Larger Issues
AN: Sorry about the wait, life hasn't been kind to my writing time. Fair warning, things are really gonna get exciting next time!
Fun Time
If there was something that the Sanctum Academy could boast about, besides its students, it was that it has a large pool that was often open to the public. As a seaside town, most people of Argus were expected to learn to swim to some degree and rather than using the ocean with its currents, waves, and cold temperatures when at its best during the short summer, the city made sure that there was a pool that they could use.
And given that they simply did not have the space to be dedicated solely to the pool, Sanctum Academy was built over it to protect the water from the elements. Sure there were plans to expand the city as the cliffs overlooking the bay were being used for the communication relay and military, so it wouldn't take too much to push the borders further. Honestly, the biggest factor besides the Grimm to deal with was actually building the walls required to protect the expansion, how far to expand, and gathering the material for such a project.
Still, one of the primary locations involves building near some cliffs further inland that were cut by a river. Not only would that offer more protection but also have a steady water source for the expanded area.
At the same time, many in Argus took comfort in the towering cliffs around the city to guard against the worst of the weather, notably the wind. Anyone who would be living and working in the new territory would have to contend with the wind, though with being that short distance inland, much of the wind off the sea would have been broken.
The trade offs for one area versus another created a decent list but the demand for more space was growing with the population of Argus. And with those demands, the city council was listening to the citizens and trying to finalize the plans. Even those who lived outside the city walls, farmers mostly, had begun moving rocks from their fields and tossing them on piles that marked the locations of where the new walls would most likely be built.
But for the next week, those plans would be put on the back burner as the festivities approached.
—-
"Hey Jim."
"Qrow? I thought you'd be here in Atlas by now."
"That was the plan but we ran into Team DAIT… you've heard that Sparky fought Taurus by now, right?"
"Yes, I have. And I'm glad that Denko survived that encounter."
"Same here. We're gonna be sticking around in Argus for the rest of the week."
"I thought that Denko's injuries weren't that serious? Or are you giving Miss Valkyrie some time to catch up with her aunt?"
"Eh, something involving both of those. Plus there's more family bonding going on here in town with Nikos and Arc. As for some of the others, they may not want to say anything but after dealing with the Apathy back at the farm…"
"And it has nothing to do with the festival in a few days?"
"Happy coincidence."
"Right, so I should expect you to be here in my office in a week." That wasn't a question.
"Unless something crazy happens." Qrow shrugs, not counting out odd events.
"Very well, Commander Cordovin has asked to escort you personally to Atlas. Admittedly, part of it is to spend a bit more time with her niece and show her some of the landmarks of their family."
"And the other part?"
"To check in on Winter." Both men knew that he didn't mean Specialist Schnee.
"Got it."
"Is something wrong, Qrow?" Ironwood had picked up a slight change in his tone and knew the man well enough to ask when others would have missed it.
The man sighed. "I can't help the feeling that something odd is in the air… reminds me of last year."
"That is concerning." The General takes a moment to think. "I did provide Argus the usual increase of security for the festival, a two month stint for the troops aside from those being rotated out. Do you think that there should be more?"
"You're asking me?" Qrow was surprised. James had been even more reckless than himself when he was younger but after his accident, the man changed to be more cautious. But it was that caution that helped to get him to where he is now, though not all of the recklessness had been removed from the General… comes with being a Huntsman. He could go toe to toe with some of the best combatants in the world and push through to victory by way of skill, clever tactics, and sheer bullheadedness.
And after what happened at the Vytal Festival last year, the man has been taking that as a personal failure, blaming himself for the lives lost. It may be a good thing that he didn't turn to substance abuse in the wake of the tragedy but instead he has a renewed dedication to protecting the public. Though if he's not careful, his protective instincts just might push him too far.
Thus the reason for seeking the opinion of others he trusts. At least it shows he's aware of what may become a shortcoming and is taking active measures against it.
"Jim… if there's already extra personnel in the city, don't send anymore here." Qrow was being cautious himself. While not seeing anything in the city to set him on edge, the attack on Denko by Adam Taurus and the Grimm going after every group with the Lamp told him otherwise. "But… maybe send a few to the old Brunswick Farm and ensure that none of the Apathy survived."
