Previously on The 'Lone' Hero of Vale
(Here goes nothing.)
"Link! Thank goodness!" Velvet smiles and sprints towards him
Sadly for her, the same energy is not reciprocated by Link, who stops himself about ten feet away. Regardless of his mask covering most of his face, the intense frown is visible to the rabbit faunus
"No. Just... no."
"L-link?" Velvet's eyes welled up with tears as she could sense the coldness and negatively. "W-What's wrong?"
"Why no? You were flawless." Ren blinks in confusion
"Yeah what gives?" Sun asks
"..."
The more Link hears their voices and how casual they sound, considering how little they interacted with him before… The angrier he gets
"We're speakinnnng to youuuu! Or did that attack affect your hearing?" Nora giggles
"You did it man! Smile!" Neptune says cheerfully
"Hey come on, lighten up kid. You did great." Coco gently speaks, with a weak smile forming
"I said… NO!" Link, without any hesitation, draws his sword and shield on his friends and stares everyone down
Continuing: Beacon Academy, The Courtyard
Tensions are high with the inevitable confrontation taking place at one of the worst times, during the middle of Beacon Academy's assault. But now that almost everyone is united, there could not possibly be another time to discuss what has happened recently. Outsiders such as team ABRN and half of team FNKI listen but keep their distance with the mindset that Link is dangerous at the moment
"Link!" Weiss shouts whilst attempting to walk towards him but almost falls down in the process
She then looks at the people around her who look worried, confused or a mixture of both emotions
"Y-You guys." Weiss loudly pants, struggling to catch her breath. "S-Stop talking to him! Please-!"
"Don't move Weiss! You're almost completely done for today." Coco stands protective in front of her
The minigun of the team CFVY leader is back in its handbag state, but her hand is very much hovering over the bag. She does her best to look confident but deep down, she's scared and hesitant to potentially fight her friend
"Yeah Weiss." Link mumbles, deciding he wants to speak in quick and short sentences. "Do not get involved."
"What's up with you man?" Sun attempts to walk towards Link but Scarlet and Sage both hold back their leader by each grabbing onto his shoulders
"Don't…" Scarlet covers his mouth as he whispers
"Please speak to us." Ren speaks softly. "That way we can resolve any issue and return to protecting the school."
"..." Link does not respond but shakes his head instead
"I do not understand." Velvet reaches out towards him. "What's the matter-"
"There's not much to understand anymore. I know where you all stand and how you see me."
Link holds his firm stance with his weapons still drawn, eyeing everyone standing in front of him. He makes sure to not pay any attention to teams ABRN's and FNKI, instead focusing on his friends
"I have so much to say, and yet when I look at you… All I want to do is stare, judge, and say nothing at the same time."
"Listen." Coco begins. "This isn't the time, Link. We need everyone's help to save Beacon from this attack so we can talk later and settle-!"
"Well then…" Link growls. "When is the time? More like when was the time? I will tell you when. It was when this was preventable… If only you heard me out."
"What is he talking about?" Sun glances at the team CFVY leader. "Coco, what did you screw up?"
"Don't sound high and mighty, because where were you, Sun?" Link turns his attention away from Coco. "And this applies to everyone who did not even come to see me after my match with Jaune and Pyrrha. Where were you all? I had plenty to say, but only a few people actually listened to me and believed me, the rest of you who listened to me kicked me to the ground when I was already down. And the rest of you? You did not even give me a chance to speak."
"Hmph!" Nora frowns, "There wasn't anything to listen to after the way you attacked our teammates. Especially when you KNEW Jaune was out of the match and you still chose to strike, I know you held back on your attack but it was still incredibly dangerous." She shudders. "And for someone who willingly lets that 'thing' inside of you come out whenever it benefits you… It just seems like something you would do to ensure you got the win at all costs."
"Nora makes a good point." Ren breathes heavily but manages to look at Link eye to eye, "There was no talking your way out of what you did. Luckily, in part with your efforts to not put all your strength into that attack, Jaune and Pyrrha recovered well and are fine now. But it still does not change what you did, something Nora did not mention was-!"
"Right." Link cuts Ren off and closes his eyes whilst shaking his head, "Do you guys not see what's going on around us? Vale and Beacon are being destroyed right now. Sure, I am not perfect and I could have not executed that final attack at all, but I KNOW what I was looking at. For my 'friends' to not even give me a chance to explain myself is a massive insult. I know Ruby, Yang or Coco told you guys what I had to say, and judging by the fact that I was isolated and kicked to the curb by my own friends…" He shrugs. "That means none of you believed me?"
"Y-Yes." Ren hesitantly nods. "What I was going to say was for someone who wants our full trust, you should have really considered that when you told us about your past but chose to omit details. Specifically, the names of the bad people who tried everything in their power to hurt you, Link. You cannot leave out important details and then bring them up later on in order to save your reputation."
"That's right." Neptune frowns. "We were there when you told us everything you remembered about your past, but I guess it wasn't really everything since you left out important details we needed to be made aware of."
"You are all i-idiots!" Link stutters when blurting out the insult, but carries on regardless. "I did not know for certain what they were plotting, but do you see all of this?"
Before anyone can utter another word or even react to his words, Link rapidly spins and slashes an incoming Creep! His blade cleanly slices the monster in half, but rather than turn around, he decides to continue addressing his friends with his back turned to them
"This is because of Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. Three people who I tried to warn you all about. I don't know if they are THE culprits, but they are pulling the strings right now. Any of you who interacted with Emerald or Mercury and trusted them should all be ashamed of yourselves. Especially..."
Link looks to the ground and loudly sighs , almost unsure of what exactly to say next until he looks over his shoulder and looks back at everyone
"There is no especially, to be honest with you, just… You've all seriously let me down. You took my love, trust, loyalty, and respect, then absolutely spit, stomped and carelessly tossed it aside as if it was all meaningless. Everything that happens to Beacon, Vale and all of Remnant because of this attack, just remember that we could have made a change."
"And what could we have done?" Coco frowns. "Even if we believed you then what? We're still only students, how do we prevent all of this?"
