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raebaekaedae · 2 years

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Volume One, Episode Four: “Pericles”

Series: SCWR Rating: PG-13 (Foul Language, Violence against Fantasy Monsters, Death Mentioned?, Prominent Themes) Summary: (3,990 words) “Haddy’s been settling into his routine with the help of his teammates. So, when they don’t show up for class one day, he’s rightfully a bit concerned. After learning the significance of the day’s date, Hadrian sets out to learn more about Team Prosciutto's leader; Pericles.”

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"Mr. Snow."

His head snapped to attention as he whipped around from staring at the door to the instructor. Mrs. Heather placed a hand on her hip as she looked up at him, narrowing her reddish-purple eyes on him. She was very stern and constantly smelled like too much cosmetics, but he always enjoyed her class. Her sunny hair was done up in a loose, thick braid that rested on her shoulder and secured with a red tie.

She continued, "Care to tell us where the rest of your team is today?"

The past few weeks had been easy. Hadrian had been on time for every class, never missed a lecture, and already had top grades. All of this was mostly thanks to his teammates. Ryder kept him on track, Robyn made sure he knew where he was going, and Monroe helped him catch up on missed work from the previous semester... so, when the three of them didn't show up to class this morning, it concerned him.

He swallowed hard as he stood up and answered, "I'm not sure, ma'am. I've messaged them, but haven't gotten a response."

"Mr. Snow," Mrs. Heather sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "Please refrain from using your scroll in class."

"Of course, ma'am!" The faunus exclaimed, sticking the new scroll into his pocket with a hasty salute, "Sorry!"

As snickering filled the classroom, the professor again sighed, "This isn't Atlas Academy, Mr. Snow. You don't have to salute the teachers. Please, take your seat."

Hadrian quickly sat down as the giggling and amused murmuring faded out. As Mrs. Heather went back to her lecture on the anatomy of a Deathstalker, he silently pulled his scroll back out and glanced over his team. All of them had been offline since earlier this morning. They'd seemed quiet-- well quieter in Ryder's case-- when the team had gotten ready after waking up, but nothing that gave him cause for alarm. He sighed as he went over the team's private group chat one more time.

HDRN: Guys, Prof. Heather is super pissed. When you get this, shoot me a text.

When no one responded within a minute or two, he slumped back in his seat and stared at the ceiling. He sat there for a moment before his scroll buzzed. He quickly scampered up and looked at the screen.

QROW: Still no word?

Oh. He glanced up and to his side, where Qrow was sitting a row above him, and watched as the gothic teen made an apologetic face.

QROW: Sorry, didn't mean to get your hopes up.

HDRN: It's fine, dude. I'm just worried.

QROW: I asked Tai, and he said he hasn't seen them.

QROW: Did you check their locations?

HDRN: Yeah, they've been offline since breakfast.

QROW: That's not surprising, given the date.

That caught his attention. He looked up to see Qrow, but he was still immersed in his scroll. So, he was quick to reply.

HDRN: And that means...??

This time when he looked up, the crow-haired teen had a look of regret on his face as he nudged his sister and showed her the messages. Hadrian watched in slight confusion as Raven rolled her eyes and tried to push Qrow off of her; but when he wouldn't relent, she quietly groaned and took the scroll from him.

QROW: It's Peri's birthday.

Peri. Short for Pericles. Pericles Vasilikós. Team PRCW's leader. He'd been told his name before he'd arrived at Beacon. He knew that his team had lost their leader over summer break and that he would be his replacement; but, other than that... he didn't know practically anything about him.

HDRN: Oh... Do you know where they might be then?

Qrow snatched his scroll back from Raven and exchanged a glance with Haddy before he replied.

QROW: Not sure. I think he had family here in Vale. They could be visiting. That might be a good place to start.

The rest of the period went by slowly. He had trouble focusing on taking notes, but he needed to if the rest of the team was going to understand the lesson without a tutor. As soon as the bell rang, he was up and out of his seat, ready to go on a one-man search party across all of Vale if he had to... just one problem; he had no idea where to start looking.

A tap on his shoulder broke his focus as he turned around to see Summer standing behind him. She smiled, "I think I can help... Qrow filled me in..." He didn't even feel her approach.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he replied, "Any help is appreciated, thanks!"

"Qrow was misinformed," she started, taking Hadrian's elbow and leading him off to the side of the hall so they didn't block the flow of traffic in the halls, "Peri didn't have any family in the city, but he did have an older friend. A faunus named Rayne Pleia; She's got some kind of bull horns, I think. She works down at the docks. She should be there today."

He was half-tempted to ask her about her sources, but he decided to not look this particular gift horse in the mouth. "Thanks, Summer. I'll start there," he smiled.

With that, he took his leave, quickly changing out of his uniform and grabbing his weapons just in case anything happened to his new team. Within ten minutes, Hadrian was catching an airbus down to Vale. It seemed like the ride took longer than normal, but that was probably just his nerves. When he touched down, he was out on patrol before the landing gear fully settled.

He made his way to the docks in search of this faunus woman who was supposedly friends with Team PRCW's leader. He wandered the harbor for hours, asking anyone he passed if he or she had seen his missing team members or the mystery woman he was in search of. The sun was setting over the gently rippling waves of the port, allowing a beautiful dance of pinks and oranges to grace her waters. He sighed as he sat down on the edge of one of the docks.

"Hey," a voice from behind him called.

Hadrian turned to see a brutish woman with cinnamon skin and short, dark hair leaning up against an old fisherman's hut with her arms crossed. She was wearing thick overalls and a tight undershirt that exposed her burly biceps. She had a judgemental frown on her face as she stared at him... it was only then he noticed the horns curling up from underneath a tied bandana.

He quickly stood up and exclaimed, "Hey! You're--"

"Rayne," she cut in, still frowning, "You've been looking for me." It was definitely a statement, not a question.

When she didn't move to greet or approach him, he nodded in response. "Um, yes ma'am, I'm looking for my teammates. I was told that you might know where they were?"

The woman examined him from afar with a critical eye. After a moment she rolled her eyes and asked, "You Hadrian?"

"Yes ma'am!" He answered with newfound hope.

Rayne rolled her dark eyes again and stated, "Cut it out with the ma'am shit, kid. I'm not that much older than you."

"Of course!" He apologized with a light blush, "Sorry."

The woman rolled her eyes once again as she shifted her weight to stand up straight. She walked to the end of the pier, looming over Hadrian like a statue and blocking his escape if needed. She glared down at him, silently judging whether or not he was worthy. However, he stood firm, proudly standing his ground against the stubborn faunus.

She raised a judgemental eyebrow as she replied, "You don't scare easy, do you, kid?"

"Not when it comes to my teammates, ma'am," he replied boldly.

Rayne narrowed her eyes on him, before shrugging her shoulders and leaning back, "Alright, kid, what do you wanna know?"

He paused to think over his choices. He didn't know how long the leery woman would tolerate him. "I'd like to know... more about Pericles."

That seemed to stump her, it was obviously not a question she had expected. She waited, silently examining, before she replied, "Well, for starters, no one called him 'Pericles'."

Hadrian listened intently as Rayne divulged her secrets, "He was Peri. A noble, kind-hearted kid with only the best of intentions. He was snarky, had a real sassy streak about him; but, you could tell he cared... the stars almost seemed to shine in his eyes... as if he could just blink and bring them down from the night sky, but not because he controlled them... because they respected him...

"He saved my life. I was involved in some... less than legal activities when I was younger. When he and Monroe moved here to go to the Academy, their team caught me stealing from some merchant. Instead of arresting me or punishing me, he offered a solution. He knew the docks were looking for a good set of arms to haul crates, so he put in a good word for me and got me this job.

"He was... a good kid, y'know," she finished with the faintest hints of a smile.

For just a moment, the two stood there silently. No words needed to be spoken. However, after that minute or so had passed, Rayne's thick exterior was back as she asked, "You need to know anything else, or you just wasting my time?"

Hadrian smiled, not because it was polite or what someone expected of him, but truly a genuine smile. Peri. He meant a lot to a lot of people. "Yeah, um, do you know where Monroe, Robyn, and Ryder are?"

She took a deep breath and sighed before she nodded, "Yeah... I got a pretty good idea..."

It took him just under two hours to hike his way out of the city and through the autumnal forest. Every once in a while, he would look down at his scroll to check the directions Rayne had given him but other than that, he was focused on the trail ahead. The sun had long since set and cast shadows in the dark of the woods; his path illuminated by star shine and moonlight.

Grimm roamed Forever Fall Forest throughout the night, hunting for unsuspecting and naïve people to prey on. He hated the idea that his teammates were out in the middle of the woods after dark, but he knew he had to remain calm or else those very grimm would stalk him from their shadows and tear him down. He looked down at his scroll one last time, before reaching up and moving some overgrown brush out of the way.

Before him was a small alcove of trees enclosing a small bush of wildflowers and weeds. Hadrian hesitated and looked around before he called out to the shrub, "Um... guys? You there?"

When he got no reply, the faunus took another step towards the brush, "Monroe? Robyn? Ryder?"

Crickets chirping were the only noise that followed, so he breathed in a deep sigh before stepping over some of the weeds and approaching the bush of budding flowers. He knelt down, feeling quite silly-- as if talking to a bush wasn't absurd enough-- as he reached underneath the shrub and felt around. After a moment, his fingers ran across a latch; which, he flipped.

He stood up, taking the leafy hatch with him. The bush levered up and rested against its hinge as a tunnel opened up from underneath. A wooden ladder made from thick sticks and twine led down into the secret base. Hadrian took one last look around before he stepped inside and started the quick climb down, turning the flashlight from his scroll on as he did.

