Breathe Chapter 65: Fairy tales

Sitting under the wing of the Airship, I held my Scroll to my head, watching as the rain slowly trickled to a stop. Thunder, once cracking l

Sitting under the wing of the Airship, I held my Scroll to my head, watching as the rain slowly trickled to a stop. Thunder, once cracking loudly overhead, had moved along the horizon and had grown substantially fainter.

“Most troubling indeed,” Ozpin’s voice sounded over the Scroll. “And you’re absolutely sure that it’s not some, until now, unheard of Grimm? Perhaps this is one of Salem’s pet projects.”

I was tempted to switch my Scroll to video call, but that probably wouldn’t end well. Winter was already doing all she could to boost the signal using the Airship which did help significantly, but still had its limits.

An artificial local network worked just fine, but something this far out was bound to struggle making anything beyond a simple call.

Looking down at the creature that was still wrapped up in my weapon, its head twitched erratically, before its skull snapped open, revealing a black void for a mouth.

“Hunt… Consume… Erase…”

Attempting to break free, the metallic thread tying it up suddenly tightened, digging into its skin. Catching sight of Pyrrha as she stepped into view, I nodded my thanks, getting a smile in turn as she ensured that the creature wasn’t able to break free.

Outside of its vaguely human form, there was nothing that resembled an actual person, inside or out. Then there was the matter of its injuries… Several old stab wounds that left faint lines on its purple flesh, a single broken horn growing from its head and lacerations on its skin.

Grimm could regenerate over time, regaining lost body parts so that they could go on to be better killing machines, but this thing had scars. Its wounds hadn’t healed perfectly.

 “I’m sure,” I hummed. “This thing’s different. Salem didn’t make this one. It looks a little like a Grimm and is even compatible with them, but…”

“It isn’t one,” Ozpin finished.

“Exactly,” I replied.

“I see,” Ozpin murmured. “The simple fact that you chose to contact me over this denotes how serious it is. Unfortunately, I’m far too busy with the Vytal Festival to see it for myself. I will, however, be sending someone to help transport it back to Beacon so that it may be further studied.”

That would help. Although the Airship was pretty advanced and more than large enough, it didn’t have anything that could be used to safely transport Grimm, let alone this thing.

“That would be appreciated, but couldn’t we just have Raven open a portal to here?”

Yang was here after all and Raven had proven to be capable of making portals that stretched over far greater distances.

“That is one option, yes, but I believe that it may be safer to transport it normally,” Ozpin answered. “At least until we have a greater understanding of its true nature. There is also the matter of Miss Branwen’s new habit of training until exhaustion, before rewarding herself in a manner reminiscent of her brother.”

Yeah, suddenly the idea of having Raven open a portal here didn’t seem so appealing. Best case scenario, it works as intended. Worst… I wasn’t entirely sure what would happen, but the idea of being scattered around Remnant as a fine red mist was implanted into my head.

The risk just wasn’t worth the reward.

“I guess waiting wouldn’t be so bad then,” I replied. “How soon can you have Qrow here?”

“It’s going to be a few hours at the very least,” Ozpin noted.

Hearing a soft sound of footsteps above, there was a distinct sound of someone whispering overhead along with two others shushing that person. “It looks like I’m going to have to leave it there today, Oz.”

“I suppose that’s for the best,” Ozpin murmured. “I’ll discuss this with you further when you return to Beacon. Until then, I suggest that we keep contact to a bare minimum as a… Precautionary measure.”

 That would probably be for the best. As far as I knew, Watts wasn’t able to listen in on calls just yet. He’d need to upload a virus at the CCT tower at Beacon, something which would be far more difficult after the events in Mistral put Remnant on high alert. That being said, it wouldn’t hurt to err on the side of caution.

“Will do,” I answered.

“Indeed,” Ozpin hummed. “I’m looking forward to seeing how much your students have grown in this past week. Until then, however, have a safe journey back,” He finished, ending the call.

He was going to be in for a surprise then. Even without their Breathing Styles, they were a force to be reckoned with. As it stood, I doubt they would have any trouble clearing the Vytal tournament. The only one I could think of that might give them a run for their money was Penny.

“So… What did he say?” Pyrrha asked curiously.

“He’s sending Qrow to help escort this thing back to Beacon,” I said, pausing when I heard Ruby’s muffled cheer.

“And Raven?”

“She’s not coming,” I replied.

Letting out a short breath, she smiled. “Good. I can’t say that I’m fond of her and… All the things she’s done.”

That was understandable. The few interactions we’d had with Raven involved her attacking Pyrrha’s class in an attempt to ransom her and attacking the mining camp.

