Breathe Chapter 63: Progress Report

Standing behind Cinder’s chair in the meeting room, Emerald’s posture stiffened as Salem made her entrance, taking a seat at the head of the table. In the time that they’d been there, things had gone from bad to worse. It wasn’t that their leader was a Grimm…

Well… That might have had a little to do with it, actually. Emerald would be the first to admit that she wasn’t a good person. She did what she had to in order to survive, it had always been that way. She stole, she cheated and she killed.

Despite every bad thing she’d done in her life, Emerald always comforted herself in thinking that it was necessary for her survival. So what if she stole from some rich merchant or killed a loan shark or two? No one ever cared about her, why should she care about anyone else.

And then Cinder came along and with her, Emerald’s standard of living suddenly increased. She no longer needed to worry about where her next meal would come from or if she’d be knifed in her sleep by some random street urchin looking for money.

Things had changed.

Emerald held no delusion that Cinder was only interested in her for her skills, at first, at least. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t treated as just another passing body. Someone wanted her. How could she not want them in return? How could she not do everything in her power to make Cinder’s dreams come true?

Life had been perfect for a while.

So long as Emerald followed Cinder’s command, she would want for nothing and she never disappointed. They eventually picked up Mercury on the way and while Emerald didn’t like him, she could see how someone of his skill would be useful.

That, however, didn’t amount to much in the end. The plan for Cinder to gain the Spring Maiden’s power had failed. Not due to a lack of strength, but due Lionheart’s screw up. If not for him, then they would have gone with the original plan and attacked the Fall Maiden.

Then she wouldn’t be stuck in this terrifying place that was filled with Grimm she’d never seen before, Salem included.

She could only imagine what Salem would do to her if she ever got on her bad side, especially with what she considered to be a gift. If it was a choice between the tiny shack they’d stayed in back when Mistral was on high alert and this castle, Emerald would pick the shack a thousand times over.

“Cinder,” Salem hummed softly. “I see you’ve managed to join us this time. I trust that you are feeling better."

“I am,” Cinder nodded. Looking down at her hand, she clenched it. “But there’s this… Anger inside of me… Not my own. If anything, it’s directed at me.”

“A residual piece of the man that Semblance once belonged to, no doubt,” Salem noted. “The fact that this much of the man still clings to it even after death goes to show just how petty and spiteful he was in life. It should fade along with the Semblance once you use it.”

‘Should’ being the key word.

Cinder hadn’t been in a good state after she’d accepted the Semblance, in fact, she seemed almost sick. She had a fever, she wasn’t able to keep anything down and she struggled to sleep.

The Semblance had rejected her in the worst way. There was a point where Emerald was worried that the stress would be too much and Cinder would just up and die.

“I’ll be heading to Vale in a few days in order to… Scope out my targets,” Cinder replied. “Coal Calavera has been sighted around Beacon and the Fall Maiden should be somewhere in the area. My identity hasn’t been compromised, so I should be able to slip into Beacon without too much effort.”

“And they won’t think it’s strange when some random woman starts poking her head in things that don’t concern her?” Watts snarked. “Here’s a better plan, why don’t you just walk into Ozpin’s office and tell him exactly what it is you’re after.”

Heat radiated off Cinder’s body, before she relaxed. “Like you and Hazel when you visited that Island.” She smirked, staring at the scar that stretched across Watts’ face. “Tell me, how did that end for the two of you again? I seem to be having a hard time remembering.”

Instead of appearing angry, Watts seemed confident… Smug almost.

“I’m glad you asked.” Placing his Scroll on the table, he projected a screen absolutely filled with information. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get everything and Merlot was smart enough to encrypt his data, but what I have managed to decode is fairly promising. Besides that, I have two other things to report… If I may, of course.”

“Go ahead,” Salem said, motioning for him to continue.

Nodding, Watts continued. Swiping his hand across his Scroll, a picture of the sky was revealed, one with a tiny blur on the horizon. “With the Vytal festival well on its way, the arena is being transported to Vale. It’s currently being guarded by a small Atlesian fleet which might be difficult to work around, but I believe that we may have an opportunity here.”

“The Vytal festival was always a target. With so many people in the same place, tensions are bound to run high, attracting more Grimm,” Salem mused. “I would like to hear more about your ideas later. Now, tell me. What is this final thing that you have to report?”

