"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."
- Ernest Hemingway
Blake dodged Hazel's charge, but Weiss was roughly tossed aside. The others pelted him with bullets while Jaune deployed his shield, preparing to take the charge head-on. Glancing to his right, he found Oscar motionless, and shoved him back. "Go!"
The boy scrambled on the dirt, and Jaune turned his attention back to the several hundred pound behemoth charging him down.
He took a deep breath.
He didn't have to defeat him on his own — that wasn't his goal. Only to provide a distraction. Every second he was attacking Jaune was a second he wasn't attacking someone who could dish out damage like Weiss or Ruby.
The first punch came, and he let the shield give way, rotating around the strike. The second blow came, without momentum, and he took the impact head on, bending his knees and digging his feet into the dirt.
The third blow came from the side. He moved the shield in time, but wasn't able to reorient himself to take the hit without being sent flying.
Dirt, sky, dirt, sky, dirt, sky, tree-
"Mph!" Jaune grunted as he was forcibly stopped by his torso catching the trunk of a tree, but quickly stood back up.
He rushed back into the fray to see Pyrrha dancing around him, weaving between his attacks like she was made of silk, each furious blow missing her by inches — if not centimeters.
But he didn't need to hit her, just get past her.
When she dodged out of his way, he charged towards Oscar. She attacked from behind, but he twirled on a dime and grabbed the end of her spear before it could hit him, using it as a lever to heave Pyrrha into the sky.
Oscar had made some distance, but Hazel made it up in seconds. Oscar, realizing this, stopped and stood his ground. He pulled his spear off his back — for all the good it would do — and held it vertically — butt on the ground, tip pointing straight up.
A storm of bullets hit the hulking man from every angle, but he seemed to shrug them off, his pursuit unslowed.
Jaune's breath caught in his throat as he watched the huge man get within range. He wanted to shout — to tell Oscar to run, to duck, to point his spear, something — but time was moving far too fast.
Hazel's fists fell like lightning, but Oscar had already moved.
The farm boy leaned backwards, Hazel's fist missing him by inches. The large man's second fist swept in, and once again Oscar just barely managed to duck out of the way.
Two swings were dodged. Then three, then four, then five. Oscar seemed to know the man's moves before he did, just barely managing to avoid the rapid onslaught. He ducked and weaved sluggishly, but with great precision, using the staff of his spear to redirect the bear of a man's fists just a few inches and causing them to narrowly miss.
After what felt like hours but Jaune knew to be just a few seconds, Hazel finally managed to land a hit. He clipped Oscar's side, sending the boy spinning to the ground. Jaune pumped his legs as fast as they would go, but he knew it was no use — he was way too far away.
His eyes found Ruby, and confirmed his fears; she was coiled, Crescent Rose pointed behind her, primed to run in and serve as a distraction to buy Oscar a few seconds.
Before she could, however, someone beat her to it.
Bright orange hair fluttered as Penny inserted herself between Oscar and the assailant, sweeping her sword and forcing Hazel to back off.
He wasted no time in levying his assault at her instead, in a rampage of fists half the size of her torso.
Instead of dodging like everyone but Jaune had opted to do, Penny shocked them all by blocking the man's fists directly, taking them on the flat of her sword. Her heels dug into the dirt and she was forced back a bit more with each impact, but remained standing — a feat that Jaune was pretty sure that not even Pyrrha could manage.
It was clear she wouldn't last longer than a few seconds under the onslaught, but it didn't matter because Jaune was back.
And so was Pyrrha.
They attacked him from both sides, his aura crackling as their blades landed solidly. Penny recovered, launching a jab into the center of his torso that he hastily batted aside.
He backpedaled but Blake slid low, slashing at his ankles. Ruby went high, Crescent Rose scraping along his neck with a flare of light as his aura crackled. He cried out in pain, swiping at them with one arm while the other reached to his waist and pulled out a bright blue vial. He pressed a button on the top, revealing a needle — it wasn't a vial, it was a syringe!
Jaune cried out in warning as Hazel jabbed the syringe into his neck and pressed, injecting himself with the contents. A wave of blue energy pulsed through his veins, illuminating them through his skin.