“It’s going to be a few hours before Qrow gets here, but until then… Are the rest of you going to come down?” I asked, looking up at the ramp that currently served as shelter from the rain.

The whispering suddenly hitched and grew silent as the four realized they were caught. A few moments passed before Ruby poked her head under the airship.

“Eheh, lovely weather we’re having… Right?” She laughed awkwardly. “We were just… Just trying to get a breath of fresh air, that’s all. Totally not trying to spy on you.”

“Oh, for the love of,” Weiss complained. “Is that really the best you could come up with?”

“I didn’t see you doing any better.”

“Because I assumed you had it handled,” Weiss breathed.

“As dad always said, when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me,” Ruby smiled triumphantly. “So there.”

There was a slapping sound as Weiss palmed her face.

“Nice one, sis,” Yang muttered, letting out a snort of laughter. Dropping down from the ramp, she smiled broadly. “How’d you know that we were there? What gave us away?”

“You weren’t exactly being quiet,” I answered. Blake being the only one that hadn’t made that much noise. “Anyway, there’s something important that I need to talk to the four of you about.”

Well… Technically, I only needed to speak to Weiss and Blake, but having Ruby and Yang around could help. I’d put off the topic of Salem for long enough. If I didn’t get to it now, I’d probably just end up delaying it again.

“Sounds serious,” Yang commented as the rest of her team made their way over. “This doesn’t have anything to do with that thing over there, does it? By the way, what even is that?”

I wasn’t entirely sure, actually. It did look familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I’d seen it before. “That’s–“

“It looks a lot like the Jabberwalker from ‘The Girl Who Fell Through the World,’” Ruby murmured softly. “Although, I could be wrong.”

Jabberwalker?!

Feeling something click in my mind as I began to remember bits and pieces from Volume 9, I turned towards the creature and… It looked a little different from what I could recall… Beat up and decrepit, but the general shape was still there.

Unfortunately, that only left me with a whole bunch of other questions, like, what the hell was this thing doing here… On Remnant, when it should be in a whole other dimension?!

I could accept that there were all kinds of Grimm spread out across Remnant, but this… This went beyond that. This was literally the precursor to all modern day Grimm. It wasn’t exactly strong, but it was old… Very old.

“Um, Coal,” Yang said. “You’ve got a really serious look in your eyes and… Your nose is bleeding.”

Taking a breath, I wiped the blood away. “Sorry… I just realized something which caused my Semblance to act up.”

“Your Semblance causes nosebleeds?” Ruby asked curiously.

“Not really, but that’s a whole other thing,” I replied. “What I wanted to talk about wasn’t this… Jabberwalker, but another fairy tale. One that’s just as real as it is,” I explained, grabbing their attention. “One about a woman by the name of Salem.”

Blake’s ears twitched. “I’ve heard that name before.”

Weiss nodded. “You and Pyrrha mentioned that name earlier.” Pausing, she tapped a finger to her chin. “But that’s not the first time I heard it… It was… On Merlot’s Island. He mentioned her as well… Something about how she owned Grimm. I just thought he was a raving lunatic.”

Both could be true.

“She doesn’t own the Grimm, but, being a Grimm herself, she can control them so long as they are younger than she is,” I continued.

Seeing the disturbed look on Weiss’ face and the disbelieving one on Blake’s, I sighed. This was going to take a while.

…Breathe…

It was a little later in the evening that I found myself sitting on a log, roasting a marshmallow on a crackling campfire, Winter and Pyrrha sitting on either side of me.

Yang and Ruby both shared a log of their own, fighting over marshmallows as Ruby had already shoved a full dozen on her stick, leaving an ever dwindling supply for Yang who was trying to make S’mores.

Sitting on a log opposite them were Blake and Weiss, the pair discussing music of all things. They’d been more than a little shocked at learning about Salem, but they were slowly coming to terms with it.

That being said, it’d probably take some time before they truly believed that she was real. Unlike Yang and Ruby, they hadn’t seen her face to face like them.

“Interesting,” Winter hummed softly. “So lighting it on fire is one of the steps.”

Blinking, I turned my attention towards my marshmallow, only to find that it’d caught alight. Cursing under my breath, I brought it forward and extinguished the flame, leaving behind a sad burnt excuse of a marshmallow.

Laughing softly, Pyrrha hid her mouth behind her hand. “Actually, you’re supposed to roast it slowly, like this.” Pulling her stick back, she revealed a perfectly golden marshmallow. “If you do it properly, this is the end result.”