James could read between the lines well enough. "Alright, that does sound reasonable. It may be a training exercise but could become a real fight in a moment's notice. I'll ensure they are prepared."
"Okay, talk to you later. Let's hope for the best."
—
Nora was spending some time in the morning with her Aunt Caroline… with Ren along for the ride.
"So you've signed yourselves up for the race, hmm?" She sipped her tea as she watched the pair.
"Yep! Got it done yesterday!" The younger woman was proud of doing so. "We're gonna win it!"
"Nora… we never even tried a race like this."
"So? We'll learn on the fly!"
"It doesn't work that way."
Caroline leaned back in her chair as she watched the two of them bicker back and forth. To be honest with herself, they reminded her of her younger years with her husband… or at that time, last thought to be her husband. But somehow he had wormed her way into her heart with little to no intention of doing so.
He had a knack for making things and testing them in the field… with her having been the one to escort him most of the time. And despite her taunts and dismissal of his many failures and having to save him time and time again, he never gave up. And that determination and willingness to risk himself to test his ideas struck a chord in her, eventually developing into an interest of not just what he was making but him as a person.
Before she knew it, she was looking forward to seeing him again on the next mission, then spending time together outside of Huntsman duties, then came the wedding… So many people were helped by the things he made, even being the basis of a few more refined inventions by the best mind in Atlas who was all too happy to give her husband credit for his contributions.
The good memories came to an end as she unconsciously recalled how all of that happiness came to a sudden stop- her husband was killed by members of the White Fang just for being on the street one night coming home from picking up some materials from a Huntsman friend of his.
While she held no ill will towards Faunus before in her life, that event pushed her towards disdain of the species. So many of the bad rumors that permeated Atlas began to take hold in her that it was only her training and duty to Atlas as a soldier that kept that contempt in check. Her feelings towards Faunus manifested as absolute devotion to her military career, a refusal to put up with any slight towards her home Kingdom, and making life harder for any Faunus under her command as compared to their human counterparts.
The friends she had before her husband's death had tried to be there for her but she had pushed them away. The Faunus were the first to go, at first it was with understanding that she needed some time to process things and so they kept their distance. But then she drove her human friends away as well, her focus on her military life giving them no time to be with her to help get through the heartache. When one of them called her out for replacing her husband with her rank… that was the last time they spoke, granted that had been a very loud argument.
It has been years since then. She had been on the outs with her mother, her sister had run away to start a family and had been killed leaving her as the last of her family. Sure, she may have kept tabs on her mother and made sure that she got the medical help that she needed when the time came but it wasn't until Nora came into her life that she really saw the errors she had made over the past two decades… rather than ignoring them.
"I wonder if I still have their numbers?" She muttered to herself, garnering the attention of the pair with her.
"Did you say something, Aunty?"
"Oh, nothing that you need to worry about." Caroline assured her niece. "Perhaps, if things go well… and I hope they do, I may try introducing you to some of my old friends."
"Oh… okay."
If there was one thing that Caroline noticed was that Ren rarely spoke. Now if it was because they were just getting to know each other or simply didn't feel like talking too much, or even some measure of both, she would let that slide. What was important was that he treated Nora well and from what she could see, it was as if they were two sides of the same coin. She was loud, cheery, and energetic but a bit ditzy at times while he was quiet, subdued, and calm but dutiful. Where one lacked the other had abundance.
Still, she had quickly learned that the subject of his family was a sore spot, even if he had gotten closure a few months earlier. Given her own experiences in the matter of losing family, she would not push the subject.
However, Caroline did have a few pictures to show her niece along with the stories that came with them of her childhood with her sister.
—-
Later that afternoon once classes were done at Sanctum, the teams and Oscar could be found at the pool. Qrow, Ray, and Maria opted to stay back and watch over the Lamp at the hotel.
For Ray, that was fine as he didn't want to risk anything should someone recognize him from his past deeds as Roman. Especially given that he had stolen the Paladins that were used in the attack on Vale and the Dust rifles used on Mistral and Menagerie.
Maria found herself writing something up at the table, a few pages already filled with text and a diagram of sorts. What was rather interesting was that the top of the first page has a skull and rose emblems in the corners.
