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Chapter Text

The moon of hung high in the night sky, a gentle breeze blowing through the rolling forested hills of Anima. The VTOL flew fast, low, and silent over this ancient forest. Inside the aircraft were five Jaegers: members of the deadliest Special Operations Forces unit on Earth. The five figures sat in silence, each remembering their respective roles for this mission. One of the five, an axolotl Faunus with a sniper rifle turned to the Jaeger on his right. “Hey Chimera. Reckon you’ll be the one to kill Tigress?” he asked. “Get a meaningful kill for once?”
“Spectre,” Chimera’s voice was level, as though merely stating a fact, “I’ll have killed her before you’ve laid eyes on her. Besides, in our last mission, I got 23 confirmed kills. Better than your 7.”
Spectre tutted. “Pawns don’t count. Besides,” he said in a sing-song voice, “now is your chance.”
“Yeah,” spoke another; this one with a bow & arrow, “time for you to prove you’re worth all the money.”
Chimera leaned forward, snarling, “Do I have to remind you Gale that-”
“You’re the youngest Jaeger ever.” The other four repeated in a bored quartet.
“We know, Chimera,” said a third figure, their team leader, a man with a large hammer. “As impressive as it is, it doesn’t make you hot shit. It’s a record, but you haven’t exactly proven yourself yet.”
Chimera felt like his face was on fire. “How,” he asked, trying to remain calm when addressing a superior, “have I not proven myself?”
“C’mon Chimera.” The final Jaeger, a woman, sounded exasperated, her appearance undiminished by the bracelets and anklets adorning her gloves and boots respectively. “You’re not dumb.”
“I’m sorry, but I really don’t get it.” Chimera turned back to his team leader. “Warhammer, can you please explain?”
Warhammer gave an impatient sigh. “It’s exactly because you’re the youngest we’ve had, and you were created in a lab for stuff like this. The guys at the top need you justify the shitload of cash they’ve thrown at you. You need to prove yourself to them, not just us. And frankly Chimera, so far, you’ve been a disappointment.”
“How…” Chimera seethed, his voice hoarse, “have I not proven myself? I’ve killed more insurgents, militants, terrorists, you name it, than anyone else in the entire unit.”
Warhammer stood up and approached Chimera, bending down until their eyes were level, and their noses mere centimetres apart. Even through the dim lighting and visors that both men wore, Chimera could see the barely suppressed rage that burned in Warhammer’s brown eyes.
“It’s not just about how many bad guys you kill.” Warhammer spoke in a low growl, “It’s you attitude, you fail to take missions with the seriousness they deserve, you seem more interested in pulling off some Matrix-like moves in combat than getting the mission done, and all of this culminates in your reckless behaviour which could endanger both your life and the lives of your teammates. That’s why you haven’t proven yourself. Being a Jaeger isn’t just about the patch on your uniform, it’s the mentality as well.”
Chimera turned away and looked towards the loading ramp while Warhammer straightened up and resumed his seat. Although the others couldn’t see it under Chimera’s visor and lower mouth mask, his expression was bitter. Though the coverings didn’t stop Gale from noticing. Gale hesitated before speaking up.
“Tell you what, Chimera. If you can kill Tigress, you’ll have at least proven yourself to us.” Then turning to the rest of the group, “Sound good everyone?”
There were murmurs of affirmation and agreement. Warhammer gave a silent approving nod. Gale pulled down his lower face mask to give Chimera a brief smile and a thumbs up. “You’ve got this buddy.” He spoke.
“Just don’t expect us to let you have her,” Spectre added cheekily.
Chimera gave a small smile and was about to reply with a sharp retort when the pilot’s voice came out over the intercom as a small light in the aircraft’s interior flashed red.
“90 seconds to drop.”
The five figures stood in unison as the VTOL’s loading ramp opening, the wind howling inside as the aircraft buffeted slightly. Unperturbed, Chimera and Gale attached ropes to the ceiling. The light flashed green.
“Drop.”
All five figures rappelled down to the ground without a sound. After loosening the ropes, the Jaegers approached their target as silently as the leaves that fluttered in the wind. The centuries-old, rundown estate loomed in what had once been a clearing but was now largely reclaimed by nature. The five figures spread themselves out around the estate. Spectre set up on a nearby hill overlooking the estate to its south; Chimera and Gale took up positions in trees on its east and west; Quake and Warhammer hid in the bush near the estate’s ancient stone walls on the north and south sides respectively. All five of them activated their night vision goggles and Warhammer activated his radio.
“Hokioi, this is Warhammer. We have reached the Maw. I repeat, we have reached the Maw. Say Confirm,” he murmured.
“Warhammer, Hokioi confirms,” the voice from the radio rasped, “Thermal shows four groups of two walking around each side of the estate. You are green to engage. I repeat, you are green to engage. Out.”
“Roger Hokioi. We are engaging. Out.”
“It looks like the aura levels on my two are incredibly low, one swing and they’re dead,” Chimera said as his visor HUD took readings on the guards’ aura levels. “What about the rest of you?”
The others all noticed the same. Chimera allowed himself a little smile, proving himself might be easier than he thought. On Warhammer’s order, Spectre killed one guard with his sniper rifle while Warhammer leapt over the wall and, with a mighty swing of his hammer, shattered the rib cage of the other guard. Gale immediately fired two arrows from his bow simultaneously and, with some manipulation of the wind, both arrows struck down their targets. Chimera crept delicately along a tree branch before silently dropping down behind the two guards that walked below, oblivious to his presence. With a swift swing of his longsword, their heads fell from their shoulders. Quake leapt over the manor wall and, activating the Earth Dust in her anklets, created thick Earth Dust coatings around her boots that allowed her to crush the heads of the two guards that walked past. After Spectre and Hokioi confirmed there were no other guards, Warhammer turned to Quake and gave her the thumbs up. Quake placed both hands on the ground activating her semblance, and the ground began to shake.

Sienna Khan let out a deep sigh and leaned back in her chair. The past few weeks had been rough: the totally unprecedented and unsanctioned attack on Beacon Academy and Vale, the loss of communication with White Fang chapters throughout Remnant, and the growing number of reports of terror attacks by human supremacists on Faunus in Mistral because of that attack were wearing her down. To make matters worse, the attack on Beacon Academy and Vale only seemed to have emboldened Adam Taurus’ supporters within the White Fang. Sienna snarled at the thought of the man, Adam Taurus. He was responsible for all of this, there was no doubt in her mind. While he certainly had the wellbeing of all Faunus in mind, even she found his rhetoric radical and his hate for humans, intense. Furthermore, he’d been all for accepting of help from Earth, ignoring her disgust at accepting assistance from humans, regardless of the seemingly hypocritical alliance or what planet they’re from. She’d read of their history: all the bloodshed, oppression, enslavement, and genocide. ‘What was he thinking?’ Sienna thought, ‘the humans of Earth don’t even seem to get along with each other, so why would we be an exception? Well, I know why. They want us to be their pawns.’ Sienna could feel the anger inside her bubble as she brooded on Adam’s treachery. ‘That’s why he’d been ordered to return-to answer for his insubordination. If he was lucky, he’d only be placed on a very short leash, and if he wasn’t…Well, either way, I’ll make an example out of him,’ she thought. The only thing preventing her from doing that were his supporters: council members were more outspoken and aggressive in their support for Adam and endlessly defended him, subordinates openly talked about how they’d prefer Adam to lead them; and now there were rumours that a vote for High Leader of the White Fang was going to be held when he returned-and there was no doubt in Sienna’s mind that Adam held a majority.
Sienna’s thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of several Faunus, members of the White Fang High Council.
“You wished to see us, High Leader?” one of them, a lizard Faunus asked.
“I did Ski. Where are the others?” Sienna asked, now noticing that a few of them weren’t there.
“Maybe they’ve been delayed ma’am,” a beaver Faunus said, “I know a couple of them are hiding from a lot of Human vigilantes in Opa.”
Sienna nodded, before turning to a small hummingbird Faunus. “Violet, has our messenger returned yet?”
Violet’s head drooped slightly, “I’m afraid not, ma’am. I’m beginning to wonder if he ever reached Mistral.”
“Shit. That’s our only chance of making sure-”
The ground began to shake violently. Three of them fell to their knees while Sienna fell off her chair as the shaking only continued to get worse. The crack of wood and the tinkling of glass could be heard as the ceiling plunged down on top of them, only for it to suddenly stop. Sienna’s arms and legs wobbled like jelly.
“An earthquake?” she gasped.
As Violet helped Sienna to her feet, she raised her head and saw Ski had activated his semblance at the last moment, a glowing yellow dome encased all of them, debris covering the dome.
“Move forwards, Ski. We need to get into the open air immediately.” Sienna ordered.
His arms shaking violently, Ski began to walk towards what was once the manors grand entrance, debris crunching and crashing around him as he walked, the others tentatively following. The main door was only a few metres away, but each step seemed to take an eternity. The dome pushed through and led them all out into the crisp night air. Ski collapsed, gasping for air as his entire body shook as violently as the ground had just moments before. Sienna looked back at the manor. The already dilapidated and decaying building had completely collapsed, fine particles of dust wafted in the cool air, leaving only hazy shadows and shouts in the distance.
“High Leader,” gasped Ski, “we need to-”
Ski’s head exploded like a ripe melon. The distant shouts and screams were drowned out by an explosive roar from one of the garages where escape vehicles had been stored but now blazed like bonfires. An invisible blow to her head knocked Sienna onto the ground and her aura briefly flickered. Sienna felt something wet smack her back and heard a thud behind her. When she turned around, she saw another High Council member, the red and white inside of their head exposed for all to see. The deep booms of explosives, the shrill screams, and the cracking of gunfire surrounded Sienna as she stumbled up and pulled out her weapon: Cerberus Whip. Sienna felt something heavy smash her left side as someone darted past and slaughtered the remaining council members in a cacophony of gurgling screams and the crunching of blunt metal colliding with flesh and bone as blood and limbs erupted into the air. Sienna staggered up and feebly swung her whip at the hammer-wielding figure, who dodged it easily before moving on to other targets.
At that moment a cow Faunus, with eyes wide and face pale as the moon, ran to her, urging her to flee while they defended her.
Sienna sighed in resignation. “It’s too late. I suppose Mistral had no intention of talking to me. Or maybe-”
A sharp, steel object interrupted Sienna as it swung through the cow Faunus’ head cleaving her open, and smashed into Sienna, knocking her over again, a sharp throbbing pain stretched from her waist to her forehead. Her aura had shattered, she could feel it. Sienna forced herself back up, but the throbbing pain ensured she could only kneel in agony. She looked at the cow Faunus, who’d been split open from the waist, blood flooding the grass around her. Sienna forced herself onto her feet, the sharp throbbing pain now stretched down to her feet. Sienna roared in pain, only for her roar to be drowned in the choir of shrill screams, booming explosions, and cracking gunfire.
Sienna felt a light, empty sensation in her head. She glanced around in a daze at her fellow White Fang; some lay bleeding on the ground, while others were being slaughtered without hesitation, compassion, or mercy. ‘As it has always been,’ she thought to herself as she slumped back onto her knees, despair swallowing her, even the sharp throbbing pain lessened somewhat. ‘Is this it? Is this how I die? Alone, at the hands of these humans.’ Sienna turned her head at the sound of footsteps, a silhouetted figure with a longsword in his right hand strode towards her. Although the flames behind him cast him in shadow, she could see the blood drip from his longsword and a ravenous look blazed in his cold, dark blue eyes. Desperately she swung her whip at him, but he parried it with a cold, triumphant laugh. ‘This is how I die.’ Sienna thought. The figure charged at her doing a sort of pirouette. A tear rolled down her face as her despair gave way to a brief blaze of defiance and hate, she ignited all the Dust shards in her whip.
“Fuck you ALL!” she screamed.
Sienna barely had time to register the horrified look in the longsword man’s eyes before the heat of the Fire Dust combined with the Ice Dust created an explosion that obliterated her and sent the Earth Dust scattering like shrapnel. The man with the longsword vanished, seemingly swallowed by the smoke.

Chimera collapsed on the ground gasping and wheezing. He checked his HUD, fortunately his aura hadn’t suffered anything from the explosion. He heard coughing behind him, Warhammer came into view.
“Chimera!” he called out, fear and worry in his voice, “Respond. Are you alright?”
“I’m okay!” gasped Chimera.
Warhammer approached as Quake ran in and helped Chimera back up.
“What the hell were you thinking?!” Warhammer roared, “Didn’t I explain to you WHY you haven’t proven yourself to us? Did you miss what I said about your ridiculous STUNTS?!”
Chimera bowed his head, feeling his face get hot, as if going red with shame had turned up his body temperature, “Sorry sir. I just…I just thought if I did something a little dangerous…take a bigger risk…but still make the kill...I-”
“You’re a Jaeger for Heaven’s sake Chimera!” roared Warhammer. “You just had to take out Tigress.” He gave an exasperated sigh, “I’m contacting command. Let them know mission accomplished.”
Warhammer’s voice drowned out of Chimera’s head as he let the anger at his failings wash over him like a tidal wave. He sat down and bowed his head, grateful that nobody could see his face, for the self-loathing that it hid, ‘Bloody idiot. That was your chance. When will you get another?’ He thought. Gale sat down beside Chimera and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Chin up bro. You’ll get another chance.”
“Maybe.” Chimera muttered.
“The trick is Chimera, don’t do any silly stunts. You’re not in the Matrix. You’re just going to have to drop the self-indulgent theatrics and work on being more efficient.” Spectre said matter-of-factly.
“Actually, now I think about it. Why do you do all of that weird stuff?” Quake asked, an inquisitive look on her face.
“I do it because I can.” Chimera said pridefully. “I do it because I get more kills than the rest of you put together, and because it’s kind of fun doing a side flip while shooting some bad guys.” Chimera finished with a small smile.
“So, you like doing fancy moves because it’s fun.” Spectre replied sounding both perplexed and frustrated.
“But that’s the reason why you haven’t proven yourself to us Chimera.” Quake said patiently, “Your insistence on such theatrics is what’s holding you back in our eyes. I like them, I think the stunts are great, but it shows us that you aren’t taking things seriously.”
“Like Quake said, it’s what’s holding you back. Once you make a significant kill, you’ll have proven yourself to us.” Gale said warmly.
“But how will I be able to do that? Unless it’s something like bringing down Adam Taurus, or killing the president or monarch of some country, I doubt I’ll get another chance.”
“You will, we’ve faith in you.” Gale said warmly.
“Y’know, speaking of Adam Taurus.” Quake interjected, “What do you guys think the rest of the White Fang are going to do now? Their High Leader is dead, and we just slaughtered most of their leadership. Think they’ll get the message?”
“They’ll have to.” Gale said, “That was the point of all this.”
“Yeah. Get with the programme or you’re next.” Spectre sniggered, “Politics. One minute we’re buddies, next thing you know we’re wiping the floor with them.”
“But it’s kinda fucked up though, don’t you think?” asked Quake, “We give these guys training and resources, and then when they use it, we roll up and do all of this.” She said, indicating to all the bodies and destroyed vehicles and buildings. “What was the point of it all?”
“The point,” Spectre stated matter-of-factly, “was that these guys were supposed to be Vale’s bugbear. They overstepped the boundary; we make it clear they answer to us.”
“Even so, that brings up another point: this was all done by Adam Taurus.” Quake asked. “Shouldn’t we be going after him? After all, he was the mastermind of what happened at Vale and Beacon Academy. Why attack their base here in Mistral, why kill Sienna Khan and members of their high council? I mean,” Quake indicated towards the pile of bodies that lay by the former manor’s main entrance, “we all know Adam Taurus is a loose cannon. What if he launched the attack without being ordered to by Sienna Khan? If so, we may have just killed a bunch of innocent people.”
“Jeez Quake,” Spectre said dispassionately, “you should’ve asked all this during the briefing.”
“I wouldn’t have gotten the answers.” Quake retorted.
“Well, you wanna know what I think? A bunch of overzealous jerks took things way too far and since we can’t find the guy directly responsible, we go for the people indirectly involved knowing that way he’ll be smart enough to understand the message.”
Before Quake could respond, Warhammer approached, followed quickly by the VTOL. The entire team boarded the VTOL and departed, leaving nothing but a blood soaked, corpse filled estate, with burning and destroyed buildings. By dawn, carnivorous animals and carrion birds were feasting on the bodies that littered the ground.

Chapter Text

The young woman paused as she entered, taking a moment to adjust from the cold and dark outside to the warmth and light of the inn. She looked around, the inn’s dining and lounge halls were packed with people, from travellers who were staying at the inn mixed with members of the town guard who’d finally finished their shift, to other locals who went to inns like these for news from outside the town walls. The young woman made her way over to the innkeeper, a middle-aged man who stood at the bar in the centre of the large dining hall. He seemed to have already noticed her, as he was reacting the way most men, and some women, reacted to the sight of her: first he noticed her beautiful face and her large lilac eyes, then her bright golden hair which fell to her waist, her pronounced breasts, followed by her slim physique.
“H-How can I help you?” he asked, looking slightly flustered.
“I’m looking to get a room. Just for tonight.” the young woman responded.
“Well now. It’ll be a bit of a squeeze. I’m not sure if we even have a vacancy…”
“Please,” the young woman said leaning forward onto to the bench-she noticed the innkeepers eyes dart from her face to her breasts then back to her face, “I’ve travelled from Patch Island to see my mum. It would be so nice of you to-”
“I-I-I’ll see if we have one available.” the innkeeper, his face now bright red said, “Can I get your name please?”
“Yang Xiao Long,” she answered, “Thank you.”
The innkeeper nodded, his face even redder, before he hurried off to check.
Yang made her way to a small solitary table, smiling to herself. It was good to see that old trick still worked, as it always had; whether it was getting liquor for a party, getting into a nightclub, or getting her old classmates to help with homework and exams. Sitting down, she smiled fondly at memories of her little sister, Ruby; how she would always go red with embarrassment and look away whenever Yang did it around her, or how her teammate at Beacon Academy: Weiss Schnee had first reacted; eyes wide and jaw open in shock at seeing something that completely went against her uptight Atlesian upbringing, or how her other teammate: Blake Belladonna, with her cat ears hidden behind a large black bow would quiver slightly, her face going bright red, especially when Yang once-Yang stopped herself. Blake. The warmth she’d felt from her reminiscing had been replaced with a cold anger mixed with loss. Treacherous, cowardly Blake. Yang rubbed her robotic right arm, a bright yellow and black prosthetic limb that had been given to her by the Atlesian General Ironwood as recognition of her valour during the attack on Beacon Academy. It was because of Blake that she had lost her right arm against a militant Faunus supremacist called Adam Taurus, when trying to save Blake from him, and how did Blake thank her? By abandoning all of them the moment they were evacuated from Beacon. No goodbyes, no explanations, not even a written note. Weiss had told her that Blake had abandoned them all, when they needed her the most. Weiss had left shortly after that, but not because she wanted to. Her overbearing father had swooped in and taken her back to Atlas. For days it had just been her and Ruby. Then, about a year ago, Ruby had left with a few of their other friends: Jaune Arc, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. Leaving her alone with her dad. Yang’s Uncle Qrow had left to keep an eye on Ruby, but that’s all she knew.
Now here Yang sat, alone in Mistral, the biggest kingdom on Remnant, searching for her biological mother in the hopes of finally getting answers: why did she leave? Why did she only ever communicate to Yang through Uncle Qrow? Why had her mum saved her on the train? Why-Yang stopped herself. She had a funny feeling, like someone was watching her. Yang scanned the crowded hall; she noticed a single, solitary, figure tucked away in a corner of the hall, watching her intently. Yang couldn’t make out his face as it was hidden by a faded dark green cloak, but she could tell by his lack of movement that he was watching her intently. What does he want? Yang thought to herself, Is he just some guy who thinks he can seduce me? Yang balled her fists, it had been a long time since she had a proper fight, Could I take him in a fight? That longsword propped on his chair looks nasty. Her thoughts were interrupted by the red-faced innkeeper:
“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” he said, “we have a room available if you’d like it.”
Yang smiled, “Thanks, I’ll take it. Erm, quick question,” she asked the innkeeper just as he was about to turn away, pointing to the green cloaked figure, “who’s that man in the corner?”
The innkeeper blanked, “I-I-I don’t k-know,” the innkeeper stammered, “I hadn’t seen him come in. Must have been after you.” The innkeeper shuffled nervously again, “I just hope he doesn’t cause any trouble. But by the look of that longsword, he very well could.”
“Another question please.” Yang said, “What do you know about any bandits in the area? Specifically, the Branwen tribe.”
The innkeeper’s face turned white in an instant, and he cautiously said “I-I-I d-d-don’t know what you’re t-talking about. We don’t get b-b-ba-bandits here.”
Yang leaned forward again, allowing the innkeeper to momentarily glance down at her breasts again, “Please. You must know something.”
The innkeeper stammered harder than before, “N-No ma’am, n-n-n-no b-ba-ban-bandits.” The innkeeper took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, “Excuse me, there are other customers I need to see.”
The innkeeper smacked the keys down on the table, turned on his heel and hurried away. Yang sat there for a moment, processing what had just happened. She felt the knot in her stomach tighten as a sense of hopelessness washed over her like a chilling breeze. Yang looked around the inn despondently with. Everyone seemed to be laughing and sharing food and drink. Yang spotted one young woman having a drinking contest with another woman. There was a time, Yang thought to herself, when that was me. The life of the party. Now here I am, alone, searching for my mother. The irony of it all. As Yang once again scanned the hall, she noticed a young man at the bar, even from this distance, it was clear he was drunk. A sudden thought came to mind: if innkeepers and town guards weren’t going to help her, maybe a drunken local will. Yang approached and put on her sexiest smile, upon reaching him she leaned over the bar, and gently stroked his right arm.
“Hey.” Yang said.
The man reacted exactly as she’d expected, including accepting Yang’s offer to buy him a drink. One should be enough. Yang thought, considering how drunk he already is. To Yang’s surprise, the man downed half the glass in one gulp. Quickly recovering, she decided to begin questioning him.
“So a lovely town like this must draw a lot of attention. Have you guys had to deal with a lot of bandit attacks?”
The man hiccupped before answering, “Not really. Not when they run this town.”
Yang immediately realised this guy could give her more information than she really needed, but a little more wasn’t going to hurt. She decided to press her advantage.
“They run this town. How?”
“Simple. In exchange for them not killing us all, we give them ‘tribute’. Dust, food, medicine, and anything else they may demand.”
“I take it it’s just the one tribe?” Yang asked.
“Yup”, the man hiccupped, “the bloody Branwen tribe. May they get eaten by Grimm.”
The Branwen tribe, Yang felt the knot in her stomach tighten with anticipation. Could she finally learn where her mother was?
“Do you know where I can find this tribe?” Yang asked in a husky whisper.
The man laughed drunkenly, “Of course not. Everyone who has gone in search of the Branwen tribe has either returned empty handed, or not at all.”
Yang felt her heart plummet, and the knot in her stomach tightened even more.
Unaware of Yang’s reaction, the drunk man continued, “Besides, you don’t really want to find these guys anyway. They’re not like any bandit tribe in Anima. Maybe even Remnant.”
Surprised, Yang asked, “What do you mean?”
“Those bastards destroyed Ode”, seeing the confusion on Yang’s face, “a town 30kms southeast of here.”
Yang’s jaw dropped, “What? How? Why?”
The drunk man now had a haunted look on his face, his eyes were wide and his face pale, “No one knows. Maybe the townsfolk refused to pay their ‘tribute’, or maybe the bastards of Branwen decided to kill everyone for a laugh. Just one day, several hundred bodies were found outside the town walls stuck on tall wooden pikes and an enormous plume of smoke was seen.” The drunk man stares blankly, “I was one of the first to see what happened to Ode. We just finished burying all the remains today.”
Yang could see the terror in the man’s eyes, but she couldn’t help herself, she had to ask, “Was it really the Branwen tribe?”
The man nodded, “No one else could do what they’ve done. There was Shion as well, the Branwen tribe killed everyone there, but that was just a village. No one’s seen anything like this.”
Unbeknownst to Yang, three men had swaggered into the inn and had just been approached by the innkeeper who’d whispered to them that Yang was asking about the Branwen tribe. He also pointed out the green cloaked figure. Two of them approached the green cloaked figure, while the other, with oily blond hair, approached Yang and pushed away the drunk man:
“Well, well. What have we here? A little birdy told us you’re asking about the Branwen tribe.”
The drunk man scrambled away from them. The oily blond-haired man leered over Yang, his eyes slowly moved down Yang’s body, as if he was scanning her, a hungry look in his eyes. Yang balled her fists. She tried to look unfazed, but her left hand shook slightly. Yang quickly scanned the room; everyone had quickly moved away from them, except the solitary figure in the green cloak, who seemed to have gotten closer, one hand on the hilt of his longsword while he talked with the other two men.
“Hey!” the oily haired bandit shouted at Yang. “Were you or were you not asking about the Branwen tribe?”
It was obvious to Yang that these men were part of the Branwen tribe, but she decided to get him to admit it first, just in case. Drawing herself up a little and putting on a brave face, Yang said, “Who’s asking?”
“Just concerned individuals” said the oily blond-haired man in a faux-chivalrous manner, “who want to make sure such a pretty young woman isn’t harmed. These are dangerous times, and you don’t want to get on the wrong side of dangerous people.”
“Are you dangerous?” Yang asked, hoping he’d admit to being a bandit.
The oily blond-haired man cracked a sleazy smile, exposing the various gold and silver teeth in his mouth, and leaned over, his nose almost touching hers. “Maybe. If you’re not going to be good to us.”
“Hey Shay!” interjected one of the other men, this one with bright blond hair and turquoise eyes, “This one ‘ere is challenging us to a fight.”
“Yeah...” drawled the other, who had a bald head and an eye patch covering his left eye. “If he wins, we have to take him to the camp. If we win, we get to keep the sword.”
Shay turned to look at his friends, “Really. That’s the deal?”
“I like his sword.” shrugged the one with the eye patch.
Shay turned back to Yang, once again, with a hungry look in his eyes, “How about this honey, if we beat him, you give me and my buddies a good time tonight?”
Yang could barely suppress the look of disgust she had on her face. But she was so close to finding the Branwen tribe, she had to be pragmatic. She looked over at the green-cloaked figure.
“If I agree to this creep, will you let me tag along with you if you win?” she asked.
The green cloaked man leaned back in his chair to consider it. Yang took a deep breath. She knew he had no reason to accept her request, and if these guys did beat him, it wasn’t likely that the townsfolk would stop them from having their way with her. Yang wasn’t sure if the knot in her stomach could get any tighter, but it did. Fortunately the man nodded, although it was hard to tell under the hood. As he stood up, all three bandits baulked at the sight of him: he had to be two metres tall, with thick arms and legs, and as he threw back the hood of his cloak, Yang saw that his face bore scars, scars that spoke of fierce battles, and cold blue eyes which seemed to pierce the three bandits.
“Shall we do this outside?” he asked, his voice seemed high in pitch for someone so big, “That way we won’t hurt this man’s livelihood.”
“Sure.” murmured Shay.
All four men walked out onto the street, with everyone else, including Yang, pressing themselves against every available window to watch the fight.
“Now I recommend, in order to prevent any death or serious injury, we fight either until one side gives up or loses their aura. How’s that sound?” asked the man.
The other three men nodded. They now seemed a little bolder to Yang, but it was clear that the lone figure’s size shook them.
The large man drew his longsword and rested it on his right shoulder, both hands gripping the hilt. The three men spread themselves out, took off their large fur cloaks and drew their weapons. Shay held two small axes, the one with the eye-patch took out a long revolver and a short sword, the last man took out a rifle with its barrel sawed off and attached a bayonet to it. After looking at each other, Shay charged while the other two fired at the lone man. The man suddenly vanished only to appear a couple of seconds later behind the one with the bayonet. Before anyone could react, the man had unclipped his cloak and flung it on the rifleman, confusing him in the large green mass that engulfed him. He then charged the eye patched man, who barely had a chance to shoot before the longsword was brought down on his back with an ear-splitting bang that saw his aura shatter as he hit the ground. Shay barely had time to react before the lone man vanished and reappeared behind him, hitting Shay on his left shoulder with the longsword before swinging and hitting his right elbow, forcing Shay to drop both axes as he cried in pain. Shay was spun around and grabbed by the scruff of his shirt and headbutted into the ground with a thunderous thud, his aura shattered. The lone man turned to the rifleman who’d barely freed himself from the cloak before he had a longsword disarm him, followed by two jabs in the chest in quick succession, before being hit on the head with the longswords pommel. He collapsed to the ground; his aura was broken.

Everyone stared, slack-jawed, having barely had time to process what happened. The lone man retrieved his cloak and put it back on before offering to help Shay up. Shay reluctantly took it.
“Well now. I hope you’re willing to uphold your end of the deal.” the lone man said.
Shay growled, “Yeah, yeah. We’ll get going at first light.”
“No,” said the lone man quite forcefully, “we’re going now.”
Shay looked like he was going to argue the point, but the look on the lone man’s face silenced him. Yang was able to squeeze her way through the crowd to get outside. The lone man turned to her:
“I take it you have your own transport?”
“Yeah.” replied Yang, “It’s in the inn’s garage.”
“Good. I’ll get mine as well. You three come with us.”
The three men trailed behind Yang and the lone man. Yang walked beside him in silence, still trying to process what she’d seen. How fast he’d moved, how powerful his attacks were> Those three barely had a chance to react before their auras were destroyed. I haven’t seen anything like that…since... Yang’s left hand started to shake again.
“Are you alright?” asked the lone man.
“I’m fine.” Yang replied, hastily taking her left hand in her right, to conceal the shaking.
They reached the garage and grabbed their motorbikes. The lone man’s bike had a lower set seat designed for sitting back in rather than leaning on. It also had a thick metal protective barrier over the handlebars, with a curiously large dip in the middle, seemingly to fit some sort of attachment to it. Once they got their bikes, they walked back out to get the pickup truck the three men had ridden into town in.
“Could you go to my room in the inn please?” the lone man asked Yang, tossing her a key, “Room 17. My bag’s in there.”
Yang went to the room and grabbed his bag and picked hers back up in the inn (fortunately no one had gone through it) and returned to the rest of the group. The lone man took his bag and handed her a small dark brown bar of some kind.
“It’s a high energy protein bar.” he said, putting a steel-coloured helmet on, “You’ll need it for the ride.”
“Thanks.” Yang said. Just before they all rode out, she turned to the lone man, “Sorry, I forgot to ask earlier, but what’s your name?”
“Frank Steiner.” he replied, “And yours?”
“Yang Xiao Long.”
“Well Yang, let’s get going then.”
Like that, all three vehicles rode off into the night. Yang felt the knot in her stomach tighten further, but the feeling was lessened by the joy and relief she felt. At last, she was going to reach the Branwen tribe, at last she’d get answers.

Chapter Text

The pickup truck bumped down the dirt lane, with only its headlights to luminate the path in front. In the back sat Frank Steiner and Yang Xiao Long. Yang tossed and turned; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get to sleep, the knot in her stomach seemed to tighten with every passing second. The bare metal floor that seemed to poke at her legs, buttocks and back didn’t help either. The truck suddenly jolted as it went over a small hole in the path, the bikes clanging around in the back with Frank and Yang. Frank swore loudly as he grabbed his motorbike to stabilise it. Once he was confident that the bike was stable, he wrenched open a metal slider that showed the heads of the three bandits in the front.
“How much further?!” he roared at them.
The greasy blonde head of Shay turned to look at him, smirking, “Not far now. Probably another half hour.”
Frank slammed the metal slider back into place, fuming.
“I swear they’re enjoying this.” He snarled.
Yang nodded. Frank slumped back down onto the metal floor. Time wore on, with only the roar of the truck to break the silence. Frank drummed his fingers impatiently on the metal floor, his face darting from left to right, he’d pick up his weapon-now a rifle instead of a longsword-and drum his fingers on it, before putting it down and drumming them on the metal floor again. Finally, he looked over at Yang.
“I…um…hope you don’t mind if I ask, but why are you interested in finding the Branwen tribe?” he asked nervously.
Yang took a deep shuddering breath, “When I was still a baby, my…mum, Raven Branwen, left me and my dad. I don’t know why, I don’t even know if my dad knows-and if he does, why he wouldn’t tell me. I spent years trying to get the answer from him, but all he would say is that I would get the answers when I’m ready.”
Yang took another shuddering breath, but she also gave a nervous smile, “And now, I’ll finally get the answer.”
Frank scratched his head, “Why couldn’t your dad give you the answer ‘when you’re ready’?”
“He said there’d been an arrangement between them. When I was ready, she’d tell me why she left. My dad was supposed to come with me. But with everything going on in Vale, and the surrounding territories, he couldn’t. So…I’ve gone alone.”
“Does your dad think you’re ready for this?”
“No.” Yang said, “He thought I should stay home, and continue training. But I’ve waited my whole life for this, I’m not going to let it go. And besides, my Uncle Qrow always said, ‘Every day out there, is worth a week in this place’. So, where better to learn?”
Frank nodded. “So, you’re mother’s part of the tribe.” He chuckled, “That explains the similarities.”
Yang tilted her head to one side, an eyebrow raised, “What do you mean?”
Frank produced a photo from one of the pouches on his belt and handed it over to Yang. Yang’s jaw dropped, the picture was of her mother, not looking much older than Yang.
“Was this why you were staring at me back at the inn? You thought I was my Mum?”
Frank nodded chuckling, “Aside from the hair colour, you two are nearly identical.”
Yang stared at the image, one of the few of her mother she’d ever seen. The Raven in this picture looked slightly older than the Raven in Qrow’s picture, not that she’d been able to get a good look at it. ‘Was this before or after she left me and Dad?’ Yang thought, ‘Does she look any different now?’ Another thought suddenly popped into Yang’s mind.
“Hey, how did you get this?” she asked Frank.
Frank shuffled over to Yang, he got uncomfortably close for Yang’s liking, but she decided to tolerate it. Frank glanced at the metal slider, before then muttering, “The picture was given to me by some Mistrali aristocrat, I don’t know how he got it.” Frank said with a small shrug. “He hired me to find out where the Branwen tribes located.”
“Why?” Yang murmured.
“They raided his compound in southern Mistral, stole some Dust. He wants to know their location, so that a team of Huntsmen he’s hired can launch a retaliatory raid. Apparently, your biological mother is the tribe’s head honcho. From what anyone knows, she’s been running the tribe for about 10 years, and is the reason they’ve become the most powerful bunch of bandits.”
It was as if a bucket of ice had been poured over Yang’s head. She remembered what the young drunk at the inn had told her about the Branwen tribe slaughtering the people of Ode and Shion. Her mother had done all of that, and if not, she’d ordered it.
“All those people…in Ode and Shion…they’re dead because of her…” Yang’s voice trailed away, her eyes wide in horror at the thought of what her mother had done.
Frank nodded grimly, but Yang didn’t notice. For all of Yang’s life, the thought of Raven had been a source of hope and determination for her; a reason to brave the wilderness outside the kingdoms and find her, maybe Raven and her father Tai would be together again, and they’d be a family and she, Yang, would once again, have someone to call ‘Mum’. Now she felt a chill creep across her body at the thought of Raven. Maybe Raven had no choice. Maybe the townsfolk of Ode had decided to start a fight with the Branwens, and there’d been a Grimm attack at Shion. Yang thought desperately.
Frank and Yang sat in silence for a few more hours as the pickup truck rumbled down the dirt road, the stars faded away as the sky becoming steadily brighter as the sun peaked over the mountains in the East. But the warmth of the morning sun did little to improve the sullen mood Yang found herself in. Suddenly the truck screeched to a halt in a large clearing.
“Here we are.” Exclaimed Shay, clapping his hands together, a surprisingly cheerful expression on his face.
Frank and Yang groaned as they climbed out of the pickup truck, accompanied by a series of small clicks and pops as they got off and stood up. All of them stretched their legs and backs after the long, cramped journey. Shay turned to Frank and Yang again.
“The three of us are going to go on ahead and let the others know you’re coming. That way they don’t think they’re under attack.”
“Yeah…” Frank remarked coolly, turning his rifle into the longsword, “that ain’t going to happen. We’re going with you now, and you can explain the situation to your buddies when we reach them.”
“Not unless you want fight a couple hundred pissed off bandits, and our Chief.” Shay snarled.
Frank spread his arms wide and shrugged nonchalantly, walking towards the three bandits, “Well it’d break the monotony of the last few hours.”
“It’s okay.” Yang hurriedly interjected, stepping between them, hands outstretched, she turned to Shay, “We’ll await your return.”
Shay gave a mock appreciative bow, glaring at Frank before the three of them disappeared into the dense bush. Frank rubbed his temple in frustration and turned towards Yang.
“You know they’re just going to get reinforcements to spring a trap, right?” he growled.
“Yeah, they probably will.” Yang sighed, stretching her arms. “But I figure that if just give them the chance, maybe we won’t have to fight. Besides, it’s better than having to fight a couple hundred of them.”
Frank scoffed, “And if we have to beat them up and then appear in front of their buddies dragging their comatose pals behind us, we’ll probably have to fight a couple hundred anyway.”
Frank turned his longsword back into a rifle and climbed into a tree.
“By the way Yang, what weapons do you have?”
Yang activated the large bracelet on left wrist, turning it into a gauntlet that covered her fist and extended up to her elbow. On her right robotic limb, a small gun barrel popped out.
“They’re basically shotguns.” Yang explained matter-of-factly, “Throw a punch, pull the trigger and BOOM! Bad guy sent sprawling back.”
“Good” Frank nodded, “Here’s the plan: I shoot from a distance in this tree, you get up close and personal. Sounds good?”
Yang nodded, and moved towards the truck, ready to pounce if they were ambushed. The two of them waited for what felt like an hour before figures could be seen emerging from the bush. Shay, the other two bandits, and several more had emerged from the bush, weapons drawn. While Frank vanished into the tree, Yang crouched ready to use Ember Celica to propel herself forward.
“You motherfuckers really fell for that one, didn’t you?!” Shay shouted, a wild look in his eyes and an ugly grin on his face. “Now it’s time to make you all pay.”
Yang felt her left arm shake violently and her breathing quicken; this was the first fight she’d been in since Beacon. Memories flashed through her mind, yet she could remember them all vividly: screams of pain, a red blade, and what felt like her right arm exploding and then numbness. Yang’s breathing became fast and shallow, as if she was sprinting. Yang stiffened like a wooden board. Her limbs felt like jelly again, threatening to give way.
“Yang!” someone bellowed.
Yang felt someone roughly grab her chin and tilt her head up. Frank loomed over her.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, despite how roughly he’d grabbed her, there seemed to be genuine concern on his face.
Yang’s breathing slowed down.
“I’m fine.” Yang muttered, as she placed a shaking left hand on Frank’s shoulder for support as she straightened up. Behind Frank she could see the bandits writhing on the ground, some of them moaning in pain.
“You took them all out?” she asked in surprise.
Frank gave a single nod, before turning to shout mockingly at the bandits, “Call yourselves bandits? I’ve had to fight kids with more spine than you lot.” Frank turned back to Yang, “Some of them tried to run, the idiots.” He chuckled.
“Did you kill any of them.” Yang asked apprehensively.
Frank shook his head, “Figured it would look bad if we killed any of them.”
Seeing that Yang still needed a moment to recover, Frank walked over to the bandits, ripping magazines of Dust out of their rifles, or snapping the blades off two-handed weapons, yelling at them all to get up as he did so. Yang leaned back against the pickup truck, taking deep steady breathes, grasping her left hand in her right while trying with all her might to ignore the trepidation that now threatened to consumer her entirely. ‘If this happens when I face bandits, how will I be able to protect myself?’ Yang thought to herself, ‘Would I even be able to fight? Or will I just collapse into a shaking mess?’ Before Yang could ponder the issue further, Frank’s shouting once again snapped her out.
“I don’t care. You lot are going to lead the way, or this time I pop your heads open and leave you carcasses to be eaten by whatever wild animals stumble upon them.” He roared, his longsword once again a rifle which he now pointed menacingly at the bandits.
Despite them outnumbering him, the bandits recoiled whenever he pointed his rifle at them. Yang took another deep breath before striding over to Frank.
“All good?” he muttered inquisitively.
Yang nodded.
“Good.” He said, briefly giving her a small smile before turning to the bandits. “Keep close together you lot. If you try to run, you’ll be dead before you hit the ground. If you fall over and don’t get back up, I’m breaking your arms and leaving you wherever you fall! Now, by the left, quick, MARCH!” He bellowed.
The bandits began limping forward, some of them muttering obscenities under their breath. Frank ignored them as they walked through the dense bush, with only slivers of sunlight breaking through the canopy of tree leaves that covered them. Yang could barely see the bandits, but the occasional sliver of light revealed them all there, still limping forward, possibly out of fear. With every step she took, she could feel the knot in stomach tighten further.

After what felt like half an hour, their surroundings got significantly brighter, forcing both Frank and Yang to wince and squint their eyes as they adjusted to the light. The bandits suddenly stopped, and as Frank and Yang caught up with them, it took both of them a few moments to realise that in front of them was a large ancient stone fortress covered in dense bush. A single stone bridge provided the only passage across a dark brown moat that surrounded the crumbling fortress walls, the stone of those walls hidden by large thick vines that clawed up the walls and towers. Upon the battlements and towers, trees stretched out towards the sky, their roots extending down to the moat. A keep loomed over the fortress walls and towers, which itself had trees sticking out of it.
“Well?” Shay gruffly asked, “Are you guys coming?”
Frank and Yang followed the bandits across the bridge, as Yang took a breath over the moat she doubled over and began dry retching at the pungent smell that filled her nostrils.
“It’s all in your head.” Frank said in a gruff but not unkind voice, “Block it out.”
Yang grabbed the collar of her coat and pulled it up to cover her mouth and nose as the two of them continued along the bridge. As they all reached the other end, Shay called out, asking that they be let in.
“Not with those two you’re not.” An unseen voice sternly retorted.
“Hey buddy.” Frank yelled, “Why don’t you let us in, or I’ll turn your friends here into fertiliser.”
“Just let us in.” begged Shay, “This psyhco probably means what he says.”
There was silence for a few minutes, then a woman’s voice called out.
“We’ll allow you in. But strangers be warned, cross us and you’ll pay with your lives.”
Frank gave another nonchalant shrug at Yang as the fortress doors swung up, letting them all inside. As Frank and Yang entered, a young woman, who seemed a couple years younger than Yang with short black hair, tan skin, and icy blue eyes approached them.
“You two” she commanded imperiously to Frank and Yang, “are to follow me. Our Chief will decide what fate you shall receive for daring to trespass in our dominion.”
Frank rolled his eyes as the young woman turned on her heel and led them through the outer gatehouse into a courtyard that held a small collection of tents. Yang noticed how many of the people here immediately began putting on balaclavas or pulling bandannas up over the lower half of their faces.
“It’s insane.” Frank murmured to Yang as he scanned their surroundings, “This whole fortress is so overgrown that it’s no wonder no one’s ever found these guys. There are even people walking along the battlements and towers, despite all the trees that seem to have grown on them.”
The young woman led them through the inner gatehouse into a much larger courtyard with numerous large trees that cast the courtyard in such a thick darkness that torches were needed to help illuminate the courtyard. Surrounding the trees was a haphazard arrangement of tents and small wooden buildings.
“No wonder know one’s ever found these guys.” Frank murmured again, his voice sounding distant to Yang, as he scanned the courtyard and surrounding fortress walls and towers.
Yang barely heard him. The knot in her stomach was getting tighter with every step. She tried not to notice how many of the bandits surrounding them spoke to each other in harsh whispers: wondering why their chief had allowed these outsiders into their fortress, while others whispered how similar she looked to their chief; nor did she notice the silver multi-action Dust rapier attached to the belt of the young woman who led them. Before Yang had realised it, both her and Frank were standing in front of the large Keep that loomed over them. The doorway was flanked by well-armed bandits, each of them wearing a red and white mask that covered half their face. Yang felt her body go as stiff as a board and her breathing became sharp, rapid, and shallow; it seemed as if multiple Adams stood in front of her, sneering at her, some had their weapons drawn, while others stood ready to draw them. Yang’s left hand shook violently. The young woman approached the Keep and knocked on its imposing wooden doors. A single knock reverberated throughout the courtyard in response. The young woman stepped out of the way as the doors swung open and a women dressed in black and red with a long sword in a rotary scabbard attached to her hip stepped out into the sunlight. Her hair looked exactly like Yang’s except it was jet black, her face was hidden by white full-face mask with streaks of red painted on it. Yang’s legs felt like jelly, and the knot in stomach became excruciating. Vivid memories of Adam, the sound of a sword slicing through flesh and bone, and feelings of agony flooded her mind. She didn’t notice Frank apprehensively turn to look at her. The young in black and red removed her mask, and Yang felt the memories and feelings fade slightly, but the knot remained. The women who stood before them had a pale complexion with crimson red eyes that were as cold as they were aloof.
The young woman, now standing at the other’s right side announced in an imperious manner, “Our beloved chief: Raven Branwen.”

Chapter Text

Raven Branwen stood at the Keep doorway, haughtily gazing down at Frank and Yang. Raven looked like an older Yang except with black hair and red eyes, although Yang barely noticed this as faint memories of Adam Taurus continued to flash through her mind. Yang felt Frank’s hand on her left shoulder, gently shaking her, the memories faded a little. Raven’s face suddenly stretched into smile that did not reach her cold eyes, giving her a smug appearance.
“I must say Yang, I’m impressed you were able to find us. To find me.” Raven said without warmth, “Although, may I ask how you found us?!”
For what felt like hours, Yang stood unmoving and silent, trying to calm the roiling storm in her head and the knot in her stomach. Yang closed her eyes, the memories of Adam Taurus faded further away, she took a deep breath, before at last she spoke.
“I-We, found you because of some your bandits.” Yang said shakily, trying to keep her voice calm and level, “Me and Frank were able to convince them to lead us here.”
“Well, well. You must have made a very convincing case.” Raven said condescendingly.
“Had to bloody their noses.” Frank interjected scornfully.
“The Chief didn’t speak to you. Do not dare to presume you can interfere.” The young woman on Raven’s right shouted imperiously.
Frank didn’t respond, he merely gave a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Raven ignored him.
“Am I right in assuming that you came here for answers?”
Yang tentatively opened her eyes again, only for the memories to surge back into her mind. Desperate to not look weak in front of the bandits, Yang tried with all her might to ignore how much Raven’s appearance reminded her of Adam Taurus, the masked men and women that flanked Raven and the memories the sight of them all triggered. Yang zeroed in on Raven’s face and the cold, imperious glare she now had for the two of them. Yang felt the knot in her stomach tighten even further, the tension became excruciating. But she tried to ignore it as she tentatively spoke.
“Yes. I want to know why you left me and Dad. Why did you abandon me when I was just a baby?”
“Of course.” Raven said simply, “You’ve come all this way, and you deserved to be told why sometime. I’ll admit, this wasn’t quite how I imagined it would happen, but that’s not important. If you’ll follow me into the Keep Yang, I’ll be happy to give you the answers. On the condition, that your…companion stays outside.”
“Yeah…that ain’t going to happen.” Frank growled, “I’m not staying out here with this lot. Especially since some of your underlings already tried to jump us.”
“This is a family matter that doesn’t concern you.” Raven said forcefully, “Wait out here. I give you my word you will not be harmed by my people.”
“Wow, the word of a bandit. That means a lot.” Frank responded sarcastically.
“Frank please.” Yang begged, “I need this.”
“Sorry Yang. But I’m not going to wait out here to be ambushed.”
Raven turned to one of the masked men on her left, “Teach him a lesson.”
The man hefted a mace with a spiked metal head and charged at Frank. Frank waited until the man’s mace was just about to strike when he vanished only to appear on the man’s right, launching a jumping side kick that struck him squarely in the head. The man’s mask fell off as he struck the ground, but before he could get back up Frank picked him up by his legs and slammed him back into the ground. Using his knees to pin the man’s shoulders, Frank threw several punches that shattered his aura and broke his nose. The man’s pained howling was abruptly silenced when Frank kicked him in the head. The surrounding bandits roared in anger, many of them drawing their weapons and either taking aim at or getting ready to charge Frank. Raven desperately yelled at her tribespeople to stay their aggression. Frank drew a large bowie knife hidden in his cloak before picking up the unconscious bandit at his feet, holding the knife to the bandit’s throat.
“Take a step!” Frank growled, a ferocious look in his eyes.
“Vernal, calm down.” Raven said, grabbing the young woman, preventing her from swinging the silver multi-action Dust rapier she clasped in her right hand.
Yang, who’d stood in stunned silence at the events that had rapidly unfolded suddenly noticed how familiar the silver rapier looked.
“Where…did you get that rapier?” Yang muttered inquisitively.
“What’s it to you?” Vernal snarled.
“Where did you get it?” Yang repeated, now silently louder.
“Zip it, child.” Raven commanded, “You’re not the biggest issue right now.”
Yang’s left hand shook violently, and memories of Adam Taurus flashed through her mind as she looked towards the men and women who flanked Raven, but Yang tried to block them out. Slowly but surely, Yang walked towards Raven and Vernal.
“Where did you get that rapier?!” Yang shouted.
Raven ignored Yang, instead she gave a shocked yelp, grabbed Vernal and dived away from the Keep doorway just as it exploded, destroying some of the stone surrounding the entrance, pieces of stone and timber scattering around the courtyard. Emerging from the cloud of dust that surrounded the former entrance was a large spectral figure in the form of a knight in pale armour, followed by a petite young woman with pale blue eyes and snow-white hair that was in an off-centre ponytail. Yang let out an audible gasp at the sight of this woman.
“Weiss!?” she gasped in disbelief.
Wiess turned in shock to see the blonde standing mere metres away from her. A look of joyful surprise stretched across her face.
“Yang?!” she exclaimed, also in disbelief.
Weiss darted over to Yang snatching the silver rapier from the hands of a dumbstruck Vernal, followed closely by the large spectral knight. Frank, still using the unconscious bandit as a shield joined them.
“What are you doing here?” Weiss asked, blinking several times, as if she thought she was dreaming.
“I came here to see her.” Yang said, pointing at Raven, “That’s my biological mother.”
“What?!” Weiss exclaimed indignantly, her pale face going pink as her joy turned to rage. “She’s your mother? These barbarians kidnapped me!”
“You kidnapped her!” Yang screamed at Raven, her lilac eyes suddenly turning the same crimson shade as Raven’s.
Having now recovered from their initial shock, the bandits begin surrounding the three of them, weapons drawn. Seemingly in response to this, Weiss’ spectral knight doubled in size, now towering over everyone. Yang activated Ember Celica and the shotgun in her robotic arm, her left arm shaking violently, and Frank pressed the blade of his knife to the unconscious bandit’s throat, a trickle of blood oozing out. A tense silence filled the courtyard as both parties stared the other down, daring the other to make the first move.
It was broken by Raven who, sensing the conflict that would entail, called for calm.
“Everyone get a grip and calm down.” Raven commanded, her voice as level and calm as she could muster. She turned to Frank, Weiss and Yang, “You three, follow me inside now. I’ll give you the answers in here Yang”.
Raven walked through the damaged entrance into the Keep followed by red-faced Vernal who looked like she could explode. Frank carelessly tossed the unconscious bandit aside and sheathed the knife, Weiss attached her rapier to her belt, and Yang deactivated Ember Celica and arm shotgun, her eyes returning to their lilac hue. Weiss exhaled before suddenly wrapping her arms around Yang in a tight hug.
“I missed you so much.” Weiss said softly.
Yang, initially caught off-guard by Weiss’ sudden intimacy wrapped her arms around Weiss in an equally tight embrace.
“I missed you too.” She murmured softly.
Weiss’ large spectral knight slowly faded away as Weiss and Yang separated and joined Frank as they walked into the Keep. Getting a better look at her, Yang noticed Weiss’ dress was stained and dirty, she had a cut lip and several bruises running down her legs. Yang made a mental note to ask about those when she had a chance. Weiss turned to Frank.
“Hi.” she said, “I’m Weiss Schnee.”
Frank took her hand and shook it awkwardly as he introduced himself. Seemingly oblivious to how uncomfortable he’d made her, Frank then turned on his heel and led the two of them into the Keep. Inside they followed Raven and Vernal up a large stone staircase that took them past what appeared to be Vernal’s room, to the top floor of the Keep. Looking around, it was clear these were Raven’s quarters: a large map of Anima hung on one wall with pins and large dots of various colours marked on it, flanked on both sides by bookcases cluttered with books of every size, opposite was an empty fire place with an elaborately carved grandfather clock standing on one side while several large chests lay on the other, a four post bed lay at the opposite end of the room flanked by more cluttered bookcases, and in the middle of the room lay a small table with several large cushions around it. Raven sat at one end and invited Frank, Wiess and Yang to sit opposite her. Despite having Weiss by her side, Yang still felt like a rubber band stretched to its limit, the knot in her stomach tighter than ever and the sight of Raven’s mask and her red and black clothing still triggered faint memories of Adam Taurus. Yang tried to focus on something else, glancing over at Weiss she noticed that although Weiss appeared calm, her left hand never left the hilt of her rapier. Frank also appeared calm, but she noticed as he sat down that his hands weren’t far from his right shoulder, where the grip of his rifle stood out. No sooner had they sat down, Yang immediately began asking questions.
“Why did you kidnap Weiss?!” she demanded.
“I thought you’d want to know why I left you?” Raven asked, an eyebrow raised.
“You kidnapped my friend. I want to know why.” Yang growled.
“Well we didn’t go out of our way to do it.” Raven explained matter-of-factly, “The airship she was on crashed not far from here. We found her and took her in. But there’s no place for charity out here in the wild. We were going to sell her off to the highest bidder. Whether that be her father, the White Fang, some creepy Mistrali aristocrat, anyone.” Raven turned to Weiss, “It’s nothing personal.”
“It didn’t feel like that. Not the way some of your thugs treated me.” Weiss snarled.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Raven asked feigning curiosity.
“You wouldn’t care if I told you.” Weiss snapped.
Raven shrugged, dropping her curious façade “You’re right, I wouldn’t.”
Vernal placed five teacups and a teapot made of fine china on the small table. After pouring out tea, she took one and sat on Raven’s left side, attempting to engage Frank in a staring contest, to which he smirked derisively and ignored her. Vernal turned to stare at Weiss who fiercely obliged.
“Were you expecting visitors?” Frank asked inquisitively, suspicious of how fast the tea had been made for them.
“You could say that.” Raven said cryptically.
Frank’s eyes narrowed, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I can explain later.” Raven said enigmatically. She turned to Yang, “Now I believe you wanted to ask me something?”
Yang felt like every nerve in her body was being stretched to breaking point, the knot in her stomach as excruciating as ever before. She briefly closed her eyes, took a deep breath and in a quivering voice, asked the burning question that had been seared into her mind her entire life.
“Why did you leave?”
Raven was silent for several moments, as if she was collecting her thoughts, but to Yang it felt like hours before she finally spoke.
“Did your father or uncle ever tell you why we joined Beacon Academy?” Raven asked.
“Dad said it was because he wanted to protect people.” Yang replied.
Raven smirked, “When me and Qrow enrolled at Beacon Academy, we did so not because our tribe needed Huntsmen to protect us from Grimm.” Raven gave a brief smirk, “You won’t last long out here if you can’t. No, the tribe needed warriors who could kill Huntsmen.”
Yang’s jaw dropped.
The smug look on Raven’s face grew, “Uncle Qrow never told you? I’m not surprised.” She said mockingly before continuing, “Out here in the wild, the strong survive and the weak die. That’s the one and only law of nature, and the Branwen tribe have embraced it. That’s what has allowed us to thrive while the frilly lie of civilisation crumbles.” Raven added sardonically, her and Vernal exchanged contemptuous smirks before continuing.
“As time went on though, things didn’t go as planned. Me and Qrow found ourselves more attached to Summer and Tai then we’d expected. Then, when we were only a few years older than you are now, me and Tai had you, Yang.” A small and warm smile flashed on Raven’s face at the mention of her two teammates before it was rapidly replaced with a cold and haughty glare.
“That’s when I realised how weak Tai is. He wanted to raise you in the shelter of Vale, to live falling for civilisation and Ozpin’s lies. I wanted you to be strong, I wanted you to be raised in the Branwen tribe, to have people speak of you with the fear and awe deserving of a child I raised. I thought there would be some disagreement between us, but I never suspected Qrow would be so weak either, that he would fall for those same lies. He took Tai’s side, arguing against his own sister, his own tribe. I refused to give up the world I know, Tai, Summer and even Qrow refused to have you raised in it. I made a choice to leave, Qrow stayed and helped a weak Tai raise what would be two daughters.”
Yang was silent for several long moments, her nerves no longer felt like they’d snap and the knot in her stomach was now gone, but this momentary ease was replaced with rage that boiled in her stomach and her head burned as if on fire. Her eyes once again crimson
“You think Dad’s weak?!” she roared standing up and towering over Raven, “My Dad raised me, and he raised Ruby as well. He’s stronger than you’ll ever be, and he raised us to be the strongest girls in Patch!”
“Did he?” Raven responded in a cold mocking voice, “I see your right arm is now a robotic limb, a memento of the fall of Beacon; and a couple of months before that I recall saving you from a woman half your size as she stood over your unconscious body ready to finish you off. Oh, and what happened to Summer, exactly?”
Yang stood frozen in stunned silence. Weiss and Frank were also silent, their jaws agape in shock. Raven pressed on.
“You could have been the strongest woman in Anima, but Tai’s coddling has left you as weak everyone else who swallows the indoctrination forced upon you. I’ll admit, you’ve done better than I thought you would since last year, but it doesn’t take away from what I’ve said.”
Yang still stood in place, she felt as if Raven had sliced her open. Weiss extended a hand, taking Yang’s, who almost jumped at Weiss’ delicate touch.
“Sit down Yang, please.” Weiss murmured soothingly.
Her eyes lilac once more, Yang slowly sat back down, allowing herself to be guided by Weiss. As she sat, Weiss extended an arm around her and took Yang’s left hand in her own. Yang sat silent, staring blankly at her legs, trying to comprehend everything she’d just learned; her head spun, and her stomach felt heavy as if filled with rocks.
With every passing second Raven and Vernal seemed smugger, their matching smirks growing. Weiss flashed a glare in their direction, Frank’s cold dark blue eyes burned with rage.
“You’re a coward you know that?” Frank growled through gritted teeth.
“No one care’s what you think.” Raven retorted coldly.
“It’s an observation.” Frank snapped back, “You found someone, and they gave you a good reason to stay. Instead, you turned your back on the friends you’d made and abandoned the child you brought into the very world you chose to leave behind.”
“We all have to make choices.” Raven said matter-of-factly, “I made a choice to leave, and I’ve had to live with it. I’ve since had another daughter, Vernal here and moved on. You should too, Yang.”
“You mentioned ‘Ozpin’s lies’.” Weiss said, “What did you mean by that?”
Raven raised an eyebrow, “What do you know about Ozpin?”
“He was a prodigy throughout his time at Beacon Academy.” Yang murmured, “And until Ruby enrolled, he’d been the youngest ever student there.”
“He was the only Huntsmen to survive the fall of Mountain Glenn, became the youngest headmaster of a Huntsmen academy, and he played a crucial role in Vale’s portal territory negotiations with the United Nations.” Weiss said.
“In other words, not much.” Raven scoffed, “What do you know about the Grimm?”
“They’re bloodthirsty monsters that are drawn by negative emotions.” Frank said, “While older ones can show some intelligence. But for the most part, they’re feral.”
Raven’s pale face suddenly went ghostly white, and her voice began tremble, “They’re…they’re not feral…Not-not always. They have a leader, a-a woman…called Salem. She’s a witch, from a time everyone’s forgotten. There’s no stopping her…there-there’s no…reasoning with her.”
Raven took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down before she continued, “When we were at Beacon; me, Qrow, Summer and Tai were recruited by Ozpin to become his soldiers in a shadow war he was waging against Salem. The Grimm we faced…were unlike anything ever encountered before, and the longer we followed him, the darker the secrets he revealed to us.”
“Such as…” Frank said impatiently.
“You really want to know?” Raven asked. Frank, Weiss and Yang all nodded. Frank, having forgotten his prior vigilance was now leaning on the table, as if he could in some way gain more information. Raven continued, “There are at any time, four people with incredible magical powers of choice, creation, destruction, and knowledge. They’re called the Vestiges. They get these powers from four relics symbolising those same four powers. And each Huntsman academy houses one of those four relics, with their related Vestige never too far away.” Raven briefly glanced at Vernal when she mentioned the Vestiges. Frank, Weiss and Yang didn’t fail to notice this, but Raven, seemingly oblivious, continued. “Although each Vestige derives their magic exclusively from their relic, they all have one power in common. They can control younger and more weak-minded Grimm.”
Frank, Weiss and Yang all exchanged looks of shock at this. Yang felt like her head was swimming, ‘People that can control Grimm?’ she thought, ‘That’s impossible’.
“If that’s the case, why aren’t they used to keep Grimm away?” Weiss asked inquisitively, “It could save millions of lives.”
“I don’t know.” Raven said earnestly, “Although that ability is limited to weak-minded Grimm, there are plenty of them out there, and I’m not sure how many Grimm a Vestige is limited to controlling at any time. But those Vestiges aren’t alone, Ozpin can also use magic. And he’s used it to shape the world you three all live in. He gave me and Qrow the ability to turn into birds.” Ravens faced darkened, “A crow for my brother, and a raven for me. Ozpin gave us the ability to transform into these birds at will, but it also bound us to his will.”
“Knowing all of this…is that also why you left?” Yang murmured.
“I won’t deny that it played a part in my decision, yes.” Raven stated coolly, “I didn’t want to be caught up in the fragility of civilisation, especially one that Ozpin controls.”
“What do you mean, Ozpin controls civilisation?” Frank asked suspiciously, “He was killed during the fall of Beacon.”
“And why should we believe anything you say?” Weiss added sceptically.
“Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it.” Raven said.
Raven stood up and, followed closely by Vernal, led the three of them out to a small courtyard behind the Keep. For a moment Raven was as still as a statue, then in the blink of an eye a raven was standing where she had. Yang’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened in shock. The raven flew into the air, performed several loops before transforming back into Raven as she landed. Yang was frozen in shock, still trying to process what she’d just seen, only to be suddenly pulled out of her thoughts by Frank.
“You…you mentioned that Ozpin had bound you to his will by giving you this ability.” Frank said slowly, still processing what he’d just witnessed, “If that’s the case, then how come you were able to walk away. Couldn’t he have just forced you back?”
“I was able to break free…at great cost.” Raven said.
“You don’t seem…crippled in anyway.” Yang replied sceptically.
“As a human, I feel fine. But it means I can’t be in my bird form for more than a few minutes.” Raven said, “Fortunately it doesn’t hinder our greater efforts.” She added, briefly glancing over at Vernal before saying, “It’s time our guests left. Please escort them out of the fortress.”
“No.” Yang murmured.
“No?” Raven repeated coldly.
“Dad told me about your semblance; you can create portals that lead you to anyone you have a close bond with. You’ve got one for me, one for Dad and one for Qrow. I already know Ruby set off for Mistral a year ago and that Qrow is with her. You’re going to open a portal and take us directly to him.” Yang said, trying to keep her voice level.
“And why would I do that?” Raven sneered, her right hand slowly reaching for the hilt of her sword.
“Think of it as one last favour for your daughter. Please. Do this and I’ll leave you alone.” Yang said, almost pleadingly.
Raven placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, Vernal drew her weapons, in each hand she held a ring-shaped blade that had a small barrel in the space between the blades and pointed them at Frank and Weiss.
“No” Raven said flatly, “I told you about why I left because you were owed an answer. I owe you nothing else.”
At this, Frank drew his rifle, leapt over and disarmed Vernal with a single blow to the head from the rifle butt forced Vernal to drop her weapons, he then grabbed her by the throat and with a thunderous crash smashed her into the stone wall of the Keep, shattering her aura.
“You’re going to do what Yang asked.” Frank growled, swapping his rifle for the bowie knife and pressing it against Vernal’s throat.
Raven’s pale complexion got whiter, her eyes wide. Vernal tried desperately to break free, but Frank had her pinned to the ground. He pressed his blade closer to Vernal’s throat, a drop of blood oozing out. At the sight of this, Raven relented.
“Okay…okay. I’ll take you to your uncle.”
“Good.” Frank snarled triumphantly, “Yang and I will collect our things and meet you back here in 30 or so minutes and we’ll take Vernal with us, to keep you honest. Weiss, stay here with that spectral knight of yours, just in case.”
Weiss nodded. Frank and Yang departed to grab their gear and motorbikes, dragging a still resisting Vernal. 30 minutes later, they returned, Frank having tied Vernal to the back of his motorbike, untied her and threw her off.
“Hey! Watch it!” Raven shouted.
“You got that portal open yet?” Frank asked gruffly.
Raven drew her sword, a red bladed ōdachi. Yang felt herself tense up at the sight of it, memories of Adam flashed through her mind and her left arm shook slightly; but no one seemed to notice. Not when Raven opened the portal she promised: a swirling, red and black circle. As Raven sheathed her ōdachi, Yang felt the tension dissipate and the memories fade, but her left arm still shook slightly. She took it in her other hand to stop it.
“If you’re against people getting involved in whatever Ozpin had you and your team do, you could come with us. Maybe you could persuade Ruby and her friends, maybe even Qrow.” Yang said gently.
Raven looked at her haughtily, “Like I said, I don’t want anything to do with Ozpin and Salem. I’ve moved on and it’s best that you do too.”
Yang was silent. Without a word, her and Frank mounted their motorbikes, Weiss sitting behind Yang. They drove through the portal and onto a large balcony that looked out over a series of terraced buildings that stood below. Standing by himself, leaning on the balcony rails was a man with spiky dark grey hair and a small, thin, and messy beard along his jawline, with a red cloak that barely hid the large sword underneath it. He turned around in surprise, to see the three of them. Yang’s face lit up at the sight of the man. She felt she was going to burst with joy.
“Hi Uncle Qrow.” she said.