The ladder itself was shorter than he was; his head was still sticking out of the top of the hole. He awkwardly turned around and got on his hands and knees to begin the crawl into the clubhouse. It wasn't much. There was a tarp with supporting beams overlaid for the ceiling that had soil and fallen leaves atop it to conceal the presence of a base. It was no bigger than his bedroom back home.

There were tree roots coming through some of the packed dirt walls that had pictures tacked to them and pillows were thrown across the floor. He could tell that everyone had their own little corner. One was dug out to be deeper than the rest to accommodate Ryder's size. Another had plenty of flowers and pillows piled high into a make-shift throne. Across from that, there was one pillow sitting alone. In the final corner, there were pillows, but a small indent had been carved out. Inside this shelf, there were knick-knacks and trinkets.

In the middle of the room, there was a small lantern. He crawled over to it and lit the bulb as he further examined the decorations. There was an intertwining web of fishing lines that hung from the rafters that were adorned with flowers and wildlife, as well as little beads and pieces of colorful tile. As he looked around, he was drawn to the pictures first. There were six hung up on the roots.

One was of the entirety of Team Prosciutto. Much like his own team's photo, Ryder had Robyn up on one of his shoulders with a wide grin as she threw her arms into the air. Below them on one side, Monroe had rolled her eyes but was smiling as she had crossed her arms on her chest. She wore her hair pulled back out of her face, unlike how she styled it now. The final figure, who he could only assume was Peri, was laughing as he rested a hand on Ryder's back.

Peri's hair was a wavy, royal purple color that rested shortly on his head. His eyes were closed, but Hadrian could see the happiness in them. He wore similar attire to Monroe, except more pronounced and extravagant with emphasis on armor over presentability. He was armed with a sheathed sword and quiver that rested against his hips on opposite sides.

He looked so... alive.

Hadrian forced himself to turn away from the picture and look to the others. Most of them looked to be taken from Robyn's perspective. The first was of Ryder standing atop a mound of fallen Ursa, spraying a hail of bullets down on approaching grimm from the opposite side of the pile. Peri was a partial ways up, posing for the camera with a 'rock on' hand signal and his tongue sticking out of his mouth, mid-laugh. Monroe yelled at both him and Robyn while fending off one of the beasts.

The next was a sight. Ryder laid back as he bench pressed a few reps out with both Peri and Monroe on the bar. The blonde was beet-red as she was in the process of losing her balance and falling while her counterpart seemed to be cheering on the burly faunus beneath them. You could tell that Robyn was laughing, because of the shakiness of the picture.

After that was a selfie. Peri stood with his back to Robyn and Ryder with an extended arm towards the camera. He was trying not to laugh as he bit into the fist over his mouth to keep himself from waking the red-haired girl. Robyn was sacked out as Ryder gently wrote on her face with a marker. She already had a mustache, monobrow, star over one of her eyes, and a heart beneath the other as well as the word "Babybird" written across her forehead.

Robyn took the next picture. It seemed to be during the construction of this very clubhouse. They had all changed into casual clothes as they cleared away brush for the hole Ryder was digging out. Peri was knee-deep in the dirt with him as he hauled buckets of debris away. Monroe sat in the background, smiling as she worked on creating the hidden roof.

The last photo caught him a bit off guard. It was another selfie, this time from Monroe's perspective. She was smiling as she looked into the camera's lens with a light blush across her cheeks. Peri's cheek was resting against hers as he also grinned at the scroll. It was clear to see that his arm was resting over her shoulders and hers was wrapped around his back to his side.

Hadrian sat back as he looked over all of the photos again and again. He felt like he knew Peri a little bit better after examining the memories memorialized on the walls of his and his team's secret hideaway. However, he realized that was still no closer to finding his teammates than he was before. Maybe they had gone back to the school when night fell.

As he turned around to turn out the lantern and crawl out of the hole, a small glint caught his eye. He blinked as he looked up for the source of the shine. From the corner furthest from him, on the shelf carved especially for it, his eyes spotted a bit of metal. Curious, he inched over to it.

There were plenty of trinkets on the two-layered shelf. A silver medal from the Vytal Festival. An empty dust cartridge labeled, "First Shot at Beacon!!". Key chains from each of the major kingdoms, except for Atlas. A matching pair of tarot cards; the Tower sitting upright. But, what had caught his eye before nearly brought his heart out of his chest.

Sitting proudly at the front of the shrine of Team PRCW's accomplishments, were a trio of metal emblems, each wrong but still cherished. A row of circles encased without a line through them. A windmill with only one beam between the blades. And his own emblem, perfect and resting in the center. A label sat beside them; "First Mission of Team SCWR".

He reached into his pocket, where he found the blonde pirate's incorrect, metal emblem. He pulled it out and looked at it for a long while before he sighed with a hesitant smile and closed eyes. He stretched forward and set it with the others. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a complete set; one that fit together perfectly.

After a moment, he turned back and flipped the lantern off before climbing out of the hideaway. Hadrian pulled the bush back down over its post and latched it closed. He moved to start his trek back to Beacon when his head snapped to attention. He whipped around as the distinct smell of gunpowder and dust drifted through the air. That was when he heard the faint boom of gunfire.

His feet were moving before his mind had time to catch up. Twigs slapped him across the face as he sprinted through the thick brush of the autumnal forest. When things cleared up, he used his semblance to speed himself up. He armed himself and caught his picks on tree trunks as he passed to guide himself in the direction where the scent was thickest.

He broke into a clearing and stopped short as he watched the show in front of him. A Deathstalker rampaged through the forest, easily pulling up trees and tearing up the long grass. One of its claws snapped a log in two like it was made of brittle glass as it whipped around and threw the broken pieces.

Riding atop the scorpion-esche grimm, Robyn had a death grip on the Deathstalker's stinger. She was swinging around wildly as she kept the thing from stabbing anyone and it tried to throw her off. Ryder had one of the stinging arachnid's claws embedded in the ground underneath his hammer as he was pulling back to work on the other. In front of the grimm, Monroe's aura had clearly broken as she took pot-shots at the beast with dust rounds from her revolver, just trying to keep its attention off of her team.

Hadrian could only watch in horror as the beast retaliated. It whirled its free claw around into Ryder's chest, sending him flying as his golden aura shattered. He tumbled off into the long grass and out of view.

"Ryder!" Robyn yelled, still swinging from the Deathstalker's stinger.

She was the next to go. The grimm's tail spun through the air and ripped Robyn's grip apart. The ginger hit a tree as her own red aura fragmented, but held strong. She fell to the ground behind some bushes as the Deathstalker turned its attention back to Monroe. Hadrian watched as she stood frozen in fear. A fear he knew all too well. The grimm attacked, aiming to gore her through with its venomous barb...

And she wasn't moving.

In one fluid motion, Hadrian assembled his rifle and pulled a dust cartridge from his side. He didn't even register which type of elemental ammunition he'd picked until his finger was pressed against the back of the trigger guard. An explosion of icy energy fired out of the barrel and struck the Deathstalker right between its eyes. Frost and ice suddenly encased its head and quickly moved up the rest of its body, finally reaching its stinger only inches away from Monroe's heart.

A tense silence fell over the clearing as seconds passed like hours. After what seemed like ages, one of the grimm's claws broke apart and fell to the ground. It wasn't long after that the rest of the Deathstalker followed suit. As the beast shattered and slowly started to dissipate, Monroe fell to her knees with her shoulder slumped so far he was surprised they weren't on the ground. Both Robyn and Ryder stood up, rubbing their wounds. Hadrian let out a shaky breath he didn't know he was holding in.

He fell back onto his butt as the trio noticed him. They scampered up and quickly ran across the field. Robyn skidded to his side on her knees, putting a hand on his shoulder, while Monroe and Ryder stood in front of him.

The ginger hastily asked, "Hadrian! Are you okay?!"

"ME!?" he replied, half-scared and half-surprised, "You guys were the ones getting tossed around by a Deathstalker in the middle of the woods!"

They all seemed to notice that everyone else was fine at the same moment because the entire team burst into a peal of chuckling laughter. Ryder extended his hands down to help both Robyn and Hadrian up as Monroe shook her head in disbelief, recovering from her initial terror.

Once the laughter had died down, the blonde asked, "What are you even doing out here?"

"I was looking for you three," the husky faunus answered honestly, holstering his weapons. He continued, "You weren't answering your scrolls, and I was a bit worried."

The three looked to one another, before each pulled their scroll out and checked their messages. Monroe pondered, "We must be out of range of the communication tower..."

"Sorry, man," Ryder apologized, rubbing the back of his neck, "D'dn't mean t' startle ya."

Hadrian smiled, "It's all good. I'm just glad I found you all in one piece."

"We decided to take the day off, because--" Robyn started.

He smiled as he held up a hand and cut in, "I know. It's okay. It's cool."

The silent acknowledgment that the three weren't in the wrong was felt between all of them. They stood under the stars for a moment longer before Monroe spoke up, "We should... probably get back to the school."

"Yeah," Ryder remarked, "I's gonna b' Hell tryin' t' catch 'p on cl'sses we miss'd."

"Don't worry, I got you guys covered!" Hadrian smiled.

Robyn punched his arm lightly as she smirked, "Thanks, Hadrian! Knew we could count on you."

"Um, actually, My--" he hesitated, taking a good look at each of them and contemplating his decision, before he finished with a faint smile, "-- my friends call me Haddy."

