RWBY Silver Eyed Warrior Chapter 20: Initiation 2 (Patreon)

Bang!

Blood filled the air, some covering Corvo but not stopping him from preparing his next shot as he rushed the approaching pack of beowolves, more and more shots ringing out. Skirting the edges of the fight itself, Blake had no issues windling down those at the very back with precise stabs and quick slashes.

As twins, Corvo and that sister of his, Ruby, happened to stand out to her on her first day here for little more than the novelty of seeing two people who looked almost identical to one another. The day after, she happened to overhear and listen to the two hype themselves up for initiation at their lockers.

The Schnee girl had been stuck up and egotistical, to absolutely no surprise, but her assumption about the two wasn’t coming from nowhere. The two were younger than everyone else in the school and from what she saw of them, innocently cheerful on their own.

More shots filled the air before he suddenly flipped his weapon as he avoided the swipe of a beowolf’s claws, that arm severed in one strong slice from his axe.

Innocent didn’t at all describe how he fought. He was brutally efficient, spilling blood faster than it could dissipate as he swapped between shotgun and axe, his impressive reflexes allowing him to outmaneuver the pack no matter how many fell upon him. It was the kind of fighting she’d attribute to someone motivated by anger.

Bloodlust.

But he was grinning, nothing but eager. He wasn’t using violence as some outlet for repressed rage, nor did he look like he was chasing down some twisted desire to inflict pain even if those things would’ve been justified against the creatures of Grimm.

She would’ve known if that were the case. At least she hoped she’d be able to recognize the signs.

Corvo cleaved through the last one on his end while she pulled Gambol Shroud out of the neck of the one she finished off, letting its corpse fall aside.

“Are you alright?” He asked, jogging towards her, that excitement dropping as soon as the battle was over, far more concerned for her than he should be considering their current strategy, their respective fighting styles taken into account, put him at the center of every fight and her supporting him.

“Fine.” She said, no longer able to quite see him as the child the Schnee labeled him. “You really enjoy fighting, don’t you?”

A nervous laugh that obviously wasn’t genuine left him. “Yeah, uh, sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable or anything.”

Blake, despite not coming here with any intention of making friends, put in the effort for a small smile. “It’s fine. It good to know I ended up partnered with someone who knows what they’re doing.” That and he was an open book she could easily read. She doubted she’d have much to worry about concerning him during her time here.

“Yeah, likewise.” He said, a real smile gracing his face as red dust his cheeks.

She was almost jealous of how straightforward he seemed. She hadn’t thought innocently cheerful people their age existed outside of books she read. After what she ran away from, it would be a nice change of pace to be around someone like him.

That aside, they had to get back to looking for that sister of his.

XOXO

Corvo was fighting differently.

It was subtle. So subtle she wouldn’t have noticed it unless she was specifically looking out for it.

He’d always been the type to throw himself headfirst into any kind of fight or training regardless of whether or not he thought he was capable of seeing it through. She was never quite sure calling it stubbornness really fit the bill since that implied some sort of struggle. A challenge had always been something to be enjoyed no matter the result for him.

And some would say that fighting for one’s own life was the greatest challenge of all.

“Your opinion?” Ozpin asked, mug in one hand and tablet formed scroll in the other, watching the same footage of Corvo fighting off Grimm.

“Given recent events, I believe it’s too early to say anything for sure.” Glynda said.

Over the years she’d helped Summer with her kids between school years, more often than not, also playing a role in their training. They hammered into their heads how dangerous Grimm and work as a huntsman was for Corvo especially. While it’d never dampened his eagerness for fights, there was a certain learned restraint and caution they’d managed to ingrain into him.

It was hard to tell if it was just the prospect of becoming a student of Beacon, meeting up with Ruby, or his recent near death experience but that long held restraint was loosening.

“Seems we will have to test him ourselves.” Ozpin said. “For now, let us hope he and Miss Belladonna get along.”

And then there was the person he ended up partnered with. While she questioned how willing Ozpin was to do it at times, she understood the importance of allowing someone as young as her and in such a unique position an alternate route in life. Glynda still wasn’t so sure her acceptance should’ve been so quick.

Her ties to the increasingly violent cell of the White Fang here in Vale made her a precarious person to be around Corvo if his eyes and all that came with them were no longer dormant.

According to Ozpin there were plenty of reasons why male silver eyed warriors lived such short lives and Corvo already checked one too many of those boxes.

XOXO

“Do you even understand the concept of planning? Maybe following orders? Or thinking at all?”

Ruby glared, her grip on Crescent Rose tightening.

Weiss had been the absolute last person she wanted to run into even if they had agreed to be on a team. Despite that she’d tried to work with the girl despite initially being ignored after they made eye contact. When Grimm showed up and they fought together, she’d thought that would help them get along.

“Why am I even asking? Of course a child like you wouldn’t know any better than rushing in.” Weiss continued.

“Stop calling me a kid!” Ruby yelled, finally fed up with just listening to her go on and on.

“See? This is exactly what I’m talking about. Ugh, I was supposed to end up with Pyrrha, not you.”

“Well, I didn’t want to be your partner either princess, but you don’t see my whining about it.” Ruby retorted. “If anything, you’re being the childish one. We’re supposed to be looking for Corvo and Pyrrha or going after those artifacts, not complaining.”