Chapter Text

The man Yang called ‘Qrow’ looked flummoxed at their sudden arrival, blinking several times in rapid succession. Flushed from the ride, Yang jumped off her motorbike and ran up to Qrow embracing him in a hug that was quickly reciprocated.
Qrow and Yang separated. “Hey, kiddo. So you were able to find Raven.”
“Yup.” an enormous grin stretched across Yang’s face, “You remember Weiss, don’t you?”
“Your teammate from Beacon.” A puzzled look appeared on his face, “How did you find her? Last I heard, she was back in Atlas.”
“It’s a long story. I’ll explain it all later.” Weiss said in a dismissive but dark manner.
“And who is this?” Qrow asked, pointing at Frank.
“Frank Steiner,” Yang said.
Yang walked out to the edge of the balcony and stared out, mouth agape at the terraced city below, built into two side-by-side mountains; the tops of buildings, rocks, and trees seemed to mesh like a collage that stretched itself from the feet of the mountains to their summits. Narrow grey roads accentuated the terraced design while narrower barely visible pathways drew thin spaces between groups of buildings, rocks, and trees. Gondolas and bright red trams could be seen going up and down the mountains. Awed by the view, Yang was unaware of Qrow’s slight wince at his and Frank’s handshake. Frank joined Yang at the edge of the balcony. He was just as awestruck as Yang was, “Where…where are we?” he asked.
“You’re all currently on the campus of Haven Academy,” Qrow responded, “That’s the city of Mistral below.”
“Neither of you have seen Mistral before?” Weiss asked.
“No,” Yang murmured, neither of them able to look away from the sight below them.
Yang suddenly remembered the last conversation with her sister: how she’d be travelling to Mistral, and a boiling hot panic flooded Yang’s mind as she spun to face Qrow.
“Where’s Ruby? You were following her. She can’t be far, right?” Yang hurriedly asked.
Qrow reassured her, “Don’t worry kiddo, she’s at Haven Academy with me. I can take you all to her now.”
Qrow led them through the campus: through wide open courtyards, blocks of buildings as silent as graves without students and teachers, and gymnasiums so large Frank seemed to slow his pace just to stare at them. Finally, they reached a lone three storey house that stood at the edge of Haven Academy. They walked into what appeared to be a large living room, where two boys and a girl, all approximately Weiss and Yang’s age, sat talking.
“Look who’s here!” Qrow called out to them.
All three teenagers looked up at him before turning in unison towards Weiss and Yang. An explosion of joy went off in Yang’s heart at the sight of them. Weiss’ reaction seemed to reflect her joy. Looks of surprise and glee appeared on the three faces at the sight of them, but a loud gasp to Frank’s right was what drew Yang’s attention. Standing in another doorway was a young girl with reddish-black hair, a pale complexion, and a large red cloak, a paradoxical mix of joy and sadness filled her silver eyes to contrast against the look of relief and joy that stretched across Yang’s face. The girl stuttered when she spoke.
“Y-Y-Yang…I-I-I’m sorry I left with-without telling you. I-I just didn’t know…I-I didn’t want…I-”
Yang cut the girl off with a tight hug.
“I love you, Ruby,” Yang murmured.
“I love you too,” Ruby replied.
The two of them turned to look at Weiss, beckoning for her to join them and Weiss didn’t hesitate to rush into their embrace. Yang clung to Ruby and Weiss, her friends, her sisters. The explosive joy in her stomach made way for a soothing calm that flowed throughout her body like a cool river. Yang felt she could hold them for a blissful eternity. As the three girls reluctantly broke away from each other, Yang turned to Frank, who stood by the door. He’d reared himself up to his full height, creating a presence that intimidated the other three, and reminded Yang of the night before at the inn. Frank’s eyes darted amongst the strangers, sizing them up. Turning to them Yang tried to break the ice.
“Guys, this is Frank Steiner.”
All three of them stared up at Frank. Their apprehension met with a benign look from Frank. Frank cracked an awkward, but friendly looking smile as he extended his right hand.
A blonde-haired boy wearing a snow-white chest plate with a matching pauldron on his left shoulder and braces on both arms was the first to respond, grimacing under Frank's grip.
“Jaune Arc.” He winced.
Jaune massaged his hand when Frank released him. Another teenage boy, this one with a short pink streak through black hair tied in a waist long ponytail, was next.
“Lie Ren. But everyone just calls me Ren.” He winced.
Ren gave his hand a small shake as Frank released him and turned to a teenage girl with short, orange hair.
“Nora Valkyrie.” She said, an enormous smile stretching across her face as she gripped his hand. Frank gave a surprised “Oh. That’s quite the grip you have there.” He said, slightly amused.
“Really?” Nora sounded surprised, “I thought you were trying to test us or something, the way you seemed to crush Jaune and Ren’s hands.”
Frank turned to the others in confusion.
“My grip’s not that strong, is it?”
“It is,” Jaune groaned, still massaging his hand, “I thought you were trying to crush our hands.”
Frank’s face went tomato red with embarrassment, “Oh…sorry.”
Ruby seemed to take Jaune and Ren’s acceptance of Frank’s apology as a chance to go up and introduce herself. Frank just gave her a small wave and a brief smile.
“What’s going on here?” came an inquisitive voice from above.
Coming down the stairs was a small boy in his early teens with a tan complexion, freckles, and messy black hair. In his hands was a collapsible cane that seemed too long for him.
“Oh, guys,” Ruby said, darting to the boy’s side, “this is Oscar Pines. Or are you…”
“I’m Ozpin at the moment,” The young boy responded in a voice that seemed too old for his body, “I thought I’d handle these introductions first.”
“Professor Ozpin…” Weiss muttered in disbelief.
Yang’s jaw dropped. Frank’s head moved rapidly between everyone else in confusion.
“Yes,” Ozpin said, “you three may want to sit down. It’s clear I need to explain some things.”
Frank rubbed his head, “Sorry…what’s going on?”
Ozpin turned to Weiss and Yang, “Can we trust him?”
“He’s the reason I was able to find the Branwen tribe.” Yang stated matter-of-factly, “And he heard everything Raven told me.”
Ozpin walked up to Frank and studied him closely. Yang couldn’t help but note how still and calm Frank appeared in the face of Ozpin’s probing inspection. Frank explained to Ozpin that he’d been searching for the Branwen tribe and how he’d ended up teaming up with Yang. Ozpin’s eyes narrowed as if he was scanning Frank for signs of a lie. Satisfied, Ozpin turned away from him and sat down in a large leather chair, indicating for Frank, Weiss, and Yang to sit down on the couch opposite as Qrow leaned against a nearby wall. Ruby led Jaune, Nora and Ren into the kitchen to make dinner.
“Reports of my demise at Beacon Academy are correct, although that was only my physical body. My soul has the unique ability to attach itself to a young man upon the death of my current body. It’s a…curse that I’ve spent countless millennia coming to terms with.”
“Raven told us that you had magic,” Frank said, “but she never mentioned this.”
“She probably thought you’d never believe her,” Ozpin responded.
“What exactly did Raven tell you?” Qrow asked.
The three of them recounted what Raven had told them to Ozpin and Qrow. About the relics and vestiges, about magic existing in the world, and about Ozpin recruiting her, Qrow, Tai and Summer into helping fight the Grimm’s leader Salem and that, according to Raven, she’s unstoppable. When the three of them were finished, Qrow gave a deep mournful sigh.
“I had hoped neither you nor Ruby would’ve had to learn about all this stuff until you were older.” He said.
“Her team showed a lot of promise at Beacon,” Ozpin said, “there’s a good chance I’d have told them eventually.”
“You…you were thinking of recruiting us?” Weiss asked in shock.
“Yes,” seeing the horror on Weiss’ face, Ozpin hastily continued, “Although I do indeed possess incredible magical powers, as evidenced by me sitting here before you all now, I’m afraid I can’t do everything. I need like-minded people, people who want to make the world a better place, by my side.”
“So why should we help you? I don’t offer my services for free.” Frank said.
Ozpin regarded Frank with a sour expression, “Salem is, for lack of a better term, queen of the Grimm. And like all Grimm, she is bloodthirsty and possessed with the desire to reduce this world to ash and ruin. She is incredibly intelligent and utterly ruthless in her goals. She’ll destroy this entire world if need be.”
“If Salem wants to destroy the world, why don’t we all know about her?” Yang inquired sceptically.
Ozpin regarded her with an inquisitive eye, “What was Raven like when she told you of Salem?”
Yang blinked in confusion a couple of times, Weiss raised an eyebrow and Frank furrowed his brow. It was Yang who spoke. “She stuttered, her voice trembled and her face was pale.”
“And how do you all feel, knowing that there’s someone out there who can control Grimm. Command them as one would command an army?”
Now that Yang thought about it, the idea made her skin crawl, a cold chill crept up her spine making her shiver. Glancing at Frank and Weiss, their feelings were the same.
“And that’s why the rest of the world doesn’t know either. Seeing how you three reacted, two of you having survived that horrible night at Beacon, and the other an experienced Huntsman merely justifies my decision. If those more sheltered and less resolute were to learn the truth; there would be widespread panic and possibly rioting. Chaos and strong negative emotions would attract Grimm, inadvertently making it easier for Salem to achieve her goal.” Seeing Weiss’ horror, Yang’s gloom and Frank’s shock, Ozpin added, “I do want to make one thing absolutely clear; Raven is wrong about Salem in one respect. She can be stopped. I’ve been able to keep her at bay for millennia, and I believe she can be defeated once and for all.”
“How?” Frank croaked.
“I intend to use the relics, paired with their affiliated Vestiges, centred around a powerful Huntress with silver eyes to enact a powerful spell that will not only cleanse the world of Grimm, but destroy Salem as well,” Ozpin said dramatically.
“Silver eyes?” Weiss asked, “They’re just a myth. No one can kill a Grimm by looking at it.”
Despite himself, Frank began chuckling.
Ozpin was unperturbed, “Silver eyed Huntsmen and Huntresses do exist. Unfortunately, Salem is well aware of the danger they pose to her, and she’s been disturbingly effective at eliminating them. Fortunately, we have one with us.”
“Me!” Ruby exclaimed excitedly from the door behind Ozpin.
Yang’s eyes widened in shock, “Ruby?! You’ve agreed to this?”
Ruby nodded. Yang’s eyes darted between Ozpin, Qrow and Ruby. Yang felt her legs shake like jelly and her stomach churned as if a whirlpool raged inside her.
“This is insane!” she shrieked, standing up, “Ruby, you realise this could put you in more danger, don’t you?!” She turned to Qrow, “Please Uncle Qrow, tell her! Tell her she shouldn’t do this!”
Qrow shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the floor as if it would give him courage. After what felt like an excruciatingly long time, he finally raised his gaze to meet his niece.
“Unfortunately Salem already appears to know who Ruby is and that she has silver eyes.” Qrow rubbed his abdomen in a subconscious attempt to soothe himself, “Ruby and her friends were ambushed by one of Salem’s henchmen. A scorpion-Faunus called Tyrian. Furthermore, Ruby is the first person we’ve seen with silver eyes since…”
“Mum,” Ruby whispered.
“Mum?” Yang repeated.
“Yes,” Ozpin said solemnly, “Summer was supposed to be the silver eyes at the centre of my spell. Unfortunately just before she was ready, she was murdered by Salem’s henchmen. Ruby may be our best chance of ending Salem once and for all.”
Yang grabbed Ruby’s shoulders in an iron grip, making Ruby wince slightly, “All the more reason you shouldn’t do this Ruby!” She turned to Ozpin and Qrow, “She shouldn’t do this.”
Slowly and delicately, as if walking on eggshells, Qrow stepped toward the sisters.
“It'll be okay Yang. Let Ruby go, you’re hurting her.” Qrow delicately pried Yang’s hands off of Ruby, continuing to speak in soft, soothing tones, “Everything will be okay. Ozpin is training her to master her silver eyes. We’re not letting Ruby out of our sight, and everyone in this building knows that Ruby is the most important person here. Even Ozpin’s life isn’t as important.”
The room was silent. Even the kitchen seemed silent; as if the others had been listening. Ozpin walked up to Yang and placed a hand on her robotic arm, “I promise you that Ruby will not be harmed. Not by the spell, nor by anyone else.”
Yang’s stomach continued to churn as she turned to her sister, “Are you really okay with this?!”
Ruby’s response was an immediate “Yes,” and upon seeing the mixture of apprehension and confusion on Yang’s face Ruby hastily continued with a soft smile on her face, her eyes shining, “You know I’ve always wanted to help. I-I can’t turn away from this.”
Yang’s stomach still churned, apprehension and confusion swirled like a vortex in her mind. Sensing this, Ruby continued, “Everything’s going to be fine.”
Yang looked into her sister’s silver eyes. She could see the sparkling hope and warm self-assuredness that Ruby always had. Yang took a deep breath, trying to relax after everything she’d just been told. Without waiting for any other response, Ozpin took this as his cue to continue.
“Over the last few decades, I’ve been able to keep each relic stored safely in one of the Huntsmen Academies, with the affiliated Vestige for each relic never too far away.” A dark shadow grew over Ozpin’s face as his voice trembled with anger, “However, I lost the Vestige of Knowledge almost 15 years ago and now we’ve lost the Vestige of Choice to one of Salem’s subordinates, Cinder Fall…with the fall of Beacon Academy.” Ozpin took a deep breath, steadying himself before continuing, “This is why I’m here with Qrow. We’re trying to gather a group of Huntsmen and Huntresses to get the Vestige of Knowledge from the Branwen tribe…before Salem does.”
Yang’s face went blank, “How do you know it’s with them?”
Qrow shifted uneasily and explained to Yang that he’d seen the village of Shion reduced to ruin, how bandit raids are never that devastating and that he’d long suspected the Vestige was with the Branwen tribe considering that neither could be found.
Frank stroked his chin thoughtfully, “I recall Raven constantly looking over at Vernal whenever she mentioned the Vestige of Knowledge. If there’s anyone in the tribe who’s the vestige, it’s likely to be her.”
“But she looked like she’s a couple of years younger than me or Yang,” Weiss interjected before turning to Ozpin, “Wouldn’t the Vestige be older than that?”
“Yes, but it’s possible she’d died and transferred the powers to Vernal. Although that power would be incredibly difficult for someone so young to control.” Ozpin said thoughtfully.
“Just one question. If the Vestige of Knowledge can see into the future, how will we be able to capture her? Surely she’ll be able to see us coming?” Weiss asked.
At her question, Ozpin cracked a small smile. “A good question Miss Schnee. Although the Vestige of Knowledge can see into the future, what they’ll see are multiple possibilities for how things will play out. They’ll know how things might turn out, but not which scenario. This overload of information has overwhelmed many who become the Vestige of Knowledge. As a result, their clairvoyance is always somewhat limited.” Ozpin furrowed his brow slightly, fingers gently tapping his cane, “I recall only the most disciplined were able to see an hour into any possible future when awake, and possibly three or four hours when asleep or meditating. With the vestige being a young woman, I doubt she’ll have any sort of mastery over the vestige’s powers. Of course, there’s the chance it could be R…no-no-no. It’s unlikely. Never mind.” Ozpin leaned forward, a gleam in his eye, “The biggest problem we have right now though, is acquiring the necessary Huntsmen.”
“Why haven’t you put out a bounty?” Frank asked.
“All the Huntsmen in Mistral are either away on missions on the borders of Mistral, missing or dead,” Qrow murmured.
“Were things really that bad here?” Weiss asked.
“From what Professor Theodore has said. Yes.” Qrow responded.
Yang turned to Ozpin, “Aren’t any of the Haven Academy students here? Like Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet? Why not get them to help us?”
The gleam in Ozpin’s eyes faded, his hands curled into fists. “Cinder, Emerald and Mercury all came from this very academy. I don’t want anyone else who trains or teaches here to be aware of my presence, or of what we’re doing.”
“Does that include Professor Theodore?” Yang asked.
Ozpin nodded. “Once we’ve got the Vestige. I intend to use whoever it is to access the Relic of Knowledge, so that we may transport it to Atlas Academy for safekeeping.”
“When do you intend to get the Vestige?” Frank asked.
“Once we have enough Huntsmen.” Qrow said, “Problem is, the lack of them. But I’m willing to wait-”
“I’m afraid we don’t have time to wait,” Ozpin interjected. He uncurled his fists and the gleam in his eyes returned, “If Frank, Weiss, Yang and team RNJR are willing to assault the Branwen Tribe, then I’m satisfied that we’ll have enough Huntsmen to succeed.”
“WHAT?!” Qrow shouted, dismayed, “Ozpin, they’re just kids-”
“Who have witnessed friends and classmates get maimed or killed at Beacon and Vale.” Ozpin interrupted, “And look at how far they’ve come. Literally. Have faith in them, Qrow. If they want to do this, then we should let them. Is that clear?”
Qrow was silent for a few seconds, a vein throbbing on his forehead. Ozpin seemed stiff, as he fixed Qrow with a hard, overbearing stare, the gleam in his eyes now sharp. Yang thought that for a moment there was a green glow in Ozpin’s eyes; as if the normally hazel eyes of his host had momentarily changed colour. She remembered what Raven had said about Ozpin bending the siblings to his will, ‘But Raven was lying. I’m probably just tired,’ she thought. Qrow relented with a soft nod. Ozpin gave a small soft smile and returned his attention to the others.
“Frank, how much were you offered to find the Branwen tribe?”
“75,000 Lien,” Frank stated matter-of-factly.
“I’ll double it if you join us.”
Frank cracked a large grin, “Sounds good to me.”
Ozpin then called team JNR in and asked Yang, her sister, and friends if they wished to join the raid on the Branwen tribe. They all readily accepted. Ozpin beamed at them before team JNR led them all into the dining room where a large pot of udon noodles lay, surrounded by smaller bowls of crispy fried chicken, grilled lamb, boiled eggs, a couple of salads and bottles of soy sauce and olive oil. The group gathered around and tucked in, Frank, Weiss and Yang devouring the food on their plates, but soon they joined their voices to the conversations around them. Ozpin had relented control of the body to his host, Oscar Pines. Oscar’s face went red at the sight of Weiss and Yang, stuttering as he introduced himself. Yang noticed how Oscar’s eyes constantly darted to her breasts, and when she leaned across to grab more food, Oscar went red as a tomato. Yang chuckled and then turned to Frank, making sure to lean on the table as she did.
“Frank.” She purred sweetly.
Frank’s face went red as he looked at her. “Hmmm?”
“Could you pass the soy sauce please?”
Never removing his gaze from her breasts, Frank handed her the soy sauce. She chuckled at the sight of the scandalised face Weiss wore, the embarrassment on Ruby’s, Qrow’s shaking head, Nora’s giggling, and the blush on Jaune and, to Yang’s surprise, Ren’s faces. Although Ren certainly seemed to recover faster than the other boys. Jaune, Nora, Ren and Ruby were soon regaling the others of their travel through Mistral, how the trains had been severely damaged due to widespread panic on the continent following the fall of Beacon, forcing them to go on foot; being ambushed by Tyrian, and their battle with a Nucklavee Grimm. Weiss told them all about how she was practically imprisoned by her father at Schnee Manor, about the outburst she’d had at the Atlesian aristocrats and her sneaking out of the manor. When Frank asked Weiss about her time as the Branwen’s prisoner, a dark look appeared on her face and rage filled her pale blue eyes, to Yang it was as if a blizzard roared in them. Slowly, her breath shuddering, Weiss told them of how the airship she was on was attacked by a pack of Lancer Grimm, despite her best efforts, the airship was badly damaged and made a crash landing, killing the pilot. Weiss told them how she was captured by the Branwens; that they threw her into what remained of the ancient fortress’ dungeons, feeding her scraps, and making her their plaything. Everyone sat in mortified silence.
Ruby turned to her uncle. “Would they do that?”
Qrow shifted uncomfortably in his chair, “It…was common. A few young women from any town or village the Branwens raided would be kidnapped and forced to bear one of two children for the tribe before being killed. Sometimes children themselves would be kidnapped and…adopted…into the tribe.” A sad look appeared on Qrow’s face. “That’s how Raven and I grew up. That life…the brutality…and the loneliness…some people took it better than others, and Raven…she never looked back.” Qrow turned to Weiss, “We should get you checked. Just in case they…y’know.” Weiss’ only response was, “I’ll get them back for what they did.” Ruby placed a comforting hand on Weiss’ squeezing it as she took it. Yang felt both of her hands shake, she felt herself seething, ‘This is what Raven does’ she thought, ‘She just tears apart and destroys people’s lives. All because she thinks everyone else is weak’. Yang’s thoughts were interrupted by Frank talking to her.
“Hey. About what happened back at the fortress. The arm shaking, the stiffness, and you freezing up when those guys tried to ambush us. What was that about?”
“It…it’s been a while since I did anything like this. It was nothing.” Yang flustered, trying to avoid Frank’s eyes. The others glanced at both in confusion.
“I don’t think so,” Frank said a little more forcefully, “When those guys tried ambushing us, I had to cover your ass. If you freeze up like that during the assault, we’re going to have some serious problems.”
Yang felt like her face was on fire as she went red. Unperturbed, Frank continued, “If you freeze like that, you could get yourself or one of us killed.”
“Yang…” Ruby said gently, “What’s been going on?”
Yang turned to her sister. She didn’t want to have to burden Ruby with this, but with the compassion and tender warmth in her sister’s eyes, Yang felt a knot form in her stomach again. With a start, she felt someone’s hand on her shoulder, Yang realised it was Weiss wearing a similar expression to Ruby’s. Yang looked at the others, Jaune, Nora, Oscar and Ren had kind, sympathetic looks, tender encouraging smiles on their faces. Frank’s expression seemed inquisitive, but there seemed to be a compassionate look in his eyes. Finally, Yang looked at Qrow, he murmured, “It’s okay. You can tell us.”
Yang took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts, ‘It would be wrong not to tell them,’ she thought. Yang told them all about the nightmares she had of Adam Taurus, the vivid memories of that event that would flash through her mind, how seeing the mask Raven wore - its similarity to Adam Taurus’ own mask, the anger and weakness she felt whenever it happened to her. Yang felt her voice tremble as she spoke. It was only after she’d finished that she noticed her left-hand trembling. In an effort to steady it, she took it in her robotic right arm. Yang scanned the room hoping no one noticed. The room was silent, Yang looked at Ruby and Weiss, then at Jaune, Nora, Oscar and Ren. She could see the uncertainty on their faces, but the compassion in their eyes had only gotten stronger. Frank’s face seemed softer, more compassionate. Ruby broke the silence.
“Thank you for telling us Yang,” she said softly, “If you need anything from us, just ask.”
Qrow leaned forward, “What you’re going through Yang, isn’t uncommon. I’ve known a lot of Huntsmen and Huntresses go through what you’ve gone through. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. If you want, I can talk to Professor Theodore and ask about therapists.”
Yang felt tears crawl down her cheeks, her heart felt like it was going to burst. A small, grateful smile stretched across her face. “Thank you. I’d like that.”
Ruby threw her arms around Yang’s neck. “You’re going to be okay sis. We’re all here for you.”
Yang hugged her sister back. Weiss kept a comforting hand on Yang’s shoulder. After a few moments, they separated and everyone got up and cleaned everything away before then heading to bed and falling asleep.

Frank crept down the stairs, stopping every few steps to make sure no one else was awake, but the whole building was as silent as a graveyard. To make it appear as if he was just going on a midnight stroll, Frank wore the clothes he’d worn the whole day, minus the cloak, knowing that there were cameras all over the academy watching his every movement. Frank casually strolled around the campus, hands in his pockets until he found a dark alley that was a blind spot for the cameras. Ducking into the alleyway, Frank pulled out a bulky portable radio shaped like a brick with a long antenna that he had to pull out, underneath a small screen was a series of numbered buttons. Frank punched a code into it. There was a low static noise as he talked into it, hoping someone would get him.
“Hokioi, this is Chimera. Come in.” Frank whispered.
A smooth female voice responded, “Chimera, Hokioi confirms. You’ve taken your time reporting back to us. What happened? You were at the Branwen fortress, and then with a single step, you disappeared.”
“Apologies Hokioi. That was Raven Branwen’s semblance, she can make portals. I’m contacting you from the city of Mistral. The past 24 hours have been both interesting and illuminating. Is Colonel Bindweed available? This is information he’ll need to hear straight from me.”
There was silence for a few moments. ‘She’s trying to process everything I just said. Fair enough,’ Frank thought. Finally, the woman spoke, “Chimera, you know this isn’t how we work. Any information you have you can pass to me, and I’ll inform the Colonel.”
Frank tapped his hand against his leg repeatedly, he briefly glanced around him, as if trying to gain courage from his surroundings. “Please, the information I have is huge. I believe only Colonel Bindweed will have clearance to hear this. Furthermore, you won’t believe what I’ll say, and that means you’ll probably not tell the Colonel. So, unless you want to take the fall for either a: looking like an idiot; or b: depriving the defence force of crucial information, you’re going to get me in direct contact with the Colonel now.”
There was a moment’s silence, before he received a response, “Give me a few minutes.”
Frank didn’t know how much time passed whilst he waited, but every second felt like a minute, and every minute felt like an hour. Finally, a voice came over the radio, a deep grizzled male voice, “Chimera.”
“Colonel Bindweed,” Frank said in a polite, but formal manner.
“Do you mind explaining how you ended up in Mistral? And what’s so important you need to speak directly to me about?”
Frank told him about how he’d stumbled across Raven Branwen’s daughter, located the Branwen tribe, about Raven telling them about Salem and her control over the Grimm, Ozpin’s magic and his having the ability to reincarnate himself in the body of a young man, the Remnant myth of silver-eyed warriors being true, and the Vestiges and the relics of choice, creation, destruction and knowledge. He told them about how Ozpin intended to enact a spell that involved the relics, the Vestiges, and the silver-eyed warrior to destroy Salem. He finished by explaining how Raven’s semblance allowed her to create portals to specific people, and that’s why he was calling them from Mistral.
When Frank finished, there was a moment's silence followed by, “Is there anything else?”
“No sir.”
“You mentioned that Ozpin gave Raven Branwen and her brother the ability to transform into birds. Correct?”
“Correct, sir. The drone observing me must have picked up on Raven’s transformation.”
“It did.” Colonel Bindweed admitted, “That would explain what we thought was a technical issue with the drone’s camera. But do you have any further proof?”
“No sir.” Frank admitted sombrely, “But if there’s a relic at Beacon Academy, it would explain why the Valian council doesn’t want us going anywhere near the campus.”
“Goodwitch.” The Colonel growled.
“If I may ask sir, are Jaeger teams en route to the Branwen tribe?”
“Not yet. Why?”
Frank took a deep breath, steadying himself for what he was about to request. “Is there any way we could hold off the assault sir? Ozpin intends to have myself and the others I’ve met today assault the Branwen fortress to obtain the Vestige. Please, sir, allow us to retrieve the Vestige. If we can get it, we’ll have an easier time accessing the Relic of Knowledge.”
Colonel Bindweed chuckled, “I see you’re still having to prove yourself to your team. When does Ozpin intend to launch his assault?”
“In two weeks time sir. We’re just going to finish training and final preparations.”
“We’ll see what happens. It won’t be easy convincing High Command, the Ministry of Defence and the Prime Minister. Everything you’ve just told me, Chimera…”
Frank couldn’t help himself. “You do believe me, don’t you sir?”
Colonel Bindweed sighed, “I do, son. But there’s still a lot that’s unaccounted for. This Salem woman for example. Hm…I’ll inform High Command and we’ll see what happens. If you’re able to provide proof that Ozpin still lives, that should convince them to call off the assault.”
“I should have that evidence in the next few days,” Frank said earnestly.
“Make sure you do Chimera. Hokioi out.”
“Roger, Chimera out.”
Frank switched the radio off and strolled out of the alleyway trying to look casual and relaxed. But his stomach roiled as if a whirlpool raged inside him. As stressed as he felt, Frank headed back to the house, knowing tomorrow was going to be a very busy day.

Chapter Text

As the sun rose, so did Frank. After getting himself dressed, he crept into the kitchen to grab the wok and metal spoon he’d used each morning. However, after checking every drawer, cupboard, the fridge and freezer, looking under the sink, and inspecting the stove, he realised someone had hidden them. ‘Cheeky little shits’, Frank thought. Fortunately, there was a small bucket in the ground floor laundry. He remembered the words of his old drill instructor, ‘Nothing like a cold shower in the morning, eh Steiner’. Although Frank sympathised with these wannabe Huntsmen wanting to sleep-in, it wasn’t going to be able to help them train their reflexes, or their minds to deal with fatigue and shock. As he filled the bucket with cold water, Frank couldn’t help but wonder why he was taking such an interest in helping train Yang, Weiss, Ruby, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Oscar. ‘The moment they realise what I’m up to, I’ll have to put them all down’, he thought. It wasn’t a happy thought, but he didn’t feel bitter or sombre about it either. Upstairs, he crept into Jaune and Oscar’s room and threw the water onto Jaune’s head, he awoke screaming.
“Frank!” Jaune yelped.
“Training starts now, everyone,” Frank yelled into the other bedrooms. “Unless you want a cold shower like Jaune, you’re going to get moving right now.”
Once the group assembled in one of Haven Academy’s enormous gymnasiums, Frank and Qrow had them all go through the same routine they’d been going through all week: push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, pull-ups, squats, and a 10km run. All with a large, heavy pack loaded with weights Frank had taken from the gym. Any sharp retorts or grumbling quickly disappeared as sweat poured down their heads, the two Huntsmen urging them on, performing the same exercises as they went. Frank remembered how shocked he’d been to realise none of them had ever had to do training like this at Beacon Academy. ‘No wonder they couldn’t protect their own bloody kingdom when they can’t even meet such basic fitness requirements,’ Frank thought contemptuously. Once the basic exercises were completed, combat training began; or at least, it was supposed to. Oscar had lagged far behind everyone else, red in the face and breathing rapidly. Although Oscar didn’t have to carry a large pack around with him while performing the same exercises, it didn’t stop him from struggling to complete them. Frank was forced to hold back and urge Oscar to finish. Just as Oscar completed the run, he collapsed, taking rapid, shallow breaths. Frank told the others to take a breather while he spoke to Oscar, but for a few minutes, all he could do was kneel in front of Oscar in silence until the latter seemed to have recovered enough to talk.
“Listen, Oscar. If you want to sit out the combat training, you can,” Frank said.
“No…Ozpin needs…me…to do this.” Oscar said between rapid gulps of air.
“I get that, Oscar, I really do. But you’re not ready yet; your body needs time,” Frank said patiently.
Oscar shook his head. “You’ve heard Ozpin. He needs to be with you guys for the assault. I can do this.”
Frank was silent before he patted Oscar’s shoulder. “Take a few minutes to catch your breath. Then we can start your training for the day.”
Frank pursed his lips as he walked towards the others. As he approached them, Weiss spoke up. “What Ozpin’s making that poor boy do… It’s not right.”
‘The kid doesn’t have a choice,’ Frank thought.
“He’s being trained, Weiss.” Jaune said.
‘I didn’t have a choice either,’ Frank thought.
“But look at him,” Nora said. “It’s too much to handle.”
‘But at least I’ve been given the chance to spend my life training,’ Frank thought.
“Alright that’s enough everyone. Combat training now!” Qrow commanded.
Today, Frank was facing Ruby, Weiss and Yang, while Qrow faced Jaune, Nora and Ren. Meanwhile Oscar sparred with a mechanical dummy. Before they began, Frank set up his scroll on a tall column, curved as if to resemble a lamppost, of Earth Dust that Weiss made. Frank then tied a rope around his scroll and flung part of the rope over the curved end so that his scroll could record their combat training. Once this was done, Frank approached the three girls, drew his longsword, placing it on his left shoulder and stood poised to pounce. Ruby drew her scythe; Weiss her rapier, and Yang activated her left gauntlet. Frank noticed that Yang’s left arm was shaking, but her face was grim and determined. Frank shot towards Ruby and swung for her neck. Ruby blocked the blow with her scythe blade mere millimetres from her neck before darting several metres away, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her. A curved wall of ice suddenly appeared on Frank’s right - Yang sliding across it using her left gauntlet to propel herself. Yang tried to land a punch, but Frank dodged the blow. Before Yang could reverse her course, Frank leapt over the ice wall and landed to the left of Weiss. Weiss jabbed her rapier towards Frank’s head, but he parried and disarmed her in one motion before swinging his longsword at Weiss’ neck. While Weiss’ aura protected her from the blow, she still grunted in pain as the blow flung her to the ground. Ruby darted at Frank, arcing her scythe down at Frank’s right shoulder, only for Frank to pivot away from her and stab at Ruby’s stomach sending her crashing into the ground. To Frank’s surprise, a tall, but narrow and hollow, cylinder of rock rose out of the ground, closing Frank in. Using her semblance again, Ruby leapt up to the top of the cylinder and began to shoot down at him. In such confines, barely able to swing his longsword, it was all Frank could do to try and dodge the Dust rounds. Not wanting to be outdone, Frank sprang up, only just being able to reach the top. Ruby’s shock prevented her from avoiding Frank’s side kick into her chest, knocking her off. Ruby gave a cry of pain, her aura flickering as she hit the ground. As Frank landed, he barely dodged a punch Yang threw at him. Her strikes came incredibly fast, almost throwing Frank off his footing. Taking advantage of this, Weiss summoned a spectral knight to attack him from behind. As the spectral knight swung its enormous sword at Frank, and Yang threw a punch towards his face, Frank vanished so that metallic fist and spectral sword collided with one another.
Frank hated the nothingness he experienced as he vanished. No sight, no sound, no taste, no smell, nor touch. There wasn’t even air to breath, and if he was bursting for air, he wouldn’t know until he’d re-materialised. The only think he could do was think, to direct himself towards his target, Weiss. Even then it was a rough guess as to how far she was from him, how much time it would take to reach her. When he reappeared, he heard Weiss gasp to his right. Weiss raised her rapier, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Frank’s longsword crashing down onto her head, her aura flickering. Frank turned towards Yang, her left arm now violently shaking, but her expression was as determined as ever. Frank sprinted forward, raising his longsword to strike. Yang, stiff as a board, made no move, her left arm continuing to shake violently. Her determined expression had given way to a fearful, empty stare. Frank stopped. Weiss and Ruby shared concerned expressions as they cautiously approached Yang.
Ruby gently shook her sister’s shoulder. “Yang…”
Yang seemed to snap out of the trance she was in. She blinked a couple of times, gazing at everyone. “I’m…I’m okay, guys. Really.”
“Maybe you guys should take a quick break. Grab some water and some rest,” Frank said. “I’ll focus on Oscar’s training.”
“No!” Yang blurted. “I- I need to do this.”
Frank gave Yang a brief encouraging nod before telling the others that it was time for lunch. As they ate, Frank turned back to Yang.
“Those punches were so fast. How did you manage that?”
Yang gave a small smile. “One of Weiss’ glyphs is ‘Time Dilation’. Anyone she uses it on gets a speed boost.”
“Interesting…” Frank turned to Weiss. “Can you use that glyph on multiple people?”
Weiss rubbed her chin. “I’ve never tried that before… But it might work.”
When everyone’s aura levels had recharged after lunch, it was going to be Frank and Qrow versus the rest; this time, Oscar participated. Frank launched himself at Weiss, driving his longsword at her chest. As the blow knocked her over, Frank launched a right-side kick at Ren, allowing him the time to block and parry two punches Yang threw at him, before leaping out of Yang’s reach before she could deliver a third, only for Ren to launch a spinning kick at Frank’s face while Nora swung her enormous two-handed hammer at Frank’s back. Frank once again vanished mere milliseconds before Ren and Nora hit him. Guessing that Nora had been right behind him, Frank took what would have been several steps backwards before he reappeared, Nora on his left. Pirouetting, the blade of Frank’s longsword sliced at Nora’s neck. Unable to evade, Nora’s aura protected her from the longsword’s cold bite, but the force behind Frank’s blow sent her tumbling backwards. No sooner had Frank taken out Nora, did Yang and Ren throw themselves at him. Both of Ren’s handgun-like weapons fired at Frank, while Yang flew at him like a rocket. Frank unclasped his cloak and threw it over Yang. Shocked and disoriented, she collapsed onto the ground attempting to disentangle herself. Once again Frank vanished only to reappear moments later, his longsword crashing down onto Ren’s head. Like Nora, Ren’s aura protected him from the blade, but the blow sent him to the ground. Noticing Yang had just successfully untangled herself; Frank ran towards her at full speed only for Jaune to dart in, sword swinging for his head. Frank blocked the blow before bringing his own blade in an uppercut to Jaune’s right armpit. Once again, aura intervened but Jaune still cried out in pain, stumbling back. Frank barely had time to move before he felt a blow to the back of his head. Stumbling back, he saw Yang standing there, momentarily shocked that she’d been able to hit him. Frank didn’t give her the chance to follow up. With a bang, he sprang at her, his thrust slamming her into the wall ten metres away. Frank spun around and charged Jaune. As he did so, he placed his longsword in its scabbard. As he drew closer, Jaune changed his longsword into a separate shield and a smaller sword. Jaune did his best to hide his body and face behind his shield, only exposing himself from eye level and above, his sword held in preparation for a quick stabbing motion. Frank allowed himself a small smile. ‘Right where I want you,’ he thought. As Frank got within range of the sword, Jaune stabbed at his chest, only for Frank to vanish once again. Frank reappeared behind Jaune, a little too close for Frank’s liking, but he knew he could work with it. Knowing that the plate armour covering Jaune’s chest, back and shoulders along with the gauntlets protecting his arms and elbow would at the very least, minimise the damage to his aura; Frank launched a spinning kick at Jaune’s head. As Jaune stumbled back, Frank launched a sidekick at Jaune’s right knee, bringing him crashing down, allowing Frank to immediately follow up with a front kick to the back of Jaune’s head again. As Jaune collapsed onto the ground, Frank kicked him in the face, the force of the blow forced Jaune’s entire body to roll over onto his back. Frank then used his knees to pin Jaune at the shoulders landing punch after punch into Jaune’s face. Jaune tried throwing Frank off him, but all he could do was helplessly flail his fists against Frank’s legs. For a couple of minutes, nobody moved as Frank landed blow after blow. It was Frank’s own voice that broke the silence.
“Come on!” he roared. “Come on! Quiet flailing and do SOMETHING! Draw on your fear. Your anger. Your will to survive. Manifest your semblance! FIGHT BACK!!”
“I yield! I YIELD!” Jaune wailed.
Frank abruptly stopped and stood up, offering Jaune a hand up as well. As Jaune stood up, Frank noticed several crisscrossing cracks in the ground where Jaune’s head had been. He heard Nora and Ruby gasp. Frank checked his scroll and baulked at the amount of aura Jaune had left. Despite the kicks, the blows from his longsword, and the numerous punches to his face, which had broken the ground beneath Jaune’s head, his aura had barely halved.
“You have so much aura, but no semblance?!” Frank stated incredulously.
“It…it’s never manifested,” Jaune said dismally.
“Did anything happen to you during the Fall of Beacon? Was there a moment, when you were terrified, furious, or appalled, that you felt something?” Qrow asked.
Jaune shook his head. Oscar briefly glowed green, his posture going from slouched with exhaustion to one that was stiff and upright.
“Oftentimes semblances manifest when someone with sufficient aura levels endures a physically or mentally taxing, possibly even traumatic event or process,” Ozpin said.
Frank changed his longsword into a rifle. “Perhaps if Jaune took off the armour, a few rounds from Forsaken will bring out his semblance.”
Jaune shook his head dismally. “I…I lost someone…a girl called Pyrrha at Beacon. If…if that couldn’t make my semblance manifest then…”
Frank lowered his rifle. Pity flooded his mind, until it was smothered by a single thought, ‘Why am I pitying him? Pitying Oscar and Yang? I’ll have to turn on them, and when I do, I’ll have to kill them’.
Frank forced himself to put aside those thoughts and focused on training Oscar, while Qrow observed more combat training for the others. Frank would have preferred not to have used their weapons, but Ozpin stubbornly insisted on it. Frank placed his longsword on his left shoulder, standing ready; while Oscar stood straight, stiff and awkward, cane in one hand, the other behind his back. According to Ozpin, this was how he’d always used it. Frank charged, bring his longsword in a downward arc, only for Oscar to parry the blow almost losing his balance in the process. Desperately, Oscar thrusted the cane at Frank’s exposed right-side ribs, only for Frank’s right fist to fly in a back arc hammer fist. Too close to Frank, Oscar was unable to dart out of the way; Frank’s fist smashed into Oscar’s face with an almighty crack, throwing Oscar to the ground.
“Shit. Oscar, are you alright?” Frank gasped.
Oscar got up, rubbing his nose, left cheek and jaw. Nodding as he did so. Despite this, a small amount of guilt bubbled in Frank’s stomach. Oscar wasn’t very tall - on his tip toes he barely reached Frank’s chest, and Frank didn’t doubt that if it weren’t for his aura, Oscar’s nose would have broken.
“Remind me, why does Ozpin insist on you doing this instead of him?” Frank asked.
Oscar momentarily glowed green, the anxious look on his face replaced by one that was cool and analytical. “I require Oscar to participate so that his mind may build up muscle memory. Since I must use his body to fight, at this time it is crucial that we both understand what to do to maximise effectiveness.” Ozpin momentarily glowed green and was replaced with Oscar. The sparring continued, but compared to his combat training with the others, Frank found himself being more reserved against Oscar, and more forgiving of the boy’s mistakes. As evening approached, training ended for the day.

Frank and Qrow grabbed quick showers, threw on fresh clothes and walked down to the nearest public gondola stop in the affluent upper districts of Mistral. While they were walking, a man’s bike suddenly burst a tire as he went past, and later Frank tripped and fell to the pavement.
“Sorry about that,” Qrow said. “That’s probably my semblance.”
“Bad luck,” Frank groaned. “I wish you could turn yours off.”
Qrow gave Frank an apologetic look, “Sorry, I spent half my childhood trying.”
‘And now we’re going on a gondola that’ll hang 20 metres above ground’, Frank thought to himself with dread. As they boarded the waiting gondola, Frank looked down at the ground below, reflecting on the items they’d need to purchase. Items that currently could only be obtained through the black market in Mistral’s lower districts: night vision goggles and powerful anaesthetics from Earth, and some more volatile Dust. As the gondola began moving, Frank starred out the window, at the city below, the lavish houses and opulent penthouse apartments that dotted the city’s upper districts.
“It’s…surreal,” Frank murmured. “It’s as if the Fall of Beacon never happened.”
Qrow gave a small nod before asking, “You said you were in Vale until a few weeks ago. What were things like there?”
For a moment Frank was silent. When he spoke, he was surprised at how hoarse he sounded. “Hopefully things have gotten better there, but when I first arrived everything had happened only a few weeks prior. Things were awful. Really, really, awful. In the city of Vale itself, whole districts had been reduced to ruin, entire skyscrapers brought down to their very foundations. Bullet ridden, torn and mangled bodies littered the streets, their congealed blood painted everything red. And that was the capital. Outside of it, things were even worse. Whole villages and towns have been wiped off the map, refugees were pretty much everywhere, bandits harassing them, and Grimm rampaging through the country.”
“I know all that. I was there for the first few months,” Qrow said. “I meant recently, in the past year or so.”
Frank continued to stare out the window. “Well…refugee camps have been set up in some of the surrounding city-states and principalities - the ones that are still standing. There’s also been some order restored to Vale, but… the whole kingdom is in bad shape. When Earth governments sent humanitarian aid, convoys would get mobbed with desperate survivors, sometimes bandits would raid the convoys, and even if those supplies did reach their destinations without having been picked clean first… those queues… you could see everyone was trying to remain as calm as possible, keep things going in an orderly fashion. But it was peace that always hung by a thread.”
Qrow nodded solemnly. “Yeah…I remember doing things like that. Were you set to guard the perimeter of those aid drops in case any Grimm appeared?”
Frank nodded, but he found he was focused more on the city below. The wealth and seeming tranquillity of the upper districts had been replaced by more compact and intensified urban and financial districts with apartments looking like small, blocky squares, or lengthy, narrow rectangles. As the gondola went over these districts, the effects of the Fall of Beacon were more apparent with several complexes having been torn down. Of those buildings that remained, the ground floors of a dozen intact buildings appeared empty or burnt, while the damage of what appeared to have been powerful impacts remained on some of the narrow grey roads that had seemed so smooth from Haven Academy.
Qrow continued speaking. “If one person cut the queue, others would immediately try and grab supplies while we were distracted, and then more people would break the queue. Next thing you know, people are fighting each other; some pulled out knives and guns. Shots would go off, people dead or dying, others getting trampled by the mobs. All that negativity would draw any Grimm nearby. If we went to help handle the crowds, Grimm would get through the perimeter. Then everything would turn to shit.”
“Yeah…I remember some of those,” Frank murmured. “Believe it or not, it was worse for Faunus - practically all of them had been driven out of wherever they’d been living in before the Fall, making it next to impossible for many of them to receive aid and assistance. Sometimes lynch mobs would approach us for help in hunting them down. One time a large mob of maybe a thousand Humans found out that a couple hundred Faunus had holed up in a large, abandoned apartment building. The mob set the whole building on fire. The poor bastards inside screamed for help, for mercy. Any who attempted to escape the building were butchered by the mob. Mothers cried out for their children to be spared, one mother even dropped her baby into the arms of a Human she thought was going to help, only for him to throw the baby on the ground and smash its head with his boot. The mob just laughed. People already on fire leapt from the building.”
When Frank finished, he turned to see a mixture of horror and disgust on Qrow’s face. But whether it was at Frank’s retelling of the event, or the emotionless way he’d told it, he couldn’t tell. But he couldn’t blame Qrow. Frank felt neither furious, nor disgusted, nor shocked, just this empty, hollow feeling in his chest. He didn’t tell Qrow this, but he could probably tell. But neither did he tell Qrow about how Spectre had been there, a mask to hide his monochromatic eyes and shawl wrapped around his jaw and neck to hide his gills. Frank had never asked Spectre how he felt, watching the scene play out, but he recalled noticing how tightly Spectre had gripped his spear. And Warhammer never seemed to take his eyes off him. He hadn’t seen Quake or Gale’s faces either, but he didn’t need to, to imagine their horrified faces. Eyes as wide as saucers, and jaws agape. He recalled seeing tears in Quake’s eyes when they’d returned to base. She hadn’t been seen the rest of the day, and Spectre had been uncharacteristically quiet. Qrow took out a hip flask and took a deep drink. He then turned back to Frank.
“Did you try and stop it?” he asked.
“We had orders,” Frank said defensively. “The mobs, lynching and burnings, all of it, was endorsed by some of the richest and most powerful people in Vale. Including the Vale Crown and Council. People who were paying Huntsmen like me to do whatever they ordered. Do you want to know what ‘mercy’ was? Concentration camps. Word is, Faunus in those camps are forced to work: from the elderly to children, male or female, healthy or sick. And that’s just the stuff Vale never bothered to hide. That’s the sort of shit I saw in Vale, Qrow.”
A hardness edged into Frank’s murmur. “Remnant’s ‘heart of decency and compassion’. Isn’t that what people call the kingdom? Bullshit. Besides, are you telling me you never saw any of the internment camps here in Mistral? Any of the lynch mobs, the towns where Faunus were strapped with explosives and then used as decoys for Grimm. I’ve only heard about the road outside of Mistral, full of rotting Faunus carcasses. Strung up on tree branches, or just nailed there. But you must’ve seen them. Did you ever say anything? Do anything?”
Qrow sat in stunned silence. He took another, longer swig from his hip flask. When he spoke, his words were slurred, his voice loud. “I…I don’t believe Vale could…do that.”
Before Frank could respond, a male voice rang out behind them. “Wait, you guys were in Vale?”
Turning around, Frank saw a young man standing behind them. He had messy light blue hair, styled in an undercut. A gun was in his hands. The young blue haired man continued, “Me and my team, we were at Beacon Academy when everything went down.”
“Really?” Frank said warily.
“Yeah. Where did you-”
“Neptune,” interrupted a tall man of similar age, with dark skin, sage green hair and tattoos on his neck and chest. A large sword strapped to his back. “Perhaps we should do our jobs and ask these guys for their licences.”
The man called Neptune turned to his teammate with a confused expression. “Why Sage?”
The one called Sage rolled his eyes. Another man, slightly shorter than Neptune with red hair that went down and covered his right eye, the other side sporting an undercut and pale skin, spoke up. “Because they’ve got weapons with them.”
Embarrassed, Neptune turned back to Frank and Qrow, requesting their Huntsmen licences. When he saw Frank’s he gasped. “You graduated from Shade Academy?”
At Frank’s affirmative nod, Neptune burst into questioning him. “Did you grow up in Vacuo? What part of Vacuo did you grow up? Did you know a guy called Sun Wukong?”
“Uh…um...Well I did grow up in Vacuo. The northern forests, to be exact. And no, I didn’t know a guy called Sun Wukong.”
“Oh…okay. I was hoping you were from the desert plains,” Neptune said dejectedly.
At the sight of Frank and Qrow’s confused faces, Sage stepped in. “He’s been desperate for any news about our teammate since the Fall of Beacon.”
“You think he’s dead?” Qrow asked.
“No,” Sage said. “But he disappeared after another Faunus not long after the Fall.”
The scarlet haired Huntsman leaned towards Frank and Qrow, speaking in a whisper. “Honestly considering how everything is right now for Faunus, it’s safer for him to not be here.”
Frank couldn’t help but silently agree. But before he could respond, the gondola arrived at Frank and Qrows stop, a small station gutted by a fire that must have happened around the time of the Fall of Beacon. The number of Mistrali security officers clad from head to toe in body armour and carrying rifles or machine guns seemed to overwhelm the number of citizens. As they stepped onto the platform, a security officer demanded to see their Huntsmen licences. On the platform a six-legged droid that couldn’t have been any taller than Weiss prowled amongst the citizenry, a single yellow robotic eye that seemed to scan everyone it went past. In place of arms were four large shotguns. As the two Huntsmen left the station, Frank almost thought he’d returned to Vale. Greeting them was a street that had large gash marks in several areas, where there weren’t gashes in the road it was covered in rubble; most of the buildings they saw were gutted by fires or in ruins. Whatever contents there had been in those buildings had either been destroyed or stolen. The few buildings intact sported large gashes in the walls, burn marks, windowpanes covered over with wood or even cardboard or paper. A few gaunt, thin people wandered the streets, or just sat around begging for lien. Any children Frank saw were being carried by their parents or slumped dying on the streets, all of them appeared thin from malnourishment. Frank followed Qrow as they wound their way through the strewn streets, each one almost indistinguishable from the others. Most just stared at the two Huntsmen with glum, starving eyes, their gaunt faces skull-like with their flesh stretched so thin over their heads. Some more brave or foolish, approached begging for food, lien, or word from outside Mistral, hoping that word of settlements, towns or cities where family and friends were had been spared the violence. Frank glared at any that approached, sending them scurrying away as fast as their bone thin legs could carry them. Qrow gave Frank a reproachful look.
“What?” Frank asked. “We can’t afford to be held up.”
They came across more patrols of heavily armed security officers, almost all of them demanding to see Frank and Qrow’s Huntsmen licences. As they walked on, Frank noticed Mistrali airships flew overheard several times. Each one either brimming with rockets, heavy machine guns and Dust powered lasers, or carrying Huntsmen and Mistrali security forces as heavily armed as those on the ground. As they continued, Frank noticed a single man staring at them with brown eyes. What was different about him was how bulky he appeared compared to those around him, the large tattered and windswept camo patterned jacket he wore failed to cover the massive arms and chest it was stretched over. His beard was bushy and wild, and he dragged himself along the ground, his legs following limply behind as he approached. Frank fumbled in his pockets and allowed a small envelope containing a USB stick containing footage of Frank’s training sessions with the others to fall onto a square patch of dirt where the remains of a burnt tree stood. As they continued, Frank looked back to see the man produce the USB from the envelope. He gave Frank a knowing look and a nod.

As the two Huntsmen neared the dealer’s location, the roar of a mob grew louder. Upon turning a corner, they came across what seemed to be several thousand people gathered in what must have been a town square. Standing on a ramshackle platform were four Faunus, two of them no older than twelve, all with nooses around their necks. The ropes hung from the only intact lamppost on the street. A small man stood on the platform, his clean and well-dressed appearance made a stark contrast to the dirty, rag covered mob around him. He bellowed to the assembled mob who occasionally responded in a monstrous choir, their gaunt faces red with anger, sullen eyes blazing with hate and oily hair that writhed like serpents gave the participants a monstrous appearance. Although Frank couldn’t hear the man on the platform, he knew what he would be saying. ‘Undoubtedly accusing them of the heinous crime of living. Maybe they had escaped one of the concentration camps and were picked up by a mob. No doubt killing them in such a public fashion for people’s amusement.’ Frank noticed some people had scrolls out recording the event. Frank and Qrow did their best to ignore the sight as they pushed through the crowd, but Frank couldn’t help but grab a few quick glimpses at the Faunus. All of them looked bruised, bloody, and terrified out of their minds. The two adults seemed to be yelling something, but the mob drowned them out, and the two children just wept. After a several minutes of pushing through the crowd, they reached the dealer, situated in the remnants of a burnt-out apartment block, its exposed foyer covered by a patchwork of tents and tarpaulins that hung from the fifth level. After Qrow muttered something to a surprisingly large looking man sitting by the entrance to the apartment, they were led into the building to a trapdoor, opening it, he ushered them inside. The dealership was a large bunker that originally sheltered the inhabitants of this apartment whenever Grimm broke into the city. Now it was cluttered with shelves full of hastily stashed equipment, and materials from Earth, along with weapons, robotics, and volatile Dust from across Remnant. A portly man with a receding hairline in his forties appeared from a small desk cramped into a corner.
“Welcome, gentlemen. How may I assist you this fine day?” His second, flabby chin warbled as he spoke.
Wordlessly, Frank handed him a small list with the items they wanted: night vision goggles, powerful anaesthetics, and volatile Dust.
“Hm…yes. Give me ten minutes please gentlemen, and I’ll have what you require,” the dealer said.
True to his word, the dealer provided everything they needed within ten minutes. The amount of lien he requested seemed exorbitant to Frank, but he knew they needed to keep a low profile, and arguing could lead to fighting, which would draw unwanted attention. Gathering their newly purchased items into large bags, both Huntsmen exited the way they came. Night had fallen, but the stars were hidden by the bright lights of the upper districts, and the old, large bins the people of the bottom district used to store Fire Dust to keep them warm at night. As they made their way through the square, Frank looked back at the four Faunus hanging limply from the light post. A few Humans lingered around the light post taking pictures and selfies with the corpses. They must have been from the upper districts as none of them seemed starved, and like the man who had stood on the platform, they looked clean and well dressed. Without warning, Qrow walked towards the corpses, yelling at the people lingering there to go away, drawing his sword as he did. He looked set to cut the ropes when a security officer spotted him.
“Hey! Leave those alone!” He yelled out.
“Com’n,” Qrow responded. “Let’s give these guys a little dignity in death.”
“Order from the council,” the officer said. “They’re too be left there for a few more days, then they’ll be placed along one of the roads leading into the city.”
“Why?” Qrow asked.
“A reminder,” the officer said casually.
Frank peered at the corpses. Although the two children appeared to be related, one of the adults was a lizard Faunus with scaly skin instead of flesh, the other had floppy dog ears. ‘Can’t have been the parents - unless the kids were adopted. Or maybe the adult Faunus chose to look after these two when Mistral was engulfed in chaos,’ Frank thought. He peered closer and saw that the youngest Faunus, a girl no older than ten still had a single tear drop hanging from her chin. Frank let it fall. Noticing Qrow stalking away, Frank followed him. In silence, they retraced their steps back to the gondola station, flashing their Huntsmen licences at any security officers who demanded them. Both Huntsmen boarded the gondola and made their way ascent back to Haven Academy. Once again, Frank peered out the window. But night-time would make it harder to see the roofs of buildings.
“I was forced to attend Beacon Academy,” Qrow muttered suddenly. “When I first got there, I hated it. I remember Tai tricking me into wearing a skirt on my first day of class.” Qrow chuckled. “At first, I wanted to kill him. But Raven convinced me not to, said it would look suspicious.”
“Okay…” Frank said, unsure of where this was all going.
“But… after a while, I realised the world of Tai and Summer was pretty good, compared to being a bandit. When we graduated, I realised that I wanted to protect that world. Make it better. That’s why I serve Ozpin. To protect people like those Faunus from Grimm and people like Salem.”
“But not crowds of angry Humans who want those Faunus dead,” Frank observed.
“I want to stop the mistreatment of Faunus. Not just because it’s immoral, but I’m certain Salem was able to recruit the White Fang specifically because of how this world has treated them. But Ozpin has always said that we need to focus on the bigger picture.”
“Sounds like he doesn’t care about Faunus,” Frank murmured.
“He does care. Leo Lionheart, the headmaster of Shade Academy, is one of his closest confidants,” Qrow said defensively, “But Ozpin has the whole world to bear on his shoulders. He… we can’t afford to focus on anything smaller than that.”
Frank was silent, still staring out the window. The gondola swung gently as it made its way up to Haven Academy. As they reached the house, they found Jaune, Ren and Nora cooking, while Ruby prepared the table for dinner. As they sat down, Weiss came down the stairs with Yang. To Frank, it looked like Weiss was supporting Yang. Qrow seemed to notice as well.
“Is everything okay, Yang?” Qrow asked.
“I’m fine,” Yang murmured. “I… We’d been talking about Blake… I hate that she left us after the Fall of Beacon. I snapped at Ruby and Weiss when we had a disagreement, but Weiss and I talked. Things are okay now.”
“Blake Belladonna was one of our team members at Beacon,” Weiss explained to a confused Frank. “None of us know where she went.”
As the crew gathered around to eat, Ozpin briefly took over from Oscar. He turned to Qrow.
“Have you been able to acquire everything we needed?” Ozpin asked.
“Yup,” Qrow responded.
“Good,” Ozpin said. “We’ll stay and train for a week, then we make for the Branwen tribe.”

Early evening hung over the ancient fortress; the shadows cast by the trees seemed to stretch towards the moat like sinister grasping fingers. Out of these shadows emerged three figures: a slender woman with short pitch-black hair with a large matching glass mask over her left eye - she wore a long dress the colour of freshly spilled blood that had a large sleeve covering her left arm while her right arm was sleeveless. Accompanying her were her lackey’s, both the same age. One of them, a young woman with mint green hair with a straight fringe and bangs and two locks on both sides of her back, chocolate brown skin, and red eyes. As if designed to contrast, the other lackey had grey hair that was partially slicked back while the front was unkempt, with matching grey eyes and skin so pale it almost glowed even in the shadows. Cloaked in shadow behind the three was a score of Grimm - their presence within the inky black shadows betrayed by the deathly pale white bone armour and spikes that grew from them, and their ravenous, soulless, glowing red eyes. The Grimm remained in the shadows as they crossed the bridge. The fortress doors swung open as the three figures approached. While the young woman drew two revolver-style pistols with green blades attached to the barrels and the young man activated the guns attached to his boots, the short haired woman strode forward confidently with a matching grin. As they entered the first courtyard from the outer gatehouse, two figures greeted them. Both wore full face masks so it was impossible to see their eyes, but the short haired women knew the one with the rotary scabbard by sight.
“Chief Raven Branwen,” She called out, hand on breast as she gave a slight bow. Raven did not return it.
“You must be Cinder Fall,” Raven responded curtly. She eyed Cinder’s glass mask and large left sleeve. “Seems appropriate.”
Choosing to ignore the remark, Cinder continued, her voice saturated with pride. “My master, Salem, knows of how you’ve led your tribe with strength, intelligence, and conviction. My master values these attributes, and she has sent me, her most powerful servant to honour you with the proposition of an alliance.”
“Why?” Raven asked.
“My master knows of the powers your tribe possesses, and if you agree to this alliance and lend us the power you possess, she will provide you with lien to pay off Huntsmen, along with Dust and weapons for you to expand your tribe’s territory. If you wish to make this continent your kingdom, she will gladly assist you.”
“Hmph. What is this power that we possess that your ‘master’ desires?” Raven asked suspiciously.
“The Vestige of Knowledge,” Cinder responded, eyes glittering hungrily.
“And how would you know we have it! Tell us!” Vernal demanded, resting her hands on her weapons.
“How dare you speak to Cinder that way!” The green-haired woman shrieked, pointing her pistols at Vernal who drew her own weapons to point one at Emerald and the other at Cinder. Both Cinder and Raven struck an arm out in front of their respective subordinates.
Cinder smirked. “We have our ways. I should note, it was the same way we knew where to find you.”
“I take it you won’t elaborate?” Raven asked, her voice calm, but hard.
“Not unless you join us. That’s something else you could profit from with an allegiance,” Cinder responded.
Raven was silent.
“So how about it?” Cinder asked, extending a hand. “Join us and reap the rewards of the world Salem shall offer you.”
“No,” Raven said simply.
Cinder blinked. “No?”
“No,” Raven repeated in the same tone.
Cinder turned and pointed to the shadows in the trees. “Do you see those Grimm there? I could just let them roar in here, kill you all, and take what we want.”
Raven crossed her arms, smirking as she did so and turned to Vernal who gave a shrill whistle. From the towers, battlements and windows came the roar of rockets that reduced the Grimm to black vapour in mere moments. Cinder and her lackey’s could only stare in shock at the devastation behind them. Cinder quickly recovered from her shock and resumed her polite demeanour, but with a cold hardness to it.
“Salem’s victory is inevitable. Why get in the way of an unstoppable force?” Cinder asked.
“I won’t have my tribe wrapped up in the affairs of some outsider. You can tell your ‘master’ that,” Raven responded.
Cinder’s eyes glowed orange as she attempted to stare Raven down. “You will join us,” she hissed.
Raven chuckled derisively. “I know how the Vestige of Choice works. Your powers can’t work if you can’t make eye contact with me.”
Cinder drew two long, curved swords out of what could only be described as glass and walked towards Raven. Vernal gave a high-pitched whistle and suddenly five score bandits emerged from the trees, tents, and wooden buildings in the courtyard behind Raven and Vernal, and what seemed like a hundred more appeared on the front battlements and towers, guns pointing at Cinder and her lackeys. Rifles and machine guns poked out of arrow slits and windows. The shadows cast by the trees in the courtyard and the gloom that came from the battlements made it impossible for Cinder to see any of their eyes. For a few moments, nobody moved.
“This is pointless Cinder,” said her grey-haired lackey. “We should go.”
Cinder relaxed, her swords dissolving. “You’re right, Mercury. Come, let us leave.” As the three of them walked away anger flushed in Cinder’s pale cheeks, her head a blazing inferno of rage, she turned around to face Raven once last time. “This war has already emerged into the open, Branwen! Sooner or later, you WILL choose a side. Choose wisely.”
Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury slunk into the shadows. Cinder felt a cold dread that chilled her bones and froze the blazing inferno insider of her; Salem would not take this failure lightly.

Chapter Text

Frank didn’t need to throw cold water on anyone’s head as the sun rose on the day they left for the Branwen tribe. Few words were spoken as they all got dressed, made last minute checks to their weapons, ate breakfast, and loaded their gear along with Frank and Yang’s motorbikes into the truck Qrow had rented. The silence suited Frank just fine as his mind was plagued with the conversation he’d had with Colonel Bindweed a few nights ago:
“Chimera, this is Hokioi,” came the deep grizzled voice.
“Sir,” Frank murmured, “did Warhammer deliver the USB?” Frank began tapping his hand against his leg.
“He has Chimera, and we’ve reviewed the footage. It…it appears Ozpin has indeed…reincarnated.”
Even through the radio, Frank could tell the Colonel was at a loss for words. But he quickly recovered.
“This news has been brought to the Prime Minister, and he’s agreed to your request to cancel our assault on the Branwen tribe.” The Colonel said.
Frank’s hand stopped tapping at his leg, cool relief flooding over him. “Excellent sir. Thank you.”
“Although…I should note that you’ll be on your own. The Prime Minister has also ordered that there won’t be any other Jaegers involved.”
Frank was taken aback at this. “Why, sir?”
“He argues that even one Jaeger in Mistral, if found, could cause an international incident. He doesn’t want any more to be involved.”
Despite his initial surprise, an almost overwhelming sense of joy flooded through Frank’s mind. This could be his chance; he could prove to his team once and for all that he is a Jaeger. That he’s worthy of the role that he’d earned.
“No matter, sir,” Frank said confidently. “I can handle this on my own. I’ll bring back the Vestige and the relic.”
Colonel Bindweed was silent for a few moments before he responded. “Then I’ll see you on the other side. Good luck, Chimera. Hokioi out.”
Frank was torn from his thoughts, however, when they drove out of Mistral. As they exited the gigantic city gates, they were greeted by a large motorway a dozen lanes wide flanked on both sides by a single continuous row of corpses that either hung from large overhanging trees, were nailed to smaller trees, or were impaled on tall stakes. Some of the bodies were almost skeletons with much of their flesh having been stripped away whilst other corpses seemed fresh as carrion birds still feasted on them, no longer disturbed by the vehicles that regularly drove by. Weiss and Yang gasped in horror, hands over their mouths; Ren looked mournful but unsurprised; Jaune went green at the sight; Frank, Ozpin, and Qrow had grim looks; tears filled Ruby and Nora’s eyes. Trying to avoid throwing up, Jaune closed his eyes and held his head up.
“Is this really what we’re fighting for?” Jaune murmured. “How will capturing the Vestige of Knowledge help fix this?”
“Because only then can we correct the wrongs that Salem has inflicted upon the world. If we can prevent her from enacting her ritual, we’ll save billions of lives. Both Faunus and Human,” Ruby responded patiently, “Once she’s taken care of, we can focus on issues like helping the Faunus, and destroying Grimm.”
Ozpin gave Ruby a small but warm smile. “Well said, Ruby.”
Ruby glowed with pride.

For several days, the crew drove through the Mistral. If there was an intact city, town, or village, the crew stayed at an inn or motel, but fortune rarely smiled on them. Such refuges were few and far between, and as they got further from the city of Mistral itself, the number of settlements that had been reduced to burnt out, corpse-filled ruins outnumbered the settlements that remained. Some of the ruined settlements still held Grimm within their walls, forcing the crew to double back and go around, much to Ozpin’s annoyance. Finally, they reached what Frank, Qrow, and Yang reckoned was Branwen territory. Taking refuge in the crumbling, moss covered ruins of an ancient fortress, the crew huddled together to go over the plan one last time.
“Okay, I’ll use my semblance to get Ren onto the battlements. Frank, you’ll jump and climb up. Uncle Qrow will fly onto the battlements.” Ruby said.
“The four of us will use the anaesthetics to knock out any guards patrolling the fortress.” Qrow added, handing out small aerosol cans with a small mask to cover someone’s mouth and nose.
“I’ll stay on the battlements for the inner gatehouse and keep overwatch.” Ruby said.
“While Qrow, Ren, and I sneak into the keep and get the Vestige of Choice.” Frank said.
“Are you sure you know where to take them, Frank?” Jaune asked.
Frank tapped a finger against the side of his head. “I’ve a photographic memory, so I made sure to get a good look at the place.”
Ruby turned to Jaune, Nora, Weiss, and Yang. “You guys will hang back. You’ll only get involved if a fight breaks out.” They nodded in response.
“I’ll drive the truck to come get you guys when you’ve exited the fortress.” Ozpin said.
“Oscar’s just a young kid. Should we really be putting him in danger?” Frank asked.
Ozpin gave a small, sharp smile. “Oscar has experience driving farm vehicles, it won’t be hard for me to do that.”
After the crew sought out whatever ground they could find, Yang struggled to sleep, even far away from the crackling flames of their meagre campfire. Her left arm shook slightly and every time she closed her eyes images of Adam loomed in her mind. He walked slowly, deliberately, towards her. Yang felt herself rooted on the spot. Adam grinned, and the red in his hair caught the glow of the surrounding fires, making his own hair seem ablaze. The black horns atop his head remained pitch black, seemingly swallowing the light. As he drew his sword, the blood red blade already weeping blood, Yang looked down at her right arm, only to realise that it ended at her elbow, blood falling like a waterfall. Yang tried to scream, but no sound came out. Suddenly Adam seemed blurred, as if shimmering. His black horns grew to cover the top of his head and extend down his back turning into hair as it did. His mask grew to cover his whole face. The blade of his sword lengthened to become an ōdachi. Raven stood over Yang.
“You were always weak.” Raven said scornfully.
Behind Raven, Yang spied a silhouetted figure with long, raven black hair topped with a large black bow. The young woman looked at her for a moment before darting out of sight. Yang tried to call out but Raven’s ōdachi swung towards Yang’s head.
Yang awoke with a start, drenched in cold sweat, her left arm shaking. Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep for a while, Yang got up and joined her sister who kept watch by the campfire. Taking care not to awaken Weiss, Yang sat next to Ruby.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Ruby murmured.
“I…I thought of him again.” Yang muttered.
Ruby turned to Yang. “That’s the first time-”
“In a week. I know,” Yang sighed, “Blake and Raven were also there. Ruby…I’m…I’m not sure if…if I can face her.”
“Raven?” Ruby asked.
“Yes.” Yang shivered, her left arm shaking slightly, “She…she looks so much like…” Yang’s left arm shook more violently, “…like Adam. What if the two of us fight? Will I freeze up like I have every other time? If I do fight, will I win? Will I survive? Or will she just…”
Yang’s left arm shook more violently. She felt lost in her own nightmares, oblivious to the surprised, and unsure look on her sister’s face. When she felt Ruby slip an arm around her, and rested her head on Yang’s shoulder, she almost jumped.
“Yang,” Ruby murmured, “There’s also the chance you won’t face her. Even if you do, you won’t be alone. You’ll have me, Uncle Qrow, Weiss, everyone. You’re Yang Xiao Long, the girl who crossed half the world to get the answers she’d waited her whole life for, and then to help her little sister. No matter what happens, you’ll be fine.”
Yang turned to face her little sister. The weak, but warm smile on Ruby’s face allowed for a small spark of hope to ignite in Yang’s mind. Her left arm stopped shaking as violently as it had been.
“Thanks Ruby.” Yang said softly.
Weiss stirred by the fire. “If you want, Yang, I can always handle Raven for you,” she muttered darkly, sitting up to look at the sisters. “I’ve a few scores to settle with those barbarians.”
Yang felt horror wash over her like a tidal wave. “Did Raven…”
“No. She didn’t,” Weiss said, her face turning pink with rage. “But she’s in charge of all of them. She commanded me to be taken prisoner. She had me thrown into a dark, damp, and dingy, rat-infested cell. She allowed me to starve and dehydrate. She allowed some of those bastards to…do what they wanted.”
“What if…what if she didn’t know?” Yang asked.
“If she didn’t know, I doubt she’d care.” Weiss spat into the flames. After a couple minutes of silence, Weiss lay back down with her back to the flames.

As Frank entered the mess hall he was met with an explosion of delighted roars and cheers. In moments he was surrounded by his teammates and fellow Jaegers, celebrating his successful capture of both the Relic and Vestige of Knowledge. Xol gave him a bro hug; when they parted, his axolotl gills were flopping up and down as he jumped for joy. Anemo used his semblance to manipulate the air around Frank, hoisting him up and bestowing him upon the shoulders of two other Jaegers who paraded him around the mess hall. Whilst he was carried around, Ella pushed a bottle of beer into his hand and presented him with a small statue she’d made out of Earth Dust, depicting him in a triumphant position, the Relic in one hand, the other holding the feet of the Vestige slung over his shoulder. When Frank was lowered back down, Colonel Bindweed and John stood in front of him. Colonel Bindweed approached and gave Frank a firm congratulatory handshake and a friendly pat on the shoulder.
Colonel Bindweed beamed with an almost fatherly pride. “Excellent job, son. I knew you had it in you.”
As the Colonel stepped away, John, Frank’s team leader, stepped forward. Like Xol he embraced Frank in a bro hug and said, “Well done, Jaeger.”
Frank felt himself swelling with pride to the point of bursting. John pressed a beer bottle into his hand, and every Jaeger in the New Zealand Defence Force spent the night partying. Frank’s fellow Jaegers hoisted him onto their shoulders again, stamping the ground and chanting his name, “Steiner! Steiner!”
They had him retell how he stole the relic and vestige from the grasp of Huntsmen, but at this, Frank felt himself go quiet. The entire mess hall went silent. The only voice that resonated around was the voice of his team leader. Asking the same question. “How? How did you do it?”
Frank awoke with a start. For a few minutes, he lay there; but, unable to get back to sleep, he instead got up and wandered the ruins, finally plonking himself down on a large piece of rubble staring at the wall opposite, plotting how he could elude the crew and take the relic and vestige. ‘I’ll need to wait until we’ve gotten the relic before making my move,’ Frank thought. ‘A couple of stun grenades and a smoke grenade should buy me a couple of minutes. In regards to fighting them… Qrow is going to be, by far, the biggest issue. The rest of them will be easy; even if Ozpin takes control of Oscar’s body, he won’t be able to take me. But then there’s the issue of being outnumbered, while holding the vestige and relic. How will I…’
Frank’s thoughts were disturbed by grunting and the sound of a sword swinging through the air. Peering down below, Frank spied Jaune by himself, doing a series of exercises with his sword and shield. Jaune almost leapt out of his skin when Frank casually jumped to the ground.
“Frank?!” Jaune hastily whispered.
“Of course it’s me. I take it you can’t sleep?” Frank said.
“I just…just thought I’d get in a little more practice.” Jaune muttered.
Frank noticed Jaune’s scroll placed on a piece of rubble. On the screen was a young woman, about Jaune’s age, with vivid green eyes and red hair in a ponytail. As Frank looked closer at the girl, he noticed that she wore a brown circlet on her head. Looking at Jaune, he realised that the same circlet had been forged on his shield.
“I…take it…she was close to you?” Frank asked.
Jaune nodded. “We…we were…close,” He stammered. “I had cheated my way into Beacon. When she found out, she could have told Ozpin and had me expelled. But she didn’t. She trained me. Everything I learned…was from her.”
“Do the others know that you cheated your way into Beacon?” Frank asked.
Jaune nodded. Despite the stammering, he continued, “When…when Beacon was…attacked, she…she…she…”
Frank nodded, murmuring, “Sorry to hear about that.”
“Pyrrha believed in me, when no one else did. But…when she went to fight the Vestige of Choice, she went alone. She…she must have…known. Maybe…if I’d been stronger…if I had a semblance, I could have helped. She could…she could…” Jaune took a moment to steady himself before he continued. “I’m not going to lose anyone I love ever again.”
“You’ll get there, eventually. You just have to keep going,” Frank said as he drew his longsword. “Keen for some practice?”
A small smile appeared on Jaune’s face as he lifted his shield to protect his face and charged Frank. Jaune stabbed at Frank’s chest. Frank parried the blow, using Jaune’s momentum to push past and swing at his exposed back. The blow knocked Jaune back, only for Jaune to spin around and charge Frank once more. Despite the exhilaration of sparring, Frank felt as if a vortex raged within. ‘Why am I doing this? I should be focusing on planning how I’ll get the relic and vestige from them. Not helping train someone just because I feel sorry for him.’ But try as he might, Frank couldn’t think of a plan. Not whilst he sparred with Jaune, nor when he went back to sleep.

The crew spent the following day getting as close as they dared to the ancient fortress. To Frank, everyone except himself and Qrow appeared tense, but all tried to ignore it. Ruby and Yang worked together to clean and repair their weapons and Yang’s robotic limb, but they seemed almost aggressive in the way they cleaned or polished each component, usually cleaning one part, going onto another, and then returning to the last part they’d just cleaned. Yang’s left arm shook intermittently. Weiss kept going through all the Dust vials she had, shuffling and re-shuffling the position of each vial in her bag. Jaune tried sleeping, but his ceaseless tossing and turning wasn’t fooling anyone. Ren sat under the shadow of a tree, attempting to meditate, but he was constantly distracted by Nora who was waving her hammer around. Eventually Nora, who’s face seemed nearly as red as her hair, took Ren by the hand and led him further into the forest, away from the others. Frank looked away, hoping no one had seen the lonely gaze in his eyes. He wandered over to Oscar, sat by a tree, his tan complexion tinged with green. As Oscar saw Nora and Ren disappear into the trees, he turned to Frank.
“What are they doing?” he asked curiously.
“Stuff that has nothing to do with us.” Frank replied stiffly, his gaze falling on Yang. The sun caught in her bright golden hair illuminated the softness of her face and the tone of her body. Sitting close by was Weiss, her slender legs curled gracefully on the grass, the sun making her snow-white hair shine like pale silver. Suddenly Frank felt like walking over to Yang or Wiess, taking either of them by the hand and leading them into the trees. ‘NO!’ he thought to himself. ‘Stop. Remember why you’re here.’ Desperately, Frank gazed up at the sky, before looking back down at Oscar who peered at him.
“You alright?” Oscar asked.
“Yes.” Frank said, giving the boy a brief smile.
As evening fell, the crew gathered around for one last meal. Not daring to light a fire, they ate protein bars and chewy biscuits in silence. Frank and Qrow devoured theirs, but everyone else merely nibbled. Oscar knelt by a tree, throwing up. Even from a distance, it was clear he was shaking. Frank and Ruby went over to him.
“Oscar,” Ruby said tenderly, “You’ll be okay. Ozpin will be in control, so you won’t have to worry about a thing.”
Frank gently placed a hand on Oscar’s back. Oscar glanced up at them both before he continued throwing up.
“How,” he pleaded, terror etched across his whole face, “are you guys so calm about this?”
Frank squatted down, their eyes nearly level. “I’ll admit, I’m a little nervous. But I always remember, that despite all the people who’ve tried to kill me. I’m still here, and they’re not.”
This didn’t seem to help Oscar as he immediately threw up again, Frank narrowly dodging the sick. When Oscar was finished, Ruby knelt next to him.
“Oscar, I’m scared too. But I’ve also lost friends because of Salem and her goals-so many of us have. And…some of those friends have died trying to stop her from winning. So, no matter how scared I feel, I’m going to keep going. To fight for this world, and to make sure nothing like Beacon ever happens again.”
Oscar briefly glowed green. He immediately stopped throwing up and turned to look at Ruby.
“That was put wonderfully, Miss Rose,” Ozpin said. “If we were still in school, I’d have given you top marks.” As he strode confidently back to the others, he beamed at them all, “I would give you all top marks for this.”
Ozpin’s words seemed to brighten everyone up, even Qrow gave a small smile.
“But now night has fallen. The assault is nigh.” Ozpin said.