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old-acc-lesbianswithguns · 6 months

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Parallels as evidence for bumbleby being doomed by the narrative

Prefacing this with I LOVE BUMBLEBY and Im not saying I don’t ship them or they’re not in love, but I also love tragedies. Don’t like don’t read don’t comment.

First I want to talk about semblances. There was an obvious link drawn between Adam and Yang because they have the same semblance, only Adam doesn’t take damage from Moonslice and Yang does from Burn.

My line of thinking is that semblances represent a character’s fatal flaw. It’s the thing they need the most to make that flaw easier to deal with. Blake runs away from her problems, which she linked to her semblance in volume 2, so her semblance makes evasive fighting and quick escapes easy. Yang’s semblance is essentially taking damage over and over until it builds up inside her and she explodes in a fiery rage, and her semblance allows her to express that. Adam’s is the same thing, except he uses his sword to avoid taking damage, ie he uses his emotional reactivity as a weapon for malice and abuse while Yang uses it as an unhealthy self destructive habit.

Regardless, Yang and Adam share the same fatal flaw. That’s where the parallel is drawn between them, their shortcomings. When the emotional intensity gets too high for Blake, her instinct is to run, a habit I think she likely picked up from Adam. Blake’s runaway habits parallel with Yang’s worst trauma too - Raven. They’re both the dark brooding characters of their team represented by black who tend to run from their yellow-represented bubbly Xiao Long partners. Blake promised she wouldn’t go anywhere, but years of trauma isn’t going to undo with a death scene and a promise. It’s still in her semblance and her instinct to run away, and it’s in Yang’s to take that very, very personally.

I think this especially because Blake’s semblance (as far as I’m aware) is just the same as the start of the show, indicating no improvement of her fatal flaw. Meanwhile Ruby is a prime example of how semblances grow with the individual. As she slowed down, became tactical and responsible, she gained the ability to bring people with her when she zips around and to manipulate her body mass to pass around awkward obstacles. And while Yang’s semblance didn’t change, she changed how she used it and adapted it for a more controlled and level-headed fighting style.

Hypothetically they could work through their parallels to each other’s insecurities, but they’re in the middle of the entire world falling apart. They have to figure out how to defeat an immortal being. Their relationship so far has been hit after hit of hardships and shared trauma. While I’d love to see them get a happy ending, this is a huge thing to recover from while they’re still in crisis, and they would make the perfect tragedy. That, and I’m a sucker for interpersonal character problems paralleling with the external conflict - an immortal enemy/an inevitably tragic breakup.

(side note I can and will expand on: speaking of parallels, Ruby and Adam have romantic and positive parallels, Blake and Weiss have a crazy amount of parallels setting them up for a bigger rivalry than we’ve gotten so far, and the STRQ parallels I mentioned earlier can be extended to Summer and Qrow in favour of freezerburn)

I doubt CRWBY will ever break them up, especially in favour of freezerburn or ladybug, basically because they’ve had to fight so hard to get Blake and Yang on screen it would be such a shame to get another lesbian tragedy in the absence of those alternate ships. In theories and fanfics we trust.

#rwby #rwby's lesbians #bumbleby #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #rwby analysis #my analysis #freezerburn #rwby ladybug #parallels doesn’t feel like a word anymore

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doomalade · 7 months

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What do you interpret the "Arc Bloodline" to be? Cause every interpretation I've had ran against the "everyday man" Jaune supposedly is.

Personally me reading “bloodline” instantly makes me think of a royal family ya know?

(Hi quick mention here, the concept of bloodlines are also often used and tied to ideals of white supremacy and it’s not good that the Arc bloodline consists of blonde hair and blue eyes okay bye.)

Like across numerous fanfics I’ve read or AUs or whatever the sort, the Arc Bloodline is typically a family of legendary warriors.

I think it’s a RWBY fanfic trope at this point to have the Warrior King of Vale being Jaune’s ancestor (I would know, I did it in my AU lol).

So the concept of an “Arc bloodline” would most likely instantly tarnish any sense of Jaune just being an everyday guy.

You wanna know who are just everyday people? Ren and Nora. Hell, I would consider Tai to be the everyday guy of STRQ.

#rwby #doom.txt

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kitkatopinions · 1 year

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I get that I'm irrational when it comes to the STRQ-era headcanons I have that me and my sis mostly came up with before volume 7 came out that we've built up in our fanfics where we ignore canon. But I legit will not write a rwby fanfiction where Team STRQ didn't go to school with Team ORNG (consisting of Ozpin, Roman, Neo, and Glynda) and didn't develop a rivalry with Team JEWL from Atlas (containing Ironwood, Winter, an OC named Lee, and the OC father for Penny Polendina we invented because we didn't know about Pietro yet.) Literally I'm trying to think up a branch off of V9 fanfics and still am like "but obviously I need the strq-era backstories to stay the same way they always are." This is one reason why I can't publish any fanfics. XD

And also, this is one reason why I'm never gonna like any backstory stuff rwby does with Qrow, Tai, Raven, Summer, Ozpin's host, Roman, Neo, Glynda, James, Winter, or anyone else we made part of our strq headcanons like Amber or Barty. XD A bunch of other people want STRQ backstories or gave Roman Holiday a chance, but not me. XD

#rwde #sort of i guess

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fandom-wind · 1 year

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I suddenly remembered a fanfic in which Jaune was sent back in time after they defeated Salem but lost everyone. Jaune has hung out with the STRQ team in the past, specifically Raven. Funny, Jaune in the fanfiction had the same hair and facial hair as in volume 9. If you're interested, the ending did not please me, because Jaune was not brought together with Raven, with whom there was an amazing dynamic.

#rwby #jaune arc #team strq

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roninreverie · 3 months

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Chapter 7:

It's finally here! Qrow in a skirt!

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

Bonus:

5 second doodle of me trying to figure out what Beacon's stupid color scheme even is. Jury is still out BTW!

#strq contrast #strq #rwby strq #team strq #summer rose #taiyang xiao long #raven branwen #qrow branwen #qrow in a skirt #peter port #a03 fanfic #roninreverie

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iamafanofcartoons · 2 years

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The Branwen camp was in flames. The bandits struggled impressively for criminals but the fire wielding woman and her sword wielding companion were not lone huntsman, but skilled killers.

Raven and Vernal were their muscle, their brains, their strength.

They were not there.

The Branwen tribe was defenseless. And they were perishing.

"Where is she!?" The Fall Maiden screamed as she blasted a man with a bazooka igniting him and his weapon into a fireball.

A swarm of bullets flew at her. Blocking them with a barrier, she over-heated them with her fire. Suddenly the bullets floated into the air hurling back at the bandits who fired them.

There was no shouting from the small girl with an umbrella sword and a hat who danced as she slashed and stabbed through the tribe.

A man slammed his hammer onto the girl, shattering only glass, before he grabbed his throat that just been slit.

3 minutes.

The mightiest bandit tribe of Vale and Mistral...massacred in only 3 minutes.

Shay D. Mann was on his knees, crying at all that had happened. It felt barely a few days ago that the Chief's daughter had forced him to bring her to the camp, confronted her mother, and forced Raven to let their hostage go.

Then the leader of the Grimm sent their agents, and they were forced to work with Cinder for their own survival.

Now Cinder had returned, and she was an enemy.

"Where is Raven?" Cinder asked coldly.

"I don't know " Shay whispered.

"Only Vernal would know best-" Cinder smirked. "Vernal is dead"Shay froze...what?

Cinder continued.

"Raven was quite clever using Vernal as a decoy to hide the fact that she was the real maiden...but she's dead..and you will be too, unless you tell me where I can find her."

Shay opened his mouth, then his eyes widened. "You couldn't beat her," he whispered.

"She defeated you...You're here because she beat you" The scumbag began laughing hysterically.

Cinder was confused. "What's so funny?"

Shay grinned. "Let me tell you something interesting about the Chief's semblance. That portal thing? Is the full manifestation of her bond with somebody. But at lower levels? She can still feel connected to us."

Cinder's eyes widened. "So she knows."

Shay grinned. "She's coming for you."

This time, it was Cinder's turn to laugh.

"Don't you get it!" Shay screamed in confusion.

"Raven is a sword-wielder and maiden, with years of experience at both!"

"And yet she bested me by sacrificing Vernal, " Cinder grinned.

"I want her powers, but it's so hard for me to take them if I cannot find her...but she'll come to me? I just have to prepare for her...so I thank you for this wonderful info"

SCHLUCK! Shay gasped, as suddenly his whole body felt like it was on fire. "I no longer need you alive."

Raven burst awake in a cold sweat, screaming.

"Raven, Raven wait!"

Raven struggled against the arms trying to stop her.

"Cinder!"

"She's not here, you're home!"

"NO!" Raven screamed. "My home is-"She stopped, looking into a pair of of worried blue eyes. She stopped, looked around. She wasn't in Mistral. She was in Patch. With Taiyang. Raven started inhaling and exhaling to control her breathing, the fire from her eyes dissipating.

"Raven?" Taiyang looked into Ravens eyes. "Are you okay?"

Raven raised her hand to touch Tai's chest, but flinched at the feeling of burn tissue.

"Tai, I-"

The brawler chuckled. "Maiden powers and nightmares don't go well together...but ill be fine...thank you "

Raven frowned. "Doesn't it hurt?"

Tai opened his mouth, then shut it with a sigh. "I've...become desensitized to stuff like this...ever since she..."

Tai swallowed. It was still hard for him to talk about Summer. But Raven couldn't blame him. While she had abandoned Tai and Yang, Summer just swooped in without hesitation to take care of both of them.

