Sooooo Rooster Teeth is dead and RWBY is getting sold. This could be good or bad depending on how you look at it. Just imagine if Disney or Sony decides to buy it! We could get a crossover between the X-Men and RWBY or even a RWBY x Avengers. That would be pretty cool.
Then there's the possibility of a reboot. While I would like to see how the current story ends, I actually wouldn't mind a brand new RWBY story. Just think about it people, we've got the multiverse for a reason!!!
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Weiss's eye twitched as the irritation within continued to grow. It probably didn't help that her finger tapping was matching the clocks seconds hand at the same time. Though she did try to pay attention to her lectures, all of this was suddenly starting to feel like such a waste of time that she just couldn't focus. But then again after what Jaune had told her yesterday about what he'd been up to as of late, it felt like she was being left behind.
She already knew that she wouldn't be allowed to do missions until later in the next semester, but after hearing what her old team accomplished...the next semester seemed so far away all of a sudden. Even more then that was the scope of what they did was far more then anyone could have respected from hunters in training. Heck, not even a fully trained team of huntsmen could've taken care of a Grimm incursion among the four of them.
Team AASP had set a new standard for all first years without even knowing it and would likely never be surpassed even in future generations. Compared to their deeds already, just how was she suppose compete with that. Team RWBY had done very little besides stand out as a surprisingly strong combat team, but that was about it. Weiss scribbled in her notebook, taking notes here and there but not really paying much attention to professor Port's wild tales.
The bell rang, signaling the end of their class and Weiss was the first to rise to her feet. She needed to clear her head of all these conflicting feelings she was having all of a sudden. Was she regretting her decision to come to Beacon? No, it was more that she was just jealous. It was funny in a way because as heiress of the Schnee dust company she wanted for nothing. She had a unique semblance that was passed down through her family and was well off with money and status to boot.
There was nothing to be jealous of if she even took her own beauty into account. And yet power like Jaunes, power enough to obliterate even the toughest obstacles and keep him whole and healthy was something she could never acquire no matter how hard she trained. It was so stupid but that was just how life was wasn't it? Weiss left her team behind as she exited the class and roamed the hallways. Even now she could remember the power she felt when Jaune boosted her aura and allowed her to summon a small legion of Arma Gigas's.
She did try to replicate the idea on her own once but quickly realized the toll it took on her body and mind when she didn't have an endless pool of aura to draw from. And yet summoning a batch of tiny Nevermore was easy enough. She theorized that it was probably the complexity of the summons that made it so difficult. While all she needed was to have the Nevermore swarm her enemies, the Arma Gigas's needed to use a fighting style that worked for them while also being able to work together. Something that required a proper thought process that her summonings didn't have on their own.
Just thinking about her semblance from a different perspective brought up a whole butt load of difficult questions she had no answers for. She blamed Jaune for that as well, especially after he showed her how he modified the way he applied his semblance by making white flames from his own aura. Who even did that?! Seriously. Then he went and pointed out how flexible her own semblance was which had her questioning everything she was taught.
Her semblance was passed through the generation which meant countless Schnee's had used it and learned from their predecessor's. Everything she knew was taught by another, but who was to say it couldn't still evolve to be better. This was starting to give her a headache and a part of her wanted to just discard the idea, but that just wasn't who she was. She was Weiss Schnee, heiress to the S.D.C and she wouldn't settle for the mundane.
So lost in thought she didn't pay attention to where she was going and ended up crashing into someone. The person she crashed into was stacked a lot better then she was and had her falling on her ass because of it. Her first thought was to scold the idiot who wasn't paying attention to where they were going but stopped herself since she was no better.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry sweetie are you okay"?
At any other time she would've assumed the person speaking to her like that would have been acting condescending towards her. The only reason she didn't though was because of the genuine concern in the woman's voice and how she looked honestly worried about her well-being. "I am okay, just a case of not paying better attention to my surroundings is all".