A bright moon hung in the sky, illuminating the fortress and surrounding forest; forcing Frank, Ren and Ruby to move slowly in the shadows, to avoid being seen. Qrow, in the form of a crow, kept silent vigil on a tree branch. At the very edge of the forest stood the ancient fortress; the shadows it cast gave it a sinister presence, the putrid moat being all that stood between the trees and the outer wall. As the three of them activated their night vision goggles, Frank threw up a rope around the parapets then leapt into the air, using the rope to finish his climb up the wall. Ren and Ruby clung to each other as Ruby turned the two of them into what Frank could only describe as a red missile, rose petals trailing behind them as they shot up onto the battlements. Just as Frank finished the climb, he saw one of the bandits lying on the battlements, Ren kneeling over him, his aerosol can flooding the guard’s body with the anaesthetic. Qrow joined them a moment later. One by one, the guards patrolling the battlements and towers were knocked out. A few minutes later, the only conscious people left were the four Huntsmen. Once more using her semblance, Ruby set up on the battlements over the inner gatehouse. The other three Huntsmen made their way towards the Keep, creeping through the large inner courtyard: wending and weaving their way around the haphazard arrangement of tents and wooden buildings which, to Frank, suddenly seemed far more numerous now, than they had been when he was last here.
“Good thing we have these goggles,” Ruby’s voice whispered through Frank’s earpiece, “otherwise you guys would never be able to get through all of that.”
Frank was inclined to agree.
As they reached the Keep, Frank couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of the large tarpaulin that was now used to cover the destroyed entrance. He made a mental note to tell Weiss this later. Qrow gingerly opened a corner flap, allowing Ren and Frank to squeeze through. Frank led them through the Keep and up the large stone staircase, aerosol cans in hand. A few minutes later, they reached Vernal’s room, Ren opening the door as gently and quietly as the large wooden door with old hinges would allow. Sneaking inside, Vernal’s room, while smaller than Raven’s, was as lavishly furnished. Flanking both sides of a large four poster bed with silk drapes was a large bedside cabinet with Vernal’s weapons leaning against it. On top of the cabinet was a Lightning Dust powered lamp and three books on one side, on the other side were two large chests. Next to the hearth was a grandfather clock and a large map of Remnant. On the opposite side were three mechanical dummies of varying sizes and different detachable weapons lying beside them. As the three Huntsmen crept towards Vernal, they had to step gingerly over or around several large cushions and bean bags. ‘What’s this about? I didn’t see anyone else who looked remotely Vernal’s age,’ Frank thought. Finally, they reached Vernal herself. Frank placed the mask of his aerosol can over her mouth and nose, and activated the anaesthetic gas within, knocking Vernal out while Qrow and Ren bound her hands and feet with rope. Frank then picked Vernal up and slung her over his right shoulder. The three Huntsmen beat a hasty retreat towards the Keep exit.
“How do things look outside, Ruby?” Qrow whispered into his earpiece, reaching for the flap of the tarpaulin.
“All clear so far, Uncle Qrow.” Ruby whispered. “Nothing but a bird of some kind wandering around one of the trees.”
Qrow immediately closed the tarpaulin flap. “What kind of bird?” he whispered anxiously.
“I don’t know. It disappeared deeper into one of the trees.”
“There’s no time to worry about a bird.” Ozpin’s voice hissed through Frank’s earpiece. “We need to get moving. Now.”
Cautiously, Qrow opened the flap again, allowing them all to exit. They moved as quickly and quietly as they dared towards the inner gatehouse. Ruby’s voice came through once more.
“I can see the bird again. Moving towards you. It…it looks like a raven.”
Qrow stopped dead in his tracks, his face as pale as the moon. Frank felt like a ball of ice had just fallen into his stomach as the realisation dawned on him. He sprinted towards the inner gatehouse, Qrow and Ren fast behind, reaching for their weapons. A scream burst from behind Frank. He turned to see Raven leap out of the dark, her red bladed ōdachi glinting in the pale moon light, arcing towards Qrow’s head. Qrow blocked the blade, but the blow forced him several steps back. The clang of metal broke the night like a thunderclap. Ren spun around to shoot at Raven, but both guns jammed. The fortress was starting to come alive as the shouts and roars echoed throughout it. Multiple voices screamed through Frank’s earpiece, each one demanding to know what was going on, but Frank paid them little heed as he sprinted towards the gatehouse. Ren was close behind, trying to sort out the jam in his guns. Frank’s head was on a swivel watching everywhere as bandits emerged from tents and buildings, loading guns, drawing blades, or yelling at others inside to either keep their heads down or to get out. Frank turned to Ren.
“Take her.” Frank said to Ren, handing him Vernal. “Ruby, cover Ren!”
Frank drew his longsword and sprinted towards three bandits who stood at the entrance to a tent, loading their guns. They barely had time to react as Frank’s blade decapitated them from the head, chest, or waist. Frank allowed himself a little smile. ‘I’ll enjoy this,’ he decided. Spotting a building full of bandits, Frank launched himself inside. The ten bandits that had cramped themselves inside stopped what they were doing to gaze in horror at the bloodstained man who stood before them.
“It’s rude to stare.” Frank tutted as he dropped a couple of grenades.
Just before they exploded, Frank allowed himself to vanish, re-materialising a moment after they’d gone off, allowing himself a moment to savour the sight of the building that lay blasted open at his feet, the charred remains of its former occupants splattered around, and the smell of charred flesh and gunpowder. The battlefield; this was where Frank belonged. He was abruptly brought back by the sound of gunfire and metal on metal. Qrow and Ruby were desperately fending off Raven and any bandits that tried to reach Ren. The sound of gunfire and screams coming from the outer courtyard told Frank that the others had burst in. Turning his longsword into a rifle, Frank loaded a magazine in and began shooting at any bandits that he saw, running towards Ren as he did. Frank spotted a masked bandit get past both Qrow and Ruby, his mace, boasting a spiked metal head, raised ready to strike. Frank sprung at the bandit, driving the barrel of his rifle into the bandit’s chest. With his left hand, Frank held the bandit’s right elbow, stopping him from moving that arm, with his right, the rifle. Before the masked bandit could react, Frank fired a burst of bullets that shattered his aura and tore holes in his lower skull, neck and upper chest, the force of the rounds from so close threw the bandit several metres before he collapsed. Frank then vanished and reappeared next to a rifle bandit, who he picked up by her neck, and tossed her towards two more bandits in a single motion, knocking them over. As they slammed into the dirt, Frank vanished and reappeared on top of them. He fired another burst, tearing through their aura, blood gushing out of the holes torn into them. Frank then emptied the magazine by firing blindly into the bandits that seemed to swarm around. To Frank’s left, Qrow and Ruby still fought off bandits, Qrow’s bad luck semblance seemed to force some of them to either trip or slip, sometimes injuring or killing themselves or others in the process, or making their guns inexplicably jam. However, as a large bandit wielding a longsword and a battle axe forced Ruby back, evidently into the area of effect for Qrow’s bad luck, she tripped on a decapitated limb that, to Frank, seemed suspiciously charred. Ruby fell to the ground, but the bandit was forced back from a burst of one of Ren’s pistols. Frank finished the bandit off with a single round to the head, splitting it open. In front of the inner gatehouse, a score of bandits charged towards Ren. Turning his rifle back into a longsword, in a flash, Frank sprung past several of them, cleaving them all in two. The force of his blow sent decapitated limbs, heads and bodies flying into the air. Blood raining down on Huntsman and bandit alike in a torrential downpour. The survivors barely had time to blink in horror at the blood-soaked Huntsman who stood before them. Frank felt his dark, cold blue eyes burning with frenzied malice. Frank brought his longsword in a downward arc, slicing the nearest bandit in half. The next barely had time to utter a whimper as Frank drove his blade through her chest, momentum carrying his blade through three more bandits. With a roar, Frank tore his longsword free, cleaving through the chests, necks, and skulls of the impaled bandits. The survivors fled back, faces stretched into grotesque, silent screams, most of them abandoning their weapons. For good measure, Frank chucked a few more grenades into the crowd of fleeing bandits. Only Raven fought on, determined to kill her brother. The blades of both siblings tearing the surrounding ground as their blades met, their limbs and blades a blur. Frank, Ren and Ruby all fired on Raven, forcing her to transform and beat a hasty retreat. Qrow gave the three of them a grateful nod. Ruby threw a bottle of volatile Fire Dust at the heavy inner gates, blowing them wide open. The four Huntsmen sprinted out, to be met with more bandits. In the distance, a large, pale, spectral knight swung his enormous two-handed sword back and forth, slicing apart tents, buildings, and trees with reckless abandon. Occasional pink clouded explosions bursting around at random.
Most of the bandits near the inner gatehouse had been knocked out or stunned by the blast. Ruby set her sights on the fortress’ outer gatehouse.
“Guys, we make our way towards the exit.” She said with grim determination.

The thunderclap of striking metal shattered the silence of the night. Weiss turned to Jaune, Nora, and Yang, drawing her rapier. Jaune drew his sword, Nora her grenade launcher, Yang activated her gauntlet. Weiss drew a single deep breath, as the four of them had stood in the shadow of the forest, waiting, flashes of the bandits who had visited her cell flashed through Weiss’ mind: the bald man with an eye patch, the man with indigo hair and the pale woman with shoulder length red hair who accompanied him. Weiss knew there were others, there had been two other men who joined the one with the eye patch, and there had been at least a few more men and women, but they had kept their faces in the shadows or forced Weiss’ face down so she couldn’t see them. Weiss felt her face flush as a howling blizzard of fury consumed her mind, ‘They will pay…they will all pay’, Wiess thought. When gunshots and explosions followed the initial thunderclap, Weiss felt almost ecstatic, joy exploded within her like a firework. Jaune had barely uttered the words to move when Weiss was already making for the bridge. But as she reached it, the putrid stench of the moat filled her nostrils, forcing Weiss to double over and retch. As Jaune reached her, he turned and vomited over the side of the bridge. Nora didn’t seem as bothered, but she appeared a tinge green as she soldiered across the bridge. Yang ran past, collar covering her mouth and nose, her voice muffled as she spoke.
“It’s all in your head. Block it out!” she shouted.
Weiss and Jaune stumbled after the others. Nora blew the fortress doors open with her grenade launcher and the four of them ran into the outer courtyard. Nora launched a volley of grenades in the formation of a love heart into the courtyard, pink clouds erupting all around. Weiss summoned a glyph and fired a bolt of Lightning Dust at Nora, who quickly began to crackle with pink lightning. She gave Weiss a grateful look before charging headfirst into a group of bandits still recovering from her grenades. Weiss followed this up by activating her Time Dilation glyph on Jaune and Yang who soon become white and yellow blurs as they cut through the hordes of bandits who charged them. Weiss then created several large walls of Earth Dust, isolating groups of bandits and summoning several smaller glyphs, each one firing icicles of Ice Dust, javelins of Earth Dust, bolts of Lightning Dust, or belching tongues of Fire Dust; systematically eliminating each group of bandits, one by one. Weiss didn’t care whether any of these particular bandits had abused her. ‘They must have known, but they did nothing’ Weiss thought to herself, ‘If what Qrow said is true, that’s what these… these-these bastards do’. As Weiss came across one group of trapped bandits, she noticed two of them: the man with indigo hair and the pale woman with shoulder length red hair. Weiss summoned a series of icicles that burst from the ground, impaling the surrounding bandits. Their deaths were quick, but these two…Weiss was going to take her time with them. As Wiess approached, the two bandits scrambled to escape, attempting to jump or claw their way up her Earth Dust walls, but the walls were too high and possessed no handholds.
“There’s no escape.” Weiss crooned mockingly, a look of triumph stretched across her face.
The man whipped out a pistol and fired, but his shots went wide and Weiss didn’t even flinch. The woman trembled, crawled on all fours to Weiss.
“P-p-p-please.” She stuttered, tears streaming from her eyes.
Weiss regarded her without remorse, the blizzard in her mind howling more intensely than ever.
“It’s time you got what’s coming to you, bitch,” Weiss hissed. “That’s what you said to me when you came to my cell.”
The pale woman blubbered incoherently, unable to face Weiss, who pointed her rapier at the woman’s groin and fired an icicle of Ice Dust into it. The woman shrieked in pain. The man shrunk back against the wall, shaking with fear and unable to dodge as Weiss fired an icicle of Ice Dust into his groin as well. His roars of pain added to the woman’s shrieks. Weiss let them howl and smack their hands against the ground and wall in pain before she fired tongues of Fire Dust at them both, adding to the intensity of their screams. Grim satisfaction washed over Weiss as she watched them both burn and be reduced to ashes. Getting on one knee, Weiss summoned a giant spectral knight.

Frank led the way through the horde that separated the two groups, slaughtering bandits as they all made for the outer gatehouse. Ozpin’s voice coming through the earpiece.
“I’m just outside. Everyone, get over here!”
The crew sprinted out of the fortress, too focused on reaching the truck to notice the putrid moat. Frank saw that his and Yang’s motorbikes had already been taken off the truck, ready to be used. As Yang started up her motorbike, and the others piled into the truck, Frank wheeled his motorbike into the forest.
“What are you doing?!” shouted Qrow.
“They’ve got to have people riding off the bridge to follow you guys,” Frank shouted, “I’m going to distract them-try and take some of the pressure off you guys.”
As the others rode off, Frank set himself up in one of the trees opposite the bridge. Frank knew they would quickly find him, but that’s what he wanted. The roar of dozens of motorbikes and utes warned Frank of their approach before they appeared, their rage filled screams and shouts, the moonlight glinting off their weapons, and the occasional burst of gunfire into the air reminded Frank of some of the riots, roving mobs, and uprisings he’d had to quell back in Vale. Frank began firing on the vehicular mob, starting with anyone who mounted a machine-gun turret on a ute. Within a few moments, despite having killed several bandits and blocking part of the bridge by killing the driver of a ute, the bandits had spotted Frank, forcing him to retreat further into the forest as gunfire tore apart the tree he hid in, reactivating his night vision goggles as went. As he ran, he heard a voice bellowing.
“After him! The Chief wants his head!”
Leading them further into the forest, Frank sprung up onto a high tree branch, hiding amongst the leaves, he waited. A few minutes later, the bandits began to run past. From what Frank could see, there appeared to be a hundred bandits searching for him. Frank decided to try a little ability of his. Although both Colonel Bindweed, and later Warhammer, had warned Frank against using it, considering how unpredictable it made him, with a hundred bandits below, Frank couldn’t think of a better opportunity to use it for the first time in years. As Frank slowly drew his longsword, he allowed the adrenaline to flow through him: every muscle, tendon, and fibre primed for what was to come next. A large, bloodthirsty grin stretched across his face. In his mind screamed one word on repeat, ‘Kill. Kill! KILL!’ With predatory precision, Frank leapt down toward one of the bandits, delighting in the horrified scream that escaped her lips.

Yang rode behind the truck as it sped down the bumpy dirt trail they’d driven down mere hours ago, peering back every few moments to see if Frank was following, but there was no sign of him. What Yang did see was many vehicles, ranging from dirt bikes to large trucks filled with bloodthirsty bandits. Yang felt a chill run down her spine at the sight. The crew may have been able to fight their way through the fortress, but they’d caught the Branwen tribe unawares. Now it seemed as if the entire tribe was after them. Dirt, quad, and motorbikes raced ahead of the utes and trucks, which were already trying to shoot them down, only to suddenly go silent. Before Yang could ponder why, the answer appeared in the form of a whirling red vortex that appeared just ahead of the truck. Flying out was a single bird that immediately turned into Raven who immediately attacked the front of the truck. Yang couldn’t see what was happening over there, but the clash of metal was enough. Jaune, Ren and Weiss immediately turned to help at the front, only for Raven to leap over the front of the truck and engage the three of them, her brief appearance making Yang’s left arm start shaking slightly. Before Yang could do anything, she heard the roar of dozens of motorbikes, and saw Nora and Ruby were already shooting at them.
“Yang!” Ruby’s voice came in through Yang’s earpiece. “Nora’s going to fire a volley of stun grenades. Once she’s done that, turn around and take out the bikers. Me and Nora will help.”
A moment later a volley of pink grenades roared over Yang’s head, the blasts going off behind her. Yang spun around and tossed a few bottles of volatile Dust into the pile ups of mangled bikes and bikers as she drove towards them at full speed. Firing shots from Ember Celica and her robotic arm as she drove through and over them. Nora’s grenades had brought them all a few seconds but most of the bikers were quickly recovering and driving at top speed towards the truck. Furthermore, the Branwen tribes’ utes and trucks were fast approaching, and more bikes seemed to be appearing from behind them. Bullets flew around Yang as she drove through the remaining first wave, shooting indiscriminately at anyone who got near her, explosions erupting all around. Yang saw a large spectral knight with an enormous two-handed sword, cutting down bandits with each swing. But a moment later, more bikers had joined the fight. Yang fired more frantically in every direction, she noticed the spectral knight dissipate as heavy machine guns from the utes tore into it. A moment later the ground to Yang’s left erupted as large spikes of Earth and Ice Dust tore out of the ground. Catching a glimpse of where the spike originated from, Yang drove back towards the truck, throwing the last few bottles of volatile Dust at the spike of Ice Dust, creating enormous explosions and eruptions behind her. As Yang caught sight of the others, she spotted Raven on the truck, duelling Qrow, both siblings were a blur of motion, whilst the others attempted to fight off the bandits that had reached them. Yang felt herself zero in Raven, her red bladed ōdachi, the full face white and red mask, and her red and black apparel. Memories of Adam Taurus, Yang leaping towards him, the swing of his red blade, followed by intense pain flashed through Yang’s mind. Her left arm shook more violently, and she felt her body stiffen like a wooden board. Yang’s motorbike began to stall and wobble uncontrollably as she squeezed the brakes and accelerator simultaneously, the shockwave from the last explosion picked Yang and her motorbike up and tossed them into the air. Yang barely had time to realise what was happening before her head smacked the ground and everything went black.

Like a banshee, Raven shrieked with fury, her red ōdachi shattering the truck’s windscreen. Qrow, barely dodging the blade, looked into his sister’s eyes, only to be met with a blazing fury. He noticed Raven turn her eyes to the boy driving the truck.
“Ozpin.” She snarled.
“Raven.” Ozpin replied curtly, as he swerved the vehicle from side to side, attempting to throw Raven off.
Raven gave another shriek of rage and swung her ōdachi towards Ozpin, only to be blocked by Qrow grabbing the blade with his left hand, aura flickering as he did, in his right hand he turned his sword into a double-barrelled pistol, and shot at his sister, forcing her to pull her blade free and leap over the top of the truck. Qrow heard cries of shock from behind them followed by the clash of metal.
“Go help them.” Ozpin commanded.
Transforming, Qrow flew out of the truck as fast as he could, spun around, and resumed his human form before bringing his sword done on Raven who was momentarily knocked back. Ren fired a couple of bursts from his pistols but Raven’s aura barely flickered. Jaune and Weiss both made to attack Raven, but she merely dodged them both, stepped towards Ruby, who was focusing on the other fast approaching bandits, and kicked her off the truck. For a moment, Qrow thought his heart stopped; Jaune, Nora, and Weiss all tried to grab Ruby as she fell off screaming. Fortunately, just as Ruby was about to hit the ground, she activated her semblance and shot back onto the truck in a flurry of rose petals, her scythe swinging towards Raven who sidestepped the blow, grabbed Jaune and threw him towards Ruby in a failed attempt to knock them both off. Qrow sighed with relief, before he leapt towards his sister.
“Everyone stay back!” Qrow yelled. “I’ll handle her!”
Ruby nodded. “Focus on the bandits coming towards us.”
The siblings stared each other down. Even under the mask, Qrow could see his sister’s baleful gaze, feel the hate emanating from his sister. They both knew they were evenly matched, and that no one else on this truck would stand a chance against either of them. The two charged, their blades clashing. Both siblings attacked, parried, counterattacked, and blocked each other’s movements, their weapons and arms a blur. When the siblings momentarily broke off, Qrow charged and transformed into a crow, attempting to attack her from above, but Raven transformed and flew up to meet him. The two birds fought in the sky, batting their wings, pecking with their beaks, and tearing at each other with their talons. As Raven made to bat her wings, she resumed her human form and grabbed Qrow while he was still a bird, strangling him as they fell. Qrow resumed his human form, beating himself free of her grasp before turning back into a crow and diving for the truck. As he dove, Qrow observed the fight below: Ruby using her sniper to shoot at any bandit vehicles that tried to get close, Weiss alternating between launching Dust attacks from her rapier and summoning her spectral knight, the others desperately fighting off any bandits that got close, their truck swerving from side to side as bandits attempted to board it, but as a large bandit truck came up beside theirs, four bandits immediately leapt onboard, forcing Ruby and Weiss to turn their attention to the new fighters. As Qrow landed, his attention was suddenly brought back to Raven as she dived towards him, her attacks coming with renewed speed and vigour. Out of the corner of his eye, Qrow spotted a bandit leap onto their truck and charge at him. Qrow desperately parried Raven’s attack before kicking the other bandit off the truck, his screams cut short as another truck rode over him with a sickening crunch. But more bandits came to take his place. Qrow heard Ruby cry out in desperation through his earpiece.
“Yang! Frank! Where are you!?”
“We’re right behind you.” Yang responded.
A series of crashes and explosions went off at the convoy’s rear. Qrow saw Frank and Yang ride down the middle of the convoy: slashing tires, destroying wheels, shooting any exposed bandits, and throwing bottles of volatile Dust at the larger trucks, turning them into Dust-fuelled bonfires.

Yang lay on the ground, a high-pitched ringing in her ears, her eyes closed. She dug her hands into the ground, desperate for the feeling of something solid, but the world still felt like it was spinning. Yang slowly opened her eyes, everything was dark and blurry, aside from several strands of golden yellow hair. As she pushed these strands aside, Yang felt something damp on her hand. Lowering it, she noticed several droplets of blood on her fingers. Yang stared at them for several moments. The world had stopped spinning, but she didn’t want to get up, the solid ground was wonderful to touch, as good as any warm bed. Yang heard voices, but they were muffled, ‘C’mon! Get up!’ she thought, but her body refused to. One of the voices seemed to get closer before they were silenced by what sounded like thunder. Yang winced and covered her ears. The sound of a motorbike drew nearer. ‘Where’s mine?’ Yang wondered. The sound of feet drew nearer. ‘C’mon! Get Up!’ Yang thought again. Sluggishly, she felt herself move. Opening her eyes again, things seemed slightly blurry, a large solitary figure in a large cloak, covered from head to foot in red walked towards her.
“Yang?” came a voice high pitched for someone so large.
Yang blinked a few times, and everything seemed to come into focus, the ringing in her ears slowly fading away.
“Frank,” Yang murmured, she stared in shock at his appearance, his face, hair, cloak, and clothes were all covered in blood and gore. Yang noticed his boots were so covered in blood and gore it seemed as if he’d walked in it, “What…happened to you?”
“Relax, none of it is mine. Are you okay? Your aura must’ve broken.”
Yang rubbed her head, she felt like it was about to split open, but the ringing had stopped, and she wasn’t bleeding anymore. “I’m okay. I’ll manage…even without my aura.”
Yang turned and looked at the two bandits Frank had shot, she noticed the bandit closest to her had oily blond hair, the one called Shay. Yang also noticed his pants had been undone, she wrinkled her face in disgust and spat on his corpse, before looking for her motorbike. After several minutes, she found it; battered and scratched, but when she turned it on, it purred like a kitten.
Frank rode up beside her, his rifle fitted into the strangely large dip within the protective barrier over his handlebars.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Frank asked.
Yang nodded. Despite seeming unsure, Frank passed her three bottles of volatile Dust. “Those are the only ones I have left. Save them for the larger trucks. We’ll target the wheels of the smaller ones.”
The two of them sped after the bandits and their friends. Frank just ahead of her, his rifle shooting at the bandits in the rear vehicles, targeting any that manned the heavy machine gun turrets, or tried to reach them.
Frank’s voice roared, “I’ll get their attention. You get the bastards when they’re not looking.”
As she drew close to one of the utes, Yang reactivated Ember Celica and her robotic arm and shot out the tires. The ute spun and slammed into another ute, sending the driver careening through the windscreen to smack into a large tree, leaving a smear of blood as his body fell to the ground. Coming up on the rear of a truck, Yang shot its rear wheels out forcing the vehicle to come to a screeching halt. Yang tossed a bottle of volatile Fire Dust at its engine as she drove past, obliterating the vehicle and its occupants. A bullet whistled past Yang’s head, driving in the direction of the gunman, she fired from her robotic arm, the shotgun round tearing his left leg off, before reaching the driver of the ute and blowing her head open with another blast. The ute turned sharply to the left, crashing into a tree.
Through her earpiece, Yang heard Ruby cry out in desperation.
“Yang! Frank! Where are you!?”
“We’re right behind you.” Yang responded.
Seeing two utes with their heavy machine guns aiming for Frank, Yang drove right between them shooting out their rear tires, forcing the gunman on her left ute to accidentally fire into the ute on her right. Frank shot straight in front of her, throwing a grenade into the right ute, as an enormous truck carrying dozens of bandits ignited into a large fireball that engulfed three other nearby vehicles. The flames momentarily illuminated Frank’s face, and for a second, Yang thought it seemed twisted into a look of pure delight, his cold, dark blue eyes appearing almost ablaze with joy. A second later Frank had driven past, Yang shot the driver of the left ute and sped off just before the right ute exploded. Yang sped between two more trucks, shooting out their front tires, forcing them to collide with each other as she tossed a bottle of volatile Dust between them. Yang sped away as the ground underneath the trucks erupted, throwing them and several other vehicles into the air. One of the utes fell onto another, crushing the occupants of both. Yang spotted Frank ahead, his rifle now a longsword, slicing open the tires of a large truck before sticking a grenade to it and speeding off as the vehicle exploded. Noticing an enormous truck with bandits scrambling to the front of it, ready to attack her friends, Yang called for Frank to help. While Frank distracted the bandits on the truck, Yang got close, shot out two of its tires, before using the last bottle of volatile Dust to set a fire that engulfed the truck, those that weren’t immediately incinerated, leapt off and fled down the dirt trail their tribesman had died on.
More bandits turned and fled, most in disorder, none looked back. Yang saw Raven, her left arm shook slightly. Forcing herself to look at her biological mother, Yang noticed Raven’s ōdachi held limply at her side as she gazed out over the devastation. None of the crew dared move. Raven and Yang’s eyes briefly met, images of Adam began flashing through her mind again, but a moment later Raven had turned into a bird and flown off, the images of Adam faded, and Yang’s arm stopped shaking. Turning around, Yang’s jaw dropped when she looked back at the devastation they’d all caused.
“How…many of them do you think we…killed.” Ruby’s voice murmured through Yang’s earpiece.
“It doesn’t matter,” Ozpin spoke curtly through the earpiece, “But we have what we came for, now we need to return to Mistral.”
“Make sure to keep your eyes peeled guys,” Qrow’s voice came through. “Raven may use her portals again to ambush us.”
The crew drove on through the night in silence.

Raven flew, her mind a roiling storm of rage and sorrow. Spotting one of the surviving utes, Raven landed in the vehicle’s back, resuming her human form once more.
“Chief.” Gasped a bandit with bright blond hair and turquoise eyes.
Raven didn’t respond; she just removed her mask and observed the devastation that met them as they drove back to the fortress. Vehicles littered the road: some burnt out or still burning, others with slashed tires or destroyed wheels had either veered off the trail to crash into nearby trees or had collided with other vehicles, crumbling into each other, one ute had fallen on top of another, crushing the occupants of both, with a single arm still visible. Past the utes and trucks they found quad and motorbikes crushed or trampled, blown to pieces or burnt out. Throughout the journey back, the trail was littered with their fellow tribesmen.
“Take only those whose lives we can save,” Raven said to a bandit with skin the colour of dark chocolate and orange eyes. “Put the dying out of their misery and leave the dead here for now.”
As time went on, surviving bandits emerged from the forest or commandeered any vehicles that still worked and caught up with Raven.
Raven felt hot tears blur her vision as they drove on. “These were our friends, our family Qrow.” She seethed under her breath.
‘I brought the whole tribe together, at the fortress…to keep them all safe,’ Raven thought to herself. She wanted to burst into tears, she wanted to scream at the sky, to stab at the earth, but nothing would bring her tribesmen back. Nor would it help her rescue Vernal, the girl she raised as her own after liberating her from a village, a village whose name Raven forgot. Vernal, the girl who would be everything Yang could never aspire to. ‘Vernal…my daughter…’ Raven thought, ‘My brother, the traitor; those stupid and naïve daughters of Tai’s, that Hunts-no, that monster, their little friends…and Ozpin. They’re the ones who did this.’
Raven put her mask back on as they approached the fortress’ main gate, half blocked by a ute and littered with bodies, she was greeted by scores of children weeping. As she got off the ute, Raven was swamped with young children.
“Chief! Chief! Where’s mummy?” cried one child.
“Where’s daddy!?” wailed another. “I can’t find daddy!”
“Chief! Where’s Vernal? Where’s Vernal?” chanted several children.
Raven fought to hold back her tears. “Vernal…was kidnapped by outsiders. The weaklings who came upon us in the middle of the night.”
More children began wailing as loudly as the rest. “Vernal…Vernal said we could play tomorrow.” bawled one child, snot leaking out of his nose. Raven ruffled his hair and let the boy’s older sister lead him away. Raven turned to see a small group of people staggering out of the forest, crying, wailing, shrieking in sorrow.
“It’s…it’s horrible,” moaned a young woman, her belly swollen with a child, cradling a man’s head in her arms. “I-I-I saw Den go into that forest…with the others…this…is all I could find of him.” The woman broke down, her whole body heaving as she cried.
Raven sprinted into the forest, accompanied by the bandit with turquoise eyes, and the one with orange eyes, lamps lighting the way. After several minutes they found what Raven could only describe as a nightmare: blood soaked the earth and bushes, and it splattered across the trees. Bodies strewn everywhere, some with their rib cages torn open, their hearts or lungs ripped out; some hung impaled on sharp tree branches or their own weapons, their bowels and intestines hanging as limp as the corpses they belonged to. Severed heads and limbs littered the ground.
The orange-eyed bandit vomited, whilst the turquoise one stammered, his face as pale as snow. “It-it-it looks like some of these guys were t-t-t-torn a-ap-apart.”
A hundred men. A hundred men Raven had sent after the Huntsman that had accompanied Yang. A hundred men to hunt him down and bring her his head. A hundred men lay on the ground or hung from trees, dead. Raven removed her mask once more and fell to her knees. She shrieked and screamed, she punched the ground still wet with blood, she wailed as tears streamed down her face.
“Horrible,” came a woman’s voice from the shadows, “To see so many of your kinsmen slaughtered like this. Absolutely horrible.”
Raven turned to the source of the voice, a woman in a red dress emerging from the surrounding darkness, flanked by her green haired, and grey-haired goons. Even though her eyes were blurred with tears, Raven recognised the woman who strode forward, seemingly to console her.
“Cinder.” Raven snarled, standing up she wiped the tears from her eyes.
“No doubt they were family to you, Chief Raven,” Cinder said in a faux mournful voice, “such a tragedy.”
Raven drew her ōdach. “Not another step.” She snarled.
Cinder dropped her mournful façade. “If you don’t want my condolences, then so be it. But for a tribe such as the Branwens to suffer such a crushing defeat, and not seek retribution would be unbecoming.” Cinder extended her right hand. “Join us, and you’ll be able to rescue your daughter, and get revenge against those who hurt you. Something I personally can relate to. All I ask for in return is for your daughter, the Vestige of Knowledge, to retrieve the Relic that lies within Mistral Academy. After that, we’ll go our separate ways, and Salem will leave you well alone.”
Raven felt the fire of revenge burn in her chest, she walked forward and took Cinder’s hand. They shook.

Chapter Text

Wearily, the crew drove for two days before finally stopping to bathe. After Jaune made sure Vernal was still unconscious, everyone tore off their clothes, armour, and gear and sprinted into a nearby river. Although both sisters tried to avoid looking at each other whilst they bathed, Ruby couldn’t help but notice that this time, no one, including herself, was blushing at the sight of so much naked flesh. Everyone was too focused on cleaning off the blood, gore, and grime that had stuck to them for two days. Ren sat in the water while Nora cleaned the blood from his hair; having just cleaned themselves, Jaune, Weiss and Yang cleaned their weapons; Frank, who had waded deeper into the river than the others, hurriedly joined them after he’d cleaned himself, leaving a thin trail of blood and grime that dissipated in the river as he waded back to shore. As Ruby left the river and got dressed, Ozpin approached her.
“Miss Rose, while we’re currently not on the road, I believe now would be an ideal time to get in a little more practice with your silver eyes.”
Sitting in the back of the truck, Oscar turned to her and asked, “What do all Grimm have in common?”
“The ability to strike terror into people through their presence alone,” Ruby said.
“And what must you do, in order to utilise your silver eyes, when facing Grimm?” Ozpin asked.
“I must not be captured by that terror. I must focus on the people who matter most to me, on positive feelings, emotions, and memories,” Ruby said.
“Very good. Now focus on all of that…and how it must be protected.”
Memories flashed through Ruby’s mind: seeing her Uncle Qrow and father, Tai, come home after a month-long mission; Ozpin offering her the chance to study at Beacon Academy despite her young age; becoming a member, and the leader of, team RWBY. Ruby’s heart swelled with each memory, they all felt wonderful, Ruby closed her eyes, savouring these memories, emotions, and feelings, a warm smile grew on her face, she opened her eyes to a flash of bright silver light. When the flash faded, everyone was standing or sitting rooted in place, looks of surprise on their faces.
“Well done, Ruby. You’ve certainly improved. But until we can test your abilities in the presence of Grimm, we will have to leave it at that, and get back on the road again,” Ozpin said.
Suddenly Ruby blurted out a question she’d been burning to ask Ozpin since the assault.
“Ozpin, if the Vestiges can control Grimm, why weren’t there any around the fortress?”
Ozpin shrugged. “I don’t know. But if I hazard a guess, it may be because of the terror Grimm can strike into people. Even if they were outside the fortress walls, I’m sure people would feel incredibly uncomfortable about having them be so close.”
While Frank and Qrow took the front seats, the others joined Ruby and Ozpin in the truck, and they continued their journey.

With Frank and Yang riding with the others in the truck, the crew continued driving for several more days. Only ever stopping to change drivers, or when several people needed to relieve themselves in the woods. Whenever the anaesthetic was beginning to wear off and Vernal was regaining consciousness, some more would be applied. Despite the exhaustion of the raid and their journey, everyone struggled to sleep, acutely aware that Raven could, at any time, open a portal and attempt to recapture Vernal. Finally, they reached the city of Mistral. Boarding a large gondola that ferried vehicles up and down the city, the crew soon reached the upper districts, and hurriedly drove back to Haven Academy. As Frank had driven the truck during the final few hours before reaching Haven Academy, he made sure to pocket the keys, knowing he’d need them for later.
“When was Vernal last given a dose?” Ozpin asked.
“Ten hours ago,” Frank responded. “She should be regaining consciousness in the next quarter of an hour.”
“Should we blindfold her?” Jaune asked.
“No need,” Ozpin said.
Picking up Vernal, Frank made sure that a couple of smoke grenades and flashbangs were readily available when he made his escape as the crew raced into the main hall of Haven Academy; weapons drawn as Qrow warned them that Raven could use her semblance to attack them at any time. It didn’t help that Vernal was regaining consciousness and beginning to realise what was going on. As they entered the hall, Frank spied the gold statue of a long haired, scantily clad woman, twice the height of a grown man at the back of the hall; just as Ozpin had said.
“Quickly.” Ozpin hastily said. “Someone, run ahead and press the statue's necklace. That will activate the elevator and take us to the relics vault.”
Yang sprinted towards the statue, only for a lone figure to emerge from a door on an elevated platform above the statue. The man had close-cut dark hair with prominent streaks of grey. Clasped around his neck with a sparkling silver chain was a blue-grey cloak that failed to conceal his ostentatious clothing: a silver belt with a large round buckle and matching boots, a black and white chequered vest, and white slacks. The crew all stopped in their tracks. Qrow tried to block Ozpin from the man’s view.
“Theo,” Qrow said pleasantly, “I didn’t think you’d still be up at this hour. Classes aren’t supposed to start for another month, aren’t they? I’m sure even a Headmaster doesn’t need to be up this late.”
“Why do you try to hide that boy from me Qrow?” Theodore asked, before he then spotted Frank carrying Vernal, “And who have you brought with you?”
Ren and Frank moved to hide Ozpin. Vernal, having fully regained consciousness, began violently squirming on Frank’s right shoulder, her legs flailing against his torso. Frank screwed up his face as he concentrated on suppressing the urge to hit her. Qrow slowly began walking towards the headmaster. “Theo, I can explain everything later, but right now we need to get to the vault.”
Theodore’s eyes widened. “So,” he breathed, “you have found the Vestige of Knowledge.”
Qrow hastily explained how they found the Vestige and the Branwen tribe’s main hideout.
“And let me guess, you intend to use her to open the vault, and take the relic?” Theodore asked.
Qrow was silent. Frank’s head swivelled from side to side, scanning the layout of the hall. A large atrium with an interior balcony that was held up by six pillars, three on each side of the hall. Then there was the elevated platform and statue. ‘We’re standing in a large open area. Prime real estate for an ambush’, Frank thought. A bead of sweat rolled down his brow when he noticed Theodore wore his bright red gloves, the Fire Dust crystals set in them sparkled.
“Weiss, get ready to create an ice dome.” Frank heard Ruby murmur.
Theodore broke the looming silence, a look of slow realisation on his face, “So that is your intention.”
Qrow ignored his remark, “Theo, please…just let us through.”
Stony faced, Theodore raised his fists like a boxer, “I’m sorry Qrow, but that is not going to happen.”
Qrow shook his head, his face sombre, “C’mon Theo. Please don’t do this.”
The fluttering of wings from the balcony stole the crew’s attention. The bird transformed into Raven as she opened a portal directly over the crew and landed beside Theodore. Before anyone could react, razor sharp knives dropped out of the portal, forcing the crew to scatter in all directions, aura levels flickering. A moment later a score of Grimm dropped out of the portal. Frank felt terror try to grasp itself around his heart and mind as he beheld the Grimm that emerged: beowolfs, beringels, ursas, sphinxes, a large darat and a monstrous polypheman. Following them were three Humans Frank didn’t recognise: a slender woman with short pitch-black hair with a large matching glass mask over her left eye - she wore a long dress the colour of freshly spilled blood that had a large sleeve covering her left arm while her right arm was sleeveless; a young woman with mint green hair, chocolate brown skin, and red eyes; and a young man with grey hair with matching grey eyes and pale skin.
Upon dropping out of the portal, the three Humans and their Grimm attacked the crew. Frank found himself set upon by two beowolves and the polypheman. As the first beowolf lunged forward, jaws wide enough to swallow a large dog whole, Frank swung his longsword, cleaving off the Grimm’s bottom jaw, kneeling as he finished the sword swing allowing him to dodge the second beowolf’s lunge. Frank thrust his longsword into the monster’s abdomen as it leapt over him. The monster dissolved as it crashed behind him, dissipating like ash in the wind. Vernal’s constant squirming and kicking distracted Frank, allowing the polypheman to swing an enormous tree trunk, swatting Frank like a fly. He felt Vernal slip his grasp as he flew, slamming into the middle right statue, obliterating it. As Frank staggered up, he saw Ren grab Vernal, both turning completely grey as he took her hands, the four Grimm that had chased after him becoming momentarily confused. Seizing the opportunity, Nora, brought her hammer down on the head of one Grimm, an ursa, killing the creature outright. Frank spotted Oscar sprinting past.
“Oscar…” Frank called out in a slightly dazed voice. “Where are you going?”
“It’s Ozpin.” He responded, voice quivering with rage. “And I’m going to have a little talk with Headmaster Theo.”
As Ozpin beat towards the final statue, Frank spotted the jawless beowolf charging towards Nora. Frank staggered up, turning his longsword into a rifle, loading a magazine in as he did so. Bullets tore through the beowolf’s head as Frank fired a burst. The Grimm dissipated before it reached Nora, allowing her to help Ren fight off Raven who’d swept in to take Vernal. Seeing this, Frank fired several bursts at Raven, emptying the magazine.
“Oi bitch!” Frank jeered, turning his rifle into a longsword, “why don’t you try me?!”
For a moment, Raven seemed torn between retrieving her daughter and potential revenge, but Frank didn’t give her a chance to decide as he sprung towards her, decapitating a beringel’s head and slicing a beowolf in two as he reached her. Longsword and ōdachi met, exchanging a whirlwind of thrusts, parries, feints, swings, and blocks. As Frank pressed his longsword against Raven’s ōdachi, bringing the two of them as close as their long blades would allow, he could see the hate in her eyes burn through her mask. Adrenaline flowed through Frank like a fast river, ‘She isn’t like Sienna Khan, she isn’t going to just give up’, he thought with glee. Frank spotted Weiss quickly create a dome of Earth Dust over a struggling Vernal. Raven tried to turn herself into a bird and slip away; to get closer to the Dust dome that trapped her daughter. Frank threw a dagger, hitting the bird and forcing Raven to resume her human form. She tried dodging Frank’s longsword, but the blade sliced her full-face mask in half. Raven’s face was paler than when the two first met, and her eye were wide with fear, but her mouth was locked in a seething growl; even Frank couldn’t fail to see that terror now mixed with hate. Raven screamed as she lunged at him, the Fire Dust in her blade igniting, Frank felt his glee doused with cold shock at the sight, rapidly parrying the block as took a large step back. But the feeling was brief. ‘She’s fast and tenacious. But she’s nothing like the Jaegers I’ve trained with my whole life,’ Frank thought, feeling almost ecstatic. ‘If I kill her, along with capturing the relic and Vestige of Knowledge, even Warhammer will finally see me as a Jaeger.’ Gleefully anticipating this eventual acknowledgement from his peers, Frank once more sprung at Raven, the floor beneath him cracking as he did so.

Ruby felt her aura flicker when the daggers fell from the portal above, as if she was being pricked by a hundred needles, each one chipped away at her aura. Leaping away from the hail of knives, Ruby realised with horror that they were made of glass. The moment the daggers stopped falling, a score of Grimm leapt down from the portal. Ruby felt the sense of dread and terror that permeated from them. Ruby noticed Weiss and Jaune both slowly backing away, looks of horror on their faces. Ruby couldn’t blame them, the darat and polypheman were two of the largest Grimm she’d ever seen. Staring into their hungry, soulless eyes, she felt the terror that attempted to envelop her, like the cold embrace of a moonless winter night. A moment later, three Humans dropped out of the portal. Despite the glass mask, and her pitch-black hair now being short, Ruby recognised the lead woman.
“Cinder!” Ruby gasped.
Right eye alive with malice, Cinder turned her gaze towards Ruby, her face twisted into a ferocious snarl. Despite the terror these Grimm inspired, Ruby tried to focus on positive thoughts, memories, and emotions: the joy she felt re-uniting with Weiss and Yang; and the pride and sense of achievement she felt when creating her weapon, Crescent Rose. Ruby was just beginning to focus on the hope that always filled her heart whenever she dreamed of being a Huntress when she noticed an orange glow in Cinder’s eye. Suddenly all feeling in her body disappeared and Ruby felt like she was watching everything through a screen. A single thought entered her mind, yet it was not her own, ‘Kill your friends’. Immediately her body moved without her instruction. Ruby was gripped with horror, powerless and forced to watch as she turned and attacked Weiss.
Jaune stumbled back as the glass daggers rained down from the portal above. No sooner had he recovered from the shock, than a score of monstrous Grimm emerged, followed by three Humans. Jaune immediately recognised the woman with the glass mask, Cinder, the woman who had killed Pyrrha. Jaune’s felt himself encapsulated with fury as he charged her, feeling that if his aura manifested, it would be a blazing inferno that engulfed his whole body. Jaune roared at the top of his lungs as he charged towards her, intent on cleaving her head open, yet she didn’t pay him any attention. Instead, a young woman with mint green hair launched herself between them, swinging and firing two revolver-style pistols with green blades attached to the barrels, Jaune only knew her through association.
“Emerald.” He snarled.
“You’re not going to lay a finger on Cinder.” Emerald hissed.
Blocking her shots with his shield, Jaune charged once more, but Emerald side-stepped him, trying to slice at his face. Jaune deflected the blows with his sword, he made to stab her eyes, but Emerald jumped out of the way, revealing Cinder to be a few metres behind. Spying Cinder, Jaune charged, sword raised high to strike her down, yet Cinder vanished a moment later. Jaune didn’t see what happened next, all he felt was a sense of flight, before crashing into the ceiling. Jaune barely had a moment to process what had happened before he felt himself crash into the ground. Aura flickering, his entire body screaming in overwhelming pain, just behind him, Jaune heard a low, hungry growl.

Yang felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Ruby turn and attack Weiss. Confused, she stood rooted to the floor as Ruby launched attack after attack at Weiss, unknowingly allowing an ursa to strike. Yang felt herself flung into Weiss, who desperately tried to fend off Ruby’s attacks. The two collapsed, Weiss hastily summoning a small dome of Ice Dust just as Ruby’s scythe arced down towards them, trapping it in the thin barrier.
“What the fuck is with her?!” Yang asked in shock.
“I…I don’t know. Her whole face is...it-it’s blank.” Weiss replied, her face as white as her hair.
Yang felt her blood run cold when the dome began to crack as something large and heavy beat against it. Ruby’s scythe began to wiggle, Ruby was trying to wrench it free.
“You handle the Grimm, I’ll encase Ruby up to her neck in Dust.” Weiss said.
Yang nodded, activating Ember Celica as she did so. A moment later the dome shattered, an ursa’s fist the size of Yang’s head swung towards them. Yang threw a punch into the Grimm’s face, the small gun barrel in her right arm firing as her fist smashed into the Grimm, obliterating its head. A beringel leapt at Yang, attempting to flatten her, but Yang side-stepped it and landed several blows into its right side, killing it. Behind her, Weiss screamed. Yang spun around to see that Weiss’ back was to a pillar surrounded by Ruby, a beowolf, and a sphinx. Yang ran towards them only for another beowolf to charge from her left. Yang made to crush the beowolf’s skull with a blow to the head, only for it to dodge her blow with surprising agility. A moment later the Grimm vanished, in its place was a young man with grey hair and matching grey eyes, his right boot slammed into her brow. Yang collapsed with a thud. As Yang tried to pick herself up she felt another blow to her head, forcing her to smack against the ground, a high-pitched ringing in her head was replaced by a cruel laugh. Peering up, Yang as greeted by a young man with grey hair and eyes, she recognised his sneer.
“Hey blondie.” Mercury said in a mocking voice. “Long time no see.”
Yang blocked a kick Mercury aimed at her head, but the shotgun on his greave fired, the ear-splitting bang forced her to stumble, cradling her left ear. Mercury launched another kick, this one to her side, although Yang’s aura protected her from sustaining any damage, pain exploded across her body due to both blows.
“What?! Not going to use your precious semblance?” Mercury sneered before striking her again. “I don’t blame you, when you learn to fight without one, you realise they’re overrated.”
Mercury knelt on Yang’s shoulders, pinning her to the ground. He threw punch after punch at her face. Yang’s aura protected her from the damage of the blows, but the pain was still there, each blow feeling like an explosion.
“This ain’t the Vytal Festival blondie.” Mercury said between blows. “I’m not holding back this time.”
Before Mercury could land another blow, Yang slammed her arms onto his thighs, and shot him in the abdomen. The shots threw Mercury off her, allowing Yang to quickly get back up, but so did Mercury, aura giving a small flicker. Yang seethed as she gazed upon his sneering face, her blood boiled, and her body trembled with an almost uncontrollable fury. It was because of him and Emerald that she’d been disqualified from the Vytal Festival and if it were not for the Fall of Beacon having only happened several hours later, Yang knew the entire world would have unjustly seen her as a bully and a monster. ‘I’m going to wipe the floor with that fucking sneer’, Yang thought. As she leapt to punch him, Mercury blocked the blow holding her robotic arm in an iron grip. Mercury whistled as he observed it.
“Nice prosthetic.” He said with genuine admiration before sweeping Yang’s feet, knocking her over. Mercury lifted his trousers, exposing his own robotic legs. “Looks like we both have something in common now.”
Mercury made to stomp on Yang’s face, but she flung a punch at his leg, gauntlet and greave collided with a resounding thunderclap that flung Mercury several metres into the air while Yang slid across the floor. She sprang up, spotted Weiss continuing to fend off a mind-controlled Ruby while a now recovered Jaune fought the beowolf, and Ren the sphinx. Using Ember Celica, Yang propelled herself like a golden-yellow missile towards her sister. Yang tackled Ruby, wrapping her arms tightly around Ruby to constrict her. Without so much as a grunt, Ruby squirmed in Yang’s grip, attempting to break free, but Yang merely tightened her grip.
“Ruby please…it’s me, Yang. Please…snap out of it.” Yang pleaded.
Ruby didn’t answer, she merely continued to struggle in Yang’s embrace: she squirmed and wriggled like a worm, she kicked Yang’s shins, she smacked her head against Yang’s. Yang grunted, her aura flickering with every blow, but she refused to let Ruby go. A beringel charged towards the sisters, forcing Yang to roll the two of them to aim Ember Celica at the Grimm. Just as Yang was about to shoot, a large spectral sword swung down on the Grimm, slicing it in half. Yang turned her head and saw Weiss, kneeling in the centre of a big glyph, a look of concentration on her face as the Arma Gigas decapitated Ren’s sphinx, Jaune’s beowolf, and another beringel in a single swing. Yang saw Jaune, Nora, and Ren protect Weiss from Emerald and Mercury, allowing Weiss to concentrate on ensuring the Arma Gigas protected her and Ruby. Having spotted the Arma Gigas, the darat charged forward, smashing into it. For a few seconds, Yang almost forgot her mind-controlled sister, and observed this clash between the soulless monstrosity and the summoned spectre. Suddenly Ruby stopped squirming.
“Yang…” Ruby mumbled, dazed.
“Ruby!” Yang squealed in delight. Forgetting the fight raging around them, Yang hugged her sister, her heart swelled to bursting. Releasing her, Yang said, “Go do your thing Ruby. I’ll cover you.”
As both sisters stood up; Yang blew the wings off a sphinx, bringing it crashing down, giving her time to pummel the Grimm until it dissipated. As it did, Yang spied Mercury dashing towards Ruby like a grey bullet. Yang shot towards him, her first punch catching him off-guard. Mercury crashed into the ground, but immediately leapt up and began countering her other attacks. Despite Mercury’s fast and furious blows against Yang, she noticed his attacks seemed desperate, and his face contorted in dread. To Yang’s surprise, Mercury parried her punch and sprinted towards Ruby. Launching herself like a rocket, Yang knocked Mercury over, landing several punches at his face. Despite both guns blazing, Mercury’s aura held and he knocked her off. The two leapt back up and resumed fighting.
“RUBY!” Yang yelled out, “Tell me you’re about to use your silver eyes!”
“Working on it!” Ruby replied hurriedly.
“C’mon Blondie! I haven’t had a fight like this since that little spar with Pyrrha!” roared Mercury, his handsome face twisted in a maniacal mix of desperation, dread, and battle fervour.
Yang gritted her teeth in rage and threw several punches in quick succession, both gun barrels blazing; but Mercury dodged each blow, the sound seemingly doing little to hinder Mercury as it had Yang. Yang aimed a punch at Mercury’s chest, but he dropped to the floor. Supporting himself with one arm Mercury kicked her with both legs, the dual shots blew her straight through a wall.
Yang staggered up and re-entered the hall- her determination to protect Ruby would allow nothing less, even as her stomach plummeted upon seeing Cinder standing in front of Ruby, an orange glow in her right eye. A moment later, Ruby used her semblance to dart between Jaune, Nora, and Ren, straight towards Weiss. Even as Yang used Ember Celica to shoot herself forwards, she could only watch as everything seemed to happen in slow motion: Ruby’s scythe arced towards Weiss forcing her to forgo her glyph to swing her rapier to defend herself. As the Arma Gigas vanished, the darat swung its tongue towards Weiss like a wrecking ball. Ruby dodged the tongue but Weiss wasn’t so lucky - the blow flung her into the left pillar closest to the entrance and the pillar collapsed on Weiss, covering her in debris. Even from where she stood, Yang couldn’t fail to recognise the soft white glow of Weiss’ aura flicker across her body and then dissipate like a dead Grimm. It felt like a rock had plummeted through Yang’s stomach as she used Ember Celica to propel herself towards Weiss, though she was beaten there by Ruby using her own semblance to reach Weiss first. It seemed as if everything in the world was trying to stop Yang reaching the two of them: Ember Celica didn’t seem to have propelled her fast enough and the very air seemed to be trying to halt Yang’s movement, while the rock in her stomach seemed to drag her towards the ground. A mere second before Yang reached them, Ruby’s scythe arced down towards Weiss, stabbing her in the abdomen. Weiss gave a bloodcurdling gurgle, horror etched across her face as she beheld her friend and attacker, before falling silent.

Frank felt like he was on cloud nine: he was beating back Raven, preventing her from even attempting to get close to the dome; and given her increasingly desperate movements, her aura was getting low; this would be the night that changed everything for Frank, he could feel it. Not even the occasional interference from other Grimm, including the polypheman, could stop him now. Strike after strike was laid against Raven, driving her closer to Qrow, who was fighting the woman Ruby had called Cinder and a revolving door of Grimm. Despite being so outnumbered, Qrow was holding himself well: several of Cinder’s glass knives missed him, a beowolf’s claw almost sliced Cinder’s large sleeve, and some of the swipes, blows, and blasts directed towards Qrow seem to miss. Qrow himself was able to avoid, block, or counter most other attacks, but his stony and sweat covered face exposed his exhaustion.
Raven’s blade suddenly shattered against Frank’s longsword. Bad luck. A sign that she was within the area of effect for Qrow’s semblance. Raven desperately leapt back, only to lose her footing and fall over, the pommel of her ōdachi sliding across the floor. Raven scampered across the floor to grab it, Frank leapt into the air, longsword raised high for a dramatic swing down on her back. As he brought it down, a sudden blast of fire caught Frank in mid-air, throwing him to the ground. ‘Son of a bitch!’ Frank thought furiously, ‘Qrow’s close enough for his semblance to affect me’. A moment later something went thud behind Frank, turning around he saw Jaune, lying on the broken floor, groaning in pain. Frank found himself frozen in place, “Raven’s only a couple of metres away’, Frank thought, ‘Her aura is low, just a few more blows should finish her off; and if Jaune’s killed by Grimm, it would be one less obstacle to worry about later…’
“Frank!” Qrow bellowed in a commanding voice, “Get Jaune! Now!”

Sluggishly, Jaune tried to clamber towards his sword, lying a few metres away, but the beowolf leapt on his back, its claws scraping against his backplate, attempting to tear it apart. The beowolf felt like a ton of bricks on Jaune’s back, crushing him. The loud scraping of razor-sharp claws against metal drilled into Jaune’s ears, making him imagine the Grimm slowly ripping apart his armour. Just when Jaune thought his backplate would be torn to shreds, the beowolf howled and then abruptly fell silent. Jaune felt someone grab him by his hoodie and force him onto his feet. Looking up he saw Frank, a mixture of shock and disappointment on his face.
“Thanks.” Jaune murmured, rubbing his head
“Don’t mention it.” Frank said, trying to hide the ruefulness in his voice. He glanced at Jaune’s back plate. “You might want to watch your back. The armour there has been torn up.
Jaune nodded, raising his sword with grim determination. The two separated; Jaune ran to join Ren and Nora against Emerald and Mercury, while Frank ran to help Qrow. Seeing Nora struggle against Mercury, Jaune brought his sword down on Mercury’s shoulder, forcing him to stagger back. Jaune then thrusted his sword at Mercury’s chest, but Mercury merely dodged the blade and kicked Jaune in the chest in one fluid movement, the greave on his leg going off like a shotgun, throwing Jaune back several metres. Jaune made to rush Mercury, only to see a sphinx swoop towards him. Jaune made to dodge the Grimm, but it vanished just before it reached him, followed by several sharp gunshots hitting him in the back. Emerald spun past Jaune, a smirk on her face, constantly dodging any sword swings or thrusts he directed at her. Try as they all might, not Ren’s speed, Nora’s strength, or Jaune’s durability allowed any of them to land a good hit on Mercury or Emerald. Even using their firearms was futile: Jaune didn’t bear any on him, Ren would only ever shoot in seemingly random directions as if Grimm were charging from several directions, and whenever Nora changed her hammer into a grenade launcher she would be beset by either opponent, forcing her to revert back to the hammer. From brief glimpses of the others, it was clear no one else was able to help them: Yang was busy restraining a mind-controlled Ruby; Weiss was focused on her Arma Gigas fighting the large darat and killing any Grimm that got close to Yang and Ruby; and both Frank and Qrow were fighting Cinder, Raven, and several Grimm. Jaune felt his breathing become quick and ragged, his sword feeling weightier and more cumbersome in his hand with each movement. Sweat began to pour down his face. Jaune risked a pause to briefly wipe it off his brow and out of his eyes, only for Mercury to kick him in the face, forcing Jaune to crumple to the ground. As he staggered back up, Jaune slowly and stiffly raised his sword and shield to meet a charging beringel, only for Yang’s voice to boom throughout the hall.
“RUBY!”
The beringel suddenly vanished, as Jaune turned expecting the worst, but instead Yang and Ruby were holding each other, joyful looks on their faces. Jaune felt cool relief wash over his body. Just in front of him stood a mortified Emerald, her bladed revolvers hanging limply at her sides.
“Oh…FUCK!” Emerald shrieked.
Jaune took the opportunity to use his sword to disarm both hands, while bashing his shield into her face, knocking her back several steps and allowing him to land several blows, knocking her to the ground. A grey blur suddenly darted between them, making for Ruby, but Yang was able to intercept him. A sphinx swooped down towards Jaune, only to vanish as Ren and Nora attacked Emerald, preventing her from holding the illusion. With his two closest friends and teammates assisting him, the fight suddenly seemed a lot easier; for while Emerald was nimble, Mercury had been the faster and stronger opponent. Jaune’s tired arms and legs found new strength as he felt his veins flow with renewed vigour, encouraging him to relentlessly launch blow after blow on Emerald, whose aura began to flicker more frequently now that Nora and Ren assisted him. Disarmed and brought to her knees, Jaune stood over her.
“Cinder may have killed Pyrrha, but for now, I’ll settle with you,” Jaune’s voice croaked with grief and hatred.
Jaune raised his sword high to deliver the finishing blow when Mercury suddenly leapt over the humbled Emerald, kicking both Nora and Ren in the face, the shotgun blasts from his greaves throwing them back. Shocked, Jaune was barely able to raise his shield before Mercury sent him flying backwards with a kick to the face. Stumbling back up, Jaune desperately scanned the hall for Yang. Just as he spotted her staggering back into the hall, Ruby darted past him, Ren, and Nora, straight for Weiss. Jaune stood dumbstruck as Ruby attacked Weiss. With the Arma Gigas gone, the darat lashed its tongue out, knocking Weiss into a pillar. Jaune found himself sprinting desperately towards Weiss, hoping to reach her, only for Ruby to impale Weiss on her scythe. Jaune felt his blood run cold at the sight. Rooted to the floor, he stood helplessly as the mind-controlled Ruby shot past him towards Frank and Qrow. Without thinking, Jaune felt himself stumble forwards until he reached Weiss and Yang. Blood flowed out of Weiss like a fast-moving stream, her already pale face quickly becoming deathly white. Both Jaune and Yang placed their hands on Weiss’ wound, desperate to stem the flow, but blood quickly covered their hands. Fear gripped Jaune and he felt panic threaten to swallow him whole as he heard Weiss’ desperate shallow breathing and beheld the terror and pain etched in her face, a look that reminded him of the last time he saw Pyrrha, just before she went to fight Cinder. Memories of Pyrrha from that night during the fall of Beacon Academy flooded Jaune’s mind: the tears in her green eyes, the sting of those tears mixed with the warmth of her lips as she kissed him.
“No. No. No.” Jaune murmured desperately.
Yang was no longer helping apply pressure to Weiss’ wound, instead she’d now taken Weiss’ hands in her own and was bent low over her friend, comforting her.
“Weiss…look at me…I’m right here. I’ve got you” Yang wept.
Blood drenched through Jaune’s gauntlets and gloves; Weiss’ face became as still as marble; her breathing began to slow and quieten. Yang’s tears fell quickly but softly onto Weiss’ dress. Memories of Jaune’s final moments with Pyrrha, the dead and dying that littered the streets, hospitals, and bunkers of Vale flooded through his mind, accompanied by the cold feelings of helplessness and despair that had gripped him that night.
“Not you too…not you.” Jaune wept softly.
Jaune squeezed his eyes closed, unwilling to watch Weiss die in front of him. He heard Yang gasp.
“Jaune!” she breathed, “Look at your hands!”
Reluctantly, Jaune opened his eyes and couldn’t believe what he was seeing; the yellow colour of his aura glowed around his hands and Weiss’ entire body glowed as her snow-white aura flickered and flowed around her. A moment later blood stopped seeping out of Weiss’ wound and began to heal. Jaune and Yang stared, mesmerised by it.
Yang’s face lit up with an enormous grin. “You’re healing her.”
“No…” Jaune murmured. “I think…yes, I’m sure…I’m recharging her aura, and that’s healing her.”
Jaune closed his eyes, focusing on letting his aura recharge Weiss’. A minute later Weiss gasped, her eyes opening. She looked at the pale glow of her aura, shimmering all over her, then at Jaune.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Jaune noticed that Weiss’ wound had fully healed, yet he was still able to charge her aura. He allowed himself a small smile as he realised what that meant: surely, if he was able to still charge her aura, wouldn’t that mean he could charge anyone’s aura and make them more powerful in doing so?
“How are you feeling?” Jaune asked.
Weiss spoke a little louder. “Better. In fact…I haven’t felt this good all week.”
Weiss abruptly stood up, ending Jaune’s boost to her aura. Grasping her rapier, she raised enormous spikes of Earth Dust that burst out of the ground, impaling the remaining Grimm, except for the darat and polypheman: the darat’s armoured body breaking the Earth Dust as it tried to pierce it, while the polypheman was able to obliterate any that rose to impale it. However, both Grimm stumbled and roared in distress at the sudden attacks.

The darat roared in annoyance as spikes of Earth Dust tried to pierce its body. Although even the monster’s belly was too hard to penetrate, the force of these spikes threw the darat off balance, causing the creature’s head to roar up and expose the lower part of its neck, its only vulnerability. But even then it would be like leather. Frank knew he had to pull off one ability he had tucked away. It may expose him, but right now, the risk seemed worth the reward. In desperation to end the fight, Frank leapt between spikes of Earth Dust towards the darat.
“Everyone, get DOWN!” roared Frank.
Frank, thrust his longsword into the lower part of its neck. When his longsword made contact with the darat, an explosion like a meteor slamming into the ground vaporised it, engulfing the upper half of the hall in a colossal explosion. Frank saw the entire roof, along with the large interior balcony vanish in the force of his blow. The force had also knocked the polypheman over. Seizing this opportunity, Frank leapt on top of the Grimm, his longsword now a rifle. Frank knew the polypheman’s eye had a gel over it. A transparent, but tough protective layer that could prevent harm from most ranged weaponry. But against Frank’s high powered rifle firing from point blank range, the protective gel was useless. Frank fired into the polypheman’s eye, rounds tearing through its head. The Grimm dissipated, forcing Frank to jump to the ground. His pride was short-lived however as Jaune cried out, “Where’s Vernal?!”
Frank almost went as pale as Weiss had been. Yang sprinted past him, towards the golden statue at the end of the hall. The platform at the statue’s feet had disappeared down what appeared to be a large elevator shaft.
“They’ve got her!” she called out as she sprinted towards the elevator shaft. Frank, realising that he may miss his opportunity, sprinted after her.

Ozpin sprinted between pillars and past Grimm, destroying any that tried to get in his way, his mind focused on a single goal: revenge. A storm raged in Ozpin’s mind, Theodore, a flamboyant and boisterous man that Ozpin had raised up far beyond his station, and all because he’d sworn to be unflinchingly loyal. Ozpin had had his doubts about Theodores character after Cinder and her lackies, posing as students and staff of Haven Academy, had infiltrated Beacon Academy, but the confirmation of his worst fears still shook him. Ozpin gritted his teeth; time had taught him many things, two of them were patience and composure, but wrath blazed like an inferno within him; no matter what happened tonight, Theodore would not escape, nor would he survive the night. A beowolf charged at Ozpin, but a single wave of his cane saw the Grimm vanish in a flash of green light. He climbed up to the platform above the statue, where Theodore stood, observing the fight below. The traitor turned to face him.
“Ozpin.” Theodore said stiffly, his fists raised.
Ozpin took a deep breath to compose himself, for he feared that if he wasn’t calm, he’d bathe Theodore in fire from his breath, although the thought did have some appeal.
“Former headmaster Theodore.” Ozpin said in a clipped voice, “Is this how you treat the man who raised you up? Who you swore your life to, your lord and master? The man who has spent aeons protecting civilisation?”
“Shut the fuck up, Ozpin.” Theodore spat, “And drop the faux altruism, I know of your intentions. You merely want to-”
Ozpin gave his cane a flick, a bolt of green lightning shot out, and struck the ground just before Theodores feet. The traitor went as bright red as his gloves.
“Without me, you’d never have made it this far. I’ve given you a career any Huntsman would be envious of. Along with the wealth, fame, and prestige that comes with it.” Ozpin fumed.
“But what’s the point of it all if you’re shackled by mortality? Not that you would understand. It’s been the one thing you’ve denied all those who have followed you. No matter their dedication, their loyalty.” Theodore retorted. His face twisted into a sinister, yet quizzical expression, “I wonder how Qrow would react if he knew the truth.”
Ozpin chose to ignore him. “Salem seeks to destroy everything. Do you honestly believe she’ll grant you immortality?”
Theodore pointed to the fight below, singling out the woman in the red dress and glass mask, Ozpin suddenly remembered her.
“She bears gifts that Salem has bestowed upon her. That’s evidence enough for me.”
Ozpin sighed, shaking his head again. “You were always a fool Theodore, a useful fool, but a fool nonetheless.”
Theodore’s face now went dark red, he charged Ozpin. “Then what does that say about YOU!”
Theodore made to punch him in the face, but Ozpin conjured a dome of energy, halting the momentum of Theodore’s punch. Theodore desperately threw several more punches at the dome, trying to shatter it, but to no avail. Ozpin allowed himself a vicious little smile as he stamped the bottom of his cane against the floor, igniting the ground surrounding the dome, forcing Theodore to jump back in shock as green flames burst forth. The flames began to take the form of bears, wolves, and eagles, and charged towards Theodore, each one trying to smother him. Ozpin knew that Theodore’s gloves only possessed Fire Dust crystals, making them useless against the creatures of fire he’d summoned. The flaming spectres tried to smother Theodore, yet his gloves allowed him to block any attacks they made. Ozpin realised with horror that although Theodore’s gloves couldn’t harm these spectres because of the Fire Dust they held, it was that same Fire Dust that allowed the gloves to block any attacks his spectres made. Ozpin stamped his can against the floor once more, extinguishing them, and leapt towards Theodore, the two exchanging a flurry of blows, blocks, thrusts, swings, and parries. The speed of Ozpin’s attacks began to tear apart the very ground they were standing on whilst the Fire Dust in Theodore’s gloves left large burn marks against anything they touched. As the fight wore on, Ozpin noted that Theodore’s age really was catching up to him, as he didn’t move as fast as Ozpin remembered, and his attacks became increasingly sluggish compared to how he once was.
“There’s no harm in accepting your fate, Theodore.” Ozpin chuckled contemptuously.
Green lightning crackled across Ozpin’s body, he then charged towards Theodore, delivering a series of blows to Theodores’ arms, legs, chest, and head in rapid succession, forcing Theodore to his knees, aura flickering. Green lightning danced on the fingertips of Ozpin’s right hand, coalescing into a ball of crackling green energy in the palm of his hand, emitting a low humming sound. He aimed at the traitorous headmaster’s heart, about to finish him off when Ozpin suddenly felt light-headed, the hall seemed to spin before everything went black.

Oscar awoke with a start on the hard wooden floor that was carved up with numerous large burn marks and scratches. He felt Ozpin’s cane in his left hand; he used it to support himself as he attempted to stand up, only for Theodore to knock him to the ground. The headmaster leered over him, a mad gleam in his eyes. He dealt several blows until Oscar felt his aura dissipate, he screamed in pain as he felt it disappear. Hoisting Oscar up by the collar of his shirt, Theodore aimed his right fist, now a blazing inferno, at Oscar’s head.
“Salem will reward me handsomely for your death. Farewell Ozpin.”
Oscar could only observe in slow motion as Theodore’s fist came towards his face, getting larger and larger. It reminded Oscar of the bonfire he and his friends had made by a river that went through the family farm, drinking the moonshine they’d raided from his uncle and aunt’s cellar, him and his friends dancing around the bonfire singing and howling into the night sky; his girlfriend, Meta with the firelight caught in her chrome hair, resting her head on his shoulder. Oscar found himself clinging to the memory as Theodore’s fist took up more of Oscar’s vision drawing closer…and closer…and a sudden boom filled the hall, its force knocking Theodore over. As Oscar got up, he saw Frank follow Yang as she disappeared down the elevator shaft by the statue. A moment after they’d disappeared, an explosion blew open the doors to the hall, and three figures emerged from the dust. To Oscar’s shock, all of them were Faunus: two cats and a monkey Faunus. Behind them he saw what appeared to be scores, maybe hundreds of bodies littering the courtyard outside. Faunus bearing the uniforms of the White Fang were being led away by members of the Mistrali Security Forces. To his right he heard Theodore stammer in terror and saw him flee. Oscar was about to give chase when Ozpin mumbled in his mind.
‘I shouldn’t bother…Salem…doesn’t take failure lightly’.
Oscar descended the steps, his body stiff from both the fighting, and the sight of these three Faunus. He’d never met one, but his aunt and uncle had always talked about their savagery and barbarism, and about how they carried all sorts of diseases because of their animal features and lack of bathing. Although these three did look worn and dirty, Oscar couldn’t help but wonder if that it was more a result of the battle they’d just been in outside; he noticed that neither himself, nor the others looked much better, and that was an improvement from the assault on the Branwen tribe. To Oscar’s surprise, the others were all staring in shock at two of the Faunus, the boy with a yellow monkey tail, and the girl with long black hair and matching cat ears.
“Blake?!” Ruby and Weiss squealed in unison.

Chapter Text

A large convoy of trucks rumbled down the old gravel road. Sitting in the lead truck were Blake Belladona, her parents Ghira and Kali, and friend Sun Wukong. Behind them were trucks carrying the personnel and equipment of the recently formed Menagerie Militia. Blake felt like butterflies were fluttering in her stomach as she thought about the prospect of facing Adam Taurus, a man she’d once admired, even loved. It didn’t help that at their last meeting, during the Fall of Beacon, he stabbed her in the abdomen and cut off the right arm of her friend Yang Xiao Long. Blake remembered the terror that engulfed her as she carried an unconscious Yang through burning buildings, killer robots, and roaming Grimm. Although Sun and his team had been able to find the two of them and get them to safety, she never understood why Adam had allowed her to escape; she was wounded and carrying an unconscious girl who was losing a lot of blood - Adam would have had no issues catching them, yet he hadn’t. Now she was travelling with two thousand Faunus to face him and the White Fang once again. To stop them from recreating the Fall of Beacon.
“Hey.” Sun poked her left shoulder. “Remnant to Blake… Hello…”
Blake gave a start, her cat ears stiffening as she suddenly emerged from her thoughts. She noticed Sun had a look of pure delight on his face and was pointing to his scroll. On it was a message from Neptune and it read: ‘HOLY SHIT!! You’re heading to Mistral?! Where’ll u be in nxt few days? We’ll meet up to help u’. Blake smiled at the thought of getting assistance from the rest of Sun’s team. Being Huntsmen with actual experience, they would be invaluable in any fight against the White Fang and, being Humans, they might be able to placate any Humans’ prejudices.
“Text him back. Let him know we’ll be just south of Lake Matsu in a couple of days. About 10kms outside Cherrie,” Blake replied. True to Blake’s word, the Menagerie Militia reached the southern side of Lake Matsu two days later. Sun had told Blake about the enormity of the lake, about how it seemed like a landlocked ocean, and she hoped the sight of the floating islands that dotted the lake’s southern side would provide some respite for them all. However, no sooner had the convoy halted for the night than a score of Mistrali airships flew directly overhead, followed by several more from the direction of the lake. Soon they were all hovering over and around the convoy like mosquitoes. Soldiers wielding light machine guns and rocket launchers knelt on the upper and lower decks of the airships which were themselves bristling with all manner of heavy machine guns, rockets, missiles, and lasers; each one a flying destroyer, their weapons pointed menacingly at the convoy below. For a minute, no one dared move. Blake and her parents had informed the militia that they’d likely receive a reception such as this, but it mystified her as to why they were all silent.
“What are they waiting for? What do they want?” Sun hissed.
“I don’t know,” Blake replied, murmuring.
“They’re the vanguard for our reception committee,” Ghira said. “Their commanding officer must be coming here - hopefully to talk - and they want us to wait.”
Sun pointed at an airship directly above them. “So…then why don’t they say so?”
Blake’s cat ears picked up the small sounds of men shuffling their positions, guns moving slightly, but deliberately. The look on parents’ faces told her they’d noticed as well, eyes fixed on that airship.
“Mr Wukong, don’t point. They might take that as a threat and shoot,” Ghira growled softly. Sun slowly lowered his hand. Ghira continued, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my decades of activism: it’s that when people point guns at you, they expect you to stop in your tracks.” Sun opened his mouth to speak but Ghira cut him off. “There is a time and place for choosing not to give in to such a threat, and this is not one of them. We’ll have to wait.”
A minute later, one of the airships descended in front of the truck Sun and the Belladonnas had been in and a man stepped out, his gun held firmly in both hands, seemingly ready to shoot any of them without hesitation.
“Who is in charge here?!” he barked.
Blake’s father stepped forward. “I am. I’m Ghira Belladonna, chieftain of Menagerie, and leader of the Menagerie Militia. We’re here to help you.”
“Prince Egamon demands you present yourself to him and explain the meaning of all this. At once.”
“Very well. Blake, come with me.”
The Mistrali soldier stuck his arm out, blocking Blake. “Only you are to come with us,” he snarled at Ghira.
“My daughter possesses an enormous amount of information on the White Fang, and their plan. It would be wise if you let her come with us,” Ghira said patiently.
The Mistrali soldier began talking into his handheld radio. A few minutes later he turned to two other soldiers on the airship and ordered them to search Blake and Ghira. Blake knew she had no choice but to give them her weapon and resign herself to being searched. The soldier searching her pulled out her scroll and dropped it in a small bag. After it was done, she and Ghira were escorted into the airship. But once the airship had taken flight two Huntsmen roughly grabbed her and tried forcing cuffs on her arms.
“HEY! WHAT THE FUCK?!” Blake shrieked out, trying to resist.
“Just let them, Blake!” Ghira called out, his voice sounding muffled. “We need them to trust us.” Reluctantly, Blake stopped struggling and allowed them to cuff her, everything went black for Blake as a sack was roughly forced over her head. The flight felt long, but Blake had no way of telling how long. All she did know was that they kept her lying on the floor of the airship throughout the flight.