The responsibilities of a mother and wife had been so hard for raven and yet summer seem to naturally master both roles as well as the role of the huntress.

And yet...here Raven was, where Summer had been...she could have done something...she could have saved Summer...but she didn't make it in time.

Tai and yang paid the price...they lost summer...And Ruby..Raven bit her lip..Ruby was so much like her mother, yet her Uncle Qrows influence on Ruby was apparent...Qrow, who was so loyal to ozpin, was leading his nieces down a path of no return.

Just like Raven did.

Raven raised her face to meet Tai.

"Cinder survived...she's killed my tribe "

Tai's face softened. "I'm sorry".

"Why?" Raven was confused." I literally abandoned this family of ours for them, and you're being sorry for my loss?"

"Because they were important to you," Tai answered softly "because you cared about them."

Tai slowly wrapped his arms around Raven, while making sure that her arms were free at all times. Raven shivered at the sudden touch, then moved in closer to feel the warmth.

"The fact that you can still care, still grieve, still feel regret... That's more than enough proof that the woman I fell in love with is still there... And not gone."

Raven chuckled bitterly. "The woman you fell in love with was a mask, a facade...that grimm mask i wear? Its so I don't have to see my face reflected in the eyes of somebody else. I can't stand it. Why the hell do you still try to find good in me!?"

"Because I still believe people can have a good heart," Tai said with a small smile. " And there were a huge number of things you did that never offered a reward of some sort...I saw you doing the right thing because you felt the worth in doing good. Yes I know you hurt me yes I know you've done horrible things and I know you can't be forgiven"

"But can you really spend the rest of your life, unable to look in a mirror because of who you've become? Or maybe... maybe there's still some of that old Raven in there who's willing to do the right thing despite the risks."

Raven's eyes widened. "Tai, There's no way I could possibly hope to be forgiven."

" If the only reason you say sorry or do an action because you want somebody to forgive you and not because you feel bad or want to do the right thing?...then you're not sorry. And you're not deserving of forgiveness. "

"So why should I do this?" Raven demanded.

"I want to give you the chance to look into the eyes of your family and see forgiveness and understanding reflected back from them." Tai replied.

"I know there's no guarantee. But I don't want you to have to spend the rest of your life living with regret...I refuse to be that cruel".

Raven was silent.

"Rae? Are you-"Raven flipped Taiyang onto his back, pinning him to the bed.

"You're a terrible fool, Taiyang Xiao Long," Raven smiled through a teary expression. " But you still keep reminding me why I fell in love with you... And if Summer were here, she'd say the same".

"Raven, I-" Taiyang began. Raven sealed his mouth with a kiss. Tai reached his newly freed arms to hug the swordswoman.

When they withdrew from their kiss, Tai smiled. "We can stay like this till morning. You want breakfast in bed?"

"That," Raven snuggled between the blanket on her back and Tai's chest warming her front..."Sounds really peaceful".

Leaves scattered through the forest, as Raven walked onward.

A hoarde of Grimm stood between her and her goal.

Unsheathing her sword and activating her powers, Raven leapt into the fray, killing grimm after grimm. But no matter how many she killed, more came. More took their place.

Suddenly her sword vanished. Her flame died out. She was without strength. Without strength, Raven couldn't survive. Without strength, she would perish.

"Run"…"Flee"… The grimm spoke?! "You can still turn back "

"I can't!" Raven screamed. "I have nothing left to return back to!"

"Then you have chosen death," the grimm spoke as one.

"Live as a coward with regret, or stand tall and resolute despite the fate that may follow."

Raven froze. The grimm parted, and a figure in white walked forward.

The small slender figure stood in front of Raven and removed her hood.

Raven trembled, and fell to the ground sobbing.

"I'm sorry!" She screamed. "I could have done better, but all I did was try to prove to myself that whatever choice I made was the right one...so how? How did you make your decisions so easily?!"

"But I didn't," Summer Rose said sadly."Raising Yang as my own , asking Tai to move on from you and love me instead, walking into the darkness alone to fight the bogeym-...well, Salem is a woman, so Bogeyman, maybe?"

Summer sighed. "Point is, I didn't exactly just make easy choices. I struggled with the weight of each decision. You heard Tai explain it. He and I didn't marry because we were trying to find how to trust each other. My giving Ruby the name Rose instead of Xiao Long was part of that...we found ways to make it work, but we had to struggle along the way. That's life."

"A life you sacrificed!" Raven screamed. "You could have left the path of a huntress behind, and been happy with your family"

Summer glared. "I am a warrior! A protector! I'm not like you, hiding with a sword clutched to my chest every night, scared of a witch. I made a choice..a choice to protect my family!"

Summer collected herself and started tearing up. "My regret is how much Tai, Ruby, and Yang had to suffer from my death. Heck even Qrow took my death hard. Guess that jerk did care about more than skirts and booze".

Summer knelt down to Raven." It can seem so strange to risk so much for so little reward but the knowledge that you have made an impact and made a difference...That is the greatest value"

Raven shook her head. "I'm not throwing my life away for ozpin's speeches ".

"What about Ruby?"

"What?" Raven blinked.

Summer smiled "You told me you weren't following Ozpin...that you didn't trust him. Yet you followed me...why?"

"Because.." Raven has to stop and think. "Because I believed in you".

Summer smiled. "My little sunny sunny dragon already knows Ozpin is suspicious...but it's not Ozpin that Yang is following...is she?'

"Ruby " Raven's eyes widened.

"If Ozpin won't give you the answers...maybe my daughters can?" Summer grinned. "Of course, that means you and Tai have to go to her first"

"Where my brother is really going to shoot me this time," Raven shook her head wearily.

Summer laughed. "Qrow does that. Remember how we got Qrow and Tai to kiss during truth or dare? He never forgave us for that."

Raven smiled wistfully. "I did enjoy those times...you and Tai got us into so much trouble...but I really enjoyed having a jock and brat like you two in my life."

"Raven," Summer bit her lip before continuing "you can't change the past...but if you had a chance, one chance, to make the right decision...would you?"

Raven rose to her, looking at her friend and leader.

"I know this is a dream...but you're so real," Raven gritted her teeth. "Are you really dead?"

Summer smiled. "What I am...is your conscious...your thoughts...your conflict. So tell me Rae...what's your decision?"

Raven took deep breath before exhaling. "I'm ready."

Summer walked towards the giant mass of Grimm. A blinding silver light flashed, and the Grimm were all gone.

" The road is now open. Search for that which you long for."

"Thank you, Summer" "No, Raven...Thank you."

Suddenly Raven found herself in front of Summer's grave.

Her sword embedded in the ground before her, the mask on top.

She picked up the mask twirling it between her fingers... It felt so familiar so comforting.

SMASH!

She threw the mask to the ground before her and crushed it beneath her feet.

"I am done hiding," Raven growled, reaching for her blade.

" As of now, there is no turning back, I can only move forward"

As the sun shined through the windows, Raven awoke with smile on her face."Bork?"And opened her eyes to a Corgi looking back at her."GAAH!"Raven shot backwards, hitting her head on the back of the bed, glaring at Zwei, who was staring at her innocently.

Raven rubbed her head, fuming. "You can climb onto a queen size bed, you were able to survive being lit on fire while Tai and I trained, and I couldn't even sense you climb onto me...WHAT ARE YOU?!"

Zwei: "..." stare.

Raven: "..." stare.

"Bork!" Zwei barked happily.

Raven sighed. "You're trying to mess with me, aren't you?"

"Bork," Zwei said less vocally.

Raven chuckled "Well you're honest like Tai at least...listen, can I...just have a little alone time? I've got a lot to think about."

Zwei hopped off the bed and left the room to head downstairs to the kitchen.

Alone at last, Raven assumed a meditation pose, closed her eyes, and thought about the previous night, and the dream.

Her tribe was gone. Her only daughter had disowned her. Her brother would try to kill her on sight. She was wanted in at least 2-3 kingdoms. Ruby would not be willing to give her trust like last time. Her daughter's friends would be hostile. Ozpin and Salem...and Cinder, would want her magic. She has to keep Taiyang alive at all costs,or her death would be certain. The one woman who might have given her a chance was gone. She would never receive forgiveness for any of her actions moving forward, no matter how much good. And Salem's agents were many. The world was against her, moreso than ever before. She could either keep running...and be safe. Or face everything by resuming the role she had cast aside.

"Yang...you don't want to do this" "I know...but I'm doing it anyway" No reward...no glory...a risk of death unlike any other...and all of her fears combined to face her.

Red eyes opened with fire surrounding them, as Raven grinned. This time...she would commit. This time, she would face the world. This time...she would stand her ground.

If Ozpin's war was a losing battle...then she would fight Ruby's war instead..she chuckled, imagining everyone's expressions were they to hear her say that to them.

"Now there's a look i haven't seen in quite some time"

Taiyang stood in the doorway, breakfast in hand. A giant grin threatening to split his face made her realize he had been watching her think...and knew her decision.

"Welcome back...My Huntress"

"Yes," Raven stood up, rubbing her legs to restore blood circulation. "It's so good to feel whole again" She had made her decision.

This time, Raven Branwen would embrace the call of the Huntress once more.

RUUMBLE! GROWWLL!

Then again, she couldn't help save the world on an empty stomach, so breakfast would have to come first.

https://twitter.com/ARTesst_R/status/1490035342145056768

#rwby fanfic #rwby fanfiction #taiyang x raven #rwby phoenix #taiyang xiao long #strq #team strq #raven branwen #raven x taiyang #rwby zwei #rwby #rwby fanart #ARTesst_R

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thelastbraincellofthehive · 1 year

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Volume 2 Is done! Man this Is the one with my second favorite opening <3 It's just so epic it pumps my blood!

