Breathe Chapter 31: Greetings (Patreon)

A few days had passed since our arrival in the forest and Jacques had already sent his workers to begin setting up several cabins to house the miners with large walls being built around the encampment.

The majority of the cabins were empty right now, with only a few being used by the workers, but they would soon be filled once they officially began mining.

The forest was disappointingly emptied of Grimm. There were still a few Grimm here and there, but the only one that was even a little noteworthy was the Nuckelavee that Pyrrha had killed on our first day here.

Currently, I idly leaned against a tree with Maria sitting on one of the branches above. The clang of metal on metal washed over us as Pyrrha and Winter briefly locked weapons, before separating.

Pyrrha had long grown used to sparring with me, but her spar with Winter was a whole other thing. She had found herself with her back against the wall, forcing her to rapidly adapt in order to prevent her from losing immediately.

Pyrrha wasn’t the only one benefiting from this training either. Winter was gaining some much needed experience in using Total Concentration Breathing in a fight against an opponent that was currently giving it their all… Something that I couldn’t do for either of them, if I tried, I’d likely end the fight way too soon and potentially wound one or both of them.

Once they mastered Total Concentration Constant and their Breathing Styles … then they would be much more of a challenge.

“Red’s certainly improved,” Maria commented.

“She has,” I nodded.

Winter had been at a disadvantage and was holding back a little, but Pyrrha was managing to put up a decent fight which was impressive as Winter was a fully qualified Huntress. If this had been against an average Huntsman or Huntress, Pyrrha would genuinely have a shot at winning… especially if she used her Semblance to its full potential.

“You know, despite how odd this is… you teaching others despite having around a year’s training yourself… It’s nostalgic,” Maria hummed lightly. “Although it would be better if you didn’t pass on your bad habit,” She deadpanned.

Bad habit?

Looking up, I was about to ask her what she meant, before finding her pointing towards Pyrrha. There didn’t appear to be anything inherently wrong with her fighting style and she wasn’t acting recklessly.

“What…” I began, before pausing when I saw Pyrrha cut her way through one of Winter's Summons… more specifically, I saw the way her eyes gleamed in excitement as she fought someone far stronger than her, relishing the challenge. “…Oh.”

“Yeah, oh,” Maria chuckled. “I’m starting to wonder if you’ve just been rubbing off on her or if it's got something to do with that technique of yours.”

It could be either, honestly. I’d spent a lot of time around Pyrrha,  from helping train her, to just genuinely hanging out. Then there was Total Concentration Breathing which, when combined with Aura, did make a person feel a little invincible.

It might be that Pyrrha was simply enjoying being able to fight for longer periods of time with little to no drawback… I was curious to see how she would act once she mastered Constant.

“As long as she…” I paused. Without any effort, my hand lashed out automatically and grabbed onto something vaguely fleshy that vibrated as a growl struggled to break free from my grip. Turning I found myself staring directly into the glowing red eyes of an Alpha Beowolf. “…doesn’t get over confident,” I finished.

Grimm were drawn towards negativity, but in a place like this, with so few people around, they would naturally migrate towards those with their Aura unlocked.

Grabbing the hilt of my sword, I prepared to end the Grimm quickly, before stopping. This Grimm wasn’t a threat to any of us. It had more to offer than simply being beheaded.

 I Threw the Grimm in-between Pyrrha and Winter, only for it to be torn to shreds in less than a second. I… Probably should have expected that.

Maria let out a snort of laughter at my attempt to surprise the duo, but otherwise didn’t say anything.

A simple Alpha Beowolf wouldn’t pose much of a challenge to them. If I really wanted to try and throw them off guard, I’d need a bigger and stronger Grimm… like a Goliath. Unfortunately, there weren’t really any Grimm of that quality around right now.

Feeling my Scroll vibrate, I slipped it out of my pocket. The signal out here was erratic at the best of times and would only really stabilize once Jacques had his workers build a CCT hub.