Humming, Watts swiped it to the next slide, revealing a dry swamp with a mountain looming nearby. In the distance, one could make out what appeared to be several vehicles along with a host of temporary buildings set up nearby.

Salem leaned forward, examining the image with great interest. “When was this taken?”

“Today,” Watts answered, smirking confidently. “It seems that some of the higher ups in Vale have managed to hide this directly under Ozpin’s nose.” Swiping to another image revealed a small army. Hundreds of weapons and nearly a dozen teams of Huntsmen. “As you can see, they have come prepared.”

Leaning back with mirth on her face, Salem did something that chilled Emerald to the bone. She laughed. There wasn’t any malice in it, but there was something that was distinctly inhuman. Something that just felt wrong.

“Oh, humanity. So eager to rush towards your own doom… And for what? A few shiny rocks,” Salem hummed, shaking her head in an amused fashion. “You truly have outdone yourself in bringing this to me, Arthur. I want you to ensure that this doesn’t get out… Not until it’s too late.”

“I’ve already taken steps to ensure that no one else knows of this,” Watts answered.

“Good. I believe that this is a good place to end this little meeting. I need some time to consider what I’ve learnt,” Salem announced, getting up from her chair, she made her way towards the end of the room. “I’ll be discussing your plans concerning the Amity Coliseum a little later today, Arthur.”

“Of course, ma’am,” Watts nodded.

Waiting for a few moments, for Salem to leave, Mercury let out a breath he’d been holding. “Hey,” he murmured, nudging Emerald with his elbow. “Any idea on what’s so interesting about that place?”

Emerald shook her head. “No.”

“It’s not the place that’s interesting,” Hazel grunted, speaking up for the first time since they’d been there. “It’s the Grimm that’s sleeping there that is.”

“Wait, so, like back in Mistral?” Mercury asked. “So why are there people there? Don’t they know about it?”

“Oh, they know. They just don’t care,” Watts remarked, sliding out of his chair. “I do believe it’s time for me to take my leave. Cinder, if I could offer you some advice for the future. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.” Watts smirked. “Or you won’t have anything to show when you inevitably trip.”

“I’ll remember that,” Cinder growled, glaring at Watts as he made his way out.

Hoping to avoid Cinder’s anger, Mercury stepped away from her chair. “Okay, second question… Why are they there then?”

“There’s an old law, one that was made to incentivize people to take action,” Hazel muttered. “You keep what you kill. You just have to be capable of killing it first and they definitely aren’t. I guess we’ll see if Calavera is capable of replicating his feat from back in Mistral. If not, well…”

Emerald gulped. If he didn’t, then everything Cinder went through would be for nothing. Coal’s Semblance would be lost to her. It was a ticking bomb and the timer was completely randomized.

“Emerald, Mercury, come!” Cinder snapped, getting up from her seat. “We’re leaving… Right now!”

“Are you sure you don’t want to rest for another day or two?” Emerald asked. “I mean, you just–“

Turning around, Cinder gave Emerald a searing glare, heat blistering off her body. “Right now!”

“Yes, of course,” Emerald nodded, obediently falling in line.

Seeing this, Mercury smirked. “Smooth moves, Em.”

“Shut the hell up!”

…Breathe…

Half a week had passed since the start of this little excursion and things were looking pretty good. With the lake Grimm gone, all that remained was the one that lived in the forest and it hadn’t ventured near our camp at all.

That didn’t mean that I’d forgotten about it.

It was still a dangerous Grimm that needed to be killed… Preferably, before Team RWBY needed to head back to Beacon. I didn’t like the idea of leaving a mission unfinished.

I did, however, have other things to focus on. Namely, teaching everyone how to use their Breathing Styles efficiently and helping Pyrrha and Winter master their new techniques… Speaking of…

“If it helps, think of it this way. The lungs are the organs that draw in life while the heart is the one that distributes that life throughout your body,” I explained. “Now take a deep breath and focus all of that strength towards your heart. Once you feel like you’ve hit your limit, you need to unleash it all with one singular pulse.”

“Got… It,” Pyrrha said, sweat dripping from her forehead.

Lifting her blade over her shoulder, she tightened her stance.

Taking several strained breaths she scrunched her eyes closed in concentration. Gripping her sword tightly, she opened her eyes and launched herself forward, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Stepping forward, I unsheathed my blade and met her attack head on. Our blades collided in a loud clang that rang throughout the forest as the blow was stopped dead in its tracks.

