The Grimm Reaper

Vault of the Spring Maiden…

The vault is still under Haven Academy, the sound of a weapon clanging is heard. Neopolitan stares at the door that once guarded the Relic of Knowledge; the door itself is now a stone wall since the Relic has been taken out.

"Now you understand." Cinder said, sitting on a boulder, flicking her dagger and changing its form. "I've got to get the Relic before it can be secured in Atlas. It's the only way that Salem…" She sighs before she finishes. "It's the only way we can accomplish our goal."

Neo looks back at Cinder.

"You're not the only one who wants Ruby dead. But unfortunately, Salem does not feel the same way…" Cinder said.

Neo places her umbrella on her shoulder and walks toward Cinder.

"I've been...instructed not to kill her…" Cinder said, melting her dagger in her hand. "But you...you have no such orders. You can do as you please."

Cinder's dagger disintegrates and she stands up to walk towards Neo, "Help me get to Atlas, help me find her...and the rest is up to you."

Neo ponders Cinder's words for a moment before smiling at her and holding her hand out. Cinder takes Neo's hand with her own, sealing the deal with a handshake.

Mountains...

Wind is blowing hard. A lone, cloaked feminine figure with a skull mask concealing her face crosses a rickety bridge. Halfway across the bridge, she hears the screech of a Nevermore. She turns to her left to see the Nevermore appear from the fog, and she draws her weapons...a pair of sickles.

The young Maria Calavera backflips off the bridge just as the Nevermore rams through it, splitting the bridge in half. She throws one of her sickles at one of the Nevermore's wing and uses the gravity Dust imbued in it to pull herself back up, while also dragging the Nevermore down. She grabs her other sickle on her way back up, getting above the Nevermore, and uses the recoil of her weapon to spin and grapple onto the Nevermore. She then throws one of her sickles to a mountain, pulling the Nevermore with it. The Nevermore crashes into the mountainside, losing its balance, before crash landing to the ground. Maria's other sickle is called back and lands on the ground in front of it.

Maria takes out the sickle from the Nevermore's wing, catching her breath. She looks over to the Nevermore's head, whose eyes stare back at her, causing her to gasp. The Nevermore tries to snap its beak at Maria, forcing her off. It swipes at her, knocking Maria back and forcing her to drop her sickle. The Nevermore charges forward, but Maria's eyes glow brightly, engulfing the area around her. She stands back up and notices the Nevermore petrified in midair, before dropping down and crumbling. Maria walks over to her sickle to pick it up, using the gravity Dust to call her other sickle back to her.

Suddenly, Maria deflects a bullet aimed at her. She notices three men - one with a giant hammer, one carrying a rifle, and one with a machete - come out of hiding. Another woman, a crocodile Faunus named Tock, then walks up behind her.

"Well, that's a fancy trick now, innit? 'Fraid it comes with a price though, love." Tock said, crushing a small piece of the petrified Nevermore in her hand.

Maria turns around to face Tock, while the three men ready their weapons, "I don't think you realize who I am."

"Course I do." Tock said, taking out an alarm clock, setting the timer and placing it on her belt. "You're the Grimm Reaper, and these...are the last sixty seconds of your life."

Tock hits the button on her clock, starting the timer's countdown. She then draws a pair of saber swords and activates her Aura. The ticking clock can be heard in the background as the battle begins. Tock rushes forward and clashes blades with Maria. Maria attacks back, but Tock's Aura knocks her sickle out of her hand. Tock kicks Maria back, with the latter summoning her other sickle back to her hand. She then proceeds to fight the three men, deflecting their bullets. She cuts down the rifle-wielding man, knocks out the machete-wielder, and dodges out of the way of the hammer user before cutting him down. She then blocks another attack from Tock, who manages to push Maria back, causing her Aura to flicker.

Maria's sickles then circle around her due to the gravity Dust, before combining together to form a double-edged scythe. Tock and the machete-wielder rush forward to attack, but Maria blocks them. The Grimm Reaper then takes down the machete-wielder before proceeding to clash with Tock again. The two lock weapons with each other, before Tock uses her razor-sharp metal teeth to chomp through Maria's weapon. The crocodile Faunus headbutts the Grimm Reaper, shattering her skull mask in the process. Maria briefly opens up her silver eyes for a bit, when suddenly, Tock slashes at her eyes, permanently blinding Maria.