"Chances are we would not have been able to, Coco." Link shakes his head, "But here is what we could have done. For starters, knowing you're all on my side would have been amazing and not driven me insane wondering what all the silence meant. More importantly and really think about this, with the right numbers or more than enough students speaking up, we could have gotten through to Professor Ozpin or Glynda or hell even Ironwood with his army of men and toasters." He sighs again. "We could have made the main protectors of Beacon more aware of what was going to potentially happen when those three, alongside their additional cronies, are inside of our school pretending to be students."
Link walks closer to his friends, whilst they in the process attempt to back away from him. Nevertheless, he gets in Coco's face and looks at her with a stare so intense, it can burn through her shades
"You should have listened to me. I hate all of you, except Weiss. And I really want my words to register in your heads."
Despite Coco's attempts to stand in front of Weiss protectively, Link pushes past her with ease and presses his left hand on Weiss' shoulder
"Hey!" Neptune charges towards Link. "Get away from her!"
"STOP!" Link's head snaps directly at Neptune
However, before any more can happen, it is Velvet who slides in front of Neptune with her arms extended and head lowered, completely blocking him from getting around her
"But-!"
"Let him." Velvet raises her head and tears are flowing down her cheeks
Velvet, along with everyone who was just berated by Link, faces him as he kneels all the way down to the same eye level as Weiss who is slumped over. Slowly and methodically Link closes his eyes whilst keeping his left hand on her shoulder. Seconds later, his shield, sword, bow, parts of his attire and eyes glow with a vibrant golden color. Weiss gradually does not feel the need to slump, pant, and struggle to stay up as she rises up and rapidly shakes her head
"W-Whoa." Weiss sighs in relief. "Thank you."
"No problem." Link nods and stands as well. "Although, I did not do too much anyway."
"Thanks!" Coco sarcastically grunts
The one person team rolls his eyes, paying no mind to Coco, who begins to breath heavily, but she is not fatigued to the point of slumping over and struggling to find her footing
"Sure whatever."
Link returns the sarcasm but gives Weiss a genuine pat on the back before beginning to walk away from them all and towards the west side of the school, his eyes set on getting rid of the rest of the Grimm at Beacon
"Link!" Velvet sprints after him, quickly catches up, and grabs his arm
(Here we go…)
"Please say something to me at least!" She emphasizes herself and gently tries to reach down for his hand
"Fine." Link whispers as he pulls his arm away from Velvet's grasp, "Thank you for an amazing year at Beacon. I want these words to register in your head as well. You are an amazing friend Velvet but you did a very bad thing. I tried to give you and everybody else everything." He sighs. "Yes, it was not everything, but it was enough to trust someone and believe in them. I gave you my word, trust and full support… What did I get in return?"
"I..."
"Exactly, it was all for nothing. I am sure I sound very harsh right now and maybe I will regret everything, but it cannot be helped. I was and am still very hurt by all of you, because I truly believe this all could have been prevented had we stepped up and intervened ourselves." Link walks forward a few steps before looking back at the rabbit faunus, with the decency to look at her with his eyes. "Right now, all we can do is come together and stop the invasion of Vale and Beacon Academy, it's the least we can do considering-!"
"It doesn't have to be this way!" Nora shouts, interrupting what was supposed to be a private chat. "Would you just-!"
"No." Link turns completely and stares directly into Nora's eyes, "I cannot just pretend like it never happened or let it go, it will forever be burned at the back of my head. I don't know if you understand how bad it all was. Yes I should have mentioned the names Cinder, Emerald and Mercury when describing my past but I was already giving you guys everything important in my opinion." He shakes his head. "So when they set me up and made me look like a monstrous huntsman, yes I figured I was screwed in the court of public opinion, but to get the same treatment from the people I considered friends was more than just a gut punch, it was more like you stabbed me in the heart."
Link turns away, feeling more frustrated than ever before as it does not feel like they understand his anger or even sympathize with him
"Thanks for absolutely nothing you guys. All I wanted for days ever since certain events happened to me the way they did was to simply have a chance to talk with those who I didn't get to talk with. But… It is clear now that not only was this a waste of time, but so was believing that things could be better when I came to Beacon. I called you all my friends, you all called me your friend… And yet none of us truly know what that word means."
...
...
...
Silence takes over the conversation as nobody knows what to say, the only one who even dares to open her mouth is Weiss. She wanted to speak earlier, but decides to bite her lip literally, while she bites her tongue figuratively
"Why is nobody speaking up? Are they speechless or they just not care?" Weiss wonders to herself
"Weiss!"
The shout comes from a prominent, it is that of Yang, who sprints to the entire group and stops in front of the heiress with a look of concern
"You're okay! That's amazing! Have you heard from Ruby?"
"I haven't, n-no." Weiss shakes her head
"What about Blake?" Yang raises an eyebrow. "She was with you when we called earlier."
"She went after the White Fang." Weiss points towards the school, specifically at the cafeteria
"The White Fang is here too?" Link speaks as he balls his fists
"Y-Yeah." Yang is hesitant when she looks in Link's direction. "They are the ones who brought the Grimm to the school."
"I see." He nods. (Adam is definitely leading the charge, maybe now is the time to-!)
"Wellllll." Yang uncomfortably looks away from the one person team, promptly shifting her attention back to Weiss. "You look for Ruby. I'll go find and meet up with Blake."
Yang takes off and heads in the direction where Weiss pointed
"There's a lot of work to do. I say you take all the time you need to rest before you rejoin the fight, Weiss."
Link initially smiles underneath his mask at Weiss, one of the few people he has a soft spot for. Next, he turns to the rest of the group, his smile fading instantly
"Good luck and maybe I'll see you all around in class when we get rid of the Grimm."
Link speaks to his 'friends' one more time, before taking off after an Ursa destroying the doors of the west entrance. He sprints as fast as he can, using every fiber of his being, ready and willing to give his life to protect and save Beacon! When a sudden attack from out of nowhere interrupts him!
BOOM!