Anyways, thoughts with no order whatsoever!

Emmerald is another of those characters I love to see the progression of. We must protect. Emmerald baby you're insuferable and you deserve the world<3

Burning the candle is the moment <3 that was when we knew. It was also the moment Yang was cemented as my fave and she never stopped being it, props to Barbara for that classroom scene, it holds a special place in my heart.

As a side note, I can't think about Burning the Candle without remembering Explosivesky's Hollywood AU <3 that fanfic is on another level. Even during my angry-about-Penny era, I would read it from time to time because it's that awesome fg

Glynda and Ironwood's talk is one of my favorite scenes in the volume. Honestly, I miss Glynda, Glynda is a badass.

Cardin bullying Velvet makes so little sense after meeting CFVY lmao! Like, you expect me to believe Coco, Yatsuhashi and Fox didn't beat those idiots to a pulp just for existing around her?! How?! How are they alive?!!!

Also while we're on the CFVY note... Coco please step on me, please.

I will keep believing that Summer, Taiyang and Raven were in a poly relationship for the rest of my life, that's just how my brain works. Don't try to change it.

While on the STRQ note... Raven is a bitch but she can also step on me anytime she wants, thank you.

Seriously Penny being a robot being a 'secret' will never not be funny lol!

"I don't really know how to... Girls" Jaune, honey, so true 🙌 me neither honestly.

Neo <3 God how I've missed you you tiny tricolor sociopath! Honestly, she and Roman will be one of my OTPs forever

Also do you guys know Chuuya Nakahara from BSD? Look at him and tell me he is not Roman and Neo's child. Seriously.

Speaking of OTPs, you know what my NOTP for Weiss has always been? Neptune... Like, I'm not part of the 'Weiss is a lesbian' train...but god why is that ship so boring? So glad that never went anywhere

Also I am on the 'Neptune is gay train'... Like... It just makes so much more sense...

The JNPR dance™ Iconic, perfect, just one of the many reasons I was hoping for another Dance/Ball down the line in the story.

Speaking of Iconic: The. Food. Fight. Just that. What a way to start the season.

Watching this volume really makes me miss Pyrrha... Not just her as a character which I do miss she is awesome in every sense BUT HER FIGHTING STYLE!!! God fights with her were always such a treat to the eye!!

James Ironwood, I had so much hope for you, but I get why your story progressed the way it did. The signs were everywhere now that I look into it.

Ozpin's 'I hope they never have to (win a war)' and 'right now they're only children, it's not a role they will have forever' hurt so fucking much...

Jaune has listened to Weiss singing. I feel the unexplicable need to know in which context this happened. Does Weiss sing while studying? Did they had some kind of recital? Did they go karaoke-ing on a missing scene? Is Weiss secretly a popstar who's writting songs about her partners and travels and Jaune owns one of her albums??? Yes I'm still into that dumb headcanon lol.

Jaune wearing a dress:

I hope more boys wore dresses, boys in dresses are awesome.

ZWEI!!!! Also cat blake lmao

Roman and Cinder scenes were always a treat to watch, look at my two dumb villains who share one single braincell with Neo and she has it 99% of the time. I really had such a great time with villains in the early seasons. Also, once v3 happened Neo took the cell hostage and Cinder hasn't seen it ever since. makes sense.

Yang's dance dress missing it's pattern is another thing that will never not be funny to me lol poor girl was stuck dressed as an extra!

The Oobleck Zwei combo fight is one of the best things ever lol always one of my favorite parts when watching reactors lol.

Team CFVY, my beloved<3 I hope we get to see more of them in the Vaccuo arc. Bring us the return of Caffeine!!!!!

Weiss' Ice flower to shield the team from the train crash is still one of my favorite moments of her. Weiss excels at the support mage role in her team, and it always delights me seeing her taking care of her team <3 they're the family my girl needed.

I've seen so many critic viewers complain about thr girls leaving Yang fighting Neo because it was clearly a bad match (which doesn't make sense because it literally was the first time we saw her fighting????) But honestly, it wouldn't had made sense any other way. Yang had some kind of personal vendetta against Neo at this point, just like Blake had against Roman. I get the logic conclusions, but characters in the heat of the moment don't usually get to logic conclusions before acting. They are friends, they trust eachother, they had no reason to fight any other way.

I gotta give a shout out to the v2 soundtrack. I love every soundtrack of this series, but v2 is supperb in every sense. Sacrifice is still on my Top3 songs in general (War and Smile being the other 2 and Miracle barely behind). Boop? Amazing, unparalled, that's how you take a beloved character and ship and give them an anthem. Dream come true is just lovely, Jaune, I wished you had seen it sooner... Caffeine? I listened to that song non-stop for a month after I first saw the finale, and it's still that awesome~ All our days holds a very special place in my heart because I used to sing it to my niece to sleep when she was a baby, and it's just the perfect Yang to Ruby song yes I know it's Jeff to Casey and Taiyang to the girls, but it will always be Yang to Ruby for me.

Raven is such an interesting character to me. It's said personality influences semblances or the other way around, and hers is a way to check on her family no matter how far away she is... We're missing so much about her story.

Anyways, that's all for today! Join us next time to take a trip for PTSDland with V3! Damn that Volume seriously traumatized the whole FNDM, and keeps doing it lol

#rwby #rwby volume 2 #rwby v2 #pre volume9 rewatch #just salem rambling around #long post #text post

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calmenergy · 2 years

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So, I just remembered a post comparing and contrasting Winter and Cinder, linked here, really interesting and you should give it a read! But it got me thinking, if those 2 are paired in their similarities and differences, being fall and winter (the second half of the year's seasons), would it be too much of a stretch to have the other 2 maidens be connected in some way? Having our Spring and Summer maiden be linked in some way in terms of writing?

And that got me thinking. We already know who the spring maiden is at this point, being Raven, but we don't know who the summer maiden is yet. But that brings me to a theory I've been considering for a while, that theory being Summer being is our unknown Summer maiden. Think about it, 2 of the 3 maidens we've seen so far have their season in their name, Cinder's last name being fall and well. Winter. And while Raven breaks that rule, its still 2 out of 3, so it isn't that far off to think it may or may not apply to our unknown maiden. And, well, you can see where I'm going with this, seeing as Summer's first name is literally Summer.

And the comparisons between Cinder and Winter got me thinking of whether or not there might be comparisons between Raven and our summer maiden, and that's when it hit me. It really feels like more possible evidence of Summer being the Summer maiden, seeing as her and Raven have some connections, both being mothers of Ruby and Yang respectively, both seemingly disappearing from their lives when they were young and supposedly couldn't talk yet (Raven left when Yang was a baby and likely something similar with Ruby), both were a part of team STRQ, but they also have their differences too. They had opposing reactions to Salem, with Raven running because she believes its pointless, and Summer taking the fight to Salem herself even if it cost her her life. And that's also one of the differences, since their disappearences were also for opposite reasons.

So there's clearly a lot of similarities and differences they share, much like Winter and Cinder, and it makes me a lot more sure of my theory that Summer will come back as the Summer maiden. Of course there are some holes in this theory, but I think it's plausible. if it isn't canon, then it's at least a very interesting thing to be explored in fanfics.

#rwby #cinder fall #winter schnee #raven branwen #summer rose #long post #analysis #roxy.txt

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taiyang-too-long · 5 years

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The good, the bad and the cookie

The wooden spoon smacked the top of Tai’s hand.

“Oh no you don’t!” Summer said with narrowed eyes as she wagged the spoon at him. “You know good and well these cookies are for the school bake sale, so no sneaking off with any.”

“Aw come on Sum~” Tai pleaded.

“Don’t you ‘Aw come on Sum’ me mister. You aren’t charming your way into free desserts” she said starting to turn back towards the counter.

Before she could Taiyangs hands fell on her shoulders and gently turned her back his way. Smiling mischievously as his hands slid down to the small of her back.

“Oh but can’t I?...you know you look devastatingly gorgeous right now..”

The blush on Summers cheek as she looked away let him know the time was right. Discreetly he made a small motion with his hand, signaling for phase two.

Two small faces peaked around the corner of the kitchen door way. The taller blonde nodded and quickly and quietly snuck up towards the counter, desperatly reaching for the snacks yet falling just a bit too short.

The smaller of the two children raised both hands upwards towards her blonde sister, who lifted her up to reach the baked treasures letting out a small grunt of effort.

“What was that?” Summer asked

“It was nothing, my dearest” Taiyang said quickly caressing her cheek to keep her face from turning. “You’ve just been working too hard..you’re hearing things..you need a break..~”

Out of the corner of his eye Tai could see his daughters carting off a few handfuls of cookies back towards the living room. Just before vanishing Yang gave a thumbs up and flashed a smile.

“Well...” Summer admitted “maybe you’re right..maybe you and I-“

“On second thought you just have so much left to do I should probably stop distracting you so you can work. You’re the best I love yoooouu~”

With his words speeding from his mouth the man casually walked out of the kitchen both hands resting behind his head, leaving his wife confused and bit suspicious.

That man..oh she’d remember that. Stupid flirt...

Yet she couldn’t help but smile. Something about how he always made her feel like a lovestruck teenager let her continue her work with renewed vigor.

A smile was also shared by Tai, Ruby and Yang. Who sat in a small circle on the floor happily feasting on their bounty, giggling all the while. The mission had been a spectacular success and it had all been because of his trusty helpers.

