Halo, it's time for the newest chapter. Enjoy the reading.
As the sun rose over the city's horizon, Mandy was faced with the decision Adam had put her in front of. Should she stick with Adam and continue to fight for what she believed in or should she stay in Beacon and try to live a peaceful life.
Derrick sacrificed himself for her but even so, she almost died, she just recovered but Adam is already asking her to fight again.
At least her legs were on the mend and she was able to stand on them again to leave the hospital and get herself a new set of clothes. She wore a pair of black and white sneakers, dark blue skinny jeans, a short-sleeved black T-shirt and a long-sleeved gray one underneath.
As she got out onto the street, she heard lots of construction, drilling, hammering and metallic screeching as they tried to repair the damage caused to the city. Mandy continued walking and saw a lot of Vale soldiers patrolling the streets, with good reason, as the townspeople were still afraid and this could attract a lot of Grimm to the town.
She went on, towards Beacon but after walking for a quarter of an hour, she was surprised to find that all the roads that led to the academy were closed and strictly guarded, since a lot of Grimm came out of the academy and they simply didn't run out. What's interesting is that they don't even attack the city.
What caught the eye the most was the giant Wyvern Grimm frozen in stone that stood atop Beacon's tower, like a statue, as if it had been standing there since time immemorial.
- It's incredible, right? – She was called from behind by the man he wasn't sure he wanted to meet. - Supposedly a student did it.
- Adam, - Mandy didn't know what to say to him but she saw that Adam was in the same modest clothes as the one in which he had visited her last time, the only difference being that his sword was now hanging from his belt. In addition, Mandy's bow and quiver with her arrows were attached to his back, and her two daggers on the other side. - I still couldn't make decision. I understand that we have achieved a lot but many have also died. Among us and many innocents as well, I almost died. I don't know if I'll be able to pick up my weapon again.
- Then, let me help you make your decision. - Adam turned and motioned for Mandy to follow.
Adam didn't say anything as they walked, he didn't seem disappointed or angry at Mandy's hesitation, he just moved forward with purpose. Mandy was a little worried about what Adam was trying to show her but she wanted to know what he was trying to convince her of.
- What do you want to show? – Mandy finally asked the question, before Adam stopped and pointed to a one-story studio apartment.
- Faunus live here who didn't want to join us because they wanted to live in peace with humans.
- So? – Mandy didn't quite understand what Adam was trying to achieve.
- Look. - Adam poked his face towards a group of thugs, they were figures in suits, hats and sunglasses. They entered the stairwell. - Let's follow them, quietly.
They did so, Mandy stepped forward, she wanted to know what these people wanted from the faunus living here.
- All right, stupid animals, - The leader of the thugs spoke on a loudspeaker. – I know this will be new to you, - They looked out of some apartments to see the cause of the noise. There were Faunus who were worried about what would happen to them now. – but the fact is that the Xiong gang lost a lot of money because of your kind, so we will collect the damages from you.
- We had nothing to do with the White Fang! – A faunus man stood up to confront the thug leader.
- Yes! – Another, a woman, also stood up. - Leave us alone!
Unfortunately, all they achieved was that the man was hit in the stomach, which caused him to fall to the ground and the woman was slapped, which caused her to hit the wall.
- Well, this is what I want to avoid in the future. - The leader continued. - Now I'm going to quote a rapist, just leave yourselves, don't fight and we'll get over it in a minute. Just like a prostate exam. My dear colleagues will search your houses and steal everything of value. I'm not asking you to help them, just don't get in their way. Gentlemen, - He signaled to his men. - let the show begin.
It didn't take long before the thugs in black suits started breaking down the doors of the houses after the terrified faunus families, hoping it would protect them.
- They have Scrolls, - Mandy remembered and whispered to Adam. – why don't they call the police?
- Do you think they would come? – Adam answered but Mandy didn't want to wait, she immediately took out her own Scroll to dial.
- Hello, Vale Police. - A female voice spoke.
- You have to help! A group of thugs is robbing an entire stairwell... - Mandy didn't want to say that she wanted to call faunus for help. - people.
