Chapter 1: This Will Be The Day
Raven Branwen was not a woman who suffered weakness. In her life before going to Beacon Academy, in her life as a bandit, weakness meant that you were deemed unworthy of survival. Weakness meant you were left behind. Or worse, left for the Grimm. And when you had a baby brother that the other members of the clan wanted to get rid of on a near-daily basis due to the mishaps generated by his Semblance, a moment of weakness for Raven would've meant doom for the both of them.
Not many people wanted someone around that caused guns to go off in people's faces, after all.
Her and Qrow were supposed to go to Beacon to learn how to fight and kill Hunters, then return to the tribe. Simple, in theory. But Professor Ozpin had seen right through it, and made sure that the two of them were partnered up with Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long.
To Raven's horror, Taiyang and Qrow became friends almost immediately, and Summer was practically a human shaped ray of sunshine. Over time, they broke down the walls that Raven put up.
She found herself falling in love.
For the first time, she saw a possible future outside of the tribe. A future where she had friends and loved ones by her side that she didn't have to intimidate into submission every other hour. Her and Taiyang were married soon after graduation.
It did not escape Raven's notice that Summer did not attend the reception.
Soon after, Professor Ozpin called them in. Said he had a special mission for them, one that the fate of Remnant hinged on. He proceeded to obliterate their entire world view. The Maidens were real. The creatures of Grimm had a master named Salem. Hidden in each Hunter Academy was a relic that may or may not be part of how Salem would finally be defeated.
Then Ozpin gave Raven and Qrow the magical ability to turn into birds. Things progressed as usual for Team STRQ, with the exception being that they answered only to Ozpin.
Then Raven got pregnant.
Her friends and husband were over the moon.
Raven felt nothing but a cold, black knot of fear in her gut. After her daughter was born, it would be child's play for Salem to send her minions to exploit that weakness.
If the mission to protect the world until Salem could be defeated was to succeed, that could not be allowed.
So, she had begun to make plans. A plan to make a clean getaway. A plan to take control of the Branwen tribe and reorganize in into something that made it so that she could still do her part. She hated Ozpin. Hated him. All the lies, all the half-truths. Hated it all. However, now that she knew what Hunters represented, she couldn't turn her back on the mission. She would still help, on her own terms.
Without any weaknesses.
She stared blankly at the blonde baby laying in the crib that Taiyang fashioned by hand. That was so typical of him, as he was a man that took equal delight in building and nurturing things as he did ripping Grimm apart with his bare hands. It was one of the reasons that she had fallen in love with him.
The baby's lavender eyes fluttered open, and for a fleeting moment, Raven almost changed her mind. She leaned over the railing of the crib and began talking. "Yang, there's something I need to do. I'm going to be going away for a while... no. A long time. Maybe forever. People will probably say things about me. Curse me for running out on my family. Say that I abandoned you. And they're right. That's... exactly what I'm doing."
Raven continued, her voice cracking, "But I feel like I have to go. Because I don't want to see my enemies try to hurt you to get to me, Tai, Qrow, or Summer. Besides, I would be a terrible mother. Maybe. I don't know." Raven made the mistake of looking at Yang again, who stretched out her arms towards Raven and gurgled out something that vaguely sounded like mama.
Raven bit her lip to keep a sob from escaping. "Alright, you little snot. You win." She scooped up her daughter in her arms and rocked her back and forth, humming some tune she heard somewhere. Given her upbringing, Raven didn't know any lullabies. Seconds turned into minutes, and twenty minutes later, Yang was sound asleep again. Raven set her back in her crib and took a pendant of a yellow dragon and attached it to the mobile hanging above the crib. "Sweet dreams, my sunny little dragon. You might not believe a word I say in the years to come, but... I truly do love you."
Raven left the house without further delay. If she let her teammates- No, her family catch wind of what she was planning before she followed through, they would not give her a moment's peace. But yet...
With her gone, it would be cruel to not let Summer know that the way was clear for her. Too cruel.
She pulled out her Scroll.
"Summer. I've left. No, I won't explain why, although Qrow will probably figure it out if he bothers to use his brain. Don't try to follow me, don't try to find me. I'm still fighting... her. But in my own way. Without any weaknesses."
"Tai's going to need you. We all know that he'd be an absolute disaster as a single parent. Just be there for him, Sum. I'm not in your way anymore."
She hit send, not giving herself a chance to convince herself to go back- or so she told herself. She stayed frozen at the edge of the forest until Summer called her. Raven's lips twitched upwards in a smile, always attached to her Scroll, that one.
She answered, but said nothing.
"Raven? What's gotten into you? Come back, and we'll figure this out together!"
She remained silent. What did you even say to the woman you just asked to take your place in your husband's life after you ran out on him?
"Raven, this is going to break Tai's heart."
Even now, she was putting Taiyang's happiness before hers. Raven finally replied. "Just be selfish for once in your life, Summer."
She snapped her Scroll in two, reached for the magic, and took flight.
In the five years since the destruction of Kuroyuri, every action that Lie Ren took could be summarized in a single word: Survival.
Which was why he was doing his best to read by the dwindling firelight. He gently turned the page of the old book he was reading, being ever so careful not to damage it. It was one of the few items that he and Nora were able to recover from the pile of rubble that once was his home, and it contained his father's extensive notes on plants that were edible, and those that could be used medicinally- The closest thing that they had to salvation, even though the natural life cycles of said plants meant that they had to start venturing away from Kuroyuri within three months. Venturing into lands that were unknown to Ren, with all the dangers they contained.
