What the hell is happening in Volume 9? I like it, it's good, but damn if it isn't weird. But I've got high hopes for this one because of the small scale. We've already seen some good opportunities for character development for the main cast since we don't have to worry about what side characters are up to. Really enjoyable.
Also apparently episode 6 is supposed to be crazy. Yang's VA said to either watch it immediately or stay off of social media so you don't get spoiled, which probably means either crazy lore drop or Bumbleby. Either sounds great, though I still hold out hope for WhiteRose becoming canon. Anyways, enough rambling. Here's the newest chapter of Silver Spectre. Enjoy.
Leonardo Lionheart tapped his fingers nervously against his throne, leaning back against the comfortable velvet cushion with a nervous sigh. His nerves kept him from being able to relax, however, and he found his eyes roaming around the throne room of Haven Palace.
Like most of the ornate stronghold perched atop the peaks of two mountains, the room was warmly lit by lanterns and lavishly decorated with all manner of paintings and banners. Above the throne was a painting of an ancient goddess of wisdom once worshipped in Mistral, Jinn.
Lionheart hardly considered himself a pious man. He wasn't a follower of the Two Brothers, the most ancient and widely worshipped religion of the modern age. Nor did he find himself agreeing with the Western Mistralian concept of nature spirits and the idea that everything around them was part of some greater whole. He was a pragmatic man, more focused on what he could do rather than leaving things to the whims of gods who may not even exist.
Still, he found himself uttering a silent prayer to the goddess of wisdom depicted on a banner above him. Worship of the four great gifts stemmed from the worship of the Two Brothers, but believers professed that their gods, while lesser to the Brothers, were much more kind and involved with mortal affairs.
Perhaps that was why the lion faunus meekly lowered his head and muttered "Jinn, guide me. Show me what I might do to be free of this burden," as the large doors to the throne room swung open. Raising his head and steeling his gaze, Lionheart appraised his visitors with the eyes of a mighty warrior, not a meek king.
The first to enter the great hall were four soldiers, all of whom possessed some noticeable animal features revealing themselves as faunus. They wore light armor over thick robes and each possessed a white mask with red markings, meant to mimic the Grimm, though each mask was noticeably different from the others.
The next to enter was two faunus with fox-like features, ears and a tail respectively, and crimson robes draped over them. Their hands were clasped as if in prayer, but King Lionheart had read enough reports about Fennec and Corsac Albain to know they were proficient mages who could cast with minimal hand movement.
Following them was a figure that made even a hardened veteran like Lionheart cower slightly. He wore a black robe and a white mask like his comrades, but with thin slits for vision and only covering his eyes rather than his entire face. His hair, crimson with streaks of black, was parted slightly to allow two black horns to peek through.
Adam Taurus, High General of the White Fang. The former commander of the Vaccuo and current commander of the Vale branch of the organization. And, if the reports were to be believed, a fearsome warrior with a penchant for bloodshed and a merciless disposition.
But what bothered Leonardo the most was the sword he carried loosely in his hands. Sheathed as it was, the warrior could sense the wrongness about it even from where he sat. He wasn't the only one who did. A few of his guards positioned around the throne room looked panicked. Cinder, who stood beside him as his 'advisor' even seemed slightly bothered by it.
Honestly, what kind of madman knowingly creates a cursed weapon despite the risks?
Lionheart's musings were interrupted when the final figure came through, her stature much less impressive but her bearing much more regal than the arrogance of the General and the conniving gazes of the Albain brothers.
Wearing white pants and a black corset, she left her arms bare to display the stripes along her arms with pride. A blood-red cape was draped around her shoulders, tailing behind her and held in place by a ruby broach. Around her right arm was wrapped a glittering silver chain with a blade on the end, a display of caution and respect.
Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang.
"Thank you for coming. There is much to talk about," Lionheart began at a silent urging from Cinder, but Sienna simply quirked a brow.
"Is there? I have simply been told that you wished to speak with me. We have made it clear in the past that we shall never agree. You see me as a violent revolutionary, and I see you as a spineless coward. What more is there to say?"
Her words struck more true than she knew. Lionheart truly was a coward, but it was cowardice that was motivating him. Her four guards seemed to share their leader's sentiment, but the chiding grins of the Albain brothers and the cocky smirk of Adam Taurus gave her pause.
"While we may have disagreed in the past, believe me when I say that we now have an opportunity to put that behind us."