A medium sized fireball slams into the Ursa that Link was seconds away from striking; with just one blast, the Grimm falls and slowly disintegrates
"Huh?" Link looks around, spotting nothing, until he looks behind him
Beyond the group of people he berated minutes ago, are Professor Oobleck and Professor Port, who aims his blunderbuss 'Blowhard' aimed at the Ursa
"That won't be necessary, Mister Link." Port gives his student a distant nod. "Please come with us."
"Weren't you and Doctor Oobleck just at the colosseum?" Nora questions as to her, it does not feel like that much time has passed since she and the rest of the group flew from Amity Colosseum to Beacon
"Yes we were." Port says firmly but with the utmost confidence
"Those Grimm stood no chance and we disposed of them rather quickly!" Oobleck gives multiple nods as he drinks the coffee in his extended weapon 'Antiquity's Roast' and eyes the students in front of him as well as the destroyed Atlesian Paladins. "You have all done a marvelous job, but now is when we as professors do our best to protect all of you! Come along and we will guide you all to the docks! Atlas military ships and Beacon ships are ready to load as many students as possible, first come first serve so we must-!"
"There is no way I am retreating." Link shrugs
Choosing to ignore Professor Oobleck, the one person team turns around to carry on. However, right as he is about to enter Beacon and continue fighting, he senses the exact same attack coming right towards him
(WHAT THE?!)
Link promptly drops down to one knee and holds his shield with both arms as the fireball collides with his shield! Ultimately though, it does no harm to him with such a strong defensive weapon and perfect blocking technique
"It was not a request." Professor Port speaks with a more serious tone, rather than one of a rambling professor and Vytal tournament announcer. "Please listen to Doctor Oobleck. There is far too much Grimm for all of us to handle united… Let alone divided."
"Professor… I am not interested in doing nothing." Link stares down the man who launched an attack. "So if you want to evacuate students who want to run, then go ahead! But I-!"
"Let's go! Now!" Professor Port does not back down and stares back with the same intensity
"We are wasting time by arguing!" Link shrugs
"Let's not do that anymore then and get to the landing docks straight away!" Oobleck steps to the side and raises his hand, gesturing toward the main entrance of Beacon
Sun leads the way, followed by the rest of his team, as does the entirety of the entirety of team ABRN, CFVY, Neon, Flynt, Nora, Ren, and lastly Weiss joins them momentarily before looking back, showing major concern that Link is not joining them
"Grrr..." Link shakes his head and does not turn around
"I suppose..." Professor Port glances at his companion and whispers. "We will have to bring him in with us by force."
"Hey!" The one man team shakes his head at both of his professors, but swiftly lowers his voice. "I heard your whispers… If you have anything to say about me, you can say it out loud."
"No!" Weiss gasps, then acts quickly and jogs towards Link, unable to run as fast as she can due to not being fully recovered
"Weiss!" Link meets her halfway to save his friend the time and energy. "What are you doing?"
"Link… Please don't do this."
Weiss immediately reaches for his arm with both of her hands, she can just about grip Link's arm properly as she still feels slightly weak
"Hey, do not overdo it." Link sighs and hooks his arm in between her arm to support the struggling heiress
"Maybe I will have to guilt trip you into walking me to the docks then." Weiss says, giving a weak smile in the process. "Please?"
"Fine, okay." Link rolls his eyes. "You win."
Emitting a quiet exhale, Link gladly helps one of the few people who has been on his side. They slowly walk back inside the school, make their way through the building, then exit the main entrance, and head to the docks at the courtyard
"For what it's worth, I think it's admirable that you want to fight so badly." Weiss nods at him. "I wish I hadn't just given everything I had so I could help more too."
"I barely did anything, that's the thing." Link mumbles, "You were all at the colosseum and saw the beginning of this attack unfold, and where was I? Asleep and luckily happened to wake up in time to not get ripped apart by an Ursa that smashed through my window. The toasters Ironwood had keeping me in my room went rogue not long after I dealt with the Ursa." He sighs. "That was a problem since they almost wiped out the human soldiers."
"And let me guess." Weiss giggles. "You saved the day?"
"Maybe."
"Of course." Weiss nods as she leans into Link, comfortably relying on him keeping her upright. " Don't kick yourself too hard. You took out a Paladin in one strike. Do you realize how impressive that was? All of us struggled to even take out one and that was largely due to Velvet taking charge and finally using what she's been keeping away for the entire year."
"Give yourself a lot of the credit too." Link nudges her head with his shoulder. "I do not know what you did exactly, but it was very impressive. That hand and sword easily overpowered the paladin."
"Thank you." She smiles. "It is something I have been working on for quite some time. My sister helped give me the push I needed. But what you did was far more impressive."
"If you say so." Link shakes his head while his lips curl into a weak smile, "Thank you. I do not want to dismiss your praise, but I feel as if there is nothing to feel good about, this all could have been prevented but now that it's too late, and we did not stay two steps ahead." His lips smack in disappointment. "The only chance we have now is to defeat all of the Grimm tearing through Beacon, and for some reason our professors are making us retreat... I feel useless."
"Well, you aren't useless, you dolt. But I understand what you are saying, I'm sorry that we didn't act sooner because you're right." Weiss sighs. "With the information you had, even if you did not know everything, it was enough to be aware of the danger looming around us. Unfortunately, we did not listen and ultimately that is our fault for not supporting you more."
"Weiss..." Link stops, therefore stopping her as well, then looks directly into the light blue eyes of the heiress, "Please don't say 'our' because none of this is your fault. I know where everyone stands now and the second you told me that you believed me, that was the start of gaining some support. Skylar pitched in for herself and her team, then it was completed by Pyrrha, which unfortunately is not much support numbers wise. But all of you who were on my side will forever have a place in my heart."
Silence looms over their conversation but not in a negative way due to a smile forming on Weiss' face as the two friends continue walking, soon picking up the pace to walk faster to the end of the courtyard
"AH Miss Schnee!" Oobleck turns in her direction and almost takes a step back in shock. "And Mister Link, you're both here. Excellent!"
"Good job, Miss Schnee." Professor Port nods at Weiss
"It really was not a lot of effort on my part. Link is my friend and I care a lot about him." Weiss mumbles. "I couldn't let him continue alone."