“I see,” She nodded. “Then…” Placing a marshmallow on her stick, she placed it directly in the fire. “Logic dictates that it should take substantially shorter the closer I bring it to the fire.”

“Wait,” Pyrrha called out. “That’s way too close.“

Pulling her stick back, Winter stared down at her burnt marshmallow. “I’m… Not quite sure what I did wrong.”

“Well… For starters, you can’t just shove it into the fire. You need to cook it slowly,” Pyrrha explained. “It’s not a race.”

Out of all the things I thought I’d be doing this week, watching Pyrrha teach Winter how to properly roast a marshmallow wasn’t one of them. In hindsight, her lack of experience on the subject was to be expected.

Atlas didn’t exactly strike me as a place where people would sit around campfires, especially since the only rural land that existed was the farmland that surrounded the city. Mistral wasn’t any better either… Although, with Jacques around, I doubt that she would have even been allowed to even see a campfire.

Such things are beneath a Schnee after all.

“What do I do with this burnt one then?” She asked, holding up her stick.

“You eat it,” I answered. Reaching up, I pinched the skin of the marshmallow and pulled it off. “The outside might be a little charred, but the inside’s still good.”

Raising an eyebrow, Winter eyed the stick with a little apprehension, before popping it in her mouth. “It’s surprisingly pleasant.”

Watching as she tried again, determined to not burn this one, my gaze briefly flickered between the empty forest that was lit up by several spotlights and the Jabberwalker that was currently covered by  one of Winter’s summoned Nevermore’s that sat on top of it. Its limbs were restrained by several thin pieces of metal pinning it to the ground. Its chances of escape were effectively zero.

“So… It’s a pretty nice night, wouldn’t you say?” Yang hummed, catching everyone’s attention. “We’ve got a warm fire going. A bunch of snacks and the forest is pretty much Grimm free… The only thing that’s missing now is a little entertainment.”

“Entertainment?” Ruby tilted her head before her eyes widened in excitement. “Wait, do you mean something like games… Like a race or even a sharpshooting contest?! We could totally do that!”

“Actually, I was thinking–“

“Please, those things exclusively benefit you,” Weiss muttered, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. “That would be like me suggesting that we hold a singing contest.”

“I think–“

“How would that be fair?” Ruby asked, speaking over Yang. “You’re like… So much better at singing than the rest of us.”

“Exactly,” Weiss nodded, satisfied with herself. “I’m glad you see it my way.”

“Uh, okay?” Ruby hummed, not really getting it.

Waiting to see if anyone else had anything to say, Yang once more opened her mouth. “I–“

“We could do something that doesn’t rely on any physical skill,” Blake suggested. “I did bring a number of books with me. I would be happy to lend them to the rest of you.”

Giving a strained smile, Yang waited for several moments, before attempting to make her case again. “I was thinking that–“

“Ooh, what kind?” Ruby asked.

Eyes flashing red, Yang’s hair suddenly lit up. “Would you all shut up and let me talk!”

Unable to hold back at such a perfect opportunity, I held my stick up, pressing my marshmallow against Yang’s cheek.

“Hey,” Yang complained while shifting back. Catching sight of the stick, she gave me an incredulous look. Her anger fading rapidly. “Are… Are you seriously trying to roast a marshmallow on me?”

“I just wanted to see if it’d work,” I shrugged, getting a snort of laughter from Ruby who quietly admitted that she’d tried the exact same thing.

Staring down at the stick for a few moments, a smirk came to Yang’s face before she suddenly bit down on the marshmallow. “Mine.”

Okay… I didn’t see that coming. If anything, I was expecting her to laugh it off… Or even start a brawl. Not this. Although, it did serve as a welcomed distraction for Weiss and Blake after learning about Salem’s existence.

Pulling my stick back, I stuck another marshmallow on the end, before holding it near the fire. “So, earlier you said you were thinking about something.”

“Well…” Yang paused, shooting a look towards her teammates. “I was thinking that we could get another story… That or strip poker, the choice is yours, really.”

Upon hearing what her sister said, Ruby inhaled her S’more and began choking. Weiss rushed to help and Blake… Blake quietly palmed her face.

Hearing a snap at my side, I watched as Pyrrha’s stick fell into the fire below, a large blush on her face. As for Winter, she didn’t seem to show any outward reaction whatsoever, having seemingly brushed Yang’s suggestion off without any issue.

Yeah, I kind of deserved that. I guess this was what I got for messing with Yang when she was angry. The term, ‘Don’t poke a sleeping bear,’ seemed to fit her perfectly here. “I’m going to have to go with a story,” I said, rubbing my face.