The woman held a hand out for Weiss to take and pulled her to her feet with ease. "I'm glad your not hurt dear, but I guess you wouldn't be from a tiny fall like that. All you hunters are quite resilient. I would know since my husband has taken his fair share of beatings and come back home as if nothing happened".
Weiss hummed as she half listened to the woman. She was more focused on the woman's appearance since she bore a striking resemblance to her teammate Yang. Though her hair and physique reminded her of her teammate, the woman's eye color and mannerisms were anything but like Yangs. "Excuse me ma'am but if your not a huntress here on business may I ask what brings a civilian to Beacon academy"?
The woman crossed her left arm under her breast and pushed her right hand through her hair in a move that was oddly familiar. "Actually I'm a little lost at the moment. I was supposed to meet headmaster Ozpin at his office but I don't really know where that is exactly. Hmm, it probably doesn't help that I've never been here before or that nobody came to meet me when I got here".
Miss Goodwitch would've never allowed something like this to happen on her watch. Such a thing was a complete breach in etiquette that couldn't be allowed to continue, at least in her own opinion. Weiss gave a slight curtsey and smiled charismaticly. "Then it would be my honor to aid you Miss, please call me Weiss Schnee or Miss Schnee if you want".
The woman smiled warmly and wrapped Weiss in a hug before she could even think to stop her. "Well aren't you a precious thing. If only my son could fine such a lovely girl like you, I'd be able to rest easier knowing he got someone watching out for him". The woman huffed unhappily, "if only he was here instead of Atlas I could've introduced you to him".
Weiss kept her smile in place but pretended not listen to the other woman's words. She really wasn't looking for someone to set her up with a guy she'd never met before. It reminded her of what life was like back home at the Schnee manor, with her father trying to force her to spend time with some of the Board of directors kids. Although that was how she felt, she also couldn't help shake the feeling that she somehow knew who this woman was talking about. Honestly what were the odds?
"Shall we be on our way then Miss...".
"Oh my, where are my manners" the woman chuckled. "Juniper Arc, or just Juniper if you would, it's nice to meet to meet you as well Weiss and yes, let's go see Ozpin. Best to not keep that old headmaster of yours waiting".
Weiss nodded and led Juniper to the central tower where the headmasters office was located. On the way there Juniper didn't hold back when she was asked about her son, who was in Atlas. Hearing how Jaunes mother adored her only son brought a smile to the young heiress's face, but also a small jab of pain. This was how a parent was meant to be with their children, not like the way she and her siblings were brought up.
Juniper sighed and shook her head, "sometimes I wish he was still that little boy who would run into my arms and tell me he was going to marry me when he got older. I get children have to grow up and move out someday but couldn't the universe just let me have my baby boy for just a tad bit longer. Now he's running off to a whole other kingdom to do heaven knows what, and can't be bothered to call or even write to let us know he's even alive".
Juniper rubbed the bridge of her nose and groaned in displeasure. "I'm sorry Weiss, I bet it isn't much fun listening to this old lady belly ache like this".
Weiss couldn't help but smile warmly at the elder woman. "It's not a problem, if anything it'll give me a good reason to tell that dunce off for making you worry so".
The blonde raised a brow at her words and wondered how she was going to accomplish that when she had never even seen her son before. "Oh? While I would appreciate you doing as much, I think it would probably just confuse him if some stranger came out of nowhere to tell him off".
The two walked in silence for a minute before Weiss let out a small sigh. "Actually the truth is I'm originally from Atlas to begin with and...I may have met Jaune when he was studying to join the academy". It was embarrassing to admit it like that out of nowhere but it was her own fault for keeping silent about it.
Juniper looked surprised for a moment then wore a grin like the cat that caught the canary. "You don't say. Well far be it from me to hold back from someone so interested in my boy". Weiss flushed at the accusation but never got a chance to deny it since they finally reach the headmasters tower and Juniper continued on over her. "Well now, if I happen to have time after my meeting we should talk again over lunch and you can tell me everything that you and Jaune got up to in your time together".
