RWBYond Vale

AN: It's finally here. This is my other fanfiction project for the RWBY off season. I have a lot of plans for this one so make sure to follow and favorite to see this through. While you're at it check out my other story STRQ: Tales of the Old Huntsmen. I'm going to try to update both stories at least once a week maybe more if I have time. This story is picking up right where volume 3 left off. There will be an OC team of mine but only because I needed people to fulfill specific roles in the story. I'll introduce them throughout the first couple chapters. In the mean time here's team RNJR camping out on Patch.

Chapter 1: You Expect to Make it in a Rinky Dink Ship?

Ruby lay down at the campfire her new team had set up for the night. She stared up at the stars replaying the events in her head. She hadn't been fast enough. Penny was dead. Pyrrha was dead. Ozpin was missing. Weiss risked away to Atlas. Blake on the run, lord knows where. Yang had lost her right arm and with it any drive to do anything. Beacon was gone. The CCT was gone and with it, long range communications. Cinder was still at large, there only lead was that she had attended Haven academy. Tensions were at an all time high. News spread slowly nowadays, but everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before the Kingdoms started fighting again. Ruby and her companions had taken it upon themselves to go to Haven and do whatever it took to keep an all out war from breaking out.

They dubbed themselves team RNJR, and Ruby couldn't be happier that Nora, Jaune and Ren had accepted her invite to come along. But Ruby still felt like so many people were missing. Ruby had tried for months to cheer Yang up to no avail. Blake's wordless abandonment hit them hard. In the end Ruby thought it best to leave them behind, no need to get them involved if they weren't willing to find answers. Ruby hoped her father would understand. The fact that he hadn't caught up with them was proof that he did, at least on some level. It was just as Qrow said, she was destined to live the life of a warrior, and this was her war to win. No matter how far she had to go, no matter how much danger she put herself in, she'd fight to her last breath to keep from experiencing another loss. Maybe if she was finally able to protect someone she'd be able to sleep peacefully again.

That's not to say she never slept. But she often woke up from nightmares. But whereas others would be discouraged, or lose there minds over such things, Ruby was fueled by it. It's what kept her going. It's why she was there. She'd be damned if she just sat at home while the world crumbled around her. She knew the heroes journey was littered with tragedy but that made the happy endings all the more sweet.

The sun started to rise from the east signaling the end of her watch. She woke Nora up first then Ren. She found out early on that her two companions were used to tragedy. To them Pyrrha was just another, no, a last straw I friends and family they have lost. Jaune took her death the hardest. She had loved him and he was beginning to love her. Thankfully Nora and Ren were there to pull him out of his depression. Now he was strong and confident that they wouldn't let her sacrifice go to waste. Ruby admired his resolve and he was the first person she contacted when she decided to go on, what may very well be a suicide mission. He had also supplied the boat they would use to get to Mistral. It was docked on the east coast of patch. It would take another hour to walk there at the pace they had gone on the day before.

Jaune was the last to wake, having had the previous watch, and the team continued on there way making early morning small talk while Ren made some instant tea for them. Ruby thanked whatever god might be out there that Ren had the foresight to bring such provisions. It didn't take them long to get to the docks, which were already packed with the hustle and bustle of fisherman and merchants fulfilling their early morning routines.

When they arrived at the boat Ruby nearly laughed. "You expect us to travel all the way to Mistral in that?" The boat was a small sail boat that was probably older than anyone they knew. The paint was faded, the wood chipped, the sail-though still in one piece-was yellow when it was obviously originally white.

"That's what I said!" Nora said joining in on the laughter.

"Actually you said that the boat was a perfect match for him." Ren corrected. "He took offense to that." Jaune was noticeably displeased with their having fun at his expense.

"Well sorry my family didn't have a better boat available that I knew how to use." Jaune huffed.

"It's…fine." Ruby started. "We can take it to Vale and maybe find someone who can take us to Mistral from there."

"Hey she might not look pretty but she has it where it counts." Jaune defended.

"Well, the waters to Mistral are deadly, plus I don't know if we could pack enough food for the trip." Ruby stated.

"We can eat fish. I have nets and other fishing supplies in there." Jaune still defended.

"Hey kids, what are doing with a boat like that?" A voice called out. He was tall, a little taller than Jaune, with a lithe build. His torso wrapped in linen cloth accentuating his chest muscles. He wore a blue trench coat with light green trim. His navy blue hair combed back and styled in the front. His sky blue eyes were focused and inquisitive. The handle to a large broadsword could be seen from behind his left shoulder. Ruby guessed him to be in his early twenties. There was something she recognized about him.

"We're going on a trip to somewhere pretty far away." Jaune answered. The stranger put his hand on his chin.

"You expect to make it in a rinky dink ship like that?" The stranger asked.

"Why does everyone keep asking that? The ships not that bad, is it?" Jaune said more to himself than anyone around him.

"Probably because it's a good question." The stranger answered. "And I would know I've been on these seas my entire life." The stranger but his foot-clad in a dark blue boot-on to a crate and put his elbow to his knee. "Haven is a long ways away, and the Grimms of the sea are not to be taken lightly, especially for a couple sophomore Beacon students."

"How did you know where we were going? For that how do you know we're from Beacon" Nora asked.

"It's my business to know potential clients, besides the Vytal Festival is televised. My name is Rio Azul, sea-huntsman extraordinaire and recent graduate of Beacon Academy.

AN: So this could be the start of something beautiful. Rio is and OC of mine who is going to get a couple moments to shine down the road. I originally drafted this story after volume 2 and wanted it to take place after the Vytal Festival. So I put it off until volume 3 ended so naturally this is going to be way different than my original outline. In my first outline Rio and his team were going to be the hot new team during RWBY's second year but with Beacon gone I decided to make them older. Next time we'll either catch up with Weiss or Blake whichever one I feel like writing first, so probably Weiss because I have a clearer idea for that right now. Hope you enjoy.