Pyrrha, breathing heavily, pulled back. Her blade glowing a dull red from the impact. “Again?”

“Maybe after a short break,” I said. “The last thing I want is for you to overdo it.” I glanced over at Winter who was resting on the hill leading up to the Airship… Having overdone it herself.

The Ninth form of Flame Breathing and the Eleventh form of Water Breathing were polar opposites of one another… Almost fittingly so.

For Flame Breathing, one needed to summon all their strength towards their heart and release it all in one burst.

As for Water Breathing, it was the exact opposite. It was the act of slowing their heartbeat and drawing their strength back towards it that made them stronger. A drop in one's pulse, only to see it suddenly skyrocket, giving a massive burst of energy.

Both, however, had the same effect in increasing the users overall ability. Strength and swiftness were pushed to their absolute limits… Although, they did come with their own drawbacks. They were exhausting and using them too many times in a row could negatively affect their health.

Aura was the one safeguard that kept them from hurting themselves. The moment they pushed too hard, their Aura would dip and heal any damage done to their bodies.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she clipped her weapons onto her back and tiredly headed over towards Winter, before sitting down beside her.

The two were beyond exhausted at this point.

Smelling something, I looked up to see a few clouds in the distance. It seemed that there was rain on the way. Not exactly ideal since there was still a Grimm that we needed to kill, but not horrible either.

If anything, it reminded me of when I first began training with Maria… How, as a Huntsman, I would need to adapt to my environment. I suppose this was going to be a new experience for me as well as for Team RWBY.

Turning my attention towards the lake side, I found said team training… Well, Yang and Blake were training. Ruby and Weiss, however, were sitting out of the way, Weiss cradling her arm while Ruby was happily talking about fashion?

“I just don’t know,” Ruby sighed, pulling on her cape. “I mean, red and black have always been my colours, but now Crescent Rose is all purple and silver. What do you think, Weiss?”

“I really don’t see a problem,” Weiss muttered.

“Of course you don’t, your weapon matches you perfectly,” Ruby continued.

“Thank… You?” Weiss said, looking oddly flattered.

“I wasn’t… Gah, Weiss, please stay on topic,” Ruby complained. “We’re talking about Crescent Rose here… Should I even call it that anymore? I mean, look at how much it’s changed.”

Sighing, Weiss gave Ruby a deadpanned look. “Ruby… What are the words I need to say that will reassure you that everything’s fine? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with your weapon. If anything, purple and silver give it a more regal look.”

“…Really?” Ruby asked, looking over her weapon in its compacted form.

“Yes, really, now quit asking.”

“But what about the name? Do you think it should stay the same?”

Weiss sighed tiredly.

“Probably. It’s still the same weapon at the end of the day,” I nodded, crouching behind the duo. “I mean, my sword still doesn’t have a name… And I’m pretty sure Winter never named hers either.”

“Gah!”

“Coal?!” Jolting in surprise, Weiss winced and grabbed her arm and let out a pained hiss.

Well, that was certainly a reaction. Looking through her, I found the cause of her problem. A knotted muscle in her upper back was causing what appeared to be inflammation in her entire right side.

Reaching forward, I pressed a finger against her back and trailed it against the various nerves and veins I could see.

“Wha…What are you doing?” Weiss stuttered, blood rushing towards her face.

Right, I had kind of ambushed them and was now randomly touching her back. “Sorry. I saw that you had a knotted muscle and decided to take a closer look,” I replied. “I could loosen it for you… If you’re alright with that.”

“I… I suppose that… If you are willing… And it wouldn’t…” Weiss stuttered. Taking a moment to recollect herself, she exhaled slowly. “I would appreciate your help.”

Nodding, I placed my hand against her back, pressing my fingers against several different nerves and veins, forcing the muscles in the surrounding area to relax. Sliding my hand up, I pressed it against the knot, drawing a sudden, embarrassed squeak from Weiss.

“Hang on a second,” Ruby muttered. “You did name your weapons… You even asked me for advice back when we first met.”

“I actually asked you to help me name them,” I replied, briefly taking my gaze off Weiss’ back. “Although, there were a lot of things going on at the time. There was the Grimm attack, the mine caved in on itself and Raven… Made an appearance. I guess we just kind of forgot.”