Finally, the airship seemed to slow, descend, and touch down; someone roughly pulled Blake up onto her feet and forced her to march. Rough hands grabbed her arms and held her tightly, led her - through what, Blake wasn’t entirely sure, but she felt it was probably a military base or headquarters. Her cat ears picked up all sorts of sounds: vehicles driving in the distance, the thud of mechs, the marching of soldiers, shouts, barked orders, and the roar of airships flying overhead. After marching through well-tread dirt, Blake noticed the ground became harder for what felt like a few minutes before she was forced into a chair. Blake winced when light flooded her vision as the sack was torn off, a moment later everything seemed to come into focus: Blake noticed her father was on her left and also seated, in front of them was a table with a holographic display of what appeared to be the southern side of Lake Matsu, but there were no indications of how far she was now from the militia, on the other side of the display were several men and women in ornate, brightly coloured uniforms; some wore intricately carved breastplates over their uniforms whilst others sported rows of large badges that almost covered the entirety of their chests. Each one of them sported epaulettes of gold or silver that covered their shoulders. One woman had her face tilted up, her nose pointed at the roof, regarding Blake and Ghira with a mixture of disdain and aloofness; two men had their chests puffed out. Flanking them were two Huntsmen on either side, weapons drawn. In the centre was a man with long curly black hair, a close-trimmed beard and moustache, and cold black eyes. The kingdom’s crest made out of pale sapphires sat in the centre of his breastplate, which was intricately carved with flowers made of rose gold, their stems wrapped around swords made of platinum. Resting under one arm was his helmet, a mask made of gold attached to it, bearing a remarkable semblance to himself.
“Prince Egamon,” Ghira said formally, rising from his seat and bowing. Blake hurried to follow suit; when she noticed her father continued standing, she chose to as well.
“Tell me, Chieftain Ghira, why has an army of 2000 Faunus landed on my shores? We have received no diplomatic messages, no emissaries, nothing to herald your arrival.”
“Your highness, I did dispatch a messenger to Mistral, to warn you of Adam Taurus’ intentions. Unfortunately, it’s now apparent my messenger was intercepted,” Ghira explained patiently.
One of the men with a puffed-up chest gave a derisive snort. “Do you expect us to believe you? Your Grace, this creature right here was merely trying to slink through the forests, like a cat in grass.”
“Your highness, we’re here to help protect your kingdom and its people from Adam Taurus’ plan to recreate the Fall of Beacon. You know of me and my wife’s lifelong activism through passive resistance. We’ve never endorsed violence, you know this,” Ghira said.
“Be that as it may, as I recall, the apple had fallen far from the tree.” Prince Egamon said, turning to Blake, his voice becoming accusatory. “You joined the White Fang under Sienna Khan, when it embraced violence against our rule, and you were placed under the direct tutelage of Adam Taurus.”
Blake felt the colour drain from her cheeks; dread seemed to creep down her body like icy water. The prince continued. “You then seemingly disappeared without a trace, only to pop up again at Beacon Academy. Partnered with the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company no less. A year later, Beacon Academy is reduced to rubble and tens of thousands of people die. You then disappear again only to appear here, leading a host of armed Faunus into my kingdom.”
Blake felt herself whither beneath his hateful gaze, but she noticed that many of the other officers gave her looks worse than hate, many seemed almost hostile towards their presence. Blake wanted to speak up, to tell them emphatically that she left the White Fang when she became horrified at the methods they used, that she never knew about the White Fang’s plans for Beacon Academy or Vale, that she despised Adam Taurus, that a Human had tried to protect her from him, and how she’d carried her friend’s unconscious body away from him. But she was unable to meet the prince’s gaze, all she could do was stare at the floor, too scared to make a sound. Suddenly Blake felt her father’s hand on her shoulder, startling her out of her reverie.
“You’re right, my daughter did join under Sienna Khan, and she was taught by Adam Taurus. But she had left the organisation well before the Fall of Beacon and has actively resisted Adam Taurus’ schemes ever since then. Often putting her own life on the line for it.”
Warmth seemed to flow from her father’s hand on Blake’s shoulder, counteracting the cold dread that encapsulated her. However, the prince and his staff seemed unmoved, a few even shared smirks or gave derisive snorts. Unfazed, Ghira continued. “Blake has fought alongside other Humans and has been able to convince other Faunus to leave the White Fang and they, in turn, have informed us of Adam Taurus’ plans. We’re here to help you.”
“Your highness, we shouldn’t be listening to these animals. You should have them executed and then have their little army slaughtered.” One of the prince’s officers said.
“Steady yourself, Colonel. We shall do that, only if necessary.” Prince Egamon replied before he turned back to Ghira. “If this White Fang attack is the reason, you are here, you must have evidence, no?”
Blake rose to meet their gaze. She spoke slowly and timidly, “My scroll has all the evidence, but it was taken from me when I was searched.”
Prince Egamon turned to one of his officers and whispered in his ear. The officer left the room only to return a few minutes later, gingerly holding Blake’s scroll. He tossed it to her before he left again, muttering about having to wash his hands. Blake opened her scroll and brought the information onto her screen. Prince Egamon and his officers peered at the scroll’s screen.
“Guards, take these two outside.” Commanded Prince Egamon.
Before Blake could utter a word, she was forcefully cuffed, and a sack was pulled over her head again. She felt herself being led outside, then forced onto her knees. There she remained, for how long, Blake had no idea. Suddenly she felt herself being roughly pulled up onto her feet and led back into the room with the prince and his officers. Blake had her sack taken off again, after adjusting to the sudden light, she realised that Prince Egamon stood before her and Ghira, his officers behind him. Some still looked angry or almost hostile, but a couple looked inquisitive as if there was something they wanted to see play out before revealing their own thoughts.
“We have analysed the information you’ve provided and it…appears legitimate. Despite this, most of the officers on my staff say I shouldn’t believe you. However, I’m inclined to give your…volunteers a chance. I’ll be happy to use them in the defence of my kingdom, but all guns and ranged weapons, along with all ammunition and Dust will need to be surrendered to us.”
Blake blinked in shock at the prince, turning to her father she could see he was equally dumbfounded.
“Your highness, surely you don’t mean this.” Blake pleaded, rising out of her chair. Immediately all of the officers drew pistols from their sides and the four Huntsmen immediately stepped between Blake and Ghira and the prince, their weapons pointed at Blake. “Adam Taurus will have filled his ranks with loyal extremists who were at Vale and Beacon Academy. They’ll be well prepared for any fight. Without our guns, it’ll be a massacre. The militia won’t stand a chance!”
Prince Egamon merely shrugged. “Yet you came here to place your lives on the line for us.”
“We came to help you defend your kingdom! Not to throw away our lives!” Blake shouted. As she took a step forward, a Huntress darted directly in front of Blake, her two Gladius swords pointed at Blake’s throat.
“I’m sorry your highness, but I must agree with my daughter. Especially since most of our volunteers only brought guns with them.” Ghira said.
Prince Egamon smirked. “You can either accept this condition or I’ll take the advice of my staff and have your little militia slaughtered.”
“And if we decided to turn back and go home?” Blake snarled.
Prince Egamon’s eyes gleamed with malice. “Then our response will be the same.”
Ghira silently nodded in agreement. Blake clenched her fists, and gritted her teeth, unable to look at Prince Egamon or his staff, not because they scared her; now she was worried she would attack them if she did look at them.
“What about my weapon? And a friend of mine’s, Sun Wukong? We’ve been training to become Huntsmen.” Blake said, struggling to remain polite.
“We’ll have all of the ammunition and Dust for your weapons. Furthermore, we’ll provide melee weapons to those without any, and shields to those who want them.” Prince Egamon responded. He then waved for them to be dismissed.
Once again, Blake and Ghira were cuffed, and sacks were pulled over their heads before being led back to an airship.

They flew for an indeterminate amount of time before landing and being released back to the militia. Blake and Ghira gathered everyone around and explained the situation: how the Mistrali Defence Force will only agree to allow them safe passage to Mistral and take on their help if all the militia’s guns, ammunition, and Dust are handed over to the Mistrali Defence Force. Groans, dark murmurs, and shouts immediately broke out amongst the militia.
“Don’t they realise we’re here to HELP?!” a Faunus with deer antlers shouted.
“Everyone please, calm down.” Ghira cried out. He stood on top of a truck that was carrying supplies for the militia, a megaphone in his hand. “If we’re to help make things right for Faunus all over Remnant, then we need to help Humans protect their homes here in Mistral, and we can’t do that if they won’t let us. If we give them our guns, ammunition, and Dust, they’ll ensure we reach the city of Mistral safely.”
Slowly, little by little, the members of the Menagerie Militia reluctantly surrendered their guns, ammunition, and Dust to the Mistrali Defence Force, who piled it all in trucks and drove it away. After Sun gave up the Dust to his gun-chucks, he skulked over to Blake.
“Why the fuck are we doing this? Do these holier-than-thou arseholes actually want us to get killed?” Sun grumbled.
Blake wasn’t sure how to respond, she was inclined to think the Mistrali Defence Force did want to get them all killed. She noticed Ilia, a young chameleon Faunus with a tan complexion, grey eyes and brown hair done up in a waist-long ponytail walking up to them, when Ilia reached them, she crossed her arms and gave a frustrated sigh.
“Typical Humans. Even when we’re just wanting to help, they don’t trust us.” Ilia said exasperatedly.
Blake replied, “Come on…not all Humans are like that. My teammates at Beacon were all Humans and they mostly accepted me.”
“Mostly?” Ilia asked pointedly.
“Weiss took a bit of work to warm up to, but in the end, she changed her mind on Faunus and became a close friend,” Blake said reassuringly.
“All of my teammates are Humans as well. And they’re nothing like these jerks in the MDF.” Sun said.
“I await them with bated breath,” Ilia said, a small smile on her face.
After the last truck carrying said equipment had departed, the remaining Mistrali Defence Force personnel boarded their airships and ascended into the sky, allowing the militia to make camp for the night. Although the airships hovered high above them, Blake’s cat ears could still hear them, especially when any of them moved around. When the militia packed up camp and continued towards Mistral the next day, Blake couldn’t help but notice when any airships flew past, the heavily armed soldiers aboard them were facing the convoy itself, not the area around them. Despite Prince Egamon’s promises of safe passage and her father’s reassurances, Blake could see that not a single Human trusted them. Despite this, the convoy carried on without delay until the evening when they decided to make camp at an ancient, abandoned castle. As Blake and Ilia were helping pitch tents, Sun came running over to them, three Humans close behind. One of them had messy light blue hair, styled in an undercut, a gun slung over his back; the second, a tall man with dark skin, sage green hair and tattoos on his neck and chest and a large sword strapped to his back; while the third man was slightly shorter than Neptune with red hair that went down and covered his right eye, the other side sporting an undercut and pale skin, a cutlass strapped to his belt.
“Look, Blake! Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet!” Sun whooped.
Overjoyed to see them, Blake leapt into their embrace.
“Guys! How have you been doing?!” she squealed with delight.
“Not too bad,” Neptune responded. Although Blake noticed all three of them looked haggard, with dark shadows under their eyes, and stubble or small beards were beginning to grow. Upon noticing Ilia, Neptune quickly ran a hand through his hair, his voice becoming deeper and smoother. “Blake, you never told us you had a sister.”
Blake screwed up her face, befuddled. “That's because I don’t. We’re not related.”
Sage and Scarlet roared with laughter. “Someone said it in an Earth movie we watched a while ago. He’s been trying to use it on girls ever since.” Sage explained between laughs. Blake, Ilia, and Sun joined Sage and Scarlet in their laughter.
“Are you guys done yet?” Neptune asked flatly through gritted teeth.
“I’m flattered,” Ilia explained between chuckles, “But…let's…just say…you’re not my type.”
Neptune fixed her with a vacant look. “You…aren’t into Humans?”
“No. I’m not into men.”
Everyone but Neptune burst into laughter again, forcing his face to turn as deep red as his shirt.
“Well, I’m going to lead these guys over to the mess tent for some hot grub,” Sun said after the laughter subsided. “You two want to join us?”
“No thanks. Me and Ilia are going to have a bit of a girl’s night.” Blake explained.
“OOOH! Better step up your game Sun, seems Blake is looking elsewhere.” Neptune teased.
Ilia’s freckles turned bright pink, while Blake rolled her eyes. “Get your head out of the gutter. I didn’t mean anything like that.”

Blake and Ilia wandered through the ancient ruins, peering into decrepit rooms, and searching through empty halls. Despite the inky black of night, the two of them were able to wander through the ruins using a mixture of moonlight and their night vision. Although Ilia was somewhat reluctant to go into the ancient ruins, Blake felt intrigued to explore them, and both of them agreed it was a chance for them to just hang out together, maybe for the last time. Blake couldn’t help but wonder how her teammates would act while in an ancient castle like this: Ruby would probably be bored of the whole thing; Weiss would be intrigued, but anxious about entering something that appeared so unstable and covered in moss and dirt; and Yang would be all over the place: in a grand hall, she’d probably pretend to be a stuffy aristocrat dancing stiffly, she’d probably march like a soldier along a corridor, in a room she’d probably use the stone walls to practice her punches. Blake giggled at the thought of her friends, but the warmth in her faded when she thought of Yang. Blake figured Yang would probably hate her now after having abandoned Yang, despite her having almost died to protect her, Blake. The others would hate her too, after she left them. Despite this, Blake desperately wished to see them again, she remembered a day they once had at the beach: Ruby swimming in the sea, sometimes imitating a turtle, sometimes a porpoise, other times swimming like an actual person, all while wearing the goofiest pair of swimming goggles Blake had ever seen; Weiss would lie on a beach chair, covered in sunblock, wearing a luxury brand of sunglasses from Earth, and reading a book; Yang alternating between sunbathing and swimming, whenever she sunbathed Yang’s hair shone like the sun was caught in it, and whenever she swam, she’d come out with a laugh in her lilac eyes and water glistening on her newly-tanned skin, accentuating her golden hair and lilac eyes. Blake felt herself blush at the memory; she wanted to see them all again, but butterflies fluttered in her stomach whenever the prospect of how they would all react to her loomed in her mind like a giant shadow. Ilia’s voice snapped Blake out of her own mind.
“Blake…Blake…”
Blake followed Ilia’s voice into a pitch-black hall, too large to be an ordinary room, but too small to be a grand hall like she’d found earlier. ‘Maybe in this room, a king or queen kept court’, Blake thought. Ilia was standing next to an intricately carved wall, her voice sounded, hollow, distant, and dark.
“Come look at this.”
As Blake approached, she realised that the carvings on the wall were a petroglyph, the moonlight illuminating some, while Blake’s night vision picked out the others. It depicted the people of what Blake presumed were the people of a kingdom these ruins belonged to, fighting against another kingdom, the people of this one appeared to have animal appendages: tails, dog or cat ears, horns, antlers, a couple of them even had wings. As Blake followed it along, the petroglyph changed to depict those Faunus being subjugated and slaughtered; their lands being taken by Humans. Blake’s stomach felt hot and acidic as if she wanted to throw up. Turning away, she noticed Ilia appeared both disgusted and disgruntled.
“You have to admit it’s…really twisted how…we’ve suffered under Humanity’s boot for centuries, millennia even, but we’re the ones who have to protect them…from the people who want to liberate us,” Ilia muttered darkly, her eyes blazing with rage, her freckles having turned bright red.
“I get it, Ilia. It seems surreal, but not every Human hates us. You’ve met Sun’s teammates, they’re willing to put their lives on the line with us; and I know that Ruby, Weiss, and Yang would do the same.”
“They seem to be the exceptions. Ever since the Fall of Beacon things have only gotten worse for Faunus. You must have heard the rumours about internment camps across Anima and western Samus. About the abuse Faunus has had to endure in those…places.” Ilia shivered. “I don’t want to know what’s been going on in Atlas, or the rest of Solitas for that matter. And yet, why didn’t the Fall of Beacon work? Ever since the White Fang chose violence, we’d been getting the recognition and rights we had otherwise been denied. Things were changing for the better.”
“Because the White Fang had never tried changing the hearts and minds of Humans. They’d only just used Humanity’s own prejudices against them. If all you do is scare people, eventually they’re going to hit a breaking point.” Blake said.
“Hang on.” Ilia hissed. “Are you saying it’s our fault, what’s happening to Faunus around the world?!”
“What?!! NO!! I-I really-I misspoke, Ilia, sorry. I meant to say that we need them to accept us, not fear us. The progress Faunus around the world saw thanks to a violent White Fang, wasn’t going to last.”
Ilia snorted. “That’s funny, I could have sworn the fearmongering was being enacted by Humans trying to keep us, Faunus, down…AND they started all this violence. Millenia ago.”
“They have Ilia, you’re absolutely right. That’s why we need to change the minds of Humans in Mistral in the next few days.” Blake replied emphatically. “Once we’ve changed the minds of Humans, we’ll change their hearts, then, and only then, will we be able to build a brighter future for both Faunus and Humans.”
“I hope you’re right, Blake,” Ilia said as she surveyed the petroglyph once more. “I hope you’re right.”
The two of them left the ruins a few minutes later after Ilia admitted she couldn’t bear to look at the petroglyphs any longer. The next day, the Menagerie Militia continued its journey to Mistral, stopping to make camp several more times, until finally, they were half a day’s drive from the city. As the dawn sun rose, illuminating one side of the twin mountains, the militia’s camp was a hub of activity, people scoffing down their breakfast, people pulling down tents, rolling up sleeping bags, and many checking their weapons with infuriated or even disgusted looks on their faces. Blake and Ilia sat around a small campfire wolfing down breakfast with Team SSSN.
Ilia looked at Sun’s teammates. “You three believe us, don’t you? About Adam Taurus’ plans to attack Mistral?”
Sage, Scarlet and Neptune all nodded.
“So, one thing that’s been bothering me is why haven’t you three taken an airship and shot back to Mistral to try and warn anyone? Or just to keep an eye on the city walls?”
Sage drooped his head. “Since the Fall of Beacon, all Huntsmen in Mistral have been contracted by the Crown to protect the kingdom. We…hadn’t been able to attain permission to leave Mistral, so our contract was terminated, and we can’t utilise the MDF resources we’d once had access to. We’ve had to make our way to you and back the same way you all have.”
Blake patted Sage on the shoulder, while Ilia shook her head. “Pity, maybe we could have changed our plans.”
“Speaking of which, what are your plans, exactly?” asked Scarlet.
“I’ll explain soon, after breakfast,” Blake said.

True to her word, Blake, holding the megaphone, stood with her parents on the top of their truck, while everyone in the militia gathered around them.
“Alright everyone, let’s go over the plan one more time! Chief Ghira, Ilia, the members of Team SSSN, and I will each take 200 volunteers and go through the tunnels in the mountains! My mother will hang back with about 100 others to tend to the wounded, and we’ll hold 500 of you back as reservists and to bring us supplies of food and water.”
Blake noticed Sage, Scarlet, and Neptune exchange looks of utter shock at the mention of tunnels. Knowing that Sun would be able to explain things to them, she continued.
“The White Fang will try to evacuate through those tunnels before they’ve set off the bombs on Mistral’s Cross-Continental Transmit tower, so there may be a fight for them. When we’ve secured the tunnels, those who haven’t become…casualties, and those who aren’t tending to them will regroup at Haven Academy and eliminate any White Fang still there! If you come across Adam Taurus, DON’T BE A HERO!! Notify whoever’s in charge of your group, and let us”, she pointed at herself, Ghira, and Team SSSN, “handle him! Are there any questions?!”
Blake saw a young man with rams’ horns gingerly raise his right hand into the air. Despite his tall size, broad chest, and large shoulders, he seemed almost timid, as if he was trying to make himself appear small. Blake indicated that he could speak.
“M-M-Miss…Belladonna…my name’s Mata…my…my older brother is in the White Fang. He-He-He’s probably…in Mistral…You said a few weeks ago that we’ll try to apprehend the White Fang without killing them or without violence if it could be helped, so how are we going to do that? Especially without our guns and Dust?”
Blake fell silent, unable to answer. Standing on top of a truck, surrounded by 2000 pairs of eyeballs made her feel exposed and alone. ‘But you’re not alone,’ she thought, ‘You have your parents to guide you and friends to help you. Now you have 2000 people who are looking to you for leadership…so LEAD’.
“I know that when going through the tunnels, forcing them to surrender will be difficult without guns and Dust, so what we’ll do is ambush some of the White Fang as they leave through the tunnels and take their Dust!”
“What about their guns?!” yelled a woman with the ears and tail of a wolf.
Blake’s cat ears picked up the sudden shuffling of men and equipment on the airships above. ‘They’re listening to us,’ she realised. Although she’d always suspected they were, the revelation still unnerved her.
“NO! We won’t be using their guns! I order you not to use the guns of any White Fang we apprehend! Use the shields we’ve been provided for protection!” Blake responded.
Some people around the Belladonnas began muttering darkly again, shaking their heads in disbelief while others murmured amongst each other, some pointed at the airships that hovered overhead.
“Everyone PLEASE!” Blake called out. “If we want Humans to respect us, this is how we can get it! By showing Humans that there’s no reason to fear us, we’ll change their minds and their hearts! THAT is how we’ll make things better for Faunus around the world! Not through violence and fear, things the White Fang are using now; but through mutual respect and compassion!”
Blake noticed her speech seemed to have eased the militia somewhat and the convoy once more made the final leg of its journey to Mistral. But instead of driving into the city, the convoy veered off the road and made for the western side of the city, where the tunnel entrances at the feet of the twin mountains lay, which Blake realised also left them a day’s ride from Lake Matsu. Soon the convoys were as close to the mouths of these tunnels as Ghira would allow. Everyone began jumping out of their trucks and forming into groups of fighters, reservists, and medics; Kali walked over to Blake and hugged her.
“Please, please, please be careful Blake.” Kali pleaded, squeezing her daughter tightly.
“Ow…Mum…I’ll be careful, I swear.” Blake mumbled.
Sun snickered behind Kali before she turned around and hugged him tightly as well, whispering in his ear to look out for himself and his friends. Blake noticed Sun go slightly red in the face and was relieved to see her father had pretended not to notice. Standing to one side, Ilia observed it all with a melancholic expression, until Kali turned and tightly embraced Ilia.
“Oh…you too Ilia, be careful dear. I’m sure your parents would be so proud of you.” Kali said, giving her an encouraging smile.
When Kali released Ilia, Blake noticed tears running down her cheeks. “Thank you, Mrs Belladonna.”
Kali offered to hug Sage, Scarlet, and Neptune farewell, but they politely declined, so Ghira and Kali shared a final, and in Blake’s opinion: overly passionate, kiss before Kali joined the reservists and other medics in some forestry far from the tunnel mouths.
Ilia led the remaining militiamen to the tunnel mouths, which were covered by the dense foliage that had grown there in the past few centuries. Just outside the tunnel mouths, however, were scores, maybe even a couple hundred motorbikes and quads.
“Wouldn’t someone in the city have heard the sound of a couple hundred motorbikes?” Blake muttered, puzzled.
Sage shook his head. “There’s barely anyone left in the lower districts of the city now, and patrolling airships are focused on anything outside the city walls. If these guys came in small groups, no one would have noticed.”
Blake, Ghira, Ilia, and Team SSSN each took 200 militiamen under their command and made their way into the tunnels. Wanting to lead by example, Blake took the lead of her group and scaled the vast upwards tunnel. Despite the only light in the tunnels being the afternoon sun that came through the tunnel mouths, it was no issue for the Faunus as their natural night vision allowed them to scale up the tunnels with ease. It took them several hours of scurrying up a dark, ancient, and well-worn tunnel with the occasional quick stop for food, water, and rest, until finally, Blake sighted moonlight gleaming through, encouraging the rest of her dogged volunteers, they reached the exit. Pushing open the gate, Blake climbed out into the cool night air, the chilly wind blowing through her long hair as she helped the others out, before she was reunited with Ilia, Neptune, and Sun, moonlight illuminating the militia and their surroundings.
“I...think we’re in the upper districts, just below Haven Academy itself if I’m not mistaken,” Neptune said, gazing around.
“I agree. That looks like one of the campus’ viewing platforms for the whole city” Murmured Sun as he pointed to a large balcony above them.
Now following Neptune and Sun, the Menagerie Militia wound its way up towards the campus, regrouping with Ghira, Sage, and Scarlet, along with their attendant militiamen.
“I’ve heard from Prince Egamon, he’s promised us air support. They’ll be here soon.” Ghira whispered to Blake, Ilia, and Team SSSN.
“But he’s not going to commit any of the tens of thousands of soldiers or dozens of Huntsmen he has at his command,” Ilia observed flatly.
“No matter. We carry on as planned.” Ghira murmured.

The Menagerie Militia made its ascent to Haven Academy and then moved through the campus as quietly as their large numbers would allow. As they got closer to the Cross-Continental Transmit tower, Sun hurried over to Blake.
“We’re coming up on the CCT tower. There’s the main hall for Haven.” Sun whispered, pointing to an enormous hall that loomed over a large courtyard.
Blake nodded before whispering to Ilia, “Ilia, take about half your group and head towards the Cross-Continental Transmit tower, take out any White Fang guarding it and work on defusing those bombs.” Ilia nodded and stealthily hurried off with some of her militiamen. Blake turned to the rest of the militia. “The rest of you are to follow behind me slowly and fan out around the courtyard. If we can surround the White Fang, we might be able to force a surrender.” Hoping to distract Adam while Ilia defused the bombs and the rest of the militia spread out around the courtyard, Blake stealthily jumped onto a nearby rooftop and then leapt between several buildings, quickly making her way to the courtyard. Bending low, she crept across the rooftop of the last building before the courtyard. The moonlight illuminated the grounds below: a single big water fountain bearing the kingdom’s crest stood in the centre, while a rectangular formation of manicured hedges was set around the courtyard’s boundaries. Blake saw the hooded and sleeveless white coats of the White Fang, their faces hidden behind pale white half-masks, wielding machine guns, and automatic rifles as they roamed around the courtyard. But Blake felt her heartbeat like a rabbit when she saw him: although he wore the half-mask of his subordinates, he didn’t wear the white hooded coat, instead, his windswept auburn hair streaked with red, almost hiding his horns, was displayed for all to see. Distinct amongst the white of his subordinates, over a red shirt was a black long-sleeve blazer with the image of a wilting rose emblazoned on the back, and black dress pants. At his belt was a small rifle that Blake knew doubled as a scabbard for his red-bladed sword. Adam Taurus was here.

Adam paced back and forth; his face drenched in a cold sweat. Everything had gone smoothly so far, but the bombing of the tower had been brought far too forward for his liking. He hadn’t been able to round up the numbers he’d intended, nor had he been able to amass any Grimm like he had for the Fall of Beacon. The Human, Cinder Fall had twisted his arm and forced them all to pick up the pace. Suddenly he heard a voice, it seemed distant, but it was there. A moment later it became louder and clearer, bringing him out of his thoughts.
“Supreme Leader, calm down. Things are going precisely as planned. Cinder and her team are keeping those meddling humans distracted while we prepare to deliver the punishment this city deserves.”
Adam spun around, realising it was Pythagoras, his lieutenant: a large man with a tan complexion, a full-face mask, and a long black snake tattoo on his left arm that stretched from his shoulder down and under his metal gauntlet. “It’s not our mission I’m worried about. It’s what those humans are up to. Cinder had us assist her with Beacon remember? But she never told us what she wanted. Two huntsmen academies in the space of a year, but why?! What do they hope to gain from this?”
“But we now have the means to truly punish these humans for their transgressions. Is that not enough?” Pythagoras asked.
“I’m still risking Faunus lives for a human cause. A cause that despite Cinder’s promises, still hasn’t allowed us to pursue our true objectives. For a year I’ve pondered, why us? She could have utilised any Human supremacist groups or even bandit tribes, but she chose us, the White Fang. Why?” Adam said quizzically.
“Perhaps these are questions we should have asked her long ago.”
Adam nodded before he looked away, hoping to hide the fear on his face from his lieutenant. He remembered how upon refusing her demands to bring the plan forward, Cinder brought out a Grimm with an orb for a head and six long thin red tentacles. He didn’t know how, but it was able to hover off the ground. Adam hugged himself as he remembered how five of the tentacles had suddenly sprung to life, ensnaring his neck and limbs, and how a voice: soft, but cold and terrible had emanated from it, telling him he would do it.
Pythagoras’ voice broke through Adam’s thoughts again. “Supreme Leader, are you alr-”
“I’m fine!” Adam snapped.
The other White Fang spun around to look at him in confusion. Adam took a deep breath and regained his composure.
“The sooner we’re out of this damnable city, the better. Are we ready?” he asked.
Before Pythagoras could respond there was a thunderous crash from the main hall behind them, the bone-chilling roar of a monstrous Grimm erupted from within it. The White Fang close to the hall slowly backed away from the building, guns pointed at the hall doors.
“What sort of monstrosities are in there?” one of them yelled.
“Stay focused!” Adam roared in a commanding voice. He turned back to Pythagoras. “Are we ready?”
“Yes, the bombs are planted. We can begin evacuating the city.”
Adam was about to rally everyone to him when his eye caught something moving over the rooftop of the building just opposite them. The figure stood up, the moonlight illuminating her long black hair and cat ears. Adam felt his jaw drop and his stomach give a small somersault as he recognised her.
“ADAM!” Blake Belladonna yelled.

Blake gazed down on the White Fang below; immediately they raised their guns to her, but Adam stretched out his arms, and without hesitation, they lowered. Despite the half mask covering his eyes, Blake felt like his eyes were boring into her. Blake took a deep breath and put on a brave, defiant face, hoping that none of them could see her legs were trembling slightly. Suddenly Adam chuckled.
“Wait…Here you are yet again Blake! It seems you can’t get enough of me; I’m flattered! Lucky for you, I’m feeling generous tonight: if you’re here to re-join our cause, then jump down here and all will be forgiven!”
Blake shook her head before she projected her voice to the entire courtyard. “Stand down! This isn’t what’s right for the Faunus! Stop what you are doing! We can end this peacefully!”
Adam scowled. “Still deluded I see! Those humans have clouded your judgement and turned you against the White Fang! Against me! Your true family Blake!” Blake noticed his voice crack. “Everything I did for you! The mercy I showed you! And this is how you repay me?!!”
Blake’s eyes widened with shock, and the butterflies in her stomach seemed to suddenly burst into flames. “Hurting my friends?! Trying to kill me and my family?! That’s what you call mercy?!”
Adam’s voice suddenly went quiet, Blake had to almost strain to hear him. “I didn’t know you were in Menagerie.” Suddenly he roared with anger. “Your parents turned their backs on all Faunus outside Menagerie! They ABANDONED US!! As for your friends, isn’t one of them the heiress to that fucking Schnee company?! Are you Humanity’s pet now?! Do you purr whenever they scratch your ears?! My! My! How the brilliant Blake Belladonna has fallen!”
“Look at what I’ve risen above!” Blake retorted.
Adam shook his head. “You haven’t risen above anything! And you can’t stop us!”
“No, I can’t! Not by myself!” Blake retorted, raising her arms to indicate the militia men who had surrounded the courtyard.
“That’s why she didn’t come alone!” Sun shouted.
The Menagerie Militia emerged from the shadows. On one side stood Team SSSN, on the other stood Ghira and Ilia.
Blake noticed several White Fang members looked visibly shaken by the sudden appearance of the militia. Even from where she stood, Blake could see Adam appeared crestfallen at the sight of Ilia.
“Why?!...” he called out, his voice almost cracking as he said it.
“Stand down Adam…please!” Ilia begged.
One of the White Fang, a large man with ram’s horns lowered his gun as he called out in shock. “Mata?!”
Blake looked to where he was looking and noticed the young man with ram’s horns she’d spoken to before entering Mistral.
“Please Damien…don’t do this.” Mata pleaded.
“The White Fang has become blind; unable to distinguish right from wrong! But it’s not too late; surrender and we will forgive you.” Ghira called out, his arms outstretched as if he was about to embrace them. “Mistrali forces will be here soon! Let us end this peacefully!”
Adam seemed to regain his rage as he noticed Ghira. “SHUT UP TRAITOR! You and your wife turned your backs on all of us!” He roared before focusing on the rest of the militia. “What have Ghira’s words of peace and reconciliation accomplished? NOTHING! But look what we have achieved without him! The only reason Faunus have Menagerie, the only reason Faunus have any rights, and the only reason we have the respect of humans, is fear! They fear us! It’s not too late brothers and sisters! Break from the delusions the Belladonnas have fed you, join us! Let’s build the future we all deserve!”
The militiamen began to whisper amongst themselves. Adam continued.
“All across Remnant, Faunus are being forced to work for Human overlords and oppressors, forced to enact any profane acts those…bastards desire! Across Remnant our kind are being starved, beaten, tortured, and murdered! And now you’re being used to protect your oppressors! But I ask if you’re here to protect them, then WHERE ARE THEY?! Why aren’t they standing with you?”
Some militiamen started to look like they were beginning to agree with Adam, while others shook their heads in disgust and gripped their weapons tighter.
“It seems to me, the very Humans you’ve chosen to protect have abandoned you! To use you as shields…tools they’ll discard when they’ve finished with you.” Adam called out.
Sensing the growing division, Neptune stepped forward, placing a hand on Sun’s shoulder.
“What about these three humans that stand before you?! Side by side with the militia?! We stand with you, to create a better world for Humans and Faunus alike!”
“Neptune’s right!” Sun shouted. “There’s no need for violence! Stand down, and we can end this peacefully!”
The militia seemed to have been won over by these words. Blake felt the tension that had been building within her dissipate like a dead Grimm.
A large White Fang member with a snake tattoo on his left arm, Blake presumed Adam’s lieutenant, turned to him. “What are your orders, Supreme Leader?”
Blake noticed that Adam was silent, his head bowed slightly. After several moments Adam spoke again, his voice quivering with a mixture of rage and sorrow. “So that’s how it’s going to be?! Fine! Lieutenant, your orders are to evacuate half our number! The rest of us will buy you as much time as we can.”
The Lieutenant appeared shocked, he tried to protest. “Supreme Lead-”
“DO IT!” Adam roared. “If we’re to die as martyrs for the cause, so be it!”
Blake smirked. “I wouldn’t bother Adam. We sent Ilia to check out CCT tower, and not only has she found the bombs, but she was able to disarm them.”
Ilia pulled the bomb wires out of her pocket and thrust her hand in the air for everyone to see them. The crestfallen look on Adam’s face gave way to rage, his whole body shaking with anger. Suddenly a shot rang out, striking Adam in the face. Blake didn’t see where it came from, but it sounded like it came from somewhere just outside of the courtyard, from the direction of the militia. ‘But how, none of us are able to shoot, except for…’ Blake looked down at Sage, Scarlet, and Neptune; they all had their weapons out, but they were all in the melee stance, so it wasn’t them. Confused, Blake turned to see Adam stagger back up, his aura having protected him.
Adam roared. “OPEN FIRE!”
Obediently the White Fang began firing in any direction they saw the militia. Looking down, Blake realised with horror that the shields the Mistrali Defence Force had given them were futile against White Fang's powerful firearms. Shields would only take a few bullets before disintegrating, their wielders dropping dead in seconds. The entire militia and Team SSSN bolted for whatever cover they could find. True to Adam’s orders, his lieutenant took advantage of the militia’s desperation for cover to lead one half of the White Fang away from the fighting, throwing grenades and firing bursts of gunfire towards any militia that got in their way, they disappeared into the darkness seconds later. Desperate to distract the White Fang, Blake leapt into the courtyard and engaged Adam in a duel. Blows, blocks, thrusts, and parries were exchanged between them in a whirlwind of battle. But despite her best efforts, Blake realised that Adam was effortlessly parrying her blows while each one he dealt against her felt like a hammer slamming into her. Blake used her semblance to try and distract Adam, to land a strike to his head, but he seemed to foresee the attempt and ignored her shadow clone while unleashing a side kick into her abdomen. Blake collapsed to the ground. Adam grinned maliciously.
“Have you forgotten our training sessions, Blake? I taught you everything.” Adam sneered.
Blake barely had time to roll out of the way as Adam pounced on her, his red-bladed sword breaking the ground it struck. Blake sprung back up and thrust her sword towards Adam’s chest, but he deflected the strike effortlessly, before swinging the butt of his rifle into her face, knocking her back down. Blake pounced back up, barely able to raise her sword to block another blow from Adam; she desperately wanted to know what was going on around them, but Adam’s attacks were too fast and furious for her to afford to divert her attention for even a moment. As their blows clashed once again, faces so close to their blades they could have kissed each other, dread consumed Blake as she realised that Adam’s blade and body were glowing red. ‘I need to find some way for him to waste his shot, and quick’ Blake thought, trying to stave off the fear that threatened to grip her. Desperately Blake thrust her sword towards his chest while swinging her scabbard at his head, but Adam swerved away from both blows before striking both of her hands simultaneously with his sword, disarming her. As Blake scrambled for her sword, he landed blow upon blow on Blake’s back, knocking her to the ground. Blake’s entire body exploded with pain as if every fibre of her being was being lacerated simultaneously; Blake realised her aura had been broken. Adam raised his sword to deliver a final blow, only for Ilia to suddenly leap into their fray, her Lightning Dust-powered whip flailing around as she tried to land a blow on Adam. Several other militiamen leapt in to help her.
“We’ll handle him, Blake!” Ilia shouted
Grabbing both her sword and scabbard before crawling behind a small hedge, Blake looked around and saw the White Fang throwing grenades at any militiamen in cover while slaughtering any that dared break it. The courtyard was beginning to run red with blood and fires were beginning to climb up some of the surrounding buildings. Looking back at Adam and Ilia, she saw an ugly scowl on Adam’s face as the two duelled. None of the militia members seemed able to jump in and help. Ilia’s whip wrapped around the blade of Adam’s sword. Activating the Lightning Dust within, Ilia tried to electrocute the weapon, and by extension, Adam. As electricity crackled across Adam’s body, Blake realised he was glowing red. Blake barely had time to shout a warning to Ilia, to scream, to even move.
Like lightning, Adam wrenched his sword free of Ilia’s whip, he swung the sword in a horizontal arc and a wave of bright red energy burst from the blade. The energy wave sliced through Ilia, the militiamen that had been helping her, several other militiamen, and obliterated a two-storey building behind them. Ilia’s face was frozen in shock before her body split in two, collapsing to the ground as blood gushed out of both sides, collectively pooling around her.
“No!” Blake shrieked in horror.
Adam turned to face Blake, as he walked over to her; the inferno of a nearby burning building made his auburn hair seem alight like fire. No blood dripped off his blade, it didn’t need to strike Ilia, any of the militiamen, or the building that had been behind them. Blake forced herself back up, determined to face Adam one last time. As the two clashed once more, several Mistrali airships flew overhead, the soldiers inside immediately opening fire on the courtyard below; a cacophony of screams mixed with the roar of machine guns and explosions. Horrified, Adam broke off from Blake, a burst of machine gun fire forcing them both back. As Blake turned, she saw Adam retreat with the remaining White Fang, she noticed he glowed red whenever bullets struck him, or an explosion went off nearby. Although two airships were shot down by White Fang rockets and Adam sending another wave of red energy that sliced one in two; shocked and overwhelmed, Adam yelled for the remaining White Fang to beat a hasty retreat. As they fled, Blake spotted Sun trying to pursue him.
“Sun, wait!”
Sun turned to Blake, his arms wide in confusion. “But he’s getting away. We can’t let that happen, not after what he’s done. Besides, we can take him.”
“No…We can’t. He wants to lure us away so he can pick us off. We need to regroup and...”
Blake’s voice trailed off as she surveyed the courtyard: several of the surrounding buildings were engulfed in a roaring inferno while the bullet ridden or dismembered corpses of hundreds of Faunus, most of them members of the Menagerie Militia littered the courtyard, the roar of flames competing with the chorus of screams, shrieks, moans and groans of the wounded and dying; but one voice seemed to stand out amongst the rest: with shock, Blake realised it belonged to the sole the White Fang member who had stayed behind, he sobbed and cried as he cradled the broken and silent body of a young man with ram’s horns that matched his own; with horror, she realised it was Mata. Blake continued walking, despair flooding her mind, seemingly drowning out the chorus of despair that filled the courtyard, her heart seemed to sink into her stomach as she walked through the corpses, shattered shields, discarded guns, spent bullet cases, and blast craters that littered the courtyard over to Ilia’s remains, surrounded by a pool of congealed blood, her face frozen in shock. Blake felt grief wash over her like a cold shower, tears running down her cheeks, Blake sobbed softly.
“I convinced her to change sides. I convinced them all to come with me to save Mistral.” Blake sobbed.
Blake felt Sun place a hand on her shoulder, reaching up, she took his hand and squeezed it. Knowing that he was there, comforting her, made her feel warm inside. Blake remained kneeling before Ilia’s remains for a few minutes until a voice tore her from her reverie.
“Something happened at the main hall,” Scarlet called out, as he ran towards Blake and Sun. “But half an airship has blocked off the entrance.”
As they converged on the broken airship, Sage picked up the rocket launcher of a dead White Fang.
Stand back!” He yelled.
The rocket smashed into the airship, the force of the blast knocking the main hall’s entrance doors aside. Blake, Ghira, and Sun tentatively walked through the dust cloud, into the hall. Blake noticed that the top half of the hall had been obliterated, and two of the pillars had been destroyed. Small fires burned on an elevated platform above a large statue of a scantily clad woman. Blake felt her jaw drop as she noticed a man with messy blonde hair clad in armour, holding a sword and shield; a man with long black hair, holding two green pistols with daggers attached to them; a girl with short orange hair and wielding a large hammer; but Blake felt her heart skip a beat when she saw a pale skinned girl with white hair in a long ponytail, an enormous tear in her dress that was stained with blood, holding a rapier; and a girl with short red and black hair wearing a large red hooded cloak, holding an enormous scythe.
“Blake?!” Ruby and Weiss squealed in unison.

Chapter Text

The three women descended smoothly down the elevator; its shaft illuminated by a single continuous light. But this mattered little to Raven.
“Ow…mum…please. You’re squeezing me.” Vernal mumbled.
Raven’s voice quivered as she choked back tears. “When we get back home, we’re moving all your stuff into my quarters. That way…no one can ever…ever…kidnap you again.”
Letting go of her daughter, Raven noticed the needle marks on her arms. She gasped in horror.
“Did those bastards hurt you?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t feel anything…they just kept injecting me with something that put me to sleep.”
“I’m going to kill them. I swear I’ll kill all of them. Including Yang and my brother.” Raven fumed.
“Well perhaps if you had shown more conviction, and brought some of your tribesmen with you, that opportunity would have presented itself.” Cinder interjected haughtily.
Raven furiously rounded on Cinder. “And I said I will NOT have any more of my people die at the hands of that monster they’ve associated themselves with. Your Grimm have been sufficient.”
“You could barely contend with that boy in the green cloak.” Cinder responded waspishly. “If you had brought along some of your tribesmen, then perhaps they could have provided an opening for you to kill them.”
Raven was about to respond when the elevator came to halt, and all three gasped in awe at the sight that met them: an enormous cavern opened out, illuminated by what appeared to be millions of glow worms that shone like stars in the night sky. A large walkway, wide enough for 10 people abreast to march connected the landing platform over a yawning abyss to a large pillar of rock that stood in the middle of the cavern, at the centre of which, stood a golden doorway. The three women still slightly mesmerised by the sight that greeted them, strode forward, Cinder leading the way. As they made their way across, Raven tried to focus on how things would play out, all the varying scenarios: focusing especially on how both her and Vernal could make it out alive. But there were too many variables, too many scenarios that came to mind; the only constants appeared to be Cinder betraying them, and all of them were hazy beyond that. Desperate to keep her daughter alive, Raven chose to focus on saving Vernal even if it meant she herself didn’t make it, but things didn’t become much clearer. Vernal snapped Raven her out of her thoughts with a soft nudge. The rock loomed in front of them, as large as the hall they’d been in mere minutes before. Raven noticed the archways were covered in strange characters. Raven turned to Cinder.
“Do you know what any of that stuff says?”
“It’s the written language of a long-gone civilisation. I’m afraid even Salem has had trouble translating it.” Cinder responded.
Cinder turned to Vernal and indicated for her to open the doorway. Apprehensively, Vernal turned to look at Raven, who felt herself stiffen; she knew it was now or never, slowly Raven felt herself nodding. As Vernal stepped up to the doorway and extended her hand out towards it, Raven slowly placed a handle on the hilt of her ōdachi, her eyes locked on Cinder. Vernal took tentative steps towards the great golden doors. Cinder remained motionless, transfixed on Vernal. Hoping to avoid making eye contact, Raven made to look down at Cinder’s torso. Vernal extended an arm. Raven bent her knees, ready to pounce. Cinder casually placed her right hand into the long-left sleeve of her dress. Vernal placed a hand on the golden doorway. Raven darted towards Cinder, simultaneously drawing a pale blue Ice Dust blade from her ōdachi. But as she did so, Cinder suddenly flung three glass daggers at Raven. Raven screamed as her entire body exploded with pain, as if every fibre of her being was being lacerated simultaneously, followed by a deep stabbing pain that came from her right arm and leg. Raven stumbled and crashed to the ground. Glancing at herself, she saw glass daggers sticking out of her right arm and leg.
“MUM!” Vernal shrieked as she turned and charged towards Cinder.
An ugly and twisted, but triumphant grin spread across Cinder’s face as the left sleeve of her dress rose, pointed directly at Vernal. A bone thin, pitch-black arm shot out from it. Five claw-like fingers shattered Vernal’s aura in a single strike and pierced her abdomen. Vernal shrieked in pain, blood rapidly pooling around the claws that dug themselves deeper into her flesh. Raven grasped her ōdachi and used it to try and lift herself up, but the pain had spread across her body; overwhelmed, her head began to feel light and empty, and she crashed back to the ground.
“No. NO. NO!” Raven cried as she beheld her daughter: eyes wide with terror, her face twisted in pain.
Cinder merely laughed. Determined to save her, Raven began to crawl towards Cinder, who nearly doubled over as she shrieked with laughter. Laughter that suddenly stopped. Looking up, Raven saw Cinder’s triumphant visage turn to horror.
“You…you’re not the Vestige of Knowledge!” she cried out towards Vernal in shock. Cinder’s surprise twisted into rage: her eyes wide and teeth clenched, she fixed her spiteful gaze on Raven. “It’s you. Isn’t it?!”
Raven matched her spiteful gaze with one of her own. “Yes.” She spat.
With a sickening squelch, Cinder tore her claws out of Vernal, who collapsed to the ground, motionless. Cinder shot towards Raven when a dark green blur sprung past them, followed almost instantly by a blinding flash.

Yang descended the elevator shaft, using Ember Celica to slow herself down, but she still landed with a hard thud. Stepping out into the wider cavern, Yang was momentarily distracted by the immense size of it, and the countless number of glow worms that illuminated the cavern. However, she found her attention being drawn to the large rock at the cavern’s centre, its large golden doorway with three figures just in front of it. A moment later a screeching noise came from above, making the hairs on Yang’s neck stand up. Frank suddenly appeared out of the darkness, his bowie knife in the wall, slowing his own descendant before he landed with a thud.
Surprised, Yang blinked twice in rapid succession, “What…”
“I couldn’t let you go face them alone.” Frank said with a small smile on his face.
Yang returned the smile before turning back to the women ahead of them. Even from where they stood, she could see that Raven was on the ground, struggling to get back up while Cinder stood to the side, laughing at her. “We need to avoid Cinder’s mind-controlling.” She said thoughtfully.
Frank stepped forward, holding a thin rectangular device with a large pin in it. His longsword now in the form of a rifle. “I’ll use this flashbang to stun them and soften Cinder’s aura. You then get in close. See if you can blind her so she can’t use that eye of hers. If you can’t, I’ll do it.”
Using Ember Celica to propel herself forward like a rocket, Yang followed Frank as he sprung across the walkway, shielding her eyes as he used the flashbang to stun both Cinder and Raven. The ear-splitting bang of the device was followed by the slow methodical shots of Frank’s rifle. Seeing Cinder flail blindly, Yang activated the gun in her robotic limb and shot directly into her right eye. Although her aura was weakened, it was able to protect her from the blow; nevertheless, the force sent her crashing into the door, Frank dashed over her, his bowie knife slicing her right eye. Cinder shrieked in pain as she flailed about on the floor, hand clasped over her right eye socket; the glass half mask lay shattered on the walkway, exposing the twisted and scarred red flesh over what had once been her left eye.
“I’LL KILL! I’LL KILL YOU ALL!!!” Cinder screamed.
Cinder’s Grimm arm swung around, desperate to grab any of them, only for Yang to shoot the hand off while Frank severed the arm in its entirety. Although this meant that Cinder was no longer a threat, she only seemed to shriek even harder, forcing Yang to cover her ears, while Frank sliced off the sleeve of Cinder’s own dress and used it to tie and muffle her, wincing slight from her shrieks as he did so. Relieved, Yang stopped covering her ears only to hear someone groaning in pain as they shuffled past. Turning, she saw Raven, using her ōdachi like a walking stick, as she limped towards the doorway for the relic.
“You’re the Vestige of Knowledge?!” Frank and Yang exclaimed in unison.
Without turning to look at them, Raven nodded. Frank slapped himself on the forehead, muttering about how stupid he’d been to miss it, Yang could only stare at her. Caring little for how they reacted, Raven touched the great doorway. It glowed for a moment before the doors faded into nothingness before Yang’s eyes, revealing a hot, arid desert with large golden sand dunes. A cloudless blue sky hung above it. But the sight seemed meaningless to Yang in that moment. All she could do was think about Raven’s callous nature.
“I don’t understand this.” Yang muttered.
Ignoring Yang’s comment, Raven made to walk into the vault itself but a gunshot into the dirt from Frank halted her. Reluctantly she turned to her biological daughter.
“What do you mean?” Raven asked, feigning curiosity.
The sight of Raven’s black and red clothing along with her pale face and blood red eyes reminded her of Adam once more, but the images of him that flashed in her mind were faint and unfocused. Nevertheless, her left arm shook slightly, and she felt herself stiffen. Yang closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath, Adam no longer flashed in her mind, but her body remained stiff, and her arm still shook. “You act like you don’t care about me, I don’t think you’ve ever tried to see me; you only ever communicated with me through Qrow, but you saved my life when I faced Neo on that train. You act like the tribe is your world, but Vernal, the girl you say is your daughter, is dead and you just ignore her. You…you don’t even care about her do you.” Yang said accusingly, pointing at Vernal’s corpse. “You’re just going to get the relic. Family really doesn’t mean anything to you, does it.”
Raven stopped and turned to look at Yang, her voice warbled; low and coarse. “It…means more than you could realise.”
Frank gave a loud derisive snort and began to laugh while Yang raised an eyebrow and fixed Raven with a sceptical gaze.
“Does it?” Yang responded. “Because for the life of me, I can’t figure out all of these contradictions.”
“If that’s the case, then why didn’t you bring this stuff up when you we spoke at the fortress?” Raven asked, feigning curiosity.
“I was thrown off. I hoped that you’d be warm and compassionate like Summer was.” Yang confessed. “Part of me even hoped… dreamed that if I found you…you’d…come back. You’d be with Tai, I would have a mother again, and we could be a family once more. But now…”
Yang’s voice trailed off. She couldn’t find it within herself to finish what she was saying.
“Alright. I’ll make this all so clear even you can understand Yang.” Raven responded heatedly as she dropped her facade. “I saved your inept arse on that train because I happened to be resting a few hours beforehand and saw your life in danger, and I just couldn’t fathom how someone related to me could be so hapless against someone half her size. I then used Qrow as messenger boy after that incident because I figured you’d seen me leave and I didn’t want you to get any ideas that I’d be looking after you.”
Yang felt herself rooted in place, unable to move. Unabashed, Raven continued.
“Honestly… your failure that night was a complete embarrassment; I could barely stand the idea of even laying eyes on you ever again,” she spat. “Fortunately, I had my real family, the Branwen tribe; and of course, dear Vernal, my REAL daughter.”
Yang was pinned by Raven’s poisonous glare. “But now, because of your idiotic antics and the rest of those bastards you surround yourself with, Vernal and several hundred of my tribesmen are dead! And I’m stuck here, having to explain myself to a pathetic bimbo who is so useless she could only have WHORED HER WAY INTO BEACON!”
Yang collapsed to the ground, barely noticing the hard ground digging into her knees as a void seemed to open inside of her and tears welled up in her eyes. ‘She- she’s not wrong about my skills… Neo and Adam… I couldn’t beat either of them…” Despair seeped into every crevice of Yang’s being. ‘Adam needed only a single sword swing to beat me… I couldn’t parry even when using my semblance.’
Yang’s left arm shook as she spiralled further, her chest heaving as her breath grew more ragged with each sob. Raven was right, there was no reason for someone as useless as Yang to be a huntress.
Yang barely even noticed when Frank knelt by her side, only becoming aware when his hand rested in her shoulder. She forced herself to look at him and found herself staring into warm and compassionate eyes. His jaw was stiff, as though he was unsure of himself, but warmth spread through her from his hand on her shoulder and she felt lighter - as though his touch alone was enough to dispel the cold despair that gripped her. Yang desperately scrubbed at her face while trying not to knock the hand off. She sniffled and did her best to shove the emotions brought up by Raven’s words into a box that could be ignored until later. Yang clutched her shaking hands together, forcing them to steady, and drew upon Frank for strength as she raised her gaze towards Raven once more.
“The last Vestige of Knowledge must have trusted you a lot. Did they think you loved them too?” she asked shakily.
“She was weak.” Raven responded coolly. “What I did, I did for her own good. It was mercy. She-”
Frank almost bowled Yang over as he stormed past. Before Yang could try and stop him, he swung the butt of his rifle into Raven’s head, knocking her to one side, he then shot her three times in the chest from point blank. Raven screamed in pain, staggered over the edge of the walkway, and fell. Yang stood in stunned silence as she watched Raven plunge into the abyss. She thought she saw Raven take out the knife in her arm and open a portal, but regardless, the darkness swallowed her in the blink of an eye.
Yang turned to Frank, whose chest and shoulders seemed to heave as if he just completed a marathon. He turned to look at her.
“Why Yang? Why did you give her a chance?”
Yang was silent, so Frank continued. “People like her will say whatever they can to justify their actions. They’ll say whatever is needed to placate people like you or me.” Frank screwed up his face, in a blend of rage and sorrow. “My own mother abandoned me when I was just a baby. For so many years I wanted to meet her…” Frank’s voice cracked. “To learn why…to let her know I was doing okay…And when I did finally meet her…”
Frank’s voice trailed off, eyes blinking rapidly, as if trying to fight off tears. Yang felt a wave of remorse wash over her; she slowly reached out and gently place a hand on his left elbow. Frank gave a small start and he looked at her in surprise as she touched him. She stopped, startled by his shock.
“Sorry.” Yang said. “I didn’t mean to-”
“No, no. It’s alright.” Frank said hurriedly, his cheeks turning a slight red. “Trust me Yang. Parents who abandon their children are a waste of space. There’s no point wishing they’d come back because they never will.” Frank said softly. “Besides, what has Raven ever done to help you?”
Yang “Well there was that time I was on a train and-”
“One time, Yang. That hardly counts. Not against 18 years of abandonment. You found her; and you had to cross an ocean and two continents to do so; despite everything that’s happened to you.” Frank said warmly.
The emptiness within Yang began to slowly fade away, allowing herself to give Frank a small smile.
“Now.” He spoke. “Let’s get that relic.”

The two of them walked through the doorway and were immediately hit by the overwhelming dry heat of the desert as sun blazed down, the sweltering heat ricocheted off the sand dunes. The desert stretched as far Yang could see, even when she peered around the doorframe. In the middle hovered a circular object that appeared to have wings. A moment later the whole world began to shake, a piercing scream filled the cavern making Yang cry out in pain as she covered her ears. A moment later the sand began to slowly drag her down. She tried to trudge through it, but she only sank deeper and deeper into it, the heat from it began to burn through her boots, scorching her feet and calves as the searing heat travelled up her legs. The relic could have only been two hundred metres away, but it seemed to get further and further away with every step; and the dunes seemed to get larger with every second, rising to the height of mountains, even as sand began to cascade down them like an avalanche. Before she knew it, Frank had grabbed Yang and flung her out of the vault. Forcing herself back up, Yang tried to look for Frank in all the moving sand but there was no sign of him. The doorway flickered once, twice, thrice. Yang began to think Frank couldn’t possibly even move in all the sand. The doorway flickered a fourth time, a fifth, a sixth. The sand seemed to shoot up and crash down, like ocean waves in a storm. The doorway flickered a seventh time, an eighth, a ninth. Frank burst out of the doorway, sand scattering around him like water. The doorway flickered a tenth time before the doors suddenly reappeared. Frank lay flat on the ground for several moments, puffing and panting.
Stunned by what she’d just witnessed, Yang muttered, “What was that about?”
“I guess…only the Vestige of Knowledge…was supposed to enter that vault.” Frank said still puffing and panting, even as he sat up and emptied sand from his boots.
Yang then saw the relic lying at Frank’s feet. It was large: the size of one of the wheels on Yang’s motorbike, an ornately carved gold lamp with a bright blue sphere at its centre, thin gold arms that slowly curled upwards and out, and a gold handle that rested on its cone-shaped top. Yang didn’t know why, but despite its seemingly pristine condition, she couldn’t help but feel like it was ancient, primeval even. A woman’s voice began whispering to her.
“My gift is knowledge to thee.”
“Did you say something?” Frank and Yang asked each other in unison. Frank stood up, the relic in his left hand, brushing sand off his cloak with his right, his eyes fixed on it. The relic itself seemed to shrink in his hand before Yang’s very eyes, until it became no large than Ember Celica when activated. The two of them continued to stare at it.
“Blake Belladonna is close to you now.”
“Raven Branwen lives.”
“Frank Steiner desires you.”
“But he also lies.”
Yang turned her gaze towards Frank who was looking at her, his face inscrutable. ‘That voice must have been the relic, somehow. Is Blake really here? Is Raven somehow still alive? Does Frank really want me and is he really lying? Or is this thing just trying to mess with me?’ Yang wondered.
“Shall we get back to the others?” Frank murmured.
“What about Vernal?” Yang asked.
Frank turned to look at her. “I think it’s best we leave her here. Don’t see the point in taking her with us.”
Yang nodded in agreement. Passing the relic to Yang, Frank walked towards a still squealing Cinder, knocked her out with a single blow to the head and threw her over his shoulder. In silence, the two made their way back across the platform, Yang pushed a small golden button they’d both missed when they first got there. When they reached the top, everyone they’d left behind was still there. Emerald and Mercury stood back-to-back, surrounded by the others. Everyone turned to look at Frank and Yang as they emerged from the elevator. The relic in Yang’s hands, Cinder slumped unconscious over Frank’s shoulder.
“CINDER!” shrieked Emerald.
Emerald made to rush towards Frank, but he fired a single shot from his rifle, the round blowing a small hole in the floor.
“Just give up.” Ruby said, almost pleadingly.
Emerald made to rush towards Frank again, but Mercury caught her by the arm.
“It’s over Emerald. We lost.” He muttered.
Emerald tried to wrench her arm out of Mercury’s grip, but after failing, she sank to the ground, deflated like a balloon. Mercury’s grip on her turned into a small, yet awkward embrace as he seemed to try and comfort her.
Several Mistrali soldiers strode forward, placing large metal cuffs on both Emerald and Mercury before then leading them away.
“You’ll want to take this one as well. She’s, their leader.” Frank explained, handing an unconscious Cinder over to two of them.
As Yang watched the three of them be led away, her jaw dropped as she realised that the entrance to the hall was now blown open. To her shock and horror, scores of men and women in dark brown uniforms were walking around the courtyard outside, collecting weapons and dead bodies. Before she could process the sight, Ruby rushed up and gripped her in a tight hug. Seeing Ruby had once again recovered from Cinder’s mind control, Yang immediately forgot what she’d just seen as relief flooded her mind and she returned her sisters embrace. When they parted, Yang noticed Ruby’s eyes appeared to be shining.
“Yang! Look who is here!” she squealed excitedly.
Yang turned and saw a large man she didn’t recognise, with black head and chest hair with feline features; but to her delight, standing next to him was the entirety of Team SSSN. Sun gave a cry of joy and wrapped her in a large hug, Sage, Scarlet, Neptune, Ruby, and Weiss joining in as well. For what had felt like the first time in ages, Yang gave a small laugh at the sight of them all. When the group separated, Yang’s jaw dropped as she spotted a young woman with amber coloured eyes, long black hair and matching cat ears, Black Belladonna. For a moment, Yang thought she was losing her mind, Blake Belladonna was standing right in front of her. Blake, the girl she’d first partnered with when they’d both joined Beacon Academy. Blake, the girl she had shared a dormitory with for a year. Blake, her teammate, and someone she loved. Blake, the girl she’d lost her right arm protecting. Blake, the girl that had abandoned them. The treacherous, cowardly Blake. Unable to make eye contact, Blake merely stared at Yang’s legs, her cat ear’s, no longer hidden by a large black bow, stood stiff as boards. Yang felt herself stiffen as the rage that had been boiling in her for a year came bubbling forward. But the pressure began to ease when Yang remembered what Weiss had told her: about how Blake probably had to deal with her own version of loneliness, how Blake had put up walls around herself out of fear, only for those fears to be realised when she brought those walls down. Then Yang remembered telling Blake about why she wanted to become a Huntress; her left arm shook violently as she remembered leaping to Blake’s defence against Adam; and then she remembered Neptune and Weiss sitting next to her bed, telling her that Blake had disappeared, no explanation, no note, nothing. Yang felt like a volcano was about to explode inside her, she was about to let Blake have it all: how much Blake abandoning Yang had hurt her-the ungrateful, cowardly idiot. Yang took a breath; she was about to-
“Yang…I’m so sorry.” Blake murmured.
Yang felt her words catch in her throat and her mouth lay open. Blake lifted her gaze; amber eyes met lilac. Yang saw the regret and remorse that swam in Blake’s eyes. In that moment, she realised that Blake hated herself for having abandoned them, that the pain of her departure had hurt Blake as much as it had hurt Yang. Blake briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I’m-I’m…sorry for having left all of you after the Fall of Beacon…I-I-I was…terrified.” Blake sobbed. “I know you must all hate me, and if that’s the case, I don’t blame any of you. And…if you…you n-never want to see me again…I’ll…honour that.”
Yang stood in stunned silence. Weiss placed an arm around Blake, a moment later Ruby took Blake’s hand in her own. Although Ruby’s eyes were soft, Yang noticed there was a glint of steel in the silver. The three girls turned to look at Yang. Tentatively, Yang walked towards them and placed her hands on both Weiss and Ruby’s shoulders. Yang took a deep breath and fixed Blake with a stern gaze.
“I’ll give you a chance.”
Blake gave a small smile and a nod. “That’s all I want.”
The four of them embraced. Team RWBY was back again.

Raven crashed into the dirt; the portal vanished a moment later. The serendipity of the warm morning sun and the tranquillity of the forest clashed with the deep, hot, stabbing pain that pierced Raven, forcing her to writhe in the dirt, blood flowing out of her chest like three red rivers. Raven had been shot numerous times in the past and lost more blood than she cared to think about, but never had her wounds been so severe. Desperately Raven fumbled with her rotary scabbard, attempting to claw out whatever Fire Dust was left within it. Raven’s stomach plummeted and despair flooded her mind upon feeling nothing; the Fire Dust canister was empty. Devoid of hope, Raven sprawled herself out on the grass. A sudden scream pierced the air and a woman with skin the colour of dark chocolate and orange eyes came into view. The woman bent over Raven; eyes wide with shock.
“Can you hear me chief? CHIEF?! CAN YOU HEAR ME!?” She screamed.
Raven tried to speak, to tell her that Vernal was gone, that she’d failed to save her daughter, but all she could do was gurgle and cough up blood. The woman placed a hand over her mouth in alarm. Raven felt a soft thudding, followed by the sensation of floating, hands gripping her by her armpits and feet. She slipped out of consciousness.

Raven felt herself reawaken again, but she still felt groggy. The sun seemed to blaze down from above, mere centimetres from her while the tremors of dozens of harried footsteps thudded around her. Raven glanced down and saw that her shirt had been ripped off and replaced with tightly wound bandages that covered her chest and midriff. Although Raven couldn’t tell how much time had passed, the bandages were already more red than white. Everyone seemed to glance at them before immediately looking away the moment they realised she’d noticed, as if wanting to hide the fact that they were all thinking it, but clearly none of them wanted to say it. Raven tried to give a small sigh only to emit a deep gurgling noise that turned into a violent cough; blood spluttered out. Someone took her right hand in theirs. Raven tilted her head to see the woman with orange eyes, tears slowly fell down her cheeks. Raven gave her a brief smile; ‘It’s okay. I’ll be with my daughter soon.’ Raven thought. A man with silver blonde hair approached the woman, in his hand was one of the bullets he must have dug out of her. They spoke in low, hushed whispers, preventing Raven from making out what they were saying, but she felt the woman squeeze her hand tightly. Strangely, Raven felt oddly calm. She looked back up at the lamp that hung directly above her as it began to glow brighter and brighter with every passing second. The light quickly enveloped everything in her sight until all thought and feeling had left Raven’s body.