The two enter the tower and Juniper took the first elevator she could find. "Thank you for showing me the way Weiss, I truly appreciate it. And just so you know, I do approve of you in case you were wondering".
Weiss's face burned scarlet from the elder Arc's words. How did people survive these levels of embarrassment? The door closed a second later and the elder Arc was gone, taken to the headmasters office above. "Jaune, you are so going to suffer for this humiliation, I swear". The heiress turned on her heel and headed out of the tower to her next class, hoping she had enough time to get there before the bell rang.
/
Juniper stared at the door to the elevator and let out a sigh. She was grateful to the young girl she ran into because it helped take her mind off of the reason she was here. Nicky had gone off the radar a month after Jaune went to Atlas and hadn't even written to her in all that time. Hiring a huntsmen to find out what had happened was easy because of how well known Nicholas was. That her request got picked up by Ozpin and was passed on to one of his most trusted was a welcome change. That she was brought here was not.
The whole thing spoke of bad news but then again, with how long Nicholas had been missing she kinda figured as much. Nicky would never have chosen to stay away from his family for so long if he had a choice. He adored his girls to heaven and back and loved her more then she could ever put into words. A tear ran down her face which she quickly wiped away, she needed to keep her composure and had to be strong for her kids when she finally got the news of her husband's fate.
The elevator dinged and opened up to a rather peculiar looking office that was built to resemble a clock of some kind. Why anyone would want such a thing was beyond her but to each is own she supposed.
Ozpin looked up from his terminal to the new arrival and wore an unreadable expression on his face. Tragedy was something he was more used to then any other living person on Remnant, but that didn't mean he felt nothing, he was just better at hiding it then most. He greeted the woman as she enter his office and offered her the chance to take a seat before beginning. "I'm happy you've arrived without incident Mrs Arc".
"Please" Juniper said, looking every bit the age Ozpin felt, "I would prefer to just get this over with so I can spend some time with my daughters. Heaven knows I'll need them just as much as they'll need me when I give them the news".
Ozpin nodded and reached under his desk to pull out a wooden box that he had ready for her arrival. He placed it on the table and removed the lid. Within was a silver sword that was broken as if something incredibly powerful hit it's center, shattering it from the impact. Next to it was a scroll with a cracked screen and dry blood on it. "Qrow, the huntsmen who followed up on this request assured me these belonged to your husband. The scrolls contents were checked to be on the safe side, but I can assure you it's indeed Nicholas's".
Juniper reached over with her left hand and ran her fingers over the silver blade, thinking back on the first time she actually laid eyes on it. It was something locked away that even she didn't know about for the longest time. When Jaune left home and took her husband's blade, Nicholas went into the shed in the back and pulled this one out. He told her that it was his original weapon before he took hold of his families blade. Her Nicky was made to practice and wield it until the previous wielder of Crocea Mors was ready to pass it on.
Her husband never liked talking about his side of the family since the Arc line saw death more than most families ever should. "Too much glory chasing" he use to say. She understood what he meant since the reason Crocea Mors was now in his hands was because it passed through his brother and sisters after their untimely deaths. By then Nicholas wanted next to nothing to do with his families legacy, even going so far as to cut ties with them when they pushed him against his will.
Juniper picked up the scroll and turned it on. It had power thanks to Ozpins hunter who checked it before bringing it back. She ignored the cracked screen and clicked onto the gallery icon, bringing up a whole host of photos. Some she didn't even know he took while others were of their family and the happy times that had together.
"The life insurance is being taken care of...you have my word". There was no response. Ozpin rose to his feet and headed for the elevator, taking one last look behind him before stepping into it. "I will return shortly but...take as much time as you need". The elevator door closed, but before it did completely he heard the breakdown of a woman who had tried desperately to keep it all together.
Delivering news of this nature never got any easier no matter how many lives he lived. "This was the least I could do for you Nicholas. I hope in some small way that it will be enough" Ozpin whispered before he fell into silence, silently remembering the young student he once taught.
/
"Who do you serve"?
"No one"!
