Chapter Eighteen
Robyn Hill and her Happy Huntresses were on the move. For the last several days, they had been traveling eastward from the City of Vacuo, trying to make contact with the refugees from Vale. Intelligence had suggested that there was a large group of people heading for Vacuo, but so far no one had been able to find them. It was odd. A large group like that shouldn't be very hard to find, and it wasn't like the people that had been sent to search for them were slouches. Sure, her team were more used to tundra, snow and ice than the desert, but they were good at what they did. And the Branwen twins had both been sent out as scouts and had had no luck either. Raven was a Maiden, for the sake of the gods, and Qrow was, well, he was Qrow. Robyn felt herself growing angry as the Huntsman infiltrated her thoughts, and she shut them down before they grew too insistent.
"Fi, how are we looking?" Robyn asked her pathfinder, unable to keep her voice completely free of emotion.
"We're getting close to that old canyon, maybe an hours march away," the young sheep Faunus replied, studying the map that Theodore had given them. The other three women on the team knew why Robyn was annoyed, but none of them had confronted her about it yet.
"Let's keep at it, then. There's a chance someone holed up in there, and I'd like to get there today."
Joanna, the huge, muscular, right-hand woman of the group, spared Robyn a glance. "You really think anyone is still out here? I know the professors at Beacon have quite the reputation, but trying to keep a bunch of civvies alive on a cross-country trip screams suicide to me."
"Our job is to find and aid any survivors we encounter. And I had the chance to meet Glynda once, at a Vytal Festival ages ago. I can't see her going down easy to anything."
May took a drink of water from her bottle and shook out her long braid. "And, if they're alive, how do we even know if they've made it this far? It's a long way to Vale."
"We don't. All we know is that a portion of the populace started westwards after Salem attacked. Like we were told, if we don't encounter anyone after ten days of travel, we send a message and pop a beacon for pick-up. If we do find them, we send a message, wait for Raven to show up, and use one of her portals to get everyone back to Vacuo. We'll keep searching until our time is up."
With their quick break over, the Happy Huntresses moved out once more, heading for the canyon that Fiona had marked on the map. The last few days had been an education in desert navigation for the four women. Fiona, as always, had proven to be a natural and taken to the new environment with ease. The other three had readily followed her lead and were all now fairly comfortable amid the dunes. Except for the heat, of course. All four women, despite their best efforts, were sporting sunburns. Dealing with sun blindness from snow was one thing, dealing with an unrelenting force beating down on their heads was another.
Apart from the sun, they'd had only one small skirmish with grimm, and hadn't yet run into any of the native fauna that they had been warned about. Robyn believed that the lack of grimm was a sign, knowing that a large group of desperate people would be pulling grimm from a large radius to them. If the grimm were getting drawn to specific location, then of course the Huntresses wouldn't see many of them.
Robyn was a little disappointed about the lack of native creatures, though. She had heard tales of the unique denizens of the desert from various Vacuans, and had been hoping to see some of them. She particularly wanted to see one of the huge turtles that traversed the wastes. They were supposed to be massive creatures that the nomads would sometimes hitch rides on for miles.
Fiona suddenly called out, pointing to a large, weathered stone that rose from the sand. "Hey, what do you think that is?"
As the Huntresses moved forward, they could make out markings that had been graven into the stone. It was an old signpost, signaling that there was a village ahead, and upon closer inspection they could see that what they had taken for rock formations from a distance were actually dilapidated buildings partially covered with sand. Fiona pulled her map back out, the paper materializing from the pocket dimension that the Faunus stored various supplies in. "There isn't anything on here," Fiona said, frowning.
Joanna read the faded script, running her fingers over the rough grooves as she did. "Dunemarch. This 'Dust' Be the Place," she said aloud. "That is a terrible pun. Must have been an old dust mining town."
"How old, I wonder, if it isn't on the map?" Fiona asked.