Chapter Text

Adam had never felt so low as he returned to the White Fang headquarters hidden in the labyrinthian caves of southern Mistral; the ragged and weary survivors of the battle at Haven Academy following behind. As they slowly made their way through the caves in a mournful procession, more and more Faunus gathered around to watch them as they walked past: some wore the uniforms of the White Fang, but most only wore old clothes, although many of them chose to bear the symbol of the White Fang: a red feline head over three red lines, crudely stitched on their clothes using whatever fabrics they had available. Adam felt his gaze drift toward the huddled masses that silently watched them pass. Under the dim lamps of lightening dust that were spread out throughout the cave system, Adam could see their hollow sunken eyes, cracked and dry lips, stick thin bodies and limbs. Many were not just hungry, but sick as well, some so weak they lacked the strength to stand, needing to lean on others. Adam felt his stomach twist and churn as he remembered that they’d been unable to take with them all the food and medical supplies they had secretly gathered underneath Mistral; ready to transport to the caves while Mistral burned, as he had originally planned. A small detail Cinder had reluctantly conceded to. Instead of the rich bounty he’d hopped to supply his people with, they’d only been able to bring a few trucks with them. His heart sank as he knew that without more of those crucial supplies, hundreds, if not thousands would not survive the cruel winter.
Slowly the procession began to break apart as different members made their way into various caves and corridors, until at last Adam, alone, reached his quarters. Awaiting him was a bison Faunus with small white horns that, due to years of abuse at the hands of Humans in southern Anima, barely peeked out of the messy, light brown hair that barely reached her shoulders. 3 years older than Adam, she had formerly been a plump woman who had lost most of her weight in one of the concentration camps that now dotted the continent, her clothes, now too large for her, sagged around her shoulders, chest, and torso.
“Welcome back, Adam.” She said softly, giving him a warm smile.
Despite himself, Adam couldn’t help but return the smile. “Thank you, Elisa.” He replied as he entered his quarters, pulling aside the thin sheet that acted as a curtain as he did so. Adam briefly scanned his threadbare quarters: a single stretcher with a couple of blankets, with a wooden headrest at one end, and a radio set on top of a small desk and chair. Adam noticed a bowl of steaming hot water and a couple of small towels resting on one side of the desk, away from the radio set; Adam removed his mask, dunked a towel into the bowl, squeezed the water out and pressed it to his face allowing himself a small sigh of relief as he did so.
“I thought you might need something to warm yourself up with. It’s getting bitterly cold now, and I know how much you hate the cold.” Elisa said.
He gave her a weak, but grateful smile which she returned, beaming. Elisa was one of the few people Adam knew who didn’t recoil in horror upon seeing the scar on his face. She giggled at the sight of watering dripping from him.
“The other towel is for drying your face.”
“I’m okay for now.” Adam responded before pressing the towel to his face once more, the water hid the tears. Adam knew he’d failed, not just the mission, nor the White Fang, but the Faunus as a whole. He knew what would happen now: any Faunus that were roaming the continent would be hunted down for public executions, be they by hastily assembled lynch mobs or Huntsmen in search of easy money; reprisals against those Faunus imprisoned in the camps; and worse. Things Adam didn’t want to think about, especially now. He hung his head as he pressed the towel to his face once more.
“How’s your girlfriend?” Adam asked Elisa.
“Maru? She’s still sick…the doctor says she’ll recover, but with winter on the way…I…I don’t know...I just…” Elisa’s voice trailed off as she covered her mouth and her eyes welled up with tears.
Adam nodded solemnly before he placed a hand on her left shoulder.
“I’ll speak to the doctor and see if there’s any extra medicine, he can spare for her.” Adam said in a soothing tone.
“Thank you.” Elisa responded, appearing more relaxed.
A moment later an iguana Faunus with a protruding tail and spikes along his spine, appeared, panting.
“High Leader…the council…wish to see…you…immediately.” He said between gasps for air.
Elisa swivelled around to face the man, her face like a mother’s chastising a child who just mocked hers. “Adam’s just gotten back. Can’t they give him a day to rest?!”
Elisa would have said more, but Adam rose from his seat, patted her on the shoulder, to which she immediately fell silent. He put his half-mask back on and gestured for the man to lead the way.
The iguana Faunus led Adam through long winding tunnels; each one packed with starving people. Some clustered together around meagre fires or clumped themselves together to keep warm, swaddled in whatever coats or blankets were available. Adam felt his stomach clench at the sight of them all. No matter what he did, raid bandit or Human refugee camps, convoys, or isolated farms or villages, nothing was enough. Out of the entirety of this labyrinth, not one cave or tunnel yielded a speck of any type of Dust, every attempt to grow food had failed, and medicine and clothing had to been looted in their raids. No matter how many raids and no matter how much was taken, it was never enough, people were still cold, still hungry, still sick. To add insult to injury, the White Fang lost more and more people with every raid, and it was difficult replenishing such losses: no matter how many enthusiastically volunteered, so many of them were weak from hunger and disease. Many of them died on their first missions. Adam knew the failed attack at Haven Academy would only make things worse: even with half their number having evacuated the academy when the battle began, Mistrali forces had ruthlessly hunted them afterwards, forcing the survivors to break up into smaller and smaller groups. Of the 200 White Fang that had gone with Adam to Mistral, only 20 returned with him. Adam felt a shiver travel down his spine at the very thought that those who’d been captured would be forced through the most inhumane torture techniques so that the Humans could glean whatever information they could before killing their captives.
The iguana Faunus pulled back a threadbare red curtain to reveal a cave approximately the size of a train carriage, with the White Fang High Council, packed into it.
“High Leader, Adam Taurus!” the iguana Faunus declared, before stepping out of the cave and pulling the curtain forward.
Feeling the eyes of everyone in this cave being fixed on him, he felt tall and exposed. Adam wanted to hurry to his seat; but he knew he couldn’t, such a move would signify weakness. Instead, he walked slowly and deliberately to his seat, which was nothing more than a large stone that had been found in that cave. The other council members also sat on large stones, or old tree trunks that they’d been able to carry in to act as make-shift seats and benches. Adam felt some small relief upon seeing his lieutenant, Pythagoras: like a soldier standing to attention, he was still and silent; behind where Adam was to be seated. No sooner had he sat down than a hawk Faunus with large brown wings stood up.
“It’s time you explained yourself, High Leader!” he said, pointing a finger at Adam. “You promised us victory for all Faunus. You promised us that our kind would no longer have to bow to Humanity. But under your leadership, our Vale Chapter launched an unsanctioned, and patently ridiculous attack on that kingdom. Not only did it effectively destroy the Cross-Continental Transmit system, but it has also ignited the fires of hate that Humans across Remnant have for us.”
A sloth Faunus with large hairy arms that reached past her knees, turned to Adam, with the same accusatory glare in her eyes and tone of voice. “To add to Harry’s words, the only results you’ve produced Adam, have negatively impacted the White Fang and the Faunus as a whole. As I recall, your childhood in Atlas has left you with a hatred for humanity that surpasses all others. Yet as leader of our Vale chapter, you accepted the assistance of Humans from Earth. Now as our High Leader, you claim to be operating on the orders of Humans from our world, our direct oppressors, who we’ve never heard of, nor seen.”
A third member of the council stood up, this one a shark Faunus with sharp jagged teeth and fish scales that covered him from head to foot. As he spoke in a slow and deliberate manner, he fixed Adam with a stern gaze. “In light of everything that has happened under your leadership of both the Vale chapter, and the White Fang as a whole, I find myself asking: if you are to remain High Leader, what will you do to change our fortunes? Presently the people are cold, sick, and starving. You promised bountiful supplies when you returned, but you came back with meagre rations. You promised that this mission would be successful, but you failed. So, what will you do?”
Several more members of the council stood up and added their voices, all of them repeating the same things: Adam’s promises, his failures, , the increasingly desperate situation they were all facing, even accusations of treachery or of being a puppet for Earth’s governments.
“How dare you all.” Pythagoras hissed venomously, as he slowly walked towards the nearest councilman, his fists clenched. Immediately the council fell silent, the nearest members scuttled backwards. “The High Leader has devoted himself, mind, body, and soul to the betterment of all Faunus, and you…the-”
“That’s enough.” Adam interrupted.
Pythagoras immediately fell silent and resumed his former posture. Several council members visibly relaxed and those who’d scuttled backwards returned to their seats. Adam stood up and gazed around at the council members in front of him.
“Before I answer your questions, I must first ask: has anyone else returned from Mistral?” Adam asked.
The sloth Faunus rose from her seat once more. “A few groups have, but none larger than that which you were a part of, High Leader. With your return, it brings the number of those who have come back, to 50.”
At this revelation, Adam gasped; he hadn’t expected so few to have returned. He felt himself sway slightly as the sense of failure that had gripped him since fleeing Haven Academy was augmented by grief and shock that now threatened to swallow him whole. Under the withering gazes of the High Council, Adam felt small and alone. He thought about everything that had happened in his life, the loss of friends and family; the torture and taunting, the insults and revulsion, the enthrallment, all that he’d endured since he was a child; the carnage and slaughter he’d borne witness to; the treachery and grief that had followed. A small amount of rage began to mix with his senses of failure, grief, and shock. Yet what pained Adam most was that his plight, the experiences of his childhood, were all too common for the Faunus. He remembered that both the Faunus and White Fang needed him to succeed. ‘These people voted for you to be their High Leader,’ Adam thought, ‘You have thousands of people who are looking to you for hope, for leadership…so LEAD’. Although he knew they couldn’t see his eyes, Adam briefly closed them, took a deep breath, and then opened his eyes.
“I know that things have not gone the way we all wished. I understand your scepticism towards my actions and methods, especially in accepting the assistance of Humans from both Earth and Remnant. But despite the loss of quick and easy communication with our brethren across the globe, despite the worldwide chaos and ruination and its impact on the Faunus, I want to make one thing absolutely clear: hope is not lost. The chaos and division that has engulfed the world provides us with a unique opportunity: Mistral and Vale are only focused on themselves, and the sycophantic princedoms and city-states that surround them are too weak to stop us. Now is the chance to realise a dream, to restore what we lost centuries ago. At last, we can rebuild a nation and culture that so many of us have forgotten: Seranica. If humanity won’t recognise or protect us in their own countries, then we will forge our own. The loss of the Cross-Continental Transmit system, and the chaos that followed the Fall of Beacon has left Vale and her puppets blind and isolated. Even if they do learn of our plans, they’re too weak to stop us. All White Fang chapters in eastern Samus are already working to realise this dream: Grimm are being scoured, land is being secured, settlements are being founded, crops are being harvested, and Dust is being mined. My assistance to the Humans of this world has allowed this to happen. My co-operation with, and assistance towards Earth’s governments has granted us their guaranteed recognition and support for a restored Seranica. With military alliances our future will be secure; with trade it will be prosperous. I know many of you, especially those native to Anima, desire to see your friends and family freed from the concentration camps that have trapped them within their foul cages. I understand your desires for I wish to see those who have suffered under Atlas to be freed as well. But we cannot free them without there being a haven to shelter them. Once Seranica is secure, and it will soon be secure, we’ll be able to free our brothers and sisters. The liberation of the Faunus is INEVITABLE. All WE must do, is SIEZE IT. Brothers and sisters NOW IS THE TIME!”
At those final words, Adam had punched the air. But for a full minute, the cave was silent. The councilmen exchanged quizzical looks. Adam stared at the councilmen around him with bated breath. Finally, the shark Faunus stood up.
“High Leader I appreciate your dream, but we already have Menagerie Island, is that not enough for us?”
“Have you ever been there?” Adam asked.
“No.”
“I have. Most of it is a barren desert, a wasteland of Grimm and scorching heat. After the Great War, the Mistrali king of the time gave that island to the Faunus because it was largely unexplored and considered utterly useless and he wanted to remove as many of the newly freed Faunus as possible. Everyone in Menagerie lives in the western bays where conditions are somewhat bearable. But many of the people who live in Menagerie wallow in squalor, where disease is rampant in the impoverished over-crowded cities, such as Kuo Kuana. If we’re to build a nation for ourselves, Menagerie is not the answer; the Belladonnas have turned their backs on all of us, and their decision to side with our oppressors only proves this. But Seranica is the answer. We can carve for ourselves a nation worthy of the Faunus.” Adam said emphatically.
“So what is your plan?” the Shark Faunus asked.
“Our chapters in Solitas, especially our Atlas chapter, are the most well-trained and well-equipped for dealing with military forces. I’ll head to Solitas to mobilise our chapters there; then I’ll send half of them to Seranica, the other half will return with me to assist the migration.”
“Migration? Do you intend for all of us to move there?” an armadillo Faunus asked incredulously.
Adam nodded. “It’s the only place Faunus will be able to prosper.”
The councillors began to mutter amongst each other, some seemed open to Adam’s idea, while others appeared sceptical. Adam cleared his throat to silence them before he spoke again.
“My plan is simple: I will avenge ourselves against the Belladonnas, ensuring that they never hinder us; then I’ll head to Solitas to mobilise our brethren there; lead them back here; and together, we’ll journey towards our new homeland.” Adam said. “In the meantime, the White Fang here will continue to operate in hiding, providing care and support to those who need us. If you need to evacuate these tunnels, don’t hesitate to do so. No matter what, I will find you all. While I’m away, Pythagoras will be my representative.”
With that Adam left the council, making his way through the caves until he reached his own quarters. Elisa came rushing in as Adam was repacking his things.
“Word is that you’re leaving. Is that true?” she asked timidly.
Adam nodded. “I have unfinished business with the Belladonnas, especially Blake.” Adam said, practically spitting her name. “Then I’ll be bringing our brothers and sisters from Solitas here to take us all to a new homeland that’s being created for the Faunus.”
“Yes. Everyone’s saying it’ll be called Sarenca.” Elisa said.
“Seranica.” Adam corrected her while he still re-packed his belongings. “Word certainly travels fast around here.”
“Adam, this is crazy. You’ve just returned after crossing half a continent. You should rest and recover.” Elisa pleaded.
Adam shook his head. “There’s a lot that needs to be done. And I can’t afford to delay.”
Adam finished packing and slung his large duffel bag over his shoulder. Although there were no tears from her, everyone here had lost so many and so much that Adam wasn’t sure any of them could cry anymore, the grief on Elisa’s face was so intense that he placed a consoling hand on her shoulder; and although he didn’t feel it, as the senses of failure, grief, shock, and rage still simmered within him, Adam placed a confident smile on his face.
“I’ll be okay Elisa. I’ll return at the head of an army and lead everyone to our new home. In the meantime: stay safe, you and Maru take care of each other, and if you can, please help Pythagoras out. He’ll need someone outside of the council to rely on.”
Returning his smile with one of her own, Elisa suddenly hugged Adam, who stood there in muted surprise for a minute. No one had been so affectionate to him since…Adam immediately quashed the memory and embraced her in turn, finding solace in her sisterly affection. In that moment, Adam’s grief and shock dissipated but senses of failure and rage still lingered in the back of his mind. ‘I must succeed,’ Adam thought, ‘For Pythagoras; for Elisa and Maru; for the White Fang and the Faunus as a whole. I will succeed’. When they separated, Adam swiftly made his way through the caves, striding forward with the confidence of a king leading his army, people watching him as he strode past. Like those in the High Council, some seemed sceptical: silently smirking or shaking their heads. But they were overshadowed by those who gave him warm, encouraging smiles, a few groups even cheered him as he went. At the mouth of the labyrinth, Adam took a motorcycle and rode out, back towards Mistral.

Chapter Text

Cinder awoke with a start. She tried looking around, but everything was pitch black. Rage and despair swirled together within her mind as she remembered what had happened to her: a metal fist belonging to that bimbo sister of Ruby’s had knocked her down and then some jackass with a knife had sliced her eye open. Now she lay here, blindness denying her the power she’d gained at Beacon Academy. Power that she had spent years craving, power that she’d gone to great lengths to acquire: having to endure her parents throughout most of her life, Mercury’s arrogance, Emerald’s endless brown nosing, Torchwick’s constant questioning of her plan, tolerating the deplorable White Fang, all of it. The only parts of her journey that Cinder had truly enjoyed had been when her uncle, Lord Eniamert had taken her under his wing; and when she’d murdered her own family-including her uncle, who she’d realised was nothing but a weaselly sycophant for Salem. But now it was all feeling for naught. At Beacon she’d gained the full power of the Vestige of Choice, only to lose an eye and an arm a few minutes later. And now Haven Academy, blinded; the power of the Vestige of Choice practically useless to her now. Cinder felt herself sink into grief as she sobbed and wailed.
“It isn’t fair!” she snarled through tears and gritted teeth.
“Cinder. Cinder.” Came Emerald’s voice, low and soft. “I know, it’s not fair to you. But it’s alright. I’m here. I’m here.”
Cinder felt Emerald hold her hands and continue her attempt to soothe and console Cinder. Cinder seethed at Emerald’s idiocy, ‘This fool should know by now that such attempts are futile’, Cinder thought. Regardless, she squeezed Emerald’s hand.
“It’s alright Cinder. I’m with you. I won’t leave you.” Emerald murmured soothingly.
Cinder squeezed Emerald’s hand even harder, wanting nothing more than to crush Emerald’s long, thin fingers.
“Cinder please…Please stop. You’re hurting me.” Emerald whimpered, trying in vain to pull away.
Cinder squeezed Emerald’s hand a few seconds more before releasing her. She heard Emerald give a relieved sigh as she did so.
“Thank you Cinder.” She muttered gratefully.
Cinder fixed her face into something she imagined resembled an apologetic look, her voice feigning remorse. “I’m sorry Emerald. You know me, sometimes when I’m upset, I lose a little bit of self-control.”
“It’s okay Cinder. It didn’t hurt too badly.” Emerald responded.
Cinder felt herself smile and nod at Emerald’s words. If there was one positive trait she could give Emerald, it was her unflinching loyalty towards Cinder; the poor, naïve girl was like putty in her hands.
“You will need to toughen up girl.” Cinder said in a more authoritative voice. “Without my sight I will be relying on both you and Mercury to help enact Salem’s will.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” Emerald responded earnestly.
Someone suddenly sniggered. From somewhere a few metres away, came Mercury’s voice in a snide manner.
“Don’t get caught up in her charade Emerald. We both know Salem doesn’t take failure well. Once we’re back with her, she’ll probably have you killed Cinder.” Mercury gave a small chuckle. “She’ll probably let Tyrian do it. We all know the only reason he hasn’t skewered you is on Salem’s command. That…or Cinder will probably throw both of us under the bus to save her own arse.”
“Shut up Mercury!” Emerald shouted. “Cinder would NEVER do that to us!”
Mercury scoffed. “Cinder murdered her own family just to get into Salem’s good graces.”
“When we first met you, you’d just killed your own father!” Emerald retorted.
“He was a piece of shit who trained me to be an assassin, who beat me, and stripped me of my semblance!” Mercury replied with barely supressed fury. “If what Watts said is true, and I’ll believe what he says over either of you any day; Cinder’s family adored her, and she still killed them. Do you seriously believe she wouldn’t kill us if it helped her?”
“Cinder would never, NEVER, do that to us!” Emerald exclaimed.
Mercury sighed, sounding deflated. “You can think whatever you want, it doesn’t change who she is.”
Cinder gritted her teeth, seething at Mercury’s insolence. She opened her mouth about to speak when she heard a door opening and people entering the room and the sound of something heavy being placed on the ground, possibly a box.
“Leave us.” Came a commanding male voice.
Cinder heard two pairs of boots turn and walk out of the room.
“I do apologise for having kept you in here for so long Cinder, but we needed to wait until things had quietened down.”
Cinder recognised the voice. “Prince Egamon. Please, tell Salem this failure was not mine.” She pleaded. “It was those craven White Fang, the scheming Raven Branwen, that foolish Ruby Rose and her friends and teammates.”
Prince Egamon was silent for a moment before he quietly responded. “You can tell her yourself.”
Cinder heard the box’s ancient hinges creak as it was opened. Everyone went silent, Cinder couldn’t even hear anyone breath. Cinder felt a cold chill trickle down her spine for she knew what was in there; she couldn’t see it, but she realised she could hear it: a soft and low hissing emanated from the box. A Seer Grimm. In her mind, Cinder pictured it: rising from the box Prince Egamon had carried it in; it would hover in place, its six long thin red tentacles hanging limply from its milky orb shaped head. Cinder heard Emerald and Mercury’s quickened breathing as the hissing grew steadily louder. Cinder felt herself gripped with trepidation as Mercury’s words floated through her mind.
The hissing gave way to a woman’s voice. Cinder felt the hairs on her neck stand up and stiffen, as the woman spoke in a soft and measured, yet stern and imperious voice. “Tell me Cinder, how did you fail so spectacularly?”
Cinder rolled off the bed and tried to bow, but without her sight she fell to the ground and flailed about, eventually deciding to lie face down on the ground; hoping, praying that her prostration would appease Salem.
“Y-Y-Your G-Grace.” Cinder stammered, beads of sweat rolling down her face. “I assure you it was not me. It was the White Fang, it was Raven, it was-”
“Yes. Yes. It was the fault of that foolish Ruby Rose and her friends and teammates. I could hear your protestations of innocence through the box.” Salem replied in a bored voice. “You remind me of your uncle, Cinder. Always looking to blame others for your failures or shortcomings.”
“Y-Your Grace.” Cinder pleaded; she could feel beads of sweat pooling around her face. “If we had more Grimm-”
“I gave you two score Grimm. You lost half of them in your botched first attempt to court the allegiance of the Branwen tribe.” Salem interrupted in a growl that eerily resembled a beowolf.
“I-I know…Your Grace, and I apologise for losing them so easily. If you had granted me more Grimm-”
“Are you saying I am to blame for your failure?” Salem asked in a soft, poisonous hiss that made Cinder shiver. “You chose to advance the timeline.”
“Only because Earth had decided their Jaegers weren’t going to attack. That they would instead let Ozpin and his lackies get the Vestige instead.” Cinder replied in a desperate defence. “I had to move quickly. If I didn’t, we couldn’t have secured the relic.”
“But you didn’t secure the relic.” Salem responded in an ice-cold tone. “In fact, I would say that your haste is the cause for your failure.”
Cinder was silent, unable to speak as fear gripped her heart and clouded her mind.
“This is the second time you’ve failed to retrieve one of the relics. Only now you’ve also failed to set Mistral ablaze and lost the Vestige of Knowledge.” Salem continued in her ice-cold tone.
Cinder felt herself shrivel before the Seer.
Salem suddenly shifted her attention. “Prince Egamon, how is our dear Headmaster?”
“The androids should have his office scrubbed clean in the next couple of hours. In regards to the official story, we’ll tell a tale of a Headmaster who died valiantly defending his kingdom and academy.” The prince replied.
“Excellent, well done.”
Cinder realised why Salem had asked for Prince Egamon’s report. She knew what Salem intended to do to her.
“P-Please…please…spare me, your Grace. Give me one last chance.”
“Why?” Salem asked.
“Atlas!” Cinder gasped desperately. “I can help prepare the kingdom for your arrival.”
Salem chuckled. An inhuman cackle that made Cinder grimace. “I already have people there that can, as you put it, ‘prepare the kingdom’ for my arrival. What could you possibly do that they couldn’t?”
“Connections. I still have connections with the White Fang and many of the large corporations that are headquartered in Atlas. I could ensure that the entire continent of Solitas is ripe for your coming.” Cinder said.
Salem laughed, a wolf-like howl that made Cinder squirm on the floor as if an electric charge had shot down her spine.
“The Atlesian royal family and most of the nobles of Atlas are loyal to me. In fact, most of the wealthy and powerful families in Solitas already belong to me. Watts has already uncovered enough information to blackmail the rest of them into doing my bidding, and Tyrian will have no problems sowing chaos and fear into the entire continent.”
Sweating profusely, Cinder continued to plead. “Y-Y-Y-Your…G-G-Grace…P-P-Please…Don’t kill me. I am…the Vestige of Choice! I can still be of use to you!”
“Without your sight. You are worthless as the Vestige of Choice.” Salem retorted coldly before she loudly announced.
“Mercury! Emerald! Congratulations! I bestow upon you, the opportunity to be appointed the new Vestige of Choice.”
Cinder croaked, a mixture of a gasp and a squeal of fear. She knew her fate was sealed. Cinder suddenly felt herself being tightly embraced by someone.
“NO!” Emerald wailed. “Please Your Grace, spare Cinder. She’s all I have left.”
Salem seemed to ignore Emerald’s plea. “Mercury, how about you?”
Cinder thought she could almost hear the smugness in his reply.
“Sure.”
Cinder screamed in fury and fear as she desperately began creating glass daggers and throwing them indiscriminately in every direction she could think of, hoping to kill or maim Mercury. She heard Emerald cry out in shock, and then pain, she heard Prince Egamon yelp as he dived for cover, but she couldn’t hear Mercury. Suddenly she felt a metal boot slam into the back of her head, sending her crashing into the floor. Before she could get back up, she felt tentacles wrap around her wrists and ankles and pin her to the floor; thin, but as strong as a beowolf they prevented Cinder from even being able to budge them. Over the desperate, guttural noises Cinder made as she wiggled to free herself, she heard Salem howl like a wolf as she laughed.
“Oh!...You’re more…entertaining…than…Theodore…was.” She jeered between howls of laughter.
Ignoring her former master, Cinder still struggled in vain, desperately crying out for help as she did so.
“Emerald! Emerald! Help me!”
But Emerald gave no answer. Unable to move, Cinder could only hear as Mercury began to splutter and cough as if he was choking on something. ‘That Seer Grimm has given him the Beetle’, she thought with dread. It was the Grimm she herself had been given in order to obtain the powers of the Vestige of Choice. After several more moments of choking sounds, Mercury fell silent. Cinder heard him walk towards her, his footsteps slow and deliberate, as if he was savouring every moment. Cinder shook from side to side, desperate to wrench herself free from of the Seer’s tentacles, but her wrists and ankles wouldn’t budge.
“Emerald! PLEASE! I love you! HELP ME!!” she shrieked in desperation.
Once again, Emerald gave no answer, just the snuffling of a scared and forlorn girl. Only Mercury answered her.
“Emerald’s just realised you never cared about her, Cinder.” He remarked snidely. “I don’t think she’s going to help you.”
The Seer’s tentacles tightened their grip. Her aura, having not properly recovered; faltered, and dissipated. Cinder shrieked in agony as if every fibre of her being was lacerated simultaneously. Her aura gone, the Seer’s tentacles quickly crushed Cinder’s wrists and ankles. Cinder shrieked louder and harder as she felt them shatter, then disintegrate. Her screams reverberated around her cell making it sound as if the entire room screamed with her. Then she felt it; at first it was like someone had thrown gunk in her face, then came the sharp stabbing pain as the Beetle Grimm bored itself into her skull. Warm blood flowed down her face in a steady stream as she felt bone and flesh churning within her skull as the Beetle bore deeper and deeper. Cinder’s screams grew in intensity, reaching a crescendo that slowly faded to a pitiful whimper despite the pain remaining as intense as ever. It was done, Mercury had succeeded Cinder as the Vestige of Choice. The soft hissing of the Seer drew steadily nearer.
“I…It’s not fair!” Cinder moaned.
She received no response other than Salem’s cold, wolflike laugh, as if Cinder had just made a joke.
“Do not worry Cinder. Your death will be more useful to me, than your life.”
Cinder felt a sudden sharp stabbing pain throughout her body and torso as if she’d been stabbed by a dozen tiny knives almost simultaneously. The pain vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, and she didn’t feel anything ever again.

Chapter Text

Frank could scarcely hear himself think as him and Qrow wandered through the Mistral train station, its pale bright lights being the only thing keeping him awake.
“Did you catch anything of what that guy said?” Qrow yawned.
Bleary-eyed, Frank scratched his head and checked the notes he’d made.
“We’re to check that all weapons being carried by civilians are tagged and stowed in the armoury. Then we’re to ensure everyone boards in a peaceful and orderly manner. After the train has started, we’re to patrol the carriages…Check on people…Ensure weapons are still in the armoury…We’ve a 15-minute break every couple of hours and 30-minute breakfast, lunch, and dinner breaks.”
Qrow groaned. All Frank felt he could do was give him a weak smile and showed him a couple of notes he’d taken.
“At least we don’t have a shift on the first night.”
Qrow groaned even louder, rubbing the remaining sleep out of his eyes. Frank didn’t blame him, the past week had been hectic. After more than a fortnight of travel, and two different battles, followed by a week of interrogation by Mistrali intelligence after the battle at Haven Academy, the entire crew was exhausted.
The two of them continued to weave their way through the rowdy and packed station. Everywhere Frank looked, there were small groups of people clustered together; their hollow, weary eyes casting furtive glances everywhere. Each person as jumpy as the ones next to them. Some clung to their bags as if they were lifelines while parents clutched the hands of their children or held them tightly to their persons. Some of these groups wore what looked like threadbare rags with one or two rucksacks between them; while other groups wore what Frank guessed were designer brands with each person in those groups carrying large suitcases and backpacks, a few of these groups even boasted one or two Huntsmen as personal bodyguards; their weapons clenched almost threateningly in their hands whilst they menacingly scanned the station in all directions, looking for the first sign of trouble. Unfazed by the sight, Frank found himself thinking back to the last call that he’d had with Colonel Bindweed, the night after the battle at Haven Academy. Crouched in the darkest corner of the alleyway where he’d first contacted his superior upon reaching Mistral, hoping that the Mistral Defence Force weren’t using any equipment that could pick up his call. Frank remembered tapping his hand against his leg as he murmured into the static.
“Hokioi, this is Chimera. Come in Hokioi.”
“Chimera, Hokioi confirms.” Came a woman’s voice. “I’ll patch you through to the Colonel.”
A deep grizzled male voice came through a moment later. “Chimera.”
Although he knew the Colonel couldn’t see him, Frank felt himself straighten his composure even though he was crouching.
“Sir, I regret to inform you that although the Relic of Knowledge has been acquired, I have been unable to secure both it and the Vestige of Knowledge. Nor have I been able to extract myself from Mistral yet.”
“Why?” The colonel responded.
“We were ambushed by a couple of Haven Academy’s faculty: Headmaster Theodore and Cinder Fall. Along with a couple of her lackies, the bandit chief Raven Branwen, and a dozen Grimm. On top of that the White Fang had been planning to recreate the Fall of Beacon by destroying the CCT tower here. However, they were thwarted by the Belladonnas and their…militia.”
“The Belladonnas formed a militia? Why?” Colonel Bindweed asked in surprise.
“To stop the White Fang recreating the Fall of Beacon, sir. But from what I can gather it was not a very good militia. They didn’t have any guns with them, there was little in the way of unit cohesion and from what I could see they were almost entirely dressed as if they were here for a tropical holiday.”
“Then how was the White Fang thwarted by this militia?”
“The Belladonnas informed me that they’d been able to convince Prince Egamon to let them into the kingdom, and to provide air support towards the end of the battle between the militia and White Fang. Now it seems half the Mistral Defence Force is in the city now. I…I’m sorry sir. But I don’t know how I’ll be able to get out of the city with the relic.”
What’s happening to the militia now?”
“Mistral is letting them camp outside the city walls until those critically wounded are in a more stable condition. They’ve granted the entire militia the status of honorary humans for a couple of weeks. The daughter of the Belladonnas, Blake, has been allowed to stay with her friends in Haven.” Frank replied.
“And the relic?”
“It’s being kept in the bedroom myself, Ozpin, and Qrow are using.”
“And what does Ozpin intend to do moving forward?”
“He intends to take the relic to Atlas. He believes that it can be better protected there. We’re due to depart for Argus via train in about a week’s time. Me and Qrow are applying to patrol that train on the trip.” Frank said.
“Okay. We know there’s only one train route from Mistral to Argus, I can have your team and a group of bandits we’ve got on our payroll sabotage the tracks, storm the train, and retrieve the relic. Your role will be to make sure all the train defences are down, then be in position to grab the relic and ex-fil with your team. Failure is not an option, Chimera, make sure this operation is successful.”
Frank still found himself reflecting on the conversation and thinking about how he could obtain the relic without getting the rest of them killed. He knew it was a possible, likely even, that he would have to fight them, and if so, he would have to kill them. Frank found himself rubbing his head as he contemplated, ‘Everyone who doesn’t have a Huntsmen or Huntress licence will have to surrender all weapons they have to the train’s armoury. Best case scenario, it keeps teams RWBY and JNR out of the picture; worse case, it slows them down. Qrow will be the tough one, that semblance of his will make melee an unwinnable scenario. Maybe Gale with his arrows or Spectre with his sniper could eliminate him, or at least force him to keep his head down. Assuming the others retrieve their weapons: Ruby’s large scythe will be too large for the narrow carriages to use effectively, but she’s fast and a good shot, may even give Spectre a run for his money. Weiss is a glass cannon, if we can take her out quickly, we’ll have denied Ozpin’s lot some serious firepower. Blake is…unknown, but from what I’ve heard, if she’s forced into a protracted fight, she won’t last too long. Yang will be difficult as the narrow carriages won’t be an issue for her like they will be for Ruby; and outside of the train, her gauntlet will allow her to fly through the air. But I’ve noticed that people and items that remind her of Adam Taurus are triggering, so with the White Fang mask I’ve been able to acquire, putting that on may paralyse her’.
Frank’s left hand wandered towards one of the pockets of his bag, where he’d placed the White Fang mask. It was something he'd picked up in the aftermath of the battle at Haven Academy, when he was sure no one was watching. Adam Taurus’ mask was notorious throughout Remnant, so it wasn’t hard to find pictures to model it off. Frank’s stomach felt hot and bubbly, making him want to vomit as he thought of treating Yang in such a horrific way. ‘But if it works, it’ll keep her out of the fight’, Frank thought, ‘And if it works, then she won’t have to die’. But the guilt seemed to swallow whatever comfort he felt at the thought of her living. Desperate to think of something else, Frank returned his thoughts to the others, ‘Jaune isn’t a great melee combatant, I’ll admit I’m kind of glad he’s never thought of using a gun, but his semblance will be an issue. He could become a recharger or booster for the others, allowing them to drag out the fight. Something that we don’t want…Ren is another issue. He’s fast with those bladed pistols, and like Yang, the narrow confines of the carriages won’t hamper him. But a few well-placed blows will have him on the ground. Nora is just about the total opposite, her hammer, like Ruby’s scythe will be unwieldy in the carriages, but that grenade launcher of hers will be a real problem for the others. Ensuring that she can’t use it will be vital to the mission’s success. And then there’s Ozpin. I know how long he can currently last using his powers, but I don’t know what else he can do. That’s an issue…’
Frank found himself taken out of his thoughts when he heard Qrow, realising that they were both standing in front of Ruby, Yang, Ren, and Nora who sat on a couple of station benches.
“Hey guys.” He said.
Ren, Nora, and Yang all smiled and gave small waves in response, but Yang pointed to Ruby who sat next to her fast asleep, her head resting on Yang’s right shoulder.
“Another bad night for her?” Qrow asked with concern.
Yang nodded before murmuring with concern. “I know I keep saying it, but it’s true: Ozpin has been running Ruby ragged with all the training he’s forced her to undergo. I don’t think I’ve ever seen in her such a bad way before.”
“Perhaps Ozpin has been a little zealous in Ruby’s training, but there is a lot riding on her silver eyes. It’s imperative that she master them.” Ren said.
Yang replied. “I get that. But it’s only been a little more than a year since Ruby found out she has this ability, and she’s only been training for the past few weeks. And I’m sure she’s been getting less and less sleep because of it; she just spent half the night tossing and turning. The other half she spent wandering around the lounge trying to think of ways to avoid any of us being mind-controlled. Especially if we get ambushed again.”
“But I blinded her.” Frank blurted. “Cinder won’t be able to use the vestige of choice’s powers. Unless…”
Yang gave him a knowing look and nodded.
“…Gotcha” Frank said.
Nora gave a large yawn, stretching her arms and legs before swivelling her back onto the bench and resting her head on Ren’s lap. Ren gave her a soft smile and began to stroke her short red hair.
“I hope we can get on the train soon.” She said as she gave another large yawn. “I feel like I could sleep the entire trip.”
The idea hit like Frank like a slap to the back of the head. ‘Sleeping pills!’ He thought jubilantly, ‘That’s it. If I can knock them all out, then there’s no need to fight them, and retrieving the relic will be a piece of cake.’
“Wait here!” Frank hurriedly said to the others, “I just need to quickly go to the pharmacy and grab some medicine to keep me awake during the night patrols.”
Before the others could even say a word, Frank had turned on his heel and made for the pharmacy located within the train station. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it earlier, but the thought of not having to fight or kill the others made Frank feel ecstatic, and when he realised that by using pills to put Yang to sleep, he wouldn’t need to use the mask, he felt almost buoyant. Despite the exorbitant prices for both caffeine and sleeping pills Frank almost felt like skipping. He knew he wouldn’t be able to obtain and present the relic on his terms, but after everything he’d been through, combined with the presence of the Mistrali Defence Force en-masse, he felt sure that even Warhammer couldn’t fault him.

Yang rubbed her eyes with her left hand, not wanting to move her right arm in case she woke Ruby. The past week had been difficult for all of them, but she couldn’t help but feel like Ruby had had it hardest. Throughout the course of that week, Ozpin had been running her ragged with practicing the use of her silver eyes. Yang felt her mind wander back to one session a couple of nights ago. She’d just reached one of Haven’s enormous gymnasiums to tell Ozpin, Qrow, Ruby, and Weiss that dinner was ready when she saw Ruby sitting in the middle of the gymnasium, puffing and panting wearing a small icepack on her forehead while she leaned on Qrow who knelt beside her; a water bottle in his left hand while his right arm was used to hold Ruby, a look of concern on his face. Even from where Yang stood, she could see Ruby was shaking with exhaustion, a small puddle of sick lay at her knees. Weiss stood awkwardly to one side, unsure of what to do. Ozpin stood in front of Ruby, hands on hips.
“Hey! What’s been going on?!” Yang called out in shock.
Ozpin turned to look at her. “Miss Rose is just taking a smaller breather. Before she gets back to practicing.”
Well, maybe you guys should call it a day. Ruby’s exhausted and dinner’s ready. You could all do with some food.” Yang said as she strode over to help her sister up.
Ozpin however stood in her way. “We’ll come eat later. Right now, Ruby needs to continue practicing.”
“She’s been practicing all day.” Yang responded.
“Yang’s right, we have been practicing all day. It would be good to have something to eat and just rest for the night.” Weiss said as her stomach gave a loud growl. Ozpin however appeared resolute.
“I’m sorry Miss Xiao Long, but I think Ruby needs the extra practice. After the earlier events, Ruby desperately needs it to prevent Salem’s minions ambushing us with Grimm.”
Yang pointed to the puddle at Ruby’s knees. “You’re working her past the point of exhaustion. She needs to have dinner and then rest, just like the rest of us.”
“Your concern for your sister is noble, Miss Xiao Long.” Ozpin responded. “But to be frank, Ruby is lagging behind where the world needs her to be.”
Weiss chimed back in. “Look Ozpin, there’s no doubt Ruby needs to practice. But she’s beyond exhausted. I think we need to call it a day.”
“Ruby’s mother, Summer Rose, had made twice as much progress as Ruby had by the time she was her daughter’s age.” Ozpin replied, glaring at her.
Yang started. “But Ruby’s got years-”
“We don’t have years!” Ozpin interrupted heatedly. “It’s only been a more than a year since the Fall of Beacon and Salem has already tried to attack another Huntsman Academy. How long until she attacks Atlas, or Shade? We don’t have the luxury of time!”
Yang’s eyes flashed crimson. “Ruby’s not a tool! She’s a person! And she’s been through a lot this past week.”
Ozpin was silent, an affronted look on his face as he regarded one of his students. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ruby spoke first.
“Yang…it’s okay…all I needed was some water…I’m feeling better now.” She murmured meekly, an equally meek smile on her face.
Yang saw Ozpin stiffly turn to look at Qrow and Ruby. For a moment, she thought there was a green glow in what were usually Oscar’s hazel eyes. Yang thought she saw a vein throb on Qrow’s forehead as he looked up from Ruby to meet his eldest niece’s eyes.
“A little more practice will do Ruby some good kiddo, you’ll see.” Qrow said stiffly.
Yang regarded her sister and uncle with shock, her eyes turned back to lilac. “Well maybe it would be better if you guys had dinner first, then you can get back to helping Ruby train.” She said in a more diplomatic tone.
Weiss sighed with relief. “That’s sounds like a good idea.”
Weiss got up and made towards the exit. Ozpin folded his arms and shook his head, seemingly too frustrated to speak, while Qrow helped his niece back to her feet. But as he was about to lead her towards the exit, Ruby suddenly pulled away.
“No!” Ruby said forcefully. “I need to do this!”
Yang felt her jaw drop as she beheld her sister in disbelief. “Ruby, please!” she said pleadingly. “You’ve trained all day and you’ve barely rested. Come have dinner.”
“The world is relying on me Yang. Even if we’re the only ones who know it. I’ll just practice for another couple of hours, then I’ll shower and have dinner.”
Before Yang could reply, Ruby called out to Weiss. “Weiss! I’ll need you back in here. Just for a couple more hours.”
Weiss groaned and walked back into the gymnasium, pulled out her rapier and standing as still as a statue, summoned a glimmering white, spectral boarbatusk. Before turning and heading back to the others, Yang thought she saw a flash of smug triumph on Ozpin’s face as he turned to observe Ruby’s training.
The memory of this event, and others like it plagued Yang’s thoughts: Ruby had been running herself ragged with her silver eye training, and Yang knew the extremes Ruby was going to weren’t good for her health. What’s more, it was now twice she recalled seeing a flash of green in Ozpin’s eyes, followed by Qrow stiffly agreeing to whatever Ozpin said. She recalled what Raven had said about Ozpin, how he’d given both Qrow and Raven the ability to transform into birds at will, simultaneously binding them to his own will. ‘Was Raven right?’ Yang thought, ‘That first time, when I reunited with Ruby and the others, I thought I was just seeing things, tired after such a long journey and no sleep. But now…’
Yang was suddenly ripped from her thoughts by the sound of shouting and scuffling.

“How about this one?” Blake asked, holding out a brown jacket with a tan-coloured fur trim around the neck.
“It looks good, but brown isn’t my colour. Maybe Yang, or even Frank, would wear that.” Weiss responded absentmindedly. She then regarded the jacket again, with a small frown. “No…I don’t think Yang would wear something so…modest, and this is a woman’s size. It would be too small for Frank.”
“Well, what does catch your interest? We’re going to Atlas, so you of all people should know we’ll to need to go prepared for the conditions.” Blake said.
“Well…I had stuff, but those bandits took it when they kidnapped me.” Weiss responded in a dispirited manner.
Blake regarded her friend with concern. “Is this about what those bandits-”
“No.” Weiss interrupted. “It’s about Atlas…The thing is-”
“Girls!” Scarlet suddenly squealed. “These will look excellent on you!”
Blake spun around to see Scarlet emerge from the clothesline behind her with a gleeful expression on his face, a slim snow-white jacket with trim on the collar in one hand, and a hooded coal black jacket in the other. Blake immediately grabbed the black one, Weiss just regarded the white one with resignation.
“I saw this white one and I thought of you Weiss. The lack of a hood means you can still strut that beautiful ponytail; the white fur trim will blend with your hair and the pockets will allow you to store vials of Dust for your rapier but won’t compromise your elegance.” Scarlet said in a fast, excitable voice.
With a small, resigned sigh, Weiss put the jacket on and looking into a nearby mirror swayed from side to side, observing how she looked in the jacket from different angles. Blake noticed she seemed to perk up a slightly as she saw how the jacket looked on her. Weiss then pulled out a red scarf that she wrapped around her neck and shoulders. Blake gave a small ‘Oooh’, while Scarlet squealed in an effeminate manner. Drawing the attention of other shoppers as he jumped one the spot, clapping his hands to together.
“Oh Weiss! You. Look. STUNNING!” he squealed. “That jacket looks wonderful with the lower half of your dress, it highlights your scarf, which by the way, looks fabulous with your eyes.” Scarlet began to fan himself with both hands. “AH! Ice Queen, you are making me MELT!”
As Weiss beamed with gratitude towards Scarlet, Blake walked up to the mirror beside Weiss and put on the jacket Scarlet had offered her.
“I’ve noticed your preference for stealth, Blake. So, I figured a black hooded jacket would be perfect for you to move quickly and unseen through the dark streets of Mantle. It’s also an opportunity to discard that ridiculous white jacket you have.”
Blake grabbed her white jacket protectively. “I like it!” she said defensively.
“Blake…white is more my colour.” Weiss said.
“Well I think green works for me.” Oscar interrupted happily as he stepped out of a nearby changing room, sporting a long olive-green hooded coat that fell almost to his knees and sported red shoulder pads.
“It does suit you.” Scarlet complimented.
“Are you taking some inspiration from Frank?” Weiss asked with a sly grin.
“N-No!” Oscar said.
Suddenly he glowed green for a moment and his posture stiffened.
“Yes he did.” Ozpin said in an amused voice. “I had to convince him to get a coat instead of a cloak.”
Blake, Scarlet, and Weiss all chuckled amongst themselves as Ozpin briefly glowed green again, his posture slackening slightly. Oscar’s cheeks went slightly red as the others continue chuckling. However, their laughter was suddenly interrupted by a thin balding man in what looked to Blake, to be a security uniform.
“Excuse me.” He asked Scarlet. “Are those woman’s cat ears real?”
Blake noticed the man’s had a pistol holstered at his waist with the top strap undone. Scarlet shifted uncomfortably on the spot and turned to look at Blake before guidance. The guard shifted his gaze towards Blake, his right hand moved slowly to the pistol.
“Yes, they are.” Blake said in a slow, calm voice. “But I-”
The guard interrupted her in a forceful voice, speaking to Scarlet and Weiss. “Some customers have complained about feeling uncomfortable with your pet in their presence, I’m going to need you to leave the store.”
“What?!” Blake and Weiss exclaimed in shock.
“You heard me!” The guard yelled as he drew his pistol, pointing it at Blake. “I need you to leave the store! NOW!”
“Hey! What gives arsehole?!” shouted Sun as he, Jaune, Neptune, and Sage appeared.
The guard spun around. The moment he saw Sun’s monkey tail, he took several slow steps backwards, so he could keep them all in view, his pistol pointed at Sun.
“You’re all upsetting the people at this store. I’m going to need you to leave right now!”
“We’re just shopping!” protested Blake.
“How can we be upsetting anyone!?” yelled Sun.
The guard didn’t answer them. Instead, he called into his earpiece.
“I have two Faunus and several furries at the Icedom clothing store of the ground floor. I need backup! IMMEDIATELY!”
“Listen, we’re just here to do some shopping.” Weiss said, stepping forward. “Some of us are getting gear for going north to Argus. Some of us are just getting gear to go to Vacuo.”
The guard ignored Weiss, waving his pistol haphazardly at them all he continued to shout into his earpiece.
“I need backup! NOW!”
Before anyone else could say or do anything several Huntsmen and Mistrali soldiers burst into the store, weapons drawn, their faces twisted into ferocious snarls.
“Faunus and furries, aye?” snarled a large Huntsman with a goatee and brandishing a hunting rifle which he pointed at Sun.
Seeing the guns pointed at Sun, Blake, wanting to show them what the Mistrali council had put on her and Sun’s passports, began to rummage in her bag. A second Huntsman, with long brown hair and yellow eyes, walked towards her.
“Hands where I can see them!” he roared, brandishing a large, spiked club.
“I’m just going to show you, my passport.” Blake explained patiently. “Prince Egamon himself gave me this.”
Slowly, Blake pulled out her passport and showed them the pale blue crest of Mistral stamped onto it. Another, smaller stamp in bright red said ‘Honorary Human’ on it. Sun showed them his own. For several minutes, the Huntsmen and Mistrali soldiers passed their passports amongst each other studying them, searching for any sign of forgery or error. Although Blake knew they were legitimate, Prince Egamon really had given them the stamps, she felt her stomach churn and her forehead burn like a furnace. Those feelings always emerged whenever someone had demanded to see her passport. Finally, Blake and Sun’s passports were returned to them. Blake felt herself sigh with relief.
“Everything seems to be in order.” The goatee Huntsman stiffly admitted.
“But that doesn’t give you the right to make these good people uncomfortable. You’re coming with us.” Ordered the one with yellow eyes.
“That’s ridiculous!” Blake protested. “We’re just here to buy some clothes.”
“TOO BAD!” he roared back. “You’re coming with us! NOW!!”
Both Huntsmen strode forward and grabbed Blake and Sun, pushing them out of the store. The Mistrali soldiers began to push and pull the others, only allowing Sage and Weiss enough time to pay for the clothes the group were trying out before then being pushed out to join the others. Everyone stared at Blake and her friends as they went past. Upon noticing her cat ears, parents would grab their children and pull them in close. Others jeered and hurled insults at her. Blake tried to remain dignified, keep her head held high, her eyes forward. But Blake felt the salty sting of tears in her eyes, and she felt her breathe quicken as rage bubbled and boiled within her.
Despite the roar of jeers and insults, Blake’s cat ears heard the low growl of a man’s voice.
“You touch me with that tail one more time, monkey boy, and I’ll throw you in front of a fucking train.”
Blake’s cat ears caught Sun shout.
“Then let go of me ARSEHOLE!”
Blake felt relief wash over her as a moment later, Nora, Qrow, Ren, Ruby, and Yang came into view.
“Hey! What’s going on here?!” Yang demanded.
“Are they with you?” The goatee huntsman said to Qrow as he jostled Blake.
“Yeah, they are.” Qrow snarled, showing them his Huntsman licence. “That’s Blake Belladonna you have there. I’d suggest you let her go.”
The Huntsmen let Blake and Sun go, their faces twisted into scowls of disgust as they regarded the crew and Team SSSN.
“What’s this all about?” Ruby asked angrily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
“Complaints from members of the public. They were disturbing the peace and making people uncomfortable.” The Huntsman with yellow eyes replied.
“We did no such thing!” Blake interjected, enraged.
“We were just shopping for jackets!” Weiss protested hotly.
“Whatever furry.” The goatee Huntsman retorted. He turned to Qrow, glaring at him as he pointed menacingly at Blake and Sun. “You better keep those two on a short leash.”
Blake collapsed onto the bench next to Ruby, allowing the tears to flow; her whole-body heaving as she sobbed. Wordlessly, Ruby handed her a handkerchief.
“We-we risked our lives for them. For their city.” Blake sobbed. “And this is how they…how they…how they thank us.”
Ruby leaned forward, Blake allowed herself to melt into her warm embrace, she felt Yang’s robotic arm on her left arm.
Blake sobbed into Ruby’s shoulder. “Ilia…died for this city. So many people died to protect this city.” Blake began to seethe with anger. “How could they…they…be so ungrateful?”
Sun slumped down next to Blake and put a hand on her shoulder. The others all stood or sat in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes as none of them had an answer. Weiss fidgeted with the handle of one of her suitcases. Nervously, she turned to Blake.
“Listen, Blake…maybe this isn’t a good time, but given what we’ve just seen, and where we’re going…I…I think…” Weiss took a deep breath to steady herself before she murmured incredibly quickly. “I think you should cover your cat ears with a bow again.”
Everyone turned to look at Blake and Weiss. The awkward silence that lingered around the crew was replaced with one of shock. Blake felt like she’d just been slapped. She stared at Weiss in wide-eyed disbelief, her jaw dropped and her cat ears rigid.
“What? Why? Why should I do that?” she asked.
Weiss shifted uncomfortably in her seat, struggling to maintain eye contact with Blake.
“Because you’re a Faunus.” She muttered.
Blake felt numb. She regarded her friend in stunned silence, unable to respond. Weiss looked glum. She shifted uncomfortably before meekly carrying on.
“The thing is Blake, after what just happened, the way everyone treated you back there. When we arrive in Atlas, there will be people who will want to kill you if they realise you’re a Faunus. After the Fall of Beacon, the Atlas council, with the outspoken approval of the king, revoked all the rights that Faunus had made in the past twenty years; and there weren’t many rights to begin with. And I remember hearing stories about what happened in Mantle after the fall. Race riots and mass lynchings that were far worse than before. Several Faunus neighbourhoods being burnt to the ground. Please Blake, I’m saying this to protect you.”
Finally, Blake felt herself snap out of her numb shock. She turned to the rest of the crew.
“Do you guys agree with her?!”
Most of the group exchanged awkward glances, only Sun spoke up.
“That’s crazy Weiss. Besides, most people are going to be able to tell Blake’s a Faunus. Even with her bow.”
“How will they be able to tell?” Weiss asked.
Sun shrugged. “People will just know. I did.”
“But WE didn’t.” Weiss said, indicating to herself, Ruby, and Yang. “Which is why I’m saying Blake should cover her cat ears. Humans aren’t going to know unless she tells or shows them.”
Ruby nodded in agreement. “I understand why you don’t want to cover your cat ears, Blake. But I think Weiss is right.”
Blake felt her blood began to run cold. Two of her best friends were telling her to hide her identity. Desperately Blake turned to Yang.
“Ruby, Weiss, I think you guys mean well. But I agree with Blake. I don’t think hiding her cat ears are going to help in the long run.” Yang said.
Warmth flowed through Blake again. She beamed at Yang who returned it with a small smile of her own. But Blake’s smile vanished as Jaune spoke.
“I’ve…got to agree with Weiss and Ruby on this one. I’ve been to Argus a few times, what with my sister and her wife living there, and Argus can be hostile to Faunus. In fact, I don’t think my sister, or her wife will be particularly warm towards you if they realise you’re a Faunus. Sorry Blake.” He added sheepishly.
“Well I think Blake shouldn’t have to hide her cat ears.” Nora said. “She’s not hurting anyone by showing them.”
Ren rubbed his chin thoughtfully before he spoke. “You’re not wrong Nora. But while I understand Blake’s point of view, I think Weiss and Jaune make good points. Unless we want to create more problems for ourselves, I think it would be best if you Blake, did cover your cat ears.”
Blake began to feel desperate, most of her own friends were wanting her to hide her identity. She turned to Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet.
“What do you guys think?”
“I’m staying out of this one, thank you.” Sage said, sounding slightly nervous.
Scarlet nodded in agreement. “Same here.”
“If it makes you feel better Blake. I think if a lady is proud of what she’s got, she ought to-OW!” Neptune cried out as Sun elbowed him in the side.
Sun shook his head. “Seriously dude. I don’t think what you were about to say was going to help.”
“WHAT?! I was going to say she ought to show it off. That’s all.” Neptune moaned.
“What do you think Oscar?” Ruby asked, turning to him.
Oscar stiffened, his eyes rapidly shifting from Ruby and Yang, to Weiss, Blake, and then Sun.
“Um…I-I think…Blake should cover her cat ears.” He muttered.
“Looks like you’re outnumbered, Blake.” Neptune said with a small shrug.
He earned another elbow in the side from Sun. Blake felt like she was backed into a corner.
“Listen Blake, we’re not asking you to cover your cat ears because you should be ashamed of who you are. We’re asking you to cover them because we don’t want to see you get hurt.” Ruby replied.
“Believe me Blake, where we’re going, you’ll need it.” Weiss said earnestly.
“Well…I didn’t bring any bows with me.” Blake said.
“That’s okay. I saw some at the store we’d been shopping at.” Neptune said.
Sun facepalmed, while Blake starred daggers into Neptune’s eyes. Weiss meanwhile gave him a grateful smile and ran off to get some bows. As she left the group, Frank came into view with a small bag in his hands. Weaving his way to the others across the crowded platform, he almost seemed to be skipping. An enormous grin on his face.
“You seem oddly cheerful. What’s this all about?” Yang asked.
The question seemed to startle Frank out of his happy attitude.
“Oh. No reason. I’m just glad that we’ll soon be on our way.” He quickly responded.
“Tell me about it.” Nora said. “Ren and I have always wanted to see Atlas. The gladiator fights.”
“The Ice Gardens of Atlas.” Ren chimed in.
“The Mantle Street races.” Nora added.
“The world-famous restaurant, the Atlas Flake.” Ren listed.
“And the Northern Lights.” Ren and Nora said in unison.
“I remember Weiss talking about that restaurant.” Ruby said.
“She brought it up several times. Whenever she complained about the food at Beacon.” Yang chuckled.
“I remember that.” Blake said, grateful for the distraction. “She went on and on and on about it to Pyrrha at breakfast before the initiation ceremony. I think she was hoping that would somehow convince Pyrrha to buddy up with her.”
For a few minutes, everyone laughed. Leading to a quizzical Weiss as she returned.
“What’s everyone laughing about?”
“Oh, nothing Weiss.” Ruby said as she stifled her giggling.
“We were just talking about what me and Ren are looking forward to in Atlas.” Nora said.
“Oh, Atlas.” Weiss said, immediately stiffening.
“What’s the matter?” Yang asked her.
Weiss sat back down with a small sigh, a downcast look on her face.
“Well, it’s just that we’re going back to Atlas. A kingdom I smuggled myself out of because of my controlling father. Now that we’re going back, I’m certain he’ll find some way to get me back under his control.”
Suddenly Blake understood why Weiss had always seemed glum whenever going to Atlas was brought up.
“I’m sure Ironwood will be able to protect you.” she said in a comforting voice.
“That’s the issue, though, I don’t think he will be able to. My father wields a lot of influence in Atlesian high society. He’ll probably be able to pull some strings within the Atlas military, so even if Ironwood refuses, the other generals will probably do what my father says.” Weiss moaned.
“Hey, don’t worry about it Weiss. No matter what, we’ve got each other’s backs.” Yang said as she placed a comforting hand on Weiss’ shoulder.
Ruby took Weiss’ left hand in her own. “I promise, I won’t let us get separated again.” She looked at Blake and Yang. “Any of us.”
Weiss beamed at her teammates, wiping away a small tear as she did so.
“Thank you.”
Blake knew what it was like to feel estranged from her own family. She wanted to take Weiss’ hand and tell her that although she’d never met Weiss’ family, she would be willing to help Weiss reconcile with them, and even help the Schnee Dust Company change their ways. But before she could make a move or say a word, Sage abruptly interrupted.
“Hey guys, we should look to get going. Our train leaves soon.” he spoke to the rest of Team SSSN.
“Shit, you’re right!” Sun said as he glanced at the large clock that hung from a post a few metres away.
As Team SSSN grabbed their bags, the others all stood up to see them off. Ruby and Sun shook hands.
“It was great seeing you all again.” Ruby said.
“Likewise,” replied Sun. “If you guys are in Vacuo, don’t hesitate to give us a call.”
“Hey, who knows? We might be the ones to suddenly drop in on you guys.” Yang said jokingly.
“Wouldn’t say no to that.” Neptune said to Yang, putting on his most seductive smile.
Yang gave a small chuckle, cheekily blowing him a kiss as she did so. Blake did her best not to notice.
“Well if you do, let us know of the latest fashions in Atlas.” Scarlet said.
“You guys stick together now.” Sage said to the crew.
Blake walked up to Sun feeling her cheeks burn as she did so, hugged him tightly and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. As they parted, Blake noticed that Sun’s cheeks had gone slightly red. The sight of which made her own cheeks burn white hot.
“OOOH LA LA!” Neptune and Yang said in unison.
Blake did her best to ignore them. She just held Sun as tightly as she could.
“Please…be careful Sun. I…I…don’t want to…lose…another friend.” She murmured tearfully.
At her words, Neptune and Yang fell silent. Sun gave her a small encouraging smile.
Sun gave Blake a small kiss on the forehead before he spoke reassuringly. “We’ll look after ourselves Blake. I know Vacuo well enough that I’ll be able to keep these guys out of trouble.” He turned to look at the rest of the crew. “I think you guys should be the ones to be careful. I reckon you’ll have your hands full in Atlas.”
“They’ll be alright.” Frank said with a confident smile. “I’ll look after them.”
Sun regarded Frank for a moment, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.
“Well then, you make sure to keep these guys safe, you hear? Else you’ll have me and my teammates to answer to.” Sun said deep tone.
Blake felt her cat ears stiffen in surprise. Despite everything they’d been through, Blake had never known Sun to look or sound so serious. Frank however appeared unfazed. He gave a small, self-assured nod in response.
“I promise, they won’t get hurt.”
Teams SSSN, JNR, and Ozpin said their farewells and then Team SSSN made their way through the crowds, which despite being overcrowded, shuffled out of their way, eyeing Sun with suspicion and disdain. Team RWBY watched as they disappeared into the crowds.
“Speaking of trains.” Frank said to Qrow, glancing at his watch. “We need to report to the train 30 minutes before boarding.”
Qrow nodded in agreement. Just as the two Huntsmen were about to depart the others, Blake immediately slung her bag over her shoulder.
“Is there anyway we could come with you guys? I honestly don’t feel like waiting here for another half hour.” She asked.
“That’s a good idea.” Ruby said picking up her own bag.
Qrow gave a small shrug. “I don’t see why not. But you guys will have to surrender your weapons for the lock-up.”
Ruby moaned with sadness at the thought of giving up her beloved Crescent Rose, but the others seemed unfazed. The crew made their way to the train across the crowded platform. Blake noticed that despite every level of the station bursting with humanity, just like with Team SSSN, people scampered out of the way: parents pulled their children in close; the Huntsmen and Huntresses that were hired out by those who could afford their services stepped between the crew and their clients, brandishing their weapons with ferocious faces; while those that couldn’t afford their services had the biggest and toughest men in their groups step forward, their faces twisted with hate, but their eyes betrayed their fear. Blake gave a small, dejected sigh. After several minutes the crew finally reached their train. Blake’s eyes widened with shock as she saw that two of the other Huntsmen assigned to their train were the ones that had manhandled her through the station earlier. Both men, along with the other Huntsmen and Huntresses there regarded her with suspicious eyes.
“Where’s your monkey?” demanded the large one with the goatee.
“Him and his team have taken another train.” Qrow responded coldly. “You won’t have to worry about them.”
The goatee Huntsman grunted. “Fine by me.”
“Our friends want to be able to get on the train early, would that be alright?” Frank asked.
The other Huntsmen and Huntresses there looked over the rest of the crew. Blake tried to hold her head high and look dignified, but it was difficult to do so when two of the Huntsmen looking at you had remorselessly humiliated you in front of not only your friends, but hundreds of people only a short time ago.
“Fine.” Said the goatee Huntsman. “But any weapons they have MUST be put in the lock-up, the cat and all your furry friends will need to stay in their rooms until the train has left the station.”
“Sure, whatever.” Frank said with a small shrug.
Both Frank and Qrow turned to the others and began to duly collect their weapons. None of the other Huntsmen or Huntresses moved a muscle to help, leaving Frank and Qrow to haphazardly collect the variety of weapons the crew possessed. Ruby looked longingly at Crescent Rose.
“C’mon kiddo, you won’t be separated for too long.” Qrow said soothingly.
Ruby clutched the weapon tightly to her chest, an almost tearful look in her eyes.
“It won’t be for too long Ruby, I promise.” Yang said.
“She’s my baby.” Ruby whined. “I’ve never been away from her for so long. This isn’t fair.”
“It’s only for a few days Ruby. Now hand it over, we don’t want to cause a scene.” Frank said duly.
Ruby seemed to hug her weapon even tighter.
“It’ll be kept safe and sound kiddo. We’ll be the only ones to touch it.” Qrow said.
Ruby reluctantly gave him her weapon. But only after Qrow promised she’d be allowed to see it once per day and she gave it a big wet kiss.
“Was Ruby always this bad about her weapon?” Frank murmured to Yang.
Blake and Weiss leaned into the two of them to better hear Yang, who gazed at her sister with some amusement as she murmured back. “Trust me, she was much worse when she first made it back at Signal. And when she was finally allowed to bring it home,” Yang shook her head in amusement, “let’s just say it was the only time I was glad we didn’t have neighbours.”
Frank gave a loud chuckle before he left with Qrow to store everyone else’s weapons away. The other Huntsmen and Huntresses let the rest of the crew make their way to their rooms, but the goatee and yellow-eyed Huntsmen followed them close by, only leaving when they had all gotten settled in their rooms.
“Usually, I’d prefer if one of us stayed back to keep an eye on you lot.” Snarled the goatee Huntsman. “But since there are so few of us, and we’ve got hundreds of people to process, we can’t afford to leave anyone here to watch you. So, stay in your rooms, and don’t make a peep. Understood?!”
Not interested in starting anything, the others all nodded in agreement. With a triumphant smirk, both Huntsmen left. The crew looked around their room. It was far from spacious: four sets of bunkbeds had been crammed into the room with a small ensuite on one side next to their door, on the other side was tall narrow cupboard for storing bags.
Weiss seemed almost distraught at the sight of their accommodation.
“Is this a train meant for taking people to prison?!” she moaned.
“Nope.” Jaune responded. “I guess they’re trying to fit more people in per cabin.
Weiss surveyed the room with a gloomy expression that became crestfallen when she saw the tiny ensuite with the toilet, bathroom sink, and shower all squeezed next to each other.
“My wardrobe back in Atlas was larger than this entire room.” She moaned again.
Ruby gave her a playful pat on the shoulder. “Well, it is only for a few days’ guys. We can use the opportunity to rest a little bit.” she said in a chipper voice and wearing a smile that seemed insincere to Blake.
Yang went to go put her bag in one of the higher shelves.
“Let me get that for you.” Blake said quickly.
Blake took Yang’s bag from her and put it in one of the cupboard’s lower shelves. Yang glared at Blake before taking the bag out of that shelf and putting it higher up.
“I can manage it myself, thanks.” Yang said pointedly.
Blake felt her cat ears droop as her gaze fell to the floor.
“Sorry, I-I just…thought you might need some help.” She muttered.
Wordlessly, Yang turned and walked to one of the bunks, taking off her boots and jacket she commandeered the top one for herself. The others all began making their way to the other bunks. Ren and Nora grabbed a bunk, Jaune and Oscar grabbed another. Ruby and Weiss grabbed the last entirely free bunk; like her sister, Ruby grabbed the top bunk, while Weiss sat down on the bottom one. Coyly, Blake made her way to the bed below Yang. She stopped for a moment and looked at Yang. She felt like saying something, but the words refused to come out, so she sat herself down and opened a book.
Unaware of Blake having momentarily stopped in front of her sister, Ruby cheerfully declared to the others.
“Just like old times!”
Nora and Yang gave small cheers in response, but everyone seemed too tired. Blake didn’t blame them. It had been a long, difficult week and today had been one she didn’t want to remember anytime soon. She opened the book, but none of the words seemed to stay in her mind for long, she kept thinking about how all those people had looked at her with fear and hatred. How people had drawn weapons on her and Sun without a moment’s hesitation; and no one did a thing to stop it. She didn’t blame her friends, they couldn’t have seen this coming, and considering how they’d been treated by the Mistrali soldiers, there probably wasn’t anything they could have done. But the fact that it happened, after everything she’d done for Mistral, put her life, and the lives of two thousand Faunus, including her friends and family on the line for Mistral made her blood boil. When she thought of Ilia, losing her life to save a kingdom that had oppressed Faunus for millennia, and that same kingdom made no effort to honour or even appreciate her sacrifice almost made Blake want to scream in fury. But she didn’t dare. Not after what those Huntsmen had said. She didn’t want to make things harder for the others. Blake forced those memories and thoughts to the back of her head and focused on the book she was reading. A while later, she heard the distant, muted sound of whistles; a cool female voice on the train’s intercom told them they were now departing, heading straight for Argus; the train shuddered and began to move, quickly picking up the pace. Blake stared out the window, at a city that had taken so much from her and given nothing in response but a couple of half-hearted stamps on her passport. About thirty minutes later the train had left the city entirely and soon Mistral was out of sight.

Chapter Text

Frank rubbed his chin as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, feeling the coarse facial hair that rubbed against his hand, like the sharp bristles of a shoeshine brush. Despite the mild shaking of the train, Frank knew he needed to have a shave, he didn’t want to give Warhammer an excuse to punish him for his appearance. A small shiver ran down his spine as he remembered one time: a couple of weeks after he’d joined the Jaegers and been assigned to Warhammer’s team, Warhammer had noticed a couple of cresses on Frank’s dress uniform; it had earned Frank 400 push-ups per day for a week and a month’s laundry duty. The very memory made Frank grimace. Since then, he’d always made sure his uniforms, regardless of what function they served, were immaculate. It was why after the battle at Haven Academy, Frank had spent hours soaking and washing all his clothes until every bloodstain and speck of dirt had vanished from them.
“Not another month of laundry.” Frank murmured to himself.
After applying a shaving gel, Frank began the shave in earnest. He’d chosen this time carefully, despite the track being right next to a cliff, it was perhaps the straightest part of the entire journey, and it was only a few hours away from the ambush point. As Frank shaved, he checked off in his head, everything he needed to do in preparation for the ambush: the train’s communications were jammed; fortunately long range communications in this part of Anima were notoriously awful even when the Cross-Continental Transmit System had been operating, so no one was likely to notice until it was too late; the train’s retractable armour for the windows, skylights, carriage doors, and observation carriage, were all jammed; and all of the automated turrets had been disabled. The only defence the train had were the Huntsmen and Huntresses Frank had to patrol the train with. Having gotten to know them a little bit, Frank wasn’t too concerned about them. They could certainly handle some Grimm or a bunch of bandits, but against Frank’s Jaeger teammates, they’d be squashed like bugs. The only real threat was Qrow, but so long as he was put to sleep with the others, he wouldn’t be an issue. Just as he finished shaving, Oscar wrenched open the bathroom door.
“Oh, sorry!” Oscar gave with a little start. “I didn’t think anyone was in here.”
“No worries, just knock next time.”
“Are you wanting to look good for Yang?” Oscar asked, a cheeky smile on his face.
“No, no.” Frank calmly replied. “I just wanted to clean myself up a little, that’s all.”
“I know it may be hard to believe, but in my line of work, it’s actually quite important to be presentable.” Frank said, turning to look at Oscar. “People look at you and will think that if you can keep them safe while looking good, then they have no reason to be afraid. Look at Qrow, or any Huntsman or Huntress; they all look like they could be on a stage or a catwalk. The beard wasn’t doing me any favours, and it wasn’t like I’d had much of a chance to shave it off before, so now I got rid of it. Besides, girls like a man that’s well-groomed.” Frank finished, indicating at Oscar’s chin.
“My-my girlfriend liked it. She thought it was cool.” Oscar said defensively.
“You have a girlfriend?” Frank asked, surprised.
“Had…I think…I…left her a note…when I left my uncle and aunt for Haven Academy. I told her that I’d be going away, and that I probably wouldn’t see her again for a long time. If I ever do see her again…she’d probably have moved on.”
Frank regarded him quizzically. “Why didn’t you tell her in person, just before you left?”
“Ozpin told me not to. He said the letter would be enough…” Oscar responded.
“Ah…sorry to-”
“It’s just so SHITTY!” Oscar suddenly blurted. “We’d already been together for about two years; I should have said goodbye in person! But Ozpin just has to have his way! I leave behind everyone and everything I’ve ever known: my home, my uncle and aunt, my girlfriend, travel across an entire fucking continent! Just because he said so!”
“Well…the fate of all Remnant is at stake. Two billion lives we need to save.” Frank said earnestly.
“Yeah, I get that, but what about me?! I worked on my uncle and aunt’s farm, I went to school, I had a girlfriend, friends, a life!” Oscar cried aloud. After a few seconds, he murmured anxiously. “When this is all said and done, will I get my life back?”
Oscar raised his eyes to Frank’s, the anger that had burned in his eyes had given way to a quiet desperation.
“I want to go home.” He murmured.
Frank felt he couldn’t say a word. He didn’t know what to say. ‘It’s not like I can relate.’ he thought. All Frank felt he could do was stare at Oscar in a silent pity that only seemed to make him feel even more uncomfortable.
Frank shuffled on the spot. “I…I…”
Oscar regarded him with a confused and desperate look. Frank continued to shuffle on the spot, words having completely failed him. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Frank felt he had something to say. But he didn’t think Oscar would like it.
“Truth is Oscar…I’m…I’m sorry…but I can’t relate.” Frank gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “I’ve never had a girlfriend, and I’ve…never really had friends. I…don’t know what to tell you.”
Oscar’s entire body seemed to deflate. Frank took a step forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I wish I had something better to say Oscar, I really do. You probably had an idea of how your life would go, and then life threw a spanner in the works. But…I know this is what I’m supposed to be doing. All I can say is that we have to do the best with what we’ve got.”
From what Frank could tell, Oscar’s mood didn’t appear to have improved much, but he knew he was telling Oscar the truth. ‘I was born to be a Jaeger’, Frank thought, ‘Sure, I had a home and a family, school, and homework, like any other kid. But when I was 11 years old, I knew what I was born to become. I knew that being a Jaeger is what I was meant to be.’
“Tell you what, why don’t you have a quick shave, and I’ll bet that gets Ruby to pay you a little more attention.” Frank said in an earnest attempt to improve Oscar’s spirits.
Oscar’s face went from downtrodden to blushing, his tan face turning maroon as he began to stammer.
“I-I-I d-don’t-”
“Oscar, it’s kind of obvious. But hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It’s normal for guys your age.” Frank responded kindly. “I reckon Ruby will respond well to a clean-shaven Oscar. You’ll be surprised what some good grooming can do for a man.”
“Okay, let’s see if it works.” Oscar said half-heartedly.
Frank stepped into the shower next to the basin so that Oscar could stand where he had been and handed him a small squeeze bottle of shaving gel. Oscar looked at him blankly.
“I don’t know how to shave.” He said simply.
“Really? Well…okay. First take some of that gel, rub some on your fingers and then apply it to your cheeks, chin, jawline, and neck.” Frank said.
Oscar did as he was told. Frank then handed Oscar his razor.
“Now I like to start with the sideburns, just in front of the ears. Start from the top…there.” Frank said, lightly placing a finger in front of Oscar’s ear lobes. “And move the razor down, gently.”
Once Oscar was done with his sideburns, Frank had him shave his cheeks, chin, and jawline but there wasn’t much there either. So, Frank instructed Oscar move onto his neck.
“Now, you’ll want to go against the grain here. Be gentle. Go nice and slow, there’s no rush.” Frank said.
Following his instructions, Oscar ran the razor down and against the bristles on his neck; slowly and gently. With each movement, more and more bristles fell away.
“Y’know, I never noticed ‘til now; but you have a lot of facial hair for a fourteen-year-old.” Frank observed.
Oscar bowed his head slightly. “That’s because I’m not fourteen. I’m fifteen-years-old now.”
Frank felt his jaw plummet. He tried to say something, but all that came out was an unintelligible throaty noise. Oscar stared at him with a dull expression. Finally, after a full minute, Frank responded.
“When did you turn fifteen?”
“A few weeks ago now. While we were coming back from the Branwen fortress.” Oscar responded quietly.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Frank murmured.
“With everything going on I didn’t want to add to everyone’s lists of concerns.” Oscar said.
“Oscar, that wouldn’t have been an issue. We probably could have thrown a little party to celebrate.” Frank responded.
“It’s not a big deal.” Oscar replied sheepishly.
“Hey, you’re only fifteen once. We should celebrate.” Frank said cheerfully, slapping Oscar on the back.
Despite having acted like it didn’t matter, Oscar visibly perked up.
“Really?”
“Yeah.” Frank replied. “Let’s go grab some stuff from that concession stand and met up with the others and throw a little party. What do you say?”
Oscar seemed to be listening to someone else for a moment, looking down at his left shoulder, before excitedly returning his attention to Frank and nodding excitedly. Grinning from ear to ear, Frank wrapped an arm around Oscar’s shoulders and pushed him out of the room. The two young men hurried down the train towards the concession stand. Frank hurriedly purchased several packets of biscuits, a dozen soft drinks and packets of chips. Haphazardly carrying a bunch of items that were never designed to be carried together, both of them then shot down the carriages to the room where teams RWBY and ORNJ slept. Using his right elbow, Frank awkwardly and gingerly opened the door. Inside sat or lay the rest of the crew, except for Qrow and Ruby.
“Who’s ready for a party?!” Frank called out.