"This may surprise you, your majesty, but I don't particularly care what you have to say. I am here as a courtesy, and because I needed to investigate reports that the High General and his subordinates had been involved in diplomacy talks without my knowledge or authorization."
"High Leader, you must believe us when we say that this is an incredible opportunity for the White Fang," Corsac Albain spoke, but Sienna Khan held up a hand to stop him.
"I will judge this farce with my own mind. I will not have you dictate what is and isn't a good plan to me, Albain."
Cinder stepped forward. "Oh dear, there's no need for any infighting. After all, we all benefit from this talk going well," She spoke in a honeyed tone, her words easing the tension of Lionheart's, or rather, Cinder's guards in the throne room.
The tiger faunus stepped forward with a condescending glare. "Silence, human. I came to negotiate with a faunus. I care little what you have to say."
Lionheart took no small pleasure in the sight of Cinder forced to deal with the humiliation of being told off without the authority to punish the one who did so. She needed the Fang for something, after all.
"Sienna. Please. Everything I have done has been for the cause," Adam Taurus spoke softly, turning to face his leader. She turned towards him with a sharp glare.
"Oh, truly? And going behind my back, recruiting from across our various branches for some strange cause in Mistral, creating division in the Fang, and undermining my authority has all been for our cause? I'm afraid I don't see it, Adam. Please, enlighten me."
He smiled softly, a sight that looked strange to Leonardo. "Look at who we're talking to," He gestured around the hall with an arm. "This isn't the kind of deal we can take lightly. When Cinder Fall approached me on behalf of King Lionheart a year ago, it wasn't something we could just ignore."
"And why, I ask again, did you not bring this knowledge straight to me?" Sienna asked impatiently.
Cinder stepped in to explain. "Just as my liege did not feel comfortable speaking directly to you, Adam did not wish to put you in harm's way during these negotiations, at least until we had ironed out the details and reached enough of a middle ground to meet like this."
Sienna shot her a glare before turning again to Adam. "While that level of concern is commendable, the time for such protection has long passed. Yet you continued to hide the knowledge of these meetings from me. Why?"
Adam somehow managed to look both threatening and ashamed, lowering his head and rubbing the back of his neck. "The answer to that question is twofold. The first was a valid concern, while the second is... a bit embarrassing."
Sienne quirked an eyebrow and gestured for him to explain. "I... wanted to impress you. To show that I could be dependable, even after the recent losses we've suffered. That you could count on me to handle things on my end, and prove that I could go above and beyond."
Lionheart knew from years of court life that the words that left Adam's lips were a lie as soon as he heard them. But, to his growing confusion, he saw a spark of sympathy appear in Sienna's feline eyes. How had she not spotted the obvious lie? Was she a fool?
"I see. And the second reason?"
Adam gulped nervously, casting a glance at her four guards as he did so dramatically. Turning to Sienna, he spoke loudly enough to be heard through the entire hall. "I believe there are some elements in the White Fang that are plotting against you and I, Sienna."
Her eyes went wide, and her guards' body language revealed their shock. "Have you found any evidence for this?"
Fennec Albain stepped forwards. "Nothing conclusive, ma'am, but enough to cast suspicion on certain... well-respected figures in our community."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who?"
"We can't say thanks to our present company, but we do have some ideas," Corsac explained.
"Sienna, please. You have to trust me. I... I can't lose you too." Adam spoke softly, faux-tenderness dripping from his voice. Yet Sienna Khan seemed to believe him if the softening of her glare was anything to go by. Lionheart felt conflicted.
"Adam, I know that you and I are friends, but there is a chain of command for a reason. You can't just act behind my back and get away with it."
Adam slowly raised his hand and removed his white mask, though his face was turned away so Leo could not see. Gently, he spoke to his leader.
"Please Sienna, just hear them out."
Sienna Khan seemed to hesitate about her decision for a moment, her eyes flicking from Adam to the Albain brothers, then to Cinder, then Leonardo himself, then finally settling back on Adam.
"Very well. But I make no promises."
Lionheart felt his heart sink slightly as he saw the victorious smirk crawl up Cinder's face. To his shock, he saw a figure standing in the corner of the throne room that he hadn't before. Cinder's subordinate, Emerald, with her hand outstretched towards Sienna Khan. Had she... done something?
"Lionheart, if you would explain our plan," Cinder prompted, interrupting his train of thought. When he glanced back, Emerald was gone, and with nowhere for her to have hidden, it just didn't make sense. Maybe... he was just seeing things.