Robyn had readied her crossbow. "Keep sharp, ladies. Remember, grimm like to hang out in ruins."
Together, the quartet continued past the stone sign, keeping their eyes peeled. There wasn't much to see after years of neglect and blowing sand had had its way with the abandoned town. A few wind-blown husks of sandstone buildings and knocked over wooden signage were all that remained.
May stooped, brushing some sand aside with her hand, and picked up a rusted piece of metal. It was a sword, snapped off just above the hilt. She cast it aside. "Possibly wiped out by grimm, too. Another reminder of Atlas's failings. Exploit a place to drag every last Lien from the ground, and then abandon it when it's no longer lucrative."
Robyn moved past her. "No point in spending more time than necessary, here," she said. "Let's keep going."
Behind them, Fiona's nerves were starting to act up, and she thought she was chasing shadows. There was something on the periphery of her vision that kept darting away whenever she tried to focus on it. A sixth sense kept warning her of danger, and she could feel the hairs on her arms trying to stand on end. "Robyn, there's something out there," she called quietly.
Immediately, the other three Huntresses went on guard, pulling out weapons and dropping into fighting stances. Fiona felt a surge of adrenaline and spun, crossbow raised, to once again see nothing. Her instincts kept screaming at her that something was wrong, but she couldn't see anything, and her heart kept beating faster and faster. Another flicker in her peripheral vision, and she reacted lightning quick, moving without conscious thought. There was a soft thwap as she fired her crossbow, and then a high-pitched keening noise rent the air.
"Wraith!" Robyn cried, dashing towards the noise. Now wounded, the creature was visible as a flickering, semi-solid black figure. Wraiths were emaciated, winged grimm that had the supernatural ability to move through the environment. The young ones, like all grimm, attacked on sight. The old ones were much more crafty, and therefore more dangerous.
As Robyn charged, rapidly firing off bolts, the creature howled again and then vanished, leaving nothing behind but swirling sand. Robyn swore as it disappeared. "Sharp eyes, Fi. Nice shot. Alright team, stick together, we're taking it down. I don't relish the idea of it coming after us when the sun goes down."
"Gods, Fi, how'd you even pin that that thing was here?" Joanna asked, impressed.
"My skin felt prickly all over. Like something was watching us."
"Fi's sixth sense saves us again. Good catch," May grinned, ruffling Fiona's ears. "Right, ladies, gather round." May extended her semblance and the four Huntresses vanished in a shimmer.
They prowled off, Robyn taking point. Wraiths didn't leave much in the way of spoor, but the well-trained Huntresses knew that they tended to favor subterranean or shadowy areas, and so Robyn made a beeline for the nearest large structure that was still standing. She eased inside the building, checking the corners as she did so. May slid in second, followed by Fiona, and Joanna took up the rear.
Fiona's skin started to prickle again immediately upon entering the building. Using hand signals, she conveyed this information to her team. Trusting her instincts, they spread out, covering each other's backs as they worked on clearing the building. Joanna got their attention and gestured to a shattered hatch on the floor. Robyn waved them over, and slowly moved pieces of broken timber out of the way. She made eye contact with each of her teammates, gesturing to each in turn, and then dropped down the hole. May dropped down the hole next, quickly followed by Joanna and then Fiona.
The smell hit them in a rush as they landed on the level below. It was a rank, heavy scent of decaying meat that got up into their sinuses and wouldn't let go. Fiona had to fight with her gorge as her stomach flipped and tried to empty itself. The smell was horrible. May got their attention and pointed to a corner that was faintly illuminated by a shaft of light from the main floor. A pair of legs framed by a spill of gore was heaped in an untidy mess, swarming with large black flies. There was no sign of the torso.
Robyn refocused everyone's attention and pointed out a shadowy crevasse set in the wall next to the partial corpse. Once again, they went through one at a time with Robyn in the lead. As she ducked inside, crossbow sweeping side to side, Robyn grimaced. Her boots kept making a soft sucking noise whenever she took a step, as the partially dried blood tried to adhere her feet to the floor. The legs hadn't been separated from their owner for long.