Jaune leaped back on instinct, and Pyrrha followed his lead.
The others weren't quite so lucky.
They were hit in full force as tendrils of lightning burst from the hulking figure, tossing them back and shocking them motionless. After the initial wave, however, Jaune saw his chance and dashed in. He swung, and as the metal of Crocea Mors made contact with Hazel's arm Jaune felt his arm lock up as lightning jolted through him.
"Nora!"
She arrived in seconds, the orange haired girl's hammer falling hard. Hazel blocked it, spinning faster than his size suggested possible and grabbing the hammer mid-swing, stopping it dead. Yellow sparks leaped off of him, surging down the hammer's shaft and into Nora.
Jaune watched the two stare each other down, Hazel's brows scrunching as seconds went by and Nora continued to refuse to let go.
Nora, eyes dancing with pink sparks, grinned cockily.
She pulled, rapidly hefting her hammer over her shoulder and carrying the bear-sized man along for the ride as if he wasn't there.
Hazel let go mid swing, the wide-eyed man soaring through the air and landing in a roll a dozen feet away.
Jaune scrambled to position himself next to Nora, raising his shield with twitchy muscles. Pyrrha joined him soon after, and it wasn't long after that before both of their teams were arrayed defensively in front of Oscar, weapons poised.
"Impressive." the older man coughed as he climbed back to his feet. "Far beyond what I have come to expect from students. I see that with all of you here, I am outmatched. Unfortunate." he grunted. "I will leave you in peace, and wish you all well — you are innocents caught up in this conflict. However, I bid you be weary — the boy traveling with you is not what he pretends to be. Do not make the same mistake as my sister. It's too late for her."
Yang panted, the sweltering Vacuo sun encouraging sweat to pour from her. She slouched on the wooden bench, greedily guzzling water from her canteen.
Theo sat beside her, his gaze sweeping over the courtyard. It was filled with students of all ages and sizes, sparring in pairs or as teams. "Inspiring, isn't it?" he asked. "The next generation of defenders — so many who would choose to put their lives at risk in pursuit of humanity's survival. All hard at work. "
"Yeah," she managed through gasped breaths.
Theodore chuckled a low, mirthful laugh. "Forgive me, I forget myself — you are one of the future generation, after all. I should not expect you to see the world as I do. Such perspective will come with time."
Yang nodded, too tired to think too deeply about the man's words. That was a good thing, in her mind — fighting Theo had been a welcome distraction. He was good, as it turned out, and that forced her to focus on the fight rather than any other thoughts that might have crept up. He was a good teacher — he was a fist-fighter like she was, and he'd been giving her tips. She did her best to actually absorb the advice. There had to be a reason he was so good, after all.
"I must admit," he said, turning to her with that knowing look in his eyes, "I slipped into my musings so easily at least in part because you remind me of someone I once worked with."
Yang raised an eyebrow. "Another student?"
He shook his head, smiling graciously. "No, not a pupil, but another huntress — Your birth mother. Raven Branwen."
Raven. The name, even now, filled her mouth with ash. To her, the name only meant years of abandonment and unanswered questions.
But this time there was something else, too. A more recent meaning.
Her eyes widened as the realization hit her like a tidal wave.
"You knew Raven?" she asked, mind racing, desperately trying to come up with a reason that no, it couldn't be her.
Raven, the unknown woman who had saved her just a week ago and Raven, the woman who had abandoned her at birth couldn't be the same person.
Theo hummed, pondering, unaware of Yang's revelation. "I suppose you could say that. Yes, I knew her. Not especially well, perhaps, but I knew her. She worked for Ozpin alongside Summer and your uncle for a number of years."
Yang hunched over, the world tilting on its axis. Why? Why did Raven save her? Why didn't she say anything?
Why did she leave me?
It was hopeless. The more she learned about her birth mother, the more questions she had.
A tiny spark of hope flickered to life. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance to finally get some answers.
She her head snapped up, and she looked at the one man who seemed both willing and able to tell her more about her birth mother.
"Is she still alive?" she asked, concealing her desperation as best she could.
"To my knowledge," he explained, his voice softer. He had clearly noticed Yang's… harsh reaction to the information, but just as clearly didn't know why she had reacted that way.