“It’s good to see you again Crescent Rose. I hope you haven’t been lonely without me.” Ruby crooned as she caressed her weapon.
For several minutes Ruby lovingly caressed her weapon, she felt warm and whole as she held her beloved Crescent Rose, even though it was currently in its neutral state: neither scythe nor sniper. Ruby turned to look at her uncle who looked like he wished the blizzard outside would howl louder.
“Can’t I turn her into a scythe or sniper, please Uncle Qrow? Just to make sure everything is working.”
“Sorry kiddo, but the lock-up is too small for you to open it up.” Qrow responded.
“What about outside the lock up? The carriage itself has enough room.” Ruby pointed out.
Qrow stood in silence for a minute, thinking about it. Slowly he turned and closed the carriage door, making sure no one else could see him do it as he did so. He turned back to Ruby and gave a small, quick nod. Ruby squealed with delight and shot out of the lock-up, bouncing up and down as she did so. Ruby opened Crescent Rose up, into its scythe state, giving a small, warm sigh as she beheld her beloved weapon. Stroking it, Ruby continued to croon as she did so, changing it into its sniper state, and then alternating between all three states Crescent Rose has, only stopping when Qrow interrupted her.
“Okay kiddo, that’s enough for today.” He said.
Ruby felt her stomach plummet. Desperately she turned to look at him with large puppy dog eyes.
“Please, Uncle Qrow, just a couple more minutes.”
Qrow shook his head. “The deal was for just ten minutes each day. So, you’re going to have to put your weapon back in the armoury.”
Reluctantly Ruby allowed Qrow to take Crescent Rose from her and lock it back up with all the other weapons passengers had when they boarded the train. The two of them turned and made their way back to Ruby’s carriage. As they did so, Qrow occasionally checked up on people in their rooms. Although she knew she didn’t have to do this, Ruby liked to join her uncle in checking on people. Seeing their smiles, knowing that they felt safe with a Huntsman in their presence warmed her heart. Even when people were grumpy, frustrated, or even rude towards them, Ruby found she was generally able to improve their mood by asking about what was on their mind, and finding a solution for it.
Such as when a large family that had taken up an entire room all by themselves, and still didn’t have enough room, as evidenced by the three rolled up sleeping bags that were placed haphazardly to one side. The entire family was frustrated and exhausted, evidenced by the large, dark bags they all had under their eyes. As it turns out, the lights in their room were constantly flickering on and off regardless of what they did to the switch. Upon hearing of their plight, Ruby used her semblance to shoot down the carriages until she found the electrician and brought him to the family’s room whereupon he was able to fix the issue, much to the family’s delight, and Ruby’s. As the two of them continued to make their way down the train both Ruby and Qrow’s scrolls simultaneously buzzed. Yang was calling.
“Where are you guys?!” she called out through their scrolls.
“Just heading back from the armoury now. And we’ve been checking in on passengers while we go.” Qrow responded.
“Well hurry up! We’re celebrating Oscar’s birthday!” Yang exclaimed, holding up a soft drink can.
“It’s Oscar’s BIRTHDAY?!” Ruby and Qrow exclaimed in surprise.
“Not really. It’s complicated…Look, just get here and we’ll explain.” Yang said as she ended the call.
“They’re having a birthday party without us?! Come on Uncle Qrow!” Ruby shouted.
Before Qrow could react Ruby had activated her semblance again and raced through the train carriages, until she felt herself slam into something large and metallic. Ruby flopped onto the floor. Looking up, she saw a large bronze shield standing in front of her. A Huntsman with a wizened and battle-scared face and a thin grey beard that fell just past his neck, stepped out from behind the shield bearer. He wore big red metal plates joined together through blue and white lace to create an armour that covered his entire body and shoulders and extended down to his knees. Instead of a helmet he wore a large red conical hat. His gauntlets were also red, but contained on them vials of Earth Dust. Tied to a sky-blue belt around his waist were two katana. The shield bearer put the shield behind her back, now revealing to Ruby to be a Huntress with shoulder length black hair. While much younger than the wizened Huntsman, she bore two large red scars that covered most of her face and her lower jaw was a robotic prosthetic. She wore a bronze-coloured helmet, breastplate, and shin guards. Protecting her thighs was a skirt that extended to her knees, covered in armour plating. In her right hand she gripped a long spear.
The Huntsman in the conical hat offered Ruby a hand up.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“I am, thanks.” Replied Ruby, accepting the hand.
“You shouldn’t use your semblance like that in these narrow corridors.” Said the Huntress, pursing her lips and looking down at Ruby.
“Sorry. My sister just called us back to our room, to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and I got a little excited.” Ruby replied, looking down at the floor.
The Huntress’ expression softened slightly. “Just don’t do something so reckless again while going through a train.”
A moment later, Qrow came running into view.
“There you are.” Qrow then noticed the Huntsman and Huntress in front of Ruby. “Oh, hi Tana. Hi Anet.”
“Hello Qrow. How are things at the front of the train?” Tana asked him.
“Nothing much to report. Most customers seem relaxed. Just one family that was having some issues the lighting in their room. But my niece was able to get the electrician to sort it out. Otherwise, there’s nothing to report. What about you guys?” Qrow responded.
“Everything’s been fine on this side.” Tana said. “A few rowdy passengers that are probably suffering from a little cabin fever, but that’s expected. Have you had any luck finding out where the missing food has gone?”
Qrow shook his head. “Nothing. And no one I’ve talked to has spotted anything. What about you guys?”
“Same. And the others haven’t had any luck either.” Anet replied. “With the missing food and that cargo bay door Röd and Vaskas found unlocked, someone is on this train who shouldn’t be. It’s…unnerving that we haven’t found any trace of the infiltrator. I shudder to think what it is they’re planning.”
“Well until we find them, we’ll have to keep our eyes peeled.” Tana said.
Tana took a step towards Qrow, looking to walk past him, only for Anet to hastily grab him by the arm.
“His semblance, remember.” She hissed.
Tana took a step back as he remembered. Both Huntsman and Huntress stare expectantly at Qrow who resigns to pressing himself against a wall while the other two gingerly walk past him. Ruby’s jaw dropped as she watched it all unfold. To see his own co-workers treat her uncle like this. Ruby felt her face twist into a look of disgust, dismay and rage, while all three emotions roiled in her mind like a storm. She was about to say something, to speak out against those who would treat her uncle this way, when Qrow himself interjected.
“Hey. It’s alright kiddo. Let’s just get to this party.”
The two of them made their way further down the train, soon the raucous sounds of laughter and music guided them towards the room teams RWBY and ORNJ stayed in. As Qrow opened the door, they saw everyone else dancing and laughing to music blasting out of Yang’s scroll.
In an effort to be heard over the music, Ruby and Qrow shouted in unison. “Happy Birthday Oscar!!” Oscar popped his head out from behind the others who were all dancing around him, his tan face a deep maroon, and an improvised party hat made of a chips packet and string sat on his head.
“Thanks guys!” he shouted back.
“Why didn’t you tell us you’ve turned fifteen?!” Ruby asked.
Oscar stammered. “I…I…”
“Oscar was just being modest.” Frank interjected on Oscar’s behalf. “He didn’t want to distract us. But now, I think it’s time we PARTY!”
At Frank’s last word, the others all responded with loud cheers, drinks, or even biscuits or chips raised in celebration. Nora, already looking like she was going to start bouncing off the walls, took Oscar by the hand and pulled him back to the others who were all dancing around. Frank thrust drinks in Ruby and Qrow’s hands. Before long, even Qrow was caught up in the revelry. Everyone danced, sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Oscar, Frank picked Oscar up and paraded him around the small room on his shoulders. When Frank had put Oscar back down, Ruby couldn’t help but notice that Oscar appeared more mature, and more like a Huntsman.
“You’ve shaved.” Ruby observed, handing Oscar another drink.
Oscar’s face went maroon again. “Thanks…It was Frank’s idea though.”
“Oh. Did he shave you?” Ruby teasing asked.
“No. I shaved myself, thank you very much.” Oscar replied.
Ruby laughed. “Good answer. It suits you. And with that coat…your shoulders look…broader.”
Oscar’s face went a slightly deeper maroon at her words, but he straightened his posture and puffed his chest out. To Ruby, he suddenly looked taller and more muscular. She felt her knees tremble slightly as an urge to kiss washed over her like hot water.
“Happy Birthday Oscar.” Ruby said as she quickly leaned forward and kissed him on his left cheek.
No sooner had she pulled away from Oscar, did she feel her face burn as euphoria and shock swirled together in her mind. Oscar seemed absolutely stunned, his face having gone completely red. Ruby bolted away to grab another drink. As she chugged down a can of fizzy orange juice, she spied Frank giving Oscar a large encouraging smile and a very enthusiastic double thumbs-ups. The party continued for another hour, and probably would have gone on longer but the train suddenly shook violently. Everyone fell silent as they tried to steady themselves.
“What was that?!” Blake gasped.
Jaune, Nora, and Yang all peered out the window, but there was nothing but white outside. Qrow threw open the door to a chorus of screams, yells, and crying children. Gunshots could be heard from atop the train. Frank, who had told the others he wanted to get some more drinks and snacks came running down the carriage holding his rifle, a look of grave concern on his face.
“Qrow, we’ve got Grimm.”

Frank checked his watch, in two hours his fellow Jaegers, under the guise of an ambush by bandits, would be attacking this train. ‘Now would be a good time for these guys to have a lie down’, Frank thought. He made for the door, telling the others he was going to grab some more drinks and snacks. The moment the door closed, Frank dashed towards the concession stand and bought a bunch of water bottles before then making his way to the Huntsmen/Huntress quarters. Checking that he was alone in the room, Frank dropped a couple of sleeping pills into each bottle. He was making his way back to the others when his scroll suddenly buzzed, forcing him put down half the bottles so he could answer. The voice belonged to the Huntsman with the goatee, who Frank now knew as Dudley.
“We’ve got Grimm closing in on the train. Get your fellow furry and haul your asses to the roof!”
Frank tried calling Qrow, but after several attempts, gave up and ran, unsheathing his sword and turning into a rifle as he did so. Gunshots could be heard in the distance, some people opened their doors, trying to understand what was going on.
“Get back inside!” Frank would yell at them. “Hunker down and stay away from the windows! We’ve spotted some Grimm!”
Then the train shook violently, almost forcing Frank to the ground. He heard the groan of metal as it was rent apart, followed by shrill cries and screams coming from somewhere far behind. Then the entire train erupted into a chorus of screams, cries, and yells, some people began to run in and out of rooms, calling out to loved ones as they did so.
“Keep calm!” Frank roared in vain. “Get back in your rooms and STAY OUT OF SIGHT!”
Frank heard more gunshots, now they seemed just above him. At last, he reached the others, Frank saw Qrow throw open the door and saw him running towards them. Upon telling Qrow what was going on, the two of them began to head towards the nearest exit, when Ruby shot out from behind them using her semblance.
“Ruby stop! Go back and stay with the others!” Qrow called out.
Ruby turned to look at her uncle, surprised. “But Uncle Qrow, this could be a chance to use my silver-eyes.”
“We don’t know what exactly we’re dealing with here Ruby, nor are we sure that you can use that ability when you need to when facing Grimm.” Qrow responded.
“Plus, these guys won’t want any civilians nearby.” Frank added.
“I believe Miss Rose is correct in this situation.” Said Ozpin as he quickly caught up with them. “This would be an opportune time to try her silver-eyes on Grimm. If they don’t work, we can rely on yourselves and your colleagues to keep the train safe.”
“Alright, let’s keep moving then.” Qrow responded reluctantly.
The four of them sprinted down the train until they reached an exit door. Frank yanked it open, for the four of them to be greeted by a howling blizzard, their faces pelted by snowflakes that swarmed into the carriage like flies. Frank felt the bite of the freezing cold and heard the wind howl in his ears, but he did his best to ignore it as he and the others scrambled up onto the roof of the train. On either side of him stood the other Huntsmen and Huntresses each one desperately fending off the assailing Grimm. Some fought off a large Sphinx that had torn into one of the carriages, its claws and teeth already red with fresh blood while the others shot into the sky, attempting to hold off the other Grimm that flew above them. Frank and Qrow quickly began to shoot at any nearby Grimm. Tana, who’s conical hat had transformed into a helmet made of iron plates that were riveted together complete with a suspended neck guard on the back and sides and a flower displayed above the helmet visor, and had turned his two katana into a large bow with which he used to shoot arrows made of Earth Dust, turned to look at the two of them.
“Good of you to come! What took you so long?!” he asked.
“We got a little held up!” Qrow briefly replied.
“Aside from that Sphinx, what sort of Grimm are we dealing with?!” Frank asked of the other Huntsmen and Huntresses.
“The roars will probably be other Sphinxes; the shrieks must be Manticores!” Replied Dudley, firing his rifle at a shadowy creature that soared over their heads, unfazed by the force of the wind that howled around them.
“But it’s difficult to tell with this blizzard!” Added a Huntress with red hair in two pigtails that stood out at the sides of her head, holding a rifle in the form of a flintlock musket who took a shot at the same creature only to miss. Frank knew her to be Röd.
“Why haven’t the defences been turned on?!” Qrow asked.
“Dee tried when the Grimm were first spotted heading our way! But nothing happened!” Röd responded.
“We reckon it must have been whoever snuck onto the train and has been raiding the kitchens.” Dudley growled.
A man suddenly cried out in pain. Frank turned around to see a Huntsman with messy silver hair held in the Sphinx’s jaws. Before anyone could even move, he was crushed by the Sphinx’s savage bite; his upper chest and legs fell onto the roof with a wet slap before sliding off and into the snow. A Huntress that had been with him, who also had messy silver hair, screamed in rage and sorrow as she charged the Sphinx with a longsword, only for a Manticore to swoop down and snatch her away. Dudley and Röd went to shoot it, but Tana stopped them.
“There’s no point! If we shoot it down, the fall will likely kill her, and if she does somehow survive, she’ll be in no position to fend off anymore Grimm! It’s best we focus on protecting the train and its passengers!”
Dudley and Röd looked horrified.
“Seriously Tana?!” shouted Dudley. “We can’t-”
“He’s right!” Qrow interrupted. “The train is our priority!”
Frank heard Dudley mutter something about furries, but otherwise they didn’t argue. A moment later the Huntress’ screams could be heard, mixed with the roars of other Grimm and the sound of flesh being torn and bones being broken. Dudley, Dee, and Röd went pale.
“Block it out! These Grimm are clever and are trying to break us mentally! Don’t let it faze you!” Tana said staunchly.
It was then another Huntress, this one with a robotic left eye, short indigo and teal hair in a small, tight ponytail, wearing a large baggy camo-pattern jacket and wielding a Dust-powered sling, noticed Ruby and Oscar.
“HEY! No civilians are supposed to be here! Get back to your rooms!” she bellowed, making to push them back down the ladder.
“They could be of some use to us, Vaskas!” Qrow hastily replied, stepping between the Huntress, and Ruby and Oscar. “My niece has recently developed a semblance that could take out these Grimm in one go!”
“And the boy?!” asked Röd.
“He can fire energy bolts at those Grimm!” Frank quickly responded.
“What do you think, Tana?!” asked Vaskas, turning him.
Tana regarded Ruby and Oscar with a brief, but contemplative gaze, his eyes fixed on them, before he spoke.
“If they can be of use, I see no reason to not let them try!” He responded.

Ruby took a few steps toward the Sphinx and stood as motionless as she could despite the buffeting of the wind. Around her swirled the gruesome orchestra: the heart-pounding roars and piercing shrieks of Grimm, the crack of gunfire from the Huntsmen and Huntresses, and the shrill cries of those onboard the train. Ruby took several deep breaths to steady herself, but butterflies seemed to be dancing in her stomach. Despite the two Huntsmen, Dee and Dudley, fighting to keep the Sphinx subdued, its presence terrified her: every time it swept its burning yellow eyes over her, she felt the hair on her neck go rigid; with every roar, Ruby felt her heart skip a beat. Ruby had fought Grimm before, hordes of them. But she’d never seen a Sphinx before. It was at least 10 metres in length with pitch black fur and a deathly pale human-like face with feline features. Although the two Huntsmen seemed to be keeping the monster at bay, Ruby couldn’t help but notice how reserved its attacks were. It had a long, thin tail that ended in a snake-like head that seemed to watch the two Huntsmen, patiently, as if waiting for an opportunity to strike, swaying from side-to-side, but never taking its eyes off either Huntsmen.; it only used its cat-like claws defensively; and Ruby knew that sphinxes could shoot fireballs out of their mouths, but this one didn’t. A shiver ran down Ruby’s spine as she began to wonder if the Grimm was doing this deliberately, as if it was testing these two Huntsmen, probing for a weak spot that it could then exploit. Ruby tried to replace these thoughts with positive emotions, feelings, thoughts, and memories; but the sight of fresh blood in the Sphinx’s jaws and on claws, and the gruesome orchestra that swirled around her were all too strong a reminder for Ruby of the Fall of Beacon. ‘Think about your friends all being together again’ Ruby thought; instead, images of the Fall of Beacon flitted through her mind: Yang lying depressed in bed, her right arm gone from the elbow; Pyrrha being killed by Cinder; Penny lying in broken pieces in Amity Colosseum. No matter how hard she tried, Ruby felt unable to conjure any positive thoughts or emotions, just a cold terror that threatened to overwhelm her. Finally, Ruby was forced to turn and face her uncle, Ozpin, and the Huntsmen and Huntresses that she knew were relying on her.
“I’m…I’m sorry! I can’t…I just can’t get it to work!” she cried apologetically.

Frank’s stomach plummeted as he heard Ruby’s words. There was no longer any hope of killing all these Grimm before reaching his fellow Jaegers. This was going to make the ambush, along with their escape protracted and messy. ‘What’s more’, Frank thought as he felt his heart freeze, ‘the others will get caught in the crossfire’. Before he could dwell in his miserable thoughts any longer, Frank was ripped out of them when he heard Dee swear in frustration.
“Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?!!” he roared. “You furries are fucking useless!!”
“HEY!” Qrow roared at Dee. “Why don’t you shut up and focus on the Sphinx instead of MY NIECE!”
Dee was about to respond when the Sphinx swung a claw at him, destroying what remained of his aura. Dee barely had a chance to cry out in pain when its tail struck, stabbing him in the abdomen. Dudley gave a cry and swung at the Sphinx’s tail, only for the Grimm to pull it away just at Dudley’s axe was about to strike. Frank and Tana turned and shot at the Sphinx, allowing Dudley to drag a badly wounded Dee out of harm’s way. Frank was sure that Grimm were just monstrous animals, but as he gazed at the Sphinx; he was certain a vicious, triumphant smile stretched across its face, the sight of which only seemed to amplify its terrifyingly human appearance. Even as it spread its large wings and flew into the air, it seemed to roar in triumph. As if acting under the Sphinx’s command, the other Grimm swooped down upon the train: other sphinxes rained down fireballs from above while manticores swooped down onto the train tearing into the exposed roof and walls of the train.
“Any chance you can make that green energy shield like the one you made at Haven?” Qrow asked Ozpin.
“Not one that would be large enough to cover the whole train, but I do have something else in mind.” Ozpin replied.
Frank turned and saw green lightning dance across Ozpin’s fingertips before coalescing into balls of crackling green energy in both hands. The balls seem to grow larger, and Frank thought he could hear a hum emanating from them that grew in volume as the balls grew in size. After several more seconds of build-up, Ozpin raised his hands into the air and fired a dozen bolts of dazzling green lightning from them. They arced through the air, vanishing each Grimm they struck in a blinding flash of green light. Ozpin immediately began to sway on the spot before falling to his knees, puffing and panting.
“Get Ozpin back inside Ruby.” Qrow said.
“Shouldn’t we take Dee as well?” Ruby asked. “Jaune may be able to help him.”
They all turned to look at Dudley who was still dragging a mortally wounded Dee. He turned to look at them, his face a mixture of desperation and disgust. Finally, he gave a small nod, allowing Ozpin and Ruby to help him get Dee down and back into the train. Ruby took Dee by the arms, while Ozpin grabbed his legs.
“Please, stay safe.” Ruby said.
Dudley joined Röd and began shooting at the sphinxes while Frank, turning his rifle into a longsword attacked a manticore that was tearing into one of the bedrooms on the train. Upon seeing him, the manticore swung a claw at Frank, who vanished mere moments before it hit. Re-materialising on the other side of it, Frank beheaded the manticore. A sphinx burst into view from above shooting fireballs at Frank, causing him to roll out of the way and into an opening in the train a Manticore had made. Springing back onto the train roof, Frank observed the area, it seemed hopeless. There seemed to be almost as many Grimm as there were snowflakes whirling around the train, attacking from nearly every direction: a score of sphinxes swirled around the train, launching attacks from the air like dive bombers while manticores flew in from behind, quickly catching up with the train; but even more manticores rushed the train from the front, on both sides they dug their claws into both the train and the tracks.
“Frank! I’ll need some help dealing with the manticores at the front!” Qrow shouted as he shot past.
Frank sprinted after him, the two of them fighting off any Grimm that got in their way. As they got closer to the head of the control cab, the shriek of metal being torn grew louder until they reached the front of the train where a Manticore savagely tore into the roof, seeking out the train driver, while two more manticore’s clung onto its sides, their rear claws digging into the ground to slow it down. Fortunately for both Huntsmen these Grimm seemed too focused on what they were doing to notice them, allowing Frank and Qrow to swiftly cut off the front claws of the manticores on the sides before they both stabbed the manticore on the roof. While Qrow went to check on the train driver Frank turned his attention back to the other Grimm, sprinting over to help Tana who was desperately fending off two manticores. Frank sprung at them, the combined momentum of his spring and the Grimm being carried closer by the train allowed him to drive his longsword straight through the closest of the two and into the other like an armour-piercing bullet. The shrieks of the second one cut short by Tana beheading it.
“Thank you.” Tana said as he turned his katanas back into a longbow and loosed arrows at the sphinxes that flew around them. “If only I had your youthful vigour.”
“You were handling two manticores. That’s a lot for anyone.” Frank replied, turning his longsword back into a rifle and shooting at nearby manticores.
“They were younger ones. Not as fast or as armoured as some of the others here.” Tana said.
Before either of them could say or do anything else, Qrow roared at them from behind.
“TUNNELL!! TUNNEL!!!”
Frank turned and saw Qrow pointing at a dark object that seemed to loom up in the distance, obscured by the blizzard, but getting bigger at an alarmingly fast rate.
“Get back inside Tana. I’ll warn the others.” Frank said.
Frank sprinted towards Anet, Dudley, Röd, and Vaskas, yelling at them to get inside. Anet, Röd, and Vaskas got back inside, but Dudley was pinned to the roof by a manticore with its front claws cut off, its jaws clamped down on Dudley’s axe while Dudley swung from left to right to avoid the sting of its scorpion tail. Frank turned his rifle back into a longsword as he sprinted towards the two of them before sliding along the roof, beheading the manticore as he slid past. Dudley disentangled himself from the remains of the disintegrating Grimm, grabbing his axe and turning to Frank as he did so.
“I can’t believe I’m having to say this but-”
“TUNNEL!” Frank yelled upon seeing the brick and mortar of the tunnel mouth.
Frank dived into a hole torn into the train, landing with a wet splat. Dudley swung in a moment later, but he was too slow. His right arm, having been holding his axe when he swung inside, struck the edge of the tunnel. Frank heard a loud crack and saw Dudley fall screaming to the ground in pain. With a wet splat, Dudley landed on the floor thrashing around, an ear-splitting screech escaping his lips as he clutched his arm. Frank picked up his longsword and walked towards Dudley, ‘I should kill him now,’ he thought, ‘That way there’s one less Huntsman to worry about when the others ambush the train.’ Suddenly the door was wrenched open.
“Shit!” Qrow exclaimed. “Quickly Frank, let’s get him in a splint and sling.”
With a start, Frank sheathed his longsword, and ran to Dudley, whose arm was now covered in blood. Frank and Qrow hurriedly wiped the blood away, trying to find the source of the bleeding only to realise that the blood wasn’t Dudley’s. Frank looked around him and realised they were surrounded by the torn remains of several people; blood splattering the walls and ceilings while it soaked into the floor from corpses strewn around. Frank looked back at where he had landed and realised it had been on top of the remains of a father clutching his now headless child. Frank gave a quick shake of his head and turned his attention back to assist Qrow with Dudley who continued to writhe about on the floor like a worm in sunlight; no longer shrieking, now gurgling as he’d bitten his tongue and blood now began to fill his mouth. Frank made an improvised sling from the clean looking bedsheets of a bunk bed while Qrow fashioned a splint from the broken remains of Dudley’s axe. Applying the splint and sling to Dudley was difficult as he continued to thrash on the ground, blood trickling down his chin. Finally, they were finished.
“Come on now.” Frank said in an encouraging voice. “Let’s get you to a friend of ours. He’ll get you fixed up.”
Having calmed down slightly, Dudley allowed Frank to get him back on his feet, but he now seethed with pain as they two of them made their way through the carriages. While the corridors had been largely untouched as they were facing towards the cliffs, Frank noticed many more rooms had been torn open by Grimm, several more of them had human remains splattered around them, in some cases, blood leaked out from underneath doors that rattled open and closed. A queue of people began to form as people tried to escape the damaged and snow filled carriages for those that were untouched by the Grimm, so many people were jammed in the corridors that they covered the walls and windows to such an extent that what little light came in from the tunnel was blocked by those standing in front of the windows. Qrow was forced to yell at people to get out of the way so the three of them could get through. After a couple of minutes, they finally reached the others. Jaune was surrounded by people, desperately recharging whatever aura they had to heal their injuries, handling two people at time. The instant he finished recharging the aura of a middle-aged woman, and a teenage boy, he hurried over to them.
“What happened to him?” Jaune asked, staring at Dudley.
“Arm smacked against the side of the tunnel mouth.” Frank explained.
Jaune placed his hands over Dudley’s arm, about to recharge his aura, only to be batted away.
“Don’t worry about me.” Dudley grimaced. “Not until you’ve taken care of Dee.”
Jaune pointed to Dee who lay just a couple metres away. “T-There-There’s nothing I can do about him. I’ve fully recharged his aura, his wound is gone, but his condition hasn’t improved.”
Anet knelt over Dee, trying to get him to drink some water. Tana stood over the two of them, he spoke to the others in a grave tone.
“It’s the sphinxes poison. Once it’s in the blood system, no amount of aura will help him.”
“There must be something we can do.” Dudley muttered in a pleading voice.
Before anyone could react, Tana drew his bow and shot an arrow made of Earth Dust into Dee. He instantly went still and silent.
“I’m sorry Dudley, but that was the only thing we could do for him now.” Tana said mournfully.
Dudley gave a cry, staggered past Frank, Jaune, and Qrow, and fell to his knees and wept for his friend. Anet placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Jaune walked over to Dudley, who reluctantly, allowed Jaune to recharge his aura.
“Jaune, where are the others? Are Ruby and Yang alright?” Qrow asked.
Jaune turned to them. “Ruby and Yang are okay, but Ruby is a little shaken up about her silvereyes not working. They’re with the others, further down the carriages.”
The two Huntsmen turned away to find the others, weaving their way through the packed carriage. Those who hadn’t been, or were no longer, injured; tended to those whose injuries were beyond the ability of aura to heal with whatever medical supplies were on hand. On several occasions, both had to break up arguments and brawls as people tried to get whatever medical supplies they needed for injured friends or family. While intervening in one brawl between two families: one of whom had a hired Huntress trying to bully the other family into handing over some medical supplies they’ve been able to grab first, Qrow had to pull out his weapon, now in the form of a pistol, to get the Huntress to stand down. In a couple more, both Huntsmen had to break up brawls before anyone else was caught up in the fighting. Finally, Frank spied Yang kneeling beside a young boy and his mother, wrapping the stump of the child’s left arm in a bandage, his face almost as white as the snow outside.
“Do you think you’ll get a robotic arm like hers, Tomit?” the boy’s teary-eyed mother asked him.
“I’m sure it’ll be much cooler than mine.” Yang said in an encouraging voice, putting on a brave smile as she did so.
The boy gave a weak smile in response to her words. Frank and Qrow let Yang finish bandaging the boy’s arm, she then gave him some lollies and allowed his mother to carry him away. When they had vanished, Yang slumped onto the floor with an exhausted sigh.
“You look exhausted already kiddo.” Qrow said.
A look of relief appeared on Yang’s face before she shot up and tightly hugged the two of them.
“You’re okay.” Yang sighed in relief.
Frank suddenly felt his cheeks burn red-hot. Embarrassed he tried to hide it.
“Glad to see you’re okay, too.” He mumbled.
“It’s good to see you’re safe kiddo. How’s Ruby holding up?” Qrow replied.
Ruby suddenly appeared, disentangling herself from a group of wounded passengers, carrying a tray of medical supplies. A harried but determined look on her face.
“I’m fine.” Ruby said. “I…I just needed to do something to help these people after…”
Qrow placed a hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault kiddo. You were under a lot of pressure back there.”
“Thank you.” Ruby replied gratefully.
The rest of the crew joined them, some carrying medical supplies, others food or water.
“How many Grimm are out there?” Blake asked, appearing beside Ruby.
“Hundreds.” Frank responded. “I don’t think I’ve seen so many in one place before.”
“I have, once…” Qrow said.
“Beacon.” Blake and Ruby said in unison.
“What’s the plan for fighting off these Grimm.” Ruby asked.
“I don’t know if we can fight them off. There are too many.” Qrow said.
“Then what can we do?” Blake asked.
“Ren can use his semblance to mask everyone’s emotions on the train.” Ruby suggested.
“I won’t be able to cover the whole train, though.” Ren stated.
“What if I boost your aura, Ren? Think that will help?” Jaune asked.
“It’s worth a shot.” Ren replied.
“There is a problem to this proposal, however.” Ozpin chimed in. He held the Relic of Knowledge up to the rest of them. “It draws Grimm towards it.”
There was silence.
“The relics, all of them, draw Grimm towards themselves, and whoever wields them.” Ozpin explained.
“Why didn’t you tell us this earlier?” Yang asked.
“Information about the relic is on a need-to-know basis.” Ozpin replied curtly.
“I think putting other people’s lives in danger just by carrying that thing around would be something we need to know.” Yang snarled.
“Let’s not focus on that right now, Yang.” Qrow said.
“May…Maybe we can ask the relic for help? Make an advance on those questions.” Jaune asked.
“We can’t.” Ozpin stated.
“Well, can the relics also push the Grimm away?” Frank asked.
Ozpin shook his head. Frank swore under his breath.
“Looks like our only option is to fight them off.” Qrow said matter-of-factly.
“But how?” Weiss asked. “The train has already sustained a lot of damage, we have dozens of gravely injured people, and from what I’ve heard we’ve already lost some Huntsman.”
“Maybe ourselves, and the Huntsmen that’ve been hired out by the rich passengers can get out all our weapons to help against the Grimm.” Nora suggested.
“Against all of those Grimm? I don’t know if it’ll be enough.” Ren said gloomily.
“Listen…this is going to sound crazy, but it may be our only option.” Ruby said slowly.
“Well, what is it, kiddo?” Qrow asked.
“Ren’s semblance can hide people’s emotions, and Jaune can use his semblance to boost Ren’s.” Ruby then pointed to herself, her teammates, her uncle, and Frank. “We, just ourselves and any Huntsmen or Huntresses that agree to it, take the relic and on a few carriages that are uncoupled from the rest of the train, fight off the remaining Grimm.” Ruby suggested.
“No offence Ruby, but that’s insane.” Frank said.
“It’s not great, but unless you have any better ideas, Frank. It may be our only option.” said Qrow.
“We stay on the train and put up a united front against the Grimm. In situations like these, we can open the armoury and give everyone their weapons to increase our chances of survival. The other Huntsman will have to help us to protect their clients. I think that will be our best option for survival.” Frank said.
Considering the situation, Frank knew this was an incredibly weak argument, but he needed to make sure that the relic was kept within reach. All Frank and the other Huntsmen needed to do was protect the train long enough to reach the ambush sight where maybe, the rest of his team could help deal with the Grimm.
“Sorry Frank, but I don’t see how that’s going to protect the people on this train.” Ruby responded.
“I think Ruby’s plan is the best one we can use.” Jaune said.
Frank’s eyes widened in horror as he saw the others agreeing to Ruby’s plan. Desperately, he made a final plea to change their minds.
“Guys…let’s think of what’s at stake here. If we fail, and everyone onboard is slaughtered by the Grimm, there’ll be no one else to finish what we started.”
“Jaune, Nora, and Ren will.” Ruby pointed out. “If we don’t make it, at least they’ll be able to carry on for us.”
Frank realised there was no way he could convince the rest of them to abandon Ruby’s plan. Reluctantly, he agreed to open the armoury, while Qrow told the other Huntsmen and Huntresses of Ruby’s plan. Upon opening the armoury, Ruby enthusiastically bounded inside and retrieved Crescent Rose, the others were slightly calmer as they retrieved their weapons. Nora turned to Ruby and Jaune.
“Do you think it’s necessary for myself, Ren, and Jaune to get our weapons?”
“It’s just in case any Grimm still end up attacking the rest of the train while we’re distracting them.” Ruby explained.
“Yang…maybe you should stay behind as well.” Blake suggested.
Yang flashed her an angry glare. “I’ll be fine.”
Blake was about to argue the point, but Ruby placed a hand on her shoulder, a re-assuring look on her face. Blake fell silent. Before long, more people came into the armoury to retrieve their weapons, not just the other Huntsmen and Huntresses with their intricate, custom weapons; but ordinary civilians with mass produced rifles, pistols, swords, and even a few clubs that people had made for themselves out of whatever they could get their hands on. Frank didn’t try to convince any of the Huntsmen and Huntresses that were hired out by wealthy passengers to stay with them and help distract the Grimm. Even if any of them did want to help the crew, such an action may have been a violation of the agreements they made with their clients. The crew then made their way to the back of the train where Qrow, Tana, a fully recovered Dudley, Anet, Röd, and Vaskas stood. Frank noticed the trepidation on all their faces. Except for Tana, who appeared oddly composed compared to the others. Dudley had grabbed a spare axe he had in the Huntsmen quarters.
“These fucking furries are insane.” Dudley muttered, but no one paid him any notice.
Team JNR exchanged hugs with the rest of the crew.
“You guys take care out there, OK.” Jaune said.
“We will.” Ruby replied. “We’ll see you all soon.”
As the other Huntsmen and Huntresses, alongside Qrow, Oscar, and Team RWBY, walked into the first of the now empty carriages, Frank stayed behind. He wanted to say something to them. A part of him wanted to warn them of what they were heading into. But he couldn’t find the words. He gave the trio a short, awkward nod before turning to follow the others when Nora gave Frank a friendly slap on the back.
“You make sure to keep them safe, you hear? Or you’ll have Team JNR to answer to.”
From the large, wry grin on her face, Frank could tell she was just having him on, paraphrasing what Sun had said before they went their separate ways. But Frank felt odd; a discomfort he couldn’t describe, as he gazed upon the three of them, possibly for the last time. Nora’s bravado faltered and fell away under his gaze.
“You guys stay safe.” Frank said in a strained voice.
Before the trio could react to what Frank said, he turned and left, closing the door behind him. On the first of the empty carriages, he uncoupled them from the rest of the train, just as they were all exiting the tunnel. Fortunately, Ren and Jaune had activated their semblances, masking the rest of the train from the Grimm who turned their attention towards the other Huntsmen and Huntresses. Frank realised that in spite of having been uncoupled, the carriages they were on still had momentum and since there was a slight decline on the tracks, that momentum wasn’t going to disappear yet. The crew went to one exit door to reach the roof, the other Huntsmen and Huntresses went to another.
“What’s the plan Ruby?” Weiss asked.
“Weiss, Frank, and I will shoot at any Grimm that attack from a distance. Uncle Qrow, Blake, and Yang, you’ll fight any that get close. Weiss, use all the Dust you have, smother the sky with fire and lightening to make it difficult for the Grimm to manoeuvre in the air. Ozpin, if you can do that lightening attack like last time, then do it, the fewer Grimm we have attacking us from above, the easier our lives will be. Yang, I want you to focus on protecting Weiss and Ozpin, don’t let any Grimm get close to them.”
The crew exited the train, the howling blizzard rushing inside to embrace them. Fortunately, they had all put on the coats they had purchased before departing Mistral, so the freezing conditions didn’t impact their aura. One by one, they all clambered onto the roof to face the bloodthirsty Grimm that swarmed above them. Immediately Manticores and Sphinxes swooped down on top of them. Ruby and Frank immediately began firing into the air, not bothering to aim as the Grimm swarmed so thickly around them, while Weiss summoned glyphs on the train roof and in the air. To Frank, it was as if Weiss had become a one-woman anti-aircraft battery: moving like a ballerina, glyphs appearing and disappearing at her whim, each one unleashing tongues of flame, bolts of lightning, and large javelins of Ice and Earth Dust that slaughtered any Grimm caught in her attacks. But it wasn’t enough.
“Frank!” Yang shouted. “At Haven Academy, that thing you did to that darat, could you do that again?!”
Frank felt himself go rigid like a wooden board. When asked about it after that battle, he had told them that he’d just put all of his strength into that one blow and wasn’t sure why the roof of the main hall had been blown off; perhaps the structure of the roof had been weakened from the fight and when the darat’s head had struck the ceiling, that was what caused the roof to be blown off. It had been a weak reason, and the rest of the crew didn’t seem convinced that was the case, but Frank wasn’t sure of how else to keep them from learning the truth. A truth that if they learned, would lead to them asking more questions, something Frank wanted to avoid. They at least seemed convinced that he wasn’t intending to cause that amount of destruction, only kill the darat.
But now that moment was brought back, Frank knew he had to think of something, and fast. He scanned the surrounding area: there wasn’t much to see aside from the blizzard that howled around them, the thick snowfall obscuring, if not outright hiding, everything else around them. Aside from the dark shadow of the mountains that loomed to the left of the train, when it had been making its way to Argus.
“Like I said Yang!” Frank responded. “I don’t know how I did that thing back at Haven Academy! And even if I did do it, it could cause an avalanche on the mountains beside us!”
“I see!” Yang responded, her eyes momentarily fixed on the mountains.
Ozpin, who had been charging himself up before climbing the ladder, unleashed a series of green bolts of lightning from his hands, crackling as they arced through the sky, obliterating any Grimm they touched in a blinding flash of light, as if a dozen suns had simultaneously emerged in the sky. Everyone winced and hid their gaze as it flashed through the clouds above. Ozpin became Oscar and he sank to his knees.
“Are you OK?!” Ruby asked him.
“We’re fine!” Oscar replied. “I just need to catch my breath!”
Despite Frank, Ruby, Anet, Dudley, and Röd’s gunfire; despite Weiss’ glyphs and Dust; despite Ozpin’s magic; despite everyone else also shooting into the sky with whatever ranged weapons they had, the swarms of Grimm around them appeared to have only slightly thinned out, but many of them were now flying overhead shooting fireballs from their mouths as they swept over the train, allowing several Manticores to land on it, their claws digging into its roof and walls. Blake, Qrow, Tana, Vaskas, and Yang all immediately turned their attention to these Manticores, allowing the others to focus on the Grimm that flew around them. Despite their best efforts, more and more Grimm kept landing on the train, to the point where no more could land as there were already so many on it.
“Frank! Help Yang protect Oscar and Weiss!” Ruby shouted over the blizzard and gunfire.
Frank turned his rifle into a longsword and darted at the nearest Grimm, despite seeming quite young given its size, the manticore proved difficult to kill, able to parry or block most of Frank’s swings and thrusts. Fortunately for Frank, this manticore didn’t realise how close to the edge of the train roof it was and it slipped as it hopped backwards from Frank’s thrust. The manticore was only momentarily distracted as it found its footing, but it was enough for Frank to thrust his longsword through its throat, killing the creature. Frank turned towards another manticore that seemed to have teamed up with a sphinx to fight Yang. Before the Grimm could react, Frank sliced off its tail and a hind leg before leaping on it and thrusting his longsword down into its back, killing it. Caught between a Huntsman and Huntress, the sphinx didn’t last long, with Yang pulverising its head with dual shotgun blasts from both arms. Barely able to even catch their breath, more Grimm swept down to take the place of those they’d just killed. Frank found himself assailed by two manticores, with a sphinx shooting fireballs at him.

A sphinx barrelled through the air towards Yang, unleashing a torrent of fireballs at her. Yang tried dodging them, but the train carriage was too crowded to do much manoeuvring and she screamed as her aura struggled against the scorching heat of the last two fireballs. The sphinx arced back into the air, but not before Yang fired a shot from Ember Celica, hitting the sphinx’s right wing. It screamed as it fell. But the inhuman scream was soon replaced with one that was human. Yang turned and saw that it came from Vaskas. Yang only caught of a glimpse of her: her legs suspended in the air. Yang made to rush towards Vaskas, intent on saving her, but another manticore swooped in, attempting to bite and claw at her. Yang quickly killed the manticore, only to hear Vaskas’ shrieks end abruptly. As she turned towards where the screams had come from, she saw the manticore crush Vaskas’ remains in its monstrous jaws. Horrified by the sight and enraged by the manticore’s apparent enjoyment of the act, Yang leapt at the creature. The manticore made to catch Yang’s right arm in its mouth, but that was what Yang wanted. As powerful as a manticore’s bite is, it was nothing to the nigh impenetrable metal of Yang’s robotic arm. With a single shot through the upper mouth and through the head, Yang cut short the manticore’s shriek. As it dissipated, another sphinx landed on the train and began trying to bite and claw at her while its snake head tail tried to nip at her. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’, Yang thought to herself.

Blake had only just killed one manticore, only for another to swoop down. Blake barely dodged a fireball, before dashing towards the manticore, evading its claws, horns, and tail before then using her weapon’s ribbon to lasso its tail. As the manticore pulled its tail back, Blake flung past its head, stabbing the Grimm in the back. As it dissipated, Blake screamed as a fireball slammed into her, throwing her towards the cliff-face where she would have been smashed against the rocks if not for Weiss activating a gravity glyph that suspended her in mid-air.
“BLAKE! THROW YOUR WEAPON TO ME! I’LL PULL YOU BACK!” Yang yelled.
Blake obliged, allowing Yang to pull her in, but the howling of the wind, mixed with the momentum of the carriages made it difficult for Yang. Frank and Ruby did their best to cover the two of them, but just as Blake was stepping onto the roof, she heard Röd scream as her aura shattered. Blake barely had time to process this when Röd ignited as a sphinx’s fireball struck her in the chest. Anet and Dudley immediately ran to help her, while Qrow and Tana desperately fought off the Grimm that snapped at their heels. Frank went to help Tana. As Blake steadied herself on the train, she barely had time to thank Ruby and Yang, or time to process that Röd now lay dead a couple of metres away, for another manticore swept onto the train and began a vicious onslaught of blade-like strikes. ‘It just doesn’t end’, Blake thought to herself.

Weiss spun back and forth across the roof of the train, summoning as many glyphs as she possibly could, unleashing all the Dust she had onto the Grimm that swopped above their heads. She had done this for so long that her legs and arms ached. Weiss glanced at her Dust vials, she was getting very low, the number of Grimm however, did not. Suddenly Frank bellowed at her.
“Could you FRY THIS SPHINX PLEASE?!”
Weiss saw that Frank was fighting two manticores while avoiding a sphinx’s fireballs. In only a few seconds he was forced to dodge a thrust from one manticore’s tail, blocked the horns of the second manticore, and duck to avoid the sphinx’s fireball. However, Weiss could see that Frank was becoming as worn-out as she was as the first manticore struck him with a blow to his chest, and he only narrowly avoided a second fireball. But Weiss herself still needed to help Blake and Yang with a sphinx they were fighting, while herself dodging attacks.
“Give me a minute!!” she cried out.
“Now Weiss!” Frank desperately bellowed back.
Weiss fired a large icicle at the sphinx fighting Blake and Yang, allowing them to deal with it, before she turned and shredded the sphinx Frank was fight with a small volley of icicles. Seemingly surprised, one of the manticores he was fighting turned to where the sphinx had been flying, allowing Frank to stab it in the side, killing it.
“Thank you!” he shouted to Weiss as he decapitated the other manticore.
Weiss realised the Dust vials in her rapier were empty, but as she tucked a hand into one of her pouches, she realised it was empty. She checked her other pouches, they were all empty. ‘Oh shit’, she thought.

The scythe now weighed a tonne in Ruby’s hands, her shoulders burned, and despite the freezing conditions; beads of sweat ran down her forehead. With a grunt she heaved her weapon up towards the Grimm flying above them and fired blindly into them, emptying the magazine as she did so, but only two smaller sphinxes fell from the sky, dissipating before they hit the train or ground. As Ruby reached for a fresh magazine, her stomach plummeted when she felt only empty satchels leaving her only the few spare bullets on her belt. Reloading, Ruby looked around: Yang’s punches were becoming sluggish and less precise; Blake had taken a few hits, drastically lowering her aura, forcing her behind Yang and Qrow; Frank was now on one knee, shooting at any Grimm that got close; and Weiss, having now run out of Dust, had summoned her spectral knight, the Arma Gigas to help, it swung its longsword in the air and along the sides of the train, killing any Grimm that got close; Ozpin meanwhile was unleashing bolts of green lightning into the sky, despite the freezing conditions, beads of sweat rolled down his face. Despite the unwavering fight put up by her friends and family, the hordes of Grimm were without end, and two Huntresses had now been killed in the fighting.
“I don’t think we can keep this up much longer!” Blake cried out.
“We’ll make it through this Blake!” Ruby replied. “Just keep fighting! You’re doing great!”
“I hate to agree with pussy over there!” Dudley shouted to Ruby. “But I reckon she’s right! There’s no way we’re getting out this! You furries are a fucking PLAGUE!!”
“SAT THAT AGAIN!” Yang roared at Dudley.
“ENOUGH!” Ozpin bellowed at the top of Oscar’s lungs. “FOCUS ON THE GRIMM! FOCUS ON STAYING ALIVE!”
“I think…there is only one way for you all to survive!” Tana announced mournfully.
“No, Tana! Please!” Anet cried out. “You might miss the train! You’ll…”
Tana placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, he murmured to her. Words that were almost lost to Ruby’s ears due to the howling blizzard, roars, shrieks, and gunfire.
“I know.”
Tana turned to Ruby, underneath his mask, she could see his eyes were sombre and yet like steel. He had accepted his fate.
“I don’t know what misfortune has befallen you to carry around something that draws Grimm! For the sake of all those around you, be rid of it the moment the opportunity arises!” He said to Ruby.
Ruby didn’t respond. She wasn’t sure what to say. But Tana didn’t seem to care. He quickly helped Qrow kill a small manticore before then shaking his hand, murmuring something that Ruby couldn’t hear, before turning back to Anet and embracing her. Anet embraced him in turn, clinging onto him, unwilling to let go, but she had to. Tana kissed her on the forehead, before turning his longbow into two katana, for a moment he glowed sky blue before leaping towards the nearest Grimm. Barely perceived, a sky-blue blur dashed around the group before leaping into the air and criss-crossing the sky, the masses of Grimm that flew above them turning into black clouds as they dissipated. Ruby’s jaw dropped at the sight. She’d never seen anyone move so fast before, the sky-blue blur that was Tana couldn’t be followed, only an after-image of him that trailed in his wake. Breaking from the dissipating black clouds above, they all spotted a single figure falling before being lost in the blizzard. But no sooner had they seen this, did a large fireball break through the last of the dissipating clouds, whether shot at Tana in desperation, or a final act of wanton destruction aimed at the others, the fireball streaked overheard before crashing into the train tracks just seconds away from them.
Ruby screamed out. “WEISS! YOUR GLY-”
The train buckled, swerved away from the cliff-face and dove towards the snow-covered ground that lay far below the tracks. For a split-second Ruby felt weightless before she suddenly felt herself pulled back to the train roof, a jet-black glyph holding her in place. She felt a sudden lurch mixed with the crunch and shriek of the train slamming into earth and then everything went dark.

Chapter Text

Yang awoke with a start. Almost immediately she felt a large cramp in her stomach, as if someone had hit her with a bat; every breath she took caused her further pain. After a few moments however, the pain began to gradually fade, making it easier to breathe. But it was soon replaced with the freezing air biting into her body. A moment later she felt a damp chill creep up from the ground, and some of her hair began to feel like it was getting soaked as well. ‘I’m lying in snow’, Yang thought to herself. Yang immediately hauled herself up and made towards a nearby tree, where some of the closest roots were elevated above the ground and which, thanks to the direction of the wind, didn’t appear to have much snow on them. Yang brushed what little snow had landed on the roots and sat down. Looking around she saw the carriages littered the area, some lying on the ground, others sticking upright like metal towers. But some of the carriages were not intact: various parts and pieces of them lay all around her, amongst it all were trees; some standing tall, others bent over, damaged, or destroyed by the falling carriages. A couple of metres away lay the broken remains of a tree branch, Yang realised now why she had woken up winded. A moment after that, she heard the blizzard howling around her. After a few seconds, she heard voices through the howling blizzard, sitting up, she realised it was Ruby and Qrow crying out in desperation.
“YANG! YANG!”
“I’m over here! I’m alright!” Yang replied.
Qrow and Ruby, with the relic attached to her belt, came into view. Yang felt relief wash over her at the sight of her uncle and sister.
“Oh thank the gods.” Qrow said. “Are you Ok?”
Yang nodded before she then pointed at the broken tree branch which lay in the snow.
“I’m a little winded but it’s that tree branch I feel sorry for.”
The three of them chuckled as Ruby and Qrow helped Yang onto her feet. The three of them began to search for the others, calling their names as they did so. Oscar and Weiss soon appeared, followed by Blake and Frank, and a few minutes later by Anet.
“Where’s Dudley?” Anet asked.
No one knew the answer. They all began to search for him, after a few minutes, Blake cried out.
“Everyone! Get over here!”
Blake was standing by some badly damaged trees just in front of a clearing, she seemed transfixed, her gaze locked on something in front of her. Yang made to ask what it was, but she soon saw: a big hole just a few metres in front of them with cracks big and small extending out from it, water gentling lapping against the icy sides that ringed it. Looking at the trees around her, some of which had been almost uprooted, Yang noticed one stuck out from the hole. She then noticed the axe lying a few metres away to Blake’s left. Realisation struck her like a thunderbolt. Anet cried softly but the others only bowed their heads in respect for the fallen Huntsman. Considering how he had treated her and her friends; Yang didn’t feel inclined to display any more sorrow than that. Qrow retrieved Dudley’s axe and, with Anet and Ruby’s help, stuck it in the ground, using snow and some stones to hold it in place.
“When we reach a settlement, let’s inform them, that way his body, all of their bodies can be retrieved…hopefully.” Ruby said to Anet.
Before any of them could turn away from the hole in the ice, Ruby turned to the others.
“How much aura do you all have?”
Yang checked her scroll and baulked at the sight: her aura level was low; the bar having turned bright red. She would only be able to take a few more blows from a strong Grimm, but that was it. The others weren’t a lot better: Ruby had a thimbleful of aura left, enough for maybe a couple of hits; Weiss, Blake, and Oscar had none left whatsoever; and Qrow had slightly less aura left than Yang. Frank and Anet had about a quarter of their aura left, but that was all.
“We need to find somewhere to shelter for the night. Maybe there’s a settlement nearby. Frank, Yang, get your motorbikes, the rest of us should gather whatever food or water we can find, and then head out.” Ruby said.
The others all made to go search for supplies and gear, except Anet. She turned to look at Ruby, dark look in her eyes.
“Why do you have that…thing, with you.” She asked pointing to the relic at Ruby’s waist.
“It’s a long story, and now is not the time.” Qrow said.
“Oh, I disagree. You brought that thing with you, and now my grandfather is dead. Along with dozens of others.” Anet snarled. “I think I deserve some answers. And if it’s a long story. Fine. You can tell me it while we search for shelter.”
“She could help us. Maybe we should.” Yang suggested. Blake and Weiss nodded in agreement.
“Let’s ask Ozpin, what he thinks.” Ruby said.
Everyone turned to look at him. Oscar sheepishly murmured.
“He told me he’s really tired from the fight and wants to rest a little bit.”
“Well, tell him the rest of us can’t do that.” Yang said.
Oscar went quiet and looked towards his left shoulder. To Yang, it looked like he was having a heated debate with himself. After a few minutes he briefly glowed green, and his posture stiffened.
“I’m sorry Anet, but I think it would be best if you were not informed.” Ozpin said.
“WHAT?!” Anet screamed.
The others all stared at Ozpin in shock, but it was Blake who asked what was on all their minds.
“Why not?!”
Ozpin was silent for a moment. But to Yang it didn’t look so much like he was thinking of what to say, and more like he was wrestling with himself. Finally, he spoke.
“Because of Anet’s current…emotional state, which is reasonable to have given what has transpired. Out of concern for her wellbeing, I think it is best we wait until she calms down.”
“You’re damn right I’m emotional. I just lost my grandfather, along with everyone else I’ve spent the past year with trying to stop the kingdom from collapsing. And I’m not going to calm down until I get some answers. Now.” Anet snarled.
Yang saw Ozpin turn to look at Qrow, his hosts hazel eyes glowed green for a moment while he stiffly stared at Qrow. A vein throbbing in his forehead, Qrow stood between Anet and Ozpin.
“Just calm down, please Anet. All will be explained in due time.” Qrow said stiffly.
Yang felt her jaw drop. She’d seen Ozpin do this to her uncle before, she knew it. She immediately rounded on Ozpin.
“What was that?!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Miss Xiao Long.” Ozpin replied nonchalantly.
“I thought I was just seeing things the last couple of times.” Yang snarled, balling her fists. “When we re-united at Haven Academy, then that time I called you all in for dinner while you were…training Ruby. Your eyes glow green and then Qrow immediately says whatever you want him to.”
“That’s right…I thought I was just imagining things then.” Weiss murmured.
Frank slowly nodded, tightly gripping his longsword as he did so. His eyes fixed on Ozpin.
Blake and Ruby, looked puzzled. Anet seemed completely confused. Qrow just stood rooted in place, the vein in his forehead throbbing at a faster pace. But Ozpin now appeared unnerved; he took a couple of steps back from the others, tightly gripping his cane.
“I don’t know what you have all been seeing.” Ozpin said slowly. “But I think you’re all exhausted from today’s events. I confess, I am as well.”
“See, I didn’t think much of it the first couple of times. In fact, when I first saw you do it, I thought that I was just tired.” Yang said. “But I remember Raven telling us that when you gave her and Qrow the ability to turn into birds, it bound them to your will. I thought she’d just been lying to me before. But now…I see…she was telling the truth.”
“But…Ozpin wouldn’t do such a thing.” Ruby muttered, almost defensively.
“Believe me Ruby, Ozpin wouldn’t be the first person I know who’s controlled others.” Weiss said.
Ruby looked at her uncle, who continued to stand as stiff as wooden board, a vacant expression in his eyes. Yang walked over to Ruby as she gazed into their uncle’s eyes. Yang waved a hand in front of his face. He gave no response.
“Ozpin…why is my uncle standing so stiff and still?” Ruby apprehensively asked.
“I don’t know Miss Rose. Perhaps he’s exhausted.” Ozpin replied.
As if on a cue, Qrow quietly murmured. “I’m okay Ruby. Just a little tired.”
“See.” Ozpin said. “Your sister is just worked up after today’s harrowing events. You shouldn’t listen to someone who gets so worked up. You can still trust me.” Ozpin replied.
“OK then. Why didn’t you tell us that the Relic of Knowledge could attract Grimm?” Yang asked pointedly.
“That was need-to-know information.” Ozpin replied quickly. “Besides I was concerned that if you knew about this…unfortunate aspect of the relic’s power it would put you all on edge. Meaning we may more easily draw Grimm.”
“But the relic drew Grimm to it anyway.” Weiss replied.
“And we put hundreds of lives at risk. A lot of people are now dead or badly injured because we brought the relic onto that train.” Yang said.
“I believed that if any Grimm did attack, the trains built-in defences and the Huntsmen and Huntresses aboard it would be enough to handle any Grimm.” Ozpin replied in the same manner.
“But the defences didn’t work.” Said Frank.
“It does make me wonder, if Ozpin didn’t tell us about the relic drawing Grimm, what else is he keeping from us.” Blake said. “It’s not like he’s above withholding information.”
“If you’re referring to the public of Mistral not knowing about Theo’s treachery, that’s because I believed it would be better if he was remembered for his life of service, rather than a single mistake he made. No matter how big that mistake may have been.” Ozpin said.
“But it’s not just that.” Blake said. “You’ve allowed the Mistrali council to cover up the involvement of the Menagerie Militia in stopping the White Fang. Hundreds of Faunus gave their lives for a kingdom that hated them. Shouldn’t their service to Mistral be remembered?”
“Wait…what?!” Anet asked.
Ozpin ignored Anet’s confusion. “In due time, I’m sure it will be. But revealing this, at this stage, would be inconvenient.”
“Inconvenient?!” Blake cried in shock and anger.
“I’m afraid so. The people of Mistral will not accept that the very people they hate came to their defence.” Ozpin said. “But at Beacon…you talked about having faith in humanity.” Ruby said.
“So why wouldn’t you have faith in the Humans of Mistral accepting that Faunus protected them?” Blake asked.
“If they heard the truth, I doubt they would accept it. That is all.” Ozpin said. “I meant what I said about having faith in humanity, but that doesn’t mean ignoring things as they are. I have faith in everyone, especially all of you. All I ask is that you retain your faith in me.”
Yang gritted her teeth, rage threatening to overwhelm her.
“Hiding information from us, controlling my uncle as if he were a robot. You’re making it really hard to.”
“I’m with Yang. I don’t see how you Ozpin, can do what you’ve done, and expect us to trust you.” Frank said.
Evidently the others appeared to be siding with Yang as well. Ruby apprehensively at her uncle, then at Ozpin. Ozpin gritted his teeth.
“What I want to know is what else Ozpin hiding from us?” Yang said.
“How do we know all of the questions the relic can answer have been used up?” Weiss asked.
Ruby took the relic in her hands and looked at it.
“There’s no point.” Ozpin said. “Like I said-”
Ozpin froze. Yang noticed a slight green flicker on his body, after flickering a few times, he then briefly glowed green and his posture slackened.
“Ozpin’s lying.” Oscar hurriedly said. “The relic has two questions l-”
Oscar glowed green once more and his posture stiffened.
Ozpin seemed ruffled by Oscar’s sudden appearance. “That boy…he’s getting a little carried away.” He then looked directly at Ruby and reached out his left hand. “If you could, Miss Rose, I think it’s best I hold onto the relic for a little while.”
Yang pushed Ruby behind her and activated Ember Celica, while Ruby clutched the relic to her breast. Blake and Weiss flanked Yang, hands on or near their weapons. Frank stood close by; his longsword raised. Anet stood rooted in place, a baffled look on her face. Qrow continued to stand still, seemingly oblivious to events unfolding around him.
“How do we use the relic?” Frank asked sharply.
Ozpin narrowed his eyes, Yang felt like he was scanning them, sizing them all up.
“So, are you going to give us some damn answers, or not?” Yang snarled.
Ozpin gave no answer, instead his eyes flickered to Qrow who immediately lunged at the relic. Ruby immediately tried to hold onto the relic, but Qrow was able to wrench it out of her hands. Not wanting to hurt her uncle, Yang tried to grab the relic without hurting him. But Qrow merely sidestepped her. He dashed towards Ozpin, only for Frank to tackle him to the ground. The two Huntsmen briefly wrestled, until Frank wrenched the relic out of Qrow’s grasp. Frank vanished, only to re-appear a few metres away. Holding the relic in his right hand, he began to furiously rub his left against the bright blue sphere at its centre. Nothing happened.
“I thought that might work.” He muttered defensively.
Qrow jumped on top of Frank, but he quickly threw it to the others. Weiss caught it in both hands.
“I command you to open.” Weiss demanded.
Nothing happened. Qrow detached himself from Frank and sprinted at Weiss. Ruby and Yang placed themselves between the two, trying to hold their uncle back.
“Uncle Qrow…please…we don’t want to fight you.” Ruby desperately murmured.
“Please…” Yang desperately added.
For a moment, Yang felt her uncle slacken, only for him to redouble his efforts immediately afterwards. She felt something solid smack into her forehead. Stunned, she collapsed to the ground. Qrow pushed past Ruby. Weiss desperately threw the relic at Ruby who caught it, and using her semblance, became a red blur that shot away from the rest of them. Meanwhile, Blake leapt at Qrow and using her semblance, the two of them shot towards Frank who’d just got back up. Qrow made to throw Blake aside, only for Frank to leap at him and throw a swift punch to the side of his head. Qrow fell to the ground.
“Hey! Careful!” Yang shouted.
“You could hurt him!” Ruby shouted.
Qrow gave a small groan and sat up, rubbing the side of his head.
“Hey…what’s going on?” Qrow groaned.
No one answered as Ozpin had briefly glowed green once again. Oscar stood before them, he seemed to be wrestling with himself.
“You must speak the name of the woman who lives in the relic.” Oscar quickly said. “Her name is Jinn.”
Yang snorted. ‘Of course, Ozpin would lie about all three questions being used up’, she thought. Oscar briefly glowed green again. Ozpin glared at them all. His eyes glowing green, he unleashed a torrent of green fire towards them. Yang leapt towards Ruby. Looking around, she realised they were surrounded by green flames, turning to her sister, Yang saw Ruby look anxiously at the relic. Ruby took a deep breath and shouted:
“Jinn!”
Instantly the blizzard fell silent; the snowflakes stopped and hung in mid-air; and the green flames vanished. Yang barely had time to feel relief upon seeing everyone else was unharmed when an inhumanely tall woman, with light blue skin and long dark blue hair emerged from the relic and hovered in the air before them. Yang couldn’t help but notice that all she wore was a single piece of narrow cloth that wrapped around her waist and groin before then extending up in a V-shape to cover her prominent breasts before then wrapping around her shoulders. Yang wanted to look away, to hide her blush; but she couldn’t as she felt her mind try to understand what had just appeared in front of her. The woman looked down at Ozpin.
“I see you’ve found a new body young one.” She said in a deep, but still feminine voice before she turned her attention to Ruby. “I see you’ve summoned me. A new one, I can tell. Since you already know my name, I’ll skip the introductions. Before you ask anything, I should tell you the rules: I can answer three questions every one hundred years. I have two left. And I cannot tell you the future.”
Yang wrenched her gaze away to look at Ruby, who stared up at the floating woman as dumbstruck as Yang was. As she glanced at the others, she noticed that Qrow; Frank; and to her surprise, Blake; had all gone as red in the face as she was, with Blake’s cat ears standing as stiff as boards. Weiss and Anet seemed to be as dumbstruck as she had been too, although they seemed to have fixed their gaze exclusively to the woman’s face. Yang returned her gaze to Ruby who seemed to have recovered from what the shock of what levitated before her. Ruby fumbled with the rose shaped broach on her cloak before she raised her eyes to meet the blue woman’s.
“What is Ozpin hiding?” Ruby asked.
No sooner had the words left Ruby’s mouth, the blue woman and their surroundings vanished in a dark mist. Although the mist appeared so thick Yang couldn’t see the ground on which she stood, she realised that she could still see everyone else as clear as day. They all appeared as confused and scared as she felt. As suddenly as the mist appeared, it vanished. Everyone realised they were standing in what appeared to be the living room of a large house. On an ornately woven rug lay a young girl with long pale blonde hair, sapphire blue eyes, and pale skin; shrieking with delight as with a small flick of her right hand, her dress changed colour from snow white, to a deep crimson, to a sage green. She clapped her hands and squealed even louder upon turning the puffed sleeves of her dress silver, while the rest of her dress retained its sage green colour. A few metres away, sitting at a desk so big, he could have easily hidden under it; sat a young boy with messy silver hair, light brown eyes, and slightly paler skin; his face screwed up in concentration as he glanced between a large leather book and the dark brown shorts that he wore. He kept making small flicks of his right hand, just like the young girl, but his shorts remained the same dark brown colour. The boy gave a small groan and tried several more times. On the last flick of his right hand, the shorts turned a slightly lighter brown. The boy perked up at the sight. Then came the blue woman’s voice, seemingly coming from every direction.
“Once upon a time, there lived the twins Ozpin and Salem.”

Chapter Text

‘Twins’. That was all Ruby could think as she beheld the two children in front of them. Salem, the young girl with long pale blonde hair, sapphire blue eyes, and pale skin continued to shriek in delight as she began to change the hem of her dress to olive green, then to a yellow gold, burnished bronze, then indigo, before settling on sky blue. She ran over to her brother, a young boy with messy silver hair, light brown eyes, and slightly paler skin.
“Look Ozpin!” Salem shouted as she twirled in front of her brother.
Ozpin, Ruby noticed, merely regarded the variety of colours his sister had changed on her dress with a glum expression. “Well done sister.” He murmured.
Salem continued to dance and twirl around the room, gleefully changing the colours on her dress as she did so, drawing the attention of her parents who cheered with delight at the sight of what Salem was doing. The sight only seemed to make Ozpin gloomier. Suddenly the dark mist appeared again, and Jinn’s voice broke through, once more seemingly coming from every direction.
“The only surviving children of a powerful witch and wizard, with their magical powers manifesting, both children were soon enrolled in the school of magic known as Illuminate. Where they would spend the next 10 years studying magic.”
As she spoke, the dark mist receded to reveal Ozpin and Salem sitting in amphitheatre shaped classrooms listening to teachers and taking notes; standing around bubbling cauldrons; and standing in courtyards practicing their spells while being watched over by their teachers. Ruby noticed that although both twins seemed to excel; for Salem, learning magic seemed to come naturally to her, while for Ozpin, the progression of his magical prowess came from late nights huddled over books in a library or undergoing further tutelage from his teachers. All the while the twins grew from children to young adults.
Jinn spoke once again. “Prodigies in all fields of magic and unsurpassed by anyone else in living memory. Ozpin and Salem travelled around the world, impressing everyone with their abilities: healing the sick and wounded, laying low whole armies of conquest hungry nations, building entire fortresses in just a few minutes, and even sparing a city from the oncoming fury of a tsunami.”
Once again, everything but the crew vanished under the appearance of the dark mist to be replaced with a sight that made Ruby’s blood run cold. A middle-aged man lay in a large four-poster bed, what areas of his skin weren’t covered in weeping pustules was pale grey, a small damp cloth rested on his forehead and every time he coughed, flecks of blood fell on the bedsheets. He was being administered by two people wearing large cyan coloured robes, skull white masks shaped like bird’s heads, topped with cyan coloured hoods. While one of the robed figures held the man’s left hand, the other gave him a bright pink liquid to drink.
“Here you are father. Hopefully this will soothe the fever.” Spoke a woman’s voice.
Upon swallowing it, the deathly ill man began to cough more violently than before, with several big flecks of blood landing on his bed sheets.
The one holding his hand spoke with a man’s voice. “NO! NO! NO! It shouldn’t be doing that!”
The same robed figure began to frantically search through books of spells and potion brewing, while the one who had administered the potion desperately rifled through cases of bizarre items, crushing, mashing, and mixing various ingredients. After several minutes of violent coughing, and concoction and administration of different potions, each one a different colour, the sick man gave a final gasp, then fell silent. Both figures fell to their knees at his bedside and cried aloud, holding his hands. One of the figures removed the cloth from his forehead and began to stroke his hair, while the other slammed their fist onto the bed. After a few minutes, one of them got up and turned to the other.
“Go tell mother, please Salem…I’ll handle the cremation.” Spoke the man, the one who had been slamming his hand on the bed.
“Could you please tell mother, Ozpin?” Salem responded. “I…I…I need a few more minutes…I’ll take care of the cremation as well.”
Ozpin gave a small nod, reaching across and give her left hand a small pat before exiting the bedroom. Salem rose, packed away all the books and items they had strewn around the bedroom: on cabinets, desks, chairs, and stools, even a large book left hanging haphazardly on a large free-standing mirror; then she stood a few metres back from the bed.
“Farewell, father.” She murmured tearfully.
Salem then removed the glove from her right hand and unleashed a ball of flame that began to cremate her father and the bed in which he lay. After throwing open the bedroom windows, Salem slumped to the floor, her back lying against the wall under the last window she’d opened. Ruby presumed she wept for when Salem went to rub her face, the mask stopped her. Salem looked as if she was going to rip it off but seemed to think better of it. Merely resting her head against the wall, audibly weeping as she did so. Without a word from Jinn, the dark mist once again appeared and vanished to reveal a morose Salem sitting on a rock in the clearing of a woodland area. As Ruby turned her gaze towards where Salem was looking, she realised they were on a hill that overlooked the city in which Salem and Ozpin must have lived, several large black smoke plumes rose as high as the golden spires that adorned the city’s tallest structures. The one closest to the hill, Ruby saw, was in a large square, bodies being used as fuel for the flames, with another body every so often being tossed into the fire. Salem, and by extension the crew, heard the crack of twigs and turned to see Ozpin emerge into the clearing.
“Here you are.” Ozpin cried with relief.
Salem merely returned her gaze to the city below them. Ozpin walked through the crew and over to Salem, sitting beside her.
“I’m glad we cremated father at home. It feels…wrong the way the city is treating the dead. Just…tossing them onto large funeral pyres…Those are people they’re burning. They would have had lives, families, dreams, and ambitions. It’s bad enough this plague has ripped that all away from its victims, but we should be showing a little respect for them and allow their friends and families to bury them. Give those we’ve all lost some dignity in death.” Ozpin said.
Salem didn’t respond, she just continued to stare down at the city. Ozpin sat with her in the lingering silence for several more minutes before he spoke again.
“Salem, losing father has deeply hurt me too. It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t just. But right now, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of people in this city who are depending on people like us to help them. Maybe we can find a cure for this plague, or even a treatment, or…just…something. And if you don’t want to get back to work, then at the very least go see mother. We need to be there for her right now…she’s barely holding it together.”
Ozpin went to pull her up onto her feet, but Salem refused to budge. She continued to stare down at the city.
“Have you ever thought…what’s the point of magic, and all the power it provides…if death can take it all away…like that.” Salem said, snapping her fingers on the last two words.
“That’s not up to us though, is it.” Ozpin responded.
“No. But why shouldn’t it be? With the magic we have, why can’t we use it to lengthen our lives. Never age. Perhaps become immortal. Or…maybe…even attain…godhood?” Salem asked.
“You know as well as I do, that’s impossible.” Ozpin responded.
“But does it have to be?” Salem asked. “With magic we as humans can do so many amazing, wonderous things. And that’s just ordinary people. You and I, we’re exceptional. With my natural affinity for magic, and your drive and hard work, Ozpin. We could achieve apotheosis.”
Ozpin was silent.
“If we became gods, Ozpin.” Salem said, standing up. “We could end this plague, and all other diseases, as easily as we could change the colour of our clothing. We could stop others from dying, even bring back our loved ones.”
“We could do a lot of good.” Ozpin noted, slowly nodding.
“More good than anyone else every could.” Salem added enthusiastically.
Once again, everything but the crew vanished in the dark mist, to then reveal Salem and Ozpin pouring over large, old books; exploring ancient ruins; windswept deserts; dense jungles; and labyrinthian caves. All the while, returning to what Ruby presumed was their home to create and perform various spells and potions. Jinn’s voice explaining everything the crew witnessed.
“So it was, that Ozpin and Salem began their quest for godhood. But despite years of research and the combination of their immense talents, the twins never had any success. In desperation, Salem turned to the darker arts of magic.”
The dark mist revealed a Salem that seemed a decade older from when her and Ozpin had started their quest. She was standing in what appeared to be some sort of laboratory: Salem stood in front of a desk covered with crystals of various sizes and colours, amongst the crystals sat three enormous, motheaten books and two yellow scrolls. Salem held a large snow-white crystal in her left hand, studying it through a contraption that looked to Ruby like a multi-layered magnifying glass attached to a shelf above the desk. Salem seemed to use her right hand to cast spells on it as she flicked, spun and pointed her fingers at it. Everyone inched closer to Salem, to better see the crystal in her hand. It glowed softly as Salem continued to perform spells on the crystal, while peering at it through her bizarre magnifying glass, her face pressed right up to the device, preventing the others from getting a look. When Salem turned away from the glass to go through one of the books on the desk, Qrow, who was nearest to her and the exact same height, quickly peered at the crystal through the glass before Salem returned to studying the crystal through it. Qrow took two steps back, his face had gone bone white.
“T-There were…things…moving in that crystal.” He murmured to the others.
Ruby noticed Ozpin shuffle uncomfortably. Despite the horror etched on Qrow’s pale face, Ruby joined the others in craning their necks to get a closer look at the crystal, but without the magnifying glass, which Salem was incidentally using, none of them could see anything. Then the door behind them flew open with a bang.
Everyone, including Salem spun around to see Ozpin standing in the doorway. At first, he seemed confused at the sight of Salem holding the crystal. But his confusion quickly turned to horror, then rage.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” he roared.
Salem quickly placed the crystal on the desk and turned to face her brother. Her stance both defensive and defiant.
“I am getting us closer to achieving our lifelong goal.” She said.
“By using souls?! Human SOULS?!!” Ozpin bellowed.
Every one of the crew but the Ozpin that stood with them gasped.
“Everything else has failed us, Ozpin.” Salem said defiantly. “Why shouldn’t we embrace those fields of magic that remain unexplored?”
“The morality, Salem!” Ozpin shouted. “Using Human souls is…is…ABOMINABLE!!”
“We’re exploring magic to its very deepest depths, to achieve what has long been held impossible. Nothing is off the table for us.” Salem shouted defensively.
“How can we justify obtaining godhood, let alone allowing others to achieve it if in the process, we consume the very souls of others? We set out to on this quest to bring people BACK from the DEAD! We can’t bring a person back without their soul!” Ozpin shouted.
“You can’t build a house without cutting down trees, Ozpin. The souls in these crystals were lowlifes. Thieves, murderers, rapists. That sort of thing. Their deaths will have more value than their lives.” Salem tutted.
“Regardless of who they were in life, this is inexcusable. Unforgiveable. You’ve broken the most sacred of laws Salem.” Ozpin said.
“What are you going to do?” Salem asked. To Ruby she seemed more curious than scared.
Ozpin gave no response, green energy danced around his fingers. Salem’s eyes narrowed; her entire body began to glow white. In a flash Ozpin unleashed a bolt of green lightning. Salem encased herself in the white glow. There was a thunderous boom. Aside from Anet and the rest of the crew, everything vanished from sight. But no dark mist made its sudden appearance. Instead, a pale green smoke lingered around them. As it steadily vanished, Ruby realised that the entire building they’d been standing in was gone, rubble scattered all around them. The only other person standing amongst it, was Ozpin. Ruby noticed he had a solemn, even mournful look on his face. In the dimming mist, lights began to flicker on in the surrounding buildings and some people began to peer out their doors and windows. Ozpin hastily cast a spell that made himself invisible and fled the scene. The dark mist once again appeared, and Jinn spoke once more.
“For many more years, Ozpin believed his sister had died in their confrontation. Leaving him to continue their quest for godhood alone. But no matter where he went, no matter what he learned, and no matter what he did, Ozpin was no closer to achieving this than when he’d first set out with his sister. However, a decade after Salem’s presumed demise, large armies of strange, twisted creatures; and humans with animalistic traits invaded his home and began rounding up all the men, women, and children who possessed magical abilities. His suspicions and curiosity peaked; Ozpin made his way to this island.”