Ren was distracted by Nora shivering as she pulled closer to him in her sleep. He glanced over at the satchel that they carried their fire-making supplies in, only to see it empty. He felt a stab of pain through his heart, knowing that there was nothing he could do to make the fire last much longer. His father's woodsman's journal started to feel so much heavier. He could throw it in. He had most of it memorized. All it would take was a little toss and-
No.
Would it being the fire back to life? Would it give them warmth and would it allow Ren to cook something that would alleviate the gnawing in his stomach? The answer to all of these questions was yes. However, that balm would only be temporary, and this book was only one of two. More importantly, they -along with his father's dagger- were the only link he had back to his family. His memory of his life before the attack was getting blurrier and more distant by the day, but these two books were proof that it happened and that one day, it would be better again.
That hope was for another time. Now he needed to make an accounting of what supplies they had. They were completely out of firewood. What meager food they had could be eaten raw, but it would not be pleasant. A trip into the nearest town was quickly becoming a necessity; and danger walked hand in hand with that.
Thwarting danger was where the second book came in. It contained his father's writings on the Ardent Lotus martial art. Unfortunately, the back third or so of the book had been damaged in the collapse, meaning he would never have the whole picture and would have to fill in the gaps himself.
He was only a novice at best, but that was enough to be dangerous, even deadly should the situation call for it.
It had called for it about two years ago. Ever since then sleep had always been difficult, and he was reluctant to go that far against a human opponent again; but when it came to protecting the two of them- protecting Nora, he would do it again.
A branch snapped somewhere beyond the dim light of the fire. Ren used... he wasn't quite sure what to call it. All he knew was that it made Grimm ignore him and anyone he was touching. Another branch snapped, closer to them this time. He shook Nora awake, "Nora, someone's coming."
Her eyes fluttered open. "Huh?"
Ren forgot how deep of a sleeper Nora could be, "Someone is coming towards us and it is not a Grimm."
Nora slapped herself to hasten her return to wakefulness, "Alright, alright, I'm up!"
Ren closed his eyes and concentrated on his power. If he focused enough, sometimes he could sense danger. Between the cold of the night and the hunger roaring in his stomach, he couldn't quite get it. He looked at Nora and shook his head, "I can't tell."
Nora glanced at him, her hands balling up into fists. They'd fight if they needed to. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.
An older man wearing a blue tunic and a sword at his hip slowly stepped into view, his hands held up and facing out. "Hello there, my name is Berg." He said, "I don't mean you any harm."
"Prove it!" Nora challenged.
Berg glanced at the burnt up sticks that passed for their campfire. "I'll need to reach into my back pocket." He slowly opened a belt pouch and retrieved a vial of red powder which he emptied out over the fire.
The fire roared to life, radiating more heat than any of the meager fires that Ren or Nora had been able to start. "Whoa, how'd you do that?" Nora asked, her natural curiosity forever unmarred by her circumstances.
Berg looked between the two of them, his brow knitted together in confusion. "What do you mean, it was just a bit of Fire Dust?"
"What's Dust?"
Berg involuntarily took a step back in shock, "Do you really not know? How old are you two?"
Nora shrugged, "That's kind of fuzzy for me. Ten I think?"
Ren frowned before speaking for the first time, "Ten, unless I've lost count of the days."
"Even then, you should still know what-" Berg stopped in his tracks as he came to a realization, "Wait. Days since what?"
Ren swallowed. He'd have to tell him. "Since my parents died and the village I lived in was destroyed by the Grimm."
"I ended up there just before the attack." Nora explained, "I don't really remember where, but my mom ran away from some Grimm, leaving me behind. I... uh, snuck into a trader's wagon that was escaping. They kicked me out, and then I met Ren."
"Another one gone. Damn it." He sighed, then turned to Ren, "So your name is Ren?"
"Lie Ren." He said.
"Hah!" Berg barked out a laugh, "Did you know that your parents named you for a martial art in Old Mistralian?"
Ren shook his head, "No, what does it mean?"
"Ardent Lotus." Berg shrugged, "Don't get any ideas about trying to learn it though, it's thought to be dead, no known practitioners and all."
Ren wordlessly took the battered manuscript containing the secrets of the Ardent Lotus art and handed it to Berg. He looked through it for about ten seconds before he realized what he was looking at before handing it back. "I stand corrected, apparently." He turned to Nora, "What about you, little lass?"
"I'm Nora! Uh... I don't know my last name."
Berg sat down by the fire, cross-legged. "Well, in that case how about I help you pick one?"
"Why are you helping us?" Ren cut in.
Berg gave him a quizzical look, "What kind of Huntsman would I be if I didn't see you two to safety?"
"You're a Huntsman?" Nora asked, "Ren, he's what we want to be when we get older!
Ren relaxed, "How do we do that?"
Berg stroked his beard, "Well, for you two, I can bring you to Mistral's Huntsman Guild Hall. You'll receive food, a place to sleep, and training. When you're old enough, you'll go to a Combat School, and then later a Huntsman Academy."
Nora was practically vibrating with glee. "We did it, Ren! We made it!"
Words failed Ren. He had been so focused on keeping the both of them alive that he hadn't considered this possibility.
"Now, Nora, about your last name." Berg peered into her eyes for a moment. There was a fire there that hadn't been beaten down by her hard life. "How about Valkyrie?"
Nora cocked her head, "What's a Valkyrie?"
"It comes from old Mantlean legends, long before we humans knew what Aura was. According to the myths, after the Grimm came and the victims' souls cried out for vengeance, then a Valkyrie would rise." He smiled, one thing he wished he had more opportunities to do was to tell the old stories like this, "These Valkyries were said to be nigh unstoppable warriors, using lightning and hammer to devastate their foes."
"Whoa." Nora said, looking at her wooden hammer for a moment before breaking out in a grin, "Yeah, that's me! Nora Valkyrie!"