"Where?" she rasped.
The corners of Theo's lips drew downwards. "I'm sorry Yang, but I don't know for sure. The last I heard she was roaming the wilderness of Mistral, but this was many years ago — I'm afraid I can't help you much more than that."
"I have to go," she stood, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. "Blake… my team… they need me."
Theo nodded, his gaze filled with understanding. "Go. But Yang…" he paused, his expression serious. "Be careful. Summer was your mother — not Raven Branwen. She is a powerful and dangerous huntress, even to me, and there is no reason to believe she will grant you more compassion than she does anyone else."
Biting her tongue, Yang nodded.
"Thank you," she gushed, "for everything, I'm sorry to uh-"
"Think nothing of it, Yang." Theo smiled kindly. "Please, if you are ever in need of my assistance, just reach out. I will always be here."
Blushing, Yang nodded hastily and turned on her heel, setting off towards the bullheads in a fast jog.
Even if Theo didn't, Yang did know that Raven cared about her — if she didn't, why would she save her life?
The questions kept piling on, but at least now she had some idea of where to finally get some answers.
She needed to get to Mistral.
Jaune sat down with his portion of watery rabbit stew, and felt the heat from the campfire seep through his frame. He took a deep breath, and steeled himself.
"So," he began, "About what that guy said..."
The light conversations around their camp stopped suddenly, as all eyes turned towards him.
Well, all but one pair.
"What about it?" Oscar asked, shuffling nervously. He sat a few spots away from Jaune — not across the campfire, but not next to him either.
"He said you were a criminal," Jaune clarified. "That you'd committed crimes we couldn't imagine."
Oscar didn't say anything. They sat in silence for a moment.
"He was crazy, right?" Ruby joined the conversation. "You saw him ranting and raving."
"I don't think he was crazy," Weiss disagreed, raising her hands defensively when Ruby retaliated with a harsh glare. "I'm not saying he was telling the truth! — I happen to think he was lying — but he spoke cogently. there was no reason to think that he wasn't mentally sound."
"I'm not a criminal," Oscar finally said, his voice quiet. "I haven't done anything wrong."
"Then why did he say that?" Jaune pressed. "He knew you somehow — there's no other reason for him to single you out like that."
"Jaune!" Ruby hissed.
Oscar hesitated. "I… I didn't tell you the full story. About why I left my village. About why I want to become a huntsman."
Eight sets of eyes stared at him as the seconds ticked on.
"My entire life, I've been an outcast," he blurted suddenly. He looked up and met their eyes, his posture shifting. "The village has treated me as a sign of bad luck. It started when I was born on the cursed day."
Jaune glanced between his teammates — all from Mistral — who each shrugged helplessly. Maybe such a day existed in his village, but it wasn't universal.
"Ever since then, everything bad has been blamed on me. Every bad harvest, every encounter with a Grimm, every sickness," he stumbled over the words, visibly choking back a sob. Jaune winced. "My parents were the only ones who loved me. When they died in a Grimm attack, everyone blamed me. They wanted to kill me. The mayor stopped them. He was sympathetic enough to keep me fed and warm, but I could tell I wasn't welcome. One day… I ran." he sagged.
Jaune was the one staring at the ground now, avoiding meeting the boy's eyes.
"Did you know that man's sister?" Blake asked plainly, the softness of her voice dampening the blow.
Oscar sagged again, his eyes once again sinking to the floor.
He shook his head sincerely. "I've never met that man, and if I ever met his sister I didn't know it."
Blake hummed, and leaned forwards, peering at the boy through narrowed eyes. Nodding once, she leaned back.
That seemed to be the signal that he had been cleared of all charges. One by one they went back to their dinners and side conversations, Ruby shifting closer to the farm boy and offering comforting words.
Jaune pushed a small chunk of meat around his stew. He wanted to believe Oscar, but he had already lied to them! Part of him understood why, but it had still led to his friends being in danger.
Jaune was pulled from his thoughts when Pyrrha sat next to him, bumping his shoulder. "You alright?"
Jaune blinked and looked up at her, straightening from his slouch. "Yeah, why?"
His partner smiled teasingly. "You're not usually the brooding type."
Jaune pouted. "I wasn't brooding."