Silence for a moment, before Maria screams out in pain, her eyes bleeding. She continues to cry out as Tock's alarm clock rings. Tock presses the button on her clock as her Aura deactivates.

"It was a close call, I'll give you that." Tock said, walking over menacingly to Maria, who continues to cry out in pain as she holds her blinded eyes.

Maria manages to grab one of her sickles and tries to fire at Tock, who nonchalantly dodges out of the way. A clicking sound can then be heard from Maria's sickle, indicating her weapon is out of ammo.

"You know, the only reason my master wants you dead is 'cause of your eyes." Tock said, laughing. "But seein' as you ain't got 'em no more, you might be able to convince me to spare your life."

In response, Maria tries to throw her sickle at Tock, but she dodges that too.

"Well, I respect that, a fighter to the end." Tock said, chuckling.

Tock readies her saber to kill Maria, but Maria manages to find her other sickle. She clicks the switch on it, calling the other blade back over. Tock, in its path, gets the blade of the other sickle embedded into her back, causing her to fall forward. Maria then uses the sickle in her hand to slash at Tock as she falls forward...

Back in the present day...

"But I wasn't...I went into hiding soon after." Maria said.

"Wow…" Jared said, placing his hand on top of Ruby's

The now elderly Maria is finishing her story to Team RWBY, Jared Shay, Qrow Branwen, and Oscar Pine, who all have wide-eyed expressions.

"I can't believe it. You...you're the Grimm Reaper, you were a legend! And then you disappeared…" Qrow said, astounded.

"So, that's the Grimm Reaper's story." Jared said, looking over at Ruby. "I was wondering for a while now."

"Yeah. I suppose I never told you about it. In full detail. Uncle Qrow, he told me that story when I was a kid." Ruby said, smirking.

"I guess there's no Billy and Mandy in this story then."

"Billy and Mandy?"

"The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. It was a cartoon. With slapstick and it was a comedy horror."

"How exactly does a legend just disappear?" Oscar asked.

"You never used your name, never showed your face. Lots of us thought you were just layin' low. Eventually, we just came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper." Qrow said, looking at Maria.

"Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment, so you're well on your way." Maria said.

"How can you say that?" Blake asked.

"Child, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end. But after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself. Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight. Afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started. You shouldn't aspire to be like me, especially when some of you are clearly stronger already." Maria said, and upon hearing this, Yang and Jared look down sadly. "It's...comforting, seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape."

"Well, maybe you can do something now. Teach me to use my powers the way you did." Ruby said.

As Maria looks back at Ruby, a Scroll's ringtone can be heard.

Ruby pulls her Scroll out and gasps in excitement, "It's Jaune!"

Yang stops her bike, looking back in surprise.

"Jaune?" Jared asked. "What?"

"Huh?" Everyone asked, as they wonder how Jaune contacted them.

"How?" Weiss asked.

"Did the Doctor turn our Scrolls into super phones?" Blake asked.

"Only in the Doctor's world. In his universe. They have universal roaming." Jared said, shrugging his shoulders. "Not here. Only my number is able to call anyone across the multiverse."

"It is kinda crazy." Ruby said, answering her Scroll. "Uh, hello?"

"Ruby! Oh, thank you! I couldn't get in contact with Jared. The TARDIS kept rerouting the call to someone else to a woman called River Song. She said that I won't be able to reach him. So, I've been checking my Scroll for your signal since we made it to the city!" Jaune said, his voice coming out of the Scroll.

"The city? Wait…" Ruby said, looking at her Scroll, her contact name for Jaune being 'Vomit Boy'.

"Of course you kept it at that for him." Jared said, laughing a little. "Bad first impression. But it works."

"Yeah." Ruby said, looking at the little signal symbol under Jaune's portrait, watching it get better as she points her Scroll toward the road ahead.

"There's been this lady watching me." Jared said, looking over at Team RWBY. "A woman in an eyepatch."

The group sees a hill where the snow ends.

"A woman?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah." Jared said, sadly. "She wears an eyepatch. She wears an eyepatch."

Yang proceeds forward to drive them up the hill.