In the months since her parents retired from leading the White Fang, Blake Belladonna noticed a growing rift in the organization. More and more arguments broke out, all centered around a singular topic. How to use violence now that it was an option.
Many of the members that were from Atlas or Mantle -including Adam- were of the opinion that they should be attacking the SDC directly. That any sort of compromise was weakness, that instilling fear in the humans was the only way to make them understand. Meanwhile, those from Vale and Mistral were beginning to rally around Sienna Khan. Under her, violence was only acceptable in the case of self-defense, or to protect others that couldn't protect themselves. Her vision for what the White Fang should be doing was to speak the uncomfortable truths that those that hated the Faunus cringed from. Fear was not the answer.
From her perch in a tree on the outskirts of camp, she could hear just about everything going on. Technically she was on sentry duty, but with her enhanced hearing there wasn't much that could sneak up on her. Which made this the perfect time to catch up on some reading,
Or it would, if she wasn't hearing some commotion in the direction of the center of camp. "Just my luck." She muttered. As sentry, not only was it her responsibility to keep an eye out for the Grimm, but also do her part to mitigate situations that could attract Grimm.
She slipped her book back in her pack, and made her way back. It quickly became apparent that Adam and Sienna were arguing, and that a crowd was gathering to listen in. Ugh. This was going to be a mess,
As Blake shouldered her way to the front of the crowd, she noticed that some of them were wearing masks that made them look like Grimm. Where did those come from? And why?
"You don't understand, Sienna! The only way to make the humans respect us is to make them fear us!" Adam hissed. "You would have us talk at them until we're blue in the face, just like Ghira! You're just as weak as that tired old fool!"
Blake felt a pang of homesickness as memories of living on Menagerie with her parents hit her, followed by a twinge of guilt. Adam had taught her how to fight, how to fulfill her role as a saboteur. Despite how he treated her sometimes, she looked up to him... but this...
"Don't be a fool, Adam." Sienna retorted, "Your anger will get you nowhere, and set the cause back. In fact, you'll be acting like how all the Atlesian propaganda says we all act!" She marched right up to him and stabbed a finger into his breastbone, "You're just giving Jacques Schnee exactly what he wants."
Adam shook his head and chuckled darkly. "Why should I care what our oppressors want?" He ripped off his mask, exposing the brand over his right eye to the world, "When they brand us like we're animals? Like we're their property? They kill us, torture us, and subjugate us! WITH IMPUNITY!"
Blake held her breath. What could Sienna possibly say to refute that? Should she get involved? While she was only thirteen years old, she still had some clout due to who her parents were. She let out the breath and began to step forward...
"You're right."
Silence reigned.
Sienna began to circle Adam like a predator stalking prey. "You're right. They kill us, they grind us underfoot, the Faunus in Mantle are funneled into the meat grinder of the SDC mines unless they're already political prisoners in a labor camp. But you would know all about that, wouldn't you, Adam?" Ignoring her adversary's growl, she continued, "What will attacking the SDC head-on really do? Make them crackdown on the Faunus in their grip! Sure, you'll sate your bloodthirst, your desire for revenge, but in the end it will achieve nothing!"
"Wrong!" Adam retorted, "It will make them realize that they have to agree to OUR TERMS! You would have us do what Ghira would, have us kowtow to them until they say they we're worthy."
"Adam, have you talked to any Atlesians? Asked them why they're so against Human-Faunus equality?" Sienna asked, "I have. What you're proposing will only make things worse. They're afraid of us making ourselves above them, like they are to us now. Once they realize that we only want to be equals, they come around. Every time."
"Bullshit." Adam seethed.
"It might take time. Weeks, months, years in some cases. What I do know is this, if you embark on this crusade of yours, feed into the propaganda machine, you will undo all the progress that has been made since the Great War! You will embolden SDC Security and other law enforcement to commit more atrocities, react to peaceful protests with violence!"
"That's why we have to fight back!" Adam roared, "Why we have to-"
Blake's mouth moved before her mind had a chance to catch up. "She's right, Adam."
Silence reigned again.
Adam turned to face his protégé, a look of confusion on his face. "Really, Blake?"
Blake swallowed. She had a choice to make. Either avoid Adam's disapproval, or double down.
What would Mom and Dad do?
"Yes."
"So, that's how it is." Adam said, "I thought you had the conviction to follow me in this, but you're weak. Just like your parents. I should've left you in that alley."
Blake froze as memories of that awful night three years ago surfaced. If Adam had never come for her, then she would've... would've...
"ENOUGH!" Sienna shouted, "Everyone who shares Adam's opinion of how we should be operating is free to leave with him tomorrow morning!"
Adam turned back to Sienna, "You're banishing me?"
"Yes." Sienna said bluntly. "The methods you've proposed were grounds enough, but I will not sit idly by and allow you to torment the people I'm responsible for."
"Mark my words, Sienna. You will regret this."
"We'll see, Adam. But this discussion is over. Start packing."
As the crowd began to disperse, Blake was in a daze, partially from disbelief and partially from the memories Adam had brought to the surface.
"Blake?"
"Huh?" She whirled around to see Sienna standing there with a look of concern on her face.
"Blake, are you okay?"
The tears pooling in her eyes answered for her, but she shook her head. "The things Adam said... I... was he only teaching me everything because he wanted to use me? As a tool to get back at Atlas?"
Sienna enveloped her in a hug. "Probably. But you're so much more than that, Blake. And that scares him."
Blake looked up. "Thanks, Aunt Sienna."
