost questioning glances she occasionally gave the head of her clan, he felt that whatever they were walking toward did not bode well.
She seemed fearful of where they were heading. And given how she carried herself, he recognized she wasn't someone faint of heart.
Yet, with what Raven had said…
Naruto felt a shiver as he could see the buildings as they strode toward the open gate.
Why were there no people at the gate? Wasn't that typical protocol for towns that had walls, even here? And why did it seem some of the buildings weren't structurally sound and seemed to be damaged in some way?
Naruto's blood chilled the moment he stepped through the gate, and the full sight became available.
His hair stood on end as he looked upon the empty streets filled with ruts and cratered ruts.
Damaged structures and ruined buildings, carved with claw marks and other various slashes indented into everyone. Entire buildings collapsed in on themselves!
Decayed and withering plant life, gasping in the stilled, hollow air.
And there wasn't a soul in sight within this decrepit ghost town.
"Yo, what the fuck?" Escaped Naruto's lips as he looked upon the lifeless town in horror, eyes flickering.
"This," Raven's hollow voice echoed, drew his attention to see her crimson eyes void of feeling. "Is the reality of our world. How cold and ruthless it is. It is inevitable. No matter how much we fight against it, the Grimm will come. And they will leave nothing alive in their wake."
Naruto felt his muscles go rigid as a horrific screech echoed in the distance following her words. Crimson eyes gaze through the fog, piercing through the veil, ignoring the terrified expression that Vernal was giving her.
Raven instead gestured to the town in an insensitive manner before meeting Naruto's gaze as storm clouds began to tremble above. "These feeble saps never stood a chance. A town outside the protection of the Kingdoms? The people of Kuroyuri found out the hard way that the Grimm are inevitable!"
"And you, boy, our best chance at eliminating the head of the beast!" Raven snarled, holding out her hands as thunder rolled in the skies. "That beast within you needs to be tempered, so I'm throwing you into the fire by drawing Grimm into the area of this cursed place! With the unleashing of Maiden's power in such a place…"
"They will come, so you better prepare for the fight of your life." Raven's eyes glinted with malicious intent.
As roars bellowed around them, followed by thunder cracking and horrifying screech, Naruto felt his skin crawl.
She had lost her mind!