I did wonder what would happen if I called her bluff, but, seeing as there was a good chance she would simply go with it… And since Qrow was on his way here, I’d rather not risk it.

“Guess we’ll have to save the poker for another time,” Yang smirked. “So, what story will it… Oh, come on. Why is everything interrupting me tonight?”

Speak of the devil.

A low hum sounded through the forest, accompanied by a bright light that shone down on our campsite as a lone Airship approached.

Circling the campsite once, it slowed its speed and hovered for a few moments, before landing a few feet away from our own Airship, casting a small shadow over the area as it blocked a portion of the lights. Opening the side door to the Airship, a shadowed figure descended the steps.

“Well,” I said, dusting myself off as I stood up. “Let’s get this over with. The rest of you can stay here if you want. Pyrrha, Winter and I will–“

“UNCLE QROW!” Ruby cried.

Darting towards Qrow’s figure in a blur of speed and rose petals, she pulled him into a tight hug, only for…

“Ms. Rose, this is highly inappropriate,” Glynda’s voice sounded throughout the camp. “If I didn’t know any better, I would have assumed that you were attacking me and responded in kind. Having said that, could you please let me go.” It wasn’t so much of a request as it was a kindly worded demand.

“I… But… Uncle Qrow.” Stepping back, Ruby’s face morphed into a look of horror as she got a better view of her form. “No… Nonononono.”

“Hey, somebody say my name?” Qrow muttered, stepping off the Airship. “What’s the matter, Ruby? No hug for your uncle?”

Of all the mistakes Ruby could make, she had to make the exact same one as Taiyang. Heading over to the newly arrived duo with Winter and Pyrrha in tow, I was trying really hard not to laugh.

Yang on the other hand, having seen what happened from back at the campfire, was currently stuck there with Weiss and Blake watching over her. Laughing so hard that she wasn’t able to breathe, let alone, walk.

“Why do I feel like I just missed out on something?” Qrow muttered, looking at Ruby suspiciously who appeared even more panicked.

“Qrow… Glynda,” I called out, deciding to lend Ruby a hand. “I didn’t think that Ozpin would send two of you.”

“He felt that this might be a situation that called for extra precaution,” Glynda replied.

“It also helps that, if I accidentally break something, she can fix it immediately,” Qrow mumbled before taking a sip from his flask. Catching Winter’s annoyed frown, he smirked. “How’s it going, Ice queen? Reported this to the general yet?”

“General Ironwood is a busy man and, despite what you think, I don’t tell him everything,” Winter responded calmly. “Now, I believe you are both here for a purpose.”

“Ooh, someone’s acting a little rebellious. Careful, James doesn’t like his soldier thinking for them–“

“If we could put aside this petty squabbling for just a moment, Qrow,” Glynda scolded, pushing her glasses up. “I would prefer to not waste any more time than is necessary.”

“…Fine,” Qrow sighed. “May as well see what’s so important about this thing then.”

Glynda nodded. “If you could please lead the way.”

“It’s right over here,” Winter said, taking point.

Falling to the back of the group, I fell in step with Ruby who had taken to pulling her hood over her face. “Are you doing alright there?”

“Me? I’m fine. Great even,” Ruby replied. “I mean, I just hugged one of my professors who’s well known for how strict she is. How could I not be doing awesome?”

“I don’t see it as that big of a deal,” Pyrrha hummed, looking back over her shoulder. “Back in Sanctum, I once called one of my teachers mom and while it had been embarrassing at first, I soon got over it.”

“But this is different,” She insisted.

“I’m technically one of your teachers and you’ve literally crawled under my cloak while I was wearing it and fallen asleep on me.”

“You don’t count,” Ruby whined. “You’re way closer in age to us than Professor Goodwitch… You’re more like a cool student that takes us on adventures and helps us learn super awesome technique thingies.”

Reaching Winter’s construct, our conversation came to a halt.

“Unfortunately, we lacked the equipment necessary to properly confine it, so we had to get a little creative,” Winter said, dismissing her Nevermore.

“Okay, I was a little skeptical at first,” Qrow admitted, staring down at the Jabberwalker that, upon seeing us, tried to break free. “What exactly am I looking at?”

“We weren’t sure at first, but Ruby recognized it from one of her books,” I answered, batting Ruby on her shoulder. “It’s the Jabberwalker from ‘The Girl Who Fell Through the World.’”

“I’m way too sober for this,” Qrow sighed. Reaching for his trusty flask, he stopped when Glynda shot a stern look his way. “How sure are we that this is actually some fairy tale creature and not some mutated animal.”

Catching sight of Ruby, the Jabberwalker’s mouth snapped open. “Silver… Hunt… Consume.”