- Tell me the address.
- District 12 is number 14. – As soon as Mandy said the address, the woman's voice stopped in disgust.
- That faunus district?
- Why is this so important?! – She asked indignantly.
- F*ck you, phone pranker. – The woman simply slapped the Scroll down.
- Hello?! Hey! - Mandy gripped the Scroll angrily, nearly breaking it as soon as she saw a patrol car and she didn't care how but she got help. She ran out in front of the car, which suddenly braked to a stop. - You have to help!
- Damn you, stupid animal! – The policeman who was driving just rolled down the window cursing. - What do you want?!
- A group of thugs is terrorizing the residents in that building! - Mandy got to the point quickly.
- George, we need to help. – The other policeman answered, who seemed kinder but also younger, he was clearly a rookie.
- F*ck you, Freddy! – The older one cut back. - There are only stupid animals there, my son died because of their kind! I say scr*w them. – The driver looked back at Mandy from his companion, who only looked at her angrily and demandingly. - And you, if you jump in front of my car one more time, I'm not gonna brake. Be glad I'm not fined you.
He simply drove off, Mandy clenching her fists angrily and remembering why she had joined the White Fang in the first place. Because of the people who discriminate against her kind, because of whom she lost her parents, who don't even count faunus as humans. The White Fang was the refuge for her, who took her in and became her family.
Adam approached her, took the bow from his back and handed it to Mandy, who took it without thinking, along with the quiver and the two daggers. She went back into the building, put an arrow to the nerve, cocked her bow, took aim at one of the thugs who was abusing a teenage girl and released the arrow.
The arrow flew, gliding swiftly and silently down the hall, unnoticed by anyone except when it landed on the thug's thigh, causing him to bleed profusely, before he yelped in pain and collapsed on the floor. The girl ran away, while the other thugs looked curiously at their comrade lying on the ground and yelling.
- Look, - Their leader stared at Mandy with hidden fear, who placed another arrow on the nerve. – a hero arrived.
Mandy didn't say a word to him, she just released the arrow, which pierced another thug's shoulder, causing him to collapse but not die.
- Kill her! – The leader yelled after he was completely terrified. He wasn't used to being resisted on this level.
4 thugs pointed pistols at Mandy but she placed her bow on her back and took out her daggers, which she twirled in her hands and blocked the bullets, then teleported behind one of the thugs, whom she kicked in the knee, then hit him in the head with the handle of the dagger, causing passed out.
Before the other three could react, she disappeared in a flash and the thugs, learning from their partner's mistake, watched each other's backs but Mandy appeared above one of them, who then jumped on him, pushed away from him, somersaulted and kicked the third in the head while still in the air. The last one fired at her but Mandy teleported again.
The last thug watched in terror for every possible direction, wondering where the fox girl would appear, above him, next to him, behind him, or below him.
None of them, because Mandy appeared right in front of him, before he even had time to react she punched him in the nose, causing him to fall backwards and hit the wall.
She put away her daggers and took out her bow again, which she cocked and aimed at the gangster leader but before she could let go of the arrow, she noticed that her opponent had caught and held hostage the teenage girl he had saved at the beginning of the fight.
- Okay, - The guy gasped in horror as he pointed his gun at Mandy. - damn beast, I suggest you let me go or I'll blow her brains out. - Mandy still held the arrow tightly but she didn't let go because the only way she could have saved that girl was to shoot through the man's skull. She didn't want to kill him, one murder in her life was enough. - Didn't you hear? I thought your hearing is better! - He pointed the gun at the girl's head, which caused her tears to flow. – I'm deadly serious... - Suddenly, a red blade came out of his mouth and life died from his eyes.
The man was so focused on Mandy that he didn't even notice Adam, who came up behind him and pierced the back of his neck with Wilt. His arms went limp, he dropped the gun and fell to the ground, dead. After the girl was freed, she ran to her father in terror, crying in his arms.
- So, - Adam wiped the blood off Wilt and looked at Mandy, who lowered her bow in relief. - do you come back? - He reached into his pocket and handed her old Grimm mask.