“Ozpin?” I asked, answering my Scroll. He didn’t seem the type to make random calls, so whatever this was, it was probably important. “What’s going on?”

“Ah, Coal. I have to say that it’s been rather difficult getting into contact with you,” Ozpin hummed lightly. “You can rest at ease knowing that everything is fine. This is more of a social call than anything else.”

Well that was a relief. Here I thought that, with Ozpin calling me, something serious had happened.

“I heard from James that it’s been a few days since you left Atlas,” Ozpin continued. “How have you been find your new accommodations?”

“…It’s been fine,” I replied. There had been a lot of comfort and luxuries back in Atlas, but it was a lot more peaceful out here in the woods… Although Maria did like to complain about missing her comfy chair. “Is that really what you called to talk about?”

“Admittedly, no,” Ozpin answered. “I was calling to see if it would be alright if I could send a Huntsman to help assist you with guarding the new Dust mine, I don’t think I need to tell you that Grimm aren’t the only threat out there. Dust is a valuable substance after all and many would like to have it for themselves. Having another Huntsman around would help ensure that nothing goes wrong.”

Another Huntsman? “What’s this Huntsman’s name?” I asked, having my suspicions on who Ozpin was referring to.

“Qrow Branwen,” Ozpin said. “Among James and you, Qrow is one of my most trusted Huntsmen. I trust you understand what I mean.”

I rolled my eyes, Ozpin sure liked to be cryptic.

“Yeah, I get it,” I replied. I had wanted to meet Qrow for a while now and having him here, helping protect the workers would be nothing but beneficial. “It’s been fairly quiet here, but I suppose a little extra help couldn’t hurt.”

Having an extra set of eyes looking for any potential trouble would be helpful, especially if the White Fang heard about the new Dust mine and decided to try and sabotage it.

“Excellent, Qrow should arrive within an hour… two at the most,” Ozpin informed.

Wait… Two hours at the most? “Argus is currently the closest to where we are and it took a solid three hours to travel here.”

“So it does,” Ozpin hummed lightly. “I guess Qrow just happened to be in the area then.”

“Ozpin…”

“The weather must be incredible for Qrow’s craft to be arriving an hour earlier,” Ozpin bullshitted. “Now I do believe that I’m going to have to leave you there. I have plenty of work to do… what with being Beacons Headmaster and plotting against Salem. I hope to hear from you soon, Coal.”

I pulled my Scroll back as the call ended and simply shook my head at Ozpin’s antics. Qrow had already been well on his way here when Ozpin called. With the travel time between Kingdoms, this was probably planned well in advance.

“So what was that about?” Maria asked.

“Ozpin’s sending another Huntsman to help out,” I replied.

Slipping my Scroll back into my pocket, I turned my attention back to the fight. Qrow shouldn’t prove to be too big of a distraction. I mean, it was only him coming after all. I shouldn’t have to worry about anyone getting in the way of Pyrrha and Winter’s training.

…Breathe…

A few hours passed and the four of us found ourselves standing just outside of the walled in cabins, waiting for Qrow’s Bullhead to arrive.

Winter hadn’t exactly been pleased to hear that Qrow was going to be joining us, but her mask of professionalism kept her from announcing her issues on the matter. It didn’t stop her from quietly muttering about how he was an ‘oafish drunkard.’

Before too long, a Bullhead came into view. Circling around the campsite, it slowly came in for a landing a short distance away from us. The ramp opened and the dusty old crow himself sauntered off as a few people shifted in the back of the aircraft, likely looking to offload some extra equipment before heading back to civilization.

“Ozpin mentioned that you were heading here, Qrow,” I called out, walking towards him. “I have to say that you’re already my favorite Branwen… Unlike your sister, you haven’t tried to kill me yet,” I said, trying to ease any tension.

“Great,” Qrow sighed, palming his face. “Out of all the things that you could have said, you had to lead with that.”