Robyn, who had expertly closed one eye when she first entered the building, now switched to using the eye that was now adjusted to the dark. Trusting that May was was still cloaking her, she moved deeper into the room. Her only clue that something was near was a quick intake of breath from Fiona behind her. A spectral claw swept past her head, narrowly missing as she ducked. How in the hell did it know where I was? She thought angrily as she snapped her weapon up, firing a quick brace of bolts.
She rolled to the side as the rest of her team rushed into the room, all firing their weapons. The wraith took a pair of hits and then slid through the wall, shrieking all the while. Wraiths were a type of Geist, the Huntresses knew, but instead of possessing inanimate objects they had the ability to phase through solid objects. A clever wraith was a ruthless and terrifying foe, able to nullify attacks by simply turning unsubstantial. The Happy Huntresses knew this, however, and were ready for it the next time it appeared.
It came for Fiona, clawed hands reaching through the floor, razor-sharp claws slashing at her Achilles tendon. Fiona, nerves singing, sensed it coming and leapt backwards in a handspring. Joanna didn't miss a beat and grabbed the wraith's arm with a massive fist while it was still solid. She yanked, ripping the surprised grimm from the floor before it could react and snapping its wrist. It started to fade once more, howling terribly. May didn't let it, catching it with a fire infused bolt from her crossbow. The bolt trailed a fine chain, red hot from the dust, and it wrapped around the grimm neatly. They had the wraith trapped, now. Fire suppressed its ability, but didn't make the claws or the fangs any less dangerous.
The Wraith snapped at Robyn, who ducked under the jaws and jammed her blade into its ribs. She was forced backwards as it retaliated, but the blow was slow and easy to dodge. Joanna waded back in, wielding her crossbow staff as a cudgel and slamming it into the creatures head. Dazed, it desperately attempted to phase out again, but it was caught fast. Fiona darted forward, placed her crossbow firmly on its forehead, and pulled the trigger. The wraiths head snapped back, and then dissolved into mist.
"Good work, ladies. May, you didn't drop your semblance when I went into the room, did you?" Robyn asked, breathing hard.
May frowned. "No, why?"
"That wraith nearly took my head off. Must have been a lucky swing."
Joanna sighed. "It could also be because you're pissed, chief. I can sense it, and I don't have grimm powers."
Fiona looked uncomfortable, shifting on her feet, but May just nodded. "She's right. Qrow really got under your skin."
"Ok, we are not having this conversation right now. Finish clearing the building."
Her team spread out, quickly hunting for any clues that could help them determine what had happened here. The room that they had killed the wraith in was worse than the first one. There were body parts strewn everywhere, and the air was heavy with the stench of death. Robyn called her team off after a short search, waving them back to the fresher air, and they retreated gratefully, climbing back up the broken hatch.
"Huntsmen team, or at least part of one. You could see the bits of armor. And those bodies were relatively fresh. Probably deceased within the last day or two." Robyn was breathing steadily in through her nose and out through her mouth, trying to clear the thick taste of death that had settled on her tongue.
Joanna spat to clear her own mouth. "Some of ours, or do you think they were scouts from Vale?"
May spun a blood-stained dagger she had picked up from the floor and presented it. "See this stamp on the base of the blade? That's from a well-known smithy in Vale. I'm guessing these poor saps were part of the vanguard for the refugees."
"They're close then. Let's move, I'm ready to get away from this deathtrap." Robyn left the building, blinking as she stepped back into the glare of Vacuo's sun.
Something tickled her survival instincts and they screamed at her to move, but the weapon tip that had appeared suddenly, pressing firmly into her ribs, dissuaded her. She raised her hands in surrender, hoping her team had caught the danger.