Everything that Pyrrha Nikos did was in service of one objective. To become the greatest Huntress the world had ever seen. From the moment she had walked through the front doors of Sanctum Academy, she didn't just meet every goal her teachers put in front of her, she exceeded them. In sparring classes, she beat all of her opponents with ease.
Normally, someone in her position would claim that they had no time for friends. But Pyrrha bucked the trend and tried to establish friendships wherever she could.
Then her first year at Sanctum came to a close and with it, the Grand Tournament had arrived. Students from Combat Schools from across Remnant descended on Sanctum, all hoping to be crowned champion.
Pyrrha obliterated them all. They never even laid a finger on her. Soon enough, the Talent department of the Pumpkin Pete Cereal Company came calling. Pyrrha wasn't exactly in a position to refuse. With her mother raising her alone, finances had always been a concern.
The Invincible Girl was born. Gone was the simple quilted armor that her mother had made for her, replaced by the finest leather and bronze. Her weapons remained the same though, she had been adamant about that.
Soon enough, she found that everyone wanted to be her friend. At first, she was thrilled. Slowly she realized that most of them didn't see Pyrrha. They only saw the Invincible Girl. And those that did know the real Pyrrha had distanced themselves from her. Out of jealousy? She had no idea.
It hadn't helped matters that some of her more... zealous fans claimed that she was a Silver-Eyed Warrior in disguise.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for the final round!"
Pyrrha was roused from her introspection by the announcer's call. This would be the last Grand Tournament she would participate it, given her pending graduation from Sanctum. It was expected that she would attend Haven Academy.
Everyone would be so disappointed when they learned that she was going to Beacon. Pyrrha didn't care, though. She wanted, she needed to be the best, and Beacon Academy was where she would do that.
"In the red square, we have the One Punch Woman, the upstart lioness who's ready to take her shot at reaching the top! It's Arslan Altan!"
Pyrrha moved to the blue-floored platform that would take her up to the arena and drew her weapons. The platform began to rise, and the announcer begin to sing her praises.
"In the blue square is a woman that needs no introduction. She's the Pride of Mistral, the Eternal Champion, the Invincible Girl! It's Pyrrha Nikos!"
Pyrrha looked up and saw the doors open. The pyrotechnics went off, heralding her arrival to the arena. The crowd went crazy, trying to get her to notice them. She wouldn't. Not because she thought herself better than them, but because she was just so tired of all of this. This wasn't why she wanted to become a Huntress, just a means to an end.
Across the arena, stood Arslan. Before Pyrrha's rise to fame, they hadn't had much contact as they hadn't moved in the same circles. Afterwards, Arslan had rebuffed any attempt Pyrrha had made at friendship, even going so far as to declare herself Pyrrha's rival.
"It's time to find out who our champion will be! This is for all the marbles! Now fight!"
Pyrrha exploded off of her starting platform in a sprint. This was going to end in a downright vicious brawl, so she didn't see any reason to drag it out. Arslan unfurled a rope dart, sending the dagger attached at the end hurtling at Pyrrha.
Pyrrha threw her shield, and it met the rope dart in midair with a metallic clang and a cheer from the crowd. With just a touch of her Semblance, she called Akouo back to her.
To the crowd and her opponent, it seemed like Pyrrha had planned a shield throw that would bring her shield back to her in a fraction of a second.
Arslan snarled and whipped the rope dart around in an attempt to break Pyrrha's charge, sending it scything in from her left.
Pyrrha executed a side flip over the rope dart to the crowd's approval. While still in midair she threw her shield again as a cover for switching Milo to rifle mode. Arslan grabbed the shield mid-flight, spun around, and launched it back towards her.
Pyrrha grinned. They never learned, did they?
Pyrrha leapt into the air and sprang off of the flying shield. She brought Milo to bear and fired at Arslan as fast as the action would allow.
Arslan darted through the gunfire, abandoning her rope dart. Pyrrha mechashifted her weapon to javelin mode and threw it at her opponent. With a wild grin on her face, Arslan snatched it out of the air, and-
Threw it out of bounds.
Pyrrha brought her armored boot down in a kick, but Arslan dodged out of the way in the nick of time. "What's the matter, Nikos? You mad you gotta fight my way now?"
"If you think that I'm helpless without my weapons, you've got another thing coming, Arslan." Pyrrha retorted. She dropped into a kickboxing stance and waited. Now was the dangerous bit. It wasn't for nothing that the announcer had called Arslan the "One Punch Woman." Whenever possible she preferred to end fights with a single blow packing enough Aura to drop a Beringel.
Arslan came out swinging with a wild hook. Pyrrha ducked under it and went for a grapple. One hand around her waist, the other grabbing one of her legs. She hoisted Arslan up as far as she could, then threw her to the ground. Pyrrha transitioned to a mount, and began whaling on her opponent's head, each brutal blow causing her Aura to spark.
Arslan grabbed her wrists and rolled, taking up the position that Pyrrha had been in a moment ago. Not keen on taking a pummeling, Pyrrha worked her feet underneath Arslan and kicked out, knocking her off.
Both fighters scrambled to their feet, and charged again. Tapping into her Semblance to propel herself forward, Pyrrha launched into a literal flying knee, it impacted with a crunch of bone and sent Arslan reeling. Pyrrha winced, she hadn't meant to break her nose. Had Arslan been so focused on beating her that she had let her Aura Control go? "Give up, Arslan. It's over."
"Over?" Arslan pushed herself up to a sitting position, then reached up and set her nose with a yelp of pain, "I didn't hear a bell, Nikos." She jumped to her feet and moved in again.
Pyrrha closed the distance between them with a single step, and aimed a kick at her gut. Arslan staggered backwards, the wind verifiably taken out of her sails.