Pyrrha laughed melodically. "Well it was either that or you were having a staring contest with your stew," she joked, and Jaune let himself chuckle.
Pyrrha's smile softened. "Jaune," she said, her voice quieter, "I know something's bothering you. Talk to me."
Jaune sighed, picking at a particularly tough piece of carrot. "It's just... I don't trust him," he admitted, glancing at Oscar. The boy was laughing at something Ruby said. "He already lied to us, Pyrrha. Who knows what else he's hiding?"
Pyrrha hummed thoughtfully. "He's scared, Jaune. And probably ashamed. It's not easy admitting you've been lying."
"But his lie could have gotten someone killed!" Jaune protested, his voice rising slightly. Glancing around, he quickly lowered it again. "That guy who was after him was strong Pyrrha, he could have—"
"Jaune," Pyrrha interrupted gently, "you lied to get into Beacon."
Jaune froze, his spoon halfway to his mouth. He sputtered, "That's... that's different!"
Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "Is it? You falsified documents, lied to Beacon's teachers, and put yourself in a dangerous situation you weren't prepared for."
"But my lie didn't put anyone else's life at risk!"
"It could have," Pyrrha countered, her voice firm but not unkind. "If I had been a weaker partner who had to rely on you, if we hadn't had Nora and Ren... you could have gotten us killed, Jaune."
He stared at her, his heart dropping into his stomach. Part of him knew she was right. His lie, born of desperation and a misguided sense of heroism, had put them all in danger.
"I'm not saying that him lying was alright, Jaune," Pyrrha said, giving him a reassuring smile. "But everyone makes mistakes. Oscar deserves a chance to redeem himself, just like you did. Right?"
He looked down at his stew, the appetite he'd had completely gone. "Yeah," he mumbled, "you're right. I just…" he shook his head. He sat his bowl to the side, the stew suddenly unappetizing.
"I think I'm gonna turn in," he said, forcing a smile. "Long day."
He stood up, not giving Pyrrha a chance to respond before retreating towards his tent. As he walked away, he could feel Pyrrha's eyes on his back.
He crawled into his tent, the canvas doing little to block out the sounds of his friends' laughter and conversation. He lay down, staring up at the tent ceiling, his thoughts swirling.
Outside, Pyrrha watched him go with a worried frown. She turned to Penny, on Jaune's other side. "Did I... did I say something wrong?"
Penny blinked twice, shrugged helplessly, and returned to her stew.
Pyrrha sighed.
BOOOO-BOO-BOOOOOOOM!
The next morning, Pyrrha was awoken by three loud, overlapping bangs akin to claps of thunder, one after another.
And yet, bright sunlight highlighted the flaps of her tent.
She blearily but hastily climbed out of her tent with Milo and Akouo in hand, finding her friends in a similar state. Looking up, she confirmed that it was a perfectly clear day out.
"What was that noise?" Nora yawned. "Grimm?"
Ren pointed wordlessly, and Pyrrha craned her neck to follow. Just over the treeline, she could make out two gray bullheads rapidly banking around.
Directly towards them.
As they got closer, their details became clearer. They were smaller than a normal bullhead, and sleeker looking — shorter, more angular, and more aerodynamic with wider wings. On their sides were two engines, much larger than a normal bullhead's but attached tightly to the hull's side.
"That's odd," Weiss noted, "I've never seen that model before..."
"I have." Blake grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, an annoyed scowl on her face.
Pyrrha relaxed, and a smile broke out on her face. It didn't seem like Blake enjoyed the fact that the bullheads were here, but she didn't seem to be getting ready for a fight either — more annoyed than afraid.
So, knowing Blake — and who she generally liked and disliked — Pyrrha was not at all surprised when, once the bullheads had all landed around their campsite, the doors of one slid open to reveal none other than Percy himself.
"Percy!" she jogged over to him, forcing herself to stop a couple feet short of jumping into a hug. "Is something wrong?" She asked, her smile wavering.
"No," Percy shook his head, smiling kindly. He hopped the short distance to the ground, closing the distance and wrapping her in a hug. "How was the hike, Pyr?"
Pyrrha returned the hug for a brief moment before lightly pushing him away, face flushed a deep red.