Joanna came out next, crossbow staff already raised in response, but an axe swung in from nowhere and knocked it from her grasp. She growled, but then froze as a huge paw of a hand settled on her shoulder.
"Easy, now. I don't think there's need for a fight," a gruff voice called.
Robyn carefully looked to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever had caught her unawares. An icy pair of bright green eyes framed by unkempt blond hair met her gaze. "Glynda?" she softly exhaled.
Glynda Goodwitch removed the tip of her riding crop from Robyn's ribs and stepped back. Robyn looked around to see Fiona and May slowly coming out of the building, wary of the flaming implement held at their back by a tall man with crazed hair and an equally unkempt appearance to Glynda.
"Sorry for the harsh welcome, ladies, but I hope you can understand our caution." The short bear of a man who had gotten the drop on Joanna was speaking, and he sounded truly regretful.
"It's no problem," Robyn said. "You're from Vale? We were sent to find you."
"Quite so. May I ask what you were doing in that building?"
"Killing the wraith that had laired there," Robyn said.
"I see. Were there any survivors?" the large man asked.
"No. It's a mess in there."
He sighed sadly. "A shame, that. We keep losing people, day after day. I say, how close are we to the City of Vacuo?"
"We can get you there within the day," Robyn said.
"That's excellent news. Barty, Glynda, weapons away, eh? No need for further distrust."
The tall man, Barty, collapsed his weapon and the flames went out. He smiled ruefully. "Can't be too cautious, ladies. We don't know who our friends are, what with the way that Salem operates. Doctor Oobleck at your service. That fellow that resembles a barrel is Peter Port. And it would seem that you know of Glynda already."
Glynda hmphed, and her eyes didn't lose their icy glare. There was a long, half-healed scar down one side of her face, and Robyn noticed that she was missing several fingers on her left hand. It looked as though the famed professor of Beacon had been through the ringer.
"You're all professors from Beacon," Fiona said as her eyes darted from one to the other.
"Were professors, my dear girl. Beacon is no more," Peter said sadly.
"We heard about Salem's attack. We've been trying to find any survivors for a while, now," Robyn said.
"You've found us, then. The main body of our camp is back that way," Barty said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder.
"In the canyon?" Fiona asked.
"Indeed. There's good natural shelter there, so we bunkered down and sent out a team to get the lay of the land. It didn't work out, as we all now know. Only one poor lad returned to us. The grimm and the environment have been bleeding us relentlessly."
Glynda spoke for the first time, her voice sharp and bitter. "If you can get us to the city, do it. We have a lot of people who need medical attention and proper shelter."
"Yeah, we can do that. We'll need to get to your camp, and then I can pop a beacon to transmit our location and we'll get you all evacuated."
"Let's quit wasting time, then." Glynda stalked off, tattered purple cloak trailing behind her.
"You'll have to forgive her. She was the glue that held us together after the fall of Beacon, and when Ozpin didn't return to us, she just kept going on her own. When Salem turned up at the head of that terrible army, Glynda fought harder than any of us. She killed Salem half a dozen times, but, well. Salem can't truly be killed. I don't think Glynda had really believed that until she saw it for herself. The way Salem can just pull herself back together…" Peter trailed off, lost in memory. He shook himself after a moment. "Salem killed so many of our best that day. Glynda eventually brought a building down on her to buy us time to go, and I had to drag her from the fight. If she wasn't so weak from blood loss she wouldn't have let me, I'm sure."
Barty struck up the narration after Peter stopped talking. "We struck out westward, having heard Miss Rose's message. Salem didn't pursue us, content to watch us suffer, I think. And suffer we have. Our people are mostly broken. Glynda is once again the driving force that keeps us together. She is under immense strain."
"You don't have much further to go. We'll get you and yours taken care of. I'm sorry for them, too." Robyn nodded towards the building turned abattoir that held the remains of the Valean Huntsmen.
Peter's face creased with sorrow. "They were just students, not that long ago. As their teachers we failed them. They shouldn't have died like this."