Arslan hopped back to gain some distance and packed every bit of Aura that she had left into her fist. It was a dangerous all-or-nothing technique, but it was how she had made it to the finals to begin with. She let it fly...
And Pyrrha grabbed Arslan by the wrist and spun so her back was facing her. Using her own back and shoulder as leverage, Pyrrha used the momentum from Arslan's last ditch attack to throw her to the ground again.
And this time, she wasn't taking any chances.
Pyrrha went to ground, wrapping her legs around Arslan's midsection, pinning her arms to her sides, and putting her in a chokehold.
Arslan arched her back and thrashed her legs around trying to find any sort of purchase so she could wriggle out, but Pyrrha held her fast. She knew this hold, Pyrrha had her in a blood choke. If she didn't get out in less than ten seconds she would lose consciousness, leading to a submission victory for Pyrrha.
She wasn't going to get out.
The edges of her vision were starting to turn black.
She tapped out.
"It's over! Ladies and gentlemen, your victor and still champion... PYRRHA NIKOS!"
Pyrrha rose to her feet and offered a hand to Arslan, but received nothing but a sneer as her opponent hail herself to her feet. "We'll settle this in the Vytal, Nikos."
How does she know I'm not going to Haven? "Why?" Pyrrha asked, "What did I do to deserve this ire from you?"
Arslan glared at her, "You're too damn perfect, anyone as perfect as you either stepped on people to get where they are or have skeletons in their closet. Jury's still out on you."
Pyrrha closed her eyes as Arslan walked away. This was why she was going to Beacon. To break away from as much of her reputation as she could, get a fresh start.
With any luck, she'd forge friendships that would last a lifetime.
Jaune Arc was running out of time.
He wanted to go to Beacon Academy, he wanted to be a Huntsman. But his father had made his opinion on the matter known. He had made it painfully clear that he did not think that Jaune had what it took to be a Huntsman.
Which was ridiculous, in Jaune's opinion. Sure, actual fighting wasn't his strong suit by any means, but he knew that all he needed was a chance! Jaune's pleas notwithstanding, Reign-Beau Arc's ultimatum was clear. He would only sign off on his Beacon application if Jaune unlocked his Aura, and refused to do it himself.
The deadline was tomorrow.
Which was why Jaune was currently whaling on a battered practice dummy in the training yard adjacent to the Arc house, and had done so every night for the past three months. That wasn't even mentioning the pushups, sit-ups, and plenty of juice. He would show his dad that he was wrong, that he could do this!
"Don't forget to stay hydrated, Jaune."
Jaune froze mid-swing when he heard his dad's voice. He turned towards his father, then did a double take. His father did have water for him, but what was most surprising was that Reign-Beau Arc was dressed in his own training gear, and had his own blade with him. "Dad?"
Reign-Beau motioned to a bench, and they both sat. Jaune took a drink of water, and regarded his dad. He was a hard man to read at the best .of times, but now he was practically inscrutable. "You truly want this, don't you?" Reign-Beau asked, "I've never seen you out this much effort into anything before."
"I want to do this, Dad. More than anything."
"I know, Jaune. You've made that clear." Reign-Beau stood and motioned to the practice dummy. "Show me what you can do."
Jaune shot to his feet and had his practice sword out in a flash, leaving a dust cloud behind him. He took his stance and-
"Passable, but flawed." Reign-Beau observed, "Except in circumstances where you need to block gunfire or Dust attacks, your shield should be held to the side, to block potential avenues of attack."
"Like this?" Jaune asked, sticking his left arm out as far as he could.
"Not quite, don't lock your elbow." Reign-Beau nodded as his son made the correction. He was taking this seriously. "Now, as for the positioning of your blade, holding it vertically like that does nothing to threaten your enemy." He moved to stand beside Jaune and drew his own blade, holding the hilt close to his body with the tip pointed towards an imaginary opponent's throat. "Do it like this."
Jaune frowned, "But why is this better?"
"Imagine an opponent comes at you with an overhand strike. You are in the perfect position to counter with a thrust, and transition into further attacks."
"Oh, I see." Jaune said, "Defend by attacking."
Jaune spent the next two hours under his father's watchful eye, learning the fundamentals of Valean Bladesmanship. Stances, guards, responses, and more. Reign-Beau would point out every error he made, but that only made Jaune want to work harder, do better. He was closer to his dream than ever before, and he wouldn't give up now!
Reign-Beau was forced to admit that his attempt to dissuade Jaune by criticizing every flaw in his technique was a spectacular failure. There was only one thing he could do now, despite his misgivings. "Alright, Jaune. That's enough for tonight."
Jaune finished the drill he was doing, one designed to teach how to assume different guards as the fighter executed different attacks. "Really? It's not even starting to get dark yet."
Reign-Beau chuckled. "We've got a big day tomorrow. Tomorrow, you'll begin training in earnest. Not only will we continue your training in swordsmanship, but we will start physical conditioning as well. There are also several books I believe you should read. How long do we have until the school year starts?"
"Two months, more or less."
Reign-Beau sighed. One last attempt, he decided. "That's all the training you'll have before Initiation, Jaune. Everyone else will have had years, if not their entire lives. You will have to work harder than anyone. Are you absolutely sure that you want to do this?"
Jaune's reply came with more iron than Reign-Beau Arc had ever heard in his son's voice. "Yes, sir."
Reign-Beau placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "So be it. Close your eyes and concentrate."
Jaune closed his eyes, and he heard his father speaking. However, he couldn't be sure if the words he was saying came from his father or his own mind.
"It is through persistence we gain ability. Through this, it becomes our responsibility to shield the defenseless from evil. With the wisdom of those who came before and bearing the hopes of those who live today, I charge you with this duty."