"R-right, er, yes! Our plan!" He began, nervously tapping his fingers against his throne. "Y-you see, I wanted to work together against a common enemy of ours."
Sienna tilted her head in confusion. "A common enemy? Who?"
Cinder stepped forwards with a confident smile and answered.
"Atlas."
The Oniyuri Rebellion marched forwards with spirits high after their recent victory. With their wounded sent back to the main camp, their numbers had slightly diminished, but a swell of recruits from the same main camp had more than made up for the loss. Each day saw more and more recruits come seeking a place in the rebellion, and at least half of them to see if the rumors about Weiss were true.
The ex-heiress in question curled her lips in displeasure but otherwise kept her face impassive. Unlike in Atlas, where she was paraded around like a trophy to be won, here there was a reason for the display. More recruits meant greater odds of success, and she needed the Rebellion to succeed enough to get a foothold in Mistral and grant her access to the Haven Vault.
She sat atop Snowpea, talking to Nora and Ren, who shared the saddle of a large workhorse. Although, Ren wasn't doing much talking. Neither was Weiss. Mostly it was just Nora rambling with the occasional interjection from Weiss.
"So there we were, surrounded by Ursa! Dozens of them!"
"Don't Ursa travel in relatively small packs?"
"And their leader was a giant Beringel!"
"That... doesn't seem normal. Are you sure?"
"Uh-huh. Anyways, that's when the Nevermores dropped in. Only, they were carrying Beowolves in their talons!"
"That's... not possible. Grimm don't-"
"Were you there?" Nora asked, leaning towards Weiss to stare at her angrily, almost far enough that she fell off the saddle. "No? Didn't think so. My story, my rules!"
Weiss facepalmed. "Nora, you said this all happened when you were ten!"
Nora raised a brow. "Yeah, so?"
"How on Remnant would two ten-year-olds survive that?"
Nora smiled. "We had to fight our way out! Only, Ren had to use a broken spoon as a weapon, while I had a really big stick!"
"Why would Ren use a spoo- you know what, never mind. Everything else has made perfect sense, so clearly that works too."
Nora nodded sagely. "Now you're getting it!"
Ren chuckled softly. "Nora, calm down. You're going to break her."
The black-haired man's words were true. Weiss's mind was racing in confusion, her face flushed as she tried to wrap her head around the absurd tale Nora weaved, utterly confused about where the pancakes Nora had mentioned came into play. Had they been making the pancakes when they were attacked, or did they make them after? So many questions.
Foremost among them was why she was bothering to think about anything Nora said for more than a second. With a groan, she shook her confusion off and glared at Nora, who just laughed and leaned over, touching her cheek and going "Boop!"
Weiss recoiled as if struck, her face instinctively scrunched up. Nora and Ren laughed, with Nora's nearly throwing her off their horse. Behind them, a few of the soldiers also left at Weiss's expense.
"Don't pay the Lieutenant any mind, milady," One of them spoke up, one of Ren's squad if she recalled correctly. She vaguely recalled his face from Kuroyuri.
"Y-yeah, she's just messing with you." A newer recruit spoke up.
Weiss glanced at Nora, who whistled nonchalantly and looked about as subtle as a bolt of lightning in the dark of night.
"I don't know which is worse. The idea that she's naturally like this, or that she willingly acts like this." She deadpanned to Ren. Nora looked struck for all of three seconds before her fake-offended glare caused Weiss's facade to break and she let out a snort.
"Hah! I did it! I made her laugh! I told you I could do it Renny!"
"You did, and somehow I doubted you."
Weiss couldn't help herself. As soon as her snort slipped out, she let out a laugh that spiraled into a laughing fit. She could only take so much of Nora's absurdity before it got to her. She wasn't the only one, too. The nearby soldiers, Ren, and even Ruby were all laughing at her antics.
As her laughing calmed down, Weiss felt her face relax into a much more natural position, not quite as impassive as the one she held before. She rode along until one of the soldiers walking near her caught her attention.
Amber, one of the mages she had been training, was walking next to an older recruit who was limping slightly, supporting him up with her arm. Beside her was Bartleby, the older mage who had helped her during the battle at Shion.
Shifting her horse to ride closer to them, she got their attention. "Excuse me, is everything alright over here?"
The three turned to look at her, with Amber clearly excited, Bartleby startled, and the unnamed man looking frightened.
"Er, n-no, your excellency. I'm fine."
She raised a brow. "You aren't, given your limp. Again, are you alright?"