"Very good Miss Schnee, I know now isn't the time to say this but you have shown tremendous growth in comparison to the first time we spoke." Port nods again, "I am not sure if the Weiss from the start of the year would have even considered how much danger Mister Link would have been in. I am proud of everything you have done this year." He smiles, though it is mostly covered by his mustache. "I myself can only wish and hope that the Grimm will be cleared out as soon as possible, we can all return to the academy and that I can teach all of you again."
"I look forward to that day." Weiss smiles back
The immediate sight of Ren, Nora, Sun, Neptune, Scarlet, Sage, Coco, Velvet, Yatsuhashi and Fox immediately gives Link the urge to break free from Weiss, but she does not let him separate and softly tugs on his arm
"Now we just wait?" Link sighs angrily, knowing there is plenty to do
"Yeah I guess so." Sun answers but does not dare to look at Link in the eye
"Hey…" Link raises an eyebrow. "Where are Ruby, Jaune and Pyrrha?"
"Ruby took off, we were on a ship heading back to Beacon and I guess an idea popped in her head because she left while we were mid air." Sun shakes his head. "It was really dangerous and stupid."
"Mid air?" Link shakes his head, nearly doing a double take. "What about the other two?"
"W-We lost them..." Ren sits up, despite his exhaustion. "Some time ago when all of us were fighting Grimm. Pyrrha followed Professor Ozpin inside Beacon Tower, Jaune said he'd figure out what was going on, but we have not seen either of them since."
(They are going to do it…) Link balls up his right fist. (With how dire the situation is right now, there is no way Pyrrha backs out now, and she will become the fall maiden to save Beacon.)
"Do you know what that could mean?" Weiss looks away from Ren to focus on Link
"Yes. I am going to be fully transparent with you, but obviously I don't have the time to say everything. Do you remember that woman who saved my life? Amber. She is the fall mai-!"
A rapid breeze suddenly hits Weiss and Link as a shadow flies by them and arrives in front of Ren and Nora. It is Blake and Yang, who both now lie on the pavement. Immediately Zwei, Ruby and Yang's pet corgi, is there to greet them. However, all is not well as Blake looks horrified and struggles to hold back tears, but not because of something that happened to her; rather… something what happened to her teammate
"I need some help over here!" Blake's shouts gains immediate attention from Sun and Atlas soldiers
"YANG!" Weiss gasps
"Yang..." Link gasps when he realizes the girl's right arm is missing. "Who did this to her?"
Blake does not answer, she is in too much shock to speak the culprit's name, instead all her focus is on Yang
"Blake!" Link walks towards her, but Weiss squeezes on his arm
"D-Don't…" Her voice cracks
"Hey! Don't yell at her!" Sun is quick to confront Link
"I c-can't!" Blake sheds a tear. "I c-couldn't… Stop him."
"Him..." Link's anger builds up even more than it is already at now. "Let me go Weiss. I know who Blake is talking about."
"H-How?!" The cat faunus panics
"Call it a gut feeling." He nods. "Let me go, please."
"You can't possibly be thinking of going after the person who just did that to Yang." Weiss shakes her head. "I won't let you!"
"Adam should have been dead a long time ago. For a third time… Can you please let me go?" Link asks
"NO!" Blake cries out. "I can't have another friend get hurt today, p-please don't."
(Another f-friend? Was I wrong about you… Blake?) Link nods in approval. "Blake, I know I can defeat him. If it makes you feel better, Weiss can come with me and we-!"
"That doesn't matter! Whether you're by yourself or have backup, you can't go!" Blake extends her hand towards Link. "Please."
(Damn you're all very convincing today.) Link glances back at Yang. (You poor soul… I know we had our differences but you did not deserve this. Yang's arm, Amber is probably dead by now assuming Pyrrha took her maiden abilities, Beacon is destroyed and there is still no sign of Pyrrha, Jaune and Ruby. There has to be something I can do.)
Unfortunately for the eager student, Professors Oobleck and Port make their voices loud and clear
"Everybody on board! This is a mandatory evacuation!" Port speaks mightily as he guides students towards the bullheads
"A safe zone has been established in a heavily guarded area of the city! Please, remain calm and listen to Atlas personnel once you board the ships!" Oobleck lines up students to ensure the right and safe amount get on at once
Weiss and Link stare at the sight in front of them in complete disbelief. Out of nowhere and to everyone's surprise, Ruby sprints onto the courtyard, Zwei barks to alert anybody nearby about her arrival
"Ruby!" Weiss shouts
"Oh, thank goodness I found you!" Ruby smiles briefly at both of them, not fazed at all by Link's mask unlike everyone else. "You too Link! I was wondering where you'd be during all of this chaos."
"Yes. I got here not that long ago." Link says with a monotone voice
"Ruby!" Weiss weakly stomps her foot into the concrete floor. "Where have you been-!"
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine! What's going on? Is everyone okay?"
Weiss lowers her head and nods in the direction of Yang and Blake, unsure of what to say. Link on the other hand does not even look in their direction, wanting to avoid Yang's injury
"What is it?" Ruby asks
Crying is heard at the same time as Weiss steps aside, giving Ruby a clear view of Blake and Yang lying on the ground. Blake places her hand on Yang's and sobs, both of the team RWBY members have bandages wrapped around their wounds and the latter is unconscious
"I'm sorry Yang." Blake continues to shed more tears. "I'm so sorry!"
"Yang...?" Ruby speaks with nearly the exact same tone Link had when he saw her for the first time. The silver eyed girl then opens her mouth to say more but cannot quite find anything to say
"And there is something else too." Weiss sighs and reluctantly lets go of Link's arm
(What is she talking about?) Link wonders to himself
However, within seconds it all makes sense straight away. Weiss slowly paces towards Ruby and the two briefly walk away, far enough to where Link cannot hear them, and only then does Weiss begin speaking, Ruby does not interject a single time but only listens carefully
(I wonder exactly what she's telling Ruby.) Link frowns but almost immediately eases up. (Alright, I need to calm down. Getting angry is not justified here, because I do trust Weiss and she has no reason to lie to Ruby. Assuming she does lie, I will gladly tell Ruby what I told all of them since... She is involved in that group of people I told off minutes ago.)