Jaune's eyes snapped open, and he looked down at his hands. They were covered in a golden energy, and he could feel the soreness in his muscles being soothed.
He grinned.
"One last thing, Jaune."
"Yeah, Dad?"
"If I find out that your classmates offered you help and you refuse out of pride, I will personally come to Beacon and drag you home. Am I clear?"
"Crystal."
Weiss Schnee gazed out of bedroom window, contemplating the statue that her father had so graciously placed in her view. A likeness of him wrought in stone and gazing right back at her, a constant reminder that he was always watching. Always waiting for her to slip up and bring enough shame to the Schnee name to warrant disinheriting her. Thereby preventing her from unseating him from his position as CEO.
After the fracturing of their family that resulted from her disaster of a tenth birthday party, Weiss had chosen her path. She would not unseat her father through backroom deals, through underhanded trickery. No, that was his way, and she would not stoop to his level. Under Jacques Schnee, the Schnee Dust Company's reputation had become encapsulated by a single word: greed.
It made Weiss want to vomit. Under Nicholas Schnee, the SDC had stood for something more than fleecing the common man for every last Lien. Honor, reliability, and trust.
What enraged her the most was how easy it would be to make the mines safer for the workers! But all her father saw was how it would affect short term profits.
She glanced at the clock. It was time. She crossed the room to the display case where she kept her multi-action Dust rapier; the only one of its kind. She attached the sheathe to the belt on her waist, and drew the sword. During her clandestine training sessions with Winter, she had been taught that the weapon of a Huntress should be a reflection of her. So Weiss had designed her weapon to be just that. She charged her free hand with Aura and ran her fingers across the length of the blade revealing its name, etched into the steel with old Mantlean runes.
Myrtenaster.
There was a knock at the door. She took a moment to sheathe her sword and steady herself. As soon as that door opened, there would be no room for doubt, for weakness. She would have to be perfect.
"Enter."
The door opened to reveal the Schnee family's ever-faithful butler, Klein Sieben. "Miss Schnee? It's time."
Weiss inclined her head to the balding man. "Thank you, Klein. Shall we?"
Schnee Manor was unnecessarily labyrinthine. Jacques Schnee claimed that it was a security measure against White Fang insurgents trying to attempt an assassination. While Weiss believed that the White Fang was a dangerous terrorist organization that needed to be brought to heel, she also believed that her father was full of shite. Not that she would ever voice such vulgar thoughts aloud. She was a lady, after all.
She glanced out of a window that looked out onto the gardens. She could clearly see the gazebo in the center, where her moth- where Willow had already taken up residence. Her hand moved to the apple necklace she wore. The necklace that her mother had given her on her tenth birthday. Before everything had gone to hell. Drinking already? Fine. Drown yourself in the bottle. I don't need you.
"Oh, dear sister!"
Ah yes, right on cue. The ever present thorn in her side. "Out of my way, Whitley. Father sent you here to distract me, and I will have none of it."
He smirked. That cocky little smirk that he made when he thought he was the smartest person in the room. "Not at all, Weiss. I came on my own. Just to tell you to keep doing what you're doing."
Weiss halted. Okay. That was a new one. "Explain. Quickly."
"It's quite simple, you just keep being your rebellious self. Keep father's attention off of me. I'll ensure that when your laughable plan to take back the company from him fails, that I am in place to do what you could not."
Weiss shook her head. "No. This is a trick. A trap laid by father. I don't believe you."
Whitley shook his head. "Believe what you want, Weiss. Although I may be standing next to father, I look forward to your victory today."
Weiss brushed past him. "I don't have time for this."
Whitey walked off. "The truth is, Weiss..." He said to himself, "I've always watched you from afar, my fearless, foolish sisters."
But his words went unheard as Weiss moved on to the ballroom. Inside would be her father's vaunted Royal Test, and an audience consisting of a who's who of the upper class of Atlesian society.
If she wanted to be free of this gilded cage, she could not fail.
So she would not.
She pushed open the door and walked to the center of the room. It was lavish, of course. The very picture of the pinnacle of Atlesian society. Today, Weiss had no time for it. She ignored the whispers from the balcony, not even looking their way. In a platform in one far corner stood Whitley and her father. In the other corner was Winter.
"Do you intend to pursue this foolishness?" Jacques said, his voice booming around the room thanks to a clip on microphone.
"I do." Weiss said, her voice loud and clear.
"Very well." Jacques said. "If you succeed, you will be permitted to attend Beacon Academy. If you fail... well, you won't be my problem anymore."
He snapped his fingers and the floor in front of Weiss retracted. A platform from beneath rose up and revealed one of the rarest Grimm in all of Remnant. An Arma Gigas.
She drew her sword and took a classical Atlesian Fencing stance. The Arma Gigas stomped forward and brought down its giant sword -which Weiss was certain that her father had commissioned for this fight- intent on smashing her into nothing.
Which it would have, if not for a well placed Gravity Glyph.
Weiss cocked Myrtenaster's hammer and darted at the temporarily captive Grimm. As she approached it mustered enough strength to break free and swung its greatsword at her. Weiss leaped over it, her blade glowing with the red glow of Fire Dust. She made a Glyph under her feet then kicked off of it, sending her right towards the Arma Gigas. She thrusted with her sword, causing a line of fire to burn through the Grimm.
It staggered back and fell, stunned by the unpredictable attack. Weiss was about to press the attack when she had to fight the impulse to bow when she heard the applause from the balcony.
That split second was all the Arma Gigas needed. It surged back towards her, decking her in the face with an armored fist. It sent her reeling and she hit the ground, her Aura flickering ice blue from the impact. Her hand went to her face, she was bleeding.