Blinking, Ruby’s eyes suddenly widened. “But, wait… No! I can’t believe I totally forgot about that,” She moaned, appearing a little distraught. “I promise that we’ll find a name for you before we return to Beacon.

She was taking this surprisingly harder than I would have thought.

“It’s… Really not that big of a deal,” I answered, briefly pausing my massage, much to Weiss’ displeasure, I turned towards Ruby, only to see that she wasn’t even looking at me. “You don’t have to… You’re talking to my sword, aren’t you?”

I honestly should have expected this.

“Of course I am,” Ruby replied. “How could I not? The poor thing never had a real name to call its own… And then there’s your Scythe too, I can’t believe I almost forgot about that.”

Well, I never really used it save for a few unique circumstances.

Turning my attention back to Weiss, I hit a few more pressure points, before pressing my palm into her spine, causing her to let out a surprised gasp as her muscles finished realigning.

“And done,” I hummed, patting her on her shoulder while letting my vision fade to normal. “How’re you feeling?”

Smiling crookedly with an extremely flushed face, Weiss nodded. “All… All better, thank you.”

Okay… That was a bit of an odd reaction. I could understand a little embarrassment or relaxation, but Weiss seemed a little too pleased with her massage… Then again, she was related to Winter. Maybe this was her first time feeling so relaxed.

“Oh, hey, you’re here,” Yang said, walking over alongside Blake. “And you’re… Why’s Weiss Cream look like she’s melting?”

“Weiss Cream… Good one,” Weiss murmured softly, appearing a little dazed.

“O…Kay then,” Yang hummed. “Who broke Weiss?”

Sighing, I palmed my face. “I just gave her a massage.”

“And that made her all droopy?” Yang asked skeptically. At my nod, she grinned. “That’s awesome. You gotta teach me how to do that. Could you show me how to do it now? Here, use Blake and show me how it’s done.” Grabbing her dark haired teammate, she pushed her in front of me.

Glaring at Yang, Blake’s ears flattened on her head. “Yang…”

“Blake,” Yang smiled innocently.

Honestly, outside of a little fatigue… And her ears being stiff due to poor circulation after a full semester of being wrapped in a ribbon, Blake didn’t really have any issues.

“I could show you how I do it, but it’s not exactly something that can be taught,” I said.

“Huh, but what about that speed technique you taught me?” Yang asked. “Don’t we also have the same Breathing Style? If this is a thing that’s locked to Sun Breathing, I should also be able to learn it, right?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” I answered. “The thing I taught you back in Mistral, Shave, is one of six techniques that anyone could technically use. They’re simply a set of techniques designed to build a superhuman body.”

The master of all Six powers is what allowed one to use the Seventh one. The more I used them, the more I understood the truth behind them.

They were incomplete.

Each of the powers focused on one single aspect of the body. From the Finger Pistol’s emphasis on proper bone alignment all the way to Iron Body’s ability to weather a strike, while, at the same time dispersing it throughout the rest of the body.

Alone, they could be pretty powerful, but when they came together, something amazing emerged.

“The technique that you’re talking about is one that only comes when you’re actually in danger of dying,” I continued.

“That’s a shame, it seems pretty useful” Yang said, glancing towards Weiss who was a lot more alert now. “So, what about those six techniques that you mentioned? You think we could start learning those anytime soon?”

“Do you want to learn something else while we’re still in the middle of learning how to properly use our Breathing Styles?” Blake deadpanned.

“Not really, I was just a little curious, that’s all” Yang said, grinning weakly. “I’m already struggling with Sun Breathing… I don’t have time for anything else,” She murmured softly.

That was a given. Sun Breathing was a pretty exhausting Breathing Style to use and Yang hadn’t even mastered Total Concentration Constant yet. Once she did, it’d become far easier, but until then…

“Why don’t we have a little test to see how far each of you are with your Breathing Styles,” I suggested, standing up. “How about it, Yang? Want to go first? If you can use one technique, then you can… Well, I’ll let you decide what you get.”

“You don’t think we can do this another day, do you?” Yang asked. “I… Haven’t really gotten that far with Sun Breathing.”

“You’ll do fine,” I reassured her. “You really don’t need to worry, this isn’t a test you can actually fail. I just want to see where you are.”

Seeing that she wasn’t going to get out of this, she sighed and followed me. Stopping by the lake side a short distance away, she flicked her gauntlets, extending the claw like blades within.