Ruby looks directly at Link, with pain and sorrow in her eyes, her immediate reaction is to run towards him, not even with her signature speed but simply an urgent sprint
"Looks like Weiss really told you everything if you are in that much of a hurry."
"Link you can't seriously feel that, r-right? You-!" Ruby tries to reach for his hand
"I can feel however I want." Link backs away and raises his hand to prevent her from continuing her attempts, "And can say whatever I want, Ruby. I made my thoughts very clear. I understand and have an idea of what you want to say; but no offense, it is far too late to tell me anything." He sighs. "What happened is exactly what was always going to happen because everybody chose to turn their back on me and I need to learn to accept it."
Ruby cannot help but shed a tear, but the feeling does not last long as a fellow friend nearby approaches her
"Listen." Sun speaks with a calm tone. "Yang is going to be okay. The soldiers and I did what we could for her and Blake. Now Atlas has a ship ready to take you guys and all of us to Vale."
"There's not a chance we're leaving." Link shakes his head. "Pyrrha is still missing and Jaune is with her too… According to what Ren and Nora had to say."
"Y-Yes!" Nora tries to stand but with no luck, she frowns at Link's coldness. "They are both missing."
"Right." Link rolls his eyes. "Jaune is missing too."
"THEY ARE?" Ruby gasps
"Helloooo? Guys!" Sun cuts into the conversation. "We need to leave soon, that giant Grimm circling the school attracting even more Grimm! Even the White Fang is pulling out! We all have to go!"
(Giant Grimm?)
Link looks up into the sky and at last notices the ginormous Wyvern circling around Beacon. It is one of the biggest Grimm the student has ever seen, with large red wings, dark black skin, white bony spines along its body, including its skull and rib cage. The large Grimm's skull has large horns and six yellow eyes, and it has a large set of claws on both its legs and a sharp tail as well
(Oh no… This thing makes a Nevermore look like a pigeon, how did I not notice it before?)
"Hmmmm." Ruby uncontrollably shakes her head at Sun. "I'll find Jaune and Pyrrha, and I will make sure they come back safely."
"No." Weiss nudges Ruby's shoulder, gesturing to herself and Link. "We will find them."
"I know where they are or well, I have an idea but look over there." Link draws his weapons and points his sword at the Wyvern that now begins to focus on Beacon tower. "They have to be there. If Jaune and Pyrrha are there then someone else must be there too, maybe it's your friends Ruby."
"SHUT UP!" Ruby snaps. "Now isn't the time for sarcasm!"
"Now we want to be serious? Understood." Link chuckles. "Go your own path, I'll find Pyrrha and Jaune my way."
Link takes off without saying another word and sprints back to Beacon despite Professor Port and Ooblecks demands, along with Ruby and Weiss calling out his name, a weak effort to stop him
(I hope they are all there. Emerald, Mercury, Cinder, Adam, Torchwick, that girl with the pink and brown hair. The more I can take out, the better. I shouldn't get ahead of myself too much, as long as one can be taken out today, that will be a massive win.)
Beacon Academy: Beacon Tower
Approximately five minutes later, Link brink jogs as he catches his breath after battling more Grimm on his way towards the tower. His slower pace and calm breathing is to preserve his energy and stamina before another battle that will more than likely come his way
(Finally, I know it didn't take that long but… It did feel longer than the previous time I've made my way over here.)
RING RING! RING! RING!
The ringing is followed by vibrating as Link at last gets a call on his scroll, it is from Jaune, one of the missing students
"What the..." Link turns his head, unsure of what to do or what to think but ultimately decides to turn down the call. "If he needs to say something, it can wait. Besides, if he happens to be in danger, he's got the best huntress in training by his side."
Link approaches the entrance to the largest Beacon structure, and spots two things that catch his attention. One is a small indent in the ground, the perfect size of a rectangle and...
"Now who could this belong to?"
The confused Beacon student notices a scroll on the ground, hesitantly picks it up, opens it and almost immediately he recognizes that it belongs to Pyrrha due to all the missed calls and a voicemail from Jaune
"Somehow Jaune got out of here then, but how?" Link sighs and clicks on the voicemail
"Pyrrha! You can't fight her alone, none of us could, if that woman can take down Ozpin you don't stand a chance! PLEASE DON'T DO ANYTHING CRAZY! You're strong but don't be a hero now! I don't want you to die-!"
Link shuts the scroll before any more is said and looks towards the tower, it clicks now that Pyrrha is in there right, and she is doing battle with at least Cinder
(I need to get up there and help her now! Hopefully Pyrrha isn't too hurt when I make it up, I'm going to need her help if we are taking down Cinder.)
The long climb up the tower for Link begins as he enters the same destroyed elevator that his friend just recently manipulated with polarity. Unfortunately for Link, he does not have that ability; he must use his physical attributes and weapons at his disposal to make it up the tower. The one person team closes his eyes, deeply inhales, and as he does so, his weapons, parts of his clothes light up, also as if he activated something. Link's eyes open, revealing a golden color, he quickly exhales and with enhanced speed and endurance, explodes off his feet! He jumps in the air and aims for one of the walls in the elevator shaft! He touches it with his left hand and foot, then bounces off the wall and repeats with this motion, going side to side in a perfect zig zag pattern off every wall, progressing quickly up the shaft almost at a pace to match Ruby's speed! Regrettably and predictably, his momentum and speed begin to significantly slow down, with even Link realizing it too. Thinking quickly, he reaches for his sword on his next jump and keeps himself steady in the only way he can think of
CRUNCH!