That wasn't acceptable. She was Weiss Schnee. She was supposed to be perfect. She rose and raised her weapon in a salute. Time to end the farce her father had foisted upon her,
The Arma Gigas charged her and executed an overhand strike that left a crater where it hit the ground. Just the ground, as Weiss had already cartwheeled away. She stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, causing ice spikes to materialize and impale the Arma Gigas's legs, Time for the coup de grace.
Multiple glyphs appeared around the Arma Gigas and Weiss began to pinball between them, each leap carrying a different strike. A gust of wind that made the Arma Gigas lose its balance. Another blast of ice that froze its shoulders in place. A combined lightning and gravity attack that ripped the sword from the Grimm's hand. She leapt above its head, and her Myrtenaster began to glow with fire once more.
"This life is mine." Weiss muttered before slashing at the Arma Gigas and slicing it in two, right down the middle. It split apart, each half beginning to disintegrate. She landed perfectly between them and gave a bow to her audience. She looked up from the bow to see Jacques Schnee fuming. No doubt he had seen Winter's hand in her bladework. It didn't matter, though. He had set the terms of this... engagement himself, and Weiss had overcome it.
She was headed to Beacon Academy,
Ruby Rose was having an uneventful trip to the city of Vale, for once. It helped that it was evening, and no one would look twice at a girl with a hood over her head, regardless of it being attached to a cape or not. No Silver-Eyed Warrior here, no sir, just a normal girl training to become a Huntress.
She was just thankful that From Dust till Dawn's shopkeeper didn't make a big deal about her eye color. She was thumbing through an ammo catalog, looking for anything that caught her eye. Chain Lightning bullets? Ugh, too expensive. Chainsaw bullets? Nope, not compatible with Crescent Rose. Drill Slugs? Better tell Yang about those, even if she was overly fond of explosive shells.
Ruby was interrupted by someone rudely pulling her hood down and turning her to face them. The offender was a man in his late twenties wearing red sunglasses and a cheap knockoff suit. He had a red cleaver sword in his right hand. Thanks to Yang's... knowledge of the Valean underworld, she immediately recognized the man as a member of the Red Axe gang. "Can I help you?" Ruby asked.
"I said, hands in the air!"
Well, then. That made this self-defense. Better make sure, just in case. "Are you robbing me?"
Ruby could've sworn she saw a vein pulse. "Yes!"
Without the space to deploy Crescent Rose, her only option was the bar brawling techniques that Uncle Qrow had taught her. She kicked the thug in the shin and when he doubled over in surprise, Ruby punched him in the throat.
A new thug appeared at the end of the aisle and pulled his gun on her. "Freeze!" Ruby recognized the model of the gun immediately. It was the ironically named Defender machine pistol, most commonly used by gangs and other malcontents.
She activated her Semblance and ran at the man. She closed the distance in the space of a heartbeat, then curled up into a ball and launched herself into him at superspeed. The impact sent him flying through the window and carried Ruby outside. She leapt off of the man and drew Crescent Rose, firing a single shot to arrest her momentum before landing. She turned back to the store to see four more goons and...
Oh, crapbaskets.
There was no mistaking the cane and bowler hat. That was Roman Torchwick. Ruby twirled Crescent Rose around and assumed her ready stance. She could deal with Roman later, his henchmen would likely make themselves her priority.
"Oh ho! I had no idea that it was a Silver-Eyed Warrior trying to stop us!" Roman exclaimed, his hand pressed to his chest in a pantomime of surprise, "I'm so sorry, Your Worshipfulness! I promise that after today, you'll never have to see me again!" He turned to his men. "Get her."
It quickly became clear that the men employed by Roman were amateurs, as they decided to rush her one at a time. She uppercutted the first one, sending him flying into a dumpster. She pulled Crescent Rose's trigger, causing the blunt end to dunk the second man into the asphalt. The other two were marginally smarter than their compatriots and attempted to attack together. Ruby fired again, sending her into a spin attack that sent one of them into a wall and the other back into the shop through the broken window.
Roman pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh for the Brothers' sake." He muttered.
"Surrender!" Ruby said.
Roman laughed, "I don't think so, Little Red. You see, me and all this Dust have places to go. Places where you and that whirling death contraption of yours aren't. So..." he raised his cane at her, and a sight flipped up, "This is your curtain call."
He fired and a Fire Dust charge was shot at Ruby. She swung Crescent Rose, catching the projectile on the tip and sending it sky high. With unerring accuracy, she blew it out of the sky. She whirled around...
Only to find that Roman was fleeing up a nearby fire escape.
"You alright if I go after him?" She asked the shopkeeper. Without waiting for a response, she ran after Roman, getting to the roof of the building he had fled to just in time to see him climb into an airship.
"Persistent one, ain't ya?" Roman said before tossing a Fire Dust crystal at Ruby's feet, "It's too bad that persistence won't get you anywhere but dead!"
He fired his cane again but before Ruby could attempt to counter, she found herself swept to the side.
"Looks like you blundered into our op, kiddo."
Ruby looked up to see the roguishly lopsided grin of her uncle, Qrow Branwen. "Uncle Qrow, what are y-"
"If you aren't too busy, Qrow, I could use a hand!"
Ruby's eyes went wide as she recognized Glynda Goodwitch. Who wouldn't recognize her?
Qrow jumped into action, drew Harbinger from his back and started taking potshots at the engines of the airship that Roman was trying to escape on. By the looks of things, Glynda was managing to hold it in place with her Semblance, but that would only last so long...
Ruby brought Crescent Rose to bear, and began to fire at the airship, but her shots were being blocked by the woman who had taken Roman's place in the open hatch. She wasn't even using a weapon, just fire blasts. It was clearly the Fire Dust weaved into her dress, but why was her eye glowing too?