Salem was caught off guard by the answer, but not as completely surprised as most would expect. The Grimm creature was an experiment, combining both science and the unholy powers the God's of light and dark left behind. That something outside their expectations would appear was only natural to the process. The Grimm Knight crouched low and Salem was ready if this suddenly turned into a fight, but when the Grimm pushed off it when straight up into the air, grew wings and flew away.
Where it was going she didn't know but it was clear she needed to discuss these new findings with Watts. Salem ventured back into her castle at a brisk pace and entered the dinning hall which also doubled as their meeting room. Watts and Tyrian were the only ones present at the moment since Cinder and her little group were away in Mistral and Hazel was unconscious. Taking a seat at the head of the table, both Watts and Tyrian turned her way to better hear what she had to say.
The queen of the Grimm took her seat and mulled over the Grimm she encountered moments ago once more. It still didn't make sense to her, since no living creature could merge with the dark pool unless there was a balancing aspect of the God of light within. They did use blood and bone marrow from a silver eyed warrior, so why could it think on it's own like this? "Watts". The Doctor sat up a little straighter after his name was called. "All the data and information you gathered from our experiment with the Grimm modifications, bring them to me at once".
Watts flinched at the tone of Salem's voice, clearly she was unhappy with something and apparently it had something to do with him of all things. With a respectful bow Watts excused himself to do as he was told and returned a good 15 minutes later with a stack of files in hand. There was a thick tomb at the bottom of the stack that caught Salem's eye but that was something that could wait for at a later time. What interested her at the moment were the files that Watts laid in front of her with photos of each of the test subjects that were used.
Her eyes scanned over each photo but stopped on one that caused her face to scrunched up. Disgust and anger weld up within. Watts was ready to give her a summary of everything he had for her when Salem stopped him before he could start with a raised hand. Then with that very same hand she reached over and picked up one of the photos from the files on the table and held it up in front. The person staring back at her looked just like him. "Jaune".
"Actually my queen that man's name is Nicholas".
Salem looked up to the Doctor with an annoyed look on her face, causing the man to look away uncomfortably. Choosing to ignore the Doctors intrusive commentary she turned back to the photo. She already knew this wasn't her Jaune because of how much time had come and gone...but still, the resemblance was there. She rested the photo down on the side and opened his file. As she skimmed over his basic information her eyes narrowed on the last name. "Arc". So it wasn't just a coincidence that they looked so much alike.
Salem didn't even have to look at the rest of his file to be convinced that he was the one. "This man was the only one to survive your experiments of joining Grimm and man together, correct"? Watts nodded and Salem let out a deep sigh. "This man, does he have a family"?
The Doctor didn't see how that mattered at the moment but didn't see any reason to agitated the queen any more then necessary. "He does my queen, a wife and 8 children".
"I see". Salem picked up Nicholas's photo and took one last look at it before using some wind conjured up by her magic to send the photo over to Tyrian. "Tyrian, I want you to find every member of this man's family and kill them. No matter their age, you are to eliminate every single one without fail".
From the look on his face you would have thought that Christmas had come early for the scorpion faunus. His tail appeared from behind his back and stabbed down into the photo. With a mad giggle he answered, "If that is what my queen demands of me then who am I to resist".
"With all do respect my queen" Watts cut in, "would it not be more wise to capture these people if they could be turned just as Nicholas was? Just think of how much more we can gain out of them if they were made to serve us and our cause". Honestly, Salem's cold blooded decisions to have them all killed made little to no sense to him. One would think that having smart Grimm that could serve like the knight did would be advantages to their plans. So why?
Salem shook her head. The Doctors objections were unappreciated but understandable given how little he actually knew. "I understand your confusion Doctor, unfortunately these new Grimm would not serve us as much as you would think. Just a little while ago I sensed our first successfully modified Grimm's return and ordered it to come to the castle". Salem's face darkened as she frowned. "I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when my order was rejected and the Grimm Knight went to the pools instead".
"BLASPHEMY"!!! Tyrian screamed angrily, face so red it looked like he might burst from his fury.