Barty put a hand on his shoulder. "To die so close to the goal. They were Huntsmen to the last, Peter. We should remember them that way, as valiant young men that perished in the defense of those unable to protect themselves."
"So we shall, Barty," Peter heaved. "So we shall. Please, ladies, follow us. Let's not keep our charges out in this wilderness any longer, eh?"
Hours later, a single Bullhead touched down on the edge of the canyon where hundreds of displace Valeans had made camp. Glynda stared at it frostily as it landed. "One ship? That's all? And a Bullhead at that? How the hell are we supposed to evac everyone with that?"
In response, the door on the side of the ship slid open and a figure with wild black hair dropped to the sand. "Glynda. You look like shit," Raven said, appraising the taller woman. "Heard you've been fighting like an absolute bastard though."
Through gritted teeth, hand gripping her riding crop firmly, Glynda responded. "Raven. Give me one good reason not to kill you where you stand."
"I'm here to get you all to Shade, Glynda. And I'm on your side. We can hash out the details later."
Glynda's jaw worked as her teeth ground together, but then she turned on her heel and stalked off. Peter let out a huff of breath. "This is a surprise, to say the least, Ms. Branwen. But not an unwelcome one. Please, follow me."
Qrow was with Willow when he got a call from Theodore on his scroll. "Robyn has found them," Theodore told him with a smile. "Raven is on her way there now, and I need you back in Shade ready to receive our guests."
"Got it, Theo." Qrow hung up the call and sighed. "I sometimes wish that I wasn't the one that had to hang around waiting for Raven to open a portal."
"It comes in handy though, your sister's semblance. Think of all the time you two are going to save those poor people," Willow told him.
"Yeah. It'll be good to see my old colleagues, too. And to get intel on what actually happened in Vale, instead of chasing rumors."
"How do you think they're doing?" Willow asked.
"Truthfully? Like shit. Beacon and now Vale are both in Salem's hands, and they've traveled gods know how many miles, being attacked by grimm and weathering the elements. I bet a bunch have died in the process."
"We're ready to help how we can. The SDC and the White Fang have been collaborating, which is a wonderful thing to see."
"You've got surprisingly good view on all that, considering that you almost got murdered."
"Yes, but I wasn't, thanks to a certain someone," Willow said playfully, putting her arm through Qrow's.
Qrow just sighed. "There're still people out there that want to see you and your family dead, Willow. Plus the mystery faction that set out to blow up the Fang's building. We haven't gotten a positive ID on that man I killed, and chances are he was a vagrant that wandered in from a settlement. Vacuo has terrible records for that sort of thing. Anyone could have hired him, from Salem to disgruntled Atlesians. Hell, he could have just been a nutjob that hated Atlas and your family."
"I think you're being a bit fatalistic, Qrow. Klein is already looking into the matter of the attempted attack on the White Fang, and we're all on alert now."
"Being fatalistic is my job. There's a conspiracy here, I'm sure of it. And Klein had better be damned careful. If someone catches him sniffing around they won't hesitate to kill him."
"Winter is helping, too. She's got some specialists undercover. It'll be fine."
Qrow just grumbled. Willow was an intelligent woman, but she could have a very naïve outlook on things sometimes. He wondered if that was a side effect of her newfound freedom after years of alcohol abuse and self-isolation. It was great that she seemed so happy, but it was almost as if she was turning a blind eye to any potential danger. She was happy, and so she refused to acknowledge anything that might threaten that happiness. He wasn't a damned therapist, though, so he had resolved to leave her psyche to the professionals. Other than that, she had proven surprisingly good company, and he had started to relax around her. Winter kept giving him the stink-eye when she saw him, but Qrow was content to let Winter brood. She had always been prickly, and it wasn't his job to keep her happy.
The two of them had been walking towards Shade as they chatted, and the structure now loomed before them. Qrow and Willow walked through the gate in the huge sandstone wall and to the location Theodore had prepared to receive the refugees. Kali was there with a handful of White Fang members, and she greeted them cheerfully.