Qrow occupied himself with a few exercises, simply keeping himself in shape and preventing his body from getting stiff.
At the pool, the boys came out of the locker room in their trunks. Denko wore green with a yellow stripe down the legs, Jaune in yellow, Oscar found simple brown, and Ren wore pink.
As for the girls, Nora and Pyrrha were wearing the ones they had found at the store yesterday. Weiss had managed to obtain one that replicated what she left behind at Beacon, a white one-piece that faded to blue at the bottom with a small skirt that sat on her hips. Ruby had found a black two-piece with floral patterns. Anya and Talon wore similar suits with large holes to show off their midriffs, though black and blue respectively. As for Yang, she came out in an orange bikini while Blake found a rather conservative bikini much like what she had back at Beacon.
"Well, here's some new faces and an old one!" A voice calls out from the side where there was an office of sorts with a large window that granted a full view of the pool. The man standing there is tall, well-built, and tanned, wearing little more than tights that run from his waist to ankles that are mostly blue but with thick yellow lightning patterns wrapping around his legs. Hung on a hook behind him with a white robe with its hems having yellow lightning patterns. The man also has dark blue eyes and matching swept back hair with a set of swim goggles hanging around his neck.
"Oh, Jupiter, I didn't realize that you'd be here!" Pyrrha seemed happy to see him.
"Um, who is this?" Jaune asks with a slight hint of jealousy in his tone.
"I'm sorry!" The Spartan was quick to apologize. "This is Jupiter Vasilias, he was an upperclassman when I started here at Sanctum."
"Ha! By the time I graduated you were already making a name for yourself by going and winning the Regional Championship!" Jupiter laughed.
"Did you compete?" Yang was curious.
"Not that year, I had a bit of an accident out in the field, broke my arm." Jupiter emphasized by holding up his right arm. "But I was the Champion the year before and I have quite a few trophies from the Golash Race here in town."
"The most wins on record, as I recall." If Pyrrha was going to be put on the spot for her victories by an old friend, she would return the favor.
"Yeah, that's true." Jupiter freely admits with a shrug. "They actually have me helping out with the race itself so someone else can have a shot at winning."
"Ooo! Oooo! We signed up for the race!" Nora bounced in place as she held up Ren's hand.
Jupiter raised an eyebrow at the hefty girl, admiring her enthusiasm. "Have you ever tried this race before?"
"Nope!"
His expression at that response told the rest everything- he was afraid that she would say that. "Have you done any boat racing before?"
"Nope!"
Pyrrha cleared her throat as she looked at Vasilias. "I hope this doesn't push any boundaries or rules, but do you think that you could at least teach them the basics?"
He put a hand to his chin as he thought about it. "Well… it's not like any of the rules say I can't."
"So you'll help us?" Nora was hopeful.
"Eh, why not? At the very least it would make it so that my friends' friends won't embarrass themselves right from the beginning."
"Woohoo!" Nora cheered while hugging Ren. "We're getting trained by the champ!"
"I'll get the trainer boat from the back room, we can get you started here in the pool since it's not going to be busy anyway." Jupiter told them and was about to walk off when Weiss stopped him.
"Jupiter Vasilias, you wouldn't happen to know a Neptune Vasilias?"
"Neptune? He's my little brother!" The man was proud of that before he leaned in a bit closer. "Tell me, has he gotten any better with his fear of water or managed to get a date yet?"
Blake was standing next to Weiss and obviously heard what he said. "Definitely not over water yet."
Weiss spoke up next. "Umm.. back at Beacon I had asked him if he would go to the dance with me."
"Uh-oh." He could see where this was going.
"But he turned me down…" That confirmed his fears. "Wouldn't you know it, we wound up spending most of that evening at the dance together anyway."
Jupiter gave her a nearly feral grin. "Oh please tell me that you got him to dance."
Given how he was acting, Weiss could only smile slyly. "A little." She admits.
"Pictures if you got them?"
"I know I don't, didn't have my scroll out that evening." Weiss let him down easy before turning to a certain fox. "But maybe…"
"I see what you're doing… gonna need a bit for me to look through things if I have that." Itazura shrugs, idly wondering how their swim time got derailed so quickly before they even touched the water.