He nervously waved his hands to dismiss her fears. " I'm fine. Just old is all. That battle took it out of me."
Weiss nodded sagely before sliding off of Snowpea's saddle. The three gaped at her while Ren and Nora watched curiously. Turning to her horse, Wess patted its head before guiding it over to the man.
"Here. Hop on."
Everyone within earshot did a double take. Ren's eyes went wide, Nora's jaw dropped, and Ruby... didn't seem all that shocked from what Weiss could see. It made sense after all. Giving up her horse like this was such a Ruby thing to do. That's probably why Weiss felt the need to do it.
"Er, are you sure? I don't want to impose-"
"You're fine. I sat out of that battle. It's only fair for me to walk and let you rest."
Everyone who heard that knew it was a blatant lie. Because at the end of the day, none of them were as valuable to the Rebellion as Weiss was. She brought legitimacy, interest, and a chance at victory to the Rebellion, much more than any meager recruit could.
More than a few recruits shed a tear as they saw her help the man up onto the horse, to Weiss's confusion. Was this such a strange thing to do? Nora and Ren had quickly hopped off their horses and followed suit, so it wasn't that strange.
As she continued to march on and tried her best to ignore the whispers, Amber stepped in line next to her and whispered to her.
"That was incredible, my lady. Like something out of a storybook!" She gushed, her tan skin darkening in a blush for some reason. Perhaps it was because she was tired? Should Weiss have offered Amber her horse as well?
"It's only natural," she responded, watching as Amber's expression grew even more starstruck. "Great. She's going to be even more excited for our magic lessons. Honestly, she'd be a much better student if she learned to calm down." She mused to herself.
"Hah! Only natural? Lass, I've seen more then my fair share of marches with this army. And I've never had the chance to march shoulder to shoulder with a distungished guest like you," Bartleby chuckled.
Weiss didn't have a response. The man was limping and was dragging down two soldiers by needing to be supported. The Rebellion couldn't simply leave him behind without hurting their reputation, and couldn't slow down to suit his needs. Her solution lightened the load on everyone but herself, and she was more then capable of marching until they broke camp.
Honestly, everyone was acting strangely about it. Why was Nora starring at her like that? It somewhat creeped her out. Still, she couldn't deny that the happy smile Ruby sent her made it all worth it.
They continued marching for a few more hours before it became time to set up camp for the night in a large clearing. As tents went up and defensive stakes were driven into the ground to ward off Grimm, Weiss found an area of flat ground and began to perform a series of drills with her rapier.
They were currently pursuing the remnants of the army they had bested in battle just a few days prior before they could reconvene with the main Mistralian forces in the capital, though strangely their target heading southeast rather than heading straight back. As such, Weiss knew she had to prepare for the coming battle.
An added bonus to her training was that it took her mind off of Ruby, whose saddened expression and piercing gaze had been stuck in her mind since the recent battle. She performed her drills until her breathing was ragged and sweat clung to her form, taking a break only to suddenly notice that she had an audience.
"General Nikos! I apologize, I hadn't noticed you," She rushed out, bowing slightly as she finally spotted the bronze-armored woman, who held out a hand placatingly.
"There's no need to apologize, Lady Schnee. I did not mind the wait." She gave Weiss a reassuring smile.
"Still, my drills could have waited. Is there something you needed to speak to me about?"
Pyrrha smiled at her. "Indeed. I wanted to speak to you about a rumor that's begun going around about you."
Weiss immediately was on guard, and though she tried her best she knew that Pyrrha picked up on it. "Rumor? What rumor?"
"Is it true that you gave up your horse to allow an injured man to ease his burden during today's march?" She asked curiously. Weiss nodded.
"Indeed. He was tired from the long march and recent battle, and as I both had the means to help and was not involved in the fight, I was willing to make a small sacrifice." Pyrrha smiled widely at her words.
"I see. And given your frank reaction, I assume you did this genuinely and not simply to further your image."
Weiss shrugged. "The thought crossed my mind, but I believed it was such a trivial action it didn't warrant consideration. I simply did as Ru- that is, I did what was most prudent." Weiss silently cursed herself for almost slipping up and mentioning Ruby. Ren already knew her secrets and that was stressful enough.
Pyrrha mercifully either didn't notice or ignored her slip. "I see. In your mind you were simply being pragmatic," She said with an amused twinkle in her emerald eyes.
Weiss tilted her head. "Did I do something wrong?"
"Quite the opposite. The rumor has already spread across the entire camp, with embellishments being added with each retelling."