"Qrow, Willow! It's great that Robyn found the refugees from Vale. We're ready to help however we can."
Willow hugged the other woman, and the two broke off to continue talking. All Qrow could do was shake his head. Those two striking up a friendship was something he thought he'd never see, but they had taken to each other immediately. He found his way over to Theo, who was observing the activity as everyone prepared for the refugees.
"This is gonna put even more strain on the city, Theo. We gonna be able to handle it?" Qrow asked the headmaster quietly.
"We'll make do, somehow. We owe it to them. They've fought Salem in person and deserve a place to rest and recover. We'll worry about the logistics later."
"I'm not saying they shouldn't be able to rest, but we're sitting on a time bomb here. Food and water will eventually run out, and then we're not gonna have to worry about Salem anymore, the city is just going to tear itself apart."
"I know it, Qrow. But we'll make do. Supply lines are being strengthened from here to Menagerie, and we're starting to get more aid from Mistral, too. It won't be easy, but I'm not giving up the city without a fight."
Qrow sighed once again. Forever surrounded by optimists. But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. Gods knew maintaining a dour outlook for the last couple decades had nearly killed him with alcohol and depression. And dammit, he couldn't help but feel a little hopeful himself. The feeling had grown and persisted ever since Ruby had returned from the Ever After, and it refused to be squashed. So instead of arguing further with Theo, he clapped the other man on the shoulder and went back to find Willow again. They'd find a way to make it all work. They had so far, so what was going to stop them?
It was past midnight when Qrow was jolted out of a doze by the sound of a portal. He stood and stretched, careful not to wake Willow, who had fallen asleep next to him. He ruffled his hair as he yawned, and the first person stepped through.
Glynda Goodwitch, Peter Port, and Bartholomew Oobleck spread out before Qrow. They all looked like they had been through hell. Glynda had a huge scar down her face and was missing several fingers. Peter, always a large-framed man, was still barrel chested but had lost a significant amount of weight. And Barty was skinnier and wilder looking than ever, shirt disheveled and dirty, missing his usual tie.
"Hey guys," Qrow said.
Glynda just huffed and stalked past him to Theodore. Peter shrugged. "You'll have to forgive her, Qrow. She's been through a lot. We'll have to catch you up later." The other two former Beacon professors joined Glynda's debriefing with Theodore as Qrow watched.
Over the next hour, hundreds of people streamed through the portal, and Qrow and Willow helped direct them to where they needed to go. They were, to a person, dirty, wounded, and sunburnt. These poor people had been through a lot.
Qrow was just wondering how long Raven could maintain a portal when finally the Happy Huntresses came through. He raised his hand in greeting, but Robyn ignored him. Joanna glared, May just nodded, and Fiona shrugged with embarrassment and gave him a weak grin. The hell is her problem? Qrow thought to himself.
At that moment, Willow slipped her arm through his as she stepped up by his side. "Not as many as we had hoped. Too many died on the journey, from the sounds of it," she said sadly.
The portal finally closed as Raven stepped through, visibly exhausted. She saw Qrow arm in arm with Willow, and light danced in her eyes, but she refrained from commenting. A testament to how tired she was after maintaining her portal for so long.
"Glynda has a huge chip on her shoulder. Don't blame her, sounds like she was the sole driving force that got anyone here alive at all. Maybe try avoiding her, if possible. Just a word of warning," Raven said.
"I can't just not talk to her, Raven."
Raven just shrugged. "Suit yourself."
"Not regressing on me, are ya? Thinking about walking away?"
The look that Raven gave him was so full of spite that he just laughed. "Thought so. We'll talk to her together."
The Branwen twins and Willow made their way into Shade and up to Theodore's office, where the Valeans and Theodore had retired to speak in private. The night was wearing on, but there was still a lot of work to do.