597Man, I got no excuse.
Writing has REALLY fallen by the wayside for me. I just... haven't been able to get enthused about watching RWBY lately. I don't know why, to be honest.
It's not like I'm on a downward spiral or anything: I've felt more mentally stable than at any point in the past 15 years or so. I guess I just need to summon the drive again.
So no, this fic is not being uncerimoniously left in the dust. I love writing it too much to fully give up on it. Writing is just... slow.
Chapter 56: The Fork In The Road
The seconds ticked by, as Vernal stood before me, keeping her gun trained on my heart. Raven's mask lay forgotten between us, while I refused to flinch. From the ever-changing look on her face, Vernal was arguing with herself internally over what I had said. I didn't blame her; I would be doing the same if our positions were reversed.
Let me go, and ruin Raven's desire to end her brother… or keep me here, and potentially doom the entire tribe. Not an easy choice. But then again, easy choices had no place in this lifestyle.
Finally, after a moment that dragged for an eternity…
She lowered her gun.
"So what were you trying to do?" She asked. Keeping my guard up, I gestured to the bone-white mask, lying forgotten on the table between us.
"I've heard that people can leave behind trace elements of their Aura on items that have significance to them. If it's true, then I thought I could absorb your boss's portal Semblance." I answered. Vernal blinked, looking at me like I had suddenly grown a second head, before reverting to her glare, with a hint of amusement.
"Aura doesn't work like that, you idiot. It's not something we bleed out as we use it." She deadpanned. I felt my shoulders slump dejectedly, finally seeing my mistake. I had been assuming Aura worked on the same principles of mana. But rules were different between expectation and reality. Now my only chance laid with taking Raven's power directly. An impossible task, given her experience and paranoia.
"So now what?" I asked, desperation worming its way into my voice. Vernal strode forward, placing a calloused palm on my shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
"There may be another way." She stated, her hand slowly stroking up to my neck. I just scoffed.
"I don't know the way to Mistral. And by the time I figure it out, Haven will be a smoking crater long before I get there. Plus, no offense, but I really don't trust any of your lackeys as a guide." I hissed. Vernal merely rubbed her fingers over my skin, softly massaging away the tension.
"That's not what I meant." She whispered softly. But before I could inquire further, her hand roughly grabbed my shoulder, squeezing down on the pressure point within. The effect was immediate: my legs buckled from underneath me, and I quickly found myself crumpled in a heap on the floor. My body wouldn't move, no matter how much I willed it.
"I'm sorry. But you have to trust me." Vernal's words sounded far away, drowned out by the sudden assault of self-deprecation that flooded my brain. Despite all she had said to me, Vernal was a bandit, out for herself and her tribe. For someone who had gotten by the last eight months on mistrust and instinct, I was still so stupidly naive. She had coached me, assisted me. And somehow, part of me had wanted to trust her. Put my faith in her, and hope she would help me.
Why should I have expected any different? Betrayal came naturally to me, no matter how hard I tried to hide from it.
In the end… trust only ever earned me a knife in the back.
The telltale sting of a rough hand slapping my cheek jolted me awake. Blinking away the bleariness of unconsciousness, I saw Vernal, hand raised, standing before me.
"You need to wake up."
I tried to raise an arm to massage my face, but for some reason, I couldn't. Cognisance came back to me as I struggled, finally noticing my wrists had been bound behind my back with bulky metal handcuffs.
"I'm getting real sick of waking up like this, Vernal." I growled. She only offered me a sympathetic look, rubbing her hand.
"I promise, you won't be that way for long." She replied. I rolled my eyes.
"For your sake, that had better mean you're going to let me go." I warned.
"Not quite. Raven's on her way. She wants to… talk to you." Vernal responded. I shot her a dirty look.
"So Raven's decided to cash me in after all? Big surprise." I snarled. Vernal looked at me fiercely.
"I'm trying to help you, you idiot. The only way you'll catch up to Raven's daughter in time is with her Semblance, and you've clearly proven you can't get it yourself." She explained.
"So, what? You'll summon her, and get her to give it to me? I'm not stupid, Maiden." I shot back. Vernal pinched the bridge of her nose, and let out a frustrated sigh.
"Clearly you are. Your Aura's still recharging, but you'll soon have enough to break free. If you keep Raven talking for long enough, you can take her Semblance yourself." She explained irritably. I said nothing; there was no longer a reason to trust her.