I raised a brow. Why would mentioning Raven be an issue? It’s not like he didn’t know she was a bandit and Ozpin probably told him about what happened during the Sanctum excursion, so…

“You know my mom?!” A buxom blonde asked, a backpack slung over her shoulder.

Oh… Shit. I glanced from Qrow towards Yang and a familiar little reaper standing next to her. Damnit Ozpin, the least he could have done was let me know that Qrow was bringing his nieces with him… Why had Qrow brought his nieces with him?!

They were supposed to be studying at Signal Academy with Yang finishing her final year and Ruby attending her second last year, not here, in the middle of nowhere.

“Yang, I think you should go help Ruby with her things,” Qrow suggested. “You know she has a tendency to over pack.”

Ignoring Qrow, Yang fished through her pants pocket, before pulling a photo of Raven out. “Raven Branwen, you’ve met her?” She asked, marching off the Bullheads ramp.

“Um,” I muttered, unsure of what I should say right now.

“I’ve been looking for her all my life,” Yang continued.

Seeing the almost desperate need for answers in Yang’s eyes, I let out a sigh. “Yeah, I ran into her a while back… Before I took the Huntsman exam,” I added. “I’ll tell you about her later. For now, why don’t you three get settled in?”

Yang deserved to know the truth about Raven… At least the parts of how she was a bandit leader that invaded smaller villages. I know that Qrow and Taiyang likely wanted to keep that from her in order to protect her, but that was only going to end up hurting her in the long run.

“Now really isn’t the time to be talking about Raven,” I said, gesturing towards everyone that had stopped to watch the exchange… including the workers.  “If you’ve really been looking for her all your life, you’ll be able to wait a few hours to hear what I know about her.”

“Alright,” Yang nodded. “But I’m holding you to it… Now, do you have any idea where I can put my stuff?” She asked, gesturing to her sister that was currently lugging several large bags off of the Bullhead.

“The cabins nearer the wall are completely empty,” I explained, pointing to where she could go.

“Maybe you could show me around yourself?” Yang suggested, stepping a little closer.

“I could show you,” Pyrrha said, offering a strained smile. “Come, it’s not that far.”

Grabbing onto Yang, Pyrrha steered her towards one of the nearby cabins, leaving Ruby to carry all the bags by herself.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Qrow muttered.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I apologized. “Ozpin only told me that you were coming here, not your nieces too. If I’d known that you weren’t traveling alone, I wouldn’t have made that joke.”

I still felt that Yang deserved to know the truth about her mom, but I did think there were much better times to bring up such a sensitive topic.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. Oz has a tendency to do things like that, ” Qrow said, before taking a gulp from his flask. “Besides, the firecracker’s been asking around for a while. Odds are she’d have asked you about Raven sometime before we left.”

“Um… A little help here,” Ruby called out, tipping from side to side as she fought to make sure she didn’t accidentally drop any of the luggage.

“Sure thing, kiddo,” Qrow said as he went to help Ruby.

I moved to help him. I was pretty sure I now knew why Ozpin wanted Qrow here… or more specifically Ruby. He hadn’t explained how Silver Eyes were a real thing, but, back when he told me the abridged version of Salem’s story along with the Girl in the Tower, he did hint that other fairy tales were, to some degree, true. Like the story of the Warrior in the Woods who had Silver Eyes.

Although I might be over thinking this, I felt that Ozpin wanted me to meet Ruby… Silver Eyes with Total Concentration Breathing would make something incredibly powerful after all.

“There you go,” I said as I grabbed a few bags while Qrow grabbed a few more.

“Thanks,” Ruby sighed in relief. “It’s already easier to move. I’m Ruby Rose, by the way.”

“Coal Calavera,” I nodded my own greeting. She seemed a little more confident than I thought she would be. “I’d shake your hand, but…” I lifted a pair of suitcases in my one hand, my other hand equally as full. Just how much did they need to take with them for this trip?

“Sorry about that. Most of these are Yang’s, she was supposed to help carry them, but…” Ruby trailed off. “So, I know this is sudden, but do you think that I could… get your autograph?”