Despite the distraction, the afternoon turned out to be quite fun. Ren and Nora took turns being taught on the aquatic chariot, watching closely when the other was on. Their training as Huntsmen likely played a large part in their success, allowing them to maintain their balance and having both the strength and endurance to keep going… even if the pool was too small for them to reach top speed. That meant that they spent more time on tight maneuvers using the rest of their friends as obstacles.
And that's not even counting how the group helped out by making the waters rougher through splashes, cannonballs, and with Talon and Ruby using their Semblances to race across the surface of the water and raising waves in their paths.
Still, the ride was interesting as not only did Nora and Ren have to balance themselves on the boat that was rather small, about the size of the average person's torso but with raised edges to keep some water underneath rather than washing over it. The vaguely shell shaped boat did work well enough once moving as the trio of keels helped to stabilize it.
Connected by a short cable, the real driving force sat in the water roughly two meters ahead of the boat. Essentially it is a miniature torpedo but has been stylized into the form of a fish. The fins kept it steady and would help it turn, especially the tail as that was needed the most. Set in the tail is the jet release as the mouth is the water intake, meaning that the 'fish' would suck in water ahead of it and force it out the back with high pressure. To control everything, the 'fish' had a control cable from which the driver would hold onto the handle and work the throttle and steering from there.
But eventually, all good things must come to an end and it helped that the batteries for the chariot ran out and would need to be recharged. The teams helped to clean up the pool area before hitting the showers to wash off the smell of chlorine.
"Yang? What are you wearing?" Ruby asks as she sees her sister get dressed in different clothes than when she arrived. On second thought, it was a bit odd that she had brought a small duffel bag with her.
The blonde looked at her sister and struck a little pose and spun. "Like it?"
Yang had changed into a light orange long sleeve shirt over her new shapewear, the shirt being made from a bit thicker material to stave off the cold, over which she dons a brown sleeveless jacket with a fuzzy inner lining and golden zippers at the pockets, the spin allowing the others to see that there was a hood as well. On her legs, she wore some heavy duty light blue-grey cargo pants with their own golden zippers on the pockets. Said pants were held up by a brown leather belt with a pair of supply pouches resting on her backside and a golden buckle in the shape of her emblem. She kept her old boots with the gold toes and heels but got some new shin guards that match her Ember Celica and Hiryu Shoten, though they are merely guards and not weapons. Plus she kept her orange scarf around her neck and the purple bandana tied around her right leg.
And that was before Yang slipped her weapons onto her arms, each golden bracelet having its own black glove/sleeve to prevent chafing and adding a good bit of fireproofing to her outfit since they are where her four shotguns fire from.
"Wow sis, you look great!" Ruby clapped at the new look her sister was rocking.
"Should have figured that you went out shopping." Weiss smirks. "Are you sure that you don't want to admit that you're a tomboy?"
"Hey, I'm not the only one who got new mission clothes." Yang crossed her arms and looked away, not acknowledging the question.
"I guess it is best that we get something for the colder weather, it's only going to get worse when we get to Atlas." Blake shrugs, giving her own roundabout approval of the new fashion.
"I knew there was something that we should have done yesterday!" Nora yells as she turns to Pyrrha, since they had gone shopping for swimsuits together.
"I guess we could see what is available." The Argus resident relents.
Outside of the locker rooms, the boys were waiting on the girls.
"You got a new look, huh?" Jaune asks his fellow blonde. Though Jaune wondered what he could do for his gear since so much of it is armor.
Oscar looked over at Denko before looking at a nearby mirror on the wall, finding that his clothes were still fairly new and good for most weather. Likewise, Ren was of the opinion that he should be dressed for the weather and it was bound to get colder than what was comfortable in his current clothes.
Denko hadn't changed too much of his outfit, keeping his armored vest, bracers and shin guards but had switched his sneakers for brown boots, his green cargo shorts for brown cargo pants, and his grey T-shirt for a brown long sleeve shirt. However, he did add two things that stood out- a green capelet that reached his elbows, complete with a hood, and a matching green koto hung from his waist to his knees that would offer protection in battle and from the elements. Completing the look, he has Raijin strapped to his back.