"What's her name?" Blake asked.

At the top of the hill, the group sees a walled city in the distance along the ocean.

"Madame Kovarian…" Jared said, sadly.

Jared clutched his head in pain.

"We can talk later, okay?" Ruby asked.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Argus." Yang said, smiling.

At the entrance to the city of Argus.

Argus…

Yang inputs a code, '4-5-8', to lock Bumblebee and the trailer in a garage. Team RWBY, Jared, Qrow, Oscar, and Maria take the time to admire their surroundings.

"This gives me a New Orleans vibe." Jared said, holding Ruby's hand.

"New Orleans?" Yang asked.

Through the crowd, a certain bubbly ginger-haired girl in pink zooms in.

"Cute! Boy! OZ!" Nora said, pointing her finger to the group.

Oscar looks over in confusion, only to get tackle hugged by Nora.

"Oh, come here!" Nora said, excitedly.

Jaune and Lie Ren also arrive.

"Are you all okay?" Ren asked, hugging Yang.

"We were so worried!" Jaune said, hugging Blake.

"It's been kind of a crazy trip." Yang said, frowning.

"That's an understatement." Weiss said, crossing her arms.

"It really is an understatement. Space 1969. The House. An amusement park. On top of us encountering dangerous Grimm." Jared said, letting go of Ruby's hand.

Jared walked over to Weiss and Yang to lean against a nearby wall.

"Wait, who's the old lady?" Nora asked, noticing Maria.

"I'm so glad you're all safe." Blake said.

"Seriously…" Weiss said.

"Ah! You're gonna love this place!" Nora said, excitedly.

As everyone else engages in their own conversations, Ruby, Jaune, and Jared walk up to each other and the three go into a big hug. After parting from the hug, Jaune looks down and frowns.

"Hey. I promised, didn't I?" Ruby asked.

"Me too. I made sure we kept the promise." Jared said, looking at Jaune. "Like, getting here was the hard part."

"Yeah, the both of you did." Jaune said, smiling while letting tears well up in his eyes before wiping them. "It's good to see you guys."

The three share a smile together.

"Same." Jared said, looking over at Jaune. "Mind if you give us a tour?"

"Sure." Jaune said.

Later on, the group is traveling through the city on a trolley.

"It's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be." Yang said.

"It's actually one of the largest non-capital cities in all of Remnant." Ren said.

"By what? Population, area, or GDP?" Jared asked.

"Population."

"Oh. That's nice. This really does scream New Orleans!" Jared said, placing his hand on top of Ruby's. "It's this city back home for me. On Earth. I've been there. But not here!"

"No way! Jared, you've been to the equivalent to this. But wait, wouldn't it be harder to settle something this big away from the main Kingdom?" Ruby asked, gasping.

"Well, it was, until Mantle showed up. Early settlement attempts by Mistral didn't go well. But colonists from Mantle were able to help them brave the cold climate and return for goods that Solitas couldn't provide." Jaune said.

"The two nations worked together to create a hybrid city. While it falls under Mistral domain, Atlas keeps a military presence here to help keep the people safe and keep trade between the two nations steady." Ren said.

"Well, until recently…" Nora said.

The trolley makes a stop and everyone hops off.

"We should probably start looking for a ship." Blake said.

"So, where have you guys been staying?" Oscar asked, looking at Jaune.

"Is it somewhere comfortable Jaune?" Jared asked.

"Uh…" Jaune said, chuckling nervously.

"There you are!" Saphron said.

As the trolley leaves, a blonde woman, Saphron Cotta-Arc, with her baby son, Adrian, in her arm is seen on the other side of the street waving to Jaune.

"Is that...?" Yang asked.

"Hey, Saph." Jaune said, smiling and waves back.

Ruby then zooms in, all starry-eyed. She looks back and forth between Jaune and Saphron, and gasps upon realizing who the woman is.

Arc home...

The group later reconvenes in the living room.

"I can't believe I'm meeting your sister! I have so many questions." Ruby said.

"I forgot Jaune had nine sisters." Jared said, sadly.

"Seven." Jaune said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Fine. But meeting Jaune's sister. I want to know. More about this one. Like as much as Ruby!"

"Oh, I can give the both of you the rundown later!" Nora said, happily.