“Tai.....” Summers agitated voice called out.

He gulped and found that his trusty helpers had fled the scene already.

#i just love this family ok?#seasonal depresson #rosedragon #rwby #taiyang-too-long #story taime #strq #taiyang xiao long #team strq #summer rose #summer x tai #ruby rose #yang xiao long #strq fanfiction #strq fanfic #rwby fanfic #rwby fanfiction #fanfiction

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raebaekaedae · 1 year

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Volume One, Episode Fourteen: “The Wrong Kind of Tournament”

Series: SCWR Rating: R (Some Foul Language, Violence against Fantasy Monsters, Excessive Violence, Drugged, Death Mentioned, Subtle Themes of Racism, Prominent Themes of PTSD) Summary: (5,679 words) “In part one of the thrilling finale, Haddy faces his deadliest challenge yet. When he and some other students are kidnapped and held against their will to fight in cruel battles against creatures of grimm, Hadrian must find a way to escape and keep everyone safe at the same time...”

Read on Wattpad

"Mr. Snow... Mr. Snow, please, wake up..."

The soft voice slowly lolled him back into consciousness. For a moment, he was too weak to open his eyes. His head felt light and loopy like he was spinning through the air and the only thing tying him to Remnant was the musty, muddy smell pounding through his nose. With some effort, he managed to force his blurry eyes open and look up at the ceiling. Or what he thought would be the ceiling. Instead, he was met with the fuzzy visage of a blue figure staring down at him.

Once he blinked the drugged sleep out of his eyes, he found himself laying on a cement floor with his head resting in the lap of a blue-haired faunus girl. She had tears running down her cheeks in waves, absolutely ruining her makeup. She had scratches and bruises on her face and arms from a fight. Her dress was torn in places and dirty in others, and he was willing to bet that was what he looked like too.

She was familiar though... he'd seen her at the dance.

"Blue...?" he weakly asked through parched lips once he found his voice.

If she wasn't already sobbing, though he thought she might have burst into tears when he finally spoke. She frantically nodded, unable to find words as she smoothed his hair back with one hand and wiped her face with the other. After a moment, Haddy managed to push himself up into a sitting position and get a good look around.

It was dark, there wasn't a lot of light, only the dim luminescence from a few scrolls. The walls of the cramped room were lined with steel reinforcement and no windows. The walls were bare with the exception of an iron door sealed on one side. He and Blue weren't alone, there was another girl sitting in the corner with her arms wrapped around her knees. She was wearing a green dress with a golden necklace draped across her chest. She didn't look much older than the faunus girl.

"Where... are we?" Haddy asked, scooting a little so that his back was resting against one of the walls.

"I dunno," Blue said quietly, following him and bringing her own knees up to hug, "I was just walking back to my dorm from the dance with my brother and then everything goes black..."

The husky closed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened. He was at the dance, and then Ozpin revealed the memorials and he bolted. He ran. He was sitting on the edge of the school, crying, when Monroe, Robyn, and Ryder showed up and told him... told him that they knew... and that they didn't blame him.

He fumbled around with his pants pocket, pulling out his scroll and opening it. His lock screen was blown up with messages and missed calls.

CADE: Whoever shot you got away, we're coming, hold on

-Missed Call from RBYN-

RBYN: Are you okay?? Haddy, please respond!

RYDR: Your map is offline, we can't find you. Please, we need you to respond

Haddy watched as about five minutes passed before the messages resumed.

QROW: Haddy! Robyn just burst in here and told us what happened! Are you okay? Where are you?

-Missed Call from RBYN-

CADE: We're coming, I swear, please hold on

TAIY: Dude, Summer is talking to Ozpin rn. Gene and a couple other students are missing too. Are they with you?

There was another pause.

QROW: Come on, man, say something please

-Missed Call from RBYN-

-Missed Call from QROW-

-Missed Call from CADE-

Then, about half an hour later, Summer texted him.

SUMR: We're on our way. We got a tip from someone about some students being seen downtown before they were abducted.

There was a long pause after that. Then, finally...

CADE: I'm sorry

CADE: I'm so sorry, Haddy

He looked to see if he had any reception, not surprised to see zero bars. Reluctantly, he closed the scroll and returned it to his pocket. Haddy turned to see Blue burying her face into her arms, still quietly crying. He sighed before scooting closer to her and putting his arm over her shoulders and pulling her in closer.

"Hey, we're gonna get out of this," he smiled down to her, "Our teams and the Beacon Professors are already looking for us."

"It doesn't matter..." the other girl said from across the room, pausing before she looked up, a haunted look on her face, "They're gonna kill us before anyone can save us..."

Before Haddy could ask her why she was so certain, the sound of a locking mechanism shook the quiet of the room. Instinctively, the three Huntsmen-in-training jumped up and backed towards the edge of their cell. Hadrian stepped in front of the girls, guarding them with his body as he heard Blue whimpering behind him. He braced himself for a fight as the door slowly creaked open, scraping along the floor as it swung open.

The smell of blood hit him like a freight train.

He wasn't expecting the body of another student to be thrown in with them, battered and bleeding. The blond boy's once glittering, golden suit was caked in grime and blood, now half-dyed a muddy shade of crimson. He stumbled into the cell, bleeding from a large gash somewhere in his hair, falling forward. Hadrian just barely managed to jump forward and catch him before he face-planted into the cement. The boy was hardly breathing, his chest rising in jagged motions. Haddy quickly flipped him around to examine his wounds.

His dress shirt and suit jacket were torn and tattered, revealing a nasty, slashing gash from his shoulder down his torso. His arm, which had been ripped from his ribboned sleeve was bruised to Hell, most likely broken in multiple places or crushed. When Hadrian moved his bangs from his eyes to get a better look at his head wound, he gasped.

One amber eye was swollen shut and his nose was broken and bleeding, but staring back at him was Gene Aurum. His glittering golden eye shadow was smudged along with his dark eyeliner. His lipstick was more red than yellow, now glistening with blood instead of gloss. He looked up at Hadrian with the same recognition, reaching up weakly and gripping on to his shirt sleeve.

"H-ddy..." the broken Beacon student croaked as the door slammed shut.

"Gene!" Haddy cried, shaking away his shock to quickly tear away his classmate's jacket, "Oh my Gods!"

The husky wrapped the ruined jacket into a ball and pressed down on the gash that was still weeping blood from Gene's torso. The blond nearly screamed but kept himself from crying out by clenching his fist and pounding it into the floor. Team GOLD's leader took in a sharp, shallow breath, still laboring his breathing. Hadrian pulled at the sleeves of Gene's shirt, checking his wrists and finding them absent of his signature golden bracers.

Haddy turned to the girls and hastily asked, "Gold? Are you wearing anything gold?"

"What? Why?" The other girl asked, still shaken from Gene's entrance.

"His semblance is Golden Touch, he can regenerate his aura when he's in contact with anything gold," the husky quickly explained, "More aura means he can heal faster!"

Blue instantly pulled a ring from her finger, handing it over as she stammered, "I-I think this is real, I-I'm not sure!"

He took it, placing it into Gene's palm. Almost instantly, his golden yellow aura sparked back to life weakly. The girl with the green dress hesitated, but then shook her head and unlatched her necklace, nearly throwing it to the husky as she reached up to take off her earrings as well. With the additional jewelry, the blond's aura steadily grew.

After a moment, he weakly lifted his head and asked, "Had-dy... Lamb'rt... Ru... Doron... where...?"

His teammates. Hadrian nodded down to him, "I dunno, Gene. I dunno. I haven't seen them."

Monroe and the R's hadn't been taken, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to send those texts, which meant that maybe... "I-I don't think they're here... I think they're safe."

He watched as Gene let out a shaky sigh of relief, visibly releasing tension that he probably wasn't sure he was holding. The girl knelt down and took over applying pressure on his wounds as Haddy tore his own sleeve off to start wrapping around the golden leader's head. It wasn't much, but it was all they had at the moment.

"What..." Blue hesitantly asked, "... happened to you?"

He took in a ragged breath, laying his head back down as he struggled to reply, "It w's... some kinda... f'ghting ring... 'gainst grimm... but my aura... my aura wa'n't work-ng..."

Hadrian's blood ran cold. He must have gasped or shuddered or fallen back a pace because Blue looked up at him with her big, sad eyes and asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong??"

"Gene..." the husky asked, steeling himself, "Did you hear the name 'Diana Gae'?"

The blond weakly nodded, "She's... th' anno'nc-r..."

He knew he fell back this time. Hadrian ran his hands through his hair, nearly pacing as he stood up and tried to recall every single thing they had learned about the matriarchal murderer. Semblance; pheromones. Contacts everywhere. Fights don't take place in the city...

"Y-u... know 'er..." Gene said, looking up at him with a sharp determination in his eye.

Haddy knelt back down and nodded, "She's the one who killed Peri..."

The blond leader took a deep breath as he closed his good eye, quietly breathing out, "D-mn't..."

"Peri??" the girl asked, half-crazed, "The guy from the memorial? Oh my Gods, I was right; we're gonna die here!"

Blue whimpered, pulling her knees back up again as she wrapped them in her arms. Hadrian quickly interjected, "No one is dying tonight! We just have to stick together and remain calm!"

Just as he finished, the slow unlocking of the door tore through the flimsy shield of faith that the students had. The green-dressed girl was nearly hysterical by this point, pushing harder and harder down on Gene's chest wound, causing him to gasp and wince with pain. The husky rose again, positioning himself between the girls and Gene and raising his arms to defend them if he needed.