"Ummm… do you know you look like a tree?" Jaune had to ask. "If you stand still in the forest even we'd miss you."
"And the problem with that is?" Denko asks, having heard plenty from his girlfriend the night before when they had bought their new clothes.
That made the others pause and think about how not being noticed in an environment would be a tactical advantage.
—-
Once outside, some of the group split up with Yang taking Denko towards some diner that caught her eye while Pyrrha led the others towards the shopping district, Talon, Itazura, and Anya splitting off so that they wouldn't be too much of a crowd in that store.
In 'The Threaded Eye', the latter group began searching the racks for their options. Needless to say, Talon was the one who was feeling the cold the most with how much skin she let show.
Itazura didn't need too long until something caught her eye- something of burnt orange color with bronze accents. It was far more elaborate than her current outfit but perhaps a change was in order, not just because of the weather that they were going to but for the more dangerous times she was sure were just getting started.
Anya found something with her preferred color scheme, mostly red with black outer layers. She'd have to see about getting it fitted and reworked a bit for her liking. Meanwhile, Talon was looking at something more sky blue but hadn't made any final decisions yet.
With the Beacon students in 'The Loom Room', Pyrrha guided Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Nora to the women's section while Jaune and Ren were left on their own to find the men's selections.
"Anything in mind for you, Weiss?" Ruby asks her best friend as they peruse the racks.
"Actually… I was thinking of something that would offer me some better protection." There was no need to say more as to why that line of thought was clear from what happened at Haven- the young woman had been impaled by Cinder.
"Hmm… you want some armor?" Silver eyes began looking around, locating the section in a few seconds. "Over here!" She took hold of Weiss' hand and hurried over.
The racks of armor were more of a general selection as unlike cloth, armor could not simply have a little cut off and function well… at least not anywhere as easily. And given that most armor is of much stiffer materials, each set would have to be crafted for the individual it is intended for as nobody has the same measurements, let alone their preferences in how things should fit or the flares to make it distinctive as theirs.
The sets of full body armor were immediately dismissed as Weiss doubted that she'd be able to move in such armor for long, let alone fight as normal. Plus there was the fact that she wouldn't be able to put it on alone, so that was a big no.
Having a cuirass and bracers and such was interesting, but she had also felt how heavy they are when Jaune took them off back at the house in Mistral. Certainly they were lighter than the full suit option and able to be put on by the wearer… but it seems a bit too much for her liking.
Leather was an option, far softer than steel and the other alloys that made the previous options and allowed more flexibility. At the same time, damage done to the pieces would require replacement, even if the leather would catch a blade in it rather than deflect.
Chainmail seemed viable as it is extremely flexible and could be applied just about anywhere on her outfit over the cloth. It was a good option for defense against slashing attacks, but not so good against large blunt force and piercing attacks. Given that she had been run through by a spear… she wasn't too keen on testing her luck.
There was also thickly padded cloth, which while far from stylish would offer some decent protection from blunt force impacts and minor cuts but anything that was really committed would get through. Sure, much of the materials used are cut and tear resistant but Huntsmen weapons are kept very sharp to cut through thick hides and fur and bone while also channeling aura for further enhancement of their capabilities.
But there was an option that found a middle ground which she could almost immediately see the possibility of for her standards.
"Weiss? What do you think?" Ruby asks as she watches the heiress inspect the armor styles.
"I think I'll try using this one." She points at her choice before looking for an attendant.
Over with the other girls, Pyrrha was trying to figure out how to fit things for herself. She had just gotten new armor not that long ago and while it had seen battle, it had held up well with only minor repairs required. Still, it wasn't exactly made for colder weather, especially with how open the back is and her exposed skin.
"Hmmm… perhaps something simple would be best." She mutters to herself as she moves away from the regular clothes.
Nora found herself in a bit of a bind by the sheer selection available. It didn't take her long to find something pink and decide to offset that with a bit of black and light blue. Though even she recognized how dangerous things were becoming, eventually drifting over towards the armor to see what her options were.
Blake found herself attracted to something much darker… something made of a material that is a bit iridescent, mostly black but it shifted towards red and blue depending on the angle with the lights. Immediately, an idea of what she wanted came to her mind and she began looking for things to accent the material.