"Listen… your handler, Kimba… she spoke to me."
Those words caught my attention, and my anger at this supposed betrayal faded.
"What?"
"Kimba told me what you've been through. Who you really are. And eight months ago, I would have called her crazy. But after everything that's happened between then and now… I believe her." She explained.
"So, you believe that there's an apocalypse coming? There's another world linked to this one? All from the words of a hooded woman? Seems a little far-fetched to me." I deadpanned. Vernal looked to me.
"The way I've lived, I've learned not to dismiss something as impossible because it sounds ridiculous. Given all you've seen, I'd assume you're the same." She replied. I nodded my head to the side in admittance; I'd said as much numerous times already.
"You're dismissed, Vernal."
Raven's voice cut through the air, causing Vernal and I to look to her. Her expressions were always imperceptible at the beginning of any conversation I had with her, but this time was different. She was scowling disdainfully in my direction, a withering gaze that made me want to fall to her knees, pleading for forgiveness.
She was not happy.
"Yes, boss." Vernal replied, getting to her feet. But before she turned away, she shot me a small, knowing smile. I didn't respond, not wanting to clue Raven in. And like that, Vernal exited the tent. Raven watched her harshly as she left the tent, before turning to me, red eyes now trained disdainfully on me.
"What was that you said to me about not wanting to run away anymore? Because from what Vernal's described, that's what you seem to be doing." She began, her voice sharper than any blade I had seen. I looked to her, feeling my Aura bubble within my gut as it charged, trying to maintain a nervous facade.
"There are two kinds of people I will not tolerate: cowards and hypocrites. And you have proven yourself to be both, boy. The bounty on your head is looking more appetising by the second." She growled.
"A bounty that Cinder is responsible for. Or did you forget that she throws anybody who can't serve her purpose to the Beowolves?" I shot back. Raven let out a huff.
"I'm aware of what you think she is capable of, but you—"
"What I "think"? Raven, I know what she's capable of." I shot back. Raven leered at me.
"She stole her Maiden powers from a dying woman who couldn't defend herself, even if she were able to do so. Vernal has been training her abilities since I found her." She explained.
"You're awfully confident in your protege's abilities. Alright then. Humour me: say you're wrong, and Cinder manages, by some astronomically minuscule chance, to kill Vernal, your Spring Maiden. What then?" I asked. Raven glared at me.
"Vernal is more than capable of—"
"Cinder gets both Spring and Fall Maiden powers. And when that happens, she'll turn her new toys on you, your tribe, and everyone at Haven." I explained. I looked deep in Raven's eyes, which were now ablaze with fury.
"Vernal will succeed. She is far too powerful to fall at the hands of a pretender." She hissed. But as she ranted about the abilities of Vernal, and Fall's flaws, the gears in my head turned.
Despite harbouring a Maiden, an act that would surely bring about countless forms of attack from 'Salem' and her… 'cult', Raven was being awfully blasé about Vernal's fate. Almost as if…
Even if Vernal was killed, Cinder would still fail.
But unless Vernal could send that power somewhere else…
The pieces clicked into place.
"She's not the real Maiden."
My words brought Raven out of her tirade, and she looked to me, eyes wide with shock.
"What are you—?"
"For being so concerned about Vernal, you keep saying she won't fail. Is that because she's invincible… or because being the Maiden isn't her purpose?" I asked.
"I— You don't—"
"Plus, you're putting an awful lot of stock in her power. And you keep spouting about how Cinder won't get it, no matter who she kills."
"You're playing a dangerous game, boy." Raven warned. But I continued on, undeterred by her threats.
"But if that's the case…" I trailed off, making a show of putting the pieces together in my head.
"That… pretender… she doesn't know who she's dealing with. How many people have you met who believed they were unbeatable? Who thought they were the ultimate in combat? Every day I hear the same words of my opponents moments before their blood stains my blade."
"Because you have an unfair advantage. Don't you?" I sneered. Raven gazed angrily at me, her hand moments away from drawing her sword. Undeterred, I continued.
"You have some kind of power that your opponents can't possibly have. That they can't hope to match, no matter what. Right?" I asked, giving a nasty glare. Raven's furious gaze faltered for a split second, but it was enough to tell me everything she wouldn't say. The unspoken moment passed, as Raven looked away.