Weiss huffed, returning her glare as she began to walk up to her. “Who do you think you’re talking to? If it weren’t for-“

Bursting into the small clearing, a black blur crashed into the ground between them. Giant with parts of its white armoring cracked, a dissipating Ursa now separated them, a black red lined axe embedded in its chest.

Waxing Rose!

“Corvo!” Ruby exclaimed, turning in the direction the Grimm had come from.

“Ruby!” Walking out from the trees and bushes, Corvo stepped into the clearing, the both of them jogging towards each other and meeting halfway. “How’s it going? Did you-“ He stopped as he looked past her. He dropped to her level, Ruby’s heart suddenly skipping a beat as he huddled in close. “You got stuck with her, huh?”

“Y-Yeah.” Ruby whispered back. Nothing had happened. Nothing at all. There was no reason for anything to feel different. “What about you? Did you meet up with Pyrrha?”

“Stop all that whispering.” Weiss ordered, stepping up to their side. “Tell me Pyrrha is with you. I don’t want to be stuck dealing with you children by myself.”

Corvo’s eye twitched, just as annoyed as her with the way Weiss was talking. “Not exactly.” He said to both of them despite that, pointing up. Back against one of the taller trees, the girl with the bow in her hair stood on a thick branch, arms crossed as she looked down at them, silent the entire time. “That’s Blake, my partner.”

“Lucky.” Ruby muttered. It might not have been Pyrrha, but he was lucky enough to end up with the mysterious girl who’d left the crabby girl she was stuck with stuttering. “Should we go look for Pyrrha?”

“Blake!” Corvo called out, looking up. “Do you mind if we try looking around for one of our other friends?” She shook her head. “Thanks! Looks like we’re good.”

“And who said you two could decide what we do?” Weiss said.

Ruby huffed, glancing back at her. “I thought you wanted to find Pyrrha too.”

“Even if that is the case, I don’t want you endangering our lives again. We need to establish who’s leading the search and giving out commands in battle.”

“Let me guess-” Corvo’s partner, Blake started. “-that someone should be you?”

Weiss cleared her throat, looking up at her. “Naturally. I believe I have the skills necessary to handle such a responsibility. Unless you want to step up and fill the roll.”

Blake shook her head. “I say we vote for it.” She said. “Just calling yourself a leader won’t mean anything if the rest of us don’t care to listen.”

“As if that’ll be fair.” Weiss retorted giving Blake the same glare she’d been giving them. “If we weren’t stuck with these children that might work but they’re obviously just going to work together to make one of them the leader.”

“Tough luck, Schnee, the world isn’t fair.” Blake said.

“Well, I, uh, vote for Ruby.” Corvo jumped into the conversation before Weiss, looking ready to go off on Blake the same way she did them, could say anything else.

“I vote for her too then.” Blake said, nodding to them before looking back at Weiss.

“Ugh, you know what, I don’t need to bother with any of you.” Weiss threw up her arms, taking off in a quick walk towards the clearing’s edge. “I’ll find Pyrrha on my own.”

“W-Wait, Weiss!” Ruby shouted, running after her. She didn’t listen though, pushing her way through the bushes and disappearing behind all the green. She really didn’t like the girl and her attitude but that didn’t mean she wanted her running off in a place like this alone either. Anything could happen.

“I guess we can either focus on finding Pyrrha or going after her.” Corvo said, his axe back in hand as he stepped up beside her. “What do you want to do?”

Ruby looked at him then behind them, Blake now strolling up and looking directly at her. Just like that the whole voting thing slammed into her. Weiss hadn’t been totally wrong, Ruby only a second away from voting for Corvo the same way he voted for her, but why did Blake choose her?

“Aren’t you guys really partners? Weiss isn’t even really around so…” Ruby trailed off scythe lowered as she kicked at the dirt around them. She’d ended up teaming up with that Weiss girl instead of Corvo. That partner hadn’t even wanted to anything but argue, so against being around her that she took off into a Grimm filled forest alone. And Pyrrha was who knows where.

This whole thing was going wrong. Making her some kind of leader was just going to make things worse. She was probably going to mess things up for them too.

“Come on, we can’t just take back our votes.” Axe placed against one of his shoulders, Corvo smiled at her, bumping his shoulder to his. “It’s not like I’m going to let you go off without me anyways.”

Ruby smiled back. Things might not have started perfectly but they were together now. Things had to get better from here on out!

“Then, I know you probably want to go after Pyrrha but even if she’s mean I don’t want to let Weiss go off on her own.” Ruby said, looking between the both of them. “Can we go after her?”

XOXO

An Ursa, fading away, hit the ground between them, lilac eyes meeting her own.

“Guess this means we’re partners, Pyrrha.” Yang said, giving her a wide friendly smile as she got to reloading those gauntlets of hers.

“It would seem so.” Pyrrha said, spear and shield lowered as she returned the smile. It wasn’t Corvo but if she had to pick anyone beside him, it would’ve been one of his sisters. This was a good start to things.

“Come on, we better find those artifacts.” Yang said, walking past her and towards the deeper parts of the forest she’d only briefly seen while soaring over it. “And while we’re at it, I’ve got some more questions about you and Corvo.”

Or an embarrassing start.

XOXO

(A/N: Grimm bleeding and fading away like Attack on Titan is just something I like to do in RWBY stories I write. The whole red stump thing when they get cut up just isn't that interesting in my mind. Also don't worry about the whole short lives for male silver eyed warriors thing. There won't be a sickness storyline or anything, its just more about his instincts and what role his silver eyes play in them.

See you in the next one!)