When the metal door scraped along the stone floor it sent little chunks of cement scattering through the cell. Four armed and armored brutes entered the room in a wave. As they approached, Hadrian hunkered down, remembering all that Tai had taught him, as he sharply inhaled and threw a hook into the jaw of one of the men. The brute was sent sprawling back a few paces before another one of his friends slammed the butt end of her rifle down onto Haddy's shoulder.

The husky was flung down into the floor, his aura protecting him from the brunt of the blow. He quickly adjusted himself, kicking forward as he connected his foot with the knee of the woman who had hit him. She screamed as her leg crunched and bent back at an angle it wasn't supposed to bend. Haddy activated his semblance, sliding to the side just as the boot of brute he'd punched came crashing down towards him.

Before he could do any more damage, the other two armored goons jumped on top of him and wrestled him onto his stomach as they dug their knees into his back and pinned his arms there. After a moment of struggling, he was pulled to his feet. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't get free. But still, he fought against his grapple, shouting and kicking in futile attempts to escape.

He was almost gifted the strength he needed when the female brute grabbed onto Blue's bicep and pulled her up, despite the beagle's desperate cries. Hadrian snarled, "Leave her alone!"

The golden-haired spartan was pushing himself up onto his elbows weakly, determined that no one would have to go through what he just had despite his injuries. However, the remaining goon put an end to his feeble attempts with a swift kick to the ribs. Gene cried out, falling back as he coughed and sputtered.

Hadrian continued to fight back, now yelling and screaming. There wasn't anything he could do as both he and Blue were ripped away from their cell and pulled along through a dimly lit hall. He could only watch as the thick, metal door was slammed shut and locked behind them, sealing Gene and the female student away. He continued to struggle and fight as he was dragged along.

Soon after, he was thrown forward into a copper cage, stumbling forward and slamming into the opposite wall. Before he could turn and resume his fight, Blue was tossed into him. He caught her before she fell, but not before the cage's door was shut and locked. Just as suddenly as they'd appeared, the brutes were gone, leaving the two faunus trapped and alone.

Blue rubbed the red mark on her arm as she softly cried, "What are they gonna do to us?"

Haddy wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her tightly as he reassured, "I don't know, but I promise that I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Okay?"

The husky quickly pulled his arm back, yanking his remaining sleeve up to reveal his beaded and leather bracelets. He swiftly unlatched the brown sling, unwinding it as he revealed its hidden weapon properties. Hadrian brought his wrist up to his mouth and tore the beaded string with his teeth. The plastic-coated dust capsules broke free as he caught them in his hand. He had two sets of fire, lightning, gravity, and ice pellets.

It paid to keep some of his Atlas trinkets a secret.

"Stand back," Haddy ordered, clicking his heels together to reveal his crampons.

The blue-haired, blue-eyed girl nodded as she sniffled and wiped her nose with her arm. She moved against the copper bars, shifting herself so that she was braced. Hadrian lifted his boot and gingerly pierced one of the black orbs with his spiked soles. Once it was secured, he brought his leg back and kicked forward. A blast of energy buckled the cage's door as the husky felt a wave of pain reverberate up from his ankle to his hip.

Just as he was lifting his boot up to go again, the ground shifted, nearly knocking him off balance. Blue caught his shoulders as the pair started to ascend with their cage. She whimpered, but she stood strong as she raised her fists for a fight. Haddy quickly stuck one of the colored orbs into his sling and pulled back his arm to fling the projectile if the need arose.

Blinding lights shone down as a trapdoor opened above them and the thumping bass of music tore through his ears. Haddy had to raise an arm to block the shining stadium lights as loud roars of cheering erupted around them. The floor beneath them sputtered and locked into place as the copper walls fell, sending a puff of dirt up as they slammed into the packed floor.

"Welcome," a feminine voice rang out over loudspeakers, "to the Ataxia Arena!"

"Blue..." he whispered, moving in front of her and taking a good look around, "Stay behind me..."

They were in a lowered arena of some kind. The uneven, bumpy floor was packed down with dirt and splattered with blood and viscous grimm goo. They were surrounded by smooth, stone walls that rose about fifteen feet up before a chain-link roof separated them from rows and rows of stands; completely full of raging "fans". The walls were lined with large doors that could be raised up to reveal whatever monsters were making the hurt growls from inside their dark cages.

As he scanned the stands, his eyes crossed a box raised above the sea of onlookers. There she was. Her hair was black with a magenta ombre weaving through her wavy curls. She was wearing tight, black leather pants with golden buttons and zippers. You could see the curves of her hips underneath her deep purple corset with the transparent, flowing sleeves that tied off at the wrists. Her boots rose up to her knees and wore six-inch heels.

And she was staring right at him.

"Hello again, folks," she seductively spoke, "If you were paying attention before then you'll know I'm your hostess, Diana Gae, and that we here at Ataxia have a special, Vytal Festival show here for you tonight!"

Angry cheers rang out before she continued, "Let's give a great big round of applause for the hypocritical, Atlesian figureheads of the famed 'Faunus Outreach Program'! Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between; Isabella Blue and Hadrian Snow!" Her voice was sweet like honey but had a deadly venom to it.

Screams of mixed affirmations and boos rang out through the arena as all the patrons roared with anticipation. Through the pungent smell of blood, Haddy could faintly sniff out traces of gunpowder and steel. He scanned the pit again. He couldn't see any weapons, but as his eyes ran across one of the lumpy mounds of dirt, he couldn't help but think it was vaguely shield-shaped.

He nudged Blue's arm, motioning with his eyes towards the mounds as Gae continued, "We wanted our Atlesian mutts to feel at home, so we have a special selection of grimm chosen for them tonight!"

He made a mental note that Diana Gae wasn't a fan of him, Blue, the Faunus Outreach Program, and/or Atlas. Maybe there was a rhyme or reason the students who'd been kidnapped were chosen. That could come in handy if he made it out of here.

When he made it out of here.

His thoughts were cut short as the grinding screech of metal-on-metal tore through his ears. Haddy whipped around, following the sound, as one of the large doors slowly rose. Icy claws scraped at the ground, trying to get traction before they were fully released. He'd recognize them anywhere; Sabyrs. At least three trying to scratch their way out.

Quickly, he pulled back his sling and prepared to fire, shouting, "Blue! Make a break for a weapon! They're--"

"--Hidden in the floor!" She called back, already making a break for one of the closest mounds, "I've got it!"

Cheering erupted once again as one of the feline grimm managed to claw its way out and began making a mad dash for Haddy. He threw his sling forward, pelting the iced beast with an explosion of fire. It was sent tumbling in the smoke, but it quickly recovered as it rose and shook itself off.

"Looks like Hadrian has a few tricks hidden up his sleeve!" Gae announced with a smirk, watching from above, "I can't help but wonder how he managed to sneak that past security, right folks?"

If there was laughter in the stands, he wasn't paying any attention. Haddy had already pulled his hidden sling and pushed another capsule inside. The Sabyr hissed as it resumed its charge, eager to tear into the husky. Swiftly, Hadrian began backpedaling, throwing another charge at the grimm. However, just as the black pellet was about to reach its target, the cat-like monster skidded to a halt and ducked its shoulder, dodging the impact. The dust capsule exploded on the wall behind it.

Before he could pull another capsule, the Sabyr had closed all the distance between them. It pounced and pinned him to the floor as its red eyes cried with hunger. Haddy felt the wind rush from his lungs as he was thrown onto his back. Gene was right; his aura wasn't protecting him. Just as the beast opened its maw to sink its dagger-like teeth into his flesh, there was the distinct sound of releasing pressure, and the grimm was flung from his chest.

Haddy quickly recovered, jumping to his feet as he watched the grimm begin to dissipate, leaving only the thick stem of a crossbow bolt stuck into its hide. He half-turned his head to see that Blue was supporting a comically-sized crossbow with ease, staring down the sights as she nodded to him.

He didn't have much time to nod back as Gae spoke, "Looks like Isabella found one of our toys! Too bad it's only got one shot... although, she could reuse her ammo, that means running straight toward our little kittens!"

Haddy hated to admit that Gae had a point. He quickly snatched the crossbow bolt as the remaining two Sabyrs clawed their way out of their prison. They circled for a moment, studying their prey before they lunged into a sprint. The husky quickly whipped around, tossing the bolt back to Blue as he pulled another pellet into his sling.

"Find a melee weapon," he called back, "We don't know how many of these things she's gonna throw at us!"

"Yes, sir!" The beagle shouted back, knocking the bolt again.

Together, Haddy and Blue fired their projectiles. On the right, the crossbow bolt tore through the eye of its Sabyr, downing the beast in one hit. The husky flung his sling ahead, striking the grimm on the shoulder. Frost and ice exploded, creating a misty fog as the capsule burst. The feline beast hardly even flinched. Damn it; he really should stick that last ice pellet in his pocket if the grimm Gae was going to throw at them were from Solitas.

He wasn't gonna give the grimm the same chance its brethren had. Haddy ran at the charging Sabyr, jumping just before it pounced. As he kicked, he activated his spikes, slamming his boot into the face of the big cat. It screamed and hissed the husky pushed off and forced the beast into the ground. Before it could recover, Haddy braced and jumped as high as he could, crashing down onto the Sabyr's skull.

As black, smelly goo splattered against his boots and pants legs, he heard Gae announce, "Ooh, that doesn't wash out. Looks like we're gonna have to up the ante if we're gonna see any blood!"