Salem ignored the outburst and continued on. "I grew curious and ventured to the pools myself to see just what was so important that the Knight ignored me of all people. Even as I drew close to the creature my control over it was nonexistent until we spoke to one another. That was when I knew why".
"We"? Watts asked, his surprise on full display.
Salem nodded. "Yes, we. Just as humans and faunus have free will, as well as the choice to listen when spoken to, so to did our Grimm. When asked who did it serve, the creature responded with no one". Salem's subordinates each had their own reactions to what they heard. For Watts, he was at a loss for words but for Tyrian, he ranted and cursed the creature, promising death when he found it. Salem tapped her finger on Nicholas's file, "all because by some twist of fate you used this man for this experiment".
Watts cocked his head to the side at her words. "But I don't understand my queen, what makes this one person so different? What aren't you telling me".
Salem stood up and walked over to the window behind her seat as she sighed. "What makes this man, and all those that share his bloodline so different is the fact that they are descendants of mine". The room fell silent and even Tyrian, with all his anger, turned and stared bug-eyed at his mistresses back. Salem stared out the window as she thought back on those days. "Just like now, how we are experimenting to make a new type of Grimm, I believed it was possible to tip the scales in my favor if I had a powerful ally serving my cause".
"In the days when Ozma and I were still together we had children that could harness the power of magic just as we could. I believed that with a new child, one raised by myself alone, I could garner greater power the likes of which Ozma wouldn't be able to stand against. It was with that thought in mind that I took one of my followers to bed and scioned a child. Jaune, my first and only son. As you can imagine things didn't work out as I had hoped. The boy grew but showed no signs of being able to use magic as I could".
"It wasn't all a failure though. Jaune showed greater amounts of aura then anyone ever did and had gained my ability to command the Grimm. He served at my side and with his charisma, gained a legion of followers that he pit against Ozma at my command. But like all good things they were destined to come to an end eventually. Especially when love enters the equation. A righteous soul, born with a fragment of the God of light and a young man born with it's opposite. It was almost as if destiny created them for each other".
Salem placed a hand on the large window and cracked it when she flexed a small amount of her magic. "It was because of her that my son turned against me and everything we created together fell to ruin. They married and had plenty of children, a story book ending. Hmph, until I killed them both when they came for me". Salem turned to her minions, a cruel smile fixed to her face. "Ever since then the bloodline of the Arc family was established and eventually split as generation went by. Ozma did everything in his power to protect my sons descendants as best he could but what they created was too dangerous to allow".
"A fragment of light mixed with a fragment of the dark. Unique powers born that could shake the foundation of the world as any of you could know it". Salem sneered, "silver eyed warriors and people with the strength to perform miracles. Foes too dangerous to allow to exist. So I spent lifetimes removing their kind, until at last I believed only the silver eyes remained. They were so few and closely guarded by Ozma that with one final push I would have been rid of an age old mistake...or so I had thought".
Salem looked to Watts with burning red eyes. "And now because of this we have something knew to worry about. There's no telling what will become of this Arc now that he has been drowned in the powers of the God of darkness. Though I cannot blame you for not knowing, responsibility falls to you to clean up this mess and hope it does not come back to haunt us". Salem walked away and picked up the thick book Watts had brought. She needed to know if the bone marrow and blood from a silver eye warrior created any changes to the Grimm Knight that she wasn't aware of.
Before she left her minions in the dinning hall she turned to Watts once more. "Before I forget to ask, what's Hazel's condition after his battle with the Arc"?
"His condition is stable and the prosthetics are ready my queen" Watts answered dutifully.
Salem nodded, pleased with Hazel's recovery. "Notify me the moment he wakes". With those last words Salem departed from the room and started going through the book.
/
Moments after Salem's departure Watts gave Tyrian a list of names belonging to all the Arc daughters he needed to hunt. The scorpion faunus gleefully accepted the list and left with all haste to complete his task leaving the Doctor behind with his thoughts. Once he was sure that he was alone, Watts pick up Nicholas's file and started going through it. Paper after Paper was pushed aside until he found the one he was looking for. " I should count myself lucky she didn't bother to dig too far or she might have noticed you".