Unsheathing my blade, I held it loosely in one hand and motioned for her to continue. “Whenever you feel ready, Yang.”

“Might as well get it over with,” She muttered to herself.

Taking a breath, she rushed forward, her gauntlets held in the air at an awkward angle. Stepping into my guard, she brought them down in an extremely telegraphed manner.

I was beginning to see what the problem was.

“Sun Breathing: Da–”

Sheathing my sword, I stepped under her attack and slung my arm across her shoulders, stopping her before she could continue.

Lowering her arms, Yang let out a sigh. “I told you that I didn’t get far.”

“That’s fine,” I murmured. “Failing is the best teacher after all. Let’s begin again. This time, however, we’ll make a few modifications to the technique.”

“You’re the teacher here,” Yang shrugged.

Nodding, I began to consider the technique and how it worked. The first form of Sun Breathing, Dance, was just a single downward slash… It was as simple as it got, but Yang’s fighting style and weapons were more suited for a kickboxer, not someone that used a sword. It would be a mistake to teach her as such.

“Okay, I think I’ve got it,” I hummed.

“Already?” Yang asked, smirking. “I thought you’d last longer than that.”

And she was back to making jokes.

“Yeah, sure,” I replied, not really bothered. “Here, try standing like this.”

“Hey, whoa,” Yang yelped as I shifted her into the new stance for the technique. “Huh, this feels a lot more comfortable.”

“Okay,” I nodded, satisfied with her stance. “We’re going to try again, but this time, you’re going to push forward with your legs. I want you to try and cut me with your entire body.”

Yang raised an eyebrow at that. “Alright, I think I get what you’re saying.”

Taking a slow breath, she clenched her fists and suddenly launched herself forward. One arm arced towards me while the other pulled back, increasing the force of her strike.

“Sun Breathing: Dance”

In a blur of movement, her bladed gauntlet struck my sword, releasing a loud clang that sounded through the area.

Blocking the move fairly easily, I met Yang’s wide eyed look with a smile. “Congratulations… You’ve managed to learn your first Sun Breathing technique.”

“I…I did it?” Yang asked, sounding almost unsure, before excitement overtook her and she pulled me into a crushing hug. “I did it! Hah, suck it, Raven. I can use Sun Breathing and you can’t!”

I’m not sure if that’s what she should be focusing on, but I’d take this as a success Turning my gaze towards the rest of her team, I found them all eagerly awaiting their turn. Even Blake, who was attempting to look uninterested.

“Me next!” Ruby yelled, rushing to take Yang’s place.

…Breathe…

Hearing a startled scream, Raven jolted awake and took stock of her surroundings, only to let out a pitiful moan as a sharp lance of pain shot through her head. What was she doing here again… In fact, where exactly was here to begin with?

“Our room?!” A feminine voice cried.

“Who cares about the room,” Another girl yelled. “What about our stuff?”

Oh, right. She’d been on the lookout for something to drink as a reward for all the practice she’d done with her sword… And she’d found it. Deathstalker 90%, the real good stuff. Strong enough to make you forget where you were, your name and why you grabbed it in the first place.

“Is that… Please don’t tell me that my favorite sweater was used to make a bird's nest.”

And apparently strong enough to make you forget what species you were too… Although, that line was already blurred thanks to Ozpin.

Standing up, she promptly stumbled and fell off the drawer she’d apparently been nesting in, landing in a pile of shredded clothes, right next to the bottle that’d gotten her into the predicament.

“I think it’s hurt!” The rabbit Faunus said, slowly approaching Raven’s downed form in an attempt to keep from startling her. “Poor little fella. Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to help.”

“Help turn you into a hat,” The other girl added. “A really ugly one. That’ll teach you to ruin my clothes.”

“Not helping, Coco! Don’t listen to her little birdie. She’s just being mean.”

Little birdie? She… She was still in her bird form, wasn’t she? Hopping up, she stepped onto the neck of the half empty bottle and stared up at the duo.

“Never…” She crowed.

“It can speak,” The rabbit Faunus gasped. “That means it’s probably someone’s pet, right?”

“Never,” Raven murmured again, trying to remember how to speak in this form.

“Never what?” Coco asked. “Nevermore?”

Raven shook her head. “They’re never going to believe you.” And she promptly flew out of the window, a bottle of alcohol clutched firmly with her feet. Leaving a pair of startled Huntresses in training behind.