"Eventful," she summarized, concentrating on forcing the blood from her face as her friends approached from the campsite.
His eyes scanned over them, brow visibly raising when he noticed Oscar near the back. "Well, you'll have some time to tell me about it on the way back. Pack up, you're heading back to Mistral."
"What, why?" Pyrrha asked.
He shrugged indifferently, but Pyrrha could tell he was hiding a smirk. "Thought you'd want a ride back now that there's no reason for you to be out here."
Blake, suddenly not so upset at Percy's arrival, elbowed her way next to Pyrrha. "Wait, are you saying-"
"That you found Yang!?" Ruby interrupted, hoisting herself over Blake's shoulders.
The pure, genuine relief in Percy's smile answered their question.
"Where is she?!" Pyrrha demanded, eyes wide.
"Hop in," he invited.
Pyrrha had never seen a campsite dismantled so quickly.
Percy's office was a scene of relieved celebration.
Yang was crowded by her friends, and clearly soaking it in. Dried tears could be seen running down more than one set of cheeks, and joyful smiles were all that remained.
Percy leaned against a wall near the corner of his office, watching with a small smile as Ruby hung off of Yang, and Blake very obviously resisted the urge to do the same. They were all together again.
He had to admit, he'd been worried. More than worried, he had carried a sense of dread around with him ever since he knew they were missing. Half of team RWBY, the enigmatically important team of students, had been MIA. And, maybe more importantly, they were people he cared about.
Even Blake. Gods knew she was frustrating beyond comparison to deal with, but he had spent enough time with her to warm up to her. At least, definitely enough that he could admit to himself he had been worried about her.
Percy perked up when the room suddenly fell silent, realizing after a moment that everyone's eyes were on Yang.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you," she relented, answering a request he hadn't heard. "The last thing I remember, Taurus was getting ready to kill me," she began.
Percy forcefully subdued his rage. The traitor was dead.
And he was lucky for it.
"And then the next thing I know, I was waking up in a dark cave being nursed back to health by a cloaked woman named Samara."
He froze. Samara? The maiden Samara? That's who Yang had been with?
He listened raptly as Yang described her trek to Vacuo, hanging on to every detail. From her encounter with the White Fang all the way to her arrival in Vacuo, he tried to piece together what had actually happened.
As she recounted how she was granted safe haven at Shade, Percy made sure to remember that he owed Theodore a debt of gratitude. He was a friend, even if he was Ozpin's ally.
Samara, too, he owed a lot. If he knew how to find her, he would have asked how he could repay her. Alas, her only request from him so far had been to not try to find her.
Still, he made a mental note. If ever he met her again, he would repay the debt.
"And then I flew back home," Yang finished.
"But how did you get to Vacuo in the first place!?" Ruby interrogated her sister.
Yang pursed her lips for a moment. "I… I think it was my mother. My biological mother, I mean."
Percy stilled again.
"The one who left when you were born?" Weiss asked.
Ruby spun to glare at the Schnee.
"I'm just making sure I've got the right one," Weiss raised her hands defensively.
"Shortly after, yeah," Yang confirmed glumly. "Samara mentioned it was a woman she used to know named Raven who dropped me off. I didn't really realize it until after arriving in Vacuo, but Raven was my mother's name. She… I think she saved my life."
Percy frowned. Raven knew Samara? When could they have met? Before Percy had met either of them, surely. But how?
Well, at least he knew who to ask.
And it was good to know she did have a soft spot for Yang. He had never talked to her about it, but he got the sense that if he had she would have professed not to care about her daughter in the slightest.
He smiled to himself. Raven really was just a big softie on the inside.
That train of thought was brought to an abrupt end by the door to his office bursting open, a disheveled man stumbling through and onto the floor.
"Uncle Qrow?!" Yang and Ruby exclaimed in sync. Percy was convinced they had rehearsed it.
"Firecracker!" Qrow scrambled to his feet, shoving Weiss aside and leaping over Percy's couch to hug his missing niece.
Yang, who Percy knew would normally have been mortified by the public display of affection, excitedly returned the hug.