With a gesture from the woman, the ground beneath them began to glow white hot. "Ah, hell!" Qrow yelled. He grabbed Ruby by the collar and bodily threw her out of the way, with no pretense of preserving her dignity, "Glynda, move!"
"Damn it!" Glynda said. She backpedaled out of the areas that Cinder had lit up, only for them to explode. She grimaced as she waved her riding crop to focus her Semblance, as it meant she would have to release the airship. As the molten concrete was deflected, the airship carrying Roman Torchwick and the mysterious woman rocketed away.
Qrow turned to Ruby, all business, "Ruby, did they notice your eyes?"
Ruby shrugged, "Does that matter, everyone around here knows that I-"
"Ruby, please." Qrow pleaded.
Ruby blinked, why was it so important? "Yeah, Roman mentioned it, why?"
"Shit." Qrow moved over to Glynda and began to talk quickly in hushed tones. Ruby couldn't make out much of their conversation, but she could definitely tell they were talking about her. Eventually their little impromptu meeting ended.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked.
Qrow sighed, "That's a long story, Ruby. The short of it is that we think that Roman Torchwick is working for forces that want to destabilize the Kingdoms and take over Remnant for themselves. Possibly by starting another Great War. We don't know specifics yet. The point is... we're going to need you to help us stop them."
"Me?" Ruby asked, "Is this about my eyes?"
"We believe that the power that currently lays dormant within you will be instrumental in the coming conflicts with these forces, yes." Glynda said.
Oh yes. The mythical ability that she allegedly could use to vaporize Grimm with a look. The mythical ability that she had no idea how to even awaken, much less do anything with. "How am I supposed to do that?" Ruby asked.
Qrow winced, he knew this first bit was going to be a hard sell, but the second bit should be able to make it work. "Two things, Ruby. One you're gonna love, and one you're gonna hate. The first is-"
"The Church, right?" Ruby said with distaste, "I have to make nice with them?"
"Sorry." Qrow said, "But they're just about the only game in town when it comes to info about how your powers are supposed to work, and no, you cannot bring Yang with you."
Ruby giggled, the last time that she had an encounter with the Church of the Silver Angel, Yang had taken issue with how uncomfortable they had been making her. "Yeah, that's fair. What's the other thing?"
Qrow said nothing, instead gesturing to a descending airship with Beacon Academy's logo of twin axes and a laurel wreath on the sides. It came to hover near the edge of the roof they were standing on before its hatch opened and revealed a man with white hair, dressed in green, and holding a cane. A man that anyone wanting to become a student at Beacon Academy would recognize in a heartbeat.
The headmaster of Beacon, Professor Ozpin.
He chuckled, "Needed your niece's help, Qrow?" Qrow could only offer a shrug in return. Ozpin turned to Ruby, "Well, Miss Rose, I have an offer for you."
"What is it?"
"Start at Beacon this year. Two years early."
Ruby whirled around to face Qrow, "Is he for real?"
"I am indeed, for real, Miss Rose."
Ruby faltered for a moment. "Hold on. Am I only getting in early because of my eyes?"
Ozpin knelt down so he could look her in the eyes. "Not at all. You have been given the opportunity to come to Beacon early because of the simple fact that you just fought one of the most dangerous criminals in Vale -and his men, no less- and came out unharmed."
Ruby grinned. "Alright, then. Sign me up!"
A/N: It's Rewind Time.
So, this fic is going to be my RWBY Rewrite. I've got some good stuff planned. At least I think it's good.
So, Raven is... Raven. But she does care, in her own twisted way. She thinks she's protecting her friends and family by leaving, but does her absence drive Summer to try to end things on her own, leading to her death?
With Ren and Nora's scene here, I reveal the first big bit of worldbuilding I'm adding in. A proper Huntsman Guild. There were hints of this in V5 with Qrow looking at those mission boards, but it was never touched again.
The Huntsman who found Ren and Nora is based on Olberic from Octopath Traveler.
In canon, the White Fang arc suffers from making the White Fang all into terrorists. By keeping Adam's extremism isolated to a single faction, not only do we get the "villain" White Fang we get in canon, but we also get Sienna actually doing more than existing just for Adam to kill her.
Since Sienna and Kali are sisters, Blake is going to be dark-skinned. Also, keep in mind that Blake will not be hiding her ears and will still be a card carrying member of Sienna's faction of the White Fang.
Pyrrha's fighting style is based on Pankration, which is the martial art that the Spartans (ancient Greek, not Halo) were taught. It translates to "All Force" in English, which I think is pretty accurate.
Now, let's talk about how I'll be treating Aura. It must be consciously activated. While it does protect against damage, if a target is attacked with enough force then some damage will leak through. There's only so far you can bend an arm without it breaking.
Some changes to Jaune. He's no longer going without knowing anything, because I don't need him to be an audience surrogate. Mr. Arc's Aura Unlock chant basically boils down to "Get good, son."
Now, Weiss. Here, I'm exploring the following question: We know that Ruby is hyper specialized for killing Grimm. What if other characters hyper specialized? Here, Weiss has hyper specialized in Semblance and Dust casting, leaving Aura Defense weaker.
Here's the other big world building thing. We never really see religions in RWBY. To me, it makes perfect sense for there to be a religion based around the deification of Silver-Eyed Warriors. As a result, SEWs are public knowledge.
I'm also planning some new Silver Eye powers. I won't spoil much, but I'll say this. Every SEW has a few baseline powers, and each SEW has a unique power.
Ships will be tagged as the story progresses.
Until the next chapter.