The white-haired girl frowned at that. "Why? While it could be seen as a kindness to that man, I hardly see why it's so worth talking about?"
"It didn't matter to you," Pyrrha explained. "But to them it was incredible. Tell me, Weiss, when you grew up at the Schnee estate, did you ever eat with the common servants? Or speak to the commoners of Mantle kindly?"
Weiss shook her head, slightly shamefully. "No. I hardly interacted with the common staff, usually only stepping in the settle disputes. I did often speak to the head servant."
Pyrrha nodded. "I was much the same, growing up in Argus. Sure, my family to the citizens, but I hardly interacted with them outside of public speeches. It's the same with General Daichi, I believe."
"What's your point?" Weiss asked somewhat impatiently, thrusting Myrternaster into the ground and resting her weight on it.
"To them, there is a wall between us and them. We are their generals. We guide them in battle, fight alongside them, and are willing to lay down our lives with them. But we have the entire rebellion to worry about. We can't afford to aid every single soldier who needs help, especially when there are more pressing needs to worry about."
"And by helping that soldier, I showed that I'm different?"
"Yes. You shattered that wall when you helped that man, though you've already done much to bridge that gap with you training our mages and saving us in Shion. They see us as untouchable generals, but you as a storybook hero."
Weiss frowned. "Is that how it appears to you?"
Pyrrha shook her head. "No. To me, you are simply doing what you believe is pragmatic. Everything is in service of your goal of getting into Haven's vaults, albeit in small ways."
The Atlesian nodded. "Yes, that's right. It's all for that goal." But despite her words, Weiss couldn't help but feel that it wasn't right, that there was something she was missing. Unbidden, Ruby's words from the battlefield returned to her.
I'm not asking about your goals, I'm asking why you want to achieve them.
She still didn't know. What was driving her forward so desperately? Of course she wanted to help Ruby. She was, for a time, the only bright spot in her life. And most of Weiss's current happiness could be traced back to the ghostly girl. It was because of her that she became friends with Yang and Jaune, and through Yang that she met Blake. Everything traced back to Ruby.
But why did she care so much? Why was she willing to give up her own life and take countless others to help one girl? Why did she have to pick this route and not settle for something else? There were other copies to be found.
"But that will take too long. I only have my lifetime to save Ruby, and I haven't even begun to translate the book. I need to do this."
Weiss didn't know why she was so desperate to find an answer to that question. For a brief moment, she felt a flash of irritation at Pyrrha. She had been the one who first asked it, after all. But she quickly smothered that emotion. She needed to clear her head.
Pyrrha smiled gently at her, turning away. "I apologize for bothering you. I simply wanted to give you my thanks for going above and beyond to aid our cause, even if you never meant it that wa-"
"General Nikos, might I ask a request?"
The red-haired woman turned around slightly shocked. Eventually, she responded.
"Sure, what is it?"
Weiss drew her rapier from the ground and pointed it at the other woman.
"Would you do me the honor of having a duel?"
Some new faces this chapter. Although most of them were wearing masks so do they count as new faces? Still, Sienna and Adam show up and are ready to start working with Cinder. Bad news for the Oniyuri Rebellion, that's the last thing they needed.
Adam is... a character. Lots of people have different takes on how he should be written in fanfics. Personally, I'm just sticking to what canon RWBY showed us; he's an egomaniac who manipulates others and cares more about himself then the White Fang or Blake. He tosses the former aside the instant they turn on him and the latter he relentlessly hunts for the crime of "abandoning" him. Creep.
For this fic I've decided to play up his emotional manipulation skills a bit. Him and Sienna are meant to be close friends here on account of being comrades, and since he hasn't done something stupid like blow up Beacon here, she's not quite as done with him. Here, she's just a bit annoyed. Easy solution is to gaslight her into thinking he did it all for her, with a bit of Emerald's illusions to help seal the deal.
Weiss being so thoughtlessly thoughtful that she doesn't recognize that the army is starting to become even more interested in her is funny. Fits with how oblivious she is about emotional things (like her crush on Ruby that would be obvious to anyone on the outside were it not for the fact that there is no one who can actually see from the outside.)
Speaking of Whiterose shipping, some meaningful progress will actually happen in the next chapter. I just needed to set up the situation with this one. I'm excited. It's only taken... like 200k+ words to get this far. Damn. This got long. Anyways, see you all soon. Volume 9 has gotten me to write way more, so expect the new chapter within a week or two. Have a great day, and feel free to leave a review.