Once again, the mist vanished, to reveal Salem staggering through a dark alley, not too far from where she and Ozpin had fought. With a single, venomous glance back in the direction of where her brother stood, Salem slunk away into the night. The mist appeared and vanished, to reveal Salem travelling through cities and villages, forests and along mountain ranges, using her magic to entertain crowds and travellers as she went, in exchange for money, food, and sometimes transport; until she reached a port city where she paid the captain of a small merchant vessel to take her onboard his ship.
“In some of the ancient scrolls that Salem read through, she learned of a large, but isolated and desolate island called Ibonia, what you now call Ebony Island. From what little knowledge there was of the island, it was home to a pitch-black substance that mutated anyone who touched it into feral monsters that attacked anyone in sight. However, what had been spied from distant observers of the island was that those mutated by this substance didn’t seem to die unless killed. Believing this was her best chance for apotheosis, Salem began her experiments on the island.” Jinn said.
To her horror, Ruby witnessed Salem corrupt the ship captain and first mate with promises of immortality. In turn, they offered more food, drink, and pay to those who apprehended the more mutinous crewmembers. Salem then had the ship crew collect anything that had been mutated by the pitch-black substance and samples of the substance itself. Ruby felt her stomach churn as she watched Salem force first the animals, and then those sailors their crewmen had offered up for experimentation to consume the pitch-black substance. Each process more gruesome than before: having the substance injected into them while dead or alive, force feeding it to them; or cutting them open and pouring it in to see what would happen. No matter how the substance entered their bodies, the effects were the same on both humans and animals when they were alive. Ruby and the others watched in horror as those being tested on shrieked in agony, writhing on the makeshift beds that they were strapped to as they began to mutate: flesh, fur, and feathers would turn either pitch black or deathly white; eyes would turn blood red; cows would produce large horns, pigs would grow enormous tusks, and chickens’ feet would turn into knife-like talons. A shiver ran down Ruby’s spine.
“These creatures…” Yang whispered, her eyes wide with horror, ‘they…look like…like…”
“Grimm.” Anet finished.
Ruby felt her body wobble like jelly. Frank placed both hands on his head, muttering to himself.
“This can’t be real…This can’t be real.”
Weiss covered her mouth in horror. Blake and Qrow stared, transfixed at what was happening before them. They’re mouths formed into silent screams. Every person and creature that Salem exposed to the substance became feral, viciously trying to attack anyone around them. However, the substance only ever seemed to work on those that were alive, on the dead, the substance seemed to fall and pool around them as if it was water. Furthermore, whenever Salem killed any of her mutated experiments, a crystal held over it as if to collect its soul, nothing happened.
“If those crystals are the same ones that hold souls…” Qrow fearfully whispered.
“Then that…that substance…” Frank said, taking two steps back, as if afraid it would touch him. “Must destroy the soul of whoever it infects.”
“Indeed it does.” Spoke Jinn. “Running low on both food and test subjects, Salem made to return to a nearby port city. However, knowing that the rulers of the kingdoms close to the island of Ibonia all desired to remain in power, she approached every monarch, emperor or empress, consul, chancellor, and warlord and charmed them all with promises of immortality and power beyond their wildest dreams. All in exchange for some of their subjects. So it was, her newfound willing supplicants provided her with all the convicts, political prisoners, orphans, and homeless she desired for use in her experiments. With these newfound test subjects, Salem had half of them killed, their souls stored in crystals, and then had those crystals placed into the remaining subjects.” Jinn said.
Again, Ruby and the others were forced to watch in horror as people were either held down with their mouths forced open and force-fed crystals full of human souls; or strapped onto tables, and while still alive, dissected and crystals jammed in amongst their still functioning organs. These unfortunate individuals were then given the pitch-black substance in the same ways as administered in previous experiments and forced to undergo the seemingly agonising process of mutation. Salem didn’t have every mutated test subject killed however, she also had many of them forced into cages for what must have been further study and experimentation.
“With these experiments, Salem learned that using the souls in crystals allowed the souls of those she experimented on to remain. She also learned that parasites within those being experimented on also mutated because of their hosts being exposed. When those parasites were removed, they not only survived being away from their host, but could be transferred to a new, unmutated host.” Jinn said.
Ruby’s stomach churned as she witnessed Salem remove a parasitic worm with a flat head and a gapping mouth full of tiny, sharp teeth from a dead mutated woman, and forced down the throat of a young boy who couldn’t have been any older than twelve. The boy’s initial shuddering turned to violent shaking, while the choking noises he made devolved into violent screams of pain. After several agonising minutes the boy stopped screaming, instead he lay on the table, puffing and panting. Ruby and the others followed Salem as she approached him, as if hoping that if the boy went wild and attacked anyone, Salem would be their human shield. But the boy just lay there.
“How do you feel?” Salem asked.
The boy turned to look at Salem, his eyes ablaze with a feral hatred. He howled, pointing a finger at Salem. Suddenly several mutated people broke free from their cages and attacked Salem. After a few hastily cast spells, all her would-be assailants lay dead. Salem turned to look at the boy who still lay on the operating table, seeing that she was still alive, the boy’s hatred seemed to burn with an intensity that made her recoil. Ruby felt her stomach twist into tight knots as she saw the look of shock and horror on Salem’s face turn into an ugly smile. The dark mist reappeared and then vanished to reveal Salem forcing multiple people and animals with parasites in them to take the pitch-black substance, then killing them and removing whatever parasites were in them before placing those parasites into new host bodies.
“Learning of how her mutated experiments could be controlled, Salem presented these to her supplicants who gladly undertook the procedure to control the mutated people and animals. Now able to control the creatures you call Grimm, these same rulers used those creatures to eliminate anyone who they perceived as a threat to their power. But far worse was to come.” Jinn said.
Combining both crystals and multiple test subjects at once, Ruby witnessed Salem begin to create mutated creatures of her own. Ruby could see these hybridised experiments were indeed looking more like the types of Grimm she knew and had fought, and soon she began to recognise certain variants: beowolves and beringels, followed by manticores, geists, and even what looked like the Wyvern that had attacked Beacon Academy during the Fall of Beacon.
“Those rulers who were gifted with Salem’s new creations began to wage bloody wars against neighbouring realms that did not boast hordes of Grimm. With their newfound benefactor providing them with creatures able to annihilate whole armies and raze entire cities, their realms greatly expanded, providing them wealth and power beyond their wildest dreams. In turn they lavished Salem with more test subjects and greater resources to conduct her experiments. But as powerful as these creatures were, they were fit only for wreaking death and destruction. Soon, many of these same rulers began to make special requests.” Jinn said.
The dark mist appeared and disappeared once more to reveal Salem no longer just creating Grimm. Blake cried out in shock as they all saw Salem using her knowledge of creating hybrid creatures to give humans animal-like traits: people with animal ears for better hearing; mole hands for digging; or horns and antlers as an additional weapon in battles. Some people were hybridised with large cats, bulls, oxen, and apes to greatly increase their physical strength. Others were given animalistic traits seemly for aesthetic purposes such as tails. Seeing the way one king fondled two young women who had been given the ears and tails of a fox and a cat told Ruby everything she needed to know about what this king intended to do to them.
“This can’t be real.” Blake whispered in horror. “It just can’t.”
“It is the truth.” Ozpin murmured.
Before anyone could respond, a piercing scream rent the air and every turned away from Ozpin to see Faunus with the physical traits of large cats, bears, bulls, and rhinos being used to lay waste to whole formations of soldiers; Faunus with spider, bat, or bird traits being used to scale or fly over walls to assassinate people or sabotage infrastructure; Faunus with fins and gills launching surprise attacks on ships at sea, or emerging from seas or rivers to attach the ports of towns or cities; Faunus with bull, rhino, and elephant traits being used as slave labour to build enormous fortresses and palaces, towering city walls, perfectly straight roads that stretched as far as the eye could see, or bridges that ran over yawning abysses. The rulers of these powerful realms looked upon it all with smug pride, but Salem who lived in their palaces, travelled across their great bridges and roads, and passed by and through their fortresses and city walls, seemed entirely uninterested in these works. Usually regarding them with at best, a polite boredom.
“To Salem, these achievements were little more than small errands. The prideful works of meagre mortals. Her goal of attaining apotheosis never left her mind. But after several more years, she believed she had finally found the key to apotheosis, a ritual that required a delicate procedure: a combination of soul crystals, the pitch-black substance, and the ritual sacrifice of thousands of wizards and witches. Informing the very rulers who had greatly benefited off her support of being on the precipice of apotheosis, they immediately sent out their armies to gather not only all of the magic users from across their vast empires, realms, and domains, but in neighbouring states too.” Jinn said.
Ruby witnessed vast armies lay waste to whole countries as they rounded up wizards and witches, clapped chains onto their arms and legs and then transported them to Ebony Island. The island itself, once a desolate landscape, now boasted several large ports while inland was now filled with camps the size of cities: row upon row of tents stretching as far as the eye could see; surrounded by tall, imposing walls; rows of barracks; stables and pens for domesticated animals such as horses, cows, chickens, and pigs; large, magically fortified cages for holding the Grimm; and massive fortresses that loomed over all else around them. Hundreds of thousands of people, animals, and Grimm wandered through these camps kicking up dark clouds of dust that seemed to hang in the air like a smog. Ruby surmised that these dark clouds of dust were full of the pitch-black substance as she could see that many people were developing paler or darker skin tones, their eyes becoming increasingly redder, and behaving more aggressively to those around them.
The dark mist appeared and disappeared once again, revealing what appeared to be a lone servant hastily weaving his way through patrols of soldiers, convoys of domesticated animals, herds of Grimm, lines of slaves, and anyone else who had been brought to the island. Although Ruby noticed that this servant’s messy silver hair and light brown eyes seemed oddly familiar.
“Ozpin?” she murmured.
“Indeed he is.” Spoke Jinn. “When one of the empires that benefited from Salem had invaded his home and began rounding up all the wizards and witches that lived in his city, Ozpin began to suspect what was happening. Especially after he overheard a couple of soldiers discussing the rumours around the creation of Grimm. Wanting to ascertain more information, Ozpin took on the role of a cook and travelled with the invading army to this island.”
Ozpin suddenly burst into anger. “THAT’S NOT-”
“SILENCE!” Jinn’s voice boomed like thunder.
Ozpin tried to speak, his lips moved, as if making speech. But no sound came. He stopped, dumbstruck, upon realising this. Jinn continued.
“Although Ozpin was now on the island, he had few chances of gathering information. Even if he disguised himself as the servant of one of the rulers, there was the possibility of Salem recognising him. There was also no way of poisoning food or drink as Ozpin didn’t know who members of Salem’s inner circle were, and all the rulers had tasters, so anything poisoned would be found out before it could kill anyone Ozpin intended. However, he was able to gather information provided by the servants of each ruler on the island. Although the information was a patchwork of truths, half-truths, and hearsay, Ozpin began to gain an idea of what was happening, all he would need was a little more time to piece everything together and then devise a plan to stop Salem. But he no longer had time.”
Once more, the dark mist rolled in and vanished, to reveal Salem casting spells on enormous crystals that formed a large circular wall. Within this crystal wall, trenches were dug, forming circular patterns that surrounded and led towards a large pool of the pitch-black substance. Once the trenches were dug, the captured wizards and witches were ritualistically sacrificed in large numbers. Wispy forms began to swirl in the enormous crystals, while their blood flowed in and filled the trenches. Once this was done, Salem had her personal Faunus slaves remove stone barriers that had separated the pitch-black substance from the blood. The two liquids began to mix with each other and soon both the pool, and the surrounding trenches were full of a single reddish-black liquid. Salem then cast another spell, one that seemed to have the souls trapped in the large, surrounding crystals channelled into several smaller crystals that lay on a large table beside her. Salem then had herself cut in several areas of her body and limbs. Her screams of pain only intensified when soul crystals were then carefully inserted inside her body. Unable to move due to the pain she was in, Salem’s slaves carried her to a platform that hung above the pool and placed her in a harness attached to the wires of a makeshift crane. She was then hung over the pool of reddish-black liquid. Sitting on platforms outside of the trenches, surrounded by the opulence for which they’d all come to know and crave; the kings and queens, emperors and empresses, consuls, chancellors, and warlords who had so greatly benefited from Salem’s creations watched on eagerly with hungry faces.
Jinn spoke once more. “Despite having worked together to arrange this ritual, none of those present intended for this power to be shared with the others. Each one of them had surrounded themselves with their best soldiers, ready to kill the others at a moment’s notice. Some even intended to have Salem become their personal servant, devising more creations with which they could conquer the globe. But all of them had already fallen into Salem’s own trap.”
Just before she was to be lowered into the pool, Salem turned towards the crowd of people, for whom she had been their benefactor for many years. She said nothing to them, merely pointed a single outstretched finger. For a minute the onlookers regarded her with confusion, some even swapping puzzled expressions. From above there came a great roar, and the Wyvern swooped down upon them and with a single breath of flame, bathed them all in fire. It all happened so fast not one of the onlookers even had a chance to scream. Suddenly a cacophony of screams, shouts, roars, and shrieks burst from behind the walls like a macabre choir. More and more wispy forms began to swirl within the enormous crystals that surrounded Salem. With a satisfied smirk, Salem ordered her slaves to slowly lower her into the pool.
“STOP!” came a male voice.
Everyone spun around to see Ozpin was standing in a small gate that had been made in the wall. His clothes were torn, he was bruised and bleeding, but there was a fiery determination about him.
“Ozpin?!” Salem squealed in shock.
Without a word, Ozpin cast a spell aimed at the pool below Salem, but she counteracted with her own.
“You lot!” she shrieked at the Faunus around her. “Don’t just stand there! STOP HIM!” Salem then turned towards those lowering her into the pool. “Keep going!”
However this brief lapse in attention allowed Ozpin to gain the upper hand in their dual. His spell breaking through her counter, created a layer of stone over the pool. Salem fell on it with a thud and began to hastily free herself from the harness, howling in pain as she did so; while Ozpin dealt with Salem’s slaves. Although she had a score of them to throw at him, Ozpin annihilated them with a series of spells that incinerated, electrocuted, and decapitated them. Ozpin then sprinted to the platform where Salem had been standing, casting spells at the surrounding crystals.
“STOP!” shrieked Salem. “YOU’RE RUINING EVERYTHING!!!”
Ozpin paid her no mind, so Salem unleashed a whip of flame that destroyed the legs of the pylon, causing it, and Ozpin, to come crashing down onto the stone. Ozpin quickly leapt back onto his feet. For a moment they only stared at each other, then began furiously casting spells and counterspells. As they duelled, some of the spells ricocheted and hit the crystals. A high-pitched wail began to emanate from some of the more damaged crystals, as if thousands of souls were all screaming to be free. Ruby and the others all covered their ears, wincing in pain. But neither twin took notice, hateful gazes locked onto each other, their duel continuing, the spells becoming more devastating in their fury to destroy the other. As they duelled, a dense multi-coloured fog seemed to surround the two of them and grew denser and more vivid as the duel progressed. Despite his haggard appearance and exhaustion, Ozpin seemed to be slowly winning the duel, as Salem was being forced to take step after step backwards, but he noticed that Salem’s Grimm had surrounded them and were charging towards him. In a desperate attempt to bring the fight to a quick close, Ozpin unleashed a single large beam of green energy. Salem countered with several smaller beams of black, white, and red energy in response. The spells collided and then everything disappeared in a blinding light.
The dark mist appeared and disappeared to reveal the crew were now standing on a beach. Before anyone had a chance to speak, a second sun flashed into existence on the horizon to the west; far across the great sea that lay between them. A multi-coloured sun that shone much brighter than the real one, before vanishing. A colossal, fiery, multi-coloured cloud appeared on the horizon where that second sun had briefly shone. With terrifying speed, it climbed, and climbed, and climbed into the sky until it seemed to dwarf any mountain Ruby had ever seen; while it expanded across the horizon, blanketing it in fire and smoke. Suddenly the cloud roared, like that of a thousand bombs going off at once. Everyone yelled in pain as they covered their ears, but still the roar seemed to break through their meagre defences and burrow into their ears. Off in the distance, Ruby spied an enormous wall of water racing towards the coast, growing as it drew nearer. A titanic tidal wave that would have loomed over the city walls of Vale. But before it reached them, the dark mist appeared and disappeared revealing them to be back on the island. Everything was covered in smoke of various hues. Nothing else stirred in this haze. Where the crystals, trenches, and pool had been; now lay a deep smoking crater. A minute later several dark clouds of mist seemed to congregate together to create a person. This person looked around in shock at the crater, before desperately climbing out. As they emerged, the crew, except for Ozpin, gasped in unison as Salem appeared. Her pale blonde hair now white as bone; her pale skin now deathly white with numerous pitch-black veins trailing across her face, limbs, and body; her sapphire blue eyes were now blood red, with what were once the whites of her eyes now an inky black. She gazed around her surroundings, taking everything in: the complete and utter devastation that lay around her. She then looked down at herself and noticed the changes. Salem seemed to remember what had happened. Sitting on the ground, she cast a spell that severed her left leg. She didn’t scream; she didn’t even seem to feel it. A few seconds later her incinerated left leg regrew, as good as new. With a flick of her hand, Salem burst into flame, but again, no scream escaped her lips. The fire seemed to burn on and on, but Salem seemed unfazed. Wiping away the flames with a flick of her hand again, Salem then shrieked with laughter, dancing around, delighting in her new-found immortality. She seemed to be the only living being on the island.
“Although Salem would soon learn she had not achieved apotheosis, she was not disappointed in the results of her ritual. On the contrary, she was delighted, for a critical step had been made, and now she had an eternity to achieve her goal. Although she believed she was the only survivor, as it would turn out, she wasn’t the only one to have cheated death.”
The dark mist appeared and reappeared to reveal a boy in his early teens with short black hair, pink skin, and bright blue eyes looking at his reflection in what appeared to be the river of a forest. “Hello.” Muttered the boy, seemingly to himself. “My name is Ozpin.”
Jinn spoke once more. “With the soul crystals implanted into her body, Salem had been shielded from the soul-destroying substance, allowing her to retain herself and her soul. But as those soul crystals were unable to hold all the souls they absorbed, many began to bounce back to the larger crystals that surrounded them, and when those were overwhelmed, a feedback loop began amongst all the crystals as more and more souls were forced into the area where Ozpin and Salem duelled until the air became thick with them. As the stone floor Ozpin had created, shattered; both fell into the pool, just as the explosion ignited. Surrounded by souls and momentarily immersed in the liquid, Ozpin obtained reincarnation.”
The young man turned away from his reflection as he heard his mother calling out to him. As the teen left the river, the crew followed him. They gasped as they emerged from the trees. Ruby realised that they hadn’t been in a forest, but in the overgrown ruins of what was once a city. What were once long, smooth roads were now cracked and broken, with plant life sprouting out of them; great structures of marble now lay in ruin, the people having built their homes out of what structures appeared to be intact, or thrown together with whatever materials, be they stone, wood, or even cloth, that happened to be around. Ruby also noticed walls surrounding the settlement that seemed to have been haphazardly put together with any solid materials they had lying around. As the young boy entered his home, there was a loud crashing sound followed by howls and screams. The boy’s father grabbed a notched and damaged sword and a battered shield before dashing out of the house.
“Mira, get the children underground! Now!” he shouted.
The woman grabbed a young girl, no older than ten in one hand; and scooped up a toddler in the other and bolted for a trapdoor that lay at the other end of the room. The young boy quickly following them, locking the door of the shelter as he did so. The four of them hid in the damp, dirt filled basement, with only a small candle keeping them from being swallowed by total darkness. The mother chose to breastfeed her baby while murmuring lullabies in a desperate attempt to keep the baby quiet. Fortunately, the baby quickly fell asleep. But everyone else sat in silence, fear etched across their faces, although at the silent insistence of their mother both children lay on thin blankets and tried to sleep. But their restless stirring, uneasy breathing, and occasional glancing around at the others, told Ruby that none of them were asleep. While muffled screams, shouts, shrieks and roars could be heard from outside, an uneasy silence lingered within the dark basement. Then something thudded against the wooden floor of their home. Floorboards creaked as someone strode towards the trapdoor. The sound of their footfalls becoming more audible as they drew nearer. Everyone stirred, no longer pretending to be asleep. The mother placed her hand of the baby’s mouth to muffle its cries. The footsteps got louder. There was a thud against the door. All four of them backed up against the wall furthest from the trapdoor. The chains groaned against the trapdoor. Something was trying to open them. For a moment, it seemed the chains would hold, but then they snapped. The trapdoor flew open, light momentarily bathed the basement, blinding them all. Ruby recognised the outline of a beowolf before it pounced on top of the family, tearing them apart in whirlwind of flesh, blood, and bone. Neither the young boy Ozpin inhabited, his siblings, or his mother had time to scream. The only thing Ruby and the others could do was watch. The sight of their grisly demise and her inability to have stopped it maybe Ruby feel sick. She had fought Grimm before and seen what they could do to flesh and bone. But never had she been so close to it.
The dark mist rolled in and disappeared once again to reveal a boy in his early teens with bright blonde hair that seemed to be tinged with orange at the tips, indigo eyes, and a tan complexion, inspecting himself in a small mirror. As if this was the first time, he had ever seen his own reflection.
“Hello. My name is Ozpin.” He muttered to himself.
The dark mist appeared and disappeared to reveal the same young boy, a crudely made spear in hand, desperately trying to fight a polypheman alongside a small group of men. This incarnation of Ozpin leapt forward, attempting to wound the Grimm’s right leg, only for it to knock him to the ground with a swing from the small tree it held. The polypheman then crushed Ozpin’s torso as it strode over him while it waded into the rest of the men. Ozpin lay in the dirt, despite his torso having been pulverised by the polypheman, he was still alive, coughing blood as he wheezed. Eyes wide with fear, a pained grimace etched across his face. Oblivious of the others, Ruby knelt by the young man and tried to reach out and take his hand. To comfort him in his last moments. But her hand merely seemed to pass through his, as if he was nothing more than mist. A moment later she realised she was staring into the eyes of a dead man.
The dark mist appeared and reappeared a few more times, first showing Ozpin having reincarnated into the body of another young man, muttering the same greeting to himself, then revealing him dying, usually in a brutal or gruesome fashion: in his third incarnation, Ozpin seemed to live longer than his first two, only to fall victim to a disease that seemed to fill his own lungs with liquid as water seemed to constantly drool out of his mouth, preventing him from breathing; in his fourth incarnation, Ozpin was killed fighting what appeared to be a group of bandits who had launched a surprise assault on the village he was living in, after killing one bandit, another one disembowelled him with a broadsword, leaving Ozpin to slowly bleed to death as his entrails spilled out of him; in his fifth incarnation, he was killed in the siege of a city that seemed to be populated entirely with Faunus, as he charged through a breach in the city walls, he was stabbed in the neck by a bull Faunus, unable to breathe due to the blood filling his throat, Ozpin collapsed gasping as he bled, whether he died from asphyxiation or blood loss, Ruby couldn’t tell. More of Ozpin’s reincarnations were shown: as a solider he was impaled upon spears during a battle; as a ruling lord he was poisoned at a dinner party,
“Is it just me or does it look like each incarnation starts off looking almost nothing like each other only to look more and more alike as they age?” Frank asked.
“They are.” Yang said, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Ruby saw it too, but she also couldn’t help but notice that with each reincarnation, he seemed to grow more and more tired, as if life itself seemed to become a burden. The crew watched in horror as Ozpin attempted to take his own life in various ways through several consecutive incarnations. They witnessed several more that then showed Ozpin roaming through towns and cities, forests, shrub lands, deserts, swamps, and mountains in a depressive slump, until the dark mist rolled in.
“As the centuries passed and Ozpin continued to reincarnate upon death, he grew apathetic to the world around him. He began to tire of the constant reincarnations, and the feeling of death that always preceded them.” Jinn said. “Desperate for a way out, he turned to Salem.”
The dark mist rolled back to reveal Ozpin being dragged through a cavernous hall made of black stone that, despite its size, was full of people. Some appeared to be nobles, dressed in fine robes, adorned with jewellery made from gold, silver, or platinum, and inlaid with various jewels; others were guards (such as the two men dragging Ozpin) who wore iron plate armour over chainmail, each guard had a small axe attached to their belts, and with the exception of the two dragging Ozpin, all stood at attention holding a long spear in one hand, and long kite shields attached to their opposing arm; the rest of them appeared to be servants as they were clothed in plain pants and long shirts.
“These people…they’re Faunus!” Blake exclaimed with shock.
Ruby realised it too, everyone in that hall was Faunus. Ruby then noticed the large stained-glass windows, each one depicted Salem as a divine figure to the Faunus: Salem creating the Faunus, providing them instruction and teaching, and the creation of their country with her as its head of state. Ruby turned to Blake who had a horrified look on her face, as if she didn’t want to believe everything she saw. It was a sentiment Ruby shared. But she knew she had to keep watching, to learn the truth of what had happened. Ozpin now lay in a heap at the foot of a large throne made of marble and platinum, Salem imperiously peered down at him, but she didn’t seem to realise that the man was her own brother. Ruby and the others approached; as they drew closer it was clear that Ozpin was still a young man, for some of his hair appeared to have streaks of red and his light brown eyes were tinged with green. But he was haggard and weatherbeaten with torn clothing that was streaked with thick white sweat stains; his face was pale and bony; his hair was wild and unkept, and his beard was long and bushy.
“He was approaching the gates, my liege.” Said a guard with large antlers.
“Was he armed?” Salem asked.
“No, Your Grace.” Replied the other guard, who had a long, striped tail. “But as we took him in, he requested a private audience with you.”
“Then he has come all this way for nothing.” Salem responded in a blasé tone.
Both guards took several steps back before Salem gave a lazy flick of her hand, and a bolt of white energy shot towards Ozpin, who countered with a spell of his own. There was a pale green flash and a loud bang that reverberated down the hall. Ozpin knelt, unharmed from the spell, but a score of people staggered back onto their feet, aura briefly shimmering across their bodies. Everyone stared in utter disbelief at Ozpin; but their reactions were nothing compared to the almost horrified look on Salem’s face. Her eyes and mouth were so wide that Ruby felt herself chuckling despite everything else they’d learned so far. Salem turned to everyone else, her voice boomed down the hall like thunder. “EVERYONE OUT!!!”
At her command, they all hurriedly bowed before retreating out of the hall. Even after it was empty, Salem remained on the throne, gazing imperiously down at her brother. Ozpin raised his gaze to meet hers.
“How long has it been, Salem? I’ve reincarnated so many times; despite remembering every death, I’ve lost count as the decades have blurred into centuries”
“Reincarnated? Is that what became of you Ozpin? Once more, you have not been blessed like your sister.” Salem said condescendingly.
“Then how do you live, Salem? For although I came seeking you out, perhaps I misjudged. I see that time, or the ritual you enacted has left its mark on you. You look more like those abominations that roam the world, than the sister I knew. What makes you think you’re luckier than me?” Ozpin retorted.
Wordlessly, Salem rose from her throne and with the flick of her fingers her entire body burst into flame. Ozpin cried out in alarm and recoiled, but Salem merely descended the steps to her brother with a calm composure that intensified his terror. When she was level with her brother, Salem dissipated the flames that consumed her. Immediately her body began to heal from the burns, while Salem remained unfazed.
“I look more like ‘those abominations’ as you put it, because I am now more than Human. I have passed thresholds not even the greatest in our history dared imagine and I have now trespassed on the realm of gods. I do not desire food, water, sleep, or the carnal pleasures. I don’t feel hot, or cold. I am more fortunate than you Ozpin.” Salem responded.
Ozpin gazed upon his sister with a mixture of shock and envy. “Did you feel anything when the ritual was enacted?”
Salem shook her head. Ozpin sank to the floor with a great groan. He knelt at his sister’s feet for several minutes, not saying a word. Salem continued to gaze down imperiously; a small sneer stretched across her lips. Finally, he returned Salem’s gaze.
“I’m tired, Salem.” Ozpin sighed. “My lives…they blur together, but the pain of each passing…”
With an enormous groan, Ozpin slumped over as tears fell down his cheeks. He hugged himself, his fingers digging into his clothes, tearing at the already damaged material.
“I don’t just remember them all, Salem. I feel them. Each bitter passing: freezing chills, starvation, decapitation, impalement, incineration, drowning…so many deaths…so much pain. I can’t take it anymore, Salem. I want to help you achieve our old dream of apotheosis. So that I may never have to feel the pain ever again.”
Ruby gazed at Ozpin. The pain and distress on his face seemed genuine. But Ruby’s jaw dropped when the look on Salem’s face changed from imperious to compassionate and she bent down and embraced her brother.
“We’ll find a way.” Salem said soothingly.
The dark mist appeared and disappeared to reveal Ozpin and Salem in what appeared to be an office. Salem sat in a large, throne-like chair made of rose gold with velvet padding, while Ozpin sat in a comparatively modest silver high-backed chair with velvet padding. Between them sat a desk made of marble, with parchment, ink, a peacock feather quill, several other scrolls scattered across the desk, and a globe. Ruby reckoned several days or even a couple of weeks must have passed as Ozpin now appeared cleanshaven, no longer looked pale, and a little less thin. Ozpin was pouring over a long roll of yellow parchment, his eyes furiously trailing back and forth as he read. He looked at Salem.
“Are you sure this is correct?"
“I’m certain.” Salem responded.
Ozpin nodded, before returning to the very start of the parchment and reading it again. Salem leaned back in her chair and gave a small sigh of impatience. Ozpin ignored her and continued reading the parchment. Once he finished, he read it again, but now furiously scribbling notes on a fresh sheet. Silently running out of patience, Salem got up and walked to the balcony that lay behind her and gazed outside. Finally, Ozpin finished and looked back up at her.
“Alright. Having gone over this scroll enough times, I think I see why your ritual did not achieve apotheosis. You simply didn’t have enough souls to sacrifice.”
“I had a million people on that island. How could that NOT have been enough?!” Salem asked.
“It was enough to achieve immortality. But apotheosis is something else entirely.” Ozpin responded. “To achieve it will require…far more than that.”
Salem looked baffled. “How many more?”
Ozpin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know how many exactly. That will take time. But at this stage, that’s all I can discern. Fortunately, we have plenty of time to gather the necessary…materials. But there are a few things that we’ll need to set up before we can do that.”
“What do you mean?” Salem asked.
We’ll need to set up hundreds of soul crystals and considering both the number of souls that will need to be stored in them, and the need to draw souls from everywhere in Remnant to one location, they’ll need to be...titanic in size.” Ozpin explained.
“There aren’t any here, the only ones that exist are now on Ibonia. And even our magic couldn’t move the ones that were there.” Salem said.
“Then you’ll have to relocate yourself to Ibonia.” Ozpin stated matter-of-factly.
“But there’s another issue.” Salem responded. “If we erect thousands of titanic soul crystals, there won’t be enough room on the island for my subjects.”
Ozpin brought up a globe. “Then move them to Eenane.” Ruby saw he was pointing to the dragon-shaped continent, now called Inanis, that lay just north of Vale. “And since the continent is devoid of all life, which I guess is because of your ritual, turn some of your subjects into Grimm, that way they won’t need to eat, drink, or sleep. After that, we’ll need to look at the situation around Remnant and over time, cause crises, conflicts, wars; and when they present themselves, famines and epidemics. Those Grimm of yours will be especially helpful in creating crises and conflicts. Ever since the ritual, they’ve destroyed entire countries and people have been waging small wars for land that provides them even some small modicum of shelter from the Grimm.”
“To help create more conflict and war, we can pit Humans against Faunus.” Salem suggested.
“Given that Humans seem to be more populous than Faunus, there will have to be conflict amongst Humans, but that’s an excellent idea. In fact, are you aware that the human populations of several kingdoms believe that Faunus are harbingers for Grimm?”
Salem spread her arms out indicating to everything around them. “Why do you think this kingdom exists?”
“Of course.” Ozpin responded. “Needless to say, all of this will take centuries, if not millennia, to complete. We will have to be incredibly patient.”
Once more, the dark mist rolled in and out, showing Salem departing with tens of thousands of her subjects, Salem reducing that number to only a few thousand and turning the survivors into Grimm, the erection of thousands of colossal soul crystals on the island of Ibonia, and an enormous new fortress for Salem and her minions by what Ruby presumed to be the closest coast to the island. The fortress itself was laid with stone so black, that it seemed to devour sunlight. Once this was done, Ozpin was seen travelling throughout Remnant usually creating crises and conflicts, taking a special interest in conflicts that pitted Humans against Faunus; or inflaming ones that already existed. Next, they all witnessed Ozpin leading expeditions: first across a mountain range, then a sweeping desert, next a snow-covered tundra. In each place, Ozpin and his fellow explorers delved into large, vast networks of ruins. But these ruins seemed bizarre to Ruby. Through Ozpin and Salem’s quest to achieve apotheosis, the crew had witnessed all the various civilisations and cultures that made up Remnant in that time, but these ruins didn’t appear to reflect any of them. These ruins didn’t appear ancient, they appeared primeval. As if they weren’t thousands, but tens or hundreds of thousands of years old, with artwork and hieroglyphs that seemed unlike anything Ozpin and Salem had come across before. In a couple of places, the architecture seemed impossible, with large upside-down pyramids; while others seemed to defy gravity itself, yet there was no sign of Gravity Dust or anything else that could allow them to be suspended in mid-air; or staircases that seemed to go in bizarre directions, yet those who walked on them never fell off, even when they walked across what appeared to be the ceiling. In each location the expedition stopped and studied the stone carvings that would sometimes span the walls of halls that appeared to dwarf even those of Beacon Academy.
“Fascinating.” Ruby heard one member of the expedition say. “These carvings are so smooth.”
“There doesn’t appear to be sign of any tools being used.” Remarked another. “It’s as if they carved the stone as easily as one would put ink to paper.”
Jinn spoke once more. “Still needing to know what exactly must be done to ensure the ritual will successfully enact their apotheosis. Ozpin began to investigate the distant past. These travels led him to the scattered ruins of a civilisation that him and Salem had only learned of through the myths they’d grown up with as children. It was here, that Ozpin found four items that had only been mentioned in those same stories, the relics of choice, creation, destruction, and knowledge.”
The crew witnessed, at each location, Ozpin’s expedition spending months and then years working through unusual traps and esoteric spells that guarded each relic, before finally breaking through into what appeared to be a vault with what appeared to Ruby, to be strange runic symbols scrawled on the floor, walls, and ceiling of each vault. There, the crew saw Ozpin retrieve from those same vaults: the relic of knowledge, a golden staff with a blue diamond on its head, a gleaming sword with a long blue blade and gold hilt, and a golden crown with a large blue jewel set at the front.
Ruby saw Ozpin, in large tent, Jinn hovering above him. Between them lay a desk with a large sheet of paper which Ozpin stood hunched over, taking notes. Ruby couldn’t hear anything that was being said, and by the looks of, neither could anyone else, until Ozpin asked one question.
“How many souls exactly, will be required for both me and my sister, Salem to successfully achieve apotheosis?” Ozpin asked.
“It will require the souls of 200 billion regular Humans and Faunus.” Jinn responded.
Ruby felt like she was about to heave. She doubled over clutching her stomach, but as soon as the feeling appeared, it vanished. She returned her gaze to Ozpin and Jinn. Ozpin now sat in a small chair, vigorously scribbling notes and calculations, seemingly unfazed by the number Jinn had provided him.
“However, despite their goal, throughout the course of his travels, Ozpin found himself distracted from his goal by the changes that had taken place across Remnant. He saw that people had developed aura’s and that some possessed semblances; all while some societies were finding and developing uses for Dust. Fascinated by these changes, Ozpin began to learn everything he could about Dust, aura, and semblances. During one of his incarnations, he made the discovery that all three of them were magical residue from the cataclysmic explosion that took place during Salem’s ritual. Magical residue that now permeated the water, ground, air, and all living things on Remnant. During these studies however, he also learned that not all souls were made equal. There were those throughout Remnant, especially those who possessed a semblance, whose souls could be ten times, or in some cases, a hundred times more valuable than regular souls. He also learned of a remarkable trait that existed amongst a select few people in Remnant, silvereyes, and how those who possessed this eye colour, not only had the ability to kill Grimm with a mere thought, but whose souls were a thousand times more valuable than regular souls.” Jinn said.
The dark mist appeared and disappeared to reveal Ozpin and Salem together in the office the crew had seem them in earlier. Salem was vigorously reading through Ozpin’s findings. Ozpin leaned back in a large chair on the opposite side of her desk. His face was utterly emotionless, but his nervousness was betrayed by the shaking of his legs that only ended when Salem gave her brother a piercing look that told him to stop. Finally, after several more minutes she looked up at him.
“This…is a lot…” Salem murmured. She checked some of the findings again. “You say this will take about 10,000 years?”
“That’s a conservative estimate. Assuming civilisations across Remnant don’t develop any means to increase their populations. However, I have seen that this is already happening. For example, some civilisations are developing methods for fighting Grimm; others are learning more about this…Dust as some societies call it, or Elementals, others call it, or something else entirely; and in many areas, developing new methods of agriculture. Therefore, I believe that this timeframe will shorten. By how much, and at what pace, I can’t say for certain. But we must be ready for it. Thus, I’ve been establishing some cabals of powerful or influential people throughout various societies in Remnant who are allied with our cause.”
“What have you promised them?” Salem asked.
“Wealth beyond their reckoning, empires that dominate whole continents, immortality. That sort of thing.” Ozpin replied. “They’re all completely loyal to you and I.”
“Very good.” Salem responded. She went through a few more of Ozpin’s notes before then raising her eyes back to Ozpin and asking. “With regards to aura, semblances, and Dust. Although these are all astounding, how will they help us?”
“Because I believe this will help expedite us achieving apotheosis. Well admittedly, my studies of Dust were more for my own curiosity, than to see if they could help us. But by identifying these individuals, those with semblances, and nurturing their abilities, we could foster hundreds, if not thousands of people whose souls will be worth much more than the souls of the average person.”
“But your notes mention that the ritual will require 200 billion souls. How will having people with souls worth more than…the average person, as you put it, accelerate our achieving apotheosis?” Salem asked.
“Because that was just ordinary people. Those who do not possess semblances.” Ozpin replied. “I believe that the more who possess a semblance die, the fewer people overall who will have to die. Aura and semblances seem to work like magic, the more you train them, the more you improve them, and since one’s aura seems to be connected to one’s soul, I believe that if we can train these individuals, their souls will be worth the souls of dozens, if not hundreds of ordinary people. Hence, my belief that they will help us expedite the process of achieving apotheosis.”
Ruby felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She was certain of where this conversation was going.
“How will you achieve this?” Salem asked.
“By founding a series of academies across Remnant where people can develop their aura and semblances.”
“What about these silvereyes? They could be a threat to Grimm.”
“Their abilities will certainly be an issue for Grimm, but I believe the benefits of their existence outweigh any repercussions. The souls of those with silvereyes are worth the souls of thousands of ordinary people.” Ozpin said.
“Have people across Remnant begun to realise this?” Salem asked.
Ozpin nodded.
“If that’s the case, they could then look to try and bred more people with silvereyes. With fewer Grimm to threaten them, I believe they will be more adventurous and may eventually find us, here on Eenane. If they do, they could very well interfere with our goal. And I won’t have millennia of work be thrown away.” Salem said definitively.
Ozpin leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. “Very well. At the very least though, we’ll look at limiting the number of silver eyed people. I think it will benefit us to have a steady trickle of them to accelerate the process.”
Salem nodded in agreement at this.
None of the crew gasped this time. For Ruby’s part, she felt she couldn’t. The enormity of this horror hung over her like a dark cloud that threatened a storm. She felt her head spin as if she had been quickly twirled several times. Not since the Fall of Beacon had she felt even remotely like this. But the sense of dread, horror, and confusion was amplified. Everything seemed to fall out of focus.
“Ruby?” came a distant voice.
“Ruby?!” It came again, slightly clearer.
“RUBY?!” The voice shouted.
Ruby found herself coming to. She was on her knees, Yang by her side, gently shaking her. Qrow peering down at her, a grave expression on face.
“Ruby, please snap out of it. I know this is all…all...But Jinn…she says there’s more.” Qrow said mournfully.
Jinn hovered above the crew, peering down at Ruby. Qrow and Yang helped Ruby back onto her feet, but Ruby’s legs felt like jelly, so she leaned against her uncle for support. Jinn disappeared. Ruby looked around: the crew were standing in a small dark room that seemed like a vault. Inside Ozpin sat on the floor, gazing intently at the Relic of Knowledge that hovered in front of him.
“Despite decades of partnership, Ozpin couldn’t shake the feeling that Salem was intending to betray him and achieve apotheosis solely for herself.” Jinn spoke. “Through time and reincarnations, these thoughts gnawed at his mind. As a result, he had chosen to keep the discovery of the relics hidden from Salem. Then one day, he decided to seek the answers for himself.”
Ozpin called her name and Jinn emerged from the relic. Ozpin continued sitting on the floor, his eyes darting in every direction, while sweat poured down his face. Finally, he took a few deep breaths and seemed to regain focus and composure.
“Does Salem intend to betray me and obtain apotheosis all for herself?” Ozpin asked.
“Yes.” Jinn responded.
Ozpin gave a small gasp. Yet he also nodded. He then returned his attention to Jinn.
“How can I achieve apotheosis before Salem does?”
“Although the souls of 100 billion ordinary Humans and Faunus are required to achieve apotheosis, you will only need half this number if you use all four relics in the ritual, and the blood of someone with silvereyes.” Jinn said.
Ruby knew what this meant. There was no need for Jinn to reveal anything else in relation to Ozpin’s plans with silvereyes. She now knew why Ozpin had been so focused on training her silvereyes, but another horrifying thought entered Ruby’s mind. One that made her blood run cold. ‘I think I know who killed my Mom’. Before she could contemplate this realisation any further, Ruby was pulled out of her thoughts by Jinn.
“Despite having kept the relics secret for nearly two thousand years, Ozpin grew concerned that Salem was suspicious of him and would soon learn his secret. To this end, he chose to kill Salem using the Relic of Destruction.”
The dark mist appeared and then disappeared to reveal Salem sitting in what appeared to be a throne room which was much smaller than the one in which she’d been reunited with Ozpin, but it was built of the same black stone, the walls illuminated by large stained glass windows that depicted both Ozpin and Salem. Salem sat on a raised throne made of gold, ivory, and marble and carved in the form of a skull plate from a wyvern, reading a long scroll when Ozpin burst into the hall, in his hands he held a gleaming sword with a long blue blade and gold hilt. The blade seemed to glow softly. Salem bolted up right at Ozpin’s sudden entrance, her surprise turning to confusion when she saw the sword in his hands.
“Ozpin-”
Ozpin swung the sword. It unleashed an arc of bright blue light that carved its way through hall. Salem and her throne vanished as it crashed through them and out into night air. For a few moments, a large cloud of dust hung around, preventing anyone from seeing, but when it cleared, Ruby realised nothing remained of the throne. Behind where it had stood was now an opening in the wall roughly two storeys high, as if an enormous creature had just torn the wall open. The Relic of Destruction’s blade no longer glowed. Ruby barely had a chance to process what she had just seen when a series of inhuman shrieks pierced the air. At first, they sounded distant but were getting closer at a frightening pace. The Ozpin that had attacked Salem ran towards the opening in the wall and looked down. Fortunately, it was large enough that Ruby and the others were able to crowd around him. Far below, in the shadowy grounds of the fortress: small figures, illuminated by moonlight, could be seen dashing towards the main keep. Ozpin sprinted out of the hall, running as fast his legs could carry him, the crew following in his wake. The inhuman shrieks reached an almost unbearable pitch as Ozpin rounded a corner to find dozens of Faunus turned Grimm racing towards him, their jaws as wide as a sharks, while their red and yellow eyes blazed with a feral hatred for the living only Grimm possess. Ozpin dashed towards them and released a series of spells at the Grimm, incinerating electrocuting, or decapitating some of them; but more flooded the corridor. Ozpin unleashed a bright green beam of light that decapitated every Grimm in the corridor, allowing him to rush on. But the continuing shrieks heralded the arrival of more. Ozpin slammed his right hand onto the floor, igniting the ground a couple metres in front of him. From those green flames sprang forth bears, wolves, and eagles that tore into the Grimm, once more allowing Ozpin to dash down the corridor. Ozpin sprinted down a large flight of stairs to where a large door lay open. No sound came from outside. Ruby couldn’t help but find it curious that there was no sign of any Grimm flooding through that door. It just lay open and undisturbed. If Ozpin had the same reservations, he didn’t show them as he sprinted through the door and out into a large courtyard. Ruby had just enough time to notice that an enormous drawbridge had been pulled up, baring the main exit when a roar split the air followed by the whistle of hundreds of arrows. Ozpin quickly summoned a green dome around himself, but his summoned animals were smothered by arrows that rained upon them. Before another volley could be released, Ozpin noticed that the Relic’s blade was glowing once more. Ozpin swung the blade in a flat arc, unleashing a new wave of bright blue light that disintegrated one of the fortress walls and everyone standing on top of it. As a great cloud of dust wafted over the grounds, Ozpin created the green dome once more, narrowly saving him from the arrows that fell around him. Ozpin slammed his right hand on the ground again, conjuring more bears, eagles, and wolves from the green flames that roared around him. As those flaming creatures bounded and flew towards the Grimm on the other walls, Ozpin dashed towards the drawbridge. But scores of Grimm encircled him, barring his way towards the drawbridge. Ozpin unleashed more spells at the Grimm that charged towards him, but those that made it through, he cut down with the Relic of Destruction; the blade slicing through Grimm like a knife through warm butter. Once he got through them all, Ozpin conjured more flaming creatures to fight off any more Grimm that approached, while he began to slowly lower the drawbridge. Once this was down, Ozpin sprinted out of the fortress, down to the beach where a tiny dingy rested on the sand. Ruby saw a small steamboat lay waiting in the bay. Ozpin hurriedly boarded it and sailed away. Just as he began rowing towards the steamboat, a small black cloud wound its way out of the castle gate, heading directly towards him. Ozpin stared in disbelief at the cloud while fervently rowing, trying to speed up as the cloud drew nearer. The cloud formed into Salem who briefly fell towards the water, before casting a spell that saw her levitate above the waves. Her deathly pale face, caught in the moonlight, was twisted into an ugly snarl, hatred burned in her blood red eyes. With an ear-splitting shriek, she flew higher into the sky, before plummeting towards her brother like a missile. White lightening crackling around her fingers as she charged up a spell. But before she could cast it, Ozpin hastily drew the Relic of Destruction, its blue blade glowing once more, and with a wide swing, unleashed another arc of bright blue light. Salem made to dodge it but was too slow and she vanished as the arc struck. Only her left hand survived to fall into the water with a small splash. Not even allowing himself a chance to breath, Ozpin continued his fervent rowing until he quickly boarded the steamboat and sped out of the bay. Rather than follow Ozpin, a reformed Salem made her way back to her ruined fortress. As she entered, an orb that somehow hovered off the ground appeared to be waiting for her in the courtyard Ozpin had fled through. As they all drew nearer however, Ruby realised that it had six long tentacles tipped with sharp barbs that dangled beneath it. Salem waved a hand over the face of the orb.
“King Sadim.” Salem called into the orb. “Can you hear me?”
A man with light brown hair and a small beard, wearing a golden crown, appeared in the orb. He bowed his head upon seeing Salem.
“Your Eminence.” He responded. “How may I serve?”
Salem waved a hand across the orb’s face again and Ruby assumed this was to allow him to see what had happened to the fortress as King Sadim suddenly gapped in shock.
“Ozpin has betrayed us and tried to kill me. Inform your kingdom’s nobility and alert your kingdom’s navy and every seaside town and city: if Ozpin appears, kill him.” Salem commanded.
King Sadim bowed low once more. “As Your Eminence decrees.”
The dark mist rolled in out once more to reveal Salem talking to the monarchs, presidents, and chancellors of other countries on Remnant, informing them of Ozpin’s treachery.
“Unbeknownst to Ozpin, Salem had given every ruler loyal to them a Grimm known as a Seer, allowing her to communicate like you people do now with your scrolls. In less than an hour, the entirety of Remnant had effectively turned against Ozpin.” Jinn said.
The parting dark mist revealed everyone was standing on the same steamboat that Ozpin had escaped from. In the distance lay a large port city. Ozpin seemed relaxed, but Ruby couldn’t help but think she knew what was coming. Sure enough, a few minutes later a warship sailed close by. Ozpin seemed perplexed, but unconcerned, taking out a small piece of paper that when he unfolded, Ruby realised bore the crest of green dual axes resting on a laurel wreath of Vale. As the warship drew closer, Ozpin retrieved a megaphone from a box just outside the bridge and called out.
“Captain! My name is Ozpin and I’m a friend of King Sadim! I have in my head a document bearing his family crest, which grants me access to everything within his dominion!”
No one on the warship responded. Before Ozpin could say another word, the ships cannons rolled out and unleashed a volley of artillery, destroying the ship and killing Ozpin.
The dark mist rolled in and out, revealing several more incarnations of Ozpin at various stages of his life, as Jinn spoke once more.
“Quickly realising that Salem had been able to turn their entire global network against him. Ozpin was left with no choice but to start a fresh. After he had retrieved the Relic of Destruction from the bottom of Vale Bay, and following the Great War and the establishment of new Huntsmen academies in the four greatest kingdoms of Remnant, he began to build a new, much smaller network, predominantly of staff and students from these same academies. But fearful of Salem realising the mythological relics indeed existed, he hid each relic at one of the academies, and using arcane arts that I taught him, Ozpin attached the soul of an individual to each of the relics, in order to prevent Salem being able to steal them whenever she wished.”
Ruby and the others watched as Ozpin convinced different people to pair themselves with one of the relics.
“Brave Ulf.” Ozpin said to a tall, muscular male Faunus with wolf ears. “By becoming the Vestige of Destruction, you will be able to lay low your enemies with a strength and speed that will make you a living legend.”
“My dear Penelo, do you not wish to heal your ailing brother?” Ozpin said to a young woman with a heart-shaped face and blonde hair. “If you become the Vestige of Knowledge, you may learn how to save him.”
“Great Brok, I know all you want is for your inventions to keep people safe.” Ozpin said to a young man with dishevelled hair and wonky glasses. “What better way to ensure this, than to become the Vestige of Creation?”
“Princess Beth, I see how tiring the politicking of your ministers is. They lack the clairvoyance necessary to ensure this kingdom’s future.” Ozpin said to an imperious and prideful looking young woman with short, straight red hair. “But if you become the Vestige of Choice, you will soon have convinced your ministers, and even your mother that this kingdom requires your leadership.”
The dark mist rolled in and out again, showing Ozpin talking to, and recruiting, various people across Remnant. Ruby realised that someone of them looked like a young Glynda Goodwitch and General Ironwood.
“Over the following decades, Ozpin was able to a small, but mostly very loyal network of followers across Remnant. People he believed he could trust with the knowledge of the relics and of Salem. With Ozpin being able to position some of them as Headmasters and Headmistresses of the other Huntsmen academies on Remnant. But always, he kept secret the identities of the vestiges unless he deemed it absolutely necessary, such as whenever one of them was dying.” Jinn said. “However, although Ozpin had been able to stall Salem’s plan, there was one obstacle he couldn’t overcome. Salem herself.”
The dark mist revealed Ozpin standing in front of Jinn. The Relic of Knowledge in his hands. Ruby saw that his legs shook slightly. His voice trembling with anxiety, he asked Jinn a single question.
“I-Is-Is there a-a-a way to beat or kill Salem?”
“No.” Jinn said.
Ozpin fell to his knees. Ruby felt she barely had enough time to process what Jinn had just said when she disappeared. The blizzard howled all around them once more, and Ruby felt the cold bite into her bones.

Chapter Text

The only sound was the howling blizzard. Overwhelmed by everything he’d learned, Frank’s head felt as if it was about to explode. He looked around: everyone seemed to feel a similar way, although Qrow and Blake seemed to the worst affected: Qrow merely stared vacantly into the distance, while Blake had fallen to her knees and hugged herself tightly. Frank realised that although they had all been huddled together when witnessing Jinn tell Ozpin that Salem couldn’t be beaten or killed, they were all now standing where they had been when Ruby summoned her. ‘Were we all just standing in one place this whole time?’ Frank thought. Frank found himself torn from these thoughts by the sound of crunching snow. Frank saw that Ozpin had taken several steps towards Ruby, but Yang stood defiantly between them. Her lilac eyes now blood red. Fists raised; weapons activated.
“Not another step.” Yang snarled.
Realising what was going on, Frank dashed over to her side, Weiss joining at the same time. Weiss drew her rapier, and several glyphs appeared in the air in front of them. Frank drew his longsword and switched it to the rifle.
“Jinn…she lied…She didn’t give you the whole truth!” Ozpin shouted. “I found the relics before Salem attempted apotheosis on Ib-Ebony Island. And me turning on Salem…that was because-”
“Yeah right!” Yang retorted.
Having recovered, Blake stumbled over to join the others, sword in hand. Anet joined them a moment later. Only Qrow stood apart, still staring into empty space. Ozpin narrowed his eyes, repeatedly glowing green. Frank wanted to strike him down; a few rounds to the head and chest would take care of Ozpin, at least for now. But Ozpin stood before him in the body of a 15-year-old boy. A sweet, well-meaning boy. A boy Frank had found himself becoming increasingly fond of. A boy who only a few hours ago, he’d been teaching how to shave. Frank found he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t pull the trigger. No one else seemed to move, everyone was hesitating. Even Ozpin seemed to be hesitating as he subtly shook.
Oscar strained to speak. “You…you’ll…ne-”
His body glowed green again.
“Insolent…tick…”
Another green glow.
“You’ll…need… t-”
He glowed green again.
“That…leach…why can’t-”
Frank knew what Oscar was asking of him. Slowly, as if he was having his own battle against someone in his body, Frank raised his rifle. There was another green glow. Frank thought he saw tears welling up in the boy’s eyes.
“Please…”
He glowed green once more. As if still fighting something within himself, Frank flicked the safety off and aimed down the sights. Ozpin forcefully raised his right hand, pointing it directly at Ruby and Yang. A single, booming thought went through Frank’s head, ‘NOW’. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Qrow leapt at Ozpin and with an upward swing of his sword, sent Ozpin flying into the air. With a sharp thud, he fell onto the frozen lake. Loud cracking noises emanated from where Ozpin lay. He glowed green.
“Shoot the…ice!” Oscar bellowed.
Time itself seemed to slow to a snail’s pace. He glowed green again. Ozpin stiffly tried to get back up. Cracks grew out of the ice from where Ozpin stood. Frank aimed his rifle at the ice and fired: one bullet, two bullets, three. The ice fractured under all the stress. Horror flashed across Ozpin’s face before the lake swallowed both him and his scream. For a few minutes everyone stood rooted where they were, looks of apprehension on their faces as they gazed at the new hole in the lake that now lay before them, waiting for Ozpin to burst forth. But nothing happened.

The icy waters seemed to have claimed Ozpin, buying them all at least, a little time. Frank felt his knees crash into the snow, each icy breath slow and drawn out.
“Frank!” Yang squealed, running over to him.
“I’m fine.” Frank lied.
He saw the concern in her eyes and in that moment, he wanted to admit he wasn’t fine. But before he could say another word, Ruby snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Guys! I know we’ve already been through a lot, but right now we need to find shelter before we all freeze to death!”
Weiss replied. “Can’t we just-”
“Ruby’s right!” Frank interrupted, using his rifle to help him back onto his feet as he did so. Ruby gave him a small, appreciative nod.
“Frank and Yang, grab your motorbikes! The rest of us should gather whatever supplies we can before we make our way north!” Ruby commanded.
Everyone did as Ruby ordered. For a few minutes, Frank and Yang wandered through the trees, peering into carriages before they finally found their motorbikes. Miraculously they were still strapped down to the carriage floor. But the carriage itself had been ripped open during the crash. Even as they stared inside, snow piled onto their vehicles. The cold had frozen the locks, forcing Frank to use his bowie knife to free them, but even then, there were issues.
“Fuck.” Frank snarled. “Ice has gotten into my bike; it’ll need to thaw out before it can run properly. How about yours Yang?”
“Same here.” Yang groaned.
With loud grunts of effort, and a lot of swearing, Frank and Yang slowly wheeled their motorbikes out and joined the others where they had all been a few minutes before.
“Bikes aren’t working?” Ruby asked.
Frank nodded.
“Darn. I was hoping you two could scout ahead and find a settlement somewhere nearby.” Ruby said, a concerned look on her face. She then gave a small shrug before turning northward. “Either way, we need to get moving now, and hope we find shelter before dark.”
“Or before Grimm find us.” Weiss muttered.
The crew, along with Anet began the long trek to Argus, hampered by fatigue from the fighting, the weight of recent revelations, heavy packs and slow-moving motorbikes. All of this compounded by the blizzard that blew into their faces, obscuring their vision and reducing their pace to what felt to Frank like a crawl. No one uttered a word, saving their breath for each step they forced their bodies to take. What little light they had seemed to quickly fade. Frank used every drop of military discipline he had to hold back the dread that trued to creep into his mind. He forced back every thought that they wouldn’t find shelter; that they would die out in the frozen forest. But there was another thought that nagged at his mind.
‘I’ve failed…I’ve failed them all…I’m not a Jaeger…I’m the most expensive failure Earth has ever seen’, Frank thought. He continued trudging along, memories of his failures piled on top of each other: he failed to escape from Haven Academy with the Relic and Vestige of Knowledge; in his rage he was certain he’d killed the Vestige of Knowledge, so now the new one could be anywhere on Remnant; he’d failed to get the Relic of Knowledge to the ambush point so he could escape with his team; and he’d acted too slowly to protect himself and the others from Ozpin. That was all since he’d met Yang in some inn on the borders of Mistral. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep going: Frank strained to push his motorbike through the snow as if he was pushing a large boulder uphill, while his feet dragged through the snow as if his legs were dragging heavy stones. Just as Frank felt like giving up, the crew found themselves hit with even more snow than before. Frank thought they had walked into a clearing, but then he looked around and realised it wasn’t a clearing, they’d walked out of the forest itself, with dark, hazy shapes appearing in the distance. Despite the protests of his entire body, Frank pushed himself forwards, following Ruby and the others towards the dark shapes. As they drew closer, these dark shapes began to form buildings. Frank spied a large barn, three or four houses, and a windmill. There were no lights coming from the houses. The crew found themselves on a dirt path frozen over by the snow and made their way up to and past a small gate that creaked in the wind. Above it stood a sign.

BRUNSWICK FARM

There were no signs of security cameras, or of anyone patrolling the perimeter.
“HELLO?!” Ruby called out.
No response. She tried again. Still no response, not even a light flickering on in any of the houses.
“The blizzard is drowning you out.” Anet muttered.
Ruby sighed. “Looks like we don’t have a choice.”
She pushed open the gate and led the others through the grounds. They walked past two large greenhouses as they continued down the path. Frank saw that one of the houses was a long garage. Three two storey houses stood around a big stone well that seemed to form the centre of the settlement. Off in the distance, behind the house on the crew’s left loomed a tall windmill, while far behind the house on the crew’s right loomed a large barn. Between the houses, the barn, and the windmill lay three large, fenced fields.
“HELLO!? HELLOOO?!!!” Ruby called out.
No response.
Ruby huffed impatiently. “Someone should’ve responded by now!”
A sudden thought popped in Frank’s mind, one that seemed to invigorate him and restore the strength in his limbs.
“What if they’re planning to ambush us?” Frank asked, drawing his longsword.
Everyone else drew their weapons as well, heads swivelling left and right, up and down, searching for a would-be attacker.
“Frank, Yang, leave your bikes. Everyone, make for the garage. Go!” Ruby shouted.
Everyone sprinted towards the garage, with a shotgun round destroying the lock, Yang threw the door open and everyone piled inside. Almost everyone.
“Where’s Uncle Qrow!” Ruby cried out.
Blake peered out of the door. “He’s just walking towards the houses. Slowly.”
Frank peered out from a window that faced the settlement’s centre. Sure enough, Qrow walked towards the centre of the settlement, seemingly unaware he was by himself.
“Uncle Qrow! What are you doing?!” Ruby shouted.
“Get over here!” Yang yelled.
Qrow continued walking, now heading towards the second of the three houses.
“I don’t think there’s going to be any issues!” Qrow shouted back in response. Qrow walked up to the house and tried unsuccessfully to open the door.
For a minute, the only sound was the howling wind and the creaking gate.
“Maybe we’re not about to be ambushed?” Weiss asked hopefully.
Frank shook his head. “I don’t like how quiet things are. We haven’t had any signs of life here which tells me the settlement’s inhabitants are wanting to lull us into a false sense of security before ambushing us. Or something killed the inhabitants, and considering the general state of what we’ve seen so far, any attack didn’t happen too long ago. Meaning that whatever killed them isn’t far away.”
“If there is an attack, I think we’ll be safer in the houses. Their larger and should provide better views of the settlement.” Ruby said. She pointed at the house Qrow hung around; having given up on opening the door, he leaned against a wall, sheltered from the blizzard by the house’s verandah. “I’m going to need two people to go that house-the rest of us will cover you, then those two will open the door, and make sure the house is safe. Once it is, give us a call and we’ll join you.”
Frank shook his head. “We’ll all need to go in there. If we split up, we become an easier target. Plus, we’ll need to scope that building out; make sure no one is hiding inside, and if there is, whoever is doing the scouting out will need support.”
“OK, we’ll all move in there. Blake, Frank, Yang, I want you guys to lead us into the house. Weiss, give us all the time dilation glyph.”
Weiss did as Ruby instructed. No sooner was the glyph complete, everyone shot out of the garage towards the house. Frank couldn’t help thinking that the only time he ever went this fast was when he’d spring across the ground. Only that forced him in a single direction, whereas the time dilation glyph enhanced the speed of every movement he made: it felt as if he’d been standing inside the garage then after a few steps, he was now under the verandah, Qrow leaning against the wall to his right, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Frank leaned against the doorframe; rifle ready. Blake leaned against the other side of the doorframe, sword and sheath drawn. Anet, Ruby, and Weiss formed a semi-circle around them, weapons pointing out from the verandah. Yang punched the lock, forcing the door to violently swing open. Frank peered around the doorframe, rifle raised, ready to meet whatever greeted them.
The house greeted them with a deafening silence. Fists raised; Yang led them all into the foyer. In front of her stood a staircase leading to the top floor. Frank kept a watchful gaze on what seemed to be a dining room. Blake looked towards what appeared to be a living room with a stone hearth. Still nothing happened.
“I’m beginning to think we’re all alone here.” Weiss murmured.
I think so to. But I want to be sure of that first. Remember Mountain Glenn?” Ruby replied.
In his peripheral vision, Frank caught Weiss and Yang stiffen at the mention of Mountain Glenn.
“It’ll be safer to check the ground floor, before heading up the stairs.” Frank murmured.
“OK. Blake, Yang, you two go left; Frank, Weiss, you two go right. Anet and I will cover the door and stairs until you get back.” Ruby said.
Frank and Weiss set off, into what looked like the dining room, but before they set foot into the room itself, Frank peered at and around the entrance to the hallway.
“What are you doing?” asked Weiss.
“Making sure the corners around are clear and there aren’t any explosives around.” Frank replied. “Looks like we’re all clear here.”
Frank led Weiss into the dining room. To his right was a large window, bathing the otherwise dark room in a pale, weak light. To his left, beyond the dining room was a kitchen. Holding his rifle at chest height, Frank inched forward, his eyes scanning for any sign of movement. Weiss tried to impatiently stride past him, but without taking his eyes off what was in front of him, Frank blocked her with his left arm. Before she could say a word, he gave a small shake of his head. He led her forward, checking every corner for a booby trap or would-be assailant. But there was nothing. Frank and Weiss reached a door at the back of the kitchen. Frank slowly opened the door, making sure there were no wires as he did so. The room seemed small, but the light from the dining room window barely reached it. Weiss created a small fire ball at the tip of her rapier allowing them to see the room was full of shelving units from floor to ceiling, most of which were still stocked with food and drink. Frank and Weiss inched forward between the shelving units. At the end of the storage room, lay a locked metal cellar door.
“Yang! We’re going to need you in here!” Frank called out.
“What are you doing?” Weiss asked.
“We need to see what’s in that cellar.” Frank replied.
“No Frank. I don’t think we need to.” Weiss said.
“Don’t need to do what?” Yang asked, Ruby appearing beside her.
“Frank wants you to open this cellar door. I don’t think we need to.” Weiss responded.
“We absolutely must.” Frank retorted. “We’re in unfamiliar, possibly hostile, territory. We need to know what’s behind that door in case something jumps out of it later.”
“Frank, I think you’re being paranoid about all of this. Surely if there was something or someone here waiting to ambush us, they would’ve done so by now.” Ruby said.
“It’s a locked door anyway.” Yang remarked. “If anything was behind it, it’s not getting through that door.”
Frank couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Three girls who all wanted to be Huntresses seeming so blasé about their own safety. But before he could retort, a shrill shriek rent the air. It sounded like it came from the first floor.
“Blake.” Ruby, Weiss, and Yang cried in unison.
The four of them raced out of the storage room, and up the stairs. Blake sat on the floor. Anet behind her, shield and weapon hanging loosely from her arms. Both faces pale, they stared mortified into the room nearest the staircase. Rifle raised; Frank looked inside. It was a bedroom, no different in layout to any other he’d seen. But on the double bed were two rotting corpses, lying in bed as if sound asleep.
“Jeez…” Frank murmured, lowering his rifle.
“What…what killed them?” Anet murmured.
“Maybe a disease?” Blake suggests.
Frank made to walk in and inspect the corpses, but Ruby placed a hand on his arm to stop him.
“We can think about why they’re dead later. Right now, we need to search the rest of the settlement.” She spoke. “Blake and Yang, I want you two to go back to the garage and see what you can find that will help us. Anet and Frank, I want you two to check out the barn and greenhouses, see if you can find any fresh food. Weiss and I will check the rest of this house and the other two.”
Although she was closest to Blake, Anet didn’t help her up, instead turning on her heel and without waiting for Frank, headed down the stairs and outside; leaving Weiss to help Blake up. Frank gave Ruby a small nod of acknowledgement and followed Anet into the freezing blizzard once more. However outside, she had already been swallowed up by the blizzard. Frank turned to Qrow who was still leaning against the wall, apathetic to everything going.
“Did you see where Anet went?”
Half-heartedly, Qrow point in the direction of the nearest greenhouse.
“Are you going to help us search the settlement?” Frank asked pointedly.
Qrow didn’t answer, he merely muttered something about being cold and wanting to make a fire before he then slunk inside.
Frank left the house and headed towards the nearest greenhouse. There he found Anet trying desperately to open the door.
“It’s frozen shut.” She said in frustration.
Frank took out his rifle and shot the lock, before pushing the door open. A wave of warm air greeted them as they entered the glasshouse.
“This is a good sign.” Anet said hopefully.
She bent down to pull a carrot out of the dirt, but her face dropped upon seeing how rotten it was. Frank examined an eggplant bush a few metres away. Although the plant itself appeared fine, the fruits all appeared rotten.
“No one’s picked them, so they’ve gotten overly ripe, mouldy, and rotten.” Frank muttered despondently.
“Fuuuuck!” Anet shouted.
“Come on. Let’s check that barn out.” Frank said.
The two of them returned to the freezing howls of the blizzard and trudged along the frozen dirt path then through the snow-covered fields towards the barn. A big wooden beam was placed over its doors. Frank lifted the wooden beam and opened the barn door. Even in the dim light that flooded into the barn from the doorway, Frank could tell that things were no better in here. As they stepped inside, all they saw were dead cows, horses, pigs, goats, and sheep. Like those living in the house, the animals all appeared to have died in their sleep.
“What’s going on here?” Anet moaned. “Are we the only living things in this settlement?”
“It looks that way.” Frank muttered. “But did you notice the windows and corners of the house and even this barn?”
“No.”
“They’re bare. No webs of any kind.”
Anet shrugged. “So what?”
“So,” Frank said. “If there hasn’t been anyone to keep the house clean and tidy, then why aren’t there spider webs all over the place? Also, no signs of rats or other vermin living in the house either. Although it isn’t warm, it’s dry, and a lot better than anywhere else in this whole area. So why don’t we see or hear any?”
Anet sighed. “All of these mysteries and mind-breaking revelations are just getting to much…I’m tired. Let’s head back to the first house we investigated. Maybe the others will have had better luck.
Frank nodded in agreement and the two of them left the barn to rejoin the others.

Yang threw open the garage door and followed Blake dashing inside. Both sighed with relief at being sheltered from the blizzard. Blake muttered something, possibly to be funny, but Yang barely registered it. Nor did she respond. Tired from the days events, Yang wandered around the garage, absently gazing at shelves of handheld tools, batteries, and boxes of Dust. Her thoughts were occupied by everything she’d witnessed in the last few hours: dozens of people being slaughtered by Grimm on the train: thousands of years of carnage Ozpin and Salem had inflicted to turn the world into a sacrificial altar; and now the bodies in the bed. Death. Yang had been surrounded by it all day. It reminded her of another dark day…Yang froze. A man with windswept, red streaked auburn hair stood outside, staring at her. Suddenly his right hand went to a scabbard his left held and drew a red bladed sword. Yang screamed.
“What is it?!” Blake shouted.
Yang snapped around to Blake, she opened her mouth and tried to tell her, but nothing came out. Yang pointed at the window, returning her gaze back to face Adam, but no one was there. Where Adam was standing was merely the stump of a dead tree. Yang took her left hand in her robotic right hand to stop its violent trembling.
“Sorry.” Yang murmured. “After the Fall of Beacon and…when I…faced…Adam, I-”
“It’s ok. When Adam and I were together, he always got into my head and made me feel small…insignificant even. It’s something he’s always done.”
Although the trembling in her left hand had stopped, Yang still felt as if every muscle and nerve was being pulled to its absolute limit. She gave a small sigh. “It’s just that…although I haven’t seen him myself since the Fall of Beacon, part of me can’t shake the fact that at Haven he was just outside the hall me and the others were fighting Cinder in. And you had to face him…”
“It’s alright.” Blake said soothingly. “After what happened in Haven, Adam won’t want to show his face to anyone.”
“Even so, I can’t help but feel that…that we’ll…soon have to face him again.” Yang whispered.
Yang’s left hand began to shake more violently than ever. She took it in her right once more, but the shaking continued. Yang felt her heart begin to race.
“Hey.” Blake murmured, taking Yang’s hands into her own. “It’s alright. If or when he shows himself again, we’ll face him together.”
Yang felt her heart return to a slow, steady beat, and her left hand stopped shaking. She shared Blake’s warm gaze with one of her own.
“And I’ll protect you.” Blake murmured.
“What?!” Yang snapped.
Blake gave her a confused look. “Well, it’s just that if we face Adam again, and you can’t-”
“Forget it.” Yang retorted, pulling her hands out of Blake’s grip. “Forget this all happened.”
For a couple more minutes the two of them continued to search through the garage in silence. At one point, Blake made to restart the conversation again, but Yang ignored her until Blake gave a small shout about finding something. When Yang walked over Blake was standing next to a flatbed trailer.
“I think it could be large enough to fit us all on. We’ll just need you or Frank’s motorbikes to tow it.” Blake said.
“Cool. Mission accomplished.” Yang said flatly.
Yang turned on her heel and headed for the door, Blake following close behind.
“Yang, I-”
“Forget it.” Yang interrupted. “I’m tired and I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just rejoin the others.”