“…Okay?” I replied. Out of all the things for Ruby to ask, I hadn’t been expecting that.

“Good idea, Ruby,” Qrow hummed. “Maybe you could sign a few things for me too… Your signature’s got to be worth something, especially with how well known you are and I could use a little extra Lien.”

“Uncle Qrow,” Ruby hissed.

“What? I’m just being honest,” Qrow sighed. Reaching for his flask, he found himself unable to grab it. “Hey, ice queen,” He called out, spotting Winter who stood stiffly by the wall. “A little help?”

Turning towards us, Winter silently marched forward, pausing for a moment to glance between Ruby and myself. Grabbing some extra bags from Ruby, she left without a word uttered.

“Hey, I meant for you to help me,” Qrow called out and was promptly ignored.

Winter really didn’t like Qrow, but at the same time, she didn’t really offer a reaction beyond ignoring his existence.

…Breathe…

The day was winding down to an end as the sun slowly began to set. Qrow, Ruby and Yang were all settling in after their long trip while Pyrrha and Winter had gone off to shower, making sure that at least one of them was armed at all times in case a Grimm decided to attack. We were still out in the wilderness and being caught with your literal pants down out here would be an issue.

Reaching up, rock crumbled in my hands as I slowly scaled a peak that overlooked the forest. Gripping a rock too tightly, it snapped off and fell, shattering on the ground below. Dangling by one arm, I rocked my body and flung myself up before my hold broke the rock.

Slipping, I prepared to dig my sword into the side of the mountain in order to stop my fall, only for a scythe blade to jut out towards me.

Grabbing on, I was heaved up, to a spot that offered some breathing room.

“Thanks,” I said, dusting myself off as I stood up. Turning, I found myself staring out over the forest. “I can see why you’ve taken to coming here. The view is great.”

“That it is,” Maria hummed as she sat down on the ledge.

Moving to join her, we sat quietly for several moments, taking in the view of the valley as the sun shone its last bit of light on it.

“You’ve been pretty absent lately,” I said, breaking the silence.

“I have,” Maria nodded. “I realized something back during the Sanctum excursion... Something that’s only become more apparent since then. You’ve long since outgrown me... You don’t need me anymore. There comes a time when a teacher needs to step back and let their student continue to grow on their own.”

“That sounds… Really stupid,” I admitted. “Just because I don’t need your help with training, it doesn’t mean that I don’t need you around. You’ve saved my life, trained me and been there for every step… Hell, you’ve even given me your last name. I don’t just think of you as my teacher… You’re family to me.”

Sitting silently for a few moments, Maria let out a short laugh. “Yeah, I think of you as family too. I guess I’ve had my head up my ass, focusing only on being your teacher.”

“So there was also another reason why I came to look for you,” I said. “Qrow arrived and he brought his nieces with him. They’re both training to be Huntresses… in fact, one of them is entering Beacon next year and the other plans to in about two years time.”

“Well I’m sure that Pyrrha won’t mind sharing, she’s already gotten used to Winter after all,” She joked. “So what’s the big deal with him bringing his nieces?”

“Qrow Branwen… One of them is Raven’s daughter, her name is Yang,” I replied. “The other one, Ruby, has a rare eye colour that just so happens to be Silver.”

“Are you sure?” Maria asked, turning serious.

“Completely,” I nodded.

Maria might not be able to help Ruby train her ability, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t offer a few pointers that would help her out a little.

It was a little funny, actually. If I had guessed right, Ozpin had sent them with the intention of them potentially learning Total Concentration Constant, but instead, Ruby might end up getting a little help to hone her Silver eyes.

“Back when I was a Huntress, I was hunted down and nearly killed because of my abilities. If this girl really has Silver eyes, then she’s in danger,” Maria reasoned.

She didn’t know the half of it. Ruby would find herself right in the center of things in the future… Although, maybe she wouldn’t. Ozpin let her into Beacon early because she got into a fight with Roman, who was stealing dust on Cinders orders.