"Enough! Your time is past, boy. With the Lien your corpse will bring—"
"Wait, you're gonna kill me?" I breathed, feeling my heart skip a beat. Raven drew closer, a furious glower slowly eroding my spirit.
"Cowardice like yours has only one sentence: death." She hissed, drawing a knife from her jacket. As the steel glinted in the dull light, I heard a tone from my Scroll. My Aura had recharged enough for a small blast of energy, enough to destroy my bindings.
Everything happened in an instant: with a flash of light, my cuffs broke into pieces. I charged forward, grabbing a tight hold of Raven's wrist, and slammed it into a nearby support pole. Raven cried out in pain, and the knife slipped from her fingers, landing near my boot. To keep it from being used again, I stomped on the blade, grabbed the hilt, and ripped the weapon in half with a metallic snap. But before I could turn my attention back to Raven, she was upon me, forcing me to the ground, her hands wrapped tightly around my throat, slowly crushing my windpipe.
"I should have killed you from the beginning… if I had known how much trouble you were…" Her voice was a murderous whisper. I let out a series of chokes and splutters, trying to wrestle my way free. But no matter how much I struggled, Raven's fingers refused to budge.
"Raven… please…" I gasped, feeling my struggles begin to weaken, and seeing the very edge of my peripheral vision begin to darken. But to my surprise, Raven loosened her grip as something fell out from the folds of my shirt. While she scooped it up, I got to my knees, gasping and choking. Raven paid me no mind, however, as she scrutinised what had fallen free from my shirt..
"You and my daughter… you truly care about each other?" Raven asked, her gaze never tearing away from the object in her hand. I got to my feet, rubbing my bruised neck.
"What?"
Raven finally looked up to me, and held the object in front of my eyes. A golden locket, in the shape of a heart, opened to reveal a lock of golden hair on one half, and a picture of Yang and I, our cheeks pressed together and smiling happily, on the other.
The locket Yang had given me when I'd left.
"Answer me!" Raven's harsh voice resounded, drawing me out of my stupor. My eyes narrowed, as I strode towards her.
"There's not a lot I know for sure, Raven. Whether Salem can be stopped… whether I'll be able to make a difference in this battle of Ozpin's… or even if I'll ever be able to prove my innocence. But there is one thing I do know." And as I moved closer, I reached for the locket, my fingers clasping around the chain dangling from the keepsake.
"I care very deeply about Yang, more than I've ever cared about anyone. And nothing you, or anyone else, can say will change that."
Raven didn't respond, nor did she look away. The moment between us was excruciatingly tense, with neither side wanting to blink. Until finally, Raven whirled around, ripping the locket from my grasp. In one fluid motion, she reached for her sword. Instinctively, I extended my own blade, ready to strike back.
But to my surprise, Raven spun around, and directed her strike behind her, the steel cutting a hole in reality, leading to a dark vortex. A portal.
"Boss?" Vernal spoke up, confusion audible in her tone. Raven paid her no mind, only sheathing her sword, and glancing over her shoulder at me, her hand still wrapped around the hilt of her weapon, and the locket still held in her grasp.
"Go." She said. I looked to the vortex, then back to her.
"What?"
"I'm giving you one last chance. If you truly care for Yang, you can prove it by keeping her out of this fight."
"You know she won't let me do that." I responded, folding my arms. Raven sighed at that.
"Then at the very least, keep her safe. Much as our relationship may be strained… she is still my daughter." She ordered.
"Her safety will always be my priority, Raven. Always." I swore. Raven let out a huff, snapped the locket closed, and finally stood aside. I stood my ground, not wanting to leave my keepsake behind, but right as I was about to protest, she glanced at me.
"If sentiment over a simple memento is anchoring you here, then you have no place on the battlefield." Raven snapped. Getting the message, I took off in a run to the gap in reality, my heart sinking as I left behind my most treasured item.
But this was war. Sacrifices had to be made.
Travelling through an interdimensional portal was not as awe-inspiring as fiction would have you believe. There's no rush through a spectrum-shifting tunnel that undulates this way and that. No stretching and snapping of every atom in your body as you are destroyed in one location and recreated in another. It's merely a simple shift in location. As if you had closed your eyes in one room for a moment, and opened them in another. Somewhat disorienting, to be certain, but nothing to be awestruck about.