Ruby finally pulled herself from Weiss and began to examine the racks for something to catch her eye. Red roses on black certainly did the trick. Not long after that, she found some thermal leggings that she liked, followed by a top. Excitedly, she bounced around looking for accessories.
Over with the boys…
"Any ideas that would work with my armor?" Jaune asks as he browses a selection of hoodies.
Ren merely shrugged in response as he examined a pair of pants.
The blonde took the silent reply in stride as that was normal. Besides, it's not like they shared fashion tastes as he was more into whatever was comfortable while his friend had a more refined look that he preferred.
Just as Jaune took a hoodie from the rack to check the size for himself, he noticed Ren was suddenly interested in a mannequin, specifically what it was wearing. Blue eyes darted back and forth between the outfit and Ren, comparing the size and mentally seeing how it would look on him.
"That looks good." Both of them say together, practically sealing the decision.
—
The next few days were spent with Nora and Ren getting some more training for the race, though now they were in the open waters of the bay. As expected, the water was freezing but the wetsuits they were wearing made things much more bearable… though Nora was stretching hers to the limits, mostly in the rear, but she made sure to wear her bikini underneath no matter what.
Jupiter provided them with a spare boat and fish so they could really experience competition on the water, even more so when Jupiter brought out his personal ride to show them how a pro does their stuff.
The rest of the gang were content to watch from shore where it was warmer and dryer. At the same time, the orders for their new outfits were being worked on at the tailors, though Ruby was working on hers personally.
However that meant that the Silver Eyed girl was back at the hotel room with Maria often.
"Ruby Rose… I believe we have a lot to talk about."
The younger girl looked up from her work on the rose printed black cloth to the elderly woman who was walking towards her with her usual skull cane in one hand and what appeared to be a small book in the other.
"We do?" She blinks a few times to adjust her eyes. "Did… you want to help?"
Maria hopped up on a chair by the table and sat the papers down on top of the materials. "I'd love to help you with this however… This seems to be a good time for us to have a one on one talk."
Ruby was understandably confused. "About what?"
"Your legacy." Maria leaned in as she said that, her eyes narrowed to blue slits.
"Legacy?"
Maria sat back in her chair. "Your Uncle told me that you could be a little dense at times." She said with a teasing smile, watching as her partner's face soured. "But he also told me that you haven't learned much of your heritage… what you have that makes you special."
"Wha-what are you talking about?"
"Your eyes, the Silver Eyes."
"You know about them? Is that how you were able to help me do… whatever I did back at the farm?"
"Hmph, know about them? Before I needed these-" She taps her artificial eyes. "I was like you… a Silver Eyed Warrior."
"You were?"
"Mind you, that was a long time ago." Maria had no problem joking about her age as it was something that she couldn't deny at this point, though she did take pride in the fact that she could get around better than the majority of those at her age. "Still, I couldn't help but to notice that we have something else in common." She held up her cane and pressed the hidden button, causing a scythe blade to flip up and lock into the mouth of the skull, leaving the main shaft as the handle to use it..
"Apparently, your Uncle Qrow was inspired by me, 'The Grimm Reaper', to use a scythe and in turn… you were inspired by him."
"Oh woooow!" Ruby was in awe and began examining the small weapon, small in comparison to her own at least, soon noticing that the eye holes in the skull are actually short gun barrels similar to Yang's weapons. Obviously that feature was more for a surprise attack than straight up combat as her own rifle is within Crescent Rose.
Maria retracted the blade and sat the weapon against the chair. "We can talk shop about our weapons later, back to our eyes… or rather your Eyes."
"Umm, okay, what about them?"
"Your old Headmaster, Ozpin, the first thing he noticed about you were your eyes."
"Yes?"
"And your Uncle told you that all who have Silver Eyes are born to become warriors."
"Yeah?"
"Well… as one who had Silver Eyes herself, I can give you some training on how to use those eyes of yours."
"Really? Like with what happened back at the farm?!"
"Far more than just that, though I'll admit that was pretty good for a second time."
"Second time?"