- Yes. – Mandy took the mask and put it on, Adam put on his too.
- Good. – He nodded his head approvingly, then headed towards the loudspeaker, which the gangster leader used earlier. - My fellow Faunus, - The terrified Faunus listened curiously to Adam's speech. – although you didn't take part in the battle of Beacon, for which we don't blame you, you wanted to live in peace with the humans, avoiding your loved ones suffer for no reason but the humans don't want to live with you. We will never achieve the dream of humans and faunus living in peace, because humans will constantly harass and persecute us. The only thing we can do is fight back, strike fear into their hearts and make them understand that we, Faunus are stronger than them! Join the White Fang. Join the revolution that will allow the faunus to finally take control of Remnant one day and you will no longer have to live in oppression. Come with me to Mistral, the headquarters of the White Fang, and live in safety there, we will place your children under our protection. – The residents of the house looked to Adam as a savior who would be a voice of truth and a protector of their kind, just like Mandy. She understood why she had to fight and why so many people had to die in Vale.
- There are transport planes in the village on the eastern border of the city that I can use to take you to Mistral. Tell your family, friends and acquaintances to gather there tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. Don't bring a lot of things with you, only the most necessary. You didn't join us in the Battle of Beacon but now you get a second chance to stand with us. It's not certain that you will get a third one.
With that he turned off the loudspeaker and he and Mandy left the building.
- Why did you set the deadline for tomorrow evening? - Mandy asked. - They could gather tonight too.
- Because we still need to get a transporter and a crew by then. - Adam replied.
It was a tough fight for the RRNJL team and Qrow as that crazy faunus man Tyrion nearly killed them all. If Qrow hadn't shown up in time, he would have easily killed the members of the team and probably would have taken Ruby by now.
The weathered group left the ruins of Oniyuri and instead camped in the forest, because they were afraid that the madman would come back. Qrow's wound was bandaged, Ren and Nora next to each other, Jaune sitting alone on a log while Lance sat next to Ruby.
Qrow drank some strong alcoholic drink from a flask but by the time he finished, he just looked around at the team, none of whom spoke.
- Seriously? Nobody ask?
- Of course, we have questions. - Jaune was the first to speak. - Just… a bit much at once.
- Yeah, - Qrow sighed. - I understand.
- Then… - The awkward silence was broken by Ruby. – these… Maidens. They are very strong fighters and don't need Dust for their magic.
- Yeah, - Qrow nodded.
- And there are 4 of them in total? - Nora continued.
- Yep. Always.
- Like the 4 seasons? - Lance added.
- Yes, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
- And if one of them dies, - Ren concluded. – will their power transfer to another woman they cared about?
- No, - Qrow corrected. – to the last person they think of. Without exception. This is usually someone they trusted a lot but then their souls merge. In a sense.
- Is that what you wanted to do with Pyrrha? - Jaune remembered and you could feel the indignation in his voice. - When the tower fell. You wanted to turn it into one. - Qrow just listened quietly and lowered his head.
- The previous Fall Maiden, Amber, was attacked. She was young and inexperienced and we already know that it was Cinder who was sent after her. She was able to steal some of her power but not all of it. We were afraid that if we didn't do something, the rest would be stolen too.
- So, - Jaune glared at Qrow. – did you force it on Pyrrha?
- We didn't force her to do anything. - Clarified things Qrow. – We explained things to her and offered her a choice. And she chose. You were there. You heard her answer. - Jaune didn't answer, he just stood up from the log and walked into the forest to calm down.
- Should I go afterwards? - Lance suggested.
- He just needs some time. - Qrow said.
- That guy, - Ruby continued with the questions. - Tyrion, why did he want to kidnap me? - Qrow, as he looked at his niece, more specifically, her silver eyes, which were exactly like her mother Summer's, sighed sadly.
- Because you put a target on your back with what you did in Beacon. I said the Silver Eye was a rare trait and the fact that you were able to use its power at such a young age angered someone very powerful. Not many people know about the power of the Silver Eye but those who do are very unhappy that it exists. That's why I've been keeping an eye on you. To keep you safe. - He looked at Jaune, who was pacing angrily. - All of you.