As I blinked back the sudden dizziness that had snuck up on me, I stumbled forward, only to feel a pain in my shin. The blurriness dissipated, and I saw my leg had impacted with…
…a coffee table?
Looking up, two familiar faces greeted me: Ruby and Qrow. Ruby had her weapon drawn, but her face was of shock, rather than determination. Qrow was already stowing his sword away.
"Darrel?" Ruby breathed. I clutched my head, already feeling a headache coming on, as I groaned. But I had intel to share, and it couldn't wait for a migraine to pass.
"Qrow, Ruby, I've got something to—" I started, before stopping short as I finally noticed the third person in the room. A young boy, no older than Ruby, sat impassively at my sudden arrival. Ozpin's cane leaned beside him on the couch, and he held a steaming cup of coffee.
"Wait, who's the new kid?" I asked. The boy and Qrow exchanged looks, before turning their attention back to me.
"Right, I forgot to tell you. Darrel, this is Ozpin." Qrow stated, gesturing to the boy. I looked from Qrow, to the boy, then back to Qrow.
"O-kaayy…" I drawled, struggling to find words, but finding none. The boy set his mug aside, and got to his feet, revealing him to only be somewhat shorter than me, coming up to approximately my nose.
"Darrel, it's good to see you again. When news of your capture spread, I—"
"Hold on, hold on. You're Headmaster Ozpin? Like, really the headmaster?" I asked, my brain struggling to comprehend this.
"Yes. I'm not his secret child, or a time-shifted self, or anything like that." He explained calmly. A moment passed, me gaping like a fish at this new development until I finally raised a hand up, and gave myself a meaty slap across the face. This had to be a dream.
"Well… that's not the reaction I expected from you. I would have thought you'd be more accepting of my soul appearing in another body. After all, it happened—"
"It happened to me…" I finished the sentence in a breathless whisper. A moment passed, and the boy smiled warmly. Realisation clicked into place, and the Lien finally dropped.
Ozpin had been reincarnated.
"So… you're… really…" I stuttered trying to process this information, before finally remembering my purpose. Looking over Ozpin's shoulder at Qrow, I immediately turned serious.
"Qrow, it's Raven. She—"
*BZZZZ*
Qrow pulled out his Scroll, and held it to his ear, holding up a finger.
"Yeah? ... Okay... yeah, we'll be there."
And with the tap of the Scroll, his brief conversation ended.
"Who was it?" Ruby asked. Qrow set down his mug, and started reaching for his hip flask.
"It was Leo. Said he had a breakthrough with the council. Thinks he might be able to get together a small raiding party for the bandits. He wants us to meet up at the school tomorrow night to walk us through it." He explained. Ruby smiled.
"That's great! I'll go get the others!" She exclaimed, running out of the room in a flurry of rose petals. As Qrow drank from his flask, Ozpin - or the boy Ozpin had become - took his seat on the couch.
"Hmm… that sounds drastically different from your original conversation, does it not?" Ozpin pondered, looking at Qrow, whose eyes had darkened in thought.
"It does." He replied.
"Wait… Leo? As in Headmaster Leo Lionheart?" I asked. Ozpin looked to me.
"Yes. Why?"
"It's a trap." I responded. Both Ozpin and Qrow looked to me in surprise. Not wanting to worry anyone else, I moved to the door that Ruby had left ajar and shut it. As I moved back to the pair, I began to breathlessly explain.
"Cinder came to Raven, made a deal with her. Leo lures you to Haven, Cinder and her cronies will be waiting to kill you." I explained, though it sounded more like breathless babbling. Qrow's eyes grew wider, but he didn't react beyond that.
"Raven and her Spring Maiden help Cinder get the Relic, but Raven—"
"Darrel, slow. Down. Take a breath, and start again." Ozpin soothed, leaning forward. I nodded, took a breath, and began again, trying to remain lucid.
"Back when Weiss and Yang arrived, Raven offered to tell me more about… everything. Salem, you, the Relics… all of it. But after she told me about Salem, Cinder arrived. She knows that Raven is protecting the Spring Maiden, and they've made a deal: Raven's tribe helps Cinder get into Haven Academy and get the relic, Salem leaves Raven's people alone for good." I explained, more concisely this time. Qrow's eyes narrowed.
"Raven, you coward…" He muttered, before looking back to me.