The paper he held was full of small notes that he jotted down after weeks of monitoring Nicholas's slow transformation into the monster he was now. He had been so pleased with the results that he looked into the subjects family, thinking that if all went well he would know just where to go if they needed to make more. On the paper was another list of every blood relative that Nicholas had in Ansel including one Jaune Arc. He didn't add the boys name to Tyrians list or the fool would have brought it up to Salem.
"Lucky in deed" the Doctor muttered as he stuffed the page into his jacket so he could dispose of it later. How was he supposed to know the significance of those Arc people? "Just goes to show that there are still mysteries to be discovered in this world. Now...how to deal with that pitiful failure of a creature I made"? Watts collect his belongings and wondered off, trying to come up with a way to deal with all that had happened.
/
Deep within the forest closest to Ansel's wall, a group of faunus gathered in the dead of night and watched for an opening in the guards security. "Time" the leader said as he watched one of the guards guarding the top of the wall leave his post to head down below. With his night vision he noticed that when a switch happened only one man remained behind to keep eyes out for any trouble. "One good sleeping dart would be enough if we can catch him of guard".
The faunus leader turned to his men and had one of them come over to his side. "For the next few days we'll scope out the villages defenses and then make our move. Sarah, you'll be on first watch. Take note of any changes you see and stay away from their morning patrols. Last thing we need is them upping their defenses before we make our move".
The rest of the group nodded in agreement.
The leader turned to the young faunus named Sarah and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll have your replacement come in tomorrow afternoon so you can get some rest". When Sarah nodded the leader turned back to the rest of the group and motioned for them to head out. They marched out and headed deeper into the forest to keep their soon to be camp out of site. Watchers were put in place and a small campfire was built with stones circled high around it to keep the light from announcing their presence.
"U-um, sir, is this really a good idea"?
The leader was sat in front of the newly made fire and looked up to see one of the newest recruits looking his way. "Speak your mind boy".
The new recruit looked nervous at first but eventually found his voice. "Didn't Ghira Belladonna tell us not to interfere with the Arc family because Beacon was keeping a watchful eye on them? And I thought we agreed to it as well. So why are we doing this"?
The leader grunted, "it seems some of my boys can keep their mouth shut if even you heard about our alliance with the Belladonna's". The rest of the faunus's in the group stiffened, thinking they were about to get in trouble, but the leader merely sighed and picked up a nearby stick and started poking the fire. "Listen well kid, though we are working with the Belladonna's it doesn't mean we work for them. That's the difference. Besides, that bastard Arc was the one that drew first blood when he killed Adam and several of our brothers. This is just us paying what he's due".
Even then it wasn't like it was personal to him. Banesaw gave the order when they got to Vale and he was just the person to pull it off. "Get some rest kid, you'll be up next for look out".
/
A full week passed since when they first arrived and Sarah was more then ready to get this thing done and over with. They mapped out the guards schedule and took notes of all their patrol patterns down to their break times. Everything was ready to go as soon as the night rolled around. A yawn escape her lips and the faunus couldn't help but rub her heavy eyes. "I wish my relief would get here already or I'm not gonna get any shut eye before the raid".
A twig snapped from behind her. When she turned to give her relief a peace of her mind for being so late and making noise, she stopped dead to see glowing red eyes staring back at her. Sarah opened her mouth to scream but found that impossible when the creature staring back at her moved and grabbed her face with it's hand. She had no time after that, not even to get her aura up before the beast twisted her head and snapped her neck all to easily.
Staring down at the lifeless girl for but a moment the creature took note of what it was looking at and decided to toss is over his shoulder. The lifeless body flew into the forest, snapping tree branches on it's way down while the creature looked ahead, more focused on it's destination then anything else.
Ansel. The place where the hazy memories pointed it too, and where it would finally find those that filled it's head.
And done.