Wind and snow briefly howled into the house as Anet and Frank entered. Ruby heard Frank say something about feeling like he’d just walked into a sauna, but she wasn’t paying attention. Instead, she focused on the two big pots she knelt by, stirring them one at a time.
“What’s the plan for dinner?” she heard Frank ask.
“Just some of the preserved food we found in the storage room.” Ruby replied. “Some rice in the small pot to my left. Eggplant and smoked ham, mixed with some canned tomatoes in the big pot. Then top it with a little kimchi Weiss found. It’ll be finished soon.”
Ruby heard Anet and Frank crash onto a couple of chairs with sighs of relief. A couple of minutes later, Weiss entered in the room holding some bowls, followed by Blake and Yang bringing cups and cutlery. Ruby began serving the food to everyone. A moment later Qrow walked in with two bottles of wine in one hand, while he drank from his flask with the other. For a few minutes, all anyone did was eat and drink. After fighting off one of the largest hordes of Grimm Ruby had seen, the revelations from the Relic of Knowledge, and the long march in the freezing cold; A hot meal was just what she needed. Ruby wolfed down her meal and went to get more but was beaten by Frank who shot over to the pots. As Ruby took her turn helping herself to a second course, Weiss broke the silence that lingered.
“Find anything in the greenhouses or barn?”
Anet shook her head. “All the fruit and veg they were growing has gone off, and all the farm animals are dead.”
“Could the cold have killed them?” Weiss asked.
“It’s possible.” Anet replied.
“I don’t think so.” Frank said. “Although the cold weather isn’t making things easy, I reckon those animals died around the same time as the couple did. Which reminds me, I take it everyone else in this house and the other houses are dead too?”
Ruby and Weiss’ faces went pale and stony. Ruby suddenly no longer felt hungry. Weiss seemed to have lost the ability to speak, only staring at the floor. Ruby forced herself to answer:
“They’re all dead. Each and every single person we found was in their bed. As if they’d just…died in their sleep.”
“It must have been a disease of some kind.” Blake said.
“Was medicine found around any of the deceased?” Frank asked.
Ruby shook her head.
“Then it can’t have been a disease. Otherwise surely there would have been attempts by the people here to get some sort of treatment. It also doesn’t explain why we’re the only living things in the settlement.” Frank said.
Ruby turned to look at Frank.
“Then what could have killed them? There’s no damage to any of the buildings, no signs of Grimm, and there isn’t any dried blood around the dead to indicate being killed in their sleep.” Blake responded.
“What if their water supply was poisoned?” Anet asked.
“But there haven’t been any signs of looting.” Blake responded.
“Well did you guys check for any signs of valuables?” Anet retorted.
“Not in the garage no.” Blake responded, eyeing Anet uncomfortably.
“Not that we were looking, but we didn’t find any jewellery or precious stones in any of the houses we searched.” Weiss muttered.
“I can only speak for what the Branwen tribe did, but I suspect this would have gone for other bandits: a settlement or village’s water supply was never poisoned. Not everyone would get sick at the same time, and people would quickly work out what’s going on and just move or start boiling their water. Plus, even most small settlements have some sort of water filtration or purification in place.” Qrow muttered.
Anet shot for her sword and shield. “You’re a part of the Branwen tribe?!!”
“Was.” Qrow emphasised in an exhausted tone. “I left the moment a better opportunity presented itself…”
Qrow’s voice trailed off and he stared at the wine in his cup, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Ruby and Yang shared looks of concern on their faces.
“Uncle Qrow, are you alright?” Ruby asked.
“I’m fine kiddo. I’m going to get some more to drink.” Qrow muttered before quickly stumbling out of the room. Ruby turned to her sister, who seemed to have the same idea. Together, the two of them followed their uncle.
They found him in the storage room, pouring a cup of beer from an already half-full bottle. Qrow drained the glass in a single gulp, then refilled the cup.
“Uncle Qrow, please talk to us.” Ruby begged.
Qrow fixed them with a mournful gaze, which made Ruby’s heart plummet at the sight. Qrow drained his cup before slumping onto the floor, almost knocking into a shelf unit. Ruby and Yang sat down in front of him. Qrow sat there for a minute; seemingly collecting his thoughts. At last, he spoke:
“Before Raven and I attended Beacon, no one, and I mean NO ONE in the tribe wanted to be around me. Not even my own sister. My semblance made people lose balance, slip on things, cut themselves, even accidentally shoot themselves or others. A couple of people almost died, just for having me in their presence. So, I couldn’t blame them. But by the gods…I was so lonely.”
Qrow, realising there wasn’t much left in the beer bottle, drained it. Ruby went to stop him, but Yang intervened.
“Just let him finish this one.” She said softly.
Qrow continued. “To this day, I know the tribe only kept me around for my semblance. Just before the tribe would launch a raid, they’d have me walk into the town or ‘stumble’ across a caravan of travellers. I always had to position myself near a settlement or caravan’s defenders be they Huntsmen, soldiers, or anyone who was wielding a weapon and seemed to be part of an organised unit. By being near them, my semblance would sabotage their weapons: cause guns to backfire, people to injure themselves drawing swords, stuff like that. During the chaos, Raven would open a portal to me, allowing a bunch of our tribesmen to attack from within, catching whoever we were after completely off guard. Because of this, most of our raids didn’t last very long.”
Qrow suddenly stumbled up onto his feet and before either girl could stop him, he’d grabbed another bottle of beer and took a large gulp from it before slumping back onto the floor.
“Meeting Summer and Tai…it was as if…for the first time in my life the sun shone upon me. Raven only teamed up with me during initiation because the tribe wanted her to. But Summer and Tai…they wanted to be with me. They didn’t care about my semblance. They were cautious, sure. But it didn’t bother them. They just…took everything in stride.” Qrow fixed Ruby and Yang with a small, but warm smile.
Qrow raised the bottle to his lips, but Ruby’s hand darted out and snatched it from him.
“I know this is a lot for you, but please, I think you’ve had enough Uncle Qrow.”
Qrow looked despondently at the bottle, then continued to talk. As he did so, tears welled up in his eyes.
“Then we drew Ozpin’s attention. As a team, we met him and began to do assignments for him outside of the academy. It wasn’t long before he was telling us how impressive we were in the field and entrusting greater and more dangerous tasks to us. As a bunch of kids at Beacon, it was everything we could’ve hoped for and more. Soon he told us what we’d all been led to believe is the truth about Salem, and like that, we were a part of his inner circle. For the first time in my life, I felt that I had a-a purpose beyond being a tool to be used.” Qrow’s voice cracked, and he began to sob. “Now…now that’s all I was to Ozpin. A tool to be used and then sacrificed. That’s all I FUCKING WAS TO HIM!!!”
Qrow slammed his fist into one of the shelves, causing it to break. Jars full of preserved food smashed onto the floor, their contents spilling out.
“Aw…shit. I’m sorry girls.” Qrow sobbed, burying his face in his hands.
“It’s alright Uncle Qrow, it’s alright.” Ruby murmured soothingly.
Yang soon found a brush and shovel and quickly cleaned up the mess, although the liquid remained on the floor. Qrow stared at it ruefully.
“I’m sorry...I’m sorry…I…I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s fine Uncle Qrow, really.” Yang replied. “We get it. And…and…”
Ruby finished for her sister. “And we’re so sorry you’ve had to go through all of this.”
The three of them embraced each other. Ruby hugged her uncle tightly, hoping that through this act alone, he’d know that he isn’t alone, that no matter what he’d always have his two nieces. After a whole minute, the three of them let go of each other. Ruby gazed up at her uncle.
“Now you’re no longer Ozpin’s pawn. Together, we can find a way of stopping what him and Salem have planned.”
Qrow gave a small, weak smile, as if he didn’t fully feel the same way. Suddenly, Blake’s voice could be heard from the living room.
“HOW DARE YOU!!”
The three of them exchanged worried looks and then ran out of the storage room, back to the others.

After the two sisters followed Qrow out of the living room, the others sat in silence, the only sound was that of the crackling fire: it’s light and warmth staving off the cold and dark of the rest of the house with its corpses and quiet rooms. Frank, sitting on a bench by the windowsill, drew his longsword, turning it into a rifle as he did so, dismantled it, and began cleaning each part. Blake and Weiss sat on the floor, huddled together under warm blankets and stared into the flickering flames. Suddenly Blake remembered that Ruby had asked her to read through the journals left in the living room bookcase. Although a part of her wanted to remain on the floor next to Weiss, a blanket wrapped around her, she knew Ruby would appreciate it, so she reluctantly got off the floor, wrapped her blanket around Weiss as she did so, then sat on an old chair nearest the bookcase and began flicking through journal entries. Anet sat on a sofa opposite the flames, spear lying across her lap as she quietly polished the blade. Blake tried to focus on the journal entries, but most were a dull and dreary affair: entries about the crops, an animal getting sick, harvests, financial troubles with the Huntsman they’d hired to guard the settlement. Aside from the occasional entry about the Huntsman having slain any Grimm that came near, there didn’t appear to be anything that could help solve the mystery of what befell Brunswick Farm. Despite feeling Anet’s glare bore into her, Blake didn’t feel like saying anything, so with a small, tired sigh, she continued flicking through the journals.
After several minutes, Weiss broke the silence.
“Do you guys wonder…if there’s any point in what we’re doing? What’s the point in carrying an incredibly dangerous relic all the way to Atlas when there’s no way we can defeat Salem.”
“Yeah…” Frank sighed. “Heck, how can we be sure General Ironwood isn’t compromised like Professor Theodore was?”
“I don’t know if we can trust anyone that holds a position of power in Remnant.” Weiss remarked, her eyes wide with horror. “Any of them could be loyal to Salem, even…even…”
Blake looked at Weiss and felt her stomach tighten at the look of horror on Weiss’ face, as if she’d come to a horrible conclusion.
“Weiss, are you alright?” Blake asked.
The question seemed to jolt Weiss out of her thoughts. She turned to Blake and gave her a weak smile.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. It was nothing…Just that…everything Jinn told us…It was so much. Too much to handle all at once.”
Tired of the journal entries, Blake closed the book in her hand and gave a small despondent sigh.
“I know what you mean. The realisation that Faunus…that we were created to be slaves. I…I…”
“Oh please. Quit making this all about you.” Anet interjected, no longer polishing her spear. “Just accept that this is how things are, you can have a few days to readjust, that’s fine. Then shut up and show a little respect and gratitude.”
Suddenly Blake felt her weariness fall away like a shroud. Fury blazed within her heart, propelling Blake onto her feet.
“HOW DARE YOU!!”
Frank and Weiss gave a small start at her outburst, but Anet rose to her feet as well, her spear clenched in her hands.
“How dare you! You saw what we all saw. You just need to accept reality.” Anet retorted.
Anet raised her spear, pointing it at Blake’s breast. As she did so, Blake drew Gambol Shroud in its sword form. Although her eyes were locked on Anet, she noticed Frank and Weiss stand up as well: hands on the hilts of their swords.
“What’s going on?” Ruby asked as her, Qrow, and Yang returned.
“Your pet needs to learn her place.” Anet replied without taking her eyes off Blake.
Weiss quickly told them what happened. The three of them shared unimpressed looks. Yang was the first to retort.
“Really, Anet? Out of everything we’ve been told today. THAT is what you’re focusing on?”
“I wasn’t the one who brought it up. She did. I’m just making sure your pet understands what’s expected of her.”
“I think you need to stop talking.” Yang retorted.
“Why don’t-”
“ENOUGH!”
Everyone glanced over at Ruby who gave a small impatient sigh.
“Anet, Blake, put your weapons away. Frank, Weiss, let go of yours. I think we’re all just exhausted from today’s events, so let’s grab some blankets and cushions and get some sleep.”
Slowly, Blake and the others did as they were told. Then everyone went to the cupboard under the stairs to grab blankets before returning to the living room. Everyone except Anet.
“What are you doing?” Frank asked.
“I’m not sleeping in the same room as you furries.” Anet retorted.
“Then where are you going to sleep?” Blake asked.
“The storage room. So, I can at least have a wall keeping you all away from me.”
“It’s warmer in the living room.” Frank pointed out.
Anet didn’t respond, merely grabbing two extra blankets before heading off through the dining room and kitchen. A moment later Blake heard the slamming of the storage door. The rest of the crew gathered in the living room laying out blankets, cushions, and even their jackets. Ruby turned to face them.
“I know we’re all exhausted, but in case of any Grimm, one of us needs to keep watch. Any volunteers?”
Blake felt her stomach plummet upon hearing the words, but she gave a small sigh of relief when she saw Frank half-heartedly raised a hand, before he turned and headed towards the door.
“You can take a blanket with you to keep warm.” Ruby said.
Frank replied. “Nah, I’ll fall asleep if I get too warm. My cloak will be enough to stave off the worst of the cold.”

Frank grabbed a chair from the dining room and placed it by the window next to the door, his back to the kitchen and dining room, allowing him to also keep an eye on the living room. The blizzard seemed to have disappeared as moonlight peaked through the clouds, but the wind continued to howl. Although Frank no longer suspected they’d come under attack, he couldn’t help but agree with Ruby’s decision to have someone keep watch. The people of this settlement lying upstairs, with no explanation for how they died. Frank shivered; it wasn’t from the cold. Although it didn’t quite line up, the people of this settlement succumbing to a disease seemed to be the easiest conclusion to draw. There were no signs of looting, so bandits were out of the question, and as far as Frank knew, Grimm weren’t known for subtlety and stealth. ‘So, in case it was a disease, I reckon we should all get checks up from a doctor once we reach Argus. In case we caught any pathogens that may be hanging around the farm…which given there seemed to be a decent number of livestock, some of which were near each other, isn’t impossible’, Frank thought.
“You alright?” came a soft voice.
With a start, Frank was pulled out of his thoughts. Yang was crouching in front of him, a concerned look on her face. Frank’s stomach somersaulted as Yang was briefly bathed in moonlight: her skin was as pale as the moon, yet her hair seemed to glow like the sun.
“I-I-I’m f-fine.” Frank stammered meekly. “I-I take it y-you can’t sleep?”
Yang gave a small shake of her head. “It’s not that, I’m just…a little worried for you is all.”
Frank’s cheeks suddenly felt like hot coals.
“If this is about Oscar, I already told you, I’m alright.” Frank muttered.
“This is about Oscar, but…Frank, you fell to your knees after he fell into the ice. Please…I just want to help.” Yang said earnestly.
Frank felt his cold dark blue eyes defrost slightly as he gazed into Yang’s warm bright lilac eyes. For a moment, Frank felt like his heart was about to burst and he wanted to tell her everything: being a Jaeger, the real reason he’s remained with Yang and her friends, how he feels like the biggest expensive failure, his feelings for her, how he felt about killing Oscar. But in the next moment, he felt himself snap to his senses. He couldn’t tell her any of that, especially him being a Jaeger. But he felt he could tell her about Oscar. Frank took a slow, shaky breath before speaking.
“I feel…terrible about killing Oscar. It doesn’t seem fair. His life was turned upside down by Ozpin appearing in his life and suddenly he was forced into a new one. One he had no say in. He’d recently turned fifteen, his life was just getting started. Fifteen years of life: hopes, fears, dreams, and anxieties…Poof! All gone in the blink of an eye. And I ripped that away from him.”
“Frank…firstly it’s perfectly understandable you feel bad about Oscar. He was our friend, and to be honest, I got the sense you two were starting to get close. Like brothers. But secondly, you should not feel bad about killing Oscar. Ozpin’s the one responsible. He forced Oscar to share his own body and had clearly kept secrets from Oscar too. Ozpin tried to kill us. Oscar just knew that there was only one way we were getting away with our lives. You only did what you needed to do.” Yang replied soothingly.
“But here’s where things get weird Yang. I already know all that. You see…this isn’t the first time I’ve killed a child.” Frank said.
Yang’s eyes widened. “What?”
Frank gave a small, earnest nod. “I was providing overwatch on a military checkpoint in the town of Theen. Around midday I spotted a man who had been watching the checkpoint from the window of a nearby building take out a walkie-talkie and speak into it. A few seconds later, a young girl, maybe in her early teens gave a package to what appeared to be her younger brother…he couldn’t have been any older than ten. They were also Faunus: both kids were bear Faunus and there had been a lot of White Fang activity in the town, hence why I was there. Anyway, this boy began walking towards the queue waiting to pass this checkpoint, while his sister just stood by and watched him. I thought this package could be a bomb. Because of the way things were going in Vale at the time, Huntsmen and Huntresses had been given the power to take any action we deemed necessary. If it turns out our actions were a mistake, there’d be a review, but if our concerns or hunches were correct, there was nothing. So, I took the shot. If the kid had any aura, it didn’t protect him. One round and he collapsed in a heap. The crowd of people queuing instinctively dropped to the ground, but other than that there’s no reaction from anyone. Except this kid’s older sister who, bawling her eyes out and shrieking at the top of her lungs ran towards her brother. At first you may think she was going to see if he was still alive, and maybe that’s what she wanted to do. But she must have had orders because she just grabbed the package and was about to sprint towards the checkpoint when I fired another shot. Both kids were dead. The very next moment, I requested the area be cleared so that a bomb squad could check the package out. About an hour later, the bomb squad showed up and inspected the package. It was a bomb. To this day, I don’t feel ANY guilt or regret for what I did. In fact, I feel fine. Sure, a couple of kids who’d probably been forced to carry that bomb had been killed, but because I killed them, I saved scores, maybe even hundreds of lives. Yet…for some reason, even though the circumstances are similar with Oscar…I can’t help but feel…like shit.”
Frank found he couldn’t say anymore. The thought of Oscar was too fresh, too raw in his mind. The look on Oscar’s face as he called out, his final words still ringing in Frank’s ears: ‘Shoot the ice’. Frank felt sick and for a moment he thought he might vomit. But Yang took Frank’s hands into her own. Although the thoughts of Oscar didn’t go away, the nausea vanished in an instant. Frank felt his stomach start doing somersaults and he hoped it was just dark enough that she couldn’t see how red he was sure his face had gotten.
Yang murmured soothingly. “Frank…I think I understand why you feel terrible about Oscar, but not about those two children. It’s because you knew Oscar. And because you knew him, it’s a lot easier for you to feel empathy and compassion for him. For what it’s worth Frank, I think it’s normal for you to feel this way. But remember, you did what needed to be done. What was necessary.”
Thoughts about Oscar began to slowly fade from Frank’s mind.
“Thank you Yang. I…I still feel a bit bad about Oscar, but maybe I’ll feel better about it tomorrow.”
Yang gave Frank a warm smile and briefly squeezed his hands before wishing him good night and returning to the living room where she fell asleep next to Ruby.
The night seemed to drag on. Nothing moved outside except the snowflakes that now feebly blew outside. Despite his talk with Yang, guilt continued to gnaw at Frank’s mind. He wasn’t even sure he would feel better about it tomorrow. But the more Frank dwelt on it, the more he found himself growing less concerned, almost apathetic about it. It didn’t help that his mind and body were crying out for sleep, but the cold did just enough to keep him awake. After what had felt like several hours of brooding, Frank checked his watch, expecting to see that it would be almost dawn. He baulked when he realised only a couple of hours had passed. Frank quietly groaned. This was going to be a very long night. At the same time, Frank saw Qrow leave the living room and walk towards him.
“Hey.” Qrow whispered. “I’m having a bit of trouble sleeping. If you want, I can keep watch for the rest of the night.”
Frank felt a small sense of relief wash over him. “Cheers Qrow. I’ll take you up on that offer.”
“Take the cushion and blankets I was using.” Qrow whispered.
Frank gave him a small nod before heading into the living room. Frank removed his cloak and with small sigh of relief, lay on the ground, placing his cloak on the top blanket, granting him a little more warmth. Before Frank fell asleep however, his mind returned to Oscar: ‘On the train, I took steps to ensure that Qrow, RWBY and ORNJ wouldn’t be hurt during the ambush…yet when push came to shove, I killed Oscar. Part of what it means to be a Jaeger is making tough decisions and living with the consequences of them’. But then Frank remembered, he’d hesitated when it came to killing Oscar. Frank knew he’d killed well over a hundred people, maybe even two hundred people. ‘I’ve killed more militants, terrorists, and insurgents than any other Jaeger on Earth. I don’t regret any of them. But with Oscar…’.
As Frank fell asleep he could hear the voice of his team’s commanding officer, Warhammer speaking in the same frustrated tone he always used on Frank: ‘If you can’t make these decisions for the good of the country, then Chimera, what place do you have as a Jaeger?’

Chapter Text

The freezing conditions bit at his flesh, but years of training in the Central Plateau and Southern Alps of New Zealand; and combat in the mountains of Afghanistan had hardened him against the cold. The blizzard howled around his ears, but it was a gentle song compared to the shriek of gunfire and roar of explosions he’d heard for nearly twelve years. He rested his hammer on his shoulder, silently staring at the train tracks that lay several metres below him. His team, himself, and the bandits that owed their allegiance to the Australia, New Zealand, US Pact had made camp on these hills for three days now, patiently waiting. The train was due to pass their location today, likely within another half hour. Although he had to remain professional for the men and women under his command, especially in an area of operation, the man allowed himself a small excitable smile. This man lived for the challenges life threw at him. Soon, very soon, Jaeger Team Hurricane would face its greatest challenge yet: battle with licensed Huntsmen and Huntresses. And he, Warhammer, would know Team Hurricane was the finest Jaeger team on Earth.
That was, so long as Chimera had gotten the timing right. Warhammer’s smile vanished and he tightened his grip on his hammer at the very thought of Chimera. That pathetic excuse for a Jaeger. If there was anyone who had not earned the sword and rifle badge of the New Zealand Jaegers, it was Chimera. He was a skilled combatant; on that front, Warhammer would be the first to admit it. But he found Chimera’s attitude closer to that of a teenage boy stuck in high school than a disciplined member of Her Majesty’s special forces. He had not worked for the honour like all the other men, (and in Quake’s case, woman) who had become Jaegers. He may have gone through selection and training as everyone else, but whereas they had all had to struggle and push themselves far beyond their own limits, Chimera had not. In doing so, he had refused to accept that if one desired to be a Jaeger, they must do more than put their blood, sweat, and tears into achieving it; they must devote themselves mind, body, and soul to being a Jaeger. Warhammer absent-mindedly brushed his hand against what would have been his thigh, if not for the robotic limb that replaced it. ‘No genetic tomfoolery or biological wizardry can compensate for human willpower’, he thought to himself.
The muffled sound of someone treading through snow snapped Warhammer out of his thoughts. A young man approached him, Gale. Where Chimera and Warhammer were polar opposites in terms of attitude and mentality; Gale and Warhammer were polar opposites in terms of appearance and physicality. Warhammer was large and muscular, having often been compared to bodybuilders and strongmen; Gale was thin and sinewy, looking more like he belonged on a catwalk, or the cover of a fashion magazine. Warhammer had allowed a tightly kept beard and moustache to grow on his face and throat, with a small amount of blonde hair kept in a crewcut in the months they’d spent away from base; in the same amount of time, Gale had grown out his hair, allowing it to fall past his shoulders, he now had it in a single pigtail that he’d even tied a pale blue ribbon into, and it was rumoured he had undergone laser treatment to remove all the hair follicles on his lower face and throat, a rumour Warhammer believed as he’d never seen Gale shave once. Even dressed for the snowy conditions with a balaclava drawn over his face, Gale looked effeminate: wearing a jacket and pair of trousers that Warhammer suspected, had been made for women. Their choice of weapons were different as well: Warhammer wielded a large hammer that transformed into a belt-fed machine gun; Gale had a quiver of arrows and a bow that transformed into two long knives.
Gale saluted him. Warhammer gave Gale a small salute in response and allowed him to stand at ease.
“Word from Spectre?”
Gale responded. “He’s spotted the train and is now making his way here. His ETA is thirty the minutes. ETA for the train is forty.”
Warhammer gave a small nod and ordered Gale back to his position. Warhammer turned to his left to see Quake about ten metres away. Unlike the others however, Quake was not standing at the edge of the cliff, she was shrouded by the shadows cast by the small forest. But Warhammer could still see she squatted on all fours looking like a frog ready to jump. Quake had insisted on going barefoot and without gloves, stating that her semblance was more effective when her hands and feet were bare. But Warhammer had ordered her to wear her gloves and winter boots. He wasn’t going to have someone on his team getting frostbite.
“T minus thirty minutes!” Warhammer called out.
He saw Quake give a small nod, a second later he could feel the ground trembling beneath his feet. Gale, Warhammer, and the bandits assisting them all took a few cautious steps back. Warhammer was sure the ground wouldn’t give way where they stood, but it was better safe than sorry. A few seconds later, to Warhammer’s left, the cliff edge broke and cascaded down to cover the train tracks below. Once the trembling had stopped and Quake gave the all clear, everyone walked back to the edge of the cliff. Warhammer surveyed the pile of dirt and rock that now lay below them. Quake walked up and joined the bandits and the rest of the team as they crouched behind the rocks.
“Well done, Quake.” Warhammer said.
“Thank you sir.” She replied.
After a while, Spectre’s motorbike could be heard rumbling through the forest. The man soon appeared: like the rest of the team, his face was covered by a balaclava but his neck was covered by a large dark green scarf. The only indication of Spectre being an axolotl Faunus were his pink monochromatic eyes which stood out against his dark apparel. His sniper rifle was strapped to his back. Spectre approached Warhammer, stood to attention and saluted.
“Sir, I didn’t have time to mention as I needed to beat the train here, but it’s lost two of its carriages and sustained heavy damage.”
“Grimm?”
“I presume so sir. I didn’t see any following the train though.”
Warhammer nodded. “If Chimera has succeeded, he can explain what happened when we rendezvous with him. Get into position Spectre.”
Spectre nodded and went to crouch amongst some rocks twenty metres to Warhammer’s right, drawing out his sniper rifle as he did so. Warhammer transformed his hammer into a machine gun, pulled a belt of ammunition out from the belt at his waist, and loaded the weapon. He thumbed the small radio tucked into the breast pocket of his jacket.
“Spectre has informed me that the train has sustained a lot of damage. This may make our job easier, but that doesn’t mean anyone gets to slacken off. We hit them hard and fast, get what we came for, and get out.”
“Understood.” Came the chorus of responses through his radio.
A minute later Warhammer heard the train approaching, followed by it coming into view. Spectre had underscored the damage; the train was a wreck: whole carriages had been torn apart, their contents exposed to the elements; other carriages had parts of their walls or roof ripped open. Scratches, dents, and scorch marks covered the entire train. Throughout most of it, Warhammer spied torn limbs, ripped corpses, and more blood than he’d seen on some battlefields.
“Jeez…” Quake’s voice rasped through the radio. “Sir? Are you sure we should do this?”
For a minute, Warhammer felt pity pull at his heart strings. The occupants of this train had already been through so much, it seemed cruel to subject them to more bloodshed. But he remembered that they had a job to do. A vital one, which could redefine the geopolitical situation not just on Remnant, but Earth as well. He remembered the mantra Colonel Bindweed lived by: ‘New Zealand comes first’. Warhammer took a breath and buried the pity he felt within him.
“We’re going ahead, Quake. Just wait for my signal.”
Warhammer watched the occupants of the train stream out of the front four carriages and walk towards the landslide. A few carried weapons, but most seemed to just be civilians. They all stared at the landslide in front of them. Warhammer caught a little of what was said: someone sarcastically shouting about how terrific the ride had been, another suggested how they could clear the landslide. Someone jumped on top of the locomotive and seemed to be trying to give orders. Warhammer looked to his right, where Gale crouched amongst some bandits, hidden from the people below by the rocks that lined their small cliff. Gale had drawn his bow, three arrows notched and drawn, waiting for the command. Warhammer gently placed his machine gun on the ground and raised his right hand. He thumbed the small radio once more.
“Check your fire. We don’t need any dead civilians.”
His right hand fell.

“Can’t you do anything?!” Demanded Nora.
Jaune turned away from the woman whose aura he was recharging to see Nora and Ren talking to a thin man with a round face, bulbus nose, and straight black hair under a bright blue box cap. His bright blue suit hung off his shoulders, as if it had been worn by a beefier man. Jaune realised it was the conductor. Staring down at a frustrated Nora, the conductor tugged nervously at his red tie.
“I’d like to help madam. But without any of the Huntsmen or Huntresses we hired, I’m afraid my hands are tied. The ones you’re wanting me to deal with were hired by their clients for their personal protection. If their clients are wanting to ensure them and their families are prioritised for whatever medical assistance we can offer, there’s nothing I can do.”
Nora gave a frustrated groan. Ren placed a consoling hand on her shoulder.
“We can always lodge a complaint with the police when we reach Argus.”
The conductor nervously sucked air through his teeth. “It’s worth a try. But…well…” He pointed to a Huntsman with a short crop of grey hair and broad shoulders; standing next to him was a lean, younger Huntress with long blonde hair in a low ponytail; Jaune had seen the Huntress draw a large pistol on a couple of elderly passengers who had approached their clients begging for water to clean a wound their granddaughter had, while the Huntsman sardonically told them to go melt some ice. “Those two are protecting the family of the wealthiest silk producer from the Sī Valley.” The conductor then pointed to a tall, lean Huntsman with a long sharp pilum in hand, standing next to a middle-aged woman with a large bandage around her leg. Jaune recognised him, he had been the nastiest bully of them all: he’d beaten a man unconscious for some painkillers his wife was using in order to cope with two large scratches on her arm that had cut almost to the bone, then threatened to kill a young boy who’d gone as pale as snow due to blood loss in order to take some gauze and bandages from his weeping mother. “While that one serves Marquess Ranus, the mother of Prince Egamon’s concubine.”
The conductor fiddled with a couple of yellow buttons on his uniform. “In short, any complaints you make towards the police in Argus will probably just be covered up, or once the police realise who those Huntsmen are working for, ignored. Best case scenario, the people who have been…bullied will get a few thousand lien for their silence; or if any of them die, the basic costs for their funeral will be covered.”
Before Nora could retort, the conductor muttered something about needing to talk to the train driver and walked off. Jaune finished recharging the small amount of aura the woman possessed before turning back to Nora who was bouncing ideas of what to do to an increasingly exasperated Ren.
“What if we try our chances and threaten to go to the police if they don’t start handing back out all the medical supplies?”
“The conductor just said that probably wouldn’t work.” Ren replied.
“How about we grab that Marquess and keep her in one of the exposed carriages until she agrees to hand over the supplies she’s hoarding?”
“You’ll have to get through the Huntsman she’s hired.” Ren said.
“How about we just beat them all up?”
“Nora...” Ren sighed.
Nora turned to Jaune. “Do you have any ideas?”
Jaune gave a small shake of his head. “Come on guys, we’ll be reaching Argus soon, so let’s get packed. I want to be off the train as soon as possible so we can tell someone about the others and get a search party sent out to look for them.”
Nora seemed put out by the lack of support from her teammates, but she agreed the sooner they got a search party out, the better. As the three of them made to head back towards their room, the train came to a sudden halt. But when Jaune looked out the windows, there was no sign of Argus, just a cliff on one side, and a large expanse of dense forest on the other.
Team JNR tried to make their way towards the front of the train, but so was everyone else, so the three of them opened one of the carriage doors and squeezed out to see a landslide had covered the train tracks ahead. Team JNR and several Huntsmen and Huntresses led dozens of people towards the large mound of rock and dirt piled in front of them.
“Well, this is just terrific!” shouted a Huntress. “First someone sneaks onto the train, then we get attacked by a horde of Grimm, and now this!! What’s next?!”
Another Huntress pointed at Nora. “Maybe she could use her hammer to clear the track for us.”
“An excellent idea.” Said the woman Jaune recognised as Marquess Ranus, who turned to her Huntsman bodyguard. “If you would be so kind.”
The Huntsman with the pilum leapt on top of the locomotive and began barking orders: “All Huntsman and Huntresses who possess hammers, explosives, or semblances that can help with clearing this landslide, get to work! The rest of you, stand back and keep an eye out for any more Grimm!”
As several Huntsmen and Huntresses began making their way towards the landslide, Nora looked quizzically at the Huntsman.
“Why are they suddenly taking orders from that guy?” She asked Jaune and Ren. “We couldn’t get them to help RWBY and the others protect the train.”
“He’s speaking with the Marquess’ voice.” Ren replied matter-of-factly. “They’ll have to obey.”
“Hey ginger!” Shouted the Huntsman from atop the locomotive. “Get over there and help! You two if you’re not going to help, then stand back!!”
With a small shrug, Nora began to walk towards the other Huntsmen and Huntresses who had already started on clearing the landslide. Just as she was about to reach the landslide, Jaune saw three arrows fall on to it. A moment later they exploded. The blast threw Nora a couple of metres back, her aura shimmering as she slammed into the ground. Jaune barely had time to react when a loud crack split the air and the Huntsman with the pilum was thrown off the locomotive, his aura shimmering. There was another loud crack and blood erupted from his upper back like a geyser. He lay as still as a stone. A machine gun roared from atop the cliffs to Jaune’s left, splitting three of the Huntsmen in half by rounds that tore through their bodies like wet paper as they tried to escape. Jaune activated his shield and dashed towards Nora. He reached her just as the machine guns cruel blows began pummelling against his shield.
“Are you alright?” Jaune asked Nora.
Slightly stunned, it was all she could do to nod in response. Jaune placed a hand on her left shoulder and began recharging her aura. More gunfire broke out on the cliffs above, cutting down any Huntsmen or Huntress foolish enough to have stayed out in the open. People dashed towards the train, pushing and shoving to get back in, desperate to avoid the gunfire. Ren huddled down by the wheels of the locomotive, valiantly, if ineffectually firing his dual pistols at the ambushers on the cliffs. The machine gunner had stopped, possibly hoping to lure Jaune and Nora into exposing themselves. Jaune turned to Nora.
“On my mark, we sprint towards the train.”
Nora nodded.
With his right hand, Jaune began to countdown, but as he reached the number two, something slammed into the ground right in front of Jaune, kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt. Jaune had just enough time to move his shield between themselves and the dust cloud when something smashed into his shield with an almighty bang. The next moment, Jaune felt himself crash into Nora and the front of the locomotive. Winded and slightly dazed, Jaune made out a giant of a man sprinting towards them, wielding a hammer with a head twice the size of Nora’s. Just as the giant was about to reach them, Ren leapt between them, his pistols blazing. The giant let his aura absorb the bullets before swatting Ren into the dirt with a backhand that sounded like a thunderclap. Jaune raised his shield and placed a hand on Nora, augmenting her aura. It was all he could do to protect them as the giant swung his hammer sending them crashing into the cliff itself. There was a high-pitched ringing in Jaune’s ears. He felt small stones fall on his head. But he sighed with relief as he felt Nora’s shoulder with his free hand. As the ringing slowly died away, Jaune began to free himself from the crater he and Nora had made in the cliff. With a grunt, he finally broke free only to fall onto the ground below. Fortunately, the drop was only a metre, but he felt his body scream at the abuse it was forced to endure. Still a little dazed he turned towards Nora and helped her free from the rock. Almost unconscious, she fell on top of him with a thud. As Jaune tried to push Nora off him, he spied a man in a balaclava walk towards them, transforming his sniper rifle into a spear as he did so. Jaune tried desperately to push Nora off him, but it was as if all strength had left his limbs. He tried to reach for his fallen sword, but the man in the balaclava swiped it away with the end of his spear. The man loomed over them and raised his spear above their bodies. Just as he was about to plunge the spear down, a third hand suddenly grabbed the man’s spear.
“They’re children.” Came a voice.
Jaune turned and saw a woman, also wearing a balaclava.
“Look at them, their Huntsmen.” Retorted the man.
“Yes.” The woman replied patiently. “Look at them. They’re just kids. They look like they’ve just finished high school.”
The man regarded Jaune and Nora for a moment. He lowered his spear away from them, but he grabbed their weapons and tossed them towards where some bandits stood, eying the weapons hungrily.
“In case they get any ideas.” He responded.
The woman gave a small nod of her head towards Jaune and Nora, and the man seemed to understand because he reached down and pulled Jaune free from under Nora. The woman picked up Nora and the two of them were dragged into the train. Jaune landed with a thump on the ground, by some other passengers. With a groan, Jaune rolled onto his back. The conductor bent over him, a concerned look on his face.
“Are you two alright?”
Jaune tried to stand up, but as he did, he felt lightheaded, and the room started to spin around him. The next moment, he realised that he was sitting on the floor again, his back to one of the walls. The conductor and another man knelt beside him.
“Take it easy sir. If your armour is anything to go by, you’ve taken a real beating.”
Jaune looked down at his armour: it was scared with dents and scratches. His shield had an enormous dent that pushed the metal so far, the shield looked like it would snap in two if it took another hit. Jaune turned his gaze to Nora.
“Nora…”
A woman in her mid-thirties bent over her. “She’s barely conscious, but she’s breathing.”
Jaune gave a small nod. “What…about…Ren?”
“Your other friend? Look to your right.” The conductor replied.
Jaune turned and saw Ren slumped against the wall. He was relieved to see Ren breathing, but there was a large gash on his forehead. Jaune, reached out a hand.
“Ren?”
Ren only groaned in pain. Jaune placed a hand on Ren’s shoulder and recharged his aura, it wasn’t much, just enough to heal the wound. Jaune took out his scroll and saw that he only had a thimbleful of aura left. Ren now had a quarter aura left. But to Jaune’s horror, even with him augmenting Nora’s aura when the hammer hit them, her aura had still been completely depleted. The thought made Jaune’s blood run cold. But before he could dwell on this realisation, Jaune found himself suddenly ripped out of his thoughts by the sound of metal clanging onto the floor at his feet.
“You said we could loot this train!” he heard someone complain.
Jaune looked up and realised the voice belonged to a bandit, and he was talking to the giant, now holding a machine gun in his hands.
“And you can. But these Huntsmen will keep their weapons. There is still a couple more hours until they reach Argus. They’ll need them if they’re attacked by Grimm again.”
The bandit looked like he wanted to say something, but he eyed the machine gun warily before pushing through the crowd, snatching a woman’s silver necklace as he left to go partake in the looting. The giant loomed over the crowd in front of him, his eyes sweeping back and forth, as if he expected trouble.
“All of you! On your knees with your hands in the air!” His voice boomed downed the carriage.
There was no hesitation, everyone did as he bid. Jaune did the same as everyone else, but as he knelt, hands high in the air, he realised Nora and Ren were in no position to obey the giant’s command.
“What about my teammates? They’re barely conscious.”
The giant eyed them both, before returning his gaze to sweeping the crowd in front of him.
“They can stay where they are then. But if they wake up before we leave, I want doing what you’re all doing now.”
A few minutes went past, and Jaune could hear the bandits walking behind him, past the train. The soft jingle of coins and precious stones in pockets, the rustle of sacks and bags full of fine clothing, jewellery, cosmetics, scavenged weapons, and possibly more money and precious stones. Jaune glanced at his sword. It was within arm’s reach. If he could just-
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, blondie.” Responded the giant, his eyes sweeping the crowd as he spoke. “From here, the rounds in my gun would punch right through you and out of the train.”
Jaune decided it was safer to just stare ahead. A few more minutes passed, then a thin, effeminate man wielding two long knives approached the giant. He whispered something in the giant’s ear. The giant’s attitude transformed: his eyes went from calm but alert to vexed, almost bulging out their sockets.
“Have the others gotten off the train?” he asked. His rage oozing into every word he spoke.
The effeminate man nodded before following the giant outside. Curious, Jaune turned his head to peer out of the window. The giant and the effeminate man were joined by the man who tried to kill him and Nora, and the woman who saved them. The giant turned to them, and seemingly asking a question as both shook their heads. The giant slammed a fist into the side of the carriage, causing it to shake slightly. Several people in the crowd cried aloud in shock. Jaune ignored them, continuing to watch the four people. The giant was shaking with rage, while the effeminate man and the man with the spear appeared to be trying to calm him down. After a while the giant seemed to settle and shouted out for the conductor. Reluctant and fiddling the yellow buttons of his blue suit, the conductor walked out to them. Jaune saw the giant say something to the conductor who gave a small nod in response, before turning and running back to the train. He appeared to be weeping.
“They’re allowing us to leave!” He called out ecstatically.
There were audible sighs of relief from amongst the crowd as the train started up a few minutes later, continuing the journey to Argus.
Jaune turned away from the window and slumped back on the floor. Despite the danger having passed, Jaune felt his stomach twist and turn into tight knots. Those four had been searching for something, something they hadn’t found, and as he felt his heart sink towards his knotted gut, Jaune was certain he knew what they’d been looking for.

Chapter Text

Frank found himself surrounded by a dozen hazy silhouettes in front of an enormous mountain that loomed over them, its top hidden behind enormous clouds as white as the snow that blanketed the mountain. As Frank looked around, there didn’t appear to be anything else, just this mountain. Frank and the silhouettes began to climb. For Frank, the climbing was easy: he could leap across crevices, scale cliffs, and march through knee deep snow and howling blizzards as if they weren’t there. Soon the silhouettes fell behind, fading from sight as Frank ascended. But the higher he climbed, the higher the mountain seemed to be. As he broke through the clouds that hid its top, he realised the mountain was higher still. But Frank couldn’t give up now, not when he was so close. He could feel it. As he continued, several tall peaks began to appear, Frank sped up, the top was in sight, he could make it. He knew it. As he climbed higher and higher, he noticed shadowy figures atop the other peaks. One of them, a hulking silhouette peered down at him. Even from such a height, Frank could feel those dark brown eyes boring into him. This silhouette spoke with a booming voice.
“You’re not a Jaeger.”
At these words an enormous avalanche that engulfed the entire side of the mountain roared towards Frank. He tried leaping over it, but the avalanche was too high for him to get over. He tried punching it, hoping that a single strike would blow it apart, but to no avail, it roared on. Frank tried to dematerialise, hoping to let it pass by, but when he rematerialized, the avalanche engulfed him. He tried thinking back, remembering everything he’d read and learned about avalanches, but nothing could help him now. With a gasp, Frank woke up to the sound of shattering glass, hastily aiming his rifle at the entrance to the living room.
“YOU WERE DRINKING AND FELL ASLEEP?!” shouted Ruby.
Frank lowered his rifle and left the living room. He found Qrow sitting on the chair by the door looking groggy, half-asleep, and seemingly hung over. Ruby stood over him, hand on hips, glowering at her uncle. Frank saw a couple of bottles of spirits standing on the floor at Qrow’s feet while another lay broken at the foot of the stairs.
Ruby sighed. “Get up Uncle Qrow. We need to get moving.”
Frank felt himself relax. A little too much as he collapsed on the floor with a thud and slumped against the wall behind him.
“Come on Frank.” Ruby muttered. “I’m going to need you to wake the others.”
Frank gave a small groan as he got up, his legs reluctantly obeying as he followed Ruby, zombie-like, back into the living room, helping her rouse the others. Although Frank’s version of rousing the others was half-heartedly nudging his feet into Weiss’ back until she stirred.
“Get up. Come on. The blizzard has stopped, so we need to get up and get going.” Ruby commanded.
The three girls reluctantly staggered onto their feet and like Frank, followed Ruby into the kitchen shambling like zombies. Frank couldn’t recall ever feeling so tired. Maybe during selection to become a Jaeger, but a part of him wasn’t so sure. The dream lingered in his mind: when he closed his eyes, all he could see was the avalanche rolling towards him, immense and indomitable; while his ears rang to a single sentence, ‘You’re not a Jaeger’.
‘Fucking nightmare’, Frank thought, ‘It must be that, plus everything from yesterday’. Frank shambled into the storage room, grabbed a big jar full of preserved pears and a small sack of oats. The house they’d slept in didn’t have a fridge, just a large freezer packed full of meat and some vegetables. According to Ruby and Weiss, there were no fridges in the other houses either. Frank figured they must have milked any cows they had each morning. As he was about to leave, something caught his eye, a small pile of fabric tucked in a corner at the back of the storage room, a head of short black hair sticking out one end. Frank walked over and instantly felt exhausted. His eyes drooped and his feet turned to rock, dragging along the floor. It took every drop of discipline Frank had developed to shuffle towards Anet. He prodded her with his left foot.
“Wake up. We’re about to have breakfast then leave this place.” Frank said.
Anet didn’t budge, nor did she make a sound. Frank prodded her again.
“Get up.”
Again, Anet didn’t move or respond.
“Have it your way then.”
Frank turned and shuffled out of the storage room. As he left, he felt the worst of the exhaustion leave him, but he was now just back to feeling the way he was before he’d approached Anet. Everyone stood around the kitchen, looking as exhausted as Frank felt. Ruby asked him about Anet.
“She’s not joining us.” Frank mumbled as he put the pears and oats on the kitchen counter.

The others all slowly ate their breakfast. Too slowly for Ruby’s liking. Blake and Weiss were barely even halfway through theirs by the time Ruby had finished.
“Aren’t you guys hungry?” Ruby asked. She’d woken up starving.
“Yeah...but at the same time, I don’t really want to.” Blake muttered.
“Fine.” Ruby said. “Let’s not bother with the dishes, I want to be on the move within the hour, and it’s not like there’s anyone here to care about it. Frank and Yang: I want you two to attach the trailer to one of your bikes, check the tires, and get the trailer packed. Weiss, I want you to use Fire Dust to defrost their engines. Blake, continue reading through those journals, it would be nice to know what happened here. Uncle Qrow and I will gather supplies for the road.”
Everyone dragged themselves out of the kitchen. Ruby sighed and grabbed her uncle by the sleeve and dragged him into the cellar room. Ruby studied the shelves: ignoring what was in the freezers, the farmers had made sure they were well stocked for winter: smoked hams, salted beef, cooked chicken livers and mutton stored in tallow, pickled vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, and cabbage, large wheels of yellow cheese, canned fruit such as apples, pears, apricots, and peaches, and jams made of strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, and blackberries. On the highest shelves, presumably to be kept out of the reach of children, stood bottles of beer, rice wine, and vodka. At the bottom of the shelving units lay big sacks of rice, potatoes, oats, wheat, and barley. Battling the exhaustion that had gripped her from the moment she stepped into the storage room; Ruby grabbed a sack of oats and pilled as many cans of fruit and vegetables as she could on top of it before carrying it all outside. Upon exiting the house, she saw Frank and Yang’s motorbikes outside, resting against the well. Weiss stood in front of Yang’s motorcycle, Bumblebee, defrosting the engines as Ruby had instructed. Thinking Frank and Yang must still be getting the trailer, Ruby placed the food she was carrying by the steps down from the verandah and went back inside to gather more food. She found Qrow slumped against a wall, close to where Anet lay; a bottle of rice wine in his hands. All he had done was place a couple of cans of fruit on a sack of rice. Ruby didn’t feel she had the energy to deal with her uncle, so she placed a few more cans on the same sack and took it outside. Standing on the verandah, she saw Frank and Yang pulling the trailer towards the well. ‘Snails move faster’, Ruby thought bitterly as she approached them.
“Guys! Come on! The trailer should have been hitched up to one of the bikes by now.” Ruby complained.
“Ruby…don’t you think…all of this is…unnecessary?” Weiss murmured.
Ruby turned to her. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s just…there’s no point going on...we all saw it...Ozpin and Salem…they’ve spent so long…killing people-”
“All the more reason we need to stop them!” Ruby interrupted.
“But…they’ve been doing it for thousands of years…Do you think we could…stop them?” Weiss asked.
“Besides…” murmured Yang. “Salem’s invincible…and Ozpin will just come back.”
“Uncle Qrow! Blake!” Ruby called out. “Help me talk sense into these guys!”
Blake staggered out of the house, looking like she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep; Qrow didn’t emerge at all. Ruby found she didn’t have the energy to call out again, so she turned back to her friends.
“Look, I get it. I really do. The odds are stacked against us, and there’s a good chance that when we reach Atlas, Ironwood may have joined Salem like Theo did; or if he hasn’t, he may not believe us. But we HAVE TO keep going…The Fall of Beacon didn’t keep us separated for long. Nor did we let it stop us…We kept going: Weiss, you chose to break free from your father and leave the safety of Atlas, risking your life to be reunited with your sister. Blake, you chose to stop running from your past and to face those demons head on. Yang, you could have stayed with Dad in Vale, but you chose to sail halfway around the world to find your mother and learn why she left. And against all the odds, the four of us reunited!”
“You’re…not wrong…Ruby. But…that was all before…we knew Ozpin…and Salem…were immortal…and…unbeatable.” Blake murmured in response.
“Look…that’s…all true…But…we have to keep going. Just because we know the odds are against us, doesn’t give us the right to just walk away-”
“Why…not?” Yang interjected.
“What…are you talking about?” Ruby asked.
Yang pointed half-heartedly at the well beside them. “Drop…the relic…down there.”
Ruby couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?” Frank asked. “The ritual Ozpin…and Salem wish to perform…requires all four relics…”
As Frank’s voice faltered, Weiss seem to realise what he was saying. “If we hide it here…neither Ozpin…nor Salem can…enact the ritual.”
“And…we’ll have…nothing to worry about.” Blake murmured.
Ruby looked at her friends, they all stood in front of her, gathered together like the heroes in the stories she read as a little girl, standing shoulder to shoulder: confident and united to save the world. But her friends uniting wasn’t like the stories she had read as a child. Instead of standing tall and proud, they stood slightly hunched over; their eyes were not full of a passion and determination, instead they looked tired and vacant. What they were all wanting her to do wasn’t going to save the world, at best it would only delay Ozpin and Salem’s plans. Yet Ruby couldn’t deny the appeal of letting it all go. Dropping the relic down a well in the middle of nowhere would mean that it would be the very last place anyone would think to look. The relic could draw Grimm towards it, but perhaps if it was hidden deep inside a well; the layers of dirt, stone, and water would block this effect as it must have done at Haven Academy.
“It…would be nice…to just let it…go.” Ruby murmured.
She unclasped the Relic of Knowledge from her belt, her hand shaking, as if a part of her didn’t want to let it go and held it out over the well. For a moment, Ruby thought she heard a voice come from the relic.
“Take me to Atlas.”
Ruby shook her head. She must have been hearing things; she must not have recovered from the previous day’s events. Although Ruby found herself agreeing with this imaginary voice. Atlas was the best place to take the relic. The might of Atlas’ military would at the very least slow Ozpin and Salem down, and maybe they could find a means of containing the twins. A part of Ruby wanted to soldier on, not only to save the world, but because they’d come so far. To give up now not only felt wrong, but she knew it would be a disservice to all those still living on Remnant today, and those whose lives were yet to come. Ruby gave a small shake of her head. She knew what had to be done. Slowly, she drew her arm back and made to re-attach the Relic of Knowledge onto her belt.
From the black depths of the well came a flash of red; a pair of eyes that briefly gleamed out from the dark. Ruby gave a cry of alarm and the relic fell from her hands. Ruby thought she heard a plop as it hit the water below.
“No! No! NO!” Ruby screamed.
“What’s the matter? It’s done.” Weiss asked.
“I didn’t mean to drop it. I was going to but it back on my belt, but there were these two bright red eyes…I think. They just flashed out of the well.” Ruby said hurriedly. “We have to go down there and find it!”
“Why?” Blake asked.
“Because we can’t lose the relic!” Ruby shouted. “Weiss, Yang; with me. Frank, finish up with the trailer and motorbikes, then go help Uncle Qrow gather supplies. Blake, I know this must seem tedious, but go back and keep reading those journals. I want to know what happened here.”
Without waiting for a response, Ruby flicked on her scrolls torch and leapt into the well. It wasn’t as deep as she’d expected as it felt like no sooner had she leapt over the well’s wall; she had landed. Furthermore, the stream that ran underneath the settlement was shallower than she expected, rising only up to her knees. As Ruby’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed the walls of the tunnel were lined with brick, the lower half was lined with slime, while the upper half and ceiling were lined with moss. Unfortunately, that was all Ruby could see. Everything was pitch black just a few metres ahead, even with her scroll’s torchlight. It was as if the tunnel itself was swallowing what little light there was. Except for a dim blue glow that lay ahead, steadily growing dimmer. Ruby looked up, four heads gazed down on her, silhouetted by the sunlight above.
“It’s safe to follow!” Ruby called out.
A moment later she was joined by Weiss and Yang who also activated their scrolls’ torches. Ruby wanted to scold them for being so slow to follow, but she found she didn’t have the energy to do so. She supposed a lack of energy was the reason for why neither Weiss nor Yang were complaining about the water soaking their feet and legs. When Ruby turned back to where she had seen the dim glow, her heart sank upon realising it was gone. Desperately Ruby led them through the tunnel and around a corner where she saw the glow to their right. None of the girls said a word as Ruby led them towards it. The only sounds they heard were that of the stream meandering through the tunnel and their legs pushing through it. Although Ruby thought she heard the occasional shuffle in the distance, the surrounding darkness prevented her from seeing anything more than a few metres ahead or behind them. After a few more minutes, Ruby realised the glow was getting steadily brighter.
“We’re almost there. Come on.” Ruby urged.
The relic grew brighter. Ruby saw that the stream was trying to push the relic through what appeared to be a couple of tall thin stones. Upon reaching the relic, she bent down to grab it but stopped. The light from her torch didn’t illuminate the stones, showing the moss or slime that grew on them. In fact, there was no illumination at all. Horror gripped Ruby’s heart as she realised, they weren’t stones.

Never had a book been so boring. Blake sat slumped in the large chair, flicking through pages of more the same in every other journal she’d gone through: seeds being sown in the fields and glass houses, harvests; animals being born, getting pregnant or sick, some getting better while others died; not selling enough produce at markets; and bandits or Grimm being spotted around the area. The only entry that piqued Blake’s interest was towards the end of the last journal. It was about the sighting of Grimm:

2713/12/08
Annilize sighted some blasted Grimm not a half days ride west from the farm. She didn’t seem to know what type they were. Just that they stood and walked like humans, but slightly taller and thinner. By the description, Yor figured they must be a type of Grimm called Apathy. aggressive for a Grimm, but very dangerous to anyone in close to them. Apparently when there’s a bunch of them, they can drain you of the will to even live. Yor said he'd heard of some Apathy draining people to the point where gave up breathing. He figured that we inform the guild hall in Argus when we next visit the city, so a team of Huntsmen can clear them out. In the meantime, no one else is to head east of the farm.

Below the entry was an illustration of an Apathy, presumable based off what this Annalize described. The Grimm was humanoid: tall and lanky, with limbs as thin as sticks; with arms so long that its hands fell past its knees. Like all Grimm it was a pitch-black colour, with bone-white armour forming what looked like ribs to cover its chest. Its head was in the form of a human skull, bone-white armour covering the top half, while its jaw hung open unnaturally wide, exposing bone-white teeth that looked disturbingly human. Even as a simple drawing, its eyes seemed to glow red. Curious, Blake continued onto the next entry, but there was no further mention of the Apathy. However after flicking through a few more entries the penultimate entry read:

2713/12/14
That damn Yor Neab has left the farm. He’s been demanding a pay rise of 20 Lien an hour for the last 2 months. He just kept going on about how he could be making 4 times as much if he took up work with the Ministry of Transport guarding trains across the continent. Liar. But, if what Old Donal says is true (and to be sure Old Donal could be making it up, it wouldn’t be the first time), the Ministry is desperate to get its rail network fulling running in order to reconnect the whole kingdom. So, to make sure people and goods are getting around, Prince Egamon got the Ministry hiring as many Huntsmen and Huntresses as they can and offering fat sacks of Lien too.
But Yor was already getting paid a lovely Lien for his work AND he slept under my roof AND ate my food AND drank enough for three men. Sure, he didn’t complain too much, but this haggling was running our money low. And I’ve still got a score of instalments to make in order to pay off the loan I took out to repair the damage from last year’s Darat attack. Costs keep going up, but our profit margins aren’t. So, I had to let him go.
But now we got a new problem. Everyone’s getting antsy about there being no Huntsman around to protect us. If the folks here get too worked up for too long, we’ll have Grimm heading this way in no time. I need a solution to keep everyone calm. Those Apathy Annilize spotted a few days ago. A pack of them would be dangerous, but 1 or 2 should be enough to keep everyone nice and calm for a while. Once the next harvest comes in and we can afford it, I’ll hire another Huntsman or Huntress. I’ll sleep on it.

Blake turned the page; here was written the final entry:

2713/12/15
I was able to snag a couple Apathy. They were just 2 strays. Took me all day to bring them back. Stuck them in the caves under the farm. It don’t look like they can climb out of the well, and it’s deep enough that people shouldn’t see or hear them wandering down there anyway. I’ll seal the caves back up tomorrow. I’m tired.

Horror overwhelmed Blake’s exhaustion. It all made sense. Why every person and animal in the farm was dead as if they’d just died in their sleep. Why everyone felt so tired. Maybe even why they’d all wanted to get rid of the relic. The Relic of Knowledge. Blake bolted towards the door, out into the open air and sprinted towards the well. She stared down into its inky black depths.
“RUBY!! WEISS!! YANG!!!” Blake shouted down into the dark.
There was no response.
“What’re you doing?” Frank asked as he slowly attached the trailer to Yang’s motorcycle.
“Frank. Get these bikes ready, we need to leave.”
Frank stirred, as if he was slowly waking up. “What’s going on?”
“Just get the bikes ready. Grab Anet and Qrow and be ready to leave once I bring the others back out.” Blake replied.
Before Frank could respond, Blake leapt into the darkness of the well.

Ruby and the others stared at the pair of pitch-black legs that stopped the relic from floating further down the stream. All three girls raised their scrolls, showing the back of bone-white armour covering the top half of the creature’s head. The Grimm slowly turned its head to face them, a single red eye gleamed like a flame in the dark, its jaw hung open impossibly wide, the teeth of its bottom jaw seemed to almost float in the air. A slow, lazy moan emanated from the creature. Ruby glanced behind it, more Grimm roused themselves behind this one. Their bone white armour and glowing red eyes seemed to float in midair. As the Grimm standing right in front of Ruby turned its whole body around to face them, Yang activated the shotgun on her right arm and fired at it, knocking the Grimm back. Ruby quickly reached down and swiped the Relic of Knowledge from the stream. Wordless, all three girls turned and ran back the way they came. But Ruby couldn’t remember what direction they’d gone in. Every dark tunnel they came across looked exactly the same as all the others. The only difference was whether or not they had Grimm slowly pouring out of them.
“Where’s the well!?” Ruby shouted desperately.
“I don’t know!!” Yang shouted fearfully.
“Why didn’t any of us leave a trail to follow?” Weiss wailed.
Blake’s voice pierced the air. “RUBY! YANG! WEISS!”
Ruby raised her scroll in the direction of small, rapid splashing noises coming from a tunnel to her left. A moment later, Blake appeared, illuminated by the light of their scrolls.
“This way! Blake called to them. “The well’s entrance is ahead!”
The four girls dashed down a tunnel, the soft moans of the Grimm bouncing off the tunnel walls as they ran. Ruby could see light piercing through the dark, just around a corner. The girls turned the corner, light flooded through from the well above, illuminating the Grimm that slowly marched towards them.
“Blake, please tell me those journals have a map that leads out of here.” Ruby said apprehensively.
“This way!” Blake said, leading them down another tunnel.
Team RWBY sprinted through the dark labyrinth, a chorus of soft sighs dogging at their heels. Every so often, they’d run past another tunnel and Ruby would glimpse more Grimm staggering towards them. As they ran, the ground rose on a small incline and the water level began to fall. Where it was initially at Ruby’s knees, the water level now rose no higher than her feet, making it easier for her to run. Not long after that, Ruby found she was no longer running through water. Damp soil and rock were underfoot.
“There’s light ahead!” shouted Blake.
Soon Ruby could see it too. It was razor thin, but it was light. The four of them found their second wind and dashed towards the light. Ruby could see the light was surrounded by walls of stone, with a small set of stairs leading up to it. The light had to be coming from the cellar door in the storage room. Never had something seemed so lovely.
“Yang! Go ahead and see if you can get that door open! Use Ember Celica if you have to!” Ruby commanded.
Yang activated the shotguns in her gauntlet and her robotic arm and shot forward like a golden yellow rocket. She reached the stairs and made to shoot the doors in order to destroy the chain that locked them.
Then came the scream. A high-pitched shriek that bored into Ruby’s ears. Suddenly it didn’t matter that they were so close to escaping, nor did it matter they were being chased by Grimm. Ruby collapsed onto the ground as an overwhelming feeling of apathy washed over her. She saw Yang slump onto the steps. Ruby turned around to look at Blake and Weiss. Their eyes were blank, with passive looks on their faces. Both of them lay on the ground, as if they had fallen asleep. As if she was fighting to stay awake, Ruby crawled towards her two friends.
“Blake…Weiss…get up” Ruby murmured.
Blake only stared back, blank and indifferent. Weiss mumbled something but Ruby didn’t catch it. Ruby turned back to her sister.
“Yang…snap out it.” Ruby said desperately.
“Chill Rubs. It…doesn’t…matter…” Yang murmured.
A conflicting mixture of fear and peaceful indifference began to grow on Ruby. She turned her head back towards Blake and Weiss, desperately looking for a sign of resistance from her sister and friends, a flicker of determination, something. But there was nothing. The lead Grimm drew closer; its bright red eyes fixed upon Blake. The Grimm’s left hand drew across her face; white spindly fingers brushed across her face. Blake made no reaction; she lay as still as a corpse. Ruby’s heart sank as she realised her friend was about to die.
“NOOO!” Ruby shrieked.
For a moment, everything became bright silver. There was a chorus of inhuman shrieks, a wail of death that escaped a dozen mouths. Then the darkness of the cellar swallowed everything once again. But aside from feeling a little drained, Ruby felt alert and alive. She gazed around. The sighing had stopped, and the Grimm were no longer there. All three of the girls seemed to rouse themselves, as if they’d suddenly woken up.
“Ruby…was that your silver eyes?” Weiss asked.
“Yes.” Ruby replied. “Now come on, we need to get out of here.”
As Ruby helped Blake up, there was a thunderous bang followed by a squeal of pain and a thud. Ruby turned to see her sister had fallen on to her back at the bottom of the stairs.
“Are you alright?” Ruby asked.
“I’m fine.” Groaned Yang as Weiss helped her up. “Those doors must be bullet proof; the shot just ricocheted onto me.” Seeing the concern on Ruby’s face, Yang hastily added, “I’m fine. My aura’s taken a hit, but it’s all good. Hopefully Qrow will hear us.”
Before anyone could say another word, more soft sighing could be heard coming from behind them. Slowly getting closer.
“Shit.” Yang groaned.
“Blake, Yang. Get that door open! Weiss, I’m going to need you here to help me hold these things off.”
Yang began hammering at the door, Blake pried her sword through the crack in the cellar doors, desperately trying to cut the chain off from the outside. Ruby turned her attention back towards the sighs coming from the tunnels. As it got louder, she could feel her willpower slowly draining away. Ruby thought back on her lessons with Ozpin: focusing on positive thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Weiss hastily summoned three glyphs, each with icicles poking out, reading to shoot out like bullets from a gun. The sighing was getting louder. Ruby felt like dropping her weapon. She noticed two of Weiss’ glyphs had disappeared.
A loud bang snapped both Ruby and Wiess out. Ruby spun around to see light flooding into the cellar, Frank’s head peering inside, a confused expression on his face.
“What the f-”
Ruby interrupted. “LET’S GO!”
Blake and Yang bounded up the stairs, Ruby and Weiss hot on their heels. Then came the scream. Ruby saw herself and Weiss collapse onto the dirt, Blake and Yang fell on the stairs, Frank dropped down onto the cellar doorway. The Grimm were getting closer. First came the eyes, a dozen malevolent red candle lights floating in the dark; then came the bone white armour, stark against the pitch black of the tunnel, and the Grimms own bodies. As the Grimm drew closer, the rest of their bodies came into view, the pitch blackness swallowing the light that poured out of the storage room. The Grimm seemed to be unending, slowly pouring out of the tunnel. Ruby closed her eyes and forced herself to think hopeful thoughts, remember happy memories, and feel positive emotions: Weiss giving Ruby coffee as she studied, the joy she felt at seeing her Uncle Qrow at Beacon Academy, and the belief that somehow, someway, her and her friends would stop Ozpin and Salem. Some of it was fuzzy or faded, but some of it was as clear as if it had only just happened. Ruby forced herself onto her back, toward where she could hear the Grimm approaching and she opened her eyes. For a second, the entire cellar was bathed in a bright silver light, all she could see were the Grimm being enveloped by the it. The bright silver light vanished as quickly as it had appeared. The cellar and tunnel from which the girls had run out of was now illuminated in light that shone from behind her. Exhausted, Ruby lowered her head onto the cold stone floor. No sooner had she done so did Weiss’ face come into view, the tip of her ponytail gently brushing Ruby’s right cheek.
“Ruby, that was incredible. But I think we had best keep moving.”
“You’re right.” Ruby replied, accepting Weiss’ help in getting back up. Although every muscle in her body ached, and her head swam, Ruby forced herself forward. Leaning on Weiss’s shoulder, Ruby entered the storage room. Frank stood next to Yang, an arm wrapped around her shoulders. Blake stood leaning against a wall, hugging herself. To her shock she saw Qrow slumped on the floor as well, a half empty bottle of vodka in hand while in the corner to her left, Anet still slept.
“What type of Grimm were those?” Frank asked.
“They’re called the Apathy.” Blake murmured as she stared at the floor. “They have the ability to drain people of willpower. You become tired, unwilling to do anything. Eventually…you just die.”
“Lovely.” Weiss said flatly.
“Well…I guess it beats getting ripped apart.” Yang said, a weak smile stretching across her face. No one responded.
“We need to get going. Put this place behind us.” Ruby said.
A distant scream was heard coming from the tunnels. Even though it sounded far off, Ruby almost fell over as Weiss swayed on the spot; Frank and Yang began to lean against the wall; and Blake slid down to the floor, her cat ears pressed against her head.
“Guys.” Ruby said calmly. “We need to go.”
Yang gave a small nod, broke from Frank’s embrace and took Blake by the hand, pulling her onto her feet and leading her out of the cellar. Ruby and Weiss went to get Qrow on his feet while Frank made to rouse Anet. But as he shook her, he gave a small gasp of shock.
“Anet’s dead.” Frank said.
Ruby turned and saw for herself, Anet stared blankly up at the ceiling. Her face as white as snow and even from where she stood, it was clear Anet wasn’t breathing.
Frank turned and headed towards the door.
“What are you doing?” Ruby asked.
“There’s nothing we can do for her and there’s no point bringing a corpse with us to Argus. There won’t be enough room in the trailer.”
“That’s…disrespectful.” Ruby responded.
“What other choice do we have?” Frank asked.
“With all of the alcohol in here, we could cremate her.” Weiss suggested. “The fire would also bring the house down and maybe kill some of the Apathy.”
Ruby nodded her approval at the idea. Frank gave a small shrug and dragged her towards the middle of the storage room before helping Ruby and Weiss hurriedly pour alcohol over and around Anet’s corpse. The soft sighs of the Apathy grew louder and clearer. When every remaining bottle had been emptied, the three of them retreated to the front of the storage room; Frank and Ruby had to half-carry, half drag Qrow with them. The bone-white faces of the Apathy emerged from the cellar door, slowly walking towards them. Ruby felt like dropping Qrow. She saw Weiss begin to lower her rapier but then she looked at Ruby and with renewed vigour, Weiss raised her rapier and used the Fire Dust within it to ignite Anet’s body. With alcohol all over the floor, the fire quickly spread, chasing them all out, Ruby and Frank once more half-carrying, half-dragging Qrow out with them. As they left, Ruby returned her gaze towards the cellar door: Apathy were slowly emerging from the gloom, shrieking in shock and pain at the fire that began to take hold of the lead Grimm. The fire soon consumed the storage room. An intense heat was brushing against Ruby, forcing her to look away and dash out of the house with the others, heat and smoke following close behind. Yang was already on her motorbike, it’s engine roaring while Blake sat in the trailer, still hugging herself. Ruby, Qrow, and Weiss hoped onto the trailer with Blake. Frank leapt onto his motorbike, started it up and the crew raced out of the farm. Ruby watched as the farm disappeared behind by the forest they rode through.
On a narrow dirt road, the crew rode in silence for several minutes before Ruby asked Blake about the Apathy. Blake told them what she had read in the journals: how the farm had been struggling financially; the Huntsman the farmer had hired left the settlement leaving everyone feeling anxious; and that the lead farmer, in an effort to keep everyone calm until the next harvest had snuck a couple of Apathies into the caves.
“But then how did so many more end up there?” Weiss asked.
“In the last entry, the farmer said he’d seal up the entrance to the cave the following day. The rest of the pack must have followed them back to the farm and into the caves underneath it. With all of them around, it was only a matter of time until everyone lost all willpower and died.” Blake said.
The crew rode on in silence again. Blake, Ruby, Qrow, and Weiss all huddled together, wrapped in blankets to keep warm, but even though it was no longer snowing, and the clouds had cleared with the sun shining in a forget-me-not blue sky, it still felt cold. Qrow didn’t shiver, whether he was warm from all the alcohol he’d consumed, or if he was lost in his own thoughts, Ruby couldn’t tell. He hadn’t given any sign of having heard what Blake had said either. Weiss didn’t seem too bothered by the cold. Blake on the other hand was shivering, even though she was huddled between Ruby and Weiss. After a couple of hours, the crew came across a fork in the road. After determining which path took them north, everyone sat in the back of the trailer eating a lunch of cold chicken livers, kimchi, cheese, and some canned pears. Washed down with a bottle of vodka, which everyone had to make sure Qrow didn’t have more than a small cup of. Despite the entire fare being cold, everyone’s spirits seemed to lift; perhaps Ruby thought, as a result of now having put some distance between themselves and Brunswick Farms, or because everyone had now had something to eat, or the vodka was warming them up, or maybe a combination of all three. But Ruby found herself smiling at the sight of Yang cracking a small joke which made them all laugh. Even her despondent uncle gave a small smile. As the laughter faded, Ruby stood up, jumped off the trailer, and cleared her throat.
“Listen guys, I know we’ve all been through a lot these past couple of days, and we’ve all probably reflected on how hopeless things seem. Even discussing getting rid of the Relic of Knowledge. But I want to make one thing absolutely clear: despite Jinn telling us that it’s impossible to beat Salem and knowing that Ozpin has his own goals in mind for becoming a god, I still intend to go to Atlas. Because I think even if we can’t beat them, we can at least bring an end to their plans. The people who died on the train to Argus; Anet and Dudley; regardless of how any of them treated us, they didn’t deserve to die. Nor did they deserve to become fuel for Salem, and probably Ozpin’s plans. The people at Brunswick Farms didn’t deserve it either. Nor did those in the Menagerie Militia, the Mistrali Defence Force, and the White Fang. Nor did everyone who lost their lives in the Fall of Beacon. We know the truth, so it’s on us to make sure Ozpin and Salem’s plans fail.”
“How?” Qrow asked.
“I don’t know.” Ruby admitted. “But I have to try. In spite of everything, I still believe there may be a way to stop them.” Ruby gazed around at her family and closest friends. “Will you join me?”
Yang stood up and joined her sister, giving Ruby a warm, encouraging smile. “I’m with you Ruby. Family gotta stick together.”
“Well…someone has to try and keep you two out of trouble.” Weiss announced as she stood up and joined them.
Blake quickly followed, saying, “I’m not going to be separated from you guys again.”
“I’ve come all this way.” Frank said, standing up and joining the girls. “I can’t just turn my back on the world now.” Frank gave a small, weak smile that didn’t reach his eyes, but it turned into a blush as his face went red when Yang, beaming with gratitude, threw an arm around his shoulders, drawing him in. Ruby looked at them all, her friends, her found family. They all stood in front of her, now gathered together like the heroes in the stories she read as a little girl, standing to shoulder: confident and united to save the world. For most of them, their eyes burned with a passionate determination. Ruby didn’t doubt they all still harboured doubts and insecurities, especially Frank and Qrow; she still had them too. But together, she knew the crew would find a way to stop the twins. A renewed vigour flowed through Ruby’s veins as the crew set off again. Not even the cold could stifle her determination.
A few hours later, the crew came across a concrete road, wide enough for two trucks to drive side-by-side. Suddenly Ruby, Weiss, and Blake’s scrolls simultaneously rang out. Frank and Yang pulled off the road so they could all hear. Shocked, the three of them answered the calls. Jaune was calling Ruby, Nora was calling Weiss, and Ren calling Blake. Ruby answered her scroll.
“Jaune?”
“YOU’RE ALIVE!” Jaune whooped. Ruby could hear Nora and Ren cheering in the background. “We’re in Argus! We’ve been trying to call you guys all day! Where are you?!”
“We’re not too sure. But we’re on a road, heading north. We think we’ll reach Argus soon. But I don’t know when.” Ruby replied.
“Ok. Alright. Do you want us to come out and try to meet you?” Jaune hurriedly asked.
“No, don’t.” Ruby responded. “Just stay in Argus. We should be there soon. Jaune…we’ve got so much to tell you guys.”
There was a pause before Jaune spoke. Ruby thought he sounded wary. “We’ve got a lot to tell you guys as well. Get here safe and soon. Let us know when you see the city walls and we’ll come meet you at the main entrance.”
The crew continued their ride towards Argus. As the sun began its slow descent towards the western horizon, the road led them to a highway, a sign hanging above the road read:

Argus 50km

Ruby felt like jumping with joy. Soon they would all reach Argus and be safe behind the city’s walls. Fortunately, no Grimm appeared to harass them. As they crested the top of a hill; the crew laid eyes on Argus for the first time: a tall wall built atop a large hill beckoned them forward. The crew gave a collective sigh of relief, secure in the knowledge that very soon, they would be safe.