- So… - Ruby asked the most meaningful question on everyone's mind. – why didn't you just come with us? It would have been easier.
- And it'd make more sense. - Lance added.
- Because he used us as bait! - Jaune was more suspicious.
- Look, - Qrow just held out his arms. – it's a bit complicated.
- What the f*ck is going on, seriously? - Jaune, as if he had just realized how much danger they were in. – Ruby is being hunted, schools are being attacked for no reason?! What the f*ck is going on here?! Just tell us already?!
- Would you sit down then? - Qrow sighed again. - You're make me nervous, kid. - Jaune sat down, arms crossed, demanding answers. Qrow raised his flask again but changed his mind at the last moment and put it away instead. - People aren't very religious these days. The world has been around for a very long time. It has been long enough for people to create hundreds of different religions. But if Ozpin is to be believed, two of them really do exist. Two brothers. The god of Life and Light, who created joy and life, while his younger brother, the god of Death and Darkness, who created destruction. As you can imagine, they really couldn't agree on how things should go.
- Day after day the elder created earth, water, plants and animals. But as night fell, the elder brother left, the younger one came forward and looked at his brother's creatures with disgust. To destroy them, the younger created pain, fire, and terror to destroy life on Remnant. However, as the sun rose, life always returned, nullifying his work. One night, the younger brother created something that looks like himself and just like him, wants to destroy everything and everyone.
- Grimms. - Ruby guessed.
- Yes. The older brother had had enough. He knew it couldn't go on like this. He offered to create something together, together. Something you can both be proud of. For their masterpiece. The younger brother agreed. Their last common creation, which has the power of Creation and Destruction at the same time. Additionally, it's gifted with the power of Knowledge to learn about the world around him. And more importantly, the gift of Choice to be free to decide, based on what you have learned, which path to choose. The light side or the dark side. And thus mankind was born.
- And… - Ren didn't really understand the point. - what does this have to do with us?
- Now comes the point. - Qrow continued. – The 4 gifts of humanity, Knowledge, Creation, Destruction and Choice, shouldn't only be interpreted metaphorically. Each has a certain physical form that the gods left behind before they left Remnant. Each has incredible power. If someone could get hold of all 4, they would be able to completely change the world. This is exactly what the enemy wants. Hunter academies were built to train generations of protectors but they serve another purpose as well. Guarding the relics. When Ozpin's predecessor founded the schools, he built them around the relics to serve as a fortress. Not only because it's easier to protect them but they'll be surrounded by well-trained warriors all the time. He hid the relics so that humanity could use them against itself. And of course, to keep her away from them. So, that's it. - Qrow finished and said all he knew.
- She? - Ruby wanted to know one more thing. - You mean Salem?
- Yes. Not many people know about her existence. But that's not the point. The short answer is that she wants the relics and if she gets them, it's not going to end well.
- Fine, - Jaune broke the silence. – let's say we believe all of this. All this, a very evil person is behind everything and not just some thugs who want power. Why doesn't the world know about it? Why doesn't Atlas go after them? Or Mistral?
- Or Vacuo? - Lance added after realizing he skipped the third one.
- Shouldn't we head for Haven then?! - Nora was worried. - Shouldn't we send a message? What if they're next?!
"The headmaster over there saw what happened in Beacon. - Qrow reassured them. – He's not stupid and will do anything to protect the relic. Besides, mobilizing that much power in the shadows takes time. Do you think the attack on Beacon was planned over a single night? And— He turned to Jaune. – in response to your question, we don't talk about this for the same reason we don't talk about the Maidens. If the whole world knew about Salem and the relic, there would be chaos. And in another war, you should fight. - Jaune just turned away angrily. - Look, I asked these questions myself but Ozpin had this answer to everything. "We can't cause panic." - He smiled at this and took out his flask again. - I don't know how many times I've heard that from him. Salem is very smart and cunning. She works in the shadows and uses others to get what he wants so that when he gets there it's our turn to blame, we can only point at each other. - He took a drink and looked up at the starry sky. - She's trying to divide us. The humanity and she's doing it quite well so far. - He remembered those he had lost because of Salem, especially someone whose loss he still hadn't gotten over.