"She knows it won't be that simple. Salem will never leave her alone." Qrow began, but with a wave of my hand, I cut him off.
"She said as much. So she's planning to steal the Relic and run off with the Maiden." I continued. Qrow pinched the bridge of his nose with an aggravated growl.
"By the gods, Raven, how could you be so stupid?" He snarled through clenched teeth. Ozpin then glanced at me.
"You don't think it will work, do you?" He asked. I shook my head.
"It doesn't matter if it'll work or not, because she won't even get the chance. Once that Vault is open, I'm betting that Cinder will kill the Spring Maiden, take her power, and use it on everyone at Haven for a trial run." I stated.
"You suspect that'd she'd be able to do this?"
"Whether she's able to or not isn't important here. I saw Cinder back when she made that deal with Raven; if she weren't outnumbered, she'd've killed Raven's Maiden without any hesitation. She's obsessed with the seasonal maiden's powers, and won't stop until she has the complete set." I answered. Ozpin took a sip of coffee, and looked to me.
"Well, we'll have to proceed with caution then, before any-"
*BANG-BANG*
A harsh rapping on the door halted the conversation. All three of us looked to the source of the noise, as Qrow got to his feet and walked to the door. With a click, the door unlocked, and in poured a small crowd of familiar faces. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Ren, Nora…
and Jaune. The moment he saw me, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You."
As I expected, Jaune's voice was low, murderous.
"Jaune, I know what you—" I began. But I never got any farther, as a leather clad fist slammed into my cheekbone, sending me onto my hands and knees.
"After everything you did… you have some nerve coming back." Jaune hissed, drawing his fist back. I looked up at him, lights sparkling on the very edge of my field of vision.
"Jaune… please…" I gasped, holding up a hand in supplication. But my request went unheeded, as Jaune slapped my arm aside, and let loose another punch at my temple.
"Jaune, stop!" A voice cried out, but I was too dazed to identify the owner.
"He brought the Grimm to Beacon, he led the attack! And he'll do it again here." Jaune snarled, before grabbing my ear, and hoisting me up. Jaune looked to me, a look of pure hatred I never thought he was even capable of expressing.
"This is a preventative measure." He growled, before slamming another fist into my jaw. As my face collided with the floor, I tasted the faintly metallic blemish of blood in my mouth.
"I'm sorry…" I wheezed, my instincts to get back up clouded.
"We trusted you. And you betrayed us."
"It wasn't his fault!" Another voice rang out, though I didn't know whose.
"Like hell it wasn't!" Jaune shouted, grabbing the collar of my tunic. I looked to his raised fist groggily, desperate to think of something, anything, to say that would quell his rage.
But only two words emerged from my bloodied mouth in a whisper.
"I'm sorry…"
As my vision darkened, I saw Jaune draw his fist back, only for two figures to grab ahold of his arms, and drag him away.
"Get… off me!" He roared, before a red cloaked figure stood between him and I, arms outstretched.
"Jaune… stop. Please." Ruby finally spoke. Jaune still looked at me over Ruby's shoulder, his murderous glare never leaving his face. Until finally, he wrenched his arms free from Ren and Nora's grasps. I assumed he would shove Ruby aside and resume his assault on me, but instead, he strode up to Ruby, his rage making him tower over her.
"Don't blame me when you get a blade in the heart. He can't be trusted." He hissed, before turning on his heel, and marching away. Everyone watched him go, and I looked away, guilt rampaging within me. Ruby turned to look at me, her silver eyes glistening.
"He's wrong, Darrel. We trust you." She soothed. But if she sought to calm me, it wasn't working. Getting unsteadily to my feet, I looked to Weiss.
"You got some Ice Dust?" I asked. Weiss said nothing, only tossing a small vial of gleaming cyan energy in my direction. Catching it with a free hand, I crushed the vial in my grasp, feeling the cold energy crystallise into frigid shards, which I quickly wrapped in my bandana, creating a makeshift icepack. Pressing the pack to my bruised cheek, I started for the door.
"Where are you going?" Ruby asked.
"I… I need some time alone, Ruby." I responded, without looking back.
I meant for this to be much longer, initially. But writing Darrel to talk his way into getting to Mistral in time was hard enough.
And before anybody asks...
Yes, I am aware of the Justice League x RWBY crossover. No, I will not be covering it.
I'm more of a Marvel kind of guy anyway.