"How did you know she was here!?" Ruby asked excitedly a moment before her energy dimmed, and she stared at the ground guiltily. "Sorry, I forgot to text you. It all just happened so quick!"
"It's alright!" Qrow laughed it off, a wide smile on his face. He reached out a hand to tousle the girl's red-tipped hair. "Tai told me she called him, and Percy told me she'd be here! I high tailed it after that!"
Several pairs of eyes turned towards him, to which he responded with a smile and a short nod.
The reunion continued uninterrupted for a few minutes before Qrow was sated, and made his way over to stand by Percy in what was quickly becoming the 'adult corner'.
"I'm glad she's back," Percy said in way of greeting. "I'm sure it's a huge weight off your shoulders."
Qrow clasped his forearm. "Yeah, no kidding. I can't thank you enough."
"For what?" Percy asked, amused. "I didn't do anything."
Qrow paused. "Good point."
Percy chuckled. "Any luck on your other project?" he asked, eyes hovering around the room.
"No." Qrow shook his head. "Nothing on that front. Has Yang explained what happened yet?"
Percy nodded. "Raven rescued her. Teleported her to an old contact in Vacuo, who brought her to Shade."
Qrow spat out the liquor he'd been in the middle of downing, the tiny droplets of liquid hovering in mid-air inches away from Percy's face.
The huntsman broke into a coughing fit, waving off the concerned looks of the room's occupants.
"Raven as in my bitch of a sister Raven? That Raven?" he hissed.
Percy nodded calmly, opening a window and willing the droplets of whiskey outside.
Qrow pinched his nose. "Why-"
"You can ask her after me," Percy offered.
"How about we corner her together?"
Percy shook his head. "Sorry, but I'll have to turn you down. She might actually tell me the truth if you're not there."
The older man rolled his eyes, but didn't argue the point.
"Ahem."
The two looked over to find a room of teenagers staring at them.
Percy blinked. "What's up?"
"We were just talking," Ruby began nervously. "And… we all agree. There was something about the attack on Beacon that was… weird."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "Weird how?"
"Like how many grimm there were," Pyrrha pointed out softly. "I understand there was unrest in Vale, but that many Grimm still seemed… excessive. There were millions of them."
"And the dragon!" Nora exclaimed. "That was totally weird, right? That's the kind of monster you'd find in a fairytale, not real life!"
"And I've seen footage of a group of White Fang emerging from the subway in square plaza, fighting alongside Grimm. The Grimm ignored them entirely, which seems… unlikely." Weiss winced.
Percy hummed, and poorly pretended to think over their points. "I suppose that's odd. But I'm not sure what you want us to do about it."
Weiss' eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Well, you are the most powerful person on Remnant, and claim — or at least don't deny — divinity. Mr. Branwen is an… admittedly renowned huntsman, and used to be Ozpin's closest confidant. We figured if there was something going on, one of you would know about it."
Percy smiled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Qrow grunted his agreement, staring a hole into his flask.
The students shared a disbelieving look.
"Percy," Pyrrha stepped forward, eyes wide and trusting. "You're not keeping something from us, are you?"
Percy snorted. "Pulling out the nuclear option, huh?
Pyrrha blinked innocently.
He shrugged. "Sorry, you won't get anything. Not out of me, anyways. I'm oathbound not to say a word."
"So there is something!" Weiss exclaimed.
"I didn't say that," Percy smirked, snatching Qrow's flask and taking a long swig.
Qrow sagged as every pair of eyes in the room turned towards him.
He snatched his flask back from Percy, upending it until there was nothing left.
Wiping his mouth, he shot his one-time protege the dirtiest glare he could muster.
"You know, kid, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes."
Trying to cut the ANs down, but failed with this one - I just want to say that I can feel the creative juices starting to flow again. I've been writing out scenes for later in the story, wanting to write more, and recently the writing has been flowing, rather than being forced out of me. In a way I struggle to quantify, I think this makes the writing, and story as a whole, much more enjoyable. It's also the reason that this chapter is the first one since I came back to be significantly above my 5k word minimum. I'll make sure this trend continues as I finish getting back into the swing of consistent writing.
Next Chapter January 15
Since I won't see you until then, Merry Christmas and happy holidays! I hope you all get to see your families and enjoy some time off.