"Did you forget about that Grimm Wyvern that was attacking Beacon?" Maria was surprised that the girl didn't remember, then again she had been busy that night. "Your Uncle and sister's boyfriend had front row seats to see you take that Grimm out."
Ruby looked down as she tried to recall the events from that night after a year of trying to repress the memories of the senseless death and destruction. How many people lost their lives and homes and families. How the Atlas mechs were turned against those they were created to protect.
Protect…
The last thing she remembered from that night was fighting her way through the city with Weiss trying to get to Pyrrha in Beacon Tower when the massive dragon began to attack them. Denko had brought it down to the ground and for his troubles, the blonde had been thrown down onto stone steps where his arm was broken. Then the beast turned its attention to Weiss and herself and tried to eat them whole.
Everything went blank after seeing Weiss and the jaws of the Grimm closing on her… then Ruby woke up days later.
"Back at the farm…" Ruby began. "You said something about the need to protect, then… boom."
"Yes, the desire to protect is what gives our Eyes so much power, it counters the Grimm which exist solely to destroy and as the powers collide the Grimm are turned to stone."
"Stone?"
"Rather brittle stone but stone nonetheless." Maria clarified with a smile. "I've destroyed hundreds of Grimm in my time and many of the most dangerous fell from my Eyes."
"So… it's like a Semblance?"
"Eehhh…. I suppose you could say that, if it's a Semblance unique to those with Silver Eyes. But there are some problems with those like us that you should be aware of."
"Like what?"
"Those with Silver Eyes all become warriors because we have an insatiable desire to help others and to fight. These are traits that are wanted in Huntsmen, police, and soldiers but for those like us, there is almost no option… that is how deep it runs in our blood and souls.
At the same time, for those who hunt us with Silver Eyes, that need to protect and fight can be exploited just as well as overwhelming us with sheer numbers or power. Clever opponents will create situations where we can't win or even if we do, we are broken from the trap."
"How do we win in that?"
"Lots of luck and hard training." Maria had no humor in her tone. "But our enemies have been successful so far with that, I've seen less and less Silver Eyes over the years to the point where I began to suspect that I had been the last of us… until I met you."
"My mother had Silver Eyes."
"So I've heard." The elder cracked a smile. "Qrow showed me a picture of her, you are her daughter without a doubt."
Ruby beamed with pride at that recognition before the conversation continued.
—
"Are the preparations complete?" Adam asks over his scroll.
"Yes sir! Just waiting for the signal to begin!" The ranking officer in charge of the next operation informs him. "I have to say, these new weapons will give us a major edge in the battles to come!"
"I should hope so or I will have… words, with their creator." Unseen by anyone, he clenched a fist that made his glove creak.
"We've tested them extensively during our training for this operation, they will get the job done, sir!"
"And the submarines?"
"On their way to the port in Atlas to deliver supplies."
"Very well, let's hope that this one works out as planned."
"It will or we'll die trying, sir!"
If there was anything that Adam could count on, it was that this Commander was fully committed to his cause and hadn't failed him yet. Combined with his skill to lead and inspire the troops under his command and it was little wonder why he was assigned to this job.
"Then see to it." That was as close to approval as he was willing to give at the moment, he was still feeling the effects from his last fight and he was on his way to Atlas for the next assignment from the Witch. Plus the failures during the campaign at Menagerie Mistral remained as a sore spot.
The mission at Argus wasn't particularly vital to her plans but the attack was to be a big slap in the face to her enemies. How hard that slap would be would depend on the success of the mission. At the very least, the Witch had promised that his troops would not be attacking alone, and not just from the contributions of the weapons.
To be honest, he was looking forward to the reports.
AN: And here we are, Yang and Denko have new outfits to deal with the cold better, inspiring the rest of the gang to follow suit... with Weiss looking into armor? Maria has begun talking to Ruby about their Silver Eyes, the White Fang is on the move... Adam's faction at least, and Nora has been training with Ren for the Golash Race under the tutelage of Neptune's brother, Jupiter Vasilias!
So many different things going on but the results will begin to be shown next time!
As always, reviews are welcome! And don't forget that I've been reposting the entire series as 'RWBY: The Issues Series' with currently thirty chapters up so far... with about a hundred to go and growing.