- Okay, - Ruby looked at her uncle confused. – so, what should we do? - Qrow just smiled and laughed.
- Honestly, I don't know. Ozpin trusted the Headmasters very much. Like I said, the schools have a big role to play in stopping Salem. Atlas will be on high alert after what happened and Vacuo… well… Vacuo.
- Why? - Lance didn't understand. - What about Vacuo? – He looked around the team but everyone just looked at him in bewilderment. – Am I the… only one… who care?
- Yes, Lance, - Ruby just patted his head like a small child. - only you.
- It will be difficult to hire robbers and thieves to fight other thieves and robbers. Considering this and the fact that Cinder and her gang are both from Mistral, there's a good chance that Haven will be the next target. So, the plan is to talk to the headmaster there. I haven't heard from him in a while, more precisely since the attack. I really hope he has an answer. - He suddenly grabbed his side and stood up. - Okay, it's time for you to get some sleep.
- Uncle Qrow. - Ruby addressed him.
- Yes?
- This is a bit hard to grasp at the same time and it sounds pretty crazy, but… I'm willing to do whatever I can to help. - Ruby looked at her uncle with complete admiration and trust, who was completely moved. - Because I trust you. But why can't you trust us? Why couldn't you just travel with us instead of just hiding and… - Qrow's heart sank that Ruby would be disappointed in him like that.
- Look, it's not about trust. - He clenched his fists and what he wanted to say was already on the tip of his tongue but he knew very well that he couldn't. He can't tell the whole truth that has been weighing on his heart for so long. - Just... a long story.
- Seriously? – Nora just rolled her eyes tiredly. - Are you tired of telling stories now?
Qrow just stared into the fire and didn't know what to say. He remembered again the person he had lost that he blamed himself for it.
- You know, crows are harbingers of bad luck. It's really f*cked up but that's what I got my name from. - He took a stick and started poking the burning logs with it. – Some absorb electricity, some turn into rose pedals and some, - he looked at Lance. – who becomes a super strong berserker. But some people are just born unlucky. My Semblance isn't exactly average. It's not something I do but it's always there. Like it or not, like a curse. I bring bad luck. - They could feel the pain in his voice, blaming himself, more precisely, this curse for losing that someone but even so, he smiled painfully and laughed. - I think I'm a bad luck charm. When I'm fighting the enemy, it can come in really handy but when I'm with friends… it makes things a bit difficult. Or, - he looked at Ruby. - with family.
- Wow, - Jaune put things together. – so, you are a bipedal misfortune?
- My father, - Lance remembered. - he used to call you a guaranteed disaster. I thought he was just teasing you.
- Yes, I am. - Qrow just limped away from the camp.
- Where are you going? - Ren asked.
- I'm going for a walk.
- Is there anything else you want to tell us? - Ruby asked but Qrow noticed a very familiar raven with red eyes.
- Not today.
A large log fell out from under the campfire and rolled all over the camp, which was quite unfortunate.
Ruby understood that her uncle wanted to protect them on his own but she felt that he was still hiding something. She felt like he wanted to tell her but for some reason he didn't. She didn't want to push and she didn't want to force it. At least, not tonight.
Everyone had something to think about during the night and by the time they were overcome by sleep, the sun was already up, you could hear the chirping of birds and feel the smoke rising from the remains of the campfire.
- We should go. - Ren was the first to get up.
- Yes. - Jaune agreed.
- You couldn't sleep either? - Lance asked.
- Not much. - Ruby yawned but suddenly everyone raised their heads when they heard a cough not far away.
Qrow sat under a tree and coughed seriously. Ruby was the first to immediately rush over to see if he was okay. Unfortunately, he was pale, suffering from a fever, shivering and this time coughing up blood into his hands but it was purple which was clearly caused by a poison. He remembered when Tyrion had stung him with his stinger, which Ruby had cut off, the same colored liquid steaming from it.
- Well… - Qrow was also afraid as he looked at his discolored blood. – that's unfortunate
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