Metal collides with metal as Link's sword penetrates the wall! The sword initially shreds through the wall as he slides down, but then eventually it stops and now he is holding himself in place long enough for him to catch his breath and think fast. Thinking fast he does as he reaches into his pouch and pulls out his hookshot, which as shown in his matches against SLVR and half of team JNPR, can also penetrate metal
"WHOA!" Link just about manages to dodge a ginormous gear flying down the elevator shaft and not even because of his own doing, but pure luck
Explosions and sounds of metal colliding is heard above his head and with that, Link's urgency picks up despite his adrenaline completely dissipating
"Hold on Pyrrha! I'm coming to help!" Link shouts, hoping somehow his voice could be heard
Despite how fast Link is scaling the humongous tower, to him it feels as if time is going by too quickly but after more stabbing, puncturing, colliding and crunching with his sword and hookshot, Link sees the top of the tower, otherwise known as Ozpin's office… Or what is left of it anyway as the entire roof has been ripped off and the office destroyed
"Come on, come on, COME ON!" Link shouts as his jumps slow down even further, unable to match the same speed and explosiveness as before
Beacon Academy: Top of Beacon Tower
Nearby, only several feet above Link, who is inching closer and closer to the top, Pyrrha collapses in agony as an arrow from Cinder's bow digs right into her ankle, likely severing her achilles tendon
"Ahhhhhh!"
"Calm now child, it will all be over soon. Although I must say, it is unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours." Cinder speaks with a sinister tone as she kneels down and lifts Pyrrha's head up by tugging on the girl's chin, staring into her eyes with an evil smile. "But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could have never-!"
The sounds of slicing, crunching and shouts from a now recognizable Link ring through the elevator shaft and cut off the ending of Cinder's sentence as his hookshot blade is now visible
"L-Link!" Pyrrha weakly smiles, her eyes shake as they want to well up with tears, but she remains strong and holds back her emotions
"...Ways you could have never imagined!" Cinder brushes off the interruption and proceeds, with her attention back on Pyrrha now
"Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha mumbles, no fear is visible in her eyes as she stares into the eyes of her opponent
"Yes." Cinder's smile disappears and a frown takes its place, annoyed at Pyrrha's composure and bravery
Cinder stands up straight and creates her bow and arrow again, from what appears to be shards of glass. She pulls back an arrow and lowers the bow to aim at her weakened opponent. Pyrrha shuts her eyes and accepts her fate. Cinder narrows her eyes even further and releases the arrow
"NO!" Link shouts as he sprints into the scene. (Pyrrha move! Damn she must really be done for if she's just accepting it!)
Meanwhile, at the same time as all of this is going down, there is an incoming Ruby. She, from the opposite side of the tower, is rapidly sprinting off Weiss' glyphs after she creates a row of glyphs going up to the top of Beacon Tower. Indeed she has found her own path and getting up the tower in a less complex way
"RAHHH!" Link gets as close as he can to Pyrrha, swings his sword and slices the arrow! (That was close!)
But the time to celebrate does not last for long as it shatters upon impact with the side of his blade, then reforms around the sword
"I'm not done yet!"
Link acts fast, takes a step back and lifts his shield to block the arrow, only for the exact same thing to happen. The arrow shatters on impact with the front of his shield, and to add insult to injury, he loses sight of the arrow while it reforms completely behind him... And strikes Pyrrha directly in the chest!
"N-No..." Link slowly turns around, hoping that the arrow somehow missed or hit her armor, but Pyrrha's gasps send chills down his spine. (I won't let you die!)
Link kneels down and reaches for the arrow lodged deep in Pyrrha's chest. It has gone all the way through and partially emerges through her back. Pyrrha's eyes are wide and entire body shakes, but Cinder's clicking heels catch his attention as she walks towards them
"GO AWAY!" Link rapidly turns around, plants his feet, with his sword and shield drawn, intending and ready to fight
Cinder on the other hand has other ideas and with a fiery glow around her eyes, alongside the same twisted smile swipes her hand through the air in the motion of a slap in Link's general direction. The slap, combined with her newly acquired maiden powers, attacks him with an arc of fire, the masked huntsman brings his shield up to block and withstand the attack, but the power is too much! He is swept off his feet and sent crashing to the ground
"How? Damn it!" Link scrambles to get back up to his feet
Ruby leaps off the last of Weiss' glyphs and lands on the rubble knees first, her eyes widened immediately when she sees the scene: Link on the ground, unable to interfere and Cinder standing over her dear friend… Menacingly. The wound in Pyrrha's chest lets out a red glow, Cinder places a hand on Pyrrha's head, and uses her maiden powers to incinerate her! The wise JNPR huntress' moving and gasping slowly come to a halt, slumps forward, then she stops making noise altogether. Pyrrha's body glows orange briefly, before she scatters away into ashes, until all that is left of her is the circlet she wears on her head, which is in Cinders hands now; she eyes Link first and then turns to Ruby before dropping it on the ground like a piece of trash
"Pyrrha..." Link's eyes widen as big as they can expand as his heart sinks
Ten seconds later, his eyes are no longer wide, with sadness consuming the blonde boy. No more facial expressions, sounds, or any other reactions come from him while he rises up to his feet. His first thought is to look at Ruby, who visibly looks like she wants to scream in horror, but he cannot hear her sobs or Cinder's triumphant laugh... He hears absolutely nothing, except for Pyrrha's shout and gasps. Without saying another word, Link walks to the spot where Pyrrha was murdered with absolutely no fear or concern regarding Cinder, he picks up her circlet and clutches it tightly in his left hand
"I suppose you two are next." Cinder aims another arrow, aims for Link's back and fires another arrow
Link's head whips around and two things are visible, the circlet is attached to his belt, right next to Ray's canteen, and the demon within him is emerging at a rapid pace never seen before
"...!" Link does not say a single word but sprints at Cinder full speed, dodging her arrow with rapid sideways jumps
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Cinder frowns and her eyes are fiery again
"PYRRHAAAAAA! NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Ruby draws all the attention to her as she levitates in the air. A bright white and powerful light envelopes her, and it spreads out to everyone in sight! The large Wyvern screeches in pain but more importantly...
"WHAT?!" Cinders eyes widen
"!" Link's body bursts with his golden energy cloak as the demon fades goes away upon seeing Ruby's body emit the white light
The only thing anybody can see now is white as it blinds and overwhelms the top of the tower. Cinder and the Wyvern scream and screech in pain separately! While Link and Ruby soon pass out from aura depletion!
…
…
…
Later on, with an unknown amount of time having passed, Qrow Branwen and General Ironwood find themselves at the top of Beacon Tower, presumably being informed by Weiss where the remaining missing people are
"It's alright, I got ya kiddo. I got ya." Qrow mumbles as he lifts up his niece from the ground, but his demeanor drops when he sees another body on the ground as well. "Who's this?"