The creaking sound of another door being hefted open shook the arena. Hadrian took the chance to get a better look around. Blue had her arms full of weapons, her beautiful, tattered dress now covered in even more dust and dirt, and she was headed for him. She was good. There was no trace of the shy, skittish kid she'd been up until the fight. No aura meant limited or no semblance, so she wasn't relying on that, which meant she either didn't use it often or she was capable of switching up her style. Either way, she's pretty cool-headed under pressure.

Alright, he didn't have to worry about her as much as he thought he'd have to. He turned his head up. The walls were made of sheer concrete, so they definitely weren't gonna be able to climb out... not that they could get past the fence trapping them in. He might be able to pry open that rising trap door if they could get back to it, but he doubted it.

By this point, Blue had joined him, opening her arms to show a myriad of choices. He asked, "Which ones do you want?"

"I can use anything, sir," she replied sincerely.

He nodded, quickly glancing before snatching a painted shield and wooden hatchet. That left Blue with the crossbow, a training dagger, and a dulled greatsword. Gae really wasn't making this easy for them... That was when he realized he hadn't been paying attention to the next wave of grimm approaching.

Blue was already searching; but, as Haddy scanned the area, there was nothing. The heavy door was chained up, revealing a dark and empty cage. Not good. As the pair slowly circled with their backs together, he continued to look around.

The magenta murderess said she'd be using creatures of grimm from Solitas, which narrowed the pool of potential candidates down. He couldn't currently see them, which meant they were invisible or currently undetectable. He took a deep breath in through his nose. His senses were bombarded with what felt like ten thousand different smells. Popcorn, blood, metal, sweat, honey, pollen, make-up, crowds, death, and... something sharp. He focused, inhaling as his nose told him an acidic story.

Centinels.

On cue, the creepy crawlies burst from the ground. Both he and Blue barely managed to push off into the air as the ground exploded. The beagle girl shouted as she twirled around with the sword horizontal at her hip. She easily slashed the head off of the nearest Centinel, clearing a place for the pair to land as Haddy threw another capsule with his sling.

Lightning jumped from grimm to grimm, stunning them long enough for the husky to quip, "I hate these damn things..."

The faunus split, each jumping off in separate directions to try to thin out the hoard. Hadrian slid on his knees as he slashed into one of the scaled grimm, slicing it in two with a jagged cut. He managed to twirl up to his feet to avoid the corrosive blood that splattered to the ground, sizzling as it landed. As he twisted, he used the edge of his shield to partially decapitate another. The arthropod nearly ripped its own head off to turn and drench the husky in a generous bath of acid. The beagle girl landed, bringing the large sword through the remaining tendons.

Haddy danced around the Centinels, striking the back of their necks with the dulled blade of his hatchet, aiming to injure them while Blue followed his lead and finished the job. They worked well together despite having never fought side-by-side before. Atlesian training, he suspected. In his mind, he counted down the number of fallen grimm, trying to keep track of how many enemies were left.

The blue-eyed girl ducked under a wide swing of his shield as she sunk her dagger into the eye of one of the arthropods. As she pulled back, a few drops of the corrosive blood boiled on her skin. Haddy quickly pulled her around as he bashed the grimm back with the painted shield, finishing it off with a strike in the break of its segmented, scaled armor. He quickly turned his head back to Blue, only to find that she'd easily recovered and already stabbed the greatsword through the next grimm. He couldn't help but wince at the growing burn on her forearm.

"Ooh," Gae commented, "Not quick enough on the follow-through, ladies and gents."

He didn't let it distract him though, instead, he pulled his sling back as he easily slipped one of the icy blue pellets into its cradle. With no effort at all, he flipped clear over the beagle, flinging the projectile at the ground in front of her. It exploded with a frosty mist, which once cleared revealed that he'd frozen the remaining Centinels in place... or so he thought, at least.

As Hadrian approached the ground, upside down no less, he flung his shield like a discus straight through the segmented torso of one of the grimm where it slid around on the ice, bouncing off the trapped grimm and back to Blue's feet. He had planned to finish his aerial feat with a graceful landing atop the shield to use as a sled or ski along his icy path. What he didn't expect was the gentle rumble of burrowing as one of the Centinels burst from the wall, apparently just able to avoid being frozen.

He watched in slow motion as it opened its proboscis maw stretched open and a spray of green acid came flying at the pair. Blue had already started to fall to her knees, dropping her sword in favor of going for the shield to attempt to protect herself. Haddy wouldn't be so lucky, and he knew that she wouldn't either. No matter how fast the beagle was, she wasn't going to be able to prevent herself from being coated in the corrosive spit.

Instead, Hadrian used his falling momentum to twist around and push his back towards the Centinel. He pushed down a scream as the viscous venom splattered onto the back of his shirt and easily burned through into his skin. The acidic sputum tore through his muscle and forced an explosion of pain to tear through his nerves, but he didn't care. Haddy worked through the pain as the world sped up again.

He clicked his boots together, activating his crampons as he slammed into the dirty ground and couldn't hold back his pained scream this time. He didn't hesitate though, just pushed through as he used all his strength to push back up into the air, connecting his spiked boot to the underside of the Centinel and goring it through. He barely managed to keep his balance as he continued what had morphed into an attacking back handspring and staggered into a landing next to Blue.

Cheers erupted louder than ever as Haddy fell to one knee, straining not to howl with pain. Gae gleefully clapped as she exclaimed, "That's gotta hurt, folks! Looks like our perfect, little faunus-in-shining-armor isn't as indestructible as he'd have us believe!"

By the Brothers, he hated this woman.

Blue had already jumped to his side, putting a ginger hand on either of his intensely burning shoulders. He sucked in a sharp breath before ordering, "Blue, you need to take out the rest of the grimm while they're still frozen in place! I'm fine; go!"

She hesitated but complied, turning on her heel and charging the short distance between her and the remaining arthropods. She had enough sense to kick Mr. Snow's shield back towards him as she knelt down and sunk the flat greatsword deep into the abdomen of one of the beasts. The beagle easily bisected the creepy-crawly, jumping as she carried the blade through the air. Using that momentum, she swung the sword around at her waist and easily decapitated the remaining grimm before her feet even touched the melting ice.

By this point, Haddy had managed to use the wall and his returned shield to push himself up along the wall. His blue-haired partner quickly came to his side, pulling one of his arms across her shoulders to support him as the crowd began to boo and throw drinks and refreshments into the pit.

"Isn't that adorable..."

Hadrian's head rose back up to where Gae's announcing box was stationed high above everyone else. She was staring down at them with an amused smirk, one arm perched on her hip as she leaned to one side. She chuckled, "Let's see how that 'pack mentality' holds up against another one..."

The creaking of more chains quickly drew his attention back down into the arena. Another one of the metallic doors was being hoisted open. He wanted nothing more than to just collapse there and leave whatever was coming at them this time to Blue, but he refused to give in to the throbbing pain pulsing through his back. With a shaky inhale, he pulled himself off the girl's shoulders and brought the shield up defensively. For just a moment she looked as if she were going to object, however, she just nodded and returned her attention to the grimm.

Quickly, Haddy stuck the hatchet into the back of his belt, securing it by the wooden head as he loaded his sling with one of his two remaining shots. He pulled back his arm, readying to fire as soon as the door was high enough for one of them to slip in and take the grimm by surprise. He just needed one more moment... as his arm started to fling itself forward...

A shrieking, bloodcurdling howl pierced his ears as flashes of heartbreaking pain tore through him.

The orb of lightning slipped from the sling just a tad late as Haddy nearly stumbled backward. It exploded harmlessly against the rising door. He couldn't help but shake as a large paw stepped into the blinding light of the arena, followed in suit by many more. The iced Alpha had to lean down to not hit its head on the metallic door as it sulked into the pit, scanning until it found its prey.

When its bloody red eyes met Haddy's, he couldn't help but fall back a pace, nearly dropping the shield as his weeping back painfully scraped along the concrete walls trapping them here. He could feel himself hyperventilating as his entire body shook uncontrollably. He knew Gae was taunting him and that Blue was trying to talk to him, her back turned to the enemy as she gripped onto his shoulders and shook him, but all he heard were screams.

"Y'all have'ta get outta he-AGRHHHHHHHHH--"

"OLLIE! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT, BASTARDS! I SWEAR, I'LL MAKE YOU PA--AHHHHHH!!"

"NOOOOOOOO!!"

Leo didn't even have time to scream out in pain...

That had been his first coherent thought after waking up in that infirmary.

He was jolted back to the present when Blue grabbed the shield from his grasp and twisted around to charge at the murderous grimm. They were still grouped together, circling one another as they howled and waited for the students to make a move. He wanted to scream for her to fall back, to yell and plead up at Gae to release them, because he knew that he and his team hadn't been able to beat a pack like this at their full power with their auras, semblances, weapons, and training... so, what chance did they stand now?

Blue parried away a sweeping set of claws that attempted to gore her as she drove her sword through the chest of another Beowolf. She easily twisted out of the way as another tried to tear into her flesh, pulling her blade from its brethren and swinging it into the lanky arm of her attacker, literally disarming it. However, she couldn't avoid it as the Alpha swung down at her, creating a set of bloody gashes down her torso from her shoulder.

She screamed in pain as she was no longer able to hold the heavy weapon, dropping it into a puddle of her own blood. He could only watch as she tried to grab her wound, apply some feeble pressure to alleviate the gushing tears in her flesh... and as the Alpha's gaping maw dripped with saliva, raising its blood-soaked claw up again to strike her.

"BELLL-AAAAHHH!!"

To be continued...

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