"Will you guys knock it off?" Jaune asked.

"What? I love telling stories about my baby brother." Saphron said, squeezing Jaune's cheek.

Jaune is groaning while also flailing his arms at his elder sister, "I am not a baby! That is a baby."

Jaune points at Adrian, who huffs back at him.

Yang, Weiss, and Jared get all wide-eyed as they fuss over Adrian. The three of them make baby talk at him.

"Aww, you're so cute! Yes you are! Oh, look at your little face!" Yang said, smiling.

"Aww, coochie-coochie! Aw, baby! Oh my!" Weiss said, happily.

"Who's a cute baby boy?" Jared asked. "You are! Yes you are!"

"So Saphron, you're the only Arc living here?" Blake asked.

There is a picture on the bookshelf of the Arc siblings all together, with the young Jaune at the center with pigtails and a deadpan expression while holding a sign that says 'HELP' on it while his sisters do various crazy things around him.

"Yep! Moved the second I could. Jaune and I are the only two living away from home." Saphron said, in a teasing voice. "I guess he just wanted to be like his big sis."

"I, uh…" Jaune said, groaning.

"Aw, you didn't deny it!" Saphron said, still teasing Jaune.

The two siblings play fight with each other by pulling each other's cheeks. Then, a door opened. A dark-haired woman with glasses is seen walking in with bags of groceries.

"Everyone, this is my wife, Terra Cotta." Saphron said.

Everyone greets Terra.

"Hello!" Ruby said, happily.

"Hey there!" Nora said, excitedly.

"Hey. What's up?" Jared asked.

"Nice to meet you." Blake said.

"Why, hello there! Wow, quite a party, you weren't kidding. Hun, can I get some help please?" Terra asked, chuckling.

Saphron quickly runs over to help Terra in the kitchen. Later on, Jaune, Ren and Nora are preparing sandwiches for everyone.

"And you're sure it's alright if we stay with you?" Weiss asked.

"Of course, we're happy to house Huntsmen and Huntresses." Saphron said.

"You all risk so much to keep people like us safe. It's the least we can do." Terra said, turning to Qrow. "Especially for such an elite Huntsman like yourself. Although, I will say I was surprised to learn you had students and someone from a parallel world helping you. Is that even...legal?"

Qrow, not paying attention, gets his arm bumped by his niece, "Uh, of course. Think of it as an extended training mission. Trust me, I was a professor. Even went to the same academy as them. Let me tell ya, these kids are way better than we were at their age."

Jaune, Ren and Nora walk back into the room with plates full of sandwiches. Ruby and Jared gasp happily upon seeing them.

"Well, not better than me specifically, but a lot of students…" Qrow said, continuing.

"Shut up, there's food!" Ruby said, annoyed.

"I haven't had food in a while." Jared said, looking over at the banana peanut butter sandwiches. "Bananas and peanut butter? Okay. Give me!"

Everyone heartily eats the sandwiches. Saphron and Terra share a look with each other, before the latter's Scroll is heard buzzing.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back." Terra said, sighing and answering her Scroll and walking out of the room. "Hello?"

"Is everything okay?" Blake asked.

"Oh, yeah, it will be. Terra's a technician for the town's relay tower. Unfortunately, the military's radar system is also housed there." Saphron said, making baby talk at Adrian. "Guess what's been on the fritz lately and who's getting falsely blamed."

"Me." Terra said, peeking back into the room.

"I could take care of baby Adrian." Jared said, six banana peanut butter sandwiches in his place. "I'm great with kids."

"He is a lot of work." Saphron said. "But you could change your mind. About babysitting. So, what's your plan for tomorrow?"

"Well…" Ruby said, her mouth stuffed and she takes a gulp. "We're trying to make our way to Atlas. We'll probably start with the military base."

"And it's not like everyday we have the TARDIS. So we do need to go to the military base." Jared said, shrugging his shoulders.

Nora and Ren share concerned looks.

"So, we kind of already tried that, and...it didn't go...super great." Jaune said, nervously.

"Come on, it couldn't be that bad…" Yang said.

Atlesian Military Base...

The next day, Team RWBY and Jared walks up to it on the island off the coast of Argus, only for the gates to abruptly close on them before they could even enter.