The older huntsman walks over to the boy on the ground and if the clothes did not give it away the recognizable mask sure did
"Oh man, him too? Jimmy help me out." Qrow sighs
"Absolutely what can I d-!" Ironwood speaks with deep pain as he stands by Qrow's side
"Here take Ruby, I'll take the kid."
"What?!" Ironwood says, stunned by Link's presence. "He was here? But he was supposed to be kept in his-!"
"That doesn't matter right now... What matters is he knew more than he let on and he's important." Qrow shrugs and does not lift Link as carefully as he did Ruby
"What do we do now?" Ironwood is careful with Ruby however, using his right arm to carry most of her weight
"Right now we need to get those two out of here... And considering there's no sign of Pyrrha Nikos when her last known location was here, that can only mean she-!"
"Yeah..." Ironwood drops his head
"This is really bad, we lost the Fall maiden and there is no sign of Oz anywhere."
Both men sigh and look at one another, knowing there's not much that can be done right now other than retreat and fight another day
Days Later, Island of Patch: Xiao Long Cabin
Sometime after the Fall of Beacon, Both Ruby and Link lie unconscious in separate beds next to each other, the former completely out cold. The latter on the other hand is going through much more mental torment in the form of only hearing words from a person he only recently witnessed get taken away from him
...
"I should be the one thanking you for your trust."
"I'm happy too Link, to think you would have changed was impossible for me."
"If things had gone differently, that poor girl could have been with us."
(Huh?)
Link 'opens' his eyes but instantly senses that what he is witnessing is not real. This is backed up by his lack of feeling in the picture, as all around him is a magical world with a pink sun, orange-red sky, baby blue clouds, golden trees, farm animals roaming around and 'villagers' doing their daily work as life proceeds 'normally'
(It's so beautiful, what is this place? W-Wait!) Link gasps. (This sounds like the world Ruby described… When she almost died o-or… Did momentarily die.)
But again, he does not feel there at all. Instead, he is like a spectator, an invisible person who has no impact but can freely watch
"HEYYY!"
(What... Did I just hear what I think I heard?)
It is the voice of Ray, she is alive, well, and perfectly healthy. She giggles and runs up to a person hidden underneath shadows of the biggest golden tree visible
"Hello."
That hidden person is revealed to be Pyrrha who turns around and has a big smile on her face whilst emerging from the shadows
"Hiiiii I'm Ray. It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome, welcome!" Ray continues to giggle and extends her hand
"O-Oh! YOU are Ray? You are really pretty, Link definitely undersold you during his description." Pyrrha happily shakes her hand
"Link told you about me?! Awesomeee! B-But please, you are much prettier than me." Ray squeals happily and uses her other hand to continue the handshake. "You have such a strong grip!"
"Thank you." Pyrrha giggles
"You're welcome." Ray nods. "Tell me, how close were you to Link?"
"Initially, we were distant friends who primarily helped each other train. That swiftly changed though, and then we really got to know each other well. I could trust him with anything and everything I had on my mind; the same way he could trust me too. I appreciated him dearly and…" She stops as her voice drops down to a whisper. "I wish I could have continued being a part of his life."
"Awwwww! That's sweet! And relatable because..." Ray sighs. "Me too."
"Don't be sad." Pyrrha maintains her smile despite feeling an immense amount of sadness herself. "Why don't we get to know each other?"
"YES PLEASE!" Ray's smile returns as she grabs ahold of Pyrrha's hand and leads the way towards another big golden tree
"Where are we going?" Pyrrha asks
"Just follow my lead, you're going to help me greet another new visitor!"
Both Ray and Pyrrha run a short distance to a near identical tree that is only slightly smaller. Moments later, Amber emerges, she blinks and right as she is about to speak and question her surroundings, the three girls voices cut out and the magical world slowly disappears out of Link's sight, soon leaving him in darkness
(No... Come back please, I need to hear you all again.)
...
After what feels to be multiple hours of being unable to see nothing but darkness, Link opens his eyes and it is the crack of dawn outside. Despite his body being hurt, fatigued and the blonde boy distraught by recent events, his facial expression remains the same as after he witnessed Pyrrha's demise; a cold, deadpan look with the eyes of someone broken. Without saying a single word he gets up and immediately notices his clothes are not the same as he wears what he occasionally has on underneath his tunic: a simple black shirt and thin black pants. Link moves towards the door emotionlessly, but remains considerate and does remain quiet as Ruby is still asleep. The blonde exits out of the room they are in, silently walks downstairs, and when reaching the bottom of the staircase, at last there is a sound from Link, but ultimately it only a sigh. Unsure of his surroundings, he slowly walks down the same hallway and steps into the kitchen of a home he has never seen or been inside of before
"Ruby is that you?"
The sound of this voice is a new one to Link, but when seeing the face and body of the person it belongs to, it is clear who they are
"..." Link says nothing and simply gazes at Taiyang Xiao Long, Ruby and Yang's father
"O-Oh it's you! You are Link and from what Qrow has told me, you have been integral in my girls' lives. As much as it stings that you are a boy." Taiyang extends his hand. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Taiyang."
(...pleasure to meet y-you…)
Link yet again does not speak but he does not disrespect Taiyang either by reaching out and shaking his hand
"Are you alright?" Taiyang says with a smile before awkwardly sighing. "S-Sorry! That was a dumb question, none of you could possibly be 'alright' after what you just went through. Qrow told me you were in the thick of it all, I'm sorry if you witnessed anything grueling."
The sounds of Pyrrha's screams and gasps replay in Link's head, and it is paired with a vision of her facial expression of pure horror after being shot in the chest with an arrow
"..." Link's head drops in sadness, with those same recent events repeating in his head
"Can I get you anything? A glass of water? Or maybe a snack? You must be hungry after being asleep for days."