Cinder was only in Vale to steal the rest of the Fall Maidens' powers.

I let out a tired sigh. Keeping track of the timeline was beginning to grow tedious. It seemed that I’d inadvertently changed the event which led to Ruby attending Beacon early… Unless Ozpin decided to invite her to attend regardless of her younger age.

“I guess I could check in with the girl and give her a few hints on how to use her eyes properly,” Maria hummed. Seeing that it was starting to get dark, Maria let out a sigh as she stood up. “We should probably head back down now.”

“Yeah…” Shifting backwards, a loud cracking sound came from the stone I was sitting on. “Oh, come on…” The stone finally broke and I began to fall.

Hearing Maria laugh at my misfortune, I shifted my body through the air and braced myself preparing to land. Next time, I was going to be the one that stood first.

…Breathe…

The sound of footsteps echoed down the halls as Hazel slowly made his way through Salem’s castle. He had been incredibly busy as of late, hard at work to make up for his mistakes at Mistral. The plan for Cinder to gain the Spring Maiden was doomed to fail from the start due to Lionheart’s faulty information.

The failure to kill Coal Calavera on the other hand, rested on Hazel’s shoulders alone. He had been the one to suggest that they could recruit him instead of ambushing him.

He hadn’t had much time to himself. Salem kept sending him out to fetch her things, ranging from ingredients to humans and Faunus… nearly always alive, sometimes dead.

It had all been to help further Salem’s new pet project, a new kind of Grimm… An idea that Cinder had given her. Hazel had only seen it a handful of times himself and never the entirety of it, but each time he caught a glimpse, a shifter of revulsion shot down his back.

Although, Hazel wasn’t sure what the revulsion was aimed at. The Grimm for being such an abomination or his own actions in helping create it. There was a smaller third part of his mind that suggested something that he immediately discarded for how vile it would be.

It was better to leave some things alone.

Coming to a pair of double doors, Hazel slowly pushed them open.  “You wanted to see me, ma’am?” He asked, catching sight of Salem sitting at the head of an empty table with a Seer resting in front of her.

“Yes, come in,” Salem ordered, briefly looking up from the Grimm.

Entering the room, he came to a stop at Salem’s side and looked down at the Seer before wincing. It seemed that Salem was already putting the newest Huntsman he’d brought back to use and it wasn’t going well for the man.

“He always likes to play with his food,” Salem hummed. “Not that he will ever feel full. I designed him that way after all.”

The Huntsman let out a scream that was heard through both the Grimm and the hallways of the castle, serving as a reminder that Salem’s newest abomination currently stalked the corridors of the building they resided in.

A second loud scream sounded through the castle, before it was suddenly silenced with a quick snap.

“He does grow bored when the Huntsmen can no longer flee,” Salem noted. Leaning back, she dismissed the Seer and turned her full attention to Hazel. “Tell me, Hazel, do you know why I called for you today?”

“You want me to collect someone else for you?” Hazel guessed.

Salem let out a short hum of amusement. “Always so eager to help,” She said softly. “No, I called you here for a different reason. My latest Grimm has exceeded my expectations and is finally ready to be put to use. Do you understand what I mean?”

“You… Need me to help transport it,” Hazel replied.

“Very good,” Salem hummed. “But not entirely correct. Dr. Watts is going to be handling the transportation of my latest experiment. You, however, will need to help get it into its travel container.”

“…I understand,” Hazel nodded.

“Then I will leave the rest to you,” Salem said. “Be sure to leave him while he’s eating. He can get a little… cranky if he’s disturbed.”

Turning to leave, Hazel quickly made his way out of the room, opting to leave the Grimm to its meal and find Watts first, before he attempted anything.

It was a little odd for Salem to order him to handle the Grimm when she could simply control them with a few short words. It could be that she was still angry at him for what transpired in Mistral, or… more disturbingly, the Grimm might have grown intelligent enough to disobey Salem.