“You make a convincing argument,” Qrow muttered, staring down at the creature. “Can anyone tell me how I’m staring at something that shouldn’t exist?”

“Well…” Ruby said, stepping closer. “The story was about a girl who fell into some other world. Maybe things from there can accidentally end up here too?”

“May as well,” Qrow shrugged, taking a gulp from his flask. “Ozpin’s going to have a field day with this thing.”

“That he is,” Glynda agreed, nodding slowly. “We’ll need to place it in one of the more secure containers. I don’t want there to be any risk of it getting out,” She muttered to herself. “Will you be accompanying us when we leave?”

“That depends on when you’re leaving,” I replied. “We were planning on spending one more night here before heading back in the morning.”

“I was hoping to wrap this up within the next two hours, giving some time to check to ensure that there aren’t any problems,” She explained.

Meaning, they’d arrive back at Beacon sometime in the early morning.

“You could stay here for the night,” I suggested. “There’s more than enough room on our Airship. It’d probably be safer too. You wouldn’t have to worry about traveling at night.”

“…He does have a point,” Qrow said, thinking it through. “It’d be nice to cut back for once. Plus, Ozpin did say that we should take we shouldn’t take any unnecessary risks.”

“It is a tempting offer,” Glynda admitted. “But leaving in the morning has its own setbacks. With the week break coming to an end, a large number of students will be returning. Something that I hope to avoid by arriving in the early morning. So, no. While I appreciate the offer, I will have to decline.”

I hadn’t actually considered that. Arriving later in the day made it harder to sneak the Jabberwalker in. “Sure… No worries,” I replied. “Do you need any help loading this thing?”

“Ordinarily, I wouldn’t, but seeing as this is a unique situation, I would appreciate any help you could give.”

Well… I suppose I could… And it’s not like this was going to take that long, right? “Alright, just tell me what you need.”

…Breathe…

As it turned out, Loading the Jabberwalker did end up taking a significant amount of time. More than I’d been expecting. By the time we were done, the fire had dwindled into warm embers.

That being said, it wasn’t a bad night. By the time Glynda and Qrow arrived, we’d already spent more than a few hours sitting by the fireside.

Now that morning had come, it was time to leave. Winter was already getting the Airship ready to leave while Pyrrha slept in. Ruby on the other hand zipped around the clearing, making sure that nothing was left behind while everyone else was waiting to leave.

Ensuring that the fire was completely extinguished, I did one last glance around the area, looking for anything that might seem out of place.

“Man, I’m almost going to miss this place,” Yang murmured, taking in the view one last time. “And all you’d need to put up with is the Grimm, some of which messed with your mind… The constant sound of a waterfall in the background, even when you want to just chill… Thousands of mosquitoes… When were we leaving again?”

“In a minute, Weiss replied. “Winter just needs to…” A loud click sounded through the clearing as the Airship finished compacting. “Oh, never mind. I guess now would be an adequate answer.”

“Great,” Yang cheered, heading towards the Airship. “So long, nature. I’ll see you again someday. As for now, I’ve got a hot date with my bed back at Beacon.”

“Actually,” Blake said, following after her partner. “I think the beds here might have been of a higher quality.”

“You know, you may be onto something, Blake,” Weiss hummed. “I have noticed that my back feels a lot less stiff ever since we came on this trip.”

“I seem to recall something different,” Yang grinned. “Of how you… Hurt your arm the other day and had to have someone fix it for you… Who was that again?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Weiss said, increasing her pace.

Climbing onto the Airship, the trio quickly disappeared from sight, leaving Ruby and myself behind.

“Did they just… Forget about us?” Ruby asked.

“It seems so,” I replied. “We should probably get going too,” I said, watching as the Airship hummed to life.

Boarding the Airship with Ruby in tow, I made my way towards the cockpit, finding Winter sitting in the pilot’s seat with Pyrrha strapped into a seat to the side, looking as if she’d just woken up.

“We’re ready to leave,” Winter announced, hitting several switches above head. “Is everyone onboard?”

“They are now,” I hummed. “But before that, could we make a quick stop somewhere… There’s something I’d like to take care of before we head back to Beacon.”

Shooting a glance over her shoulder, she immediately turned her attention towards the Airship. “So long as it’s not too far away. Where did you have in mind?”

“The Grimm pit in the forest,” I answered.

The ground was too unstable for anyone to venture in after the Jabberwalker tore its way out, but that didn’t mean it was completely inaccessible. This Airship did have a number of weapons attached to it that’d never been used before and I was eager to see what they could do.