Link, while still not saying a word, 'reaches' for his sword and shield, then taps his head, chest, and upper legs, signaling for Taiyang to return his gear
"Your stuff right, one second!" Taiyang quickly exists the kitchen
The now former Beacon student glances out the window and stares at the rising sun whilst closing his eyes and trying to remember what he just dreamt. Sadly, instead of Ray, Pyrrha and Amber happily interacting in a magical and fictional world, all he can see is Pyrrha with an arrow in her chest as she screams
"Here you go. I hope you don't mind some stitching I did on your clothes, they looked beat up and hey, where did you get this sword? Because it's incredible." Taiyang chuckles. "I've seen plenty of swords in my lifetime, but this one looks and feels out of this world. And this includes Qrow's."
No response comes from Link once more, despite wanting to be appreciative of the compliment. He takes his clothes, weapons, pouch, mask, Ray's canteen, Pyrrha's circlet and leaves the kitchen
"H-Hey!" Taiyang calls out, "I know you're probably hurting and it's not my place to say anything to you right now but if you ever need help, I am here for you." He smiles. "Anyone who goes out of their way to support and protect my girls has permanent respect from me."
Link attempts to smile and nod… But the corners of his mouth do not move at all. He does nod, although it is weak and miniscule. The blonde boy returns to the room he was sleeping in moments prior. He gets dressed and makes the bed where he slept, while the sun fully rises as some time passes. Upon getting ready and ensuring he has everything, Link stands over Ruby's bed and stares out the window, unsure of what is next for him
"Hey." Taiyang whispers as he knocks but then slowly opens the door in milliseconds. "Qrow should be here soon, if you're interested in talking to him. I can watch Ruby while you wait in the kitchen if you want."
The words of Ruby and Yang's father register vividly, and Link almost immediately walks out of the room the moment Taiyang finishes his sentence. As the latter enters said room with a chair in hand, Link exits. The distraught huntsman shuts the door behind him, walks down the hallway, intending on going down the stairs once again, but something catches his attention. Another bedroom with a door that is barely creaked open and the person inside is Yang, who is already awake and has likely not slept at all; she blankly stares out the window, clearly saddened. The temptation to enter the room and say anything is present in Link's head, but ultimately it fizzles out. He sees Yang's right arm bandaged up and closes his eyes. Plenty of anger and sympathy is felt seeing his two 'friends' defeated physically and mentally, along with knowing Amber, Pyrrha, Penny, Ozpin, and more were lost in the midst of it all. Link expects something to click inside of him so that he can speak or express emotion, but all he feels is emptiness, sadness, and regret. Knowing that nothing will change what has already transpired, the blonde boy knows there is no reason to stick around. Within a minute, which consists of making sure he has 'everything', an exit out of the Xiao Long household is done slowly and quietly
(...w-where to… n-now?)
When he is outside of the home, Link breathes in the cold air, embraces the chilly breeze of fall and walks away without saying a word to Taiyang, Ruby, Yang or even waiting for Qrow
Moments Later
Approximately thirty to forty minutes later Qrow is in Ruby's room, sitting in the chair originally brought in by Taiyang. The older huntsman talks to his adoptive niece about the events at Beacon, the two of them address Pyrrha, Cinder, the activation of her silver eyes, and of course, Professor Ozpin
"... All those missions I go on, all the times I'm away in some far off place, it's all been for Ozpin. But he's missing now and something has been set in motion. With Oz gone, I will have to pick up where he left off." Qrow sighs. "Bad enough Oz is gone but so is your friend."
"Huh?" Ruby blinks
"You know who I'm talking about, he was right there with you at the top of the tower."
"L-Link?" Ruby begins to sob again. "He's gone too? B-But he was perfectly fine-!"
"No nothing like that, he was here in that bed right over there. Tai didn't even see him go, he just… Disappeared out of nowhere after getting all his stuff back." Qrow stands up, walks over to the bed, and notices something tucked under the covers but left partially uncovered. "Looks like he left you something and it was definitely intentional too."
"What is it?" She asks
Qrow reveals it to be Link's mercenary mask with the tight straps completely cut off
"He knows I really like this mask. I didn't even have to express it much either, he knew me so well." Ruby weakly smiles. "And I agree when you say it was completely intentional. I know I'll see him again Uncle Qrow, and hopefully it's soon."
"I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you, kiddo." Qrow shuts his eyes and rubs his temples. "Your dad said he was... I don't even know how to describe it. Tai said that the kid seems broken."
"And what are you saying?" Ruby looks at him, hope beaming from her silver eyes. "What do you think is happening with Link?"
"If you see him again…" Qrow sighs. "Who knows if he will be the same person you knew."
"Oh no, that wasn't very uplifting." Ruby shakes her head. "Now he's out there and all alone?"
"I'm not worried about his safety, the kid was strong and special enough to be the first and only one person team at Beacon, clearly Oz saw something special in him." Qrow opens his eyes and gives his niece a smile in return. "He will be fine."
"Right." Ruby nods. "So… What do we do? If I'm so special, then I can help, right?"
"You really wanna help, kiddo? Get some rest." Qrow rolls his eyes. "You're in no condition to go anywhere right now. And besides, our enemy's trail leads all the way to Haven. That'd be quite a trip for a pipsqueak like you."
Qrow slowly walks towards the door, but stops right as he is about to exit in order to say one last thing, with his back turned to Ruby
"Catch ya later, kiddo."
The leader of the now broken up team RWBY sits in her room alone and stares at the covers of her bed. She looks at the window but doesn't look outside as she is not within range to do so, instead she stares at herself in a mirror hanging on the wall across from her bed. She rapidly blinks, more intrigued by her silver eyes than ever before, but that is not the only thing troubling the young girl
"Where did you go, Link?"
Ruby slides to the edge of her bed, powers through the stings and aches her body experiences when standing up, and walks over to the window. When reaching her destination, the silver eyed girl looks out the window, Link's mask tightly in her grasp. Ruby brings the mask up to her chest and holds it closely, gazing at the beautiful environment and wondering what happened to the rest of her team and friends. However, Qrow mentioning Haven certainly gives her an idea as to what will come next
(Finally wrapped up Volume 3 a wholeeee three years later, sorry for the long hiatus again I will not let that happen again, I also won't promise anything like a posting schedule :p